Juniors Dan Vu and Augustine Tseng share a laugh in the elevator with fellow Green Club members as they travel from floor to floor collecting recycled materials. Vu and Tseng are also two of the many National Honor Society (NHS) associates to be elevated to Member status next week. Note: Any new National Honor Society members who have not submitted their dues, their application packet, and their Induction RSVP form by the end of school this Friday will not be inducted into NHS. All three items are prerequisites for induction. To confirm that you have submitted all necessary materials, consult the membership list, which has been posted outside of the English office (Room 218) and the Classics office (Room 414). 

Mothers’ Mass is followed with a special visit from Jesuit president Fr. Christopher Fronk, S.J.! Just down the street from Jesuit, Fr. Fronk enjoyed a cup of coffee with Blue Jay mothers at Monkey Monkey. Every Wednesday morning in the Holy Name Chapel (small chapel on the second floor of the Administration Building), the Mothers’ Rosary group gathers to pray for the needs and intentions of our school – our students, their families, the faculty, the administration, and the staff. All mothers, grandmothers, and concerned friends of Jesuit students and alumni are welcome and encouraged to participate. On late mornings, the rosary will begin at 9:00 a.m. A Jesuit priest will offer Mass after the rosary.

Mr. Connor Hartupee ’15—computer studies teacher, Philelectic Society assistant, and Alumni Service Corps member—beats the 3:00 p.m. dismissal bell as he is the first one to arrive on stage for Phils practice. The Jesuit Philelectic Society’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest will run this Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m. Pre-sale tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults.  They can be purchased in the Phils’ office (Room 201) everyday at lunch. 

Also, alumni from the Class of 2016 were recently emailed about next year’s Alumni Service Corps (ASC) applications, which are due in February of 2020. For more info, visit the ASC page, just as Mr. Hartupee did during this time last year.

The newly formed Field Games Club – playing games such as Spikeball, gaga ball, and corn hole – gathers for the first time during lunch on Will Clark field. More than 30 Blue Jays and a handful of faculty members attended the club’s meeting to show support. Mr. Peter Flores and Mr. Gary Wyss even added disc golf, another lawn game, to the mix!

In remembrance of the September 11 attacks and the innocent lives lost 18 years ago, Jesuit president Fr. Christopher Fronk, S.J., stops in front of this framed American flag, now on display in the first floor hallway outside the faculty lounge. This hallway display means a great deal to Fr. Fronk especially this week, as it marks the 2-year anniversary of his presenting the flag to the school community at Morning Assembly. Fr. Fronk was activated to cover Easter services during 2017 Holy Week on board the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in the Persian Gulf, since there were no other priests available for the job, and this flag was flown on board the ship in appreciation for our president’s sacrifice. On this week two years ago, Fr. Fronk received the framed memory from the ship’s commanding officer Captain Will Pennington.

Poised pre-freshman Ethan Schaeffer marches down the 3rd-floor hallway during lunch on a Regular Order, Day 1. This day has more significance for Jesuit MCJROTC cadets, who have been issued the camouflage uniform to wear on Day 1, known for cadets as “Uniform Day.” The Marine Corps JROTC program requires that cadets wear their uniform at least one day a week. Any time a cadet wears his or her uniform, it should always be worn with pride and care. Cadets must always be careful to be on their best behavior when wearing their uniforms. Improper behavior by cadets is not tolerated at any time, and is severely dealt with if in uniform. The uniform worn by Schaeffer and other cadets on this particular Day 1 is called the Utility/Camouflage. Soon, the cadets will be issued their “Charlies,” the service uniform.

A senior-heavy weekend is upon the Class of 2020 as they are all smiles on Senior Shirt Day at Friday Morning Assembly. Seniors standing amongst their homerooms, lined up in unison, and wearing matching T-shirts given to them by the Alumni Association was a positive image for the rest of the student body. Senior Ring Mass is this Saturday at 5 p.m., and the Senior Ring Dance follows at Magnolia Plantation from 9:00 p.m. to midnight. Dress code is semi-formal attire. Enjoy the weekend, seniors!

Pre-freshmen Michael Stackpole and Brady Luminais take a look at all of the options for Rush Days. During lunch this week, students are introduced to the 80-plus co-curricular clubs, organizations, and teams during Jesuit’s annual Rush Days held in the Student Commons. Throughout the year, but especially at Rush Days, Blue Jays old and new receive the chance to get involved, meet new people, and expand horizons. Co-curriculars also help students foster meaningful friendships, time management skills, and engage in competition that stimulates personal achievement. The sense of belonging at Jesuit was certainly felt both by eager underclassmen and seasoned upperclassmen.

A big shout-out goes to Mr. Bill Poynot (standing, 2nd from left), father of alumnus Joe Poynot ’09, and Blue Jays from the Class of 1966 (kneeling) for cooking and serving the jambalaya for the annual Big Brother-Little Brother Jambalaya Lunch. This event connects new students to their Big Brothers and to the Jesuit Alumni Association; it’s truly the perfect way to cap off Welcome Week. Jesuit thanks Mr. Poynot and these alumni for the delicious jambalaya!

Welcome Week continues with ice cream and trivia as Matthew Poyner, Jony Morse, and Mandell Blackstone visit the Stranger Things Starcourt Mall for some Scoops Ahoy! ice cream. Blue Jays have to defeat the Demagorgon and enjoy Big Brother-Little Brother Jambalaya at lunch on Thursday.

Blue Jays, meet your student leaders, the 2019-2020 Student Council Executive Board: Effy Marks (President), Chris Charles (Vice President), John Gunaldo (Treasurer), Carlo Barrera (Secretary), Dalton Baglio (Senior Class President), Zack Jaubert (Junior Class President), and Patrick Albright, Hunter Richardson, & Dylan Sellars (Executive Aides). After being sworn in to office on Friday, Aug. 23, student council members hosted their first event of the school year—the Back to School Dance. They returned from the weekend and appeared at Morning Assembly once again, this time to announce the theme and schedule for Welcome Week 2019. Enjoy the week of fun!

School chaplain Fr. Kevin Dyer, S.J., reads from a book containing minutes of a Jesuit New Orleans Sodality meeting in 1919. Fr. Dyer then introduced this year’s theme of the Sodality—Jesus Christ—reminding members that the Anima Christi prayer, when recited at Mass and Eucharistic Adoration, increases devotion to Christ. Both the Sodality and Student Campus Ministry met during the first full week of school in St. Ignatius Hall in order to start a spiritual fire that will bring students closer to the mission of Jesuit High School. Visit the Spirituality page to learn how Christian formation is an integral part of Jesuit’s educational mission. 

Senior executive board aide Dylan Sellars hangs up the first student council flyer of the year, conveniently placed across the student council office and above the water fountains. The flyer promotes the annual Back to School Luau, which is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24 in the Gayle & Tom Benson Arena. Click here to see all the details! 

Junior Luke Besh takes a look at the new Student Handbook and Planner during the first full week of the 2019-2020 school year. With five minutes remaining in Mr. John Lavie’s last-period math class, students were given the time to organize their upcoming assignments and prepare for after-school activities. In addition to their planners, students can make use of the Weekly Calendar of Events page on the Jesuit website. 

After Investiture ceremony, the featured event of New Students’ Orientation, new Blue Jays ended their day waving goodbye to the past. As instructed by Coach Terry Ursin, the newcomers then turned around to see their Big Brothers, who led everyone in the auditorium to cheers and chants filled with Blue Jay spirit. The welcoming pep rally gave new students a glimpse of future fun events that happen throughout the school year. Leading the pep rally were the Blue Jay Band, the cheerleading team, the new student council executive board, and Coach Ursin.

Senior Big Brother BJ Williams enters the first floor hallway with his Jesuit Little Brothers Troy Holden (left) and Mandell Blackstone (right), who each came prepared and dressed in coat and tie for Pre-Freshman Book Day. The new Blue Jays appreciated the experience of their Big Brothers as they took their ID photos, turned in paperwork, and proceeded through the queue of stations in preparation for the new school year. The Jesuit admissions office thanks the Big Brothers for helping their Little Brothers navigate the second of two Book Days.