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Students Dance

 

The Junior Class was the last to host a dance for the newest members of Thomas Aquinas College, but its September 28 welcome was no less warm for being late in coming. Celebrating the freshmen’s arrival in California from across the country and abroad, the Junior Class threw a “Welcome to America”-themed dance.

In the area outside St. Gladys Hall, the juniors set up tables of food displaying models of monuments from around the world. Miniatures of the Roman Coliseum, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids of Giza, and the Tower of Pisa sat atop tables surrounded by sweet and savory snacks. Beyond the internationally themed tables, juniors dressed as TSA agents met the freshmen as they arrived, taking the “passports” they had received as invitations to the dance and admitting them through an archway decorated as a metal detector. Junior Erin Simms (’27), dressed as the Statue of Liberty, stood by, posing as the symbol that has welcomed millions to America.

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The attendees passed through the “metal detector” to the dance floor, which was surrounded by hand-painted posters of iconic American landmarks such as the Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore, and the New York City skyline, as well as a cardboard model of the Golden Gate Bridge. The freshmen took in the sights, impressed by the effort the juniors had put into their welcome. “I really liked the amount of creativity they used in the theme, the food, decorations, and entertainment,” said freshman Jack Morrey (’28). 

Before the dancing began, the juniors played a fun and action-packed short film that they had created for the freshmen. The film playfully teased the newcomers, as its junior protagonists, through a wild misadventure, learned to begrudgingly accept the freshmen as dorm-mates. 

After enjoying the entertainment together, the two classes took to the dance floor for the night! In addition to the usual swing dancing, the juniors taught the freshmen group dances such as the Gay Gordons, the Virginia Reel, and Footloose, and had “steal dances,” where the only way to join the dance was to rob someone else of his or her partner. “There were a lot of people dancing the whole time,” said Elena Walz (’28). “The music was really good, and that kept everything lively. It was a ton of fun!” 

After the juniors and freshmen danced and talked for a few hours, the sophomores and seniors arrived to crash the party and join in on the good time!