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Like the seniors and juniors before them, the sophomores of both Thomas Aquinas College campuses extended a formal welcome to their freshmen compatriots with dances this past Saturday. 

In New England, members of the Class of 2026 put on their boogie shoes — and roller skates — to throw a 1950s diner-themed dance. Students trickled into the Bl. Frassati Student Center, where they were met by greeters who directed them to their tables and distributed menus — including kids’ menus, complete with crayons and a word search. Waiters buzzed past on roller blades, delivering made-to-order pancakes and milkshakes from the coffee shop.

 

Photos: New England
  • New England Dance
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In the evening’s entertainment, a bard recounted the tale of a rowdy class of freshmen who failed to appreciate TAC’s academic program, only to be whipped into shape by the very authors they were studying. The audience burst into laughter at the sight of Achilles teaching the men how to lift weights, Fabre reminding students of the value of observation, and Socrates debating the merits of real milk over oat milk.

Once the laughter died down, the dance began in full force with Glen Miller’s iconic “In the Mood.” In keeping with the evening’s theme, at one point, two sophomores performed a stunning roller-blade duet, flying around the room and high-fiving each other as they passed. Then, at 9:00 p.m., the rest of the students arrived to join the fun and dance the night away to classic ’50s swing.

California’s sophomores also rolled back the clock for the evening’s festivities — though they stopped 30 years shorter than their counterparts in New England. 

The evening began in the Fritz B. Burns Auditorium with the entertainment, which imagined a group of tutors playing video games together. Rife with inside jokes and impressive technical feats, courtesy of creative wizard Richard Goforth (CA’26), the video delighted dancegoers, who continued laughing as they made their way to the St. Joseph Commons … 

Photos: California
  • California Dance
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…which the sophomores had transformed into a vintage ’80s arcade. Murals and cardboard game machines lined the walls, fusing the retro ‘vibes’ with more TAC inside jokes, such as replacing the faces of iconic video-game characters with those of students. 

Both freshmen and sophomores did their sartorial best to bring back the ’80s, dancing the night away like characters in a John Hughes classic. Then, at 10:00 p.m., the upperclassmen arrived, making for a most excellent evening.