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Photos from this past weekend’s hike in the nearby Topatopa mountain range, led by Head Chaplain Rev. Joseph Illo:

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On Sunday the Thomas Aquinas College community celebrated St. Patrick’s Day 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, cabbage, and chocolate cake (with green sprinkles), followed by a program of Irish dance and singing.

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On Tuesday evening the lower campus green was the site of the Class Volleyball Tournament’s championship game, with the Juniors facing off against the Seniors. After an opening prayer, the contest began — a tough competition in which the Juniors ultimately triumphed, claiming the 2014 tournament title.

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

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Last week, in between Don Rags sections, Thomas Aquinas College students made their way over to St. Augustine Hall for the campus blood drive. United Blood Service set up a makeshift clinic in one of the classrooms, and some 35 students dropped by throughout the day to make their sanguinary contributions.

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The College’s top intramural basketball teams met on Saturday night for the championship round of the spring 2014 season. First up was the women’s game between squads captained by Susanna Kolbeck (’16) and Stephanie Sebastian (’14). While the fans cheered and students Anthony Maza (’15) and Michael Coglianese (’16) announced the game from the sidelines, the teams battled up and down the court. Team Sebastian narrowly won by a score of 21-18.

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His Eminence Edwin Cardinal O’Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, has accepted President Michael F. McLean’s invitation to serve as Thomas Aquinas College’s 2014 Commencement Speaker. The former Archbishop of Baltimore and the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Cardinal O’Brien will travel from Rome to the College’s California campus to participate in the May 17 graduation ceremony.

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Students gathered in the Dumb Ox Café on Tuesday night for this annual, informal showcase of musical talents:

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The students of Thomas Aquinas College celebrated Mardi Gras a few days early this year with a Casino-themed dance in St. Joseph Commons on Saturday. Representing the Junior Class, which hosted the event, Jerome Gerard (’15) opened the evening by announcing that attendees were in Las Vegas — as evidenced by the card tables, decorative dice, and roulette wheel that filled the room.

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The rules of Thomas Aquinas College’s Cookie Cook-Off are simple: Teams get one evening to bake their confections, working entirely from scratch. Recipes and ingredients are left to students’ own devices and imaginations. The next day, a select panel of tutors and administrators evaluate the cookies on the basis of several criteria, including taste and presentation. This year’s winner: Freshman Juliann McDonough’s “Bonitas citrina,” lemon cookies with white-chocolate drizzle.

Below are photos from the annual competition:

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With hopes of pursuing studies in music upon graduation, soprano Colleen Donnelly (’14) recently gave a solo performance to an appreciative audience in St. Bernardine of Siena Library. The Sunday-afternoon concert, held in preparation for Miss Donnelly’s audition for music school, featured arias from the Classical and Baroque periods as well art songs and opera arias from the Romantic period, moving into the 20th century.