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Sunday on the New England High School Summer Program began with 9:00 a.m. Mass, served and sung by some of the programmers. The students are truly coming into their own in the TAC community, joining into integral aspects of campus life through their own initiative. This development is evident not only in their volunteering at Mass, but also in their dedication and attention during study hall, their eagerness to engage in group activities, their cheerful willingness to leave devices in the dorms and live life free of distraction.

It’s wonderful to watch these high schoolers as they wholeheartedly immerse themselves in all the good that 91���� has to offer!

Sunday brunch was bright and bustling, everyone in good spirits after Mass and further uplifted by the beautiful weather — sunny and bright, but with a cool breeze blowing steadily all day. Students lingered over the meal, staying at their tables and talking long after they finished eating. At last, it was time for recreation, and the dining hall slowly emptied as prefects and programmers headed to the residence halls to change. 

On account of Saturday’s busyness, prefects gave students the choice between recreation or free time. Most opted for recreation, trooping down the hill to the athletic field for ultimate frisbee, followed by a vigorous swim in the pool. Others wanted to continue with the dance steps that they learned two days ago, and they went down to St. Frassati Student Center and practiced together.

Midway through the afternoon, all met in Dolben Auditorium to watch the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. The entire auditorium was decked out with streamers, balloons, flags, and paper lanterns in the colors of both teams. The tables outside were loaded with chips and candy, and face paint and flags were available for the audience. Students dressed in the colors of preferred team, and prefects and programmers smeared their cheeks with their team’s colors. 

The game was a long and tantalizing one, but the audience never lost any of its energy — rather, it became more excited and riled up as the game proceeded. At every shot or whistle blow, the audience would rise, shouting and gesticulating, then fall back into their seats laughing. Hot pizza was served in the auditorium because everyone was too excited to leave the game for even a minute! When the match finally ended and Spain secured the victory, the crowd went wild, the party spilling outdoors. 

Since the game ran late, everyone had to hurry to collect books and notebooks and go down to the library for study hall. The programmers quickly quieted down, focusing themselves on their readings. The next two hours passed without a murmur as thet dove into Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy and the Common Notions and Definitions in Euclid’s Elements.

When the study period came to an end, students gathered once more in the auditorium for a game of Section Jeopardy! Seated with their class sections, they engaged in a competitive and crazy quiz game led by prefect Gabriel Livingston (’28). Questions were arranged into categories near and dear to the programmers’ hearts, such the Summer Program curriculum, fun facts about the prefects and the Catholic faith, literature and pop culture. After much intense competition, followed by gargantuan wagers for the bonus question at the end, the game came to an end — and everyone headed outside to enjoy a bonfire before the night’s end. 

This program always seems to love a good bonfire! Students sang, accompanied by guitars and the fiddle, while others chatted over s’mores until curfew.

Today the students will have their first Euclid class! Check the Summer Blog after this afternoon to read about it!

More photos from the High School Summer Program

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