Before the mid-afternoon storm came, Jesuit students gather in the courtyard during lunch to play spikeball. The two versus two game is now a constant theme throughout both Jesuit both lunch periods, and the average passerby can sometimes even see two games occurring simultaneously. 

Junior Jack Larriviere dunks junior Joseph Liberto during lunch in the Jesuit courtyard. During lunch on March 18, contestants from eighth graders to teachers participated in festival type events such as a three-point contest and dunking booth to celebrate the drive-thru Jesuit Bazaar that will be held at John Ryan Stadium on Saturday, March 20. 

On Friday, March 12, the Jesuit High School Facilities and Maintenance Crew celebrated Ernest Pierre’s last day. Pierre has been a fixture on Carrollton & Banks for 35 years, and while this is an exciting occasion, the whole Jesuit community will miss his reliable and comforting presence. 

Fr. Kevin Dyer, S.J., narrates a skit detailing St. Ignatius of Loyola’s rise to sainthood by starting with the battle of Pamplona. Upperclassmen launched water balloons signifying cannonballs, and senior class president Zack Jaubert played an extremely convincing Ignatius. Eighth graders got to see the play and engage in other spiritual discussions throughout the day on Jesuit’s campus during their pre-freshmen retreat. 

Roy Daigle ’51 attempts a shot in the Gayle & Tom Benson Arena during the Alumni Class Captains’ meeting on March 10. At the end of the meeting, alumni from each decade competed against each other in a free-throw contest for prizes and bragging rights.

Daniel Augustin’s 5th and 6th period theology classes got to play a few rounds of “trash-ketball” last Friday, March 5, to prepare for their up coming exams. Donning their favorite sports jerseys students split into two teams and were quizzed with review questions. If they answered correctly they then were able shoot from different spots in the classroom to earn points for their team.

Jesuit High School’s very own Alumni & Communications Asst., Myles Kuss, receives his first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.  Thanks to the Care Team of The Urgent Care – MidCity, Jesuit faculty and staff were able to easily get the vaccine on campus.

On Friday Feb. 26, students of Jesuit’s Model UN Team attended the opening session of the YMCA Youth & Government Model UN Conference in St. Ignatius Hall.  While for the past five years the team has traveled to Baton Rouge to debate global issues, students this year participated online from campus.  Divided into the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, and the General Assembly, the Blue Jays represented Ethiopia, Japan, Armenia, Vietnam, and the Czech Republic. They negotiated and debated resolutions to issues such as energy accessibility and sustainability, healthcare and poverty, and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Conflict. 

Fine arts teacher and assistant band director Mr. Giaccone plays the flugelhorn for his class. On Feb. 26, sophomore’s in Mr. Giaccone’s class got to leave the classroom and listen to multiple types of horns. Giaccone displayed his versatility by playing multiple different types of horns from a top class flugelhorn to a lower grade plastic trumpet while his class answered questions on each type. 

Junior trigonometry student William Pouyadou works equations at his desk and shows teacher John Lavie ’83 his answers. With classrooms being renovated, desks have also seen an upgrade as each one can now be entered from either side and be written on with dry erase markers. 

For the past 80 years, Dooky Chase Restaurant has been bringing the community together through food and positivity. On Feb. 24, Jesuit had the honor of hosting Edgar “Dook” Chase IV ’00 in St. Ignatius Hall to speak about his positive experiences as a Blue Jay for Black History Month. Dook told the story of how his restaurant, originally founded by his grandparents, has always been about bringing people together, and how Jesuit operates in much the same fashion. Insightful questions were asked by students, and Dook’s genuine and tactful responses could be heard throughout the hall. 

Tony Milazzo‘ 67, Bill Kelley ’67 (chairman), and Glenn Scheyd ’67 once again conducted the Harry Tompson Center Shoe Drive. The shoes and socks were delivered to the HTC on February 19, 2021, and a total of 65 pairs of new shoes and 69 pairs of new socks were delivered. Included in that number were five pairs of shoes and 12 pairs of socks donated by three members of the Classes of 1975, 1976 and 1994.

In preparation for their semifinal matchup against St. Paul’s, the Jesuit soccer team gathered in the Holy Name of Jesus Chapel for Mass. Fr. Kevin Dyer, S.J., celebrated the Mass and shared a personal story of his father playing soccer while in St. Louis and related it to the meaning of Lent. The Blue Jays hope to continue their undefeated season and clinch another state title berth on Saturday at John Ryan Stadium at 2 p.m.

On Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, sophomores listened to a presentation by University Medical Center on the dangers of alcohol. Usually, sophomore students would travel to the trauma center fro the presentation, but, due to COVID-19, UMC came to the Jesuit Auditorium. Videos were shown and live accounts were shared that dealt with the problems of underage drinking and drinking under the influence. One of the speakers was in a tragic car accident only two years ago and told his story of continual recovery. Thank you to UMC for this educational and powerful experience. 

On Tuesday, February 9, 2021, Jesuit students gave up their lunch periods to learn about the process of desegregating Jesuit high school to celebrate Black History Month. Mat Grau ’68 and Brandon Gregoire ’91 spoke and used a powerpoint presentation to illustrate important historic events that happened from the 19th century to the present.   

With Lundi Gras being a week away, Jesuit’s hard working executive board meets to discuss the logistics of Mardi Gras week. Simply because Mardi Gras will look a little different this year does not mean that the Jesuit student council will not plan an exciting week of activities. Students should stay tuned and flock to the commons or courtyard when necessary.