The Plank
Max Troppmann ’25: jack of all trades, master of all
Is there anything Max Troppmann ’25 doesn’t do? As the founder of the Engineering club, a peer tutor, and a member of Speech and Debate, Mathletes, and wrestling team, Max is entrenched in many parts of the Jesuit High School Sacramento community. On top of these skills, he speaks four languages: English, German, French, and Spanish.
Max’s vast and varied talents make him a unique individual.
Raphael Edralin ’25: Lead, Laugh, Love
The spirit of a true marauder is loud and proud, and there’s no one that embodies this better than Raphael “Rafi” Edralin ’25. From hearing him on the loudspeaker to seeing him hype up the Holy Bowl crowd, Jesuit students are constantly made aware of Rafi’s presence.
As Head Cheerleader, Rafi always plans activities with enjoyment as his biggest priority.
Opinion: “Red One”: A mediocre movie for a merry Christmas
Released on Nov. 15, “Red One” is an action-packed Christmas movie directed by Jake Kasdan and written by Chris Morgan. Critics’ reviews on the film have been generally negative, logging a 30% score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the “Popcornmeter” (the audience reviews) displays a whopping 90%.
Is the movie as bad as the critics say? Or is the audience review more accurate?
LMU: A small campus in a big city
Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit college located in Los Angeles, California. When I visited, I saw the small yet beautiful campus and a few of the landmarks that made the university stand out from others.
LMU has 7,000 undergraduate students and 2,800 graduate students on their 142 acre campus. LMU is one of top ranked film colleges in the nation and has a great STEM program as well. The school has a teacher to student ratio of 11-to-1, allowing students to have closer discussions and relationships with their professors.
Chris Palchak ’25: setting a high bar
If you’ve exited campus via American River Drive in the spring, you likely saw Chris Palchak ’25 sling a 12 pound shot into the cosmos. If you caught the toss out of the corner of your eye, then you also likely saw him seamlessly shift his focus after every throw from his performance to his teammates.
Whether it’s by answering questions, demonstrating the proper form, or sharing words of encouragement on and off the field, Chris’s compassion and integrity help guide others to success.
Koen Miyashiro ’25: a loyal friend and mentor to all
When you meet Koen Miyashiro ’25 for the first time, you’ll quickly discover two things about him: he’s exceptionally smart and exceptionally friendly. He’ll speak first, curiously asking a question or sharing an observation. When you respond, he’ll show genuine interest and will continue asking questions or sharing stories. Before you know it, you’ll be deep in conversation with him, trying to keep up as he speaks rapidly and excitedly. Because of experiences like this one, many people at Jesuit High School Sacramento call Koen a friend.
While working with Koen to organize Echelon Catapult classes and events, Director of Admissions Mr. Matthew Ramos ’05 has watched Koen grow into a capable and confident leader.
Opinion: normalized hate feeds a dangerous cycle
The internet is arguably the best invention since the wheel. It allows us to connect with other people and share our ideas. Many people have harnessed this ability and shaped it into various online communities.
However, in the words of the late Ben Parker: “With great power comes great responsibility.” While these communities are often used for good purposes – advocacy, education, or even plain and simple entertainment – the power granted by the internet is very easily used to promote hateful ideology, whether intentionally or not.
Opinion: the greatest sport of all time, soccer
There is a variety of sports that countries and cultures find to be the “greatest sport of all time.” Cricket, American football, tennis, and basketball are globally popular sports with enormous fanbases. However, out of all the numerous sports celebrated around the world, I believe soccer is the most fulfilling and the greatest of all.
As someone who grew up with the sport, I fell in love with the game at a very young age. I believe that soccer tops all other sports in terms of the emotions it evokes in the players and audience, as well as its global reach to almost every culture on the planet.
Opinion: Gladiator II, a modern masterpiece
“Gladiator II” is a historical fiction action film directed and produced by Ridley Scott. The film released on Oct. 30 2024, with a Tomatometer score of 72% and an 82% score on the “popcornmeter.” Generally speaking, the movie has garnered positive views and generated a whopping $369.7 million worldwide.
The plot focuses around Hanno (Paul Mescal), a disgraced Numidian soldier who was forced into slavery as a gladiator after being captured by the Roman army. The twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hichinger) have both corrupted Rome’s ideals, and launched an invasion into Northern Africa, where Hanno was living. The movie focuses on spectacular fights, grand visuals, and Hanno’s quest for vengeance against those who have ruined the “Roman dream.”
UCLA: balanced and beautiful
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) was founded in 1919, in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. This renowned university offers a strong student life in addition to a top-of-the-line education.
Since UCLA is part of the UC system, it has many advantages over other universities. For example, they share a library with the entirety of the UC system, which allows them to access literature that many other universities do not provide. For me, this definitely gives UCLA a leg up on many other non-UC universities.
Sleep well, it’s Finals Week!
Although Christmas break is right around the corner, something a lot less exciting stands in the way: finals.
With the ability to make or break your grade, knowing how to study for finals can be a daunting task, especially if it is your first time taking one at Jesuit. Sam David ’28 echoes these sentiments.
Wrestling team plans to suplex their way to victory
After an outstanding 2023-2024 season, the Jesuit High School Sacramento wrestling team aims to continue their success this winter. The team has refined their skills throughout the off-season, training to dominate the competition.
“A lot of the wrestlers, including me, have been doing off season practices throughout spring, summer, and fall,” said Xavier Pizano ’25. “And outside of just practicing, we’ve also been going to tournaments and wrestling camps. We’ve done a lot of off-season competition and practices to prepare for this upcoming season.”
Symphonic and Jazz Band show off hard work at Winter Band Concert
On Thursday, Dec. 12 Jesuit High School Sacramento’s Symphonic Band and Jazz Band will perform at their annual winter band concert in the Harris Center.
Sam Gegax ’25 has been a member of the Symphonic and Jazz Band for the last four years. He is excited to see how far he and the rest of band have grown with their music throughout the year.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetleju…
The original “Beetlejuice,” Tim Burton’s eccentric and oftentimes disturbing 1988 film, released to good – if not stellar – reviews. Despite some gruesome elements, the movie established itself as a classic family movie.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which was released on Sept. 6, 2024, a sequel 36 years in the making, had big shoes to fill, and it largely fails to live up to the accolades of the original.
Jesuit choirs spread Christmas cheer at Winter Choral Concert
On Wednesday, Dec. 11, Jesuit High School Sacramento’s three choirs will unite for one of their biggest performances of the year. The men’s choir, concert choir, and chamber choir are welcoming people to attend their joint Winter Concert performance at the Our Lady of the Assumption Parish.
The concert will feature all three levels of Jesuit’s choir singing a variety of Christmas-themed pieces – all of which will be tied together by the concert’s theme, “Brightest and Best”.
Jesuit Engineering Club prepares students for the future
Last year, Max Troppman ’25 revived the Engineering club with the help of Math teacher Mr. Justin Tsai. The club works to showcase upcoming engineering inventions and concepts to foster student awareness and appreciation for the field.
“We typically bring videos regarding new and upcoming technologies and watch them as a group,” Max said. “We then discuss the content in these videos, discuss what we think of the implications that could be had in the future, and just talk a little about our own interests in STEM.”
Learning the reason for the season at Lessons and Carols
On Sunday, Dec. 8, Jesuit High School Sacramento’s chamber choir will collaborate with the Saint Francis High School choir to host the annual Lessons and Carols service.
Originating in England, Lessons and Carols is an event with a rich history that is dedicated to celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Choir Director Mr. David Vanderbout explains the central themes and ideas that are communicated in the service.
EA Sports College Football 25: A Return To Form
After an 11 year hiatus, college football has finally returned to video games. On July 19, 2024, EA Sports College Football 25 was released, bringing the highly anticipated renewal of the storied game franchise.
Inaugural Interfaith Prayer Service aims to inspire gratitude
On Friday, Nov. 22, Jesuit High School Sacramento will host its first ever Thanksgiving Interfaith Prayer Service. In light of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, the service will center on the theme of gratitude; more specifically, how we can be thankful in our everyday lives.
As the first interfaith Campus Ministry event, the service will feature Jesuit student speakers and guest speakers from various religions.
Science Olympiad team pursues excellence in scientific passions
The Jesuit High School Sacramento Science Olympiad team allows students to dive deeper into their love for science and engineering in ways that a conventional class does not allow. Whether it is building a bridge from scratch or maneuvering a laser through a maze of mirrors, the Science Olympiad team is always doing something fun.
While the team is enjoyable for every student that joins, the ultimate goal of the team is to prepare for an annual Science Olympiad competition.