California
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July 28, 2023
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Several relax together on the grassy quad

 

Disbelief has begun to take hold on the California High School Summer Program.

Despite 12 days of relentless intellectual stimulation, recreational activities, and cultural excursions, no one can quite accept that the two-week program is nearing its end. Thursday was an exercise in disciplined denial, with scarcely an acknowledgment that Saturday is right around the corner. For now, the programmers are making the most of every second they have left — here, in this beautiful place, with these amazing people, in moments of scholarly contemplation and divine devotion. We can worry about goodbyes later!

Yet we can’t escape looking ahead just a little. Following Thursday’s classes on Euclid and Boethius, students eagerly arrived at their last dance practice, polishing up their moves in preparation for Friday night’s farewell banquet and dance! After just a few sessions, this group has come a long way. St. Cecilia Hall was filled with twirls, dips, and confident smiles!

Photos: Last Dance Practice
  • A student pair on the floor listens to instructions
  • A student pair chats
  • Student pairs listen to the instructions
  • A student pair in swing position
  • Two practice a walk step
  • A line of student pairs in waltz position
  • A student pair in waltz position
  • Students practice a step
  • Two practice a step
  • Students practice moves
  • A student couple listens to instructions
  • Two dance and chat
  • Two practice the steps
  • Student pairs dance and chat
  • Another view of the same
  • Two practice a turn

Hot from all that dancing, students then raced to their residence halls, changed into bathing suits, and reconvened for a heat-beating romp on a sudsy slip-n-slide!

Photos: Slip-n-Slide
  • Two slide down
  • Two slide down
  • Two head down
  • Prefects pour soap on the slide to reduce its coefficient of friction
  • Prefects spray the slide with water
  • A student gets sprayed in the face
  • Two dive onto the slide
  • Two dive onto the slide
  • Two make a running start
  • A prefect sprays a student
  • Two slide down in the "Superman" position
  • Two rise from the slide
  • Five sit on the grass near a sprinkler
  • Two pose together

After dinner in St. Joseph Commons came the last study hall of the program. As a special treat, the first portion of the session took place outside, where students read Shakespeare’s Macbeth before returning to the classroom for one last night of Euclidean propositions.

 

Four study together in the grass of the quad

 

Then followed one last (and an abbreviated) Coffee Shop, complete with iced coffees and Italian sodas …

 

Two select drinks

 

… before the night’s main event, the Prefects v. Students Soccer Game! Played on a hot summer night under the athletic field’s bright lights, it was an intense bout. Fans cheered wildly (Fr. Sebastian chief among them!) as teams clashed in a hard-fought battle. The students were hopeful that they would capture their first win of the program, but, alas, the prefects emerged victorious, completing the clean sweep that began with Monday’s basketball games.

Photos: Soccer Game
  • Five sitting on a ledge pose for the camera (two are wearing cowboy hats)
  • Two face off
  • Fr. Walshe raises his hands in a cheer/blessing
  • Four in pursuit of the ball
  • A student holds the ball over his head
  • Two compete for the ball
  • A student kicks the ball
  • Two in pursuit of the ball
  • Two clash near the net
  • Goalie deflects the ball
  • Onlookers applaud
  • One team high-fives each other
  • The victorious team poses
  • A student shakes hands with Dr. Cooper

When the contest came to an end, and all had said their congratulations and good nights, students returned to their residence halls. In St. Monica’s, the women enjoyed crepes and delighted in “Prefects on Tap,” where the prefects answered students’ questions about any and all facets of TAC life.

 

Prefects on Tap in the women's dorm

 

Back in St. Peter and Paul’s, the men prepared for a special surprise. First, they held a quick musical rehearsal — two guitars, a banjo, and some 75 voices — then they dressed in their Sunday finest and loaded up with roses and chocolates. From there, the men made their way over to St. Monica’s for a TAC “wooing,” in which they presented their gifts to the women programmers and serenaded them with three songs: “Red is the Rose,” “Can't Help Falling in Love,” and “What Makes You Beautiful.”

 

Dorm "wooing"

 

Dorm "wooing"

 

Dorm "wooing"

 

And with that, another fabulous day behind them, the group at last retired for the night, ready to rise and shine this morning, Euclid and Shakespeare awaiting them … and those dreaded goodbyes inching ever nearer.

See the Summer Blog this afternoon for the next update!