Billy Ladner ’56, Jesuit’s 2018 Legend of the Game, addressed the football team before the Great American Rivalry and presented a coin to each senior player after his speech. Billy played wide receiver and defensive back for the Jays his sophomore and junior years and quarterback his senior season. Billy was a three-sport letterman at Jesuit excelling in football, baseball, and track. Billy’s 88-yard TD reception from Richie Petitbon in the 1954 thriller with Holy Cross stands as the longest pass completion in Jesuit’s history and the longest completion in the rivalry game.

Will Clark field was transformed into a petting zoo for Thursday’s Rivalry Week event, “Jays on the Range.” Students like senior Kai McCurley befriended animals of all shapes and sizes, with his favorite being the affectionate pygmy goat. The pygmy goat was joined by other farm animals including a rooster, a hen, two miniature horses, a donkey, and an Angora rabbit.

On Monday morning, school spirit was abundant in Jesuit’s Traditions Courtyard with the arrival of new blue and white flags gracing its balustrades. To mark 25 years since graduation from Jesuit, the Class of 1993 gave to the school six hand-stitched flags with the traditional Blue Jay design that has appeared at graduation for decades. Class representatives Aaron LaGraize, Carl Servat, Jerry Bologna, Terry Ursin, David Joint, and Brad Leckert, presented the flags to the student body at morning assembly. The class gift includes six commercial-grade flag poles and rigging, substantial enough to last many years into the future. All six flags will be flown at special events such as Rivalry Week, Alumni Homecoming Weekend, the Thanksgiving Drive, and assemblies with guest speakers. Watch the YouTube Video | Alumni Director Mat Grau ’68 Launches Rivalry Week, Carl Servat ’93 Presents Class Gift

Senior Erik Finney, who created the idea and the design for the back of the Great American Rivalry Gameday T-shirt, shows off the front of the shirt. As Jesuit rotates its home colors each year for the rivalry game, this year’s main color is white with blue lettering. Check out Finney’s design on the back of the Rivalry Gameday T-shirt, and find out more details about purchasing the shirt by clicking here.

After the ringing of the afternoon dismissal bell, Jesuit’s campus is still bustling with the cadence of the Blue Jay Marching Band. With the football season in full swing, members of the Blue Jay Marching Band and the Jayettes practice their routines on Will Clark Field. The school’s official marching unit is probably best noted for its elaborate routines, unique shows, intricate maneuvers, and the “Blue Jay Sound.” Be on the lookout for their group performances at Jesuit Football halftime shows and at pep rallies, home basketball games, and Mardi Gras parades.

Pictured is the Jesuit Medical Society (JMS), a newly formed organization for students interested in any healthcare career. JMS held an informational meeting on Friday during the second half of lunch in Room 329 and also met after school in Room 329. The after-school meeting was for those interested in joining the HOSA Future Health Professionals organization. HOSA is an acronym for the Health Occupations Students of America.

This week, juniors and seniors of Mrs. Kate Arthurs-Goldberg’s public speaking class put their communications skills to the test during mock evaluative interviews. With a brief, formalized session of Q&A, Fr. Christopher Fronk, S.J. played the role of a college admissions interviewer, assessing student body president Dowen Fife’s high school experiences and college goals as a candidate for Spring Hill College. After the interview, Fr. Fronk, as well as the rest of the class, gave feedback on Fife’s performance. These practice sessions better acquaint students with interviewing basics such as making eye contact, smiling, and shaking hands. It was a chance for them to learn about their strengths and ways to improve their interview process.

Of all the options at the after-school ice cream stand, freshman John Luke Arbour chose the ice cream sandwich to satiate his Monday afternoon sweet tooth. Brother Billy Dardis, S.J. sells a variety of frozen treats on Monday through Thursday from 3 to 3:15 p.m. Students can enjoy a drumstick (vanilla, fudge, or caramel), nutty buddy, fudge bar, Klondike bar, flavor icee, or an ice cream sandwich before going home from school. 

As if sweltering humidity at the Jesuit football game against St. Paul’s was not enough to drench fans, the Blue Jay student section created their own water works while celebrating the thrilling victory. Students enjoyed a chance to release energy after a tropical warning closed school two days this week. Although the storm brought no precipitation to the area, Jays rained down school spirit at Tad Gormely in a sea of blue and white.

On Wednesday morning Blue Jay basketball players Zach Deblieux, Kyle Haupt, Nick Artigues, Kylan Steele, and Nick Brewster served breakfast to the homeless at the Living Witness Church in Central City. The breakfast program is run by Grace at the Greenlight, a nonprofit organization that serves a morning meal to between 70 and 100 homeless men and women every day. This group of Blue Jays were the first of many, as Jesuit is planning to bring students to serve breakfast on the first and third Wednesday of every month. Students interested in participating should see Mr. Murphy in Room 225 to sign up.

Sophomores Jacob D’Amico and Malcom Baldwin take advantage of the free after school tutoring offered here at Jesuit. Teachers offer free after school tutoring for students in need of extra instruction in Math, Science, Spanish, and English courses. Also, several student groups offer tutoring intermittently throughout the school year including the National Honor Society. The National Honor Society will begin before school and lunchtime turtoring after Labor Day. Click here for the tutoring schedule.

Channeling the TV series, “Survivor,” seniors Ashton Perkins and Gavin Skipper prove that going through the main entrance of the obstacle course is not the only way. Testing their agility and determination, the duo successfully jumped over the main entrance to start the competition. View the ongoing story of Welcome Week activities, which continue through Thursday and culminate with Mass of the Holy Spirit on Friday.

Student body president Dowen Fife, after being sworn in by Jesuit president Fr. Christopher Fronk, administers the Oath of Office for the remainder of the Executive Board. Pictured in front of Fife (from left), are Gavin Skipper (Executive Aide), Charles Korndorffer (Executive Aide), Max Bond (Executive Aide), Carter Montalbano (Junior Class President), Marc Dougherty (Secretary), Neehar Desai (Treasurer), and Josef Ernst (Vice President). Langston Goldenberg, the senior Class President, was not present and will be sworn in at another date. The Oath of Office is as follows: “I, (name), affirm that I will faithfully execute my office on the Jesuit Student Council, and I will, to the best of my ability, act as a positive example in all that I do, foster Blue Jay spirit in our community, preserve the Student Council Constitution, and live up to the ideals and norms of Jesuit High School.”

Welcoming new and old cadets back to Carrollton and Banks, MGySgt J.R. Piseno and LtCol Tim Huete ’76 cooked up two spicy potfuls of jambalaya for lunch. There was plenty of jambalaya to go around, and after the 141 hungry MCJROTC members had their fill, cadets like senior Marseyas Fernandez came back for seconds. Speaking of jambalaya, the Big Brother-Little Brother Lunch is Friday in the Student Commons.  Big Brothers should meet their Little Brothers in the courtyard at the beginning of lunch and then proceed together into the Commons for a jambalaya lunch.

Student body president Dowen Fife dressed like a cow at the New Student Orientation Pep Rally. The pep rally was certainly wild, as new students and their big brothers participated in the “Roller-Coaster” cheer that brought everyone to their feet. The spirit in the auditorium showed new Blue Jays that there is more to Jesuit than just classes and homework. “Don’t have a cow.” In other words, there is no need to worry. You belong at Jesuit.