At 3:00 p.m., while some Blue Jays relax in the Student Commons or get a head start on homework, pre-freshman Trey Reeb freshens up his piano-playing skills. Reeb, a self-taught pianist, played Pachelbel’s Canon, the common name for the canon by German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel. 

College counselors Elizabeth Hoodless, Allie Timberlake, and Keith Gramling stand in front of Jesuit’s junior parents to answer questions at the Junior Parent College Q & A. College counselors meet individually with juniors and seniors to discuss the college admissions process, including the importance of curriculum choice as well as academic performance, the need for co-curricular involvement, standardized testing preparation, and avenues for pursuing scholarships and financial aid. In addition, college admission representatives attend the College Fair and make individual classroom lunchtime visits to meet with interested juniors and seniors. At the Q & A, Jesuit’s college counselors helped parents of junior Blue Jays with mapping out their next three semesters. College counselors will begin meeting with juniors and their parents in January at the start of the spring semester.

Philelectic Society crew members Eric Finney, Chris Gieseler, and crew chief Dusty Doll tour the New Orleans Opera Scene Shop with scenic painter Nathan Arthur (pictured, third from left). The crew members traveled to the shop to return items they rented for  “Shrek the Musical.”

After a mind-blowing discussion on the human brain and its functions, students in Mr. Rudy Horvath’s psychology class were invited to the front of the classroom to feel the brains. Dr. Thomas Hebert, PhD, a senior professor of psychology at Tulane University, visited the class during last period to give a lecture and answer questions. Dr. Hebert is a behavioral neuroscientist with interests in hormones and behavior. Jesuit psychology students had just finished the chapter that focuses on the brain and its structural and functional organizations, so Dr. Hebert’s lecture was not as convoluted as it would have been at the start of the term.

Officer Andrew Waldron ’04, of the New Orleans Police Department, speaks to Mr. Greg Ernst’s law studies class about rights of citizens and interactions with law enforcement. The alumni guest speaker gave students a firsthand perspective on their current subject matter, “Chapter 12: Investigation.” 

Leaders of the Jesuit News Network (JNN) visit the WAMF 90.3 New Orleans radio station for the group’s first off-campus activity. JNN members will spend time during and after their Thanksgiving break preparing for a 30-minute live radio broadcast that will take place at the station. As part of their initial tour, members heard from a station employee with more than 40 years of radio experience. JNN students hope to be on air before the Christmas break.

On Tuesday, Nov. 13, the Jesuit auditorium became the site of a very special musical extravaganza. For the fifth year in a row, the Philelectic Society hosted a theater workshop for children with the Children’s Miracle League (CML). Over a dozen Phils volunteered their time to work with their new buddies on the Jesuit stage. The children learned songs with choreography from Phils cast and crew members and director Mrs. Kate Arthurs-Goldberg. They performed selections from the current Phils production, “Shrek: The Musical,” to the delight of their family and friends who were in attendance. Each participant got to take home a pair of Shrek ears.

Juniors Gage Hebert, Colby Kosloski, and Parker Serio share a laugh over the winter weather and the lunchtime courtyard scene from the 3rd-floor balcony. After a day that, at one point, felt like 33° and had a windchill of 35°, the trio of Blue Jays and many others may be checking the Weather (jesuitnola.org/weather) before leaving for school each morning. 

Reed Darcey, seated left of fellow senior Jacob Reeder, receives a shout-out during a lunchtime Jesuit News Network (JNN) meeting for his recently-published sports article. Members of JNN gave a round of applause to Darcey, who covers sports for The Blue Jay newspaper and produces video for JNN. Reeder is head of social media for JNN, which gives student journalists the opportunity to learn and improve on media skills such as photography, video, social media, and broadcasting. 

Members of the Jesuit AP Spanish class—Bennett Mansour, Richard Montoya, Jacob Randolph, Josef Ernst, and Langston Goldenberg—meet with Dominican’s AP Spanish class for a lunch at Sarita’s Grill in Uptown. The students embraced the opportunity to practice their skills outside of the classroom by ordering food and engaging in conversation solely in Spanish. The weekend outing was organized and chaperoned by Jesuit and Dominican Spanish teachers, Ms. Noyola-Gonzalez and Ms. Vallejo, respectively.

Freshman Taylor Boasberg and sophomore Hayden Morris were first to the Jesuit cafeteria to enjoy a 10-minute-break chicken sandwich. Blue Jays return to school after a nice 3-day weekend for their first full week in November, which, of course, is another busy yet exciting time of the school year. Some of the upcoming events include Open House, the Mother-Son Mass and Breakfast, the Philelectic Society’s Fall Musical, and the always-anticipated Thanksgiving Drive. And just as the week of Thanksgiving centers around food and family, the Jesuit cafeteria puts a focus on its food throughout November. Students are encouraged to fill out a school lunch survey to help the cafeteria continue to improve its services. As the survey says, there is “lots to love about our food and staff.”

With the lights off and the lab set aglow by neon lights, Mrs. Catalano treated her physical science class to a spooky-themed lecture on the science behind common Halloween decorations. The pre-freshman class discussed black-lights, fiber-optics, dry ice, glow-in-the-dark paint, and plasma balls. Plasma balls are sealed glass globes containing both an electrode and an inert gas (neon, argon, xenon, or krypton). They create an electromagnetic field due to the oscillating electrons inside the energized gas. To test this out Mrs. Catalano brought a fluorescent light tube near the plasma ball without touching it. The electric current in the plasma caused the electrons inside the light tube to oscillate and glow as if it were plugged into a power source.

Happy Halloween from the metro champion Jesuit swimming team! The Blue Jay swimmers did not let an early morning session prevent them from being festive, for the Jays dressed in their best Halloween costumes after practice. Check out the results from the Allstate Sugar Bowl Metro Swim Meet.

The 2018-2019 Homecoming Court pose with Jayson during halftime at Friday night’s football game against Destrehan. The Court was formally greeted on the field at Tad Gormley Stadium by Jesuit’s Jayettes, the MCJROTC’s Color Guard, and accompanied by music from the Blue Jay Marching Band. The Senior Maid who was elected 2018-2019 Jesuit Homecoming Queen by the senior class at Jesuit is Ms. Quinn Nugent. Congratulations to Ms. Nugent and every member of the court.

Quiz Bowl alumnus Caleb Rogers ’17 made a valiant showing in a lunchtime challenge against today’s quiz bowlers. Moderators Kevin Yokum ’14 and Elizabeth Hoodless were on hand to give the questions and keep score. When the dust settled, the Jesuit team of Bradley Fugetta, Garrison Trahant, and Donald and Dex Webster came out ahead in the point total, but not without an impressive performance by Rogers. It was 4 against 1, after all. Rogers took the opportunity during fall break to visit his alma mater and visit his former teammates.

Patrick Thompson, of Thompson Auction Service, trained the 28 MCJROTC volunteers to serve as bidding assistants for Jesuit’s upcoming Celebration Auction and Gala. Armed with this newfound knowledge and iPads with the 501Auction.com app, the cadets will be ready to answer any bidding questions or to assist with placing bids. Come out this Saturday, Oct. 27 to Celebration: A Spooky Soirée and have a spooktacular time! For more information, click here.