The Plank - Student Life
Club Day invites students to pursue their interests
Every year, Jesuit High School Sacramento hosts its Club Day, where students can explore opportunities to pursue their personal interests on campus. This year’s Club Day will take place on Thursday, Sept. 4th, in the senior quad during an extended lunch period.
Freshman Overnight, furthering the bonds of brotherhood
On Saturday, Aug. 23 and Sunday, Aug. 24, Jesuit High School Sacramento hosted its annual Freshman Overnight Retreat. This retreat allowed freshmen to connect on a deeper level with each other and their Big Brothers. Many activities and events were put in place to foster an exciting atmosphere for the freshman class.
Mass of the Holy Spirit, a reminder of our shared journey
On Friday, Aug. 22, Jesuit High School Sacramento held its annual Mass of the Holy Spirit to welcome new and returning students to campus.
Director of Campus Ministry Mr. Adam McGrew recognizes how the mass gives an opportunity for the community to come together and kick off the new school year.
Goodbye Willie’s
Back when I was a wee freshman, my Jesuit big brother told me a lot of things that went in one ear and out the other, but there was one thing that prominently stuck: “Willie’s Burgers has a student discount.”
For thousands of Marauders, Willie’s offered a typical burger joint, with fries, shakes, hotdogs, and more. But there was one defining feature for us Jesuit students – the student discount.
Spring choir concert: a sonorous success
On Wednesday, May 7, the choir hosted their Spring Choral Concert at the nearby Our Lady of Assumption Parish. This concert’s theme was “Music For Others” – a play on the phrase “Man For Others.” The music selected exemplified this theme, with a wide variety of songs ranging from Michael Jackson to traditional Hebrew Prayers.
One of the most memorable parts of the concert was the acoustics within the building. The beautiful layout of Our Lady of Assumption’s church allowed for the voices of the singers to blend perfectly, creating a great listening experience.
Jesuit music program bands together for a spectacular performance
On Wednesday, April 16, Jesuit High School Sacramento held their Spring Band Concert, where the Funk Band, Prelude Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Jazz Band all performed. Their performance consisted of Silent Movie Suites, video game music, and many other interesting pieces.
Clarinet and Baritone Sax player Samuel Gegax ’25 is very proud of his bandmates’ performances, and is happy that everyone’s hard work paid off.
Jewish Student Union scores a win for the record books
From Monday, March 31 to Friday, April 11, the big event on Jesuit High School Sacramento’s campus was the World Cup. With five different teams each competing under the flag of their representative countries, the atmosphere was extremely exciting.
In the first game on Wednesday, April 2, the Asian Pacific Islanders Club (APIC) came out with a 4-2 victory over the Jewish Student Union (JSU). After that game, Latinos Unidos played the French Club. At halftime, the French Club was up 6 points, but Latinos Unidos caught up by the end of the game, making the final score 6-6.
Mary Poppins Pops off in the Black Box Theater
From March 7 to March 16, Jesuit High School Sacramento’s drama department performed the musical “Mary Poppins.” The play sold out in the first 3 days, breaking the Jesuit Drama record.
The exceptional performances were in large part due to the hard work put in by the cast and crew.
“We rehearsed for almost 15 hours every week for two months, learned a lot of complicated choreography, and memorized a lot of lyrics for songs,” said cast member Ali Zaidi ’25. “Everyone gave it their all and did a great job.”
Jesuit Auction: a Party in Palm Beach
On Saturday, March 22, Jesuit High School Sacramento will host its 53rd Annual Jesuit Auction & Gala.
Every year, the Department of Advancement and parent volunteers spend months preparing for this event. The aim of the auction is to raise money to support students financially.
Student-Teacher Olympics: the dawn of a new tradition
On Monday, Feb. 24, Jesuit High School Sacramento began its first ever week-long Student-Teacher Olympics. Each day, students faced off against members of the faculty and staff in a new competition to decide who really runs the school.
Monday saw a team of trivia aficionados from each side pit their wits against each other in a game of Jeopardy – the students took this event home with a close win.
See what’s Poppin’ in the Black Box Theatre
On Friday, March 7, Jesuit High School Sacramento’s Drama program, along with students from Saint Francis High School, Christian Brothers High School, Rio Americano High School, and Country Day High School will present Cameron Mackintosh and Disney’s “Mary Poppins.” This musical is the largest production Jesuit Drama has brought to stage in recent years, so the performance will be a night to remember.
George Srabian ’25 is excited for this performance, as he and the rest of the team have put in many hours to make this musical as special as possible.
Orchestra and Symphonic Band combine forces at Honors Music Recital
Yesterday, Feb. 26, Jesuit High School Sacramento’s Orchestra and Symphonic Band performed in their Honors Music Recital.
Cello player Nicolas Padilla ’25 believes that the performances throughout the night went off without a hitch.
Ralph, Mazibuko lead Teachers to overtime victory vs. Students
The Father Barry Gymnasium has never been this loud.
On Tuesday, Feb. 25, all of Jesuit High School Sacramento rallied behind their faculty and staff for the Teachers vs. Students basketball game. To close the annual Winter Sports Rally, the final two teams of the intramural basketball tournament took on 8 members of Jesuit’s faculty and staff.
Open Mic Night: entertainment for all
On Friday, Feb. 28, Jesuit High School Sacramento’s Asian Pacific Islander Club (APIC) will host its annual Open Mic Night in the Harris Center. This event offers high school students from across the Sacramento area a chance to showcase their talents, socialize with friends, and enjoy a variety of foods prepared by student clubs.
“I joined APIC last year when I was a freshman since I wanted to find a community at Jesuit that shared the same cultural similarities and experiences as me,” said Owen Hartono ’27. “Open Mic Night is a fun event where students and their families can come to watch a variety of performances, including cultural ones, such as the St. Francis’ hula team and Tinikling dance, as well as music performances from different students.”
Choir Cabaret: Sockhop knocks audience’s socks off
Jesuit High School Sacramento’s first ever Choir Cabaret took place Saturday, Feb 7. Focused around 50’s rock and roll songs, the event’s theme was “Sockhop.” It featured a variety of singers performing group pieces, duets, trios, and solos.
Director of Choral Music Mr. David Vanderbout helped host the Choir Cabaret, and believes that it provided a unique opportunity to spotlight vocal performance.
Celebrating the contributions of Black Americans
Jesuit High School Sacramento will hold a Black History Assembly on Friday, Feb. 14, to commemorate the contributions of many Black Americans, as well as the achievements of our own African American alumni in the world.
This year, Jesuit is hosting four panelists to speak about their contributions after high school. Ron Barrow Jr. ’98 serves as an associate pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Dr. Caron Houston, M.D. is an internal medicine physician specializing in individualized care for adult patients. Ben Sharpe ’99 received a masters in civil engineering from Stanford University and a PhD in civil engineering from University of California, Davis. Dean of Students La Roddric Theodule has educated students in the Catholic school system since 2002.
Mass for the New Year encourages hope
On Christmas Eve of last year, Pope Francis announced the beginning of a Jubilee Year for the Catholic Church. A Jubilee Year is a time for forgiveness, a renewal of faith and reconciliation with others. At Jesuit High School Sacramento’s Mass for the New Year, the community learned about the Jubilee Year’s meaning, and the importance of that meaning to the widespread Jesuit community.
The theme of this Jubilee year, “Pilgrims of Hope,” invites Catholics to focus on spreading hope and good will to all. Liturgy Workshop worked to emphasize this message from the Vatican in this mass.
Jesuit bands to perform at Marauder Mardi Gras
On Saturday, Feb. 8, Jesuit High School Sacramento will be hosting its 15th annual Marauder Mardi Gras, formerly known as the Jazz Dinner. In a night filled with music, entertainment, and delicious desserts, the Jesuit band will be performing throughout the night to show off their skills and to raise funds for the program.
Compared to previous years, this dinner will now be showcasing other parts of the Jesuit band program beyond the jazz section, allowing for an exciting introduction to build up to the main jazz showing.
Marauders in France
In the summer of 2026, Jesuit High School Sacramento will be hosting an intercultural experience traveling across France, exploring Paris and other iconic French cities and landmarks. The program is organized by French teacher Ms. Leslie Willson.
Buddhist monks return to spread compassion
For the second year in a row, Tibetan Monks from the Gaden Shartse Norling Monastery in India, visited Jesuit High School Sacramento.
On Tuesday, Jan. 14, the monks visited as part of their monastery’s Sacred Arts of Tibet Tour, which aims to share the culture and traditions of the Buddhist faith with the world, as well as promote religious unity.
The event consisted of a short prayer service, followed by a lengthier Question and Answer session where students had the opportunity to ask about everything from the monks’ dress code to deeper questions about Buddhist philosophy.