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Opinions

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CW: Marauders make a difference in Kansas City
by Luke Dougherty '25

When many people think of Kansas City, Missouri, they think of Arrowhead Stadium, Royals baseball, and flavorful barbecue. This past summer, however, a group of Jesuit students learned that there is much more to Kansas City than they previously thought. As a part of a special immersion trip, they spent a week living and serving at the Jerusalem Farm (JF), a nonprofit organization based in Kansas City. 

The group departed from Jesuit on June 2, 2024. Upon arrival, they were greeted warmly by members of the JF community serving and living there. The community members had varying levels of history with the program’s four cornerstones: community, prayer, simplicity, and service. The Marauders lived and grew in these values through daily life on the farm.

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CW: Opening eyes with the Kino Border Initiative
by Daniel Baskette '25

When I found out that I got accepted to go to the Kino Border Initiative (KBI) Immersion in Nogales, Mexico, I knew it would be unlike any other experience I have ever had. My group, led by English Teacher Mr. Ted Hornback ’83 and Assistant Director for Office of Service and Justice Ms. Jessica Fuentes was ready to experience and to see firsthand what life was like on the border, and hear the many perspectives on migration. Initially, I felt a mix of nerves and excitement – while I had been to Mexico several times before, this was my first time experiencing the border with such an intimate, human perspective. I knew this journey would challenge my views and push me to see something new. 

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CW: Growth at Jerusalem Farm
by Tommy Miller '25

Before my trip to Jerusalem Farm, the only thing on my mind was that I wouldn’t have my phone all week and would have to eat vegan. I spent the week with some of my classmates, Director of Campus Ministry Mr. Paul LeBoeuf, and Science teacher Ms. Amy Becker. On arrival, we took a tour of the place and got to meet the all-girls school from Chicago alongside whom we were working. 

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CW: Fostering friendship in Del Norte County
by Tristan McLoughlin '25

Sunday, July 7th began with an early wake-up call. I was drowsy, yet I couldn’t help but feel a little bit excited for the week that was about to come. I’ve always loved community service, so committing a whole week to it was very exciting.

Our immersion journey started at Jesuit, and after a seven hour drive, the wait was over: we had arrived at our church in Del Norte County, California.

Plank Article Toby Hekkanen '25

OSU: a world of opportunity

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Oregon to tour colleges – one of which was Oregon State University (OSU). Upon arriving, I noticed the expansive size of the campus. At 420 acres, it is roughly eight times the size of Jesuit, but with over 30 times the number of undergraduate students. While the campus is nowhere near the largest for a college, it is dense and large enough to host over 200 undergraduate programs and 16 great sports programs.

Plank Article Jackson Bill ’27

Opinion: Bathroom hand dryers should be abandoned

Public restrooms can be a disgusting place filled with unflushed toilets and other repulsive smells. The rise of hand-dryers is only contributing to this problem, posing a more serious risk to public health than most people think.

In 2018, researchers from the University of Connecticut suspected that hand dryers in public bathrooms may be sucking up bacteria from the surrounding air, and blowing it onto the freshly washed hands of unaware guests. To prove this hypothesis, scientists placed petri dishes in different locations around a bathroom, and then recorded any mycobacterial growth. With the hand dryers off, petri dishes exposed to the air in the bathroom grew one or zero colonies of bacteria within a span of two minutes. However, petri dishes exposed to the hot-air hand dryers for thirty seconds grew anywhere from 18 to 254 colonies.

Plank Article Bruce Van Parys ’27

University of Oregon: A Top Public University with great student life

The University of Oregon (UO) is a top public university located in Eugene, Oregon, that offers more than 300 undergraduate programs and 120 graduate programs to its 29,000 students. UO gives students the ability to continue their education surrounded by, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful campuses in the country and many engaging student events that you are able to attend.

In my opinion, one of the best parts of the UO is the beautiful campus. Situated on 296 acres of land, you can walk across it in 15 minutes, under shade the whole way. Because the school was built in 1876, the campus has many renovated historic buildings, which have been mixed in with newer buildings as the university has grown. 

Plank Article Aiden Dalida ’26

University of Southern California offers vast array of opportunities

The University of Southern California (USC) was founded in 1880, in beautiful and sunny Los Angeles, California. With rigorous academics and a strong student life scene, USC enables students to enjoy the experience of furthering their education. 

USC consists of 23 schools, each focusing on a different field of study. This ranges from the USC School of Cinematic Arts to the USC Gould School of Law. With a variety of these colleges to choose from, USC allows students to study their field in a more refined way.

Plank Article Cooper Zarro '26

Opinion: “Dune: Part Two” is a must-watch

With the release of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” (Part Two), audiences across the world sighed a collective breath of relief. Somehow, the sequel to the 2021 film has managed to meet and surpass the near insurmountable weight of expectations it carried before its release. The sci-fi epic changed the world of film forever, and it will be talked about favorably for years to come.

Plank Article Milo Moggan ’26

Opinion: This season was not Sacra-meant-to-be

With All-Star Weekend in the rear-view mirror, the Sacramento Kings sit at seventh place in the Western Conference with a record of 33-24. At the start of this NBA season, The Plank anonymously polled 47 random student fans from Jesuit High School Sacramento, asking them what their Playoff expectations are for the Kings this year. Their confidence was clear: 52.1% said that this season’s team can make it past the second round, something the franchise hasn’t accomplished since 2002. Let’s see how those expectations stack up after 57 games.

Plank Article Brandon Smalls '26

Opinion: “Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”: a unique take on AI

“Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” is the latest installment of the “Mission Impossible” (MI) franchise and was released in theaters on July 12, 2023. The movie was released to streaming for Paramount Plus subscribers on Thursday, Jan. 25 2024. The movie is also available to buy on Amazon Prime and Apple TV. It was directed and written by Christopher McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen. The film contains thrilling action and has a unique take on Artificial Intelligence (AI), but its long action scenes and ambiguity can hamper the experience.

Plank Article Jason De Guzman ’25

Opinion: Chiefs hold the advantage in Super Bowl LVIII

Super Bowl LVIII will be held on Sunday, Feb.11, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Many Jesuit students will be tuning in as the game will feature a familiar matchup: Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers will face off against Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs. The two teams played each other in Super Bowl LIV four years ago, where the Chiefs won 31-20 thanks to a dominant final 8 minutes where they outscored the 49ers 21-0.

Plank Article John Covert '24

Opinion: Behind the odds

Gambling is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. According to data collected by the Federal Trade Commission, as stated in their “Daily News” press release, the global online gambling market size was valued at 63.53 billion United States Dollars (USD) in 2022, and is expected to grow quickly at a compound annual growth rate of 11.7% from 2023 to 2030.

Plank Article Cooper Zarro '26

Opinion: “The Creator”: stunning visuals can’t save a mediocre story

Filmmaker Gareth Edwards’s much-anticipated original sci-fi film “The Creator” was released in theaters on Sept. 30, 2023, and it failed to live up to the hype. This movie is disappointing because it feels as cookie-cutter and one-note as the typical blockbuster fare, despite it being one of the few sci-fi movies released in the past few years that is not attached to a series.