| Two Consecutive Record-Breaking Nights: LEF Spring Drive Nets 575 Pledges from Blue Jays, Who Commit $83,204! |
 Fr. Raymond Fitzgerald, S.J. ’76, who will become Jesuit’s next president after the 2010-11 school year, is flanked by 10 Blue Jays from the Class of ’97, who showed up in force to participate in the LEF spring drive on Tuesday night in St. Ignatius Hall. From left are: Harry Hawney, Alex Fein, Jason Fein, Nathan Junius, Christian Weiler, Fr. Fitzgerald, Ridge Bourgeois, Josh Marino, Glenn Hayes, Lance Sannino, and Bill Wynne. The LEF spring campaign will wrap up on Wednesday, March 17, with dinner in the Student Commons at 6 p.m. Calling takes place from 7 - 9 p.m. in St. Ignatius Hall. Will it be three records in a row?
Two nights, two consecutive record-breakers. From the results of the first two evenings of the spring phone campaign, the 2010 LEF drive is on the right track, a fast, slick track, to surpassing the $1 million mark for the third consecutive year. The first two nights of the spring drive have attracted twice as many volunteers as the entire spring campaign in 2009. With more volunteers, the pledges are rolling in. The 65 volunteers on Tuesday night brought home the bacon and the eggs — 350 pledges amounting to $47,431. The two-night spring drive results have been nothing short of phenomenal — 135 volunteers who reeled in 575 pledges from classmates totaling $83,204.
On Tuesday night, 10 Blue Jays from the Class of 1997 enjoyed a meatballs and spaghetti dinner with the other 55 LEF volunteers in the Student Commons before getting down to business in St. Ignatius Hall. They reached out to their classmates using Jesuit’s phones, their own cell phones, laptops to email and communicate via Facebook, and text messages. They tried virtually every which way to get in touch with their classmates, with the possible exceptions of sending telegrams and the Pony Express. The number of young alumni volunteering for the LEF, many for the first time, is the direct result of a concerted effort by Jesuit alumni director Mat Grau ’68, who has invested a lot of time, beginning late last year, in organizing leadership teams among the various classes and holding planning meetings with the members of these teams.
“Mat has done an excellent job of connecting with these young alumni and bringing them together to not only help with the LEF drive, but also to foster a spirit of comaraderie,” Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J., president of Jesuit, told members of the President’s Advisory Council at their monthly meeting Tuesday afternoon at the school. “We want our alumni to stay connected and remain connected to Jesuit High School, and I thank Mat for all of his efforts. I also wish to acknowledge our office of institutional advancement for all of its support. It really has been a team effort and the results are quite impressive.” Want to donate-pledge? Check the links below...
LEF 2010 Spring Phone Drive
Monday’s Results: 225 Pledges $35,773 Amount Pledged 70 Blue Jay Volunteers
$903,218 Total Amount Pledged to Drive |
Tuesday’s Results: 350 Pledges $47,431 Amount Pledged 68 Blue Jay Volunteers
$950,649 Total Amount Pledged to Drive |
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| In the News... Blue Jay Alumni and Events |
Sharing Lunch and Ideas, Senior Blue Jays and Alumni Discuss Ways to Improve Relationship Between Jesuit and Its Graduates
 Jesuit’s Alumni Steering Committee (ASC) held its quarterly meeting on Thursday, March 11 and invited some of the Student Council’s executive board members to share their ideas about the school and its alumni. The young Blue Jays, all of whom are seniors, are seated at the far end of the table, beginning from the left corner. They are, from left: communications director Joey Giglio, treasurer Mason Triay, president Jack Zeringue, and senior class president Cooper Petagna. The ASC consists of 20 members who represent a wide spectrum of graduation years. The mission of the Committee is to continuously seek innovative ways in which to enhance the relationship between Jesuit High School and its 12,500 alumni. Jesuit alumni director Mat Grau ’68 serves as liaison between the school and the ASC and is responsible for guiding the efforts of this committee.
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A Grateful Alumnus Inspires Blue Jays to Savor the Jesuit Experience, and to One Day, Pay It Forward  As part of Jesuit’s Alumni Guest Speaker Series, Jules Coco of the Class of ’69 addresses the student body at a recent morning Assembly. Coco is a software engineer who relocated his sole proprietorship business to North Carolina following Katrina.
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First Blue Jay Soccer Reunion Brings Together Alumni Who Played for Jesuit Teams in the Recent and Distant Past
 | The memories of winning the 2009 state championship in February are still fresh for these players from the Class of 2009. From left are Zach Correa, Tom Bourgeois, Robert Emmett, Michael Simmons, Collin Sens, Mark Reuther, and Stephen Andrieu. Dozens of Blue Jay soccer players and Jesuit parents teamed up for the inaugural Blue Jay soccer reunion on Saturday, January 9, 2010. Because of the bitter cold gripping New Orleans at the time, organizers of the event moved it from outside Pan American Stadium to inside the much warmer Student Commons.
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Fr. Raymond Fitzgerald, S.J. Selected as Next Jesuit President Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J. Will Remain in His Current Post as President Until the End of the 2010-11 Year
 Raymond Fitzgerald will become the next president of Jesuit High School to succeed Fr. Anthony McGinn (in background), who shall remain in his post until the end of the 2010-11 school year.
Rev. Raymond R. Fitzgerald, Jr., S.J., a 1976 Blue Jay alumnus whose proficient teaching and mentoring skills long have been admired and appreciated by students, parents, and faculty alike — and who has worked tirelessly in a myriad of administrative capacities — has been selected as the next president of Jesuit High School. Father Fitzgerald’s appointment will become effective at the end of the 2010-11 school year, which will allow sufficient time for him to complete his current assignment with the Jesuit’s New Orleans Province. Rev. Anthony McGinn, S.J., will continue to serve as president of Jesuit High School through the 2010-11 school year. This will help to ensure a seamless transition to Father Fitzgerald’s administration, while giving Father McGinn additional time to focus on completing several projects that are currently underway.
The tandem announcement of Father Fitzgerald’s selection as the school’s next president, and Father McGinn’s remaining on the job for an extra year, was made jointly by the Board of Directors of Jesuit High School and the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). |
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Kevin Heigle ’69 Honored as Jesuit’s 2009 Alumnus of the Year  Kevin G. Heigle ’69 is Jesuit’s 2009 Alumnus of the Year. Heigle is pictured with his wife, Ann, and Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J., president of Jesuit High School. Heigle received the award at Homecoming Mass on Sunday, October 25, 2009. Listen below to the streaming audio of Fr. McGinn’s introduction of Heigle as well as Heigle’s address to Blue Jays in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs.
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| In His Introduction, Fr. McGinn Explains Why Kevin Heigle '69 Embodies the Ideal Characteristics of a Jesuit Alumnus. (Total Run Time 4:18) | 
| Kevin Heigle's Jesuit Education Is the Product of Loving and Hardworking Parents. (Total Run Time 11:41)
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 The annual Alumnus of the Year dinner was held Tuesday, November 3, bringing together 20 distinguished Blue Jays who have been honored in past years as Jesuit High School’s Alumnus of the Year. Kevin Heigle ’69 (seated, fourth from right) is Jesuit’s 2009 honoree. Put names with faces by going to the photo gallery of the dinner...
2009 Alumnus of the Year Dinner Photo Gallery
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Alumni, Students, Parents, and Friends Make Tracks to Back-to-Banks
 Charles Vodanovich '66 talks to the football team and the Jesuit community gathered in Traditions Courtyard for the Back-to-Banks celebration on Saturday afternoon. Jesuit alumni and friends returned to campus to recall and to share their Blue Jay experiences.
Check out the sights at the 2009 Back-to-Banks Photo Gallery. |
Jesuit's Benefactors in Ignatian Circle Thanked for Their Generous Giving
 Members of the giving levels that constitute the Ignatian Circle of Jesuit High School line the perimeter of the Versailles Room in the Plimsoll Club on Sunday to listen as Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J. welcomes them and gives a brief report on the state-of-the-school. More than 125 benefactors enjoyed a Jazz Brunch at the 2009 Ignatian Circle reception.
The Ignatian Circle Donor Reception honored benefactors who contributed $3,000 or more to Jesuit High School during the 2009 fiscal year, which ended June 30. This year’s reception was held Sunday, August 30, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Plimsoll Club in the World Trade Center. Benefactors enjoyed a delicious Jesuit Jazz brunch while taking in the fantastic views of the city and the river. Ignatian Circle 2009 Reception Photo Gallery |
Jesuit's Planned Giving Web Site Designed to Guide Benefactors in Their Future Philanthropic Endeavors  The Class of 1944 recently celebrated their 65th reunion. These stalwart Blue Jays have contributed generously over the many decades to Jesuit High School. It doesn't matter if you are a Blue Jay from 1944 or 1994 — Jesuit’s new Planned Giving web site is up and running, and chocked full of useful, creative, and informative ways to achieve your philanthropic goals.
Jesuit’s Planned Giving Home Page |
At 1847 Society Reception, Donors Are Thanked for Their Generosity to Jesuit High School  Bob Weilbaecher, Tom and Judy McCaffery, Pat White, and Barry and Denise Faust were among the 250 guests at a Sunday evening reception for benefactors who constitute Jesuit High School’s 1847 Society.
The 1847 Society Reception Photo Gallery |
Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J., Jesuit High School's Guiding Force for 17 Years, Is Leaving at the End of the 2009-10 School Year  Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J. addresses a student assembly last September. Jesuit’s longtime president will be leaving his post after the 2009-10 school year.
Rev. Anthony McGinn, S.J., the longest tenured president in the storied history of Jesuit High School, announced Tuesday that he will leave his alma mater in the summer of 2010 for a new, and as yet, undetermined assignment with the Society of Jesus. Father McGinn is widely credited with leading an extraordinary effort to repair the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, enabling Jesuit to reopen its Mid-City campus only 60 days after the storm, while simultaneously launching and operating two satellite schools for displaced Blue Jays to continue uninterrupted their Jesuit education. Jump to the Entire Announcement About Fr. McGinn. |
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Annus Mirabilis... (A Remarkable Year) | Jesuit 1933 Yearbook... A Mysterious Face Becomes Part of the Freshmen B Class
 Bottom row, from left: Jules Lorio, Andrew Bacon, H.G. Zehner, Jr., Clarence East, Jr., James Delhom, Patrick Johnson, Vincent Donahue, Adam Mulheisen, Jr., A.J. Hurst, and Harry Charbonnet;
Middle row, from left: B.B. Bordelon, Jr., Milton May, Gerard Shuppert, A. Luria, Ray Fleming, Arthur Smith, A.F. Culotta, John Ford III, Francis Hecker, Wallace Schneidau, Edward Patterson, and C.F. Deichmann; Top row, from left: M.J. Ohlmeyer, William Lyons, John Trauth, Malcolm Plaeger, Charles Rantz, Jr., Jesse Gibson, Jr., Connie Miller, C.J. Acomb, G.D. Martin, Thomas Harrison, and F.C. Power
Back in 1933, class photos of the Jesuit students were taken in a corner of the yard. The Freshmen in the B class are not smiling, perhaps heeding the directive of the photographer. But many of the photos in the Jesuit Yearbooks all those years ago feature boys who did very little smiling. It was the style.
The only person who may be smiling is not really in the picture. If you look closely at the left window, a face is staring out at the scene. Did the face belong to another Blue Jay from a different class, or maybe a boy from the Freshman B class who ran afoul of the Jesuits, or perhaps the little sister of one of the boys in the photo? The face will probably always be an unsolved mystery. These Blue Jays, most of whom are now deceased, went on to graduate in 1936 and 1937. Five or six of the students pictured apparently did not graduarte from Jesuit High School. Below is the article in the 1933 Yearbook that accompanied the Freshmen B class photo. When school opened last September, thirty shy Freshmen assembled in the classroom of First High B. Since that day, many months have elapsed, many events have taken place; but now, we leave that dear old classroom with only happy memories. About the third week in September the members of our class elected their officers. The following members proved themselves worthy of the class’ choice: Patrick Johnson, president; James Delhom, vice-president; Clarence East, secretary; Hullin Bowman, treasurer. Much of the class’ success can be attributed to our professors: Rev. William A. Fillinger, S.J., and Messrs. G. Gernon Brown, William Von Lubbe, and Francis Achee. As a class we fared well in the undertakings of the school. We had a large representation in the band and John Trauth was one of the violinists in the Blue Jay Orchestra. Excellence in class work was the aim of every member of First High B. We made splendid averages in our studies throughout the year. Hullin Bowman and John Ford generally led the class in excellence and succeeded in carrying off the highest honors in scholastic work. These two luminaries were followed closely by Clarence East. Now that the first year of our high school career has passed away, how different are our sentiments towards our school. We indeed consider Jesuit High School our second home and every one of us would be most reluctant to leave it. |
Annus Mirabilis Archives History of Jesuit High School Book & Archive Project | Jesuit Home Page |
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