Odyssey Bringing the
Headliners
The conclusion of senior year was unlike anything the Class of 2020 could have imagined.
On May 18, faculty, staff, seniors, and parents gathered on campus for the first time since March 12 for a senior parade. With a soundtrack of music, car horns, and cheers from their teachers, students made their way from the Emerson entrance to the Ballas parking lot. They waved through sun roofs and windows, and many held signs expressing their gratitude for De Smet Jesuit. 2 Odyssey
SUMMER 2020
DEBBIE HIGGINS
SENIOR PARADE
CARRIE BECHER
From April 17 through May 15, De Smet Jesuit turned on its stadium lights every Friday night for 20 minutes at 8 p.m. (20:20 in military time), joining schools across the nation that participated in Friday Night Lights tributes for the Class of 2020. Every Friday brought seniors and their families to campus to watch from their cars, and audiences numbering in the thousands viewed live feeds on Facebook and Twitter.
GRADUATION KABANCE PHOTO SERVICES
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
“We made it!” declared Principal Kevin Poelker ’98 on June 27 to begin the Class of 2020’s graduation ceremony at De Smet Jesuit — only the second outdoor graduation ceremony in school history. Seated in socially-distanced groups of three (graduates plus two family members) on the turf with faculty and staff looking on from seats along the track, the 158 members of the Class of 2020 finally had their turn to cross the stage and receive their De Smet Jesuit diplomas. To comply with safety guidelines in place at the time, the ceremony included a mix of tradition and creativity. Graduates wore maroon caps, gowns — and masks. They heard remarks from valedictorian Alex Bentele ’20 and an address to graduates from best-selling author and motivational speaker John O’Leary ’95. Following a closing benediction from Fr. .James Burshek, S.J., they were commissioned to “go set the world on fire.” The big finish — streams of confetti and fireworks on the baseball field — surprised and delighted the crowd just moments before the rain began to fall.
