Following the Dedication of the Learning Commons on the morning of Sept. 8, the Marywood community gathered in the Art Field for a community picnic.

Faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the community, were invited to join in the festivities as classes were suspended from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Even temperatures near 90 degrees did not deter people from enjoying the lunch.
“It’s a good feeling to see everyone in the nice weather enjoying themselves,” said Soraya Irizarry, a Chartwells employee.
This year’s picnic also served as the debut for Marywood’s new mascot, Maxis the Mustang, who was ready to strike a pose with any person willing.
During the Spring 2015 semester, students voted on the animal and the name of the new mascot, and the winning combination was announced toward the end of the semester. Read our coverage of ‘Students vote on new mascot‘.
Though Maxis was unable to comment, he nodded enthusiastically when asked if he was excited to be at the picnic.
Sr. Maria Rose Kelly, I.H.M., who has been a religious studies professor at Marywood since 1988, also attended the festivities.
“I love anything that’s free,” she said. “I particularly love this for the commuters. There’s a place to gather and have fun and not shell out a buck.”

Freshman Bridget Barnic, a pre-PA major, attended all of the morning’s events.
“I was here for the convocation ceremony and the ribbon cutting, and it’s such a nice day so I thought I’d have some lunch,” she said.
“I feel very proud to be a part of Marywood’s 100 years of existence and 100 years of great people with big hearts,” concluded Barnic.

Bethany Wade contributed to this story.

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