During school time, students must have their cell phones turned off and out of sight. Woe to the Blue Jay whose cell phone goes off during class. But moments after the dismissal bell rings, cell phones become ubiquitous around Jesuit. They magically appear everywhere. These eight sophomores, seated in the Traditions Courtyard while patiently waiting to be picked up Friday afternoon, were thoroughly engrossed with their various cellular devices. All eight Blue Jays said they were using their cell phones to text friends and family. From left are Stephen Ecuyer, Jackson Butterbaugh, Clayton Merwin, Brian Taylor, Malcolm Sundell, Robert Christmann, Albert Bienvenu, and Eddie Redmann.

Alumnus Scout Serpas ’13 talks to Mr. Michael Prados’ sophomore English class Thursday afternoon. Serpas is currently at LSU majoring in finance with a minor in Spanish. Serpas told Blue Jays stories about how he spent the summer living in Argentina. He encouraged Blue Jays to travel and do service work if they are able. Serpas served as senior class president for the Class of 2013.

These four pre-freshmen — Jonathan Howat, Jacob Treigle, Grant Jordan, and Beau Burk — were among those Blue Jays enjoying a chicken sandwich during the morning break. Due to a small price increase, Jays will dish out an extra quarter (now $1.75) to satisfy this late-morning craving. For meal prices and more information, visit the Cafeteria page.

Blue Jays gather in the auditorium to watch and cheer on Jesuit-based Retif Oil playing for the 2015 American Legion Word Series baseball championship. The game, held in Shelby, N.C., is being broadcast on ESPNU and streamed online. The Oilers are playing in their final game of the season against Chapin-Newberry, S.C., the same team they defeated on Saturday, 5-2. The Oilers last won the Legion’s World Series in 2012 and hope to reclaim the national title. (#ALWS2015 is the official hashtag for the tournament.)

New faculty member Mrs. Kate Brauner uses real-life and tangible examples to explain points, lines, and planes to her freshmen geometry class. Jesuit welcomes Mrs. Brauner as one of 15 new faculty members to join the staff this year. Use the online faculty and staff directory to find contact information.

Freshmen Payton Hedrick (left) and Jake Stiegler review their schedules as they head toward their first class following Morning Assembly in the Traditions Courtyard. Today was the first day for all 1,395 Blue Jays, including 24 new freshmen.

Maintenance staff members Brian Habisreitinger, Jimmy Huck (director of maintenance), and Ernest Pierre helped to move new desks into Room 231 just in time for the start of school. The room was among six second-floor classrooms along Banks and Palmyra streets that were renovated over the summer, a project that is a part of a five-year plan to upgrade and enhance the infrastructure and technology in the school building. Blue Jays will see other updates when they return to school on August 14 as well. Among them are an improved courtyard (drainage), larger hallway doors, and new computers in the labs.

The Marine Corps JROTC rifle team cadets take a break from training during their two-day camp. MCJROTC is holding camps for its co-curricular teams this week (Aug. 3-7) in preparation for the the school year. New cadets attended an orientation on Monday, followed by two days each of Rifle Team camp, Drill Team camp, and Marine Band camp. Cadets also practiced in Armed and Unarmed Drill Team camps. Learn more about Jesuit’s MCJROTC and the other 60+ co-curricular activities offered in the 2015-16 school year.

Campers in Jesuit’s Robotics Summer Camp, use their hands-on experience with LEGO® Mindstorms® EV3 Robots to engage in a friendly competition. Teams of campers designed, built, and programmed autonomous robots to complete a set of missions in a competition. The competition, which was the campers’ final camp activity, was attended by an audience of family and friends. The camp is in its second year of operation and is organized and run by Mr. Kyle White, who teaches physics at Jesuit and moderates the school’s robotics club. Jesuit Robotics Camp is open to boys and girls going into 6th-8th grades. 

A Jesuit Summer Day Camper kicks around a soccer ball Friday during a water play day. Some campers had a blast playing in the big water slides set up on the back field, while others took up a game of wiffle ball, soccer, or other fun field activities. Jesuit Summer Day Camp is open to boys ages 5-12. Camp activities include: field trips and tours, swimming, bowling, softball, kickball, Laser Tag, movies, Bounce Spectrum, flag football, basketball, picnics, and more! For more information on Day Camp, or all other Jesuit summer camps, visit the Summer Programs page.

Ethan Martinez ’15 and Evan Bailey ’13 help D.J. Galiano ’07 install two new television sets, replacing broken ones in the Student Commons. While the Blue Jays are away for summer break, school staff will take these 11 summer weeks to perform facility maintenance, make technology updates, renovate classrooms, and prepare for the upcoming school year.

Forty-five members of the Blue Jay football program — rising freshmen and sophomores — recently traveled to Hammond to lend a hand at the Louisiana Special Olympics event on the campus of Southeastern Louisiana University. The day of service is an important element in the formation of the athletes. Members of the team have been participating in the annual summer event for nearly a decade.

Members of the student council take a break from the monumental task of cleaning up their office on the first floor of the Carrollton Wing of the school. As school winds down and the summer begins, the newest members of the executive board are preparing to take office by cleaning and organizing their office. 

Mr. Malcom Villarrubia ’66 took the afternoon to move boxes from the second up to the third floor to empty Room 231 in preparation for upcoming construction. This will be one of six classrooms that will be renovated over the summer and ready for the 2015-2016 school year.  Last year, six other second floor classrooms were also modernized.

Juniors Will Hurley (third from right) and John Kemmerly (second from right) explain the premise of their board game to College Planning Counselor Ms. Allie Timberlake (right). The game, called “Mona Goes to Harvard,” is a fast-paced, exciting board game that puts physics into action. Coincidentally — or purposely as a way to ensure high marks — several of the games the Blue Jays invented paid homage to their physics teacher Ms. Mona Anchan. The students spent two weeks working on the creative, and often very witty, board games that used the principles they learned in physics all year long.

Members of the Green Club are at it again — taking care of the final recyclables pick-up of the waning school year. Green Club members (from left to right) juniors Paul Ineich, Victor Castellon, and Tyrus Norcise make their way out of the building and into the courtyard balancing several boxes of recyclables.