Senior editor-in-chief Michael-Paul Fine and newspaper moderator Peter Flores ’09 make final adjustments to the highly anticipated issue of the Blue Jay Newspaper. If you are interested in contributing to the next issue, contact Mr. Flores as soon as possible.  

A student from Mrs. Merritt’s honors geometry class prepares to throw his intricately crafted paper airplane off the second floor balcony. The planes underwent various exercises that tested multiple attributes ranging from longest distance to the most accurate. 

Before school, junior James Nolan, senior Gabriel Sacasa, senior Morgan Hebert, junior Thomas Doan, and senior Nathan Vatter serve breakfast to the homeless on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2021. Grace at the Greenlight has been serving the poor and less fortunate in Central City since 2014 and has allowed Jesuit students to give back to the community in a variety of ways. Contact director of community service programs Kevin Murphy ’00 if you are interested in participating in this tremendous service opportunity. 

Congratulations to the three, possibly four, winners of the tacky sweater contest. As the time comes to celebrate the birth of Christ, Jesuit wishes all Jays calm minds during exam week and steadfast hearts during the holiday season. 

Homeroom 906 surrounds Mr. Trosclair as they get into the holiday spirit by wearing part of their Christmas gifts from Mrs. Arthurs-Goldberg. Merry Christmas to all!

Three days after competing for the LHSAA State Championship in football, seniors Caleb Tolbert, Keith Pittman, and Jody Barber joined fellow volunteers from the Jesuit Men of Color club to feed breakfast to the homeless at Living Witness Church in Central City. Joining them were Chase Haydel and Mitchell Stevens, along with club moderators Matthew Firmin ’10 and Jay Combe ’83. The Jesuit Men of Color, formerly known as the St. Peter Claver Club, is dedicated to promoting diversity and fostering the well-being of students of color on Jesuit High School’s campus. It is open to all students and faculty.  

During assembly on Monday, Nov. 29, 2021, Jesuit honored the two newest state championship teams: swimming and cross country. Cross country head coach Rudy Horvath ’86 led the celebration with the top six Jesuit runners who placed in the top 10—Aeric Wender, Leland Crawford, Robert Buisson, Lucas Sampedro, Jack DesRoches, and Michael Vocke. After the speech, Vocke hit the glorious gong to crown the achievement in front of the student body. 

Soon to be located in the visitor entrance to the school, construction on the new home of the Blue Jay Shop in the Madonna Della Strada building is nearing completion. Make sure to carve out some time in your schedule to stop by soon to check out the new storefront, fresh apparel, and classic Jesuit items for sale.

Seniors Roland Waguespack, Jake Cannizzaro, and Joseph Barnett lead Blue Jays in a pep rally during the second half of lunch in the Traditions Courtyard. Another gameday calls for another enthusiastic gathering in a historic corner of Jesuit’s campus. Many generations of Jays have gathered during lunch on this hollowed ground to stoke the embers of cheer and excitement before sporting events, and this time was no different. The rally will surely light a fire in those gathered until the final whistle blows tonight when the Blue Jays of Jesuit battle against the Patriots of John Curtis with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at Tad Gormley Stadium. 

The Jesuit Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) commemorate the 246th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. The event on Nov. 16, 2021, included a performance by the MCJROTC Band (the oldest of its kind in the nation); a traditional cake cutting ceremony with special recognition of the program’s youngest and oldest cadets; recognition of the guest-of-honor; and a reception in the Student Commons. 

Screenwriting Essentials teacher Mike Begg leads a table read on November 11, 2021. During the course of the semester, Begg brings his students through the whole journey of screenwriting from the basics of scriptwriting to organizing a story board. 

Seniors Joseph Liberto and linebacker Dennis Dougherty lead a lunch time pep rally before the last district game of the season tonight against the Rummel Raiders. Jesuit has already guaranteed itself a share of the Catholic League district title, but a win tonight would obtain the first outright title since 2011. After the rally, the student body left the courtyard full of enthusiasm and excitement that will be used to cheer the Blue and White onto victory. 

Jesuit president Fr. John Brown, S.J., re-paints a statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Brown carefully painted the hands and face before moving onto the rest of the old statue that will find its new home in the Banks Street Addition as the former art teacher puts one of his numerous talents to good use. 

Jesuit doesn’t horse around for Halloween. At the second half of lunch students were treated to candy and a show. Blue Jays were decked out in an array of costumes for the annual student council Halloween costume contest. James Cangelosi was crowned the victor with his horse costume and received a whole bag of candy as his reward.

Senior treasurer Jack Gasquet leads the student body in a chant before a day before PSAT testing. On Tuesday, October 26th, pre-freshmen and freshmen will take the PSAT 8/9, and sophomores and juniors will take the PSAT. The extra motivation from the rally attempted grant all Blue Jays the enthusiasm to slay the proverbial PSAT dragon and achieve adequate scores on this year’s exam. 

Spanish teacher Scout Serpas ’13 and junior Eddy Boudreaux display the new 30 ounce Polar Camel tumbler and the Jesuit 32 ounce Nalgene water bottle in the Jesuit Traditions Courtyard. You can purchase these new items and more in room 132 from Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. If parents have any questions about inventory or about their orders, they should contact Wanda Montalbano at (504) 483-3858 or bluejayshop@jesuitnola.org.