Mr. Malcom Villarrubia ’66 took the afternoon to move boxes from the second up to the third floor to empty Room 231 in preparation for upcoming construction. This will be one of six classrooms that will be renovated over the summer and ready for the 2015-2016 school year.  Last year, six other second floor classrooms were also modernized.

Juniors Will Hurley (third from right) and John Kemmerly (second from right) explain the premise of their board game to College Planning Counselor Ms. Allie Timberlake (right). The game, called “Mona Goes to Harvard,” is a fast-paced, exciting board game that puts physics into action. Coincidentally — or purposely as a way to ensure high marks — several of the games the Blue Jays invented paid homage to their physics teacher Ms. Mona Anchan. The students spent two weeks working on the creative, and often very witty, board games that used the principles they learned in physics all year long.

Members of the Green Club are at it again — taking care of the final recyclables pick-up of the waning school year. Green Club members (from left to right) juniors Paul Ineich, Victor Castellon, and Tyrus Norcise make their way out of the building and into the courtyard balancing several boxes of recyclables.

Juniors Evan Aucoin, Corey Barberito, and Ben Bares make a quick stop at their lockers when the bell rings on Wednesday afternoon. They likely will be taking home their math and Latin books to study for their first day of exams scheduled for Monday, May 18. The entire 4th quarter exam schedule is posted on the academics calendar.

Club, team, and organization moderators show their appreciation for the mothers’ lunch committee at the inaugural Moderators’ Luncheon. The delicious feast included homemade salads, pasta, and desserts, in addition to catered items from Drago’s Seafood Restaurant. The mothers also prepare a meal each quarter during exam week for Jesuit’s faculty and staff. The moderators of Jesuit’s 60-plus co-curricular organizations were grateful to the many parents who staffed the event and prepared the delicious homemade dishes.

The winners of the 2^nd Annual Blue Jay Ping Pong Tournament, sponsored by the Ping Pong Club to benefit the Jesuit Missions, were recognized at Friday’s Morning Assembly. From left are: junior class champion Jacob Niehaus, freshman champion – and champion of the entire school – Michael Farrugia, sophomore champion Noah Baquet, pre-freshman champion Harrison LeBlanc, and pre-freshman Jordan Diliberto, who helped coordinate the tournament. Senior class champion Otto Candies could not be present at Assembly. Ping Pong enthusiasts played single elimination games in brackets where each grade level attracted approximately 25 participants. The tournament was held during the Mission Drive and took place in the Student Commons at lunchtime. The event was organized by Ms. Aurora Daigle, a guidance counselor and moderator of the Ping Pong Club, who readily admits that she relied heavily on “her right hand,” Jordan Diliberto.

Juniors Chris Johnson (left), Will Hurley (center), and John Kemmerly (right) work together to create a board game — their final project in Ms. Mona Anchan’s physics class. Blue Jays were tasked with using their creativity to design and construct a board game that uses what they’ve learned in physics class. The game must be easily understood and playable by someone who doesn’t have a working knowledge of physics principles. Faculty, staff, and students will be invited to play the finished projects.

With the semester nearing its end, Blue Jays are already beginning to prepare for final exams which begin Monday, May 18. Pre-freshman Evan North reviews his grades after school with his Algebra I teacher, Ms. JoAnn Schexnayder.

Freshman Matt Frischertz identifies the bones in his hand as biology teacher Mrs. Helen Swan (not pictured) describes them. Swan’s class was learning about the bones in a vertebrate skeleton during Tuesday’s class period.

After the final bell on their last day of classes, seniors race out of the school building and through the Traditions Courtyard, cheering the entire way. Underclassmen lining the balcony got a front row seat to the exuberant madness. After dashing to Will Clark Field, seniors let out cheers, congratulated each other, and celebrated their final moments as high school students. Watch the video of the senior class’ exuberant exit.

Senior Jonathan Legier and junior Will Hurley became fast friends when they found out that they were both donating the same O- blood type during a Blood Drive sponsored by the National Spanish Honor Society. The nurse explained to them, “That means that you can donate to people with any blood type, but you can only receive blood that is O-. So, you two should stay close.” Leger quipped to Hurley, “It’s O.K., I’ve got your back.”

Blue Jays who usually venture throughout the courtyard and field during lunch were forced to nest indoors as thunderstorms rolled through on Monday. These pre-freshmen were found playing a card game in the Commons, studiously ignoring the close quarters: (clockwise from top) Tristen Cole, Ashton Stevens, Adam Francis, and (not facing the camera) Niko Milonas and Connor Daigle.

The seniors and faculty faced off in a competitive 20-minute basketball game during lunch. While the competition was fierce, the courtside commentary by seniors C.C. Miller and Charles Jackson was farce. In the end, even though faculty got the final shot, the seniors held on for the win.

Teacher and community service programs director Kevin Murphy (right) mediates a heated discussion regarding the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline project in the Traditions Courtyard. Pre-freshman Cole LaCour (left) was opposed to the construction of the pipeline, while his classmate Scott McKeough (center) supported it. Murphy’s world geography class recently read an article about the pipeline and also wrote an essay on whether, if they were president, they would support construction of the pipeline. The class spent part of the period in the Traditions Courtyard, split into small groups to debate the project. The debate continued as a full class with several members, including LaCour and McKeough, presenting their viewpoints. The class was almost evenly split on the issue, with strong arguments both for and against. 

Freshmen Garrett Crumb and Robert Argote take advantage of the cool temperatures as they walk on the second floor breezeway Tuesday afternoon. 

Five members of Jesuit’s Magic Club attended a workshop in St. Ignatius Hall with professional magician Mike Waldo ’70. Matt Fanguy, Devin McCartney, Kyle Fulton, Reed Meric, and Matt O’Neill learned about types of magic, purchasing magic, timing, and presentation. Waldo the Magnificent brought more than advice with him from his home in Pensacola, Florida. He donated several illusions, a chest full of smaller tricks, and magic books and magazines that will be housed in Jesuit’s Resource Center.  The Magic Club is moderated by Mrs. Pam Catalano.