Accompanied by pomp andpageantry, music and cheers,Jesuit’s Homecoming Courtbrought a touch of glamour to theevening at Metairie’s ZephyrField last month.

During the Sept. 22Homecoming Game against St.Augustine High School, theStudent Council presented theHomecoming Court for 2017,and crowned this year’s queen.

At halftime at the Shrine onAirline, the court was greeted bythe Jayettes dance team, theMCJROTCColor Guard and theBlue Jay Marching Band.

The senior couple selected toreign over the court was BenBrodnax and Abby Haydel.

Following the presentationof the court, Haydel was crownedby Father Christopher S. Fronk,S.J., president of Jesuit.

Brodnax is an athletic trainerand Eucharistic minister. He isalso a member of Sodality, Pro-Life Club, and Campus Ministry.

Haydel is a senior atDominican High School whereshe is on the track team, and is amember of the Pro-Life Club andStudent Council.

This year’s freshmen couple

was Jaylan Scott and ErinMarrero.

Scott is a member of theJesuit football, basketball, andtrack and field teams.

Marrero is a sophomore atDominican where she is aStudent Ambassador.

The junior couple wasJoshua Shanks and MarignyHemenway.

Shanks is a member of theMCJROTC and Blue Jay Band.

Hemenway is a junior atRidgewood Prep where she is theKey Club secretary and memberof the school band.

The second senior couplewas Matthew Palmer andBridget Glueck.

Palmer is on the rugby team

and is a member of Peer Support.Glueck is a senior at Dominican

With the devastating flood-ing of Houston and the surround-ing areas from Hurricane Harvey,the Blue Jay community has gonethe extra mile to aid our brotherJesuit schools, Cristo Rey andStrake Jesuit.

While neither school wasseverely damaged in the flood,the relief drive’s main goal was toraise money for the families fromthe two Jesuit counterparts affect-ed by Hurricane Harvey. Theschools have reported thatapproximately 50 families’homes have flooded.

Soon after Harvey and Irmastruck Texas and Florida,

Hurricane Maria wreaked horrif-ic damage upon Puerto Rico.Blue Jays stepped up again, rais-ing money to support the ColegioSan Ignacio, the Jesuit HighSchool in San Juan.

Within just a few weeks, theschool community – includingparents, faculty, staff and alumni– raised more than $40,000. Inaddition to the financial dona-

tions, homerooms collectedschool supplies, non-perishablefood items, and toiletries thatfilled up three vans. The studentsalone raised about $9,000, whichhas exceeded expectations, saidKevin Murphy, director of com-munity services.

Our motto “men for others”has always been a staple in theJesuit community. When the fail-

ure of the levee system afterHurricane Katrina ravaged NewOrleans, flooding Jesuit HighSchool, the generosity of the peo-ple of Houston and Strake Jesuitaccepted more than 400 of ourstudents. That allowed the schoolto begin the recovery. With thatsame generosity, the Blue Jaycommunity happily reaches outto those in similar need.

The

JBlueay

Volume 90, No. 2

A. M. D. G.

October 2017

HOMECOMING 2017

By Jonathan MorseStaff Writer

See COURT, Page 2

Queen, court reignover game, festivities

$40,000 raised forhurricane relief

The members of the 2017 Homecoming Court gather on the field at Zephyr Stadium during the halftime festivities of the Sept. 22 game against St. Augustine.Staff photo by Harrison Simeon

Senior Ben Brodnax escorts Abby Haydel of Dominican HighSchool, who was named the Homecoming Queen for2017.

Staff photo by RayVan Bellazer

By now, students have likelyseen some new faces aroundCarrollton and Banks, as ninenew teachers have joined the fac-ulty this year. Here’s a look atwho’s who.

After 19 years of CatholicLeague head coaching duties,Coach Scott Bairnsfatherbegins his first season at Jesuit asfootball’s offensive coordinatorand tight ends coach. He arrivesat Carrollton and Banks afterserving as head coach atArchbishop Shaw since 2002.

His 15-year stint on theMarrero campus was highlightedwith consecutive undefeated 4Astate title game appearances andundefeated regular season cam-paigns in 2006-08. His firstCatholic League head coachingposition was at Holy Cross(1998-2001), leading the Tigersto the playoffs in his final threeseasons there. Bairnsfather’s 112-102 career head coaching recordplaces him as one of 10 CatholicLeague gridiron coaches to havecaptured 100 or more games.

A 1985 Shaw graduate,Bairnsfather began his coachingcareer at his alma mater. A gradu-ate of the University of NewOrleans with a bachelor’s degreein health and physical education,he will teach those subjects andserve as Athletic DepartmentAssistant at Jesuit.

He and his wife Amy live inGretna with their 10-year-olddaughter, Sydney.

It wasn’t too long ago whenZachary Creelsat in some of thesame classrooms where he nowteaches. A member of the Classof 2013, Creel is a member ofthis year’s Alumni Service Corps.

He graduated from theUniversity of Mississippi with abachelor’s degree in classics andart history.

Creel teaches eighth-gradeEnglish and also is an assistantvarsity football coach. In additionto his teaching duties, he can beseen around campus participatingin student retreats and suchevents as dances and gym nights.

A native of Minden, La.,Seth Fox comes to Jesuit fromMount Carmel Academy, wherehe spent 10 years teachingEnglish.

Before entering teaching, heearned his bachelor’s degree inprint journalism from theManship School at LouisianaState University and spent sever-al years as a reporter in BossierCity, Houma and Baton Rougecovering everything from minorleague hockey to an active serialkiller investigation.

He said he became a teacherto take a couple of years awayfrom “real work and stress.”Now, more than 10 years later, hesaid he cannot imagine doinganything else.

Fox earned his master’sdegree in English from UNO,developing along the way a spe-cial interest in African-Americanliterature and inappropriate 18th-century British satire. At Jesuit,he’s teaching English I and IV.

He can be frequently spotted

with his wife and two sons,Braden, 6, and Logan, 2, at Jesuitsporting events and theater andmusical performances.

The halls of Jesuit aren’tnew to Kar en Harper, who pre-viously taught biology here forfive years. She returns to theschool following a stint teachingat the Academy of Sacred Heart.

A longtime New Orleanian,Harper is a graduate of TulaneUniversity. She has three chil-dren.

At Jesuit, she’s teachingenvironmental science to sopho-mores.

In her free time, she said shecan most likely be found on thetennis courts.

Brother Larr y Huck, S.J.also is no stranger to life atCarrollton and Banks. A memberof the Class of 1987, he previous-ly taught theology here from2004 to 2009, and served as thevarsity tennis coach.

A native New Orleanian whogrew up in Kenner, Br. Huckstudied business administrationat UNO after graduating fromJesuit. From there, he worked inhis family’s electrical business,achieving his rating as a masterelectrician in 1990.

Br. Huck entered the Societyof Jesus in 1993. He earned hisbachelor’s degree in history fromCreighton University, and anMTS degree in spirituality fromthe Jesuit School of Theology ofSanta Clara.

Before his first teachingassignment here, he worked atJesuit High School in Tampa(1998-2002), teaching historyand serving as director ofCampus Ministry andCommunity Service.

Following his Tertianship inDublin, Br. Huck fought a battlewith colon cancer in 2010-11.Defeating that, he moved on toother assignments, including

overseeing the renovation of St.Charles College in Grand Coteau,which houses the Jesuit novitiate,retirement home and SpiritualityCenter. He also has served aspresident of the Good ShepherdSchool in New Orleans, and mostrecently worked as the discipli-narian at Colegio San Ignacio inPuerto Rico.

Now back home, Br. Huck isteaching Christianity to eighthgraders and Sacred Scripture tofreshmen.

Wess Mandella is in her 18thyear of teaching Spanish, hernative language, and is verypleased to teach Spanish I toeighth and ninth graders andSpanish III to juniors here atJesuit.

She began teaching Spanishat the elementary level from Pre-K to eighth graders at St.Clement of Rome in Metairie in

Volume 90, No. 2 Page 2NewsNews

See FACULTY, Page 3

CourtContinued from Page 1

where she is a member of theStudent Council. She also is amember of the JesuitCheerleading Team.

The third senior couple wasRyan Smith and Ally Lansou.

Escorting Lansou was seniorFrank Sclafani, as Smith was onthe field as a Blue Jay footballplayer. He also is a member ofthe National Honors Society.

Lansou is a senior at MountCarmel Acadamy, where she isan officer for Teens for Life andis also a member of the NationalHonor Society.

This year’s fourth seniorcouple was Aubert Waguespackand Julia Hollander.

Waguespack is a member ofPeer Support and participates inintramurals.

Hollander is a senior atMount Carmel, where she is ananchor for WMCA and a mem-ber of the National HonorsSociety. She is also captain of theJesuit Cheerleaders.

The final senior couple wasAlex Watermeier and ReaganTafaro.

As captain of the footballteam, Watermeier was on thefield for the game and Tafaro wasescorted by senior GrantSaunders.

Watermeier also a memberof the baseball team and NationalHonors Society.

Tafaro is a senior at MountCarmel, where she is a memberof Teens For Life and MountCarmel Cubs AgainstDestructive Decisions. She isalso co-captain of the JesuitJayettes.

No, no, Nate!It might be a few weeks later

than originally planned, but theHomecoming Dance will go on.

The annual celebration,which was to occur on Oct. 7,was postponed because of thethreat of severe weather fromHurricane Nate that weekend.

The rescheduled date for thedance is Nov. 11.

It will take place in the St.Charles Club Room of theMercedes-Benz Superdome,beginning at 8 p.m. and conclud-ing at 11:30 p.m.

Dress is semi-formal.Tickets for the dance will beavailable the week beforehand.Advance tickets are $40 per cou-ple; $50 at the door.

Parking at the Superdome is$10. Attendees should park inGarage No. 6.

For more information, visitthe dance information page onthe school website.

New dateset fordance

at Dome

Nine join Blue Jay faculty

Scott BairnsfatherPhysical Education

Kar en HarperScience

Zachary CreelEnglish

Seth FoxEnglish

Br. Larr y Huck, S.J.Theology

Wess MandellaModern Foreign Languages

Adam NaquinEnglish

Gordon SchmidtClassics

Fr. Paul Shaughnessy, S.J.Social Studies

Living up to the ideals of allJesuit students and MCJROTCcadets, junior Carson Keller iscommitted to service.

Keller exercises that com-mitment on a daily basis. Duringhis off periods, for example,instead of studying or relaxing,Keller helps LtCol TimothyHuete, MGySgt J.R. Piseno, andthe senior cadets issue uniforms,teach drill, and physically trainthe eighth- and ninth-gradecadets, among other things.

“I got involved with thisservice from seeing how hard-working the seniors are in aidingLieutenant Colonel Huete andMaster Gunnery SergeantPiseno,” he said. “In an effort togive my help, and obey what Ibelieve an MCJROTC member isobligated to do, I offer my helpevery off period [I have].”

As an ROTC mentor, Kellertakes time to meet younger stu-dents to “show them the properways one should act throughoutone’s Jesuit career.” He empha-sizes that such actions carry over

not only through participation inthe ROTC itself, but through thefriends one makes and the vari-ous clubs and co-curriculars inwhich a Blue Jay takes part.

Keller urges any studentswho might need hishelp to seek

him out. “If anyone ever needsme, I am openly accepting of it,and I usually offer such helpthrough meeting up before, after,or during school.”

Even with the duties ofROTC and other co-curriculars,

Keller carves out time for hisschool work and his family.Together, they are planning to goto either Texas or Florida to helpthose affected by HurricanesHarvey and Irma.

“As a Jesuit student, I under-

stand the criticality of academics,especially during my junioryear,” he said. “However, in aneffort to be a better Man forOthers, I try hard to help othersahead of myself as much as pos-sible.”

FeaturesFeatures Page 3Volume 90, No. 2

ModeratorTheodore P. Mahne

The Blue

JayEditorial Board

Managing

EditorPeyton Toups ’19

Opinions

EditorJohn Howell ’18

Chief Photo

EditorEvan Younger

’19

Sports

EditorReed Darcey ’19

News EditorJonathan LeBrun

’20

Features

EditorMac McCabe ’20

Entertainment

EditorWilliam Schott

’19

Editor-in-ChiefDonald Barrett ’18

1999. Hurricane Katrina movedher to Houston, where she taughtat a high school for a year andfound her love for high schoolstudents and their activities. Onreturning home, she taught atCatholic high schools and anEpiscopal elementary school.

Mandella was born inCaracas, where her father was aVenezuelan diplomat. Herequested a posting in the UnitedStates so that his children couldlearn English. As a result, shegrew up in New Orleans, attend-ed local schools and earned herbachelor’s degree in mathemat-ics, with a concentration in engi-neering, from UNO.

She and her husband of 35years, George, have two daugh-ters and a son. They are celebrat-ing the arrival of their secondgrandchild, Brielle Marie, whowas born to their eldest daughteron Oct. 2.

The second member of thisyear’s Alumni Service Corps isAdam Naquin. A member of theClass of 2013, he returns to Jesuitnow as an English teacher.

While a student at Jesuit,Naquin participated in CampusMinistry, Peer Support, and thePhilelectic Society.

In addition to his studieshere, he also attended the NewOrleans Center for the CreativeArts for instruction in creativewriting. He is a graduate of LSU,where he earned a bachelor’sdegree in English and creativewriting.

In addition to teaching fresh-men English I, Naquin will beassisting at various school func-tions and working with the Phils.

The third member of thisyear’s Alumni Service Corpscontingent is Gordon Schmidt.Also a fellow member of theClass of 2013, Schmidt is teach-ing Latin.

He recently graduated fromVassar College with a dualdegree in classics and philoso-phy. His favorite philosophers arePlato and Soren Kierkegaard.

When not participating inevents here at Jesuit, Schmidtsaid his big interest is as a boxingfan. He describes himself as “aneven bigger music nerd.”

Father Paul Shaughnessy,S.J., comes to Jesuit from theMaryland Province of the Societyof Jesus. But that only begins totell of where he's been posted.

Fr. Shaughnessy has com-pleted a lengthy career of serviceas a chaplain with the U.S. Navy,ministering to sailors andMarines from Okinawa to PearlHarbor, with further deploymentsfrom Kuwait to Iraq to Jordan.

Attaining the rank of com-mander, Fr. Shaughnessy hasserved aboard such vessels as theaircraft carrier USS Enterpriseduring Operation Desert Fox, andthe amphibious assault ship USSBelleau Wood during OperationIraqi Freedom. He also hasreported aboard the USSKearsarge, another amphibiousassault ship.

A native of Worcester,Mass., Fr. Shaughnessy graduat-ed from the College of HolyCross. He entered the Society ofJesus in 1977, completing hisphilosophy studies at GonzagaUniversity. He spent a year of hisformation teaching English in arefugee camp in Bataan,Philippines.

After receiving his master'sin Divinity from the WestonJesuit School of Theology, hewas ordained in 1987. Furtherstudies in Rome led to a licentiatein Sacred Theology (STL) fromthe Pontifical GregorianUniversity.

While in the Navy, he alsoearned a master's degree innational security studies from theNaval War College.

His most recent assignmentbefore arriving at Jesuit was as ahospital chaplain in Baltimore.

His wide range of experi-ences will surely color his classesin Western Civilization for fresh-men and sophomores.

FacultyContinued from Page 2

Serving others is way of life forcadet

By Peyton ToupsManaging Editor

For Keller,acts of giving

start righthere each day

Junior Carson Keller helps a youngermemberof Jesuit’s MCJROTC learn the various insignia noting different ranks within the U.S.Marine Corps. Keller spends most of his free periods reaching out to help fellow cadets and otherstudents in any way that he can.

Staff photo by Evan Younger

Blue Jayof the Month

Are you ever frustrated whenyour PC seems to crawl whenplaying Overwatch or some othergraphics-intensive game?

Imagine using a computerwith a speed 100 million timesfaster. That’s the processingpower of the D-Wave 2xQuantum Computer, jointlydeveloped by Google and NASA.And while you can bet that thespace agency and the searchengine giant are doing more thanplaying games, the technologymight be in reach before youknow it.

But what is a quantum com-puter? To understand the shiftingtechnology, one must go beyondthe basics of classical computing,particularly in the way that com-puters store and process data.

As every Blue Jay learns inComputer Literacy class, a classi-cal computer sends data throughelectrical signals, or bits,throughout a motherboard totheir destinations. These bits canonly be in one of two states, 1(on) or 0 (off).

Quantum computers do not

abide by these binary rules.Google states that a qubit, thequantum version of a bit, canexist not only in the states of 1and 0, but in any proportion ofboth states simultaneously. Thisis called superposition.

According to superposition,as long as the qubit is not beingmeasured, it can be in a mixtureof both states, but as soon as it ismeasured, it collapses into either1 or 0. Qubits also possess a char-acteristic called entanglement, aquality that allows two relatedqubits to affect one another’sstates. For example, if two qubitsare entangled, and one collapsesinto one of the definite states, itstwin will do the same, no matterhow far away they are from eachother. These properties form thebasis for the quantum computer.

For a layman, what are thebenefits of such technology?

“Any field needing to usesupercomputers would benefitfrom it, such as weather andspace travel,” computer scienceteacher Jordan Holmer said.

A prominent potential use isdatabase searching. A search on aclassical computer may have totest each database entries – slow-

ing the search – in order to locatethe proper one, while a quantumcomputer needs only the square-root of that period of time to fin-ish the search.

Another potential applica-tion is that quantum computerscould actually improve them-selves. Digital simulations of thequantum realm demand vastresources and often lack accura-cy. So why not utilize tools har-nessing the very thing that wehope to learn more about.

The technology brings upsecurity dangers. Everyone’sbanking, browsing, and emaildata is kept secure by an encryp-tion system. While the math tobreak the encryption would takeyears on any ordinary computer,a quantum computer could crackthe key easily.

“Some security would haveto be rethought,”Holmer said.“If a password is long enough,current computers would takeyears to do so, [though] it is apossibility.” Whether it is worththe risk, as well as the focus ofthe immense resources requiredto fund such an undertaking,Holmer said, “Yes, I mean tomor-row somebody could come upwith a way to crack passwords.It’s definitely worth it.”

The Blue Jay football teamhas been on a roller coaster thisseason. But it’s a ride they’d liketo disembark.

The Jays started the seasonby losing forgettable games totwo talented teams, WarrenEaston and St. Paul’s, by a com-bined deficit of 51 points.

However, they did bounceback, beating Central BatonRouge 42-10. The scoring bar-rage began on the opening kick-off as senior Michael Torryreturned the kick for a touch-down. Running backs WillieRobinson and Matt Alexandereach ran for scores while quarter-back Alex Watermeier tossed twotouchdowns, to junior wideoutNoah Varnado and to Torry.

The defense was dominant,particularly in the trenches.Central’s quarterback was nevercomfortable, constantly scram-bling outside the pocket. In onehighlight play, junior defensiveend Perry Ganci sacked Central’squarterback, forced a fumble,scooped up the ball, and ran for ascore. The pressure from thedefensive front forced the oppos-ing quarterback into bad throwsthat three times landed in thehands of a Blue Jay defender.

This team is most comfort-able playing with a lead. To fitthe identity of their squad,Jesuit’s coaching staff clearlyprefers to take a conservativeoffensive approach on offense,comprised of mostly quick pass-es and runs. Since special teamsand defense helped ease theoffense’s scoring load, the gameagainst Central was the first timethis season the offense could playtheir preferred style: slowlymarching down the field andbuilding a lead, not chasing one.Credit the coaches for adjustingand creating a good game planand the players for executing thescheme successfully.

The homecoming gameopened district play against St.Augustine. The first few minuteswere no different from those inthe contest against Central.Special teams opened scoringwhen junior defensive backCameron Helm returned ablocked field goal 80 yards for atouchdown. The Jays jumped outto a 10-0 lead.

St. Aug then scored on apick-six and never looked back.The Purple Knights scored 30unanswered points, holding a 20-point advantage opening thefourth quarter, and won 37-24.

The ensuing week was anopportunity to beat rival HolyCross in the 98th meetingbetween the two schools. Thefirst half was one-sided as theJays quickly found themselves in

a big hole, down 31-7 at halftime.To jump out to the lead,

Holy Cross won at the point ofattack, and Jesuit simply couldn’tmake tackles in the open field,allowing 275 rushing yards.

Though outside their com-fort zone, the Jays fought back inthe second half, turning it into adifferent game. The defensefought back, not allowing a sin-gle first-down and holding theTigers under 50 total yards.Senior safety Wyatt Candiesintercepted a pass that led to adrive capped by a Watermeiertouchdown pass to junior widereceiver Brendan Berggren.

The defense then forced apunt on the following series, andWatermeier and the offensemarched down the field, endingthe drive with a field goal. Athalftime, a win seemed impossi-ble, but a second half gave BlueJay fans hope as the team execut-ed some of the best football theyhad played all year.Unfortunately, the first-halfdeficit was too great to overcomeand the Great American Rivalrygame ended in a 31-17 loss.

To make noise in the play-offs, this squad must grow upquickly. The talent is not in ques-tion, but like any other inexperi-enced team, they are still learninghow to respond to adversity.

As the season goes on, Jesuitfootball fans should look forgrowth. However, maturationmay not manifest in wins andlosses, but in resiliency like theeffort shown against Holy Cross.

Next year the team will beloaded with talented seniors witha year of experience on each oftheir resumes. Any growing painswill have subsided, and they willbe ready to win.

But this year is far fromover, and Blue Jay football stillhas significant room to boost thisyear’s record.

Once again, Jesuit HighSchool has shown off its academ-ic prowess. The Class of 2018has produced 35 National MeritSemifinalists, accounting for 12percent of the honorees fromthroughout Louisiana.

With their exceptionalscores on the PSAT, which wastaken in their junior year, theydistinguished themselves fromnearly 1.6 million test-takers,earning a spot in an elite groupthat represents less than 1 percentof U.S. high school seniors.

Each year, the NationalMerit Scholarship Corp. identi-fies a select number of studentsfrom around the United States asNational Merit Semifinalists.

This honor also is used bymany colleges and universities

for recruitment and automaticscholarship considerations.

These Blue Jays have earnedthis high honor:

Nathan Alvarez, MitchellBerry, James Busenlener,Jackson Butterbaugh, Peter Carr,Robert Cerise, RobertChristmann, Anthony Cibilich,Garrett Crumb, Matthew Cruz,Max Drury, Ethan Ehrhardt,Michael Farrugia, DavidGravolet, Samuel Guillory, DavisHatrel, John Holmes, PaulJames, Matthew Latham, PatrickMcManus, Graeme Mjehovich,Juan Molina, Patrick Murray,Logan Raymond, Aidan Roberts,William Rogers, ChristopherRoss, Thomas Sagona, TimothyStahel, Richard Stedman,Malcolm Sundell, Jake Theriot,Austin Tran, Tanner Tripoli, andRyan Tucker.

Eight seniors also meritedrecognition as a NationalHispanic Scholar. They are:

Alvarez, Donald Barrett, Berry,Carr, Cruz, Molina, Raymond,and Matthew Ward.

In addition to those honors,19 seniors received Letters ofCommendation in recognition oftheir achievements. This groupincludes Matt Alexander,William Brown, PatrickCalhoun, Thomas Curry,Benjamin Finicle, Ryan Guillot,David Hart, Andrew Hemelt,Nathan Koenig, Reese Leonard,Tucker McGuinness, CollinMiller, Luke Pertuit, AlexanderPetty, Matthew Richards, PatrickSchwing, Luke Sisung, NorrisTalbot, and Samuel Whitsell.

These elite Semifinalists arefurther eligible to apply for final-ist status, narrowing the nationalnumber down to about 7,500,who will receive more than $30milliion in scholarships.

Congratulations to theseBlue Jays for their exceptionalacademic achievements.

Features/SportsFeatures/Sports Page 4Volume 90, No. 2

By Reed DarceySports Editor

Ready for computers with powerbeyond your wildest dreams?

By Donald BarrettEditor-in-Chief

This year’sNational

MeritSemifinalistsgather on the

Carr olltonAvenue stepsto celebrate

theirachievement.The 35 BlueJay seniorsare amongthe largest

group ofsemifinalistsfr om acrossthe state ofLouisiana.

Blue Jays top list of scholars

Science CornerBy Kaden Oqueli-White

Staff Writer

Blue Jay footballcontinues seasonof ups and downs

SCOREBOARD

vs. W. Easton (Sept. 1)LOSS 40-14

vs. St. Paul’s (Sept. 8)LOSS 31-6

vs. Central (Sept. 15)WIN 42-10

vs. St. Aug (Sept. 22)(Homecoming game)

LOSS 37-24

vs. Holy Cross (Sept. 29)LOSS 31-17

vs. John Curtis (Oct. 6)LOSS 56-28

vs. Rummel (Oct. 13)LOSS 22-21