Freshman Freddie Washington goes airborne in a lunchtime slam dunk contest in the Traditions Courtyard. Blue Jays of all grade levels gathered to watch their classmates’ dunks, which ranged from awe-inspiring to downright comical. Members of the Blue Jay basketball team judged each dunk with large scorecards — to the delight of the audience gathered. The contest was all in good fun and to promote the Jay’s district-opening basketball game against Holy Cross on Friday night.

Seniors Evan Slattery (left) and Brady Stiller, along with Sodality Director Mr. Julio Minsal-Ruiz, S.J. and Director of Community Service Projects Mr. Kevin Murphy, place a box outside the Resource Center to collect collect cold weather items for the homeless. The box is one of several placed around campus to collect such items for the Harry Tompson Center, which serves the homeless in New Orleans. The Sodality and the Class of 1984 are working together to collect the items, including men’s coats, winter hats and gloves, and backpacks, underwear, and socks. (More info here.) Donations will be accepted through Friday, Jan. 15. In addition, on Wednesday, Jan. 13, a representative from the Harry Tompson Center will be on campus to speak to Blue Jays about homelessness in New Orleans. The talk will take place in Room 329 during lunch.

Junior Bennett Faust aims for the bullseye in a meeting of the new Darts Club. Faust recently started the recreational club along with a handful of juniors and a few pre-freshmen under the guidance of Ms. Holly Smith, who moderates the club. Members welcome friendly competition every Tuesday during the second half of lunch in Room 313. They hope to add more game boards throughout the year. Blue Jays who have an interest not currently available on the co-curricular list should complete a Club and Organization Proposal Form.

Senior co-drum major Dane Castillo leads the MCJROTC musicians to line up in the band room where they are practicing for upcoming performances. The band will perform later this month in the first of two Mardi Gras parades. (Yes, parades start in January this year; Fat Tuesday is Feb. 9.) Watch them in the Krewe of Sparta on Saturday, Jan. 30, and in the Krewe of Hermes on Friday, Feb. 5.

While most students are home for the holidays, members of the freshmen basketball team are working on their round ball game. The team, coached by alumni Tim Farrelly ’80 and Scott Thompson ’92, went 3-1 in a tournament they hosted at The Birdcage on Monday, Dec. 21. The Jays beat Archbishop Hannan, Brother Martin, and Archbishop Rummel before losing to Lusher in the championship game, 21-10.

Seniors Benji Creel, Evan Slattery, Matthew Miceli, Arjun Verma, Andrew Nguyen, and Ben Gillen were recently treated to a long-overdue lunch with the math department. The Blue Jays earned the meal after submitting the winning bid last spring in the Mission Drive Auction. They were finally able to coordinate their busy schedules and join the math department faculty for a delicious lunch.

Blue Jays in Ms. Nilda Rivera’s Spanish IV AP and Spanish V Honors classes had the opportunity to speak via teleconference with renowned Puerto Rican actress Magali Carrasquillo. The Skype session was the first in a series of lectures in which the students will meet via teleconference a diverse group of Hispanoamerican artists from different media ― theatre, television, film, visual arts, design, and music. The artists will each share their experiences as professionals and discuss how speaking Spanish has helped open doors for them internationally. Ms. Carrasquillo talked to the AP students about her 39-year career as an actress, her travels to Cuba earlier this year, and the experience of being Ms. Rivera’s teacher.

“Spice Thyme Continuum” played for Blue Jays during lunchtime in Traditions Courtyard for the year’s first Brown Bag Concert. The band is composed of seniors Tristan Killgore, Evan Palmisano, and Matthew Torres on drums. Killgore handled the vocals … and the joke-telling. Classmate Felix Rabito joined them to play a few songs as well.

Because Paris, France is hosting the COP21 about climate change, Mr. Patrick Benoit found a hands-on activity to relate his students’ learning to current events. A local artist, Ms. Allison Stewart, presented (in French) some of her work to students in Mr. Benoit’s French III Honors class. Many of Ms. Stewart’s pieces focus on how catastrophes affect the environment. Blue Jays were given watercolor pencils and instructed to create their own visions of environmental art. Pictured: Ms. Stewart is encouraging sophomore Eric-Michael Schorr in his artistic endeavor.

Classmates look on as freshman Neehar Desai takes a turn aiming his yellow paper airplane at the target below. Students in Mrs. Leslie Merritt’s freshmen honors geometry use their class studies to design a paper airplane to meet the specifications to fly for distance and aim.

Dr. Kyle Happel ’89  gets an enthusiastic answer from seniors Andrew Nguyen, Chance Melancon, and Jeremy Scheffler who have just completed a DNA gel electrophoresis to identify a fictitious crime suspect. Dr. Happel visited Mrs. Amy Tassin’s Biology II AP class to lead a two-day DNA electrophoresis lab yesterday and today. Students participating in the lab compared DNA samples similar to the way CSI labs use DNA fingerprints to help determine guilt or innocence. They ran a electrophoresis, separated the DNA fragments by size, and used a high intensity ultraviolet light source to view the results.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Junior Cal Adams (center) and senior Joey Bongiovanni (right) help switchboard operator and cheerleader coach Jenny Johnston get in the holiday spirit as they trim the tree in the lobby at the school’s Banks Street entrance. Over the next few days, Blue Jays will be spreading Christmas cheer as they decorate a half dozen trees placed throughout the school and participate in the annual Student Council door decorating contest.

Blue Jays end their first day back from the Thanksgiving holidays and are right back in the swing of things with a full schedule of classes, co-curricular activities, games, and events. They have two weeks of classes before a week of exams and then two weeks of Christmas holidays. See the calendars page and daily announcements for all the details.

These pre-freshmen gathered for an impromptu study session in the first-floor hallway during their lunch hour. Using assorted methods to study for a variety of subjects, each Blue Jay appreciated the haven from the season’s first cold day. Clockwise from left are Beau Borden, Michael Keller, Christopher Cannon, Ben Blanchard, Josh Yochum, David Walker, Gabe Barfield, Trevor Daigle, Patrick McConnell, and Ramiro Quiroz.

Perhaps taking inspiration from the political campaign season, senior Aubrey Champlin commands the attention of the Blue Jays gathered at Friday’s pep rally in the Traditions Courtyard. Champlin’s enthusiastic speech drew applause from the audience and surely served as additional motivation for many Jays to show up and cheer on the football team in Friday night’s matchup against the Rummel Raiders.

Senior José Cuscó visits with an admissions representative from Millsaps College during today’s lunch period. Representatives from universities across the country regularly visit Jesuit to give Blue Jays information about their degree programs, scholarships and financial aid, and campus life. Students can keep up with the many colleges and universities visiting Jesuit by viewing the College Planning page.