Students and guests watch the ceremony on the first and second floors of Anderson Student Center. The Rev. Medhat Yoakiem spoke, sharing Palestinian author Mahmoud Darwish’s poem called “Think of Others.”
The 35-foot tree has 5,760 lights in total with 18 lights per branch. (JustineBowe/TommieMedia)
Chelsea and Elisha Philip provided the music for the ceremony, encouraging the crowd to sing along to songs such as O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and Joy to the World. (Justine Bowe/TommieMedia)
Chase Lau, a senior and president of STAR, welcomed the guests and discussed the history of tree lighting at St. Thomas. (Justine Bowe/TommieMedia)
The ceremony also served to illuminate the outdoor trees and the Nativity scene above the arches. Many students stopped to take pictures next to the evergreens. (Justine Bowe/TommieMedia)
The Nativity scene on the roof of the arches is seen Wednesday evening. (Justine Bowe/TommieMedia)
The sun set Wednesday as the tree lights shone for the first evening of the season. (Justine Bowe/TommieMedia)
The Anderson Student Center and the lower quad shone bright Wednesday evening at St. Thomas’ annual tree-lighting ceremony. Reporter Justine Bowe captured the sights.
Justine Bowe can be reached at bowe6524@stthomas.edu.