From Presocratics to Pizza

On Monday, this year’s High School Summer Program students spent the morning vigorously discussing Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, and the afternoon examining Plato’s Crito. “I’m so impressed with the enthusiasm and wonder of these students,” says Head Prefect Kathleen Sullivan. “And it’s only been the first day!”

After class, the participants placed orders for the highly coveted Summer Program 2013 t-shirts, to be distributed at the end of the two weeks. Then, for recreation, they took to the athletic fields for ultimate Frisbee, volleyball, and soccer, while others cooled off by jumping into the campus ponds. That evening they headed to the library for study time, followed by praying the Rosary in the Chapel. Everyone then met up in the campus coffee shop for some music (pianos and guitars) and games (cards, Apples to Apples, and Bananagrams).

The fun did not stop with curfew, however. In the men’s residence hall, there was pizza and wiffle-dodgeball, with donuts for the winning side. In the women’s residence hall, there was also pizza, plus good conversation and a cake for a student who was celebrating her birthday.

A few of the more ambitious women and prefects rose early Tuesday morning for a hike in the foothills surrounding the campus. Then, it was back to work, with classes on Sophocles’ Antigone and various writings from the Pre-Socratic philosophers. Afterward, students met up for a group photo — no easy feat, given the large size of this year’s program. During lunch in the Commons, there were many an animated conversation about Greek tragedies and questions about the nature of the world drawn from the early philosophers.