On Thursday, March 20th, scholarship donors and current recipients gathered in Cemo Auditorium to celebrate the tradition of philanthropy at St. Thomas High School. Throughout their time at St. Thomas, students are encouraged to live the Basilian charism and give back to their community through service projects and enacting goodness towards others at all times. This legacy lives on in many after their graduation, and these altruistically empowered Eagles create scholarship funds to pass the torch to the next generation.

The Scholarship Breakfast is an annual tradition, now in its 18th year, to celebrate the hard work of St. Thomas students and the alumni, families, and community members that support their access to a Catholic education. The Breakfast offers students and scholarship donors the chance to connect over their gratitude for St. Thomas and each other.

“At this event, we like to take a moment to slow down and take a moment to focus on the gifts, challenges, and opportunities that students experience at St. Thomas High School, that prepare them for the future,” Director for Advancement Mark deTranaltes (’83) said. “We express our thanks to the people who make all of this possible.”

deTranaltes was joined in addressing the Breakfast’s attendees by Vice President of Mission Father James Murphy, Foundation Board President John Granger (’97, P ’26 & ’27), Principal Dr. Aaron Dominguez (’97), current student Edward Bocock (’25), and Interim President John Rynd (’75).

“The Foundation is made up of over eighty named scholarships, and we owe them all a great deal of gratitude,” Granger shared. “For the second year in a row, the Foundation is as financially sound as it’s ever been. The financial success of St. Thomas in recent years is very impressive—and is a collaborative effort from people who are dedicating themselves to a place that provided us all with great opportunity.”

Following Granger, Father James Murphy shared some advice with the scholarship recipients in the room.

“I hope you will never forget the people who made your education possible,” he said. “Your parents, your families, your teachers. The people you may not know by name, but they gave to you in their name, so that you may have a name in the future. We gather in prayer for those who have supported us and that we may take that baton and pass it.”

As Eagle brothers across generations enjoyed their breakfasts, Edward Bocock (’25) shared his lessons learned as a student-athlete on the Cross Country and Track and Field teams, expressing his appreciation for the opportunities to “grow, fail, succeed, and form connections” at St. Thomas.

John Rynd closed out the celebration with remarks on the school and its legacy from his perspective as a proud alumnus himself.

“Scholarship donations are critical to the success of St. Thomas,” he said. “Our goal is to continue, for the next 125 years, to nurture even more incredible students like Edward [Bocock]. Thank you to everyone who supports us in delivering a great education to all of our young men.”