Madison Nualart 
Sophomore aerobics performing. Photo Credits: Mrs. D. Layman
By Madison Nualart, Hannah Jones and Alexandra Margelu
FEB 28, 2018
Saint Thomas Aquinas High School’s (STA)” “… oldest annual tradition”, Cailini, started in 1976. The name Cailini comes from the Gaelic word for “girls.” Each year the moderators and core members have the opportunity to choose a theme for Cailini. This year the choice was Decades. The freshmen were the 70s, sophomores were the 90s, juniors were the 80s and the seniors were the 50s. When Cailini was originally created, girls had significantly fewer STA sports teams compared to the boys. The creation of this event gave all Lady Raiders the opportunity to display their athletic abilities in a variety of tournaments.
Aerobics is by far the event that attracts the most participants. This is because it does not have a limit to the number of people who can be involved. Cailini aerobics competitors spend weeks creating dance routines to perform in front of an audience and judges. Freshman core member, Madison Mink, explained, “We prepare by practicing every Wednesday for about an hour. During this time period we review the dance multiple times, and work on perfecting the timing.” At the finals, the judges scored each routine to determine how the teams were ranked. The juniors brought home gold, coming in first in aerobics. The freshmen surprised everyone when they captured second place, exceeding expectations. STA’s senior class placed third, followed by the fourth place sophomores.
STA’s Supervising Principal, Monsignor Vincent Kelly, told the Raider Review that “Cailini is a time to create memories of happiness and excitement.” This goal was continually achieved at the Cailini 2018 competitions, as evidenced by all of the smiling faces, seen throughout the evening. The turnout for finals was incredible. With parents of the girls from each grade cheering on their daughters, alongside STA students who came to support their classmates. Junior core member, Ally Kueser, shared her thoughts with Raider Review, “We’re so happy to have so many of our friends and classmates come and support us. It shows that our class stands together and it means a lot, not only to me, but all the girls who have worked so hard to put this together.”
The Raider community would like to thank the moderators for all of their hard work and the long hours that they put into preparing for this event. They took time out of their busy weeks to help the core members create routines that they could then teach to their teammates. Everyone’s hard work definitely showed during their outstanding performances.
