Marist held the Father-Daughter dance for freshmen January 31 at the Palos Country club. The girls were invited to have a special night to be with their fathers, and their friends.

“Being here is very important to me because I get to have the experience to bond with my dad tonight and just have fun.  I’m glad we get to have the opportunity to be able to do this with each other,” said Madelyn Loera.

“Time is your enemy, time just keeps going, and the sand is falling through the hourglass and daughters between the ages of 14-18 don’t always want to hang around with you, or be with you, or have that one on one time so an event like this almost makes that happen and it’s just so special,” said Principal Meg Dunneback.

Some students had never attended a dance like this before.

“This is my first time going to a father-daughter dance. So far I’m really enjoying everything. I love the people here, and the place is all really nice,” said Olivia Clarke.

Participants also approved of the location.

“The venue is really nice and open here. It’s really pretty, and it has enough space for everyone here tonight to have a great time, and get comfortable,” said Loera.

Although the freshmen seemed to enjoy the event, Marist administrators were hoping for a better turnout.

“The question we want to know from the students is why don’t you show up? There are more freshmen than there are here tonight so where are the rest of them? You can be this social at a basketball game, or a volleyball game, or anything like this, and you shouldn’t feel awkward or nervous showing up to a dance or event like this,” said Dunneback.

The fathers also seemed to enjoy themselves.

“100% I’d do this again so we can contribute to keep bonding in the future, as we go along and get older, and not be able to get to do something like this,” said father Rudy Loera.