On Friday, September 5, 2025, the freshman class of Saint Thomas Aquinas High School participated in Freshmen Friday. This was the freshmen’s first event for the school year, and a right-of-passage as they begin their careers as high school students at STA. Nearly 500 students packed into the Monsignor John J. O’Looney Gymnasium for this half-day event. Meanwhile, the sophomores, juniors, and seniors attended their regular classes. Freshmen Friday is an event that consists of mass, discussion of upcoming school events, games, and of course, snacks. This event aimed to join students in prayer, camaraderie and the STA way.
Freshman Friday started off with a mass which celebrated the canonization of Carlo Acutis, a Catholic teenager who recently became a saint by using the internet, where he created a website that recorded eucharistic miracles to spread his faith and love of the Eucharist. Once mass had concluded, more information regarding different activities for the new school year were talked about such as clubs and exciting events! An important club that was talked about was Campus Ministry. Campus Ministry is a great way for students to become more connected with their Catholic faith and also meet some new faces. Aligned with campus ministry is a choir group called Crossroads, a group of talented students who sing at all of the school masses. This is another good way to get involved with the school and meet new people.
Another club that was talked about was Raider Ready. This club is a great way to connect with others and collect service hours. Students were informed of the procedure to log their hours using the app MobileServe and a tutorial was shown for those who didn’t already know. Additionally, the procedures and traditions surrounding the upcoming Homecoming festivities were shared with the class of 2029. Games including, “Finish-the-Lyric”, a hand-stand competition, and a push-up competition, were played to get everyone’s spirits up before ending the day.
As the day came to a close, students enjoyed snacks which included a bag of chips, the famous Aloma cookie, and a bottled water. Freshmen Ella Taylor and Victoria Young were announced as the freshmen members of Homecoming Court, which raised the excitement level in the room. Freshman Friday succeeded in making the new rank of Raiders feel the spirit and energy of STA.