Reed Darcey, seated left of fellow senior Jacob Reeder, receives a shout-out during a lunchtime Jesuit News Network (JNN) meeting for his recently-published sports article. Members of JNN gave a round of applause to Darcey, who covers sports for The Blue Jay newspaper and produces video for JNN. Reeder is head of social media for JNN, which gives student journalists the opportunity to learn and improve on media skills such as photography, video, social media, and broadcasting. 

Members of the Jesuit AP Spanish class—Bennett Mansour, Richard Montoya, Jacob Randolph, Josef Ernst, and Langston Goldenberg—meet with Dominican’s AP Spanish class for a lunch at Sarita’s Grill in Uptown. The students embraced the opportunity to practice their skills outside of the classroom by ordering food and engaging in conversation solely in Spanish. The weekend outing was organized and chaperoned by Jesuit and Dominican Spanish teachers, Ms. Noyola-Gonzalez and Ms. Vallejo, respectively.

Freshman Taylor Boasberg and sophomore Hayden Morris were first to the Jesuit cafeteria to enjoy a 10-minute-break chicken sandwich. Blue Jays return to school after a nice 3-day weekend for their first full week in November, which, of course, is another busy yet exciting time of the school year. Some of the upcoming events include Open House, the Mother-Son Mass and Breakfast, the Philelectic Society’s Fall Musical, and the always-anticipated Thanksgiving Drive. And just as the week of Thanksgiving centers around food and family, the Jesuit cafeteria puts a focus on its food throughout November. Students are encouraged to fill out a school lunch survey to help the cafeteria continue to improve its services. As the survey says, there is “lots to love about our food and staff.”

With the lights off and the lab set aglow by neon lights, Mrs. Catalano treated her physical science class to a spooky-themed lecture on the science behind common Halloween decorations. The pre-freshman class discussed black-lights, fiber-optics, dry ice, glow-in-the-dark paint, and plasma balls. Plasma balls are sealed glass globes containing both an electrode and an inert gas (neon, argon, xenon, or krypton). They create an electromagnetic field due to the oscillating electrons inside the energized gas. To test this out Mrs. Catalano brought a fluorescent light tube near the plasma ball without touching it. The electric current in the plasma caused the electrons inside the light tube to oscillate and glow as if it were plugged into a power source.

Happy Halloween from the metro champion Jesuit swimming team! The Blue Jay swimmers did not let an early morning session prevent them from being festive, for the Jays dressed in their best Halloween costumes after practice. Check out the results from the Allstate Sugar Bowl Metro Swim Meet.

The 2018-2019 Homecoming Court pose with Jayson during halftime at Friday night’s football game against Destrehan. The Court was formally greeted on the field at Tad Gormley Stadium by Jesuit’s Jayettes, the MCJROTC’s Color Guard, and accompanied by music from the Blue Jay Marching Band. The Senior Maid who was elected 2018-2019 Jesuit Homecoming Queen by the senior class at Jesuit is Ms. Quinn Nugent. Congratulations to Ms. Nugent and every member of the court.

Quiz Bowl alumnus Caleb Rogers ’17 made a valiant showing in a lunchtime challenge against today’s quiz bowlers. Moderators Kevin Yokum ’14 and Elizabeth Hoodless were on hand to give the questions and keep score. When the dust settled, the Jesuit team of Bradley Fugetta, Garrison Trahant, and Donald and Dex Webster came out ahead in the point total, but not without an impressive performance by Rogers. It was 4 against 1, after all. Rogers took the opportunity during fall break to visit his alma mater and visit his former teammates.

Patrick Thompson, of Thompson Auction Service, trained the 28 MCJROTC volunteers to serve as bidding assistants for Jesuit’s upcoming Celebration Auction and Gala. Armed with this newfound knowledge and iPads with the 501Auction.com app, the cadets will be ready to answer any bidding questions or to assist with placing bids. Come out this Saturday, Oct. 27 to Celebration: A Spooky Soirée and have a spooktacular time! For more information, click here.

Happy 527th birthday to St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, who was born on October 23 (we think) in 1491! This information was provided by the official Twitter page of the Society of Jesus (@jesuitnews). Jesuit also celebrated the birthday of one its own, DJ Galiano ’07, the school’s events coordinator, who turned 30 years old on the same day (we know).

Traditions Courtyard was booming with the sound of fake canon fire as campus ministry seniors Ridge Retif, Gavin Skipper, Gabe Sims, and Braden Bent along with juniors Ben Nguyen and Ben Lirette, took aim and launched water balloons at the 2nd-floor balcony in preparation for the Pre-Freshman Retreat. Rehearsing their “Life of St. Ignatius” skit, the students brought to life the pinnacle moment of St. Ignatius’s injury. The creative parts of the mock performance are to be enjoyed by and explained to 8th graders at tomorrow’s retreat.

Pre-freshmen Lucas Rios, Kobe Hanemann, Tre’ King, Luke Kropog, and KJ Webster, took time during exams to show their appreciation for the thousands of alumni who come together for Alumni Giving Week. Jesuit is blessed with supportive alumni who are determined to keep Jesuit accessible to as many families as possible. Donations from alumni help keep Jesuit…Jesuit, the school that will have a positive influence in the lives of current and future students.

Hundreds of prospective students pile into John Ryan Stadium to see a slice of Blue Jay life at the 11th annual Blue & White Friday Night. The event at Jesuit’s premier multi-sport athletic facility took place on Friday, Oct. 12. Explore Jesuit at Open House on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018. Tours begin at 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium. In the meantime, families interested in attending a Morning Tour can schedule their visit online.

The Traditions Courtyard was boisterous with a chorus of students cheering, “I believe that we will merit!” Now in its second year, the PSAT Pep Rally officially became a Carrollton and Banks tradition. The occasion was also marked by the student council tossing No. 2 pencils, “Thinking Caps,” and Smarties to get the student’s minds right for the school-wide Wednesday testing day. Senior Bradley Fugetta ended the pep rally by karate chopping a stack of scantrons to the delight of the student body. The PSAT Warrior-hopefuls in the junior class aim to win the battle today against the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test.

Over 300 Blue Jay sophomores, juniors, and seniors visited with college representatives at Jesuit’s annual College Fair in the Student Commons. Students and parents were able to visit with 80 admissions representatives and learn information about specific campuses. In addition, a representative from Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) was on hand to answer questions about the TOPS program. The event is coordinated by Jesuit’s College Planning counselors. Seniors are reminded that counseling request forms are due by December 10.

Tunes like “Free Ride” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” reverberated through the Student Commons as the Clavius Gymnasium Big Band from Bamberg, Germany performed a brown bag concert during lunch. The Clavius Gymnasium exchange students are spending the week with members of the Blue Jay Band and their families as part of a biannual exchange program. In its 19th year, the program is a musical and cultural exchange between the two schools. To learn more about the various Jesuit bands, visit the Blue Jay Band page.

Seniors Stephen Redfearn and Benjamin Morrison used their free time during lunch and signed up to save lives. Next Tuesday, Oct. 9, Jesuit High School will be hosting a blood drive in the Student Commons from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Just one, 30-minute blood donation is all it takes to save up to three people’s lives. Throughout the week National Honor Society representatives will visit each homeroom with sign-up sheets for anyone who would like to donate blood. Parents can also donate. Please contact Mrs. Tassin at tassin@jesuitnola.org for more information. Donors will receive a choice of a free t-shirt, one year of unlimited blood coverage, or a chance to be part of the Blood Center’s Heart Club. Donors will also be gifted with a free VIP pass to the Mortuary Haunted House. Got Blood?