California
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July 21, 2024
厂补迟耻谤诲补测鈥檚 peaceful morning on the California High School Summer Program gave way to an afternoon full of activity!
After lunch, students gathered for a volleyball tournament, held on the lawn outside of the Pope St. John Paul II Athletic Center. The high schoolers divided into 12 teams, each headed by a prefect as team captain. The tournament was double elimination, so teams had to lose two games before they were out of the running for the final match. Spectators sat in patches of shade to cheer on the players, but the summer heat didn鈥檛 dampen the energy on the courts, and the players competed long into the afternoon.
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The rounds quickly progressed, and ultimately the team led by prefect Tomas Diaz-Bonilla (鈥26) won the tournament, with the help of Rev. Sebastian Walshe, O.Praem. (鈥94), who doubles as the Summer Program鈥檚 chaplain and a formidable volleyball player. In keeping with tradition, the winning team then faced off against the tutors for one last game, and, this year, the students emerged triumphant. 鈥淚t was the first time the tutors have lost in years,鈥 prefect Ricardo Madan (鈥24) observed, 鈥渂ut it was also the first time they played without Fr. Sebastian on their team.鈥
Meanwhile, students looking to keep cool swam in the Athletic Center鈥檚 pool while the tournament played out nearby. As head men鈥檚 prefect Jonathan Phelan (鈥23) summed up the afternoon, 鈥淚t was a total blast!鈥
When the tournament ended, the whole group made its way to the lawn outside St. Joseph鈥檚 Commons for a picnic, where all enjoyed barbecue chicken and ribs, cornbread, baked beans, and lots of cold water.
For the evening鈥檚 Rosary, instead of heading inside Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel to pray, the students met on the Chapel steps for a procession. Praying, they walked down to the Marian Grotto on the lower campus and kneeled there to finish the Rosary together. At the conclusion of the prayer, Fr. Sebastian commended the students to Our Lady鈥檚 protection and gave them his blessing.
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As usual, the students followed up their time in prayer by coming together for some fun. 鈥淲hat's so great is how everything here is optional, but it鈥檚 always either something holy or something fun, so you want to do everything!鈥 said student Grace E. For the evening鈥檚 鈥渟omething fun,鈥 the high schoolers attended Open-Mic Night!
In the Fitz B. Burns Auditorium, performers took to the stage to reveal their hidden talents to their peers, which included singing, reading poetry, stand-up comedy, and playing piano, guitar, and harmonica. Students performed original music or put their own spin on old favorites, all to the energetic cheers of their audience. To finish off the event, the prefects surprised the programmers with a rendition of 鈥淏ig Iron鈥 by Marty Robbins. Anthony Santine (鈥25) sang the ballad while Xavier Grimm (鈥27) played guitar and their fellow prefects acted out a comedic version of the song鈥檚 Wild West-style showdown with props and costumes.
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After Open-Mic Night, students stuck around the auditorium to grab popcorn and cookies before settling back into their seats for a movie night! The crowd watched the film Cinderella Man, the true story of an underdog boxer鈥檚 triumph over adversity during the Great Depression. At the end of the night鈥檚 activities, the students headed to bed, looking forward to more good times to come.
Since the programmers will spend the whole of today at the beach and in downtown Santa Barbara, there will be no post this afternoon, but come back to the Summer Program Blog tomorrow to read about their trip off campus!
