California
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September 7, 2022
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One week after their New England counterparts, the students of Thomas Aquinas College, California, celebrated the start of the academic year on Saturday with games, competition, and a delicious barbeque.

To kick off activities, students trickled down to the lower campus, where a hefty rope and mud pit on the fairway hosted a competition of epic proportions: the Annual Class Tug of War. To heighten class spirit, students coordinated with their classmates to wear specific colors: green for freshmen, blue for sophomores, red for juniors, and black for seniors.

With mighty heaves and plenty of grit, the seniors yanked the freshmen into the mud pit with ease. As the momentary victors cheered, the juniors and sophomores faced off. In moments, the sophomores spilled onto the grass as the juniors triumphed and began to taunt the seniors. The two remaining teams lined up, facing down across the mud pit­ — a battle of wills between the upperclassmen. The final round began, and in moments, with mighty heaves, with crying shouts, and with sheer determination, the juniors yanked the seniors into the mud pit. The Class of 2024 — the juniors — reigned victorious.

Tug of War
  • Three pose for a photo, mud-covered
  • One of the teams poses, decorated in red paint
  • One of the teams on the field
  • The black-clad team cheers
  • A member of red team shouts and points at something off-screen
  • The seniors pull for dear life
  • The seniors cheer wildly following a victory!
  • The seniors still cheering
  • Another shot of the seniors cheering
  • Red team
  • Red team gets ready to pull
  • Blue team pulls for all it's worth
  • Blue team pulls with enthusiasm!
  • Blue team is pulled to the brink of the mud-pool
  • Red team cheers their victory
  • Red team celebrates its success
  • The tug-of-war in action
  • A mud fight breaks out at the puddle
  • Mud fight!
  • A laughing, mud-spattered student

Keeping the tradition of years past, the celebrations quickly turned to excited shouts as clumps of mud flew back and forth between every student in attendance. Within minutes, the student body was caked in head to toe with mud and took to the ponds. They dove in, rinsed themselves, and took advantage of the nearby rope swing. Bit by bit, the group made its way back to upper campus where a Slip n’ Slide shot students down the hill by St. Therese Hall.

Ponds & Slip-n-Slide
  • Chicken fight in the ponds
  • Three students wash off the mud in the pond
  • Students splash around in the pond
  • Two wrestle atop the shoulders of their friends
  • Another game of chicken fight
  • Splash fight!
  • A student gets splashed
  • Students in the ponds
  • A student is raised aloft by his classmates
  • Students in the pond applaud
  • Students on one side of the pond spectating something
  • Enthusiastic cheering from a group of students in the pond, arms raised
  • Cheering, hugging, and splashing in the pond
  • Action shot: a student sprinting
  • Three pose for a photo, one making the "hang loose" sign

By the time all had cooled off, students retired to their residence halls to freshen up for a barbeque on the campus green. Faculty, families, and students said grace together and lined up outside the St. Bernadine of Siena Library for a delicious spread of tri-tip, chicken, bread, and beans.

BBQ
  • Students line up for the barbecue
  • Fr. Marczewski blesses the food
  • Students serve themselves
  • Another view of students serving themselves at the buffet
  • Students dine at long picnic tables
  • Another view of the students at the tables
  • Close shot of students eating at the tables
  • Another view of students eating at the tables
  • Three laugh and chat at the table
  • Two chat by the drinks table
  • Students eat at the picnic tables

Picnic tables filled as diners dug in. Students delighted each other with stories from their classroom sections or the summer; tutors shared jokes and insights, and family members shared their company. Little ones played tag nearby, laughing as they ran as fast as they possibly could. The sun made its slow descent, the green cooling off as the barbeque went on. “This event is key to start off the year and bring together all the classes,” reflected James Blewett (’24). “It went really well.”