During the weekend of August 16th, the Class of 2028 took their first steps into becoming Men of St. Thomas High. The students immersed themselves in an extensive array of activities at Camp Aquinas, the annual freshman orientation retreat.

“The ultimate goal of Camp Aquinas is to help our young men understand and embody the principles of Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge while welcoming them into the brotherhood of St. Thomas High,” Director of Campus Ministry, Andrew Quittenton said.

This August marked the sixth year of new students participating in Camp Aquinas. The annual orientation is named after the school’s namesake, St. Thomas Aquinas, and is hosted 75 miles north of Houston at Camp Cho-Yeh, in Livingston, Texas.

Unplugged from technology, freshmen, faculty, and Senior Leaders participated in activities like paintball, chess tournaments, shelter and fire building, soccer tournaments, and more.

         

“The energy started off really high, from the freshmen and the Senior Leaders, which was really impressive,” Senior Leader Zach Haine said. “Activities-wise, shelter building was a lot of fun. That was the first time I saw our group of guys really interact with each other in a different way.”

Throughout each activity, students learned and exhibited the values of leadership, brotherhood, and cooperation.

“Camp Aquinas was great this year,” Director of Faith Formation, Casey Johnson (’05) said. “It’s a great group of freshmen, and the Senior Leaders were awesome across the board. Especially in House Belisch.”

All weekend long, the freshmen, faculty, and Senior Leaders competed to win the coveted House Cup. House Belisch came out victorious, after consistently placing second across multiple events. They snagged the win with a one-point lead over House Allnoch.

“I was so excited for the guys,” Johnson said. “When they announced the winner, the reaction was shock and disbelief. It took everyone a second, and then madness ensued, of course. They were so thrilled.”

Upon returning to school, this new class of Eagles now shares a sense of unity and school pride, and plenty of fond memories that will last them through high school and in their lives beyond.

“Before I went to camp, I didn’t know much about goodness, discipline, and knowledge, and what it all meant,” freshman Sohail Ahmed said. “But when I came back, I had realized it, and now I know what it means to be a Man of St. Thomas.”

Article by Sarah Jane Lasley