Jayson didn’t want to miss out on all the fun at the Big Brother/Little Brother lunch in the Student Commons. Jayson is a blue jay in a fighting stance, and was originally drawn by cartoonist Walt Kelly, of “Pogo” fame, at the request of the staff of The Blue Jay newspaper. The history of Jayson as Jesuit’s mascot was profiled in Jaynotes Vol. 38, Spring/Summer 2012.

Pre-freshman Hunter Hoffmann shoots a topspin forehand across to classmate Skyler Pitisci during tryouts for the Table Tennis Team. Tryouts are held Wednesday and Thursday of this week after school. The team is one of the many co-curricular organizations seeking new members at the beginning of the school year.

Blue Jays return to class after a mid-morning fire drill. In under five minutes, nearly 1400 students, along with the entire faculty and staff, moved from being seated in their classrooms to being arranged in Morning Assembly rows on Will Clark Field. School administrators schedule an unannounced fire drill early in the year to run through building evacuation protocol for emergency situations.

Basketball players (from left) Sam Ovella, Will Hillery, Hunt Conroy, Will Landrieu, and Chris Beebe traveled upriver on Saturday to assist residents whose houses were damaged by the recent flooding in south Louisiana. The group teamed up with coaches and recent alumni to gut houses and clean debris for parishioners of Immaculate Conception Parish in Baton Rouge. Many teams, clubs, and organizations at Jesuit make community service a valuable part of their co-curricular formation programs.

In the few moments leading up to Morning Assembly, Master Gunnery Sergeant J.R. Piseno reminds this group of pre-freshmen that it’s Friday by going down the line to fist bump each student. Morning Assembly is a tradition that dates all the way back to the days when Jesuit was located on the corner of Baronne and Common streets. There students would gather in the courtyard to hear announcements before beginning the cycle of classes. Now students gather in the Traditions Courtyard every Monday and Friday to get school announcements, hear results of their classmates’ competitions, and be together as a community.

Freshman Seth Trotter pauses before the start of his 5th period math class to pray the Examen, calling to mind the events of the morning and finding ways that God has been moving in his life. Every Tuesday and Thursday after the lunch period, an upperclassman leads the entire student body through the Examen over the intercom. St. Ignatius recommends that, of all the prayers said in the course a busy day, the Examen should be the prayer that is never omitted. Learn more about the daily Examen at ignatianspirituality.com.

Juniors gathered in the auditorium during the first half of their lunch period for a meeting to set the tone for the year. Seniors had a similar meeting during the second half of lunch, and other classes will do the same throughout the week. In addition to some remarks from the grade level guidance counselor, prefect of discipline Mr. Lary Abshire, better known to students as “Top,” took the opportunity to review discipline policy and encourage students to be their best. Also pictured is Mr. Mike Begg, who is assisting Mr. Abshire with disciplinary issues.

Sophomore Braden Bent braves the first-week line for supplies at the Blue Jay Shop, which is open Monday – Friday before school, at lunch, and after school. During the first few days of classes, students receive their syllabi and course policy sheets outlining all the supplies they’ll need for a semester full of learning.

Senior student council leaders find an innovative way to cool down the newest Blue Jays after a high spirited pep rally in the auditorium. The New Student Orientation Day concludes with a pep rally held normally in the gym, but rainy conditions called for a location change. Seniors (from left) William Fine, Carl Hoefer, and Jacob Marshall should be pointing the leaf blower at themselves after their high-energy leadership getting new students charged with Blue Jay Spirit.

From aloha to camouflage, seniors displayed an amazing assortment of fashionable wear Tuesday morning at Book Day, including this trio, from left: Austin Ros, Eli Sisung, and John Brazio.

Sophomore Christopher Vuong is taking advantage of his summer vacation to brush up his skills on the organ in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs. Last school year Vuong was recognized as an all-state musician for his talent with the trumpet. In the not-too-distant future, the chapel will be brimming with students at the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit. The organ is a musical instrument perfect for use in the Catholic liturgy. As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said in 2006, the organ is “capable of echoing and expressing all the experiences of human life. The manifold possibilities of the organ in some way remind us of the immensity and the magnificence of God.”

Members of the President’s Advisory Council met at Manresa this week to share their expertise with Fr. McGinn, S.J. ’66 for the annual PAC retreat. The two-day retreat kicks off the year of monthly meetings to advise the president on various aspects of operations at Jesuit. Also joining the group was the future president of Jesuit, Fr. Christopher Fronk, S.J., whose presence at the retreat gave a foretaste of the passion for high school education he will bring to Jesuit at the end of the fall semester. Fr. Fronk said Mass and preached (with Fr. McGinn concelebrating) for the more than 25 PAC members present.

Good teachers never stop honing their craft. Five Jesuit teachers are beginning their school year in earnest by taking the four-day “Studying Skillful Teaching” course, the hallmark of Jesuit’s program for professional development for new teachers. “Studying Skillful Teaching” is a graduate level course that supports teachers by enhancing their instructional practices which lead students to higher levels of critical thinking and rigorous engagement. Jesuit has been a leader in exploring research-based improvement for classroom instruction and this year welcomes over 20 teachers from high schools across the metro area, including Archbishop Chapelle, Archbishop Hannan, Brother Martin, Cabrini, and Dominican.

The Blue Jay Band tour group poses for a photo outside the Palace of Versailles in France on their 17-day tour across Europe. The group of band members and their families (118 people total) continue on their multi-city adventure through Belgium, France, and Germany, including two concerts played in the German city of Bamberg. The trip is part of the Blue Jay Band exchange program, now in its 16th year, with Clavius Gymnasium of Bamburg, whose students will visit Jesuit in October.

Maintenance director Jimmy Huck, along with maintenance staff Brian Habisreitinger and Eddie Habisreitinger, carefully took down Oscar Rabensteiner’s (1936) iconic painting from the walls of St. Ignatius Hall this summer. The painting of St. Ignatius will be restored while the hall undergoes renovations. Improvements will include shades on the windows and an acoustical treatment. The updates are expected to be complete in the beginning of the school year.

Summer day campers watch in awe as Sally Farrell of “Wind in My Feathers” gives a live display of several non-releasable birds of prey. Farrell is a raptor (bird of prey – owl, falcon, hawk, vulture) rehabilitator and educator with state and federal permits for New Orleans and the surrounding area. Her hour-long presentation was supplemented with audio and visual aids, such as photography, taped bird calls, owl castings, feather displays, skulls, and owl feet.