The Plank
Jesuit hosts successful Homecoming at Haggin Oaks
On Saturday, September 25th, 2021, Jesuit High School Sacramento’s annual Homecoming Dance took place at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex. With last year’s homecoming being canceled due to COVID-19 related reasons, this homecoming was more important than usual.
Lots of change had to occur in order to allow Jesuit’s Homecoming Dance to take place. One of the largest changes was the change in venue for the dance.
Mr. Daniel Mascarenhas: Teaching Jesuit Students on the Path to Priesthood
Mr. Daniel Mascarenhas, S.J. is a Jesuit scholastic who came to Jesuit High School Sacramento this year as part of his path to priesthood. After studying philosophy at St. Louis University in Missouri, Mr. Mascarenhas was assigned to the Golden State where he had previously worked as a mechanical engineer in Silicon Valley.
Mr. Mascarenhas was born and raised in Western India where he attended a Catholic school from 1st to 10th grade. His normal routine in India does not sound much different than what students at Jesuit experience every day.
Review: “Hollow Knight” has an immersive map and unique experiences for metroidvania players
The new videogame “Hollow Knight” is a new take on the classic metroidvania subgenre that delivers a completely different experience from any other video game in the genre. Created and released by the small Australian indie studio Team Cherry, “Hollow Knight” shows some of the best that the indie gaming industry has to offer.
Despite only having a small development team of four and a small budget of 50 thousand dollars, “Hollow Knight” easily puts many AAA Games to shame with its incredible gameplay, soundtrack, and stunning visuals.
Jesuit football shutout Inderkum in Homecoming game
On Saturday, Sept. 25, the Jesuit High School Sacramento Marauders had a tremendous 45-0 victory over Inderkum High School in their Homecoming football game.
The Marauders started off hot with a 12 yard TD pass just five minutes into the first quarter by quarterback Trenton Dewar ’23 to running back Kai Santos ’22, to go up 7-0. With five minutes to go in the second quarter, cornerback Jackson Hagopian ’22 made the game 14-0, with a massive 62-yard pick six.
Do’s and Don’ts of Homecoming 2021
Homecoming Dances can be a very stressful time with trying to find someone to ask to the dance, a pair of shoes that fit, and even the best place to take pictures.
After not having a formal dance in almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many aspects of the Homecoming Dance have changed. Student Activities Director Mr. Peter Ferrari, who is in charge of homecoming, describes the multiple changes.
Jesuit Parades Into Homecoming at Haggin Oaks
This Saturday, Sept. 25, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Jesuit High School Sacramento will have their Homecoming Dance at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex. The Homecoming Dance ends Spirit Week with a fiesta.
The theme for the dance is Mardi Gras. It was inspired by the recent Hurricane Ida in New Orleans and Jesuit’s call to help with disaster relief there. Student Activities Director Mr. Peter Ferrari gives his reasoning for the theme.
Jesuit Highschool prepares for 50th Reunion in Alumni Weekend
Jesuit High School Sacramento is hosting their 50th annual high school reunion within the upcoming Alumni Weekend which will take place on Sept. 24 to 26 on campus. Jesuit is welcoming the classes of 1970-1971, 1980-1981, 1990-1991, 2000-2001, and 2010-2011 to the celebration.
The weekend is filled with six events which all aim to aid the alums in regrounding their roots here at Jesuit, including the 50th Annual Lunch Tour and the 50th Reunion dinner.
Review: “The Suicide Squad” delivers as an exciting watch with remarkable performances
The action thriller “The Suicide Squad” was released in the United States on Aug. 6th, 2021. The film is directed by James Gunn, produced and released by Warner Bros. Pictures, and stars Idris Elba, John Cena, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman, and many more.
Four Jesuit students are announced as semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship
The National Merit Scholarship is awarded to students who scored the highest in the nation and the state on their PSAT and have a history of academic excellence.
On Sept. 15, the program announced approximately 16 thousand semifinalists across the nation, and Jesuit High School Sacramento is lucky enough to count four seniors among that group: Charlie Diaz ’22, James Irwin ’22, Mathew Mellas ’22, and Robert Lee ’22.
To become a semifinalist for the National Merit Scholarship is a remarkable accomplishment.
Jesuit football pulls off win despite the loss of their starting quarterback
On Saturday, Sept. 18, the Jesuit High School Sacramento football team extended its winning streak to three in a 49-7 win against Pleasant Grove High School.
Despite the lopsided win, Jesuit Varsity Football Scout and Film Coordinator Coach Jonathan Isaac remained grounded when assessing the team’s performance.
“We played relatively well,” Coach Isaac said. “Still a lot of sloppiness to clean up in terms of penalties and execution, but overall a solid effort.”
Spirit week, a tradition not forgotten
With the return of in-person school this year, some normalities have been changed, but for Jesuit High School Sacramento, tradition has not been forgotten.
Spirit Week, the week before Homecoming, has always been a school favorite with many activities and competitions creating a week of fun. With the return of fully in-person school, the student council is making sure to bring back an action packed week.
Jesuit water polo defeats Saint Mary’s in tough battle
On Thursday, Sept 9, Jesuit High School Sacramento’s varsity water polo’s team beat St. Mary’s High School, a top team in the section, 12-10.
For Chuck Jolly ’22, the team’s performance against a top program like SMHS highlighted Jesuit’s teamwork and revealed areas that can still be improved.
Jesuit defeats Christian Brothers 44-0, in the biggest shutout in Holy Bowl history
Last Saturday’s football game was the 50th anniversary Holy Bowl, and it will go down as the highest scoring shutout in Holy Bowl history with Jesuit High School Sacramento defeating the Christian Brothers High School by a score of 44-0.
Jesuit’s offense gained what turned out to be unstoppable momentum after Jackson Hagopian’s ’22 pick-six in the first quarter making the score 20-0.
“We played phenomenal[ly],” said running-back Kai Santos ’22. “We did what we were supposed to do and we executed the plays well.”.
Jesuit football prepares to face Christian Brothers in the 50th annual Holy Bowl
In the most anticipated game of the season, the Jesuit High School Sacramento Marauders will face the Christian Brothers High School Falcons this Saturday, Sept. 11th, at Hughes Stadium in the 50th Annual Holy Bowl.
The Marauders have dominated the Holy Bowl since 1993 with a record of 26-3
After facing a tough loss to Folsom High School, Jesuit hopes to have mended the small gaps in their game that Folsom exposed. Head Varsity Football Coach Marlon Blanton anticipates his team will continue its improvement.
Jesuit football defeats Granite Bay coming off of a tough loss
In their second game of the season, Jesuit High School Sacramento’s varsity football team notched a win against Granite Bay High School with the final score of 28-14 on Friday, Sept. 3rd.
Jesuit handed GBHS their first loss, after starting the season undefeated (2-0). A key performance by Jesuit quarterback Preston Vukovich ’22 had a lot to do with Jesuit’s much-needed victory. He threw for 88 yards on a 63 percent completion rate, in addition to throwing two touchdown passes.
Jesuit community adjusts to in-person learning and a new bell schedule
As Jesuit High School Sacramento students poured onto campus to begin the 2021-22 school year, students returning to in-person instruction for the first time in over a year experienced many changes, which include the wearing of masks, social distancing, and plexiglass dividers. One additional change that all faculty, staff, and students alike will be adjusting to is a new bell schedule.
Jesuit football suffers disappointing loss against Folsom High School but looks forward to next game against Granite Bay
After lots of rescheduling and hoping for good air quality, the Jesuit High School Sacramento Marauders and Folsom High School Bulldogs were finally able to play against each other to open the football season on Monday, Aug. 30.
The game ended with the Marauders losing by a landslide in a 7-56 loss against the Bulldogs. Jesuit lost 3 fumbles which was a leading factor in the lopsided defeat.
Jesuit readies for the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit
On Thursday, Aug. 26, and Friday, Aug. 27 Jesuit High School Sacramento will celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit, an annual Mass celebrated across all Jesuit schools. This Liturgy will be the first time students gather together in person for Mass since schools shut down due to COVID-19 back in March 2020.
Jesuit football hopes to set the tone with a win in their season opener against Folsom
Update: Due to poor air quality in Folsom, the varsity football game has been moved to Jesuit at 4:30 p.m. and we have adjusted the story to mention that.
On Friday, Aug. 27, at 4:30 p.m. the Jesuit High School varsity football team will be facing a tough opponent as their season opener is against the Folsom High School Bulldogs at Jesuit.
Due to COVID-19, these two teams were not able to play against each other last year. The last time Jesuit faced the Bulldogs was in August of 2019, losing with a score of 12-52.
A dedicated servant in many ways, Ms. Colleen Arrigo retires from Jesuit
For Mrs. Colleen Arrigo, who retired from Jesuit High School Sacramento following the 2020-2021 school year, nurturing the “Men for Others” culture came in many forms.