Events coordinator D.J. Galiano ’07 stands proudly in front of Jesuit’s newest school bus after parking it in the lot for the first time. Galiano traveled to Hammond, La. with Mr. Jimmy Huck, Jesuit’s maintenance and facilities director, to pick up the bus. The two returned home safely with a brand new Saf-T-Liner® HDX. This bright yellow motor vehicle is produced by Thomas Built Buses Incorporated, and, as Mr. Galiano can now confirm, the wheels on the bus go ’round and ’round.

At the student council general meeting, pre-freshman Mitchell Stevens fills out a nomination form to become a Homeroom Representative as upcoming student council president Dowen Fife encourages others to do so. Students can cast their vote for this election on the Canvas homepage. Voting will be open any time from Wednesday, May 16, through Thursday, May 17. Students do not have to be on campus to cast a vote.

Brother Billy Dardis, S.J. ’58 shows off the birthday balloon he received from members of the Class of 1968. Br. Dardis, who turned 78 over the weekend, attended the Class of ’68 Couples’ Reunion to honor the 50-year class members and their guests. Happy Birthday, Brother!

Upcoming student council president Dowen Fife and senior class president Langston Goldenberg announce freshman Josh Schmidt as the winner of the Student Council’s “Once de Mayo Churro Dunk-off.” Donning a Pistol Pete jersey and a luchador mask, Shmidt stole the show when he dunked not once, not twice, but three times! The Traditions courtyard was boisterous with the sound of the crowd cheering his name, as he was voted best slam dunk by the panel of judges—former student council president Paul Treuting, Coach Earl Johnson, and  Fr. Kevin Dyer, S.J.—and awarded a $25 Best Buy gift card for his victory. Students were encouraged to wear their favorite basketball jersey and enjoyed free churros and chocolate dunk sauce while they watched the dunk-off competition.

In the final days of senior classes senior Ryan Guillot made preparations to launch his 3D-printed rocket across Will Clark Field. Mr. Kyle White’s engineering class took to the skies after spending two weeks designing their rockets on SolidWorks Software and translating their designs to the LulzBot TAZ 6 3D printer. Made from polylactic acid (PLA) and powered by pressurized air from a bike pump, some rockets traveled the entirety of Clark Field while others fell apart on their ascent. Seniors Will Sheill and Matthew Richard were victorious with their rocket design, named “Mark I,” as it went the farthest out of the five designs tested.

Pre-freshman Connor Campbell places a crown of flowers on the head of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary at assembly on Monday morning. “May Crowning” is a traditional Roman Catholic ritual that honors the Virgin Mary as “the Queen of May”. The Marian statue at Jesuit is located at the heart of Traditions Courtyard, where students meet for assembly every Monday and Friday.

On the seniors’ last full day at Jesuit High School, the Class of 2018 races to Will Clark Field immediately after the dismissal bell rings. As one body with one voice, they chanted in celebration for the traditional run-out activity. Watch the Drone Footage of the Class of 2018’s Senior Dismissal.

Seniors Gabe Dupuy and Christopher Vasquez take their turn on the slip’n slide for the third day of Senior Week. A newer Senior week tradition, the slip ‘n slide has become the perfect way to beat the heat during the increasing warmer days as summer closes in. Just one more day of full classes for the Class of 2018!

Everyone’s eyes went skyward as senior Grant Saunders hit his third home run hit in a row. The second day of Senior week was a day for eating jambalaya and hitting cabbage balls. The seniors ate jambalaya made by Mr. Bill Poynot and participated in a Cabbage Ball Home Run Derby. The rules were simple—hit as many home runs as you can before you get three strikes, then you were out! Although Saunders made a valiant effort, he was bested by classmate Dylan McKeough who hit four home runs in a row and was crowned the king of the derby.

Monday’s Senior Week activity had members of the Class of 2018 enjoying a senior lunch from 5 Happiness and sporting a shirt from their chosen college while class leaders distributed the “Superlative Awards.” When the award for the biggest hands was given out, senior Drew Black thought it only fair to test the validity of the award by going hand-to-hand with the winner, Michael Gieseler. At the end of the challenge, it was known by every senior that Geiseler, hands down, has the largest mitts in the class.

On a bright and shiny Friday morning, members of the the Class of 2019 (soon to be rising seniors) pile into the Jesuit auditorium for the start of their junior class field trip. The junior class met in the auditorium for a presentation by Loyola professors Kate Duncan and John Snyder about careers in the music industry. After the presentation, juniors loaded buses for the day of tours.

The Sparkling Water Society’s E-Board, William Shropshire, Bo Bell, Andrew Gruntz, Andrew Bechtel, Gabe Dupuy, and Mr. Smith raise a fizzy toast to the carbonated water of which they are so fond. The Jesuit Sparkling Water Society (S.W.S) was born from curiosity about Mr. Smith’s love of sparkling mineral water and was created to spread the appreciation for the finer things in life. The society was founded on these four principles: hydration (water is key), common sense (water and carbon are the foundations of life), elitism (sparkling water is far superior to regular water), and health (good alternative to sugary sodas). This day marked their second meeting as a group and boasted more than 20 students – a few of whom had never had the pleasure of sipping seltzer. The S.W.S served up a variety of H2O with big names like S. Pellegrino and lemon La Croix, and lesser-known bubblies like H.E.B variety, lemon-lime Central Market, and lemon Bubly. Some newcomers were enthusiastic about the fizzy water they sampled while others left unimpressed. But, Mr. Smith encouraged the soda water doubters saying, “Like most of the finer things in life, you have to acquire a taste for it.”

The Jesuit Sodality hosted alumus Seth Chauhan’13 to speak to members about evangelization on Wednesday. Chauhan, who attended the University of Alabama, is spending two years as a missionary with FOCUS, a Catholic collegiate outreach whose mission is to share the hope and joy of the gospel with college and university students. Sharing stories from his experience serving at the University of Southern Mississippi, Chauhan encouraged Sodalists not to be afraid to reach out to fellow students, especially those who seem like they need someone to talk to, and to share their faith as a means of support.

Adam Francis, Remy Lavie, Carson Keller, Dowen Fife, Marseyas Fernandez, Kel Villarubia, John Hamilton, and Jack Saucier were just eight of the many students who picked up the newest issue of the The Blue Jay, Jesuit’s student newspaper.

Staff members of The Blue Jay participated earlier this semester in the Journalism Education Association conference at Loyola University’s School of Mass Communications. The newspaper placed second in the Best Headline category, and five Blue Jays won top three individual honors.

Prior to the Friday’s Senior Night varsity baseball game against Chalmette at John Ryan Stadium, another group of seniors took to the diamond to battle it out with the faculty and staff. In a game that was far from close, the seniors proved themselves kings of cabbage-ball, defeating their elder opponents 8-1. Senior Mat Frischhertz leads the senior line in shaking hands with the deflated faculty and staff team, then enjoying the thrill of victory. Post-game jambalaya was served in Pontiff Pavillion, and seniors heard words of encouragement from Wally Pontiff, Sr., who watched the game with his family.

In one of the last student council meetings for the current leaders, seniors John Howell and Paul Treuting react to the amount of hands raised from class-level senators. The student body treasurer and president opened the floor for discussion and questions, but the two did not expect the overwhelming response from these officers who are also nearing the end of their senatorial terms. Elections for Class Level Officers take place during the school day on Tuesday and Wednesday to elect new leaders for 2018-2019.