California
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July 19, 2022
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Three pose for a photo outside the dorm

The excitement of Monday’s classes — “breaking the seal,” as it were, on Euclid and Boethius — carried on well beyond the end of the second session, propelling students on the California High School Summer Program through an intense afternoon and evening of rest, socialization, and study.

After changing out of their classroom clothes, many programmers headed outdoors for the gym, the pool, and the athletic fields. Others holed up in the air-conditioned comfort of the art studio, while in the Coffee Shop and the residence halls students played board games and continued the classroom discussions from earlier in the day.

Recreation
  • Three others pose for a picture
  • Three play Spikeball outside one of the dorms
  • Volleyball on the grass court
  • Another shot of volleyball on the grass court
  • Four toss a football around, with the main campus in the background
  • Volleyball: a student makes a difficult return over the net
  • Volleyball: a student mid-serve
  • Another student serves, using the underhand style this time
  • A student at the volleyball net
  • Two playing soccer on the athletic field
  • Soccer: three near the net
  • Two on the tennis court
  • Two in the pool
  • Four relax and chat in the pool, in two pairs
  • Basketball on the indoor court
  • Mid-action: eight students in a game of basketball

All that playing made everyone hungry, and a fan-favorite meal of chicken tenders and mashed potatoes awaited in St. Joseph Commons. Dinnertime conversations covered theater, sports, classes, and more. Then it was on to St. Cecilia Hall, where members of the admissions team spoke about the benefits of a TAC education and what students could expect in the application process. Subjects included the versatility of a liberal education (the College’s alumni thrive in most every possible career field), the College’s robust financial aid program, and admissions requirements.

At the ensuing study hall in St. Bernardine of Siena Library, students dove into their copies of Euclid’s Elements and Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy. Midway into the session, they left for classrooms across the campus, where prefects helpfully demonstrated Euclid’s First Proposition — the construction of an equilateral triangle — to show students how classroom demonstrations proceed. Step by step, the prefects walked onlookers through Euclid’s reasoning, outlining the logical progression with shorthand and a diagrams on chalkboards. Prefects and programmers alike helped struggling students with gentle patience, ensuring everyone had a fair shot at understanding what lay on the page.

When study time came to a close, students visited Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel to pray the Rosary, uniting their day and pursuits to reverent prayer. Afterward, they meandered over to the nearby Coffee Shop, where they found an array of milkshakes waiting for them, while outside, preparations were under way for an exciting soccer showdown between prefects and students. Who would win? Time would tell!

Teams warmed up on the green beneath the overhead stadium lights. Anticipation built in the warm California night. Onlookers cheered and murmured. Then the game kicked off, and teams set to work. The crowd gasped as the ball soared into the night, a white circle against a dark sky. Chants roared, programmers and prefects declaring their allegiances. Though the programmers played their best, fighting valiantly and banding together, the prefects prevailed, 7-2. Teams high-fived, and the crowd went wild.

Then, to cap off the excitement, a squad of prefects clad in aprons emerged on to the field carrying massive quantities of freshly made chicken nuggets for all to enjoy. The athletes dug in, replenishing themselves after having given their all out on the field.

With curfew close at hand, groups of students began to make their way back to the residence halls for the night. In the morning, students would get to take on the glory of demonstrating Euclidean propositions before their sections! But first, a good night’s sleep was in order …

 

PS — A Shout-Out from Bishop Barron

The Most Rev. Robert E. Barron, Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles and soon-to-be Bishop of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, has given a shout-out to the Summer Program students on Twitter:

 

 

Thank you, Your Excellency, for the visit! May God bless you in your new diocese!