Juniors Chris Johnson (left), Will Hurley (center), and John Kemmerly (right) work together to create a board game — their final project in Ms. Mona Anchan’s physics class. Blue Jays were tasked with using their creativity to design and construct a board game that uses what they’ve learned in physics class. The game must be easily understood and playable by someone who doesn’t have a working knowledge of physics principles. Faculty, staff, and students will be invited to play the finished projects.

With the semester nearing its end, Blue Jays are already beginning to prepare for final exams which begin Monday, May 18. Pre-freshman Evan North reviews his grades after school with his Algebra I teacher, Ms. JoAnn Schexnayder.

Freshman Matt Frischertz identifies the bones in his hand as biology teacher Mrs. Helen Swan (not pictured) describes them. Swan’s class was learning about the bones in a vertebrate skeleton during Tuesday’s class period.

After the final bell on their last day of classes, seniors race out of the school building and through the Traditions Courtyard, cheering the entire way. Underclassmen lining the balcony got a front row seat to the exuberant madness. After dashing to Will Clark Field, seniors let out cheers, congratulated each other, and celebrated their final moments as high school students. Watch the video of the senior class’ exuberant exit.

Senior Jonathan Legier and junior Will Hurley became fast friends when they found out that they were both donating the same O- blood type during a Blood Drive sponsored by the National Spanish Honor Society. The nurse explained to them, “That means that you can donate to people with any blood type, but you can only receive blood that is O-. So, you two should stay close.” Leger quipped to Hurley, “It’s O.K., I’ve got your back.”

Blue Jays who usually venture throughout the courtyard and field during lunch were forced to nest indoors as thunderstorms rolled through on Monday. These pre-freshmen were found playing a card game in the Commons, studiously ignoring the close quarters: (clockwise from top) Tristen Cole, Ashton Stevens, Adam Francis, and (not facing the camera) Niko Milonas and Connor Daigle.

The seniors and faculty faced off in a competitive 20-minute basketball game during lunch. While the competition was fierce, the courtside commentary by seniors C.C. Miller and Charles Jackson was farce. In the end, even though faculty got the final shot, the seniors held on for the win.

Teacher and community service programs director Kevin Murphy (right) mediates a heated discussion regarding the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline project in the Traditions Courtyard. Pre-freshman Cole LaCour (left) was opposed to the construction of the pipeline, while his classmate Scott McKeough (center) supported it. Murphy’s world geography class recently read an article about the pipeline and also wrote an essay on whether, if they were president, they would support construction of the pipeline. The class spent part of the period in the Traditions Courtyard, split into small groups to debate the project. The debate continued as a full class with several members, including LaCour and McKeough, presenting their viewpoints. The class was almost evenly split on the issue, with strong arguments both for and against. 

Freshmen Garrett Crumb and Robert Argote take advantage of the cool temperatures as they walk on the second floor breezeway Tuesday afternoon. 

Five members of Jesuit’s Magic Club attended a workshop in St. Ignatius Hall with professional magician Mike Waldo ’70. Matt Fanguy, Devin McCartney, Kyle Fulton, Reed Meric, and Matt O’Neill learned about types of magic, purchasing magic, timing, and presentation. Waldo the Magnificent brought more than advice with him from his home in Pensacola, Florida. He donated several illusions, a chest full of smaller tricks, and magic books and magazines that will be housed in Jesuit’s Resource Center.  The Magic Club is moderated by Mrs. Pam Catalano.

One of the many perks that senior Blue Jays experience is queuing up at lunchtime for complimentary snowballs in the Traditions Courtyard. More than 200 seniors did just that on Friday, including Hunt Robert, Trey LaForge, and Michael McMahon. Robert gratefully accepts a pink lemonade snowball from Rudy Brown, the proprietor of Nola Snow, more popularly known as the Harrison Avenue snowball stand, which has been a fixture in Lakeview for the past 55 years. Jesuit’s alumni office arranged for Nola Snow’s sweet treat in six flavors: bubble gum, strawberry, ice cream, sour apple, pink lemonade, and spearmint. By the way, LaForge also chose pink lemonade while McMahon opted for strawberry.

Junior Aubrey Champlin pauses in Paquette Hall, the second floor hallway outside the Principal’s Office, to organize and re-pack his school bag. Paquette Hall is named in honor of iconic staff member, John C. Paquette ’25, who spent 70 years as the school’s registrar.  

This group of sophomore Blue Jays is glad to be back outside in the courtyard for lunch after days of rain sent them to temporary (and crowded) shelter by the vending machines. Clockwise from bottom left are Connor Tappel, Andre Navarre, Hayden Lichtl, Connor Thurston, Rowley Redmann, Kyle Baudier, Petyon Lofton, William King, William Wilson, and B.J. Guient.

Necessity is the mother of invention for a group of Blue Jays relaxing after school Tuesday. Without paddles, the group used all means necessary to play a pick-up game of ping pong — including finding a new use for their graphing calculators and cell phones. Freshmen Christian Lacoste (left) and Braden Brignac (right) play against classmates Jack Ehrhardt and Christopher Womble (not pictured).

A quartet of Blue Jays play two games of chess in the Student Commons Thursday after school. Chess — along with ping pong, studying, and watching ESPN  — is a favorite activity among Blue Jays after the final bell rings each day. Pictured clockwise, from left, are: freshmen Ryan Tucker and Daniel Sentilles and pre-freshmen Alex O’Neil and Kyle Fulton. 

Pre-freshman Lucas Deane uses a remote control to steer a robot built by the Robotics Club. The club set up a demonstration of this year’s robots during lunch in the Commons to recruit new members for next year’s team. The club will hold another lunchtime demonstration on Thursday as well. Anyone interested in joining should contact club co-moderator Mr. Kyle White.