With the ice thoroughly broken, the prefects gathered the attendees in a group on one side of the field to make an announcement. Little did the students know the “announcement” was really a declaration of war, as the prefects pelted the programmers with water balloons! A rousing water battle followed, with the winner unclear (though the prefects claimed to be the victors). Since everyone was already thoroughly soaked, Luke Cecchi (’24) and Stephen Brown (’25) set up a giant slip-n-slide on the hill next to the Pope St. John Paul II Athletic Center. “That was without a doubt the greatest slip-and-slide!’’ declared Anthony W. “Absolutely the best time I’ve ever had with water.”
Thoroughly tired out from their recreation, the students quickly dried off and changed before sitting down to a dinner of pork chops, pasta salad, asparagus, and watermelon. Afterward, the prefects led them down to Dolben Library, where they began their first study hour. Attendees curled up on chairs, couches, and at tables, carefully reading the texts for the next day’s classes: Sophocles’ Antigone and a collection of Pre-Socratic works. The library was hushed, the silence only punctuated by the sounds of pages turning and pencils scratching.
Next, the prefects and students prayed the Rosary in Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel before making their way down to the Bl. Frassati Student Center Coffee Shop! Programmers enjoyed fruity Italian sodas and snacks as they relaxed after a long day. Some students played board or card games, while others played foosball, pool, or simply socialized with their fellow attendees. The Student Center echoed with conversation, laughter, and the sound of ping-pong balls until curfew, when the students headed to their residence halls to rest up for another day of discussion.
