On the evening of Saturday, March 21, 2015, the St. Genesius Players of Thomas Aquinas College presented William Shakespeare’s Othello in St. Joseph Commons. Caecilia Shapiro (’16) and Thomas Trull (’15) directed the production, whose cast members included Rocky Brittain (’15) as the title role, Mr. Trull as Iago, Zoe Appleby (’18) as Desdemona, Carmel Richard (’15) as Amelia, Anthony Maza (’15) as Cassio, and Michaela Stoutz (’18) as Bianca.

On Sunday the Thomas Aquinas College community celebrated St. Patrick’s Day early with an evening of Irish food and entertainment. Members of the faculty and their families joined students in St. Joseph Commons for a meal of corned beef, potatoes, and cabbage, followed by a program of Irish dance and singing.

While members of the Class of 2015 were busy finishing, turning in, and then celebrating the completion of their Senior theses, their fellow Thomas Aquinas College students escaped the unseasonable heat this past Saturday night with an informal dance. The gathering marked the first — but surely not the last —  dance to be held in the the plaza of the newly completed St. Gladys Hall.

Each year, starting in the fall and continuing well into the spring, the Seniors of Thomas Aquinas College labor to create what will be the culmination of their four years of academic effort — the Senior Thesis. Based on a subject of each student’s own choosing, and drawing from the College’s classical curriculum, the thesis represents its author’s effort to apply his or her education to a matter of scholarly and personal importance.

On Sunday, March 9, Thomas Aquinas College students performed in the second of this year’s two informal concerts — “Schubertiades” — in St. Bernardine of Siena Library.

Below is the program from the concert:

“Danse,” by Claude Debussy
Performed by Helen McDonough (’17)

“Minuet in A Minor,” by Johann Krieger

“Romanza,” by Anonymous
Performed by Sean Phan (’17), guitar

“Presto from Sonata in C Minor,” by Giovanni Battista Pescetti
Performed by Emily Sanchez (’17)

Early Saturday morning, a group of Thomas Aquinas College students and a recent graduate sung the National Anthem for some 300 boys and their families at the opening ceremony for the Santa Paula Little League.

Students met in the Dumb Ox Café on Wednesday night for this semester’s informal showcase of musical talents:

On Tuesday afternoon the lower campus green was the site of the Class Volleyball Tournament’s championship game, with the Juniors facing off against the Sophomores. After an opening prayer, the contest began — a tough competition in which the Juniors ultimately triumphed, claiming the 2015 tournament title.

In the consolation match, the Freshmen bested the Seniors, taking third place in the tournament.

The Beauty, Majesty, and Awe of God’s Revelation

By Dr. Brian T. Kelly (’88)

Note: The following remarks are adapted from Dean Brian T. Kelly’s report to the Board of Governors at its October 2014 retreat meeting. They are part of an ongoing series of talks about why the College includes certain authors in its curriculum.