Principal’s Newsletter
October, 2017 Jesuit High School www.jesuitportland.org
SEPTEMBER WOWS, OCTOBER VOWS I wish we could store the energy of the first few weeks of school in batteries in the steam tunnels rumored to exist under the JHS campus. We would plug them in round about May 15, when students and staff are running on fumes. One big jolt from a September pep assembly, and we could coast into Summer 2018.
In late September, we learned that Fr Bill Hayes, SJ, the legendary “second founder” of Jesuit High, had passed away peacefully at 89 in Los Gatos, CA. Fr. Hayes’ myriad contributions to Jesuit are matched only by his countless friends, many of whom we expect to welcome at his funeral Mass on October 20.
But for now, even as we move into the autumnal crispness toward All Hallows Eve, we are still basking in the glow of September, the dawn of the 2017-18 school year.
Fr. Hayes had returned to JHS on the weekend of September 1, sitting in his reserved seat in the press box as the Crusaders pulled out that close win over Tigard. Head coach Ken Potter’s last vision of Fr. Hayes came when he looked up from Cronin Field after the game to see Fr. Hayes, the long-time chaplain of the football team, grinning widely and flashing a thumbs-up at the coach and counselor he had hired over three decades ago.
Fueled by the Ambassadors’ high fives and the joyous hallway chatter of the first days of school, the good ship Jesuit launched into the new school year. At the Welcome Back Assembly, President Tom Arndorfer and the cheerleaders got the students rocking the Knight Gym bleachers with epic versions of the Triple-J and “I Believe That We Will Win!” The New Student Barbecue presaged an epic dance party at Freshman Fun Night. At the first football game against Tigard, students marched with hearts in rhythm behind our brand-new drumline. Early highlights have included strong soccer and volleyball crowds, big wins in cross-country, a national ranking for our astonishing women’s soccer team, inspiring guest speakers who have taught students about DACA and the martyrs of El Salvador, and a gorgeous first Coffeehouse.
,
Our students and faculty were missioned to the holy work of education at the all-school Mass of the Holy Spirit on September 15. The next day, the seniors took off on their annual Pilgrimage. We look for the seniors to set the tone for the school year, and the Pilgrimage helped them find just the right pitch. For this year, the seniors selected the following quotation from Pope Francis as their Pilgrimage Theme: “We walk with a heart that does not close in on itself, but beats to the rhythm of a journey undertaken together.” The Class of 2018 did indeed find their groove on the Pilgrimage, as old friends reconnected and new friendships blossomed.
Speaking of coming home: Homecoming Weekend featured another huge win on the gridiron, hundreds of alumni returning to JHS, and a dance for the ages. Meanwhile, in the face of a startling series of natural disasters, JHS families responded by raising over $15,000 for hurricane relief. Listening to the call to be “women and men for and with others,” 240 Jesuit students again teamed up with their friends from Central, St. Mary’s Academy, Valley Catholic, and DeLaSalle North to raise over $50,000 for the Children’s Cancer Association in the Walk-and-Mass for Joy on October 1. In our classrooms, teachers and students have been digging deep into the rich academic soil that is a Jesuit education. Some of the seeds they have planted have already borne fruit; some of the lessons will not fully blossom until many years down the line. Clubs also got going during September, as multiple diversity clubs, old favorites like Chess and Mock Trial, and a whole slew of new clubs signed up members at the Club Fair on September 20. On October 27, we have the rare opportunity to witness a Jesuit take his Final Vows, at the Mass of St. Ignatius. Fr. Paul Grubb, SJ, ’91, will profess his vows in front of the
Educating Men & Women for Others in the Catholic, Jesuit Tradition Since 1956