Blue Jay spirit soared during Friday’s lunchtime pep rally in Traditions Courtyard. Student Council president William Fine introduced senior members of the varsity football team, offensive lineman Corey Dublin and quarterback Denny McGinnis, who pumped up the crowd and encouraged students to come out for Jesuit’s final regular season game against Brother Martin. The game kicks off at Zephyr Field at 7 p.m. Click here for more details.

If they stayed up the night before watching the Cubs clinch the 2016 World Series, members of the Baseball Card Club certainly weren’t too tired to step up to the plate and talk America’s favorite pastime. On Thursday, students showed off current cards, including several stars from the series runners-up Cleveland Indians, and flipped through club moderator Mr. Kevin Murphy’s binders of players past. In celebration of Chicago’s first title in 108 years, (from left) pre-freshmen Lucas Morse, Hunter Rousselle, and Hunter Hoffmann carefully inspect the 1974 card of legendary “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks.

On Wednesday, students in Profesora Nilda Rivera’s Spanish classes celebrated the faithful departed during the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos. To honor and remember the dead, Blue Jays brought photos to place on a student-constructed memorial. In addition to the many family members featured, Fr. Raymond Fitzgerald, S.J., Spock, and Gene Wilder found their places among the remembered. Students also painted colorful pictures with dedications to the deceased, and even crafted their own versions of traditional sugar skulls. As each class added its gifts, which included food and drink enjoyed by those who have passed, the space grew more and more alive with memories throughout the day. Here, senior and president of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica Xavier Oberhelman offers souls the traditional pan de muertos, or bread of the dead.

When it comes to making new friends at Jesuit High School, Fr. Christopher Fronk, S.J., is rubbing elbows with all the right people. Here, Jayson and Br. Billy Dardis, S.J. ’58 enjoy the Jesuit vs. Franklinton football game at Tad Gormley stadium with the next president. Fr. Fronk is visiting Jesuit this week to get acquainted with school life before he arrives for his assignment beginning in January.

Make no bones about it, the Student Council cast a spell on Jesuit students with a series of spook-tacular Halloween events. Following several bone-chilling karaoke performances last week, students trick-or-treated in Traditions Courtyard during lunch on Monday. Here, student council officers (from left) Henry McAloon, Karl Hoefer, and Andrew Stahl toss candy off the balcony to trick-or-treaters below. Students, friends, zombies, and ghouls are invited back to campus for Halloween Movie Night at 6 p.m. in the Auditorium.

Depending upon the audience member, Friday’s lunchtime karaoke was either ghoulishly good or bewitchingly batty. The Student Council kicked off its first day of Halloween festivities in — mostly — shrieking song. Pictured here, senior Andrew Keeler enchants the student body with his haunting rendition of superstar DJ Skrillex’s “Cinema.” On Monday the spine-tingling spirit continues as students enjoy traditional trick-or-treating, as well as scary movie night in Jesuit’s Auditorium.

Choosing the right undergraduate program is no easy decision, but Jesuit is committed to assisting its students throughout the college planning process. On Thursday, an admissions representative from Louisiana Tech University was on campus to talk everything from engineering fields of study to student life. Pictured here, junior Henry McAloon and other interested students jot down notes as the rep explains why Ruston has the school for them.

Jesuit students welcomed a French exchange group this week with true Geais Bleus spirit. The program included 11 students from Le Caousou High School, a Jesuit school in Toulouse, France. Of the group, five boys spent a few days on campus and shadowed students, which included accompanying them to Mr. Patrick Benoit’s French IV/V honors class. Here exchange student Maxence Cumer, hosted by senior Jacob Eymard, speaks with Mr. Benoit as junior Eric Michael Schorr and senior Vincent Baumer work on translations they then compared with the work of their French counterparts.

Jesuit’s Bio-Technology Club, the school’s very own biological processes co-curricular, recently got a gear upgrade. Members showed off their newly emblazoned, bright white lab coats, which will certainly come in handy next week when the club dissects dogfish, its first activity of the new school year. Pictured here are club members with moderator and award-winning science teacher Amy Tassin.

The third floor the Roussel Building was packed with “The Blue Jay Spirit” on Friday night, as Gym Night activity continued well into the night. In addition to pizza, free play, and movies, the featured event of the evening was the annual pre-freshmen basketball tournament, of which Homeroom 808 walked away as the victor. Here they proudly gather for their victory shot.

The Spanish department has teamed up with the Resource Center to show the Diego Rivera traveling exhibit which displays three large reproductions of his murals and paintings. Freshmen Thomas Naoum, John Alikhani, and Joel Guerra get a glimpse of “Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park” during a study break in the Resource Center. Also on display are reproductions of two of the Mexican painter’s other pieces, “The Agitator” and “El Vendedor De Alcatraces.” Students have the opportunity to discuss the paintings in their Spanish classes throughout this week and into the next.

On the eve of the 2016 Presidential Forum, junior Henry McAloon is revealing his decorating chops as he works to convert the gym into an auditorium. On Thursday students will follow a special assembly order with a whole school assembly at the end of the day in the gym for the quadrennial Presidential Forum.  The special assembly schedule can be downloaded here.  On Friday morning students will meet in homeroom (instead of morning assembly) in order to facilitate voting for the mock presidential election.

It’s the beginning of the 2nd Quarter, and that means only one thing: a Seven-Period Day (in this case a Day 6A) in which students receive their graded exams for all their classes. Mr. Taylor Bacques ’09 returns exams to his English II class. In addition to returning exams, Bacques also returns to Jesuit, after having served in the Alumni Service Corps program in 2013-2014 and working in New York for the last few years.

Academics are a Jesuit High School priority, but — as expected — there were no post-exam blues to speak of on campus Thursday. With a week’s worth of testing in the books, students were feeling relieved and enjoying some well-deserved downtime as the first quarter draws to a close. Pictured here from left, pre-freshmen Tyler Johnson, Chris Ferdinand, Ethan Hamilton, and A.J. Alvarez catch up after their inaugural round of exams as Jesuit students.

While 1st Quarter Exams take precedence this week, Media Club members met for a mental lunch break mid-way through testing. On Tuesday, students talked shop with Scott Bellina ’93, creative director of a New York based branding and graphic design firm. Bellina shared some of his favorite Jesuit memories, which include doodling a widely renowned faculty cartoon, and detailed his creative path at LSU and in the Big Apple. Students enjoyed looking at Bellina’s portfolio, which includes work for clients such as Nike and the NHL. Pictured from left, Bellina inspires pre-freshman Johnny Morse, senior Case Ellis, pre-freshman Ben Romaine, club moderator Jeremy Reuther ’01, and senior Matthew Kives with examples of his creative design.

After a Homecoming Week brimming with carnival-themed fun, excited students arrived at the Mercedes Benz Superdome for the Homecoming Dance on Saturday, Oct. 8, to find faculty and staff members reveling in a little merriment of their own. New this year, check in was facilitated via an app built by computer studies teacher Jordan Holmer ’12. Chaperones scanned QR codes on ticket backs with their cell phones or iPads, allowing students and their dates a quicker, easier transition through the doors and onto the dance floor. Pictured here, Mr. Holmer scans sophomore Gabe Green’s ticket.