With Back to Banks Bazaar just around the corner, Jesuit’s campus is not only busy with 3rd-Quarter exams but with raffle ticket sales as well. One item up for grabs is a 26″ Schwinn Sierra bike which was generously donated by LeJouet (Buddy Wood ’62). The Schwinn will be raffled at the Blue Jay Silent & Spirit Auction on Bazaar Saturday, March 23. Raffle tickets are on sale in the volunteer office, Room 126, for $5 a chance. While you’re in the volunteer office snatch up a 2019 Bazaar T-shirt—on sale for $10 a shirt. Students get your shirts and get ready to take it to the net at the Bazaar Saturday volleyball tournament with your homeroom team.

Senior Christopher Vuong, the winner of the 2018 Young Artists’ Concerto Competition, is pictured with band director Joe Caluda (left) and assistant band director Jason Giaccone (right). For winning the Concerto Competition in October of 2018, Vuong was invited to play a movement on Friday, Feb. 22, with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra at the Mahalia Jackson Theatre. Vuong played the first movement from Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor. “It felt like the next level, performing with a professional orchestra behind you,” Vuong said. “It was a really great opportunity and a surreal moment for me.” Read Chris Vuong’s musical bio on the LA Philharmonic Orchestra website.

Last week the United States Naval Academy Silent Drill Team known as the “Jolly Rogers” performed for MCJROTC and P.E. classes during 3rd and 4th period. The Jolly Rogers is a rifle platoon made up of a highly disciplined group of 12 men and women that perform a unique precision drill exhibition. The Annapolis based drill team is in town to march in Mardi Gras parades around the city.

Fr. Christopher Fronk, S.J., gives a talk to all Sodality levels during lunch in Ignatius Hall. Fr. Fronk spoke on Lenten preparation, providing Sodalists with some powerful phrases that helped him grow into the man he is today. He noted that a unique hallmark of what God is calling us to do is “to not be afraid of going far away…of going out of our comfort zone.” This mindset can be used during the Lenten season, he added. Fr. Fronk also quoted Jeremiah 1:4-10, which states, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’”

The Jesuit Blue Jay rugby team poses for a photo with fellow Jesuit High School students from St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, Pa. St. Joe’s boasts a varsity-level rugby program with 100 players. That did not intimidate the Blue Jays, who were ready for the first-ever challenge match between the two Jesuit schools. Although the match ended with St. Joe’s on top, it was a success for both teams, who played clean, hard rugby. After the match the St. Joe’s squad treated Blue Jays to some delicious pulled-pork sandwiches and hosted the Jays in their homes that Saturday night.

The Gizzard showed up in full force to cheer on the unbeaten Jesuit Bowling team as they went head-to-head against the also unbeaten Brother Martin team. With hoops and hollers the gizzard would cross their arms like an “X” everytime a Blue Jay landed a strike. Cheer after cheer the student section kept spirits high as the Blue Jays fell to the Crusaders, 20-7.

Last year’s edition of Calliope, Jesuit’s arts and literary magazine, was recently awarded a rating of “Superior” by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Program. Jesuit received the Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) Award for first place in the state of Louisiana. 

Calliope continues to accept poetry, fiction, essays, art, and photography for its 2019 edition.  Email writing submissions to Mr. Wyss or Mr. Bowes, and bring physical art to the English Department.  The deadline is Feb. 15.

Senior wrestlers DJ Ferrier and Luke Eccles walk down the Roussel Building second-floor hallway, inching closer to the wrestling room just as they inch closer to their final state tournament. The wrestling team celebrated Senior Night and Alumni Recognition Night in the Birdcage on Jan. 30, which was the Jays’ last hurrah before state. The 2019 Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Wrestling State Championships will be held this weekend at the CenturyLink Center in Bossier City, La.

Football defensive line coach Earl Johnson ’13, pictured here as he works on agility drills with Blue Jay summer campers, spent his last day at Jesuit on Tuesday as he plans to coach football at Rummel. As illustrated in the Wild Photo, Coach Earl is looking onward. The school community thanks him for staying connected with his class and with Jesuit High School. Congratulations, Coach!

Longtime Jesuit disciplinarian Top Abshire carries the “J” flag into the Holy Cross Gymnasium and brings it to the Jesuit student section for the Jesuit-Holy Cross district basketball game. The Jesuit student section, known as The Gizzard, was unlike any other away-game student section, truly making a difference in the game’s hype, noise level, and spirit. The hype started during the Winter Sports Pep Rally (view photos) earlier that day. “Wasn’t that a great game and a great crowd,’’ Jesuit coach Chris Jennings told The Advocate. Yes, Coach Jennings, it was, indeed. 

Carl Smith, a member of Jesuit’s maintenance and facilities team, and Fr. Christopher Fronk, S.J., school president, strike the same pose during Wrestling Senior Night in the gymnasium. Crossing their arms, Smith and Fr. Fronk were two of many in attendance for the event. Jesuit’s gym, known affectionately among Blue Jays as the Birdcage, will be packed on Friday for the school-wide Winter Sports Pep Rally. This means that every student, teacher, Smith, and Fr. Fronk are once again “Birdcage-Bound.”

After their mock job interview for Mrs. Kate Arthurs-Goldberg‘s public speaking class, guidance counselor Aurora Daigle and senior Will Newell look to the audience for comments and critiques. The mock interview assignment is not possible without faculty volunteers. Each semester when Mrs. Arthurs-Goldberg expresses her need for interviewers, members of the faculty and staff offer to help with the class assignment. Public speaking students submitted résumés and came to class prepared to hear their names called to the front. They were graded on presence, attention to detail, eye contact, posture, and other qualities necessary for good interviewing.

While the sun shines on Max Daly’s face as he watches the game at hand, Donald Webster (left) makes his move in the friendly chess match against his brother, Donald Webster (right). All three of these Chess Club members also compete on Jesuit’s Chess Team, which is moderated by math teacher Mr. Larry Dagate. The Chess Team is currently in the middle of a tournament, tied for first place after the opening weekend, and will finish the event this weekend at Arden Cahill Academy. If students are too busy for the Chess Team, they can keep up with Chess Club by listening to the announcements. Sometimes, the Chess Club announcements start with a play on words, like the most recent one: “Don’t be square — join the bishops and be diagonal at this afternoon’s Chess Club meeting after school in Room 332.”

Just before 4:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon, this quartet of Blue Jay freshmen—Logan Hargrave, Nate Jackson, Declan Altikriti, and Owen Thibodaux—enjoy the sunny weather in Traditions Courtyard. Hargrave and Altikriti took advantage of Blue and White Day, when students are allowed to wear a blue, white, or blue-and-white collared shirt or Jesuit-imprinted t-shirt to show their Blue Jay Spirit. Most students who participated in the day of spirit plan on staying in their attire for the basketball tailgate. The Student Council hosted a tailgate on Will Clark Field before the 7 p.m. varsity basketball game.

Sophomore Tripp Haddad spots the Wild Photographer in the second-floor hallway towards the end of Ms. Mika’s Algebra II class. The class is currently working on polynomial equations and radical expressions. As the second full week of the spring semester is underway, underclassmen are reminded that teachers offer free after-school tutoring for pre-freshmen and freshmen in need of extra help in Math, Science, Spanish, and English courses. Students of all grade-levels can receive tutoring before school. Visit the Academic Tutoring page for more info.

Senior Davis Edwards, holding nachos he bought from the John Ryan Stadium concessions, walks in front of the student section during the Jesuit-Catholic soccer game. Blue Jays did not let the cold weather affect their Friday night plans or prevent them from supporting their classmates on the pitch. Jesuit’s student council forecasts large crowds for athletic events this semester, especially as the soccer, basketball, and wrestling teams move into the final stretches of their respective seasons. Go Jays!