Interested students who have completed their junior year in high school are encouraged to sign up early for Thomas Aquinas College's seventh annual Summer Great Books Program for High School Students, planned July 25-Aug. 6.

Enrollment for the unique program in Santa Paula has jumped 79 percent since 2000 --- from 48 students in 2000 to 86 students last year. There are plans to expand even further in the summer of 2004.

"We plan to accept 102 upcoming high school seniors this summer," explains Tom Susanka, admissions director. "Students come from all over the country --- typically, more than half from outside of California. They discuss great issues, make new friends and enjoy fun activities. They also discover a real hunger to know more about their faith and the world around them. Many students and parents have told us it's been a life-changing experience."

In the Catholic tradition of faith seeking understanding, participants join with the thoughtful men and women who through the centuries have sought the truth that can be found in the great books. For these two weeks, their teachers include Plato, Sophocles, Euclid, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Shakespeare, St. Thomas Aquinas and C.S. Lewis. Thomas Aquinas College tutors (professors) guide class discussions on the readings in small seminars of 17 students each. Mass is offered daily in the College chapel, and a chaplain is on campus at all times.

Recreational activities to refresh the mind and the spirit include basketball, ultimate frisbee, swimming in spring-fed ponds on campus, hiking into the Los Angeles National Forest that borders the college, and visiting the beach, Santa Barbara and cultural attractions including the Hollywood Bowl and the J. Paul Getty Museum. For information, call (800) 634-9797, ext. 362, or visit www.thomasaquinas.edu.