By the Editorial Board of The Plank

Two state championships.

A sold out play.

Multiple outstanding performances by the choir and band programs. Taking everything into account, it’s safe to say that Jesuit has had a very successful year.

But why? Are all of these accomplishments merely a result of luck and coincidence? Is this just a fluke, a peak year for Jesuit? Or is there something bigger at play, a newfound key to consistent success?

The answer lies within Jesuit’s culture. Of course, each program at Jesuit has its own unique culture, shaped by its staff and student leaders; however, despite their unique qualities, these programs are united by a few notable traits. And it’s these traits that are the key to Jesuit’s year of success.

First and foremost, individuals need to care about their respective programs so that they act with purpose. For that to happen, leaders must establish trust through strong planning and communication.

“Buying in is always a question of trust,” said Principal Dr. Michael Wood ’99. “That trust is built with time, good communication, good modeling of behavior, and past successes. When that happens, success tends to be a natural outcome.”

Furthermore, that purpose must be a shared purpose. With people working towards the same goal, the second component of consistent success, teamwork, is inevitable.

“I was talking to Coach Kelly about the basketball team this year,” said Mr. Ed Trafton ’84. “He was saying the same thing: there was a great team of guys that decided that their individual egos weren’t the most important thing, that it was about the group. It was about supporting each other and because of that, look at what our awesome team did. And I feel that in a similar way, we had the same thing happen in the [Black Box] theater.”

The third component of a culture of success is placing the emphasis on others. When team members shift their focus from individual accomplishment to shared success, the team becomes greater than just a collection of talented individuals.

“The [cross country team] was successful because they put the team’s success above their individual success,” said Assistant Cross Country Coach Tom Witzgall ’98. “We had four different [first place] runners this year and it didn’t really matter who led the team on a particular day. They were all happy for each other and encouraging towards each other. They like each other and worked together at practice to make everyone better.”

So, back to the question of “why now?”

This year’s accomplishments, which are chronicled in the following pages, aren’t flukes. Rather, they’re the concrete evidence of something intrinsic and internal that is encapsulated in our mottos “Men for Others” and “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam” (AMDG).

For 62 years, Jesuit has nurtured a selfless schoolwide culture, inviting students to sacrifice personal accolades for communal success. We say “Men for Others” and “AMDG” so often that they feel cliché. But there’s no denying that the following programs have embodied these words and soared to new heights because of them.

“Men for Others” and “AMDG” are more than just overused catchphrases. When taken to heart, they become formulas to success, keys to excellence. And the roots of this tree can produce a school year like 2024-2025.