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.

Senior Christian Edwards knows it’s that time of the year as he gets fitted for his graduation tuxedo. Graduating seniors filed in to Room 329 during lunch on Wednesday for the tuxedo fitting session. They were also reminded earlier in the week about the 17th annual Commencement Luncheon, scheduled for May 4 in the Bienville Room at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome!

Jesuit alumni may register for the luncheon by April 27.

Freshman Stefan Hernandez-San Martin, with the help of fellow classmate, freshman D.J. Bent, demonstrates the 6-step Salsa and 3-step Bachata dance moves. Students in Mrs. Kate Arthurs-Goldberg’s freshmen Speech I class spent this week performing their “demo” speeches. Each student is required to teach the rest of the class how to do something by demonstrating steps in a process. Food demonstrations were a big hit with Evan Hamilton making his family’s spicy fettuccine alfredo, Hayden Morris making bread dough from scratch, and Brandon Pham making Chicago style mini-deep dish pizzas. While the other students filled everyone’s bellies with good food, Stefan got everyone’s feet moving with his Latin music-inspired dance demonstration. He touched on the history of each dance’s cultural origins and paid homage to his grandmother who taught him how to dance.

Juniors Evan Ehrensing and Ridge Retif, along with all the other Blue Jay voters, crowded into the Commons to cast their ballots for the 2018–19 Student Council Executive Board. Results will be announced at the end of the day on April 4. If necessary, a run-off election will be held Thursday, April 5, with the full results available at the end of the week.

Students play bean bag toss, also known as “cornhole,” in Traditions Courtyard during lunch to celebrate the last school day before Easter break.

It’s the last chance to score some Krispy Kreme Donuts during morning break in the Commons. Grab a donut and help raise money for the Lenten Mission Drive which benefits the Santa Rosa Missions of Paraguay. Mr. Jason Giaccone has coordinated the donut fundraiser for his homeroom and the Blue Jay Band for 16 years running. This year they have sold more than 3,800 donuts and have raised over $2,900 for the drive. Get there before they’re all gone!

During his Easter holiday, Blue Jay alumnus Foster Moreau ’15 hits the gym with science teacher and coach Gino Giambelluca. Not only do these two have a 2015 Jesuit football state championship in common, but they also share the bond of being LSU football players. Moreau, completing junior year as a kinesiology student, enters his final year at LSU in August and will eventually join Mr. Giambelluca as a member of the Tiger football alumni base.

Fr. Christopher Fronk, S.J., dresses comfortably before he departs for his 2-week mission in Iraq, where he will provide services for troops during Holy Week. The troops there do not have a priest available, so Fr. Fronk is going over to cover services from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday. At Monday’s assembly, Jesuit’s president asked for prayers and shared an important Holy Week message.

The annual Mission Auction continues this week in the Commons. Besides playing in the FIFA tournament, students can also participate by bidding on a variety of items including Bluetooth headphones, a movie night in the auditorium, and the famous Knight-Wright Dinner. The Knight Wright Dinner is a meal prepared by long-time Jesuit teachers Mr. Joe Knight and Mr. Dave Wright. Final bids will be collected Wednesday, March 21, at the end of lunch. Don’t miss out!

Members of Jesuit’s Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp (MCJROTC) show off their flyers for a fundraising event that goes on Tuesday, March 20! As the flyer reads, the MCJROTC wants to “raise some dough” at Louisiana Pizza Kitchen. Anyone who eats there on Tuesday can contribute to the fundraiser by simply writing Jesuit on their receipt. Twenty-five percent of purchases (on March 20) will support the MCJROTC program! View the PDF of the flyer.