It’s finally here! The St. Patrick’s Day installment of the Blue Jay Bazaar has arrived! In the final moments of sunlight on Friday afternoon, a crew of student volunteers steps back to admire their handiwork (and the tireless work of the Bazaar volunteer staff and maintenance staff). Come on out to Carrollton and Banks for a day of live music, great food, and endless games.

Sophomore Chris Charles takes advantage of the silence and spends time studying in the typically noisy Student Commons. Having the commons all to himself, Charles finished studying for his western civilization exam, which took place on Tuesday. The next third quarter exams are Wednesday’s Science/Theology exams. On Thursday, students take on English/Biology II, Chemistry II, Computer Studies, Fine Arts II, and Speech. Third quarter exams end on Friday with Mathematics/Latin and Study Skills.   

In an effort to drum up support for the tug-of-war competition at the Blue Jay Bazaar on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, homerooms in each grade level battled it out in the Traditions Courtyard all week at lunch. On Friday, Homeroom 1203 enjoyed the spoils of victory as they emerged as the senior class tug-of-war champions. The competition on Bazaar Saturday will take place at 1:00 PM. Check out the full schedule of events for the Blue Jay Bazaar!

Members of the St. Peter Claver Club have their eyes glued to the video projector during the first half of lunch on Wednesday. To mark the recent passage of Black History month, the St. Peter Claver Club is screening All on a Mardi Gras Day, an award-winning documentary about black Mardi Gras traditions in New Orleans. The first half of the hour-long film was shown Wednesday during the first half of lunch, and the rest of the film will be shown Thursday, March 8, during the first half of lunch in Room 322.  Interested students and faculty are invited to attend!

Bazaar t-shirts are on sale for just $10 all week during lunch in the Student Commons and will also be available in Room 126 during exam week. The Bazaar t-shirt may be worn to school in place of the khaki uniform shirt on Friday, March 9, and Monday, March 12. Members of athletic teams also stopped by the t-shirt table on Tuesday to sign the team photos that will be auctioned at the Bazaar. Don’t miss out on any of the fun at the special St. Patrick’s Day edition of the Blue Jay Bazaar!

Junior Chris Tadros is “all smiles” during his interview with Ed Daniels, the sports director at WGNO-TV. Tadros was named Most Outstanding Player in the LHSAA soccer finals, and his entire state championship team will be honored on Tuesday, March 6, at 5:55 PM at John Ryan Stadium. The ceremony will precede the first pitch of Jesuit’s 6:15 PM baseball game against Warren Easton.

Coach Terry Ursin, Jake Theriot, Lee Blosser, and Mr. Peter Flores prepare brown bag lunches for Campus Ministry’s Almsgiving Challenge on Thursday during lunch in the Student Commons. The lunches, packed and bagged by a group of 20 students and faculty, were distributed after school to homeless men and women who seek shelter under the Claiborne Avenue overpass. The wider Mission Drive continues this week in support for the Santa Rosa Missions of Paraguay.

Mr. Peter Muller, serving as the senior-faculty quiz bowl host, reads out quiz questions while seniors beat their elder competitors to the buzzer. The faculty challenged the varsity quiz bowl team during the second half of lunch on Tuesday. The team of seniors (from left to right) included Caleb Rogers, Robert Cerise, Christopher Vuong, and Eddie Redmann. The faculty competitors (left to right) were Messrs. Ted Mahne, Terry Ursin, Zac Creel, and Joe Caluda. The students won decisively despite Mr. Ursin engaging in some clean trash talk. Congrats on the victory, senior quiz bowlers!

The Ultimate Frisbee club traveled to Chattanooga, TN, over the weekend to play in the Deep Freeze Tournament. Moderated by Mrs. Susan deBoisblanc, the group is also coached by recent Jesuit alumni Ryan Kramer ’16 and John Zimmer ’11. When the players were not throwing blades or bullet passes, they found the time to enjoy the 145-foot Ruby Falls within Lookout Mountain.

Senior Paul James demonstrates the “Saltine Challenge” at Morning Assembly by chewing as many crackers as possible. Student Ministry president Jake Theriot uses the opportunity to introduce the Saltine Fasting Challenge for the first Friday in Lent. Students sign up in the Campus Ministry Office to receive a half-sleeve of saltines, which will replace their lunch on Friday. This fast not only allows students to enter the discipline of Lent but will also show solidarity with the poor. Each week during Lent, Student Ministry will introduce a new challenge focused on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

On Friday of Mardi Gras weekend, Marines from the Mounted Color Guard showed Jesuit students a few of their horses. The group is visiting New Orleans to march in three of Carnival’s hallmark parades. Having participated in the Krewe of Chaos parade, the riders sets their sights on Proteus and Rex. The horses are wild mustangs that have been adopted through the Bureau of Land Management. Once adopted, the horses are trained to a standard of performance by a horse trainer and experienced stableman. Members of Jesuit’s MCJROTC program and various students in their P.E. classes had the opportunity to meet the horses and talk with Marines about the program.

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler! The annual school-wide king cake party took place today during the second half of lunch in the Traditions Courtyard. Student Council, teams, clubs, and homerooms served king cakes to the student body while the Blue Jay Band played lively Mardi Gras music. It was a sweet treat for the students before the holidays. Be on the lookout for the Blue Jay Band, Jazz Band, and MCJROTC in the upcoming weekend parades! See the schedule here! (Pictured: Senior Paul James and junior Langston Goldenberg hand out king cake to hungry classmates.)

Jaynotes Feature: These “Jesuit Brothers” link up on a sunny day during their final week together. The four Puerto Rican exchange students – Jose “Jimmy” Munoz, Franco Guzman, Josearmando Diaz, and Carlos Perez – had a tour of the roof and ate pizza in St. Ignatius Hall with students from their host families – sophomore Joel Guerra, senior Seth Silva, senior Jacob Reeder, pre-freshman Matthew Reeder, and senior Jordan Merritt. Brother Larry Huck, S.J. served as the primary connection between Jesuit New Orleans and Colegio San Ignacio in San Juan, Puerto Rico. To learn more about this story, and other notable stories from the fall semester, click here to view the digital version of JayNotes: Fall/Winter 2017.

Senior John McMahon cracks open a beautiful Louisiana oyster at Friday’s tailgate before the basketball game against Rummel. Fellow seniors Blaire Loupe, Benton Moore, Matt Frischhertz, and Jake Kuebel put their shucking knives to good use to prepare oysters for grilling. Students from the St. Lawrence Grilling Society carried the excitement over from the special order pep rally at 2 PM on Friday afternoon before watching Jesuit defeat Rummel 75-26 in the Birdcage.

Mark your calendars! The Blue Jay Band kicks off Carnival season this weekend, beginning with the Krewe of Carrollton parade, set for Sunday, Feb. 4 at 12 p.m. along the Uptown parade route. The revelry continues the following weekend when the Blue Jay Jazz Band performs on the Captain’s band float in the Krewe of Mid-City parade which rolls at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 11 (following Okeanos) while the Blue Jay Marching Band hits the streets for the Bacchus parade later that day, rolling at 5:15 p.m. Both Sunday parades follow the Uptown parade route. You can also catch Jesuit’s MCJROTC band and color guard performing in the Knights of Sparta parade this Saturday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. and next Friday, Feb. 9 in the Krewe of Hermes parade at 6 p.m., both following the Uptown parade route. Happy Mardi Gras!

Starting tonight, the senior-directed One Act Play and Improv Comedy Festival celebrates its 10th year with nine plays directed by 11 seniors. More than 50 cast and crew members, along with the J-Troupe Improv comedy team, are donating their time and talent to support Second Harvest Food Bank. The festival features the world premieres of two new plays written by Phils. Senior Thomas Sagona’s “The Shattered Looking Glass” and senior Will Hite’s “Before the Third” will each be performed three times this weekend. Pictured here, pre-freshman Matthew Busenlener, Sydney Worthy (senior, Ursuline), Jennifer Hawkins (senior, Haynes Academy), Emily Bennett (senior, Cabrini), and senior Andrew Busenlener act out a scene from “A Murdered Mystery.”

Showtimes are tonight at 6:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday Feb. 3 at 2 p.m and 7:30 p.m.  The full festival line-up can be found here. Admission is $5.00 or five canned goods to benefit Second Harvest of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana.