Tips for New Parents Are Lagniappe for Having Breakfast with the President

Six plus one: alumni director Mat Grau ’68 (third from right) plants himself in the middle of this table of new parents; clockwise, from left: Christine Dupre, Liz and William Bostick, Louise Bellazer, Kimberly Francis, and Jennifer Demarest.
Parents of new students are attending “Breakfast with the President” this week, an informal event for Jesuit president Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J. ’66 and a few others to introduce themselves while offering sage advice about Carrollton & Banks.
The first two breakfasts were held on Tuesday and Wednesday (August 19-20). The third and final one takes place Thursday, August 21 in St. Ignatius Hall, located on the third floor of the administration building.
Parents enjoyed a breakfast buffet as they took note of the advice about how to make the most of their experience at Jesuit, not just their own, but their sons’ as well.
Tom Bagwill, the director of institutional advancement, served as host, welcoming parents and introducing the speakers.
Fr. McGinn also welcomed parents and thanked them for choosing Jesuit to educate their sons. He also encouraged parents, as well as their sons, to get involved.
“There is this myth you may have heard that it is best to let your sons acclimate themselves to their surroundings before joining teams, clubs, or any of the numerous co-curricular activities at Jesuit,” said Fr. McGinn. “However, what we have found is that the sooner your boys become involved with something that holds their interests, the better they will do academically and the more productive they will be in the classroom.”
Gerald Duhon ’85, who is the chairman of this year’s Parents’ Annual Giving (PAG) drive, echoed Father’s remarks with an emphasis on parental involvement in some of the many events and causes that take place throughout the school year. He encouraged new parents to volunteer for one or more events, including the PAG drive, the Blue Jay Bazaar, and Celebration, Jesuit’s gala and auction that takes place Saturday, November 1.
Wendy Schneider, coordinator of alumni events and social media, introduced parents to some of the many features of Jesuit’s website.
Andrew Schiro, a guidance counselor at Jesuit for the past 33 years who works exclusively with pre-freshmen and their parents, offered a “Top 10” list of “Secrets to Success” that includes these nuggets:
- Turning your cell phone off when doing homework
- Knowing where to go for tutoring
- Exercising on a daily basis
- Drinking plenty of water during the day
- Doing 2-3 hours of homework in the evening (homework is more than just written homework). Studying and looking ahead EVERY night is the best way to prepare
View the Photo Gallery of the 2014 Breakfasts with the President
Galleries
Breakfast with the President, Aug. 19-21, 2014
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Jesuit president Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J. welcomes parents to St. Ignatius Hall and to Jesuit High School.
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Elizabeth Ehrensing and Suzanne Childs with Jesuit principal Peter Kernion '90
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Fr. McGinn with Gerald and Missy Duhon, and Tom Bagwill, who is Jesuit's director of institutional advancement; Mr. Duhon, an alumnus of the Class of 1985, is the chairman of the 2014-15 PAG drive.
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Alumni director Mat Grau '68 introduces himself to Veronica Douget.
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Lori Cole (left) and Wendy Daigle with Fr. McGinn
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Cherie and James Bragg
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Fr. McGinn finds himself in the middle of this group; from left, Steven Bel, Tom Grady '88, Dowen Fife '88, and Philip Nimmo, who is serving as a PAG tri-chair for the Class of 2016.
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Six plus one: alumni director Mat Grau '68 (third from right) plants himself in the middle of this table of new parents; clockwise, from left: Christine Dupre, Liz and William Bostick, Louise Bellazer, Kimberly Francis, and Jennifer Demarest.
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Lauren Eccles with Fr. McGinn
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Gerald Duhon shares his Jesuit experience, as a former student at Carrollton and Banks and as a parent.
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Gerald Duhon gives parents a brief overview of how Jesuit's PAG drive works.
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Andrew Schiro, a guidance counselor at Jesuit for the past 33 years, works exclusively with the pre-freshmen class and their parents. Among his "Top 10 Secrets to Success" is #5: Getting at least 7 hours of sleep every night. (This also applies to parents, not just students.)
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Wendy Schneider, who is coordinator of alumni events and social media, zipped through a presentation about the many features of Jesuit's website (jesuitnola.org).
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Pre-freshmen parents Richard Foley '78 and Charles Gibson talk about their sons.
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Jesuit admissions director Bret Hanemann '85 with Lisa Clark, whose son is a pre-freshman.
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Emile Dreuil and Cydnie Bordes with Fr. Raymond Fitzgerald, S.J. '76, who currently serves as a special assistant to the president.
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Su-Sue and Brett Hentze '89 and Kimberly Peters enjoy visiting prior to the start of breakfast.
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Jan Hattier, Terri Nielsen, and Carmen Motes
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Julie Reeder, Janel Fielding, and Heidi and John Rink
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Lisa Skipper, Mindy Meyer, Alison McCormick, and Suzanne Majoue
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Denise and Bern Lacour with Barry and Mindy Hays
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Andrea Reynolds visits with principal Peter Kernion.
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Lataya Thompson with Fr. McGinn
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Tim Scott, Ray Posecai '79, Tricia Zvonek, Rose Tindall, and Louis Schott '83
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Seated, from left: Steven and Crystin Walker, and Gwen Sanders; standing: Van Vuong and Michele Longo
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Fr. McGinn with Renee Stewart (left) and Melissa Tallon
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From left: John Schmidt, Rachelle Polkey, Celeste and Tom Arseneaux, Tuyen Bui, and Tom Bagwill, Jesuit's director of institutional advancement.
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Caroline Wegmann, Holli Gaspard, and Lisa Mills