Classmates look on as freshman Neehar Desai takes a turn aiming his yellow paper airplane at the target below. Students in Mrs. Leslie Merritt’s freshmen honors geometry use their class studies to design a paper airplane to meet the specifications to fly for distance and aim.

Dr. Kyle Happel ’89  gets an enthusiastic answer from seniors Andrew Nguyen, Chance Melancon, and Jeremy Scheffler who have just completed a DNA gel electrophoresis to identify a fictitious crime suspect. Dr. Happel visited Mrs. Amy Tassin’s Biology II AP class to lead a two-day DNA electrophoresis lab yesterday and today. Students participating in the lab compared DNA samples similar to the way CSI labs use DNA fingerprints to help determine guilt or innocence. They ran a electrophoresis, separated the DNA fragments by size, and used a high intensity ultraviolet light source to view the results.

Dr. Kyle Happel ’89 shows three Blue Jays — (from left) seniors Carlos Zervigon, Cade Fuxan, and Alex Gomez — how to use a pipette, a laboratory tool used to measure minuscule amounts of liquids. Dr. Happel is visiting Mrs. Amy Tassin’s Biology II AP class to lead a two-day DNA Electrophoresis lab today and tomorrow. Students participating in the lab will be comparing DNA samples similar to the way CSI labs use DNA fingerprints to help determine guilt or innocence. Happel is an associate professor of medicine at the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Junior Cal Adams (center) and senior Joey Bongiovanni (right) help switchboard operator and cheerleader coach Jenny Johnston get in the holiday spirit as they trim the tree in the lobby at the school’s Banks Street entrance. Over the next few days, Blue Jays will be spreading Christmas cheer as they decorate a half dozen trees placed throughout the school and participate in the annual Student Council door decorating contest.

Blue Jays end their first day back from the Thanksgiving holidays and are right back in the swing of things with a full schedule of classes, co-curricular activities, games, and events. They have two weeks of classes before a week of exams and then two weeks of Christmas holidays. See the calendars page and daily announcements for all the details.

These pre-freshmen gathered for an impromptu study session in the first-floor hallway during their lunch hour. Using assorted methods to study for a variety of subjects, each Blue Jay appreciated the haven from the season’s first cold day. Clockwise from left are Beau Borden, Michael Keller, Christopher Cannon, Ben Blanchard, Josh Yochum, David Walker, Gabe Barfield, Trevor Daigle, Patrick McConnell, and Ramiro Quiroz.

Perhaps taking inspiration from the political campaign season, senior Aubrey Champlin commands the attention of the Blue Jays gathered at Friday’s pep rally in the Traditions Courtyard. Champlin’s enthusiastic speech drew applause from the audience and surely served as additional motivation for many Jays to show up and cheer on the football team in Friday night’s matchup against the Rummel Raiders.

Senior José Cuscó visits with an admissions representative from Millsaps College during today’s lunch period. Representatives from universities across the country regularly visit Jesuit to give Blue Jays information about their degree programs, scholarships and financial aid, and campus life. Students can keep up with the many colleges and universities visiting Jesuit by viewing the College Planning page.

Senior Dominic McGinnis was among a group of about 90 people, including juniors and seniors from Mr. Jay Combe’s civics classes, faculty, and staff, who took advantage of the opportunity to ask questions of a special guest, Mr. James Carville, during today’s lunch hour. The atmosphere was as casual as the speaker’s vernacular. Fielding questions ranging from his career to public policies to the presidential campaign, Carville answered with pertinent stories, opinions, and philosophies. But, he told the audience, “It doesn’t matter what I think, it matters that you think.” Carville is a NYT best-selling author, Gambit’s 2012 New Orleanian of the Year, and the architect of the Clinton presidential campaign in 1992. Last week, Combe’s civics students watched “The War Room,” the Academy Award-nominated documentary about the campaign in which Carville “starred.” Combe, seen in the background of this photo, is clearly pleased with the interaction of Carville and the students.

Three alumni returned to Carrollton and Banks to lead an experiment in Mr. Alex Nay’s science class. Dillon Knight ’15 (foreground, at left), Dan Edmund ’15 (foreground, at right), and Andrew Amedee ’15 (background, center) help Blue Jays turn white craft glue and a mixture of borax and water into a slimy substance similar to putty. Following the experiment, the alums discussed with students how and why the chemical reaction took place. Knight, Edmund, and Amedee are freshmen at LSU.

On the eve of Veterans Day, Jesuit’s Marine Corps JROTC program celebrates the 240th birthday of the United States Marine Corps with a special lunchtime ceremony in the Traditions Courtyard. Senior Austin Blanchard cuts the birthday cake during the program, which is just one of many held across the country today. The ceremony included the reading of the Commandant’s message. Afterwards, Blue Jays were invited to have a piece of the birthday cake in the Student Commons.

David Schof, Jr. ’56 and David White ’83 (on the ladder) prepare to hang the last, at least for now, of eight iconic photos of Blue Jay Bands on the wall that is part of  the current band room, located on the third floor of the Palmyra Street side of the 1953 wing. White discovered the original photos of Blue Jay Bands from various years, including the very first Jesuit Band from 1930-31 (it’s on the far left). Other photos of the Jesuit bands included the years 1933-34, 1934-35, 1938, 1945, and 1980-81. White took it upon himself to have each original photo professionally cleaned and reframed. Schof and White were in their respective Blue Jay Bands as students and are still making music with other Jesuit band alumni. Schof, who volunteers in the advancement office once week, plays the alto sax; White plays clarinet. The alumni band, with about 28 members, give or take a few from year to year, usually convenes to play for the Jesuit-Holy Cross football game. White is talking with alumni director Mat Grau ’68 about a reunion of all Blue Jay Band members that would happen sometime this summer. Schof just happened to be at Jesuit on Monday in his volunteer role and agreed to help White who wanted to display the 1980-81 Blue Jay Band photo. If any alumni have their own treasured photos of the Blue Jay Band they would like to donate for display in the band room, contact David White by email: dpwhite504@cox.net. A root-a-toot-toot and a big Thanks to this pair of musical alums!

At lunchtime on Friday afternoon, groups of Blue Jays, plus a solo pigeon looking to land near the American flag, shared space on the third floor balcony overlooking the Traditions Courtyard. It was an unseasonably balmy day for November and Blue Jays were killing some time until their next class. They also were looking forward to hearing that 3 p.m. dismissal bell, still two and a half hours away when this photo was snapped from the roof of the school.

The next president of Jesuit High School, Fr. Christopher Fronk, S.J., took advantage of a few days leave from active military duty to spend time getting acquainted with Carrollton and Banks and the culture of Blue Jays. Fr. Fronk arrived Wednesday, just in time to experience Open House and tag along with a group of prospective Blue Jays and their parents. While students and faculty had the day off on Thursday to re-energize following a successful Open House, current Jesuit president Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J. introduced Fr. Fronk to a few administrators and staff, as well as alumni and parents. At the monthly meeting of the President’s Advisory Council (PAC), Fr. Fronk (who is standing between Fr. McGinn and principal Peter Kernion) enjoyed a good dialog with members, answering their questions while posing some of his own. PAC members include alumni, parents of alumni, and parents of current students. Traditionally, Jesuit’s president has relied on the PAC as a sounding board for advice on a wide range of issues affecting the school, its students and faculty, and the neighborhood. Fr. Fronk will experience his first taste of Blue Jay football on Friday night when Jesuit plays Brother Martin at Tad Gormley Stadium. Then on Saturday, Fr. Fronk plans to Let the Blue Times Roll by joining the throng of Jesuit revelers at the annual Celebration. Fr. Fronk is about one year away from officially assuming his presidential responsibilities. As a chaplain in the U.S. Navy, Fr. Fronk holds the rank of commander. He will remain on active duty until November 2016.

Jesuit alumnus and major league baseball player Johnny Giavotella ’05 (second from right) reviews the game plan for Wednesday night’s Open House with a trio of teammates. Seniors Thomas Hellmers (left) and Tyrus Norcise flank admissions director Bret Hanemann ’85 and Giavotella, who plays second base for the Los Angeles Angels. Hellmers and Norcise will be the featured senior Blue Jay speakers for the Open House tours that begin at 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30 p.m. in Jesuit’s auditorium. Giavotella will also address guests from the perspective of an alumnus. This is Giavotella’s second trip back this year to his alma mater’s Mid-City campus. In January, he addressed Blue Jays at a Morning Assembly. 

Young Blue Jays — pre-freshman Kurt Werling, freshman Cameron Juhas, and freshman Willie Robinson — along with alumni director Mat Grau, observe longtime staff member Eddie Habisreitinger hang a framed photo of Fr. Raymond Fitzgerald, S.J. in the gallery of presidential portraits on the third floor near St. Ignatius Hall.