Jesuit hosts Alumni Reunion Weekend this weekend

Plank Article Oliver Leinberger ’23

Starting on Friday Oct. 7, Jesuit High School Sacramento is hosting a weekend-long event known as the Alumni Reunion Weekend.

Alumni Reunion Weekend includes many fun, inclusive events for Jesuit alumni and the community. The kickoff event is the 50th Lunch and Tour which starts at 11:30 a.m. on Friday and welcomes all alumni from 1972 and their parents. Later that day, all alumni are welcomed to the Guy’s Night Alumni Only “Tailgating” event that takes place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Director of Auctions and Events Mrs. Kim Kalmbach, one of the many contributors to this event, hopes each alumnus is able to reconnect with old friends, and with the Jesuit community at large. 

“I’d say the biggest thing [with events like these] is connection; connecting with one another, and also reconnecting with the school,” Mrs. Kalmbach said. “Our goal with alumni is to really make sure that they stay connected to Jesuit for networking purposes, for friendships. It continues the brotherhood that you started here while you’re a student.”

On Saturday, Jesuit will host the Homecoming Family BBQ from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the senior quad. This event invites all members of the Jesuit community to purchase a $10 ticket for one meal, drinks, and admission to the 1 p.m. football game. 

At 5 p.m., there is an All Class Happy Hour event that lasts for 90 minutes followed by the Jesuit Class of 1972 Golden Reunion dinner. The Alumni Reunion Weekend will end on Sunday with an Alumni and Family Mass that starts at 10 a.m. in the Phelan Chapel of the North American Martyrs. 

Mr. Deniro Gomez ’19, a Jesuit alumnus and current California State University, Sacramento student who is helping plan this weekend-long celebration, highlights the importance of community that comes with reunion events like these.

“I think one of the things that’s really unique about our anniversary events that we have is that we make them more community-based,” Mr. Gomez said. “Some events will [be] class particular and exclusive, like [the classes of] ’66 or ’72 just with each other, but we [also] incorporate the families of even the current Jesuit students [for many events]. When we have something like the homecoming barbeque, they’re there with the current students and families, and other current alumni as well, so it really engages them with the whole community.”

In a similar manner, Alumni Chaplain Rev. Edwin B. Harris, S.J. hopes each alumnus attending is able to take something meaningful away from Alumni Reunion Weekend. 

“I hope they’ll see what’s going on at the school, and they’ll remember their own experience and be interested in helping us out,” Fr. Harris said. “That could be sending your kids here, or it could be donations as alumni, or making connections with teachers who have retired. There’s a social dimension, but there’s also a personal growth [dimension], not to mention reconnecting among themselves and among the different classes.”

With this 3 day celebration happening tomorrow, everyone is encouraged to sign up and join Jesuit alumni as they celebrate their reunion year with the community they love. If interested, click here to sign up.