Seton Magazine Catholic Homeschool Articles, Advice & Resources
Summary
In California and New England, students taste the academic, social, and spiritual life as they read the great books, deepen their faith, and make friends.Rising high school seniors from around the country and the world gather each summer on the campuses of Thomas Aquinas College for its beloved High School Great Books Program. There they read and discuss works from the masters of the Western intellectual tradition, including Sophocles, Plato, Euclid, Boethius, Kierkegaard, and St. Thomas Aquinas.
“We offer our High School Program, both in California and New England, as a way for students to get a taste of the academic, social, and spiritual life of the College,” says Admissions Director Jon Daly. “For students looking to read great books, deepen their faith, and make lifelong friendships, there’s no better way to spend two weeks.”
Outside the classroom, there are daily sports, nightly socials, an open-mic night, and a farewell dance. Mass is offered twice daily by chaplains who are also available to students for spiritual direction.
West Coast
The California Summer Program takes place on the College’s Santa Paula campus, 70 miles north of Los Angeles in the foothills of the Topatopa mountain range. It features afternoon competitions on the athletic fields and in the soon-to-be-completed athletic center, as well as swimming in the pool and spring-fed ponds, plus running and hiking along the hillside trails surrounding campus.
Off-campus outings include trips to the Getty Center museum, Santa Barbara and the beach, and a concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
East Coast
Just 90 miles west of Boston in Northfield, Massachusetts, students at the New England Summer Program live and study in the campus’ historic red-brick buildings and the newly restored gymnasium, with its swimming pool, basketball courts, dance studio, and workout facilities. The nearby Connecticut River is the site of the annual Summer Program kayak trip, one of several outings, which include visits to Boston, the Freedom Trail, and Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
The program is open to students between their junior and senior years of high school. The cost is $975, which includes tuition, housing, meals, books, and organized activities.
Learn more about Thomas Aquinas College’s High School Great Books Program.
