The faculty luncheon committee brought a smorgasbord of snacks, entrees, and desserts to treat Jesuit faculty and staff to lunch after the first day of third quarter exams. The committee, chaired by Blue Jay mothers Kim Lee and Jan Mickan, is made up of parents who volunteer their time and talents, and coordinated through the Volunteer Office.

Freshman Evan Fogg purchases some exam time brain food, specifically ice cream, from Br. Billy Dardis, S.J. ’58. Br. Dardis frequently sets up a table outside the Student Commons to sell a variety of frozen treats to hungry Blue Jays. The proceeds from Brother’s efforts benefit the mission drive.

Every Jay’s a King at Friday’s King Cake Party in the Traditions Courtyard. The King Cake Party is a new tradition at Jesuit with its genesis coinciding with the “Year of the Saints.” For those with short memories or were in third grade, that was 2009 when those Boys in Black & Gold won the Super Bowl. It seemed as good a time as any to have a King Cake Party back then, and ever since, on the Friday before Mardi Gras, several co-curricular organizations serve all manner of the special treat, including plain, lemon, cream cheese, strawberry, and “BlueJayberry.” Whatever is left over, and it’s not much, is brought to the faculty lounge, where every single slice disappears by the time of dismissal.

Once a month, members of the Herpetology Club bring their exotic pets to school for a little “show and tell.” Today’s pets on display are a leopard gecko, a bearded dragon, and a hognose snake. Members share their expert advice for pet care and pet selection. Members shown here are (front row, from left) pre-freshman Jack Baudouin, pre-freshman Christopher Womble, junior Steven Sibley, pre-freshman Chris Ross, (back row) pre-freshman Mason Peres, pre-freshman Mason French, pre-freshman Jay Brantley, and junior Francis Weller. Mrs. Helen Swan, who moderates the club, appreciates the intensity and thorough knowledge the students bring to their meetings.

Students in Mr. Joseph Latino’s Biology I class work in groups to dissect an earthworm. From left, freshmen Cullen Unsworth, Josh Harper, and Rusty Gros work together to carefully cut and pull apart the flaps of skin to begin the dissection and study the worm’s anatomy.

Senior Eric Hartupee trims one of 15 unfinished wooden bats for the Philelectic Society‘s upcoming production of Damn Yankees. In addition to being the co-president of the Phils, Eric is the crew chief and an actor (playing Henry, a baseball player) in the show. Damn Yankees is a big musical featuring a large cast, including a whole baseball team singing and dancing in the popular number, “Shoeless Joe.” The show opens April 3 and tickets will go on sale mid-March.

A trio of Blue Jays — pre-freshmen Harrison Landry, Matthew Ward, and Rene Paysse — relax and enjoy the spring weather. These Jays better soak it up as long as they can as the mild temperatures won’t last long. The forecast calls for cooler weather moving into the metro area beginning on Wednesday and lasting at least through the Mardi Gras weekend.

Under a beautiful wispy sky in the cool of the Traditions Courtyard (even in the sun, a breeze made it delightful), seniors form a queue at the beginning of one of their special lunches. Senior Lunch is a tradition that began a long time ago. It takes place about once every four to six weeks. The Class of 2014 has so far notched six such special lunches. Orders are placed a couple of days in advance, typically with a restaurant that delivers directly to Jesuit. With military-like precision, a small team — headed by senior class president Quentin Marks — manages this upper-classJay’s perk, from announcing the date of the event, collecting money (all up front, no CODs), and ordering the food, to setting up tables and overseeing the well-oiled task of quickly distributing the meals within 15 minutes or so. One of the joys of being class president is that Marks chooses the restaurant. Today’s lunches were delivered by Five Happiness and marks the second occasion that seniors have ordered from the Carrollton Avenue landmark. Other restaurants that seniors have done business with are the Italian Pie, Felipé’s, Chic-fil-A, and Voodoo BBQ. Usually about 200 of the approximately 260 seniors participate. Rarely has a lunch not been claimed, but when it does happen, senior charity kicks in. And woe to the surreptitious underclassman who would be foolish enough to try helping himself to a senior’s lunch. The perp would be dining on gruel the rest of the year.

Pre-freshman Wes Mobley takes advantage of a quiet corner in the Resource Center to do his Christianity course homework after school. Located on the second floor in the Hall of Honors, the Resource Center is open 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. on regular instruction days; 8:50 a.m. – 4 p.m. on faculty meeting days; and 7 a.m. – 12 p.m. on exam days. The Resource Center includes several environments that provide space for research, leisure reading, individual silent study, and information literacy instruction.

Members of the MCJROTC Marine Band practice The Marines’ Hymn on Will Clark Field after school Monday afternoon. The hymn is the official song of the United States Marine Corps. Not only is it one of the most recognizable military hymns, but also the oldest official song in the U.S. Armed Forces. Jesuit is one of the few schools in the nation to have a MCJROTC Band and is unique among Jesuit bands in that it is entirely student-led. The Marine Band plays at all MCJROTC parades and ceremonies, such as the Marine Corps Birthday Ceremony, the annual Parade and Review, and the Change of Command Parade. It also performs at functions throughout the city, such as the annual Battle of New Orleans commemoration at Jackson Square, Mardi Gras parades, and the Blue Jay Bazaar.

Seniors in Ms. Rachel Sharp’s analysis class spent Friday reviewing right triangle trigonometry in preparation for a test on the Law of Sines and Cosines. The sharpshooting classmates, clockwise from lower left, are Glenn Fraychineaud, Mark Woods, Bailey Weber, Henry Hingle, Ryan Cambias, Fernando Gonzales, Ms. Sharp, Dave Treen (in circle, in front of Ms. Sharp), Justin Daigle, Ian Cogswell, Damian Junius, and David Stahl.

The third floor balcony overlooking the Traditions Courtyard is frequently used by Blue Jays as a shortcut from the Banks Street (south) side of school to the Palmyra Street (north) side, and vice versa. The balcony helps to alleviate congestion in the inside hallways as students move to their next class. Blue Jays who use the walkway, like pre-freshmen Wilder Maguire (left) and Patrick Calhoun, also enjoy its environmental aesthetics – fresh air and the panoramic views of the Courtyard and Will Clark Field. The second and third floor balconies were originally constructed in 2002 as part of the Tradition Guides Our Future capital campaign, which also gave Blue Jays the Student Commons.

Members of the Blue Jay basketball team hosted guests from around the world at their Thursday afternoon practice. The high school-aged visitors, who hail from six different countries — South Korea, Argentina, Lebanon, Nigeria, Turkey, and Kyrgyzstan — are guests of the U.S. Department of State Sports Visitors Program. The group is visiting New Orleans to attend the 2014 NBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center. While the exhibition game won’t be played until Feb. 16, there are several events leading up to the game, including a junior high invitational that the 8th Grade Basketball Team will be participating in this weekend.

A trio of Blue Jays form an informal Algebra I study session in the Student Commons Wednesday afternoon. From left, freshmen Christopher Bergeron, Josh Cashio, and Nick Ray.

Jesuit’s Columbian Squires Circle, the high school service arm of the Knights of Columbus, completed a coat and blanket collection drive on campus to aid the needy and homeless of our area. The Squires delivered several large barrels full of overcoats, blankets, sweaters and jackets to the Ozanam Inn, the shelter for the homeless located in the Warehouse District. Center from left, pre-freshmen John Nuttli and Robert Haik, and senior Daniel Boudreau, the Circle’s Chief Squire. Also joining the Squires were Mr. Tom Nuttli (left), Mr. Robert Haik Sr. (right), and Mr. Ted Mahne (not pictured), moderator of the Columbian Squires. Jesuit’s Squires are sponsored by the Marquette Council of the Knights of Columbus.

Rain and sleet have a way of keeping the courtyard empty and the Student Commons full of activity. The influx of traffic doesn’t affect these seniors who will find any excuse to enjoy a laugh and Blue Jay Camaraderie.