Event V – Senior-Faculty Football Game, Roman Candy, & Toga Pep-Rally | Friday, September 29, 2017

Wearing togas and crowns of laurel, The Gizzard gears up for the 98th rivalry game against Holy Cross.

Friday at Lunch: The student council hosted “Bread and Circuses” on Will Clark Field as Roman Candy was available during the annual Senior/Faculty Football Game. The faculty shut the seniors out 14-0, but the class of 2018 switched gears toward the pep rally and the Rivalry Game.

View the Photo Gallery for the Senior-Faculty Football Game

Friday at 2:24PM: Once students were sufficiently nourished, they assembled Friday afternoon, clad in togas, to hold the biggest courtyard pep rally in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

View the Photo Gallery from the Rivalry Game Pep Rally

Friday night (7:15PM): Bear witness to the 98th edition of the Great American Rivalry, as the Jays flock to Tad Gormley Stadium for the 98th meeting against the Holy Cross Tigers.

Event IV – Naval Battles (Battleship) |Thursday, September 28, 2017

On Thursday, Roman soldiers engaged in naval battles in the courtyard with a life-size game of Battleship.

The consequence of losing in Thursday’s Human Battleship event

View the Photo Gallery from Thursday’s Naval Battles

On Thursday, Roman soldiers engaged in naval battles in the courtyard with a life-size game of Battleship.

Event III – A Roman Forum (Debate) | Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Wednesday, the school’s foremost orators held a Senate-style Forum to debate one of the hottest, most controversial issues of our time: Who would win in a battle to the death between the Silverback Gorilla and the Grizzly Bear?

Braden Brignac makes his best argument for the dominance of the Silverback Gorilla before his formidable opponent, Aubert Waguespack.

View the Photo Gallery from Wednesday’s Roman Forum

The interlocutors used their keenest arguments, the rhetoric was fierce, and the personal attacks were biting. In the end, there was one, undeniable result – the Grizzly Bear!

Faculty judges Mr. Travis Smith, Mrs. Susan deBoisblanc, and Mr. Peter Muller ’81 sided in a 2-1 decision that the team of seniors Ethan Ehrhardt, Jordan Tufts, and Aubert Waguespack had won the day by giving the best arguments for a Grizzly Bear winning the struggle for survival. Thursday’s event will feature a life-sized game of Battleship, which promises to rival the fiercest of Roman sea battles in history!

Event II – The Circus Maximus (Chariot Racing) | Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Taking an early lead, driver J.C. Hughes (right) pushes his partner Christian Fitzpatrick at the start of the chariot race. Hughes/Fitzpatrick raced against driver Jacob Patron and rider David Martin. The Patron/Martin team was able to ride around the course without swerving off or losing balance, leading them to victory and proving the age-old saying that “slow and steady wins the race.”

View the Photo Gallery for Tuesday’s Chariot-Racing

Tuesday, spectators enjoyed the brutal nature of chariot racing in the Circus Maximus. Chariot racing was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine sports. It was dangerous to both drivers and horses as they often suffered serious injury and even death, but these dangers added to the excitement and interest for spectators. During Romecoming week, Blue Jays celebrated in style with a modern Roman chariot race in the ancient Circus Maximus (Traditions Courtyard), albeit with wheelbarrows instead of horses and elbow pads instead of armor.

Event I – Opening Ceremony & Gladiator Games | Monday, September 25, 2017

Student body president Paul Treuting introduces the activities for Romecoming 2017 at Morning Assembly on Monday.

View the Photo Gallery for Monday’s Opening Ceremony

“Et tu, Jayson?” asked a Caesar-clad Mr. Bob Roso at the moment of his assassination during the opening skit for Homecoming Week at Monday’s Morning Assembly. The student council launched this year’s theme – “Romecoming Week” – by riffing on the iconic lines from William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. At the opening ceremony, Caesar was attacked by a group of student council senators and finally stabbed by Jayson before taking his last breath. “Romecoming” activities kicked off Monday at lunch with courtyard jousting and will continue through the week as students and faculty prepare for the Jesuit-Holy Cross football game on Friday.

IT TAKES TWO: Pre-freshman Kameron Brown keeps his balance as he faces two opponents at once.

At Monday’s “Gladiator Games,” students tested their might in the “Coliseum!” Well, it was an inflatable jousting arena, but the fierceness of the combatants would confuse any casual bystander. Students spent the entire lunch period with one task – dominating the gladiatorial arena!

View the Photo Gallery for Monday’s Gladiator Games