Members of the student council, assorted minstrels, elves, and gypsies strolled through the administration building on Friday singing Christmas carols and extolling the staff to shake the Scrooges off and grab some spirit of the season.

Sophomore Alexander Vargas watches his experiment go up in flames in Chemistry I taught by Mr. David Storm. After completing a unit on chemical reactions, students used magnesium and hydrochloric acid to produce hydrogen gas which was collected in a balloon. Using a flame at the end of a long stick, students finished their experiment by holding a flame to the balloon and hoping for the flash of an exothermic reaction.

Members of the Odd Instruments Orchestra entertain Blue Jays in the Traditions Courtyard by performing in a Brown Bag Concert. The group played a mix of contemporary hits and holiday tunes… each with unconventional instruments. Brown Bag Concerts at Jesuit began in the early 1980s, when as a sophomore, Harry Connick, Jr. ’85 approached then-student activities director (current alumni director) Mat Grau ’68 with the idea. Over the years, travelling bands and groups, alumni, and current Blue Jays have all performed during the lunchtime concerts.

Pre-freshmen Christian Lacoste, Roux Stedman, Tyler Mire, Harrison Landry, and Mitchell Berry keep their hands under cover of pockets and long sleeves in this week’s Christmastime cold temperatures hovering under 50 F. See live weather conditions and the forecast through the eye of camera perched atop the school.

Long lines form in St. Ignatius Hall as Blue Jays receive their PSAT results Monday afternoon at lunch. Sophomore Darren Ruiz reaches the front of one of the lines and is greeted by Guidance Counselor Aurora Daigle, who gives him his results packet. Parents should review their sons’ scores using the PSAT Tutorial for Parents. Students and parents can also review several free resources here.

Seniors, from left, Patrick Russo, Reuben Hogan, and Paul Cousins were part of a contingency of Blue Jays who spent their P.E. period on Friday afternoon assisting with the preparations for the annual Christmas Boutique at Jesuit on Saturday, Dec. 7. The helpful bag Jays carried sacks of greens containing Christmas wreaths and garlands which have been stored in the walk-in cooler for the past few days. The Christmas greens were brought to the Student Commons, where volunteers organized the merchandise for easy pick-up on Saturday.

Sophomore John Nimmo makes a good run in his homeroom’s last game of intramural football. The winners of this intramural football season will be announced at Friday morning’s assembly.

Seniors Patrick Rappold, Chris Sylvain, and Ryan McKeough present the solution to a rotational kinematics problem in Mr. Kyle White’s physics class. Each group worked on problems together and presented their findings to the class.

Since the Resource Center was overflowing with students studying for upcoming tests and working on end-of-semester projects, seniors Adam Boe, Matt Bennett, Ryan Cambias, Evan DeHoog, Matthew Pettus, and Mitch Bourgeois found a new study spot across the hall.

In just her first year, math teacher Ms. Khanh Nguyen is taking Algebra 1 to new heights. After asking her freshmen students to use what they’ve learned in the classroom to determine the area and perimeter of the interior of the small chapel, Ms. Nguyen escorted her charges to the 4th floor balcony to measure the diameter and radius of the massive stained glass dome that adorns the top of the aforementioned worship area.

Ms. Kate Arthurs-Goldberg meets after school with the chorus to review new music selections for Masses and the upcoming Christmas concert on Saturday, Dec. 7. Senior John Guerra plays the keyboard for the singers: (from left) junior Patrick Rappold, junior Joel Epling, senior Alex Scalco, senior Mark Alvarez, freshman William Fine, senior Pablo Amador and junior Connor Hill, and Mr. Jeremy Reuther. The Blue Jay Band/Chorus Christmas Concert and Social begins at 5:30 p.m. in the auditorium followed by a social in the Student Commons.

Often when it’s raining and cold outside, Health and PE classes move indoors. Sometimes this leaves time for unofficial extra-curriculars. Today, the Wild Photographer found sophomore Baasel Syed entertaining his classmates with a card trick. Let’s just say David Blaine’s got nothing to worry about. From left are sophomores Syed, Michael Fleming, Tommy Nguyen, Stephen Hoorman (back row), Myles Cyprien, Eric O’Neal (back row), Patrick Rye, and Jose Aleman (front).

Blue Jays representing every grade level and almost every homeroom participated in the Inaugural Jesuit High School New Orleans Fred Richten, brother of Lou, Memorial Celebrity “Beat St. Aug. in the Playoffs” Awareness Pro-Am Arm Wrestling Tournament for the Cure! In the freshmen division, Corey Dublin, a starter on the Blue Jay football offensive line, overpowered Stephen Sepcich (left). The event was expertly coordinated by the student council. Student body president Christopher Dupre ’14 served as master of ceremonies.

Members of the Pro Life Club — freshmen Jack Pontin, Matt Nguyen, Gary Zeringue, and Will Matthews — help put 4,000 sticky notes with various careers written on them on a wall in the Student Commons. The 4,000 notes represent the number of lives and futures lost to abortion each day in the United States. As part of Pro-Life Week, the club has held an activity each day this week to educate Blue Jays in the truth about abortion and other life issues.

Junior Mason Page practices his spike on Will Clark Field during the Beach Volleyball Club’s after school practice. The Beach Volleyball Club performed several drills and worked on hitting techniques during the Wednesday afternoon practice. The club is one of more than 60 co-curriculars available for Blue Jays. It is open to beginners and advanced players from all grade levels. Games occur once a week in the fall and spring seasons.

Members of the MCJROTC each lunch in the cafeteria with several visiting Marines, who are on campus to conduct the annual inspection of the JROTC. During the inspection, cadets are separated into platoons and a color guard detail, with each having their uniforms carefully inspected. Cadets also conduct drills and demonstrations and may be asked a series of questions pertaining to rank structure, chain of command, military history and leadership.