Ask any freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior, and she can tell you all about her experiences at Marymount. But aren’t people curious about what Marymount was like before Macs and Smartboards? Well, we were lucky enough to find a Marymount graduate whose granddaughter currently attends Marymount! Kara Duncan, ’13, interviewed her grandmother, Kathleen Leavey McCarthy ’53, a Marymount alumna, about her perspective on classes, uniforms, and more from her days as a student.
Interview questions asked by Kara Duncan.
What were some reasons that you chose to attend Marymount?
[My] parents really wanted me to go there. I was already in the Marymount grammar school — I had already graduated 8th grade — it was a natural transition. And I wanted to go there.
What was your favorite thing about Marymount?
Oh, I just loved it. It was small and I made great friends. I loved the activities. We had so much going on: song contests, plays, fashion shows, athletics like basketball and volleyball. I just loved all the different things we did, which was nothing compared to you guys. There were only 28-32 [students] in my graduating class. By the time my sister got there four years later there were 60 in her class.
Was Marymount a boarding school when you were a student?
Yes it was. There were many girls that boarded – a lot of girls from the Ventura area, South America, Bakersfield.
What were the uniforms like?
Navy blue jumper — really looked good on everybody — white blouse underneath. Didn’t really show anything or get dirty. We had a blazer as well and a white uniform that we were on special feasts day. We also had to wear white gloves and veils to chapel.
What was your favorite class?
History — oh, I loved history.
Who were your favorite teachers?
Oh, Mother Celine — [she is] still alive and taught [my daughter] Colleen as well.
Did Marymount offer any languages such as Spanish or French? If so, what did you take?
Oh yeah — French, Spanish and Latin. I took two years of Spanish and four years of Latin.
What types of extracurricular activities did you participate in?
Oh, everything, the athletics – basketball and volleyball. Oh, and we wore God-awful one-piece gym suits. Participated in the song contest and plays, prom committees, a lot of that kind of thing.
What is the biggest difference between the old Marymount and the new Marymount?
Well, everything I’ve mentioned, all the different activities and such. You guys have so much more diversity of students. The campus, part of campus was a college, their classes were underneath Cantwell. [The] library was in H-9. We also had no gym or pool. [The] soccer field was a reservoir.
Do you still keep in touch with old Marymount classmates?
Yes! Of course! I don’t see them a lot but we definitely keep in touch — some have passed away.
What is a valuable lesson that you learned throughout your years at Marymount that still helps you in your life today?
Well I really think I learned to practice my religion. The nuns were fabulous, wonderful teachers. I think I learned a lot of leadership. I really took on leadership positions. I took a lot of initiative, [the positions I took] let you do that, really gave you an opportunity to take on responsibility. Also [they] really instilled a lot of self-confidence.