Luke Kriss ’23
Plank Staff, Section Chief
Luke Kriss ’23
Attendance (916) 482-6060
Ms. Kathy Van Liefde to retire after decades of kind service
In her 27 years at Jesuit High School Sacramento, Ms. Kathy Van
Liefde has served as a math teacher and, in her current capacity,
as a guidance counselor. In all her responsibilities, she has
maintained a positive attitude and a focus on her students’
well-being.
Landon Darling ’25 rocks the rodeo
Landon Darling ’25, a sophomore at Jesuit High School Sacramento,
has recently decided to pursue his interest in Rodeo, a unique
and competitive sport that involves intensive training and
rigorous work with horses.
California Advocacy Day, learning to be citizens of faith
This year’s California Advocacy Day on March 28 invites and
encourages students from Jesuit High School Sacramento to visit
the California state capitol in downtown Sacramento and
participate in faith-based advocacy.
Opinion: Cornell University, go (other) Big Red!
Cornell University is a private Ivy League school located in
Ithaca, New York that is well known for its Computer Science,
Medical, and Hotel Management programs. Cornell is also famous
for being the second largest school in the Ivy League with 15,000
undergraduate students.
Daniel Sokoler ’23: proud leader on campus
Over his years at Jesuit High School Sacramento, Daniel Sokoler
’23 has distinguished himself as a “Man for Others” through his
involvement in the community and his leadership of Jesuit’s
Jewish Student Union.
Jake Swanson ’23: leading the celebration
Jacob Swanson ’23 is perhaps the most well-known student on
campus; he’s widely regarded as a hard worker and a great leader,
especially when it comes to his four year contribution to student
government at Jesuit High School Sacramento.
Bassem Mansour ‘23, a model of generosity
Bassem Mansour ’23 is known for his generous spirit and joyous
personality. Bassem, however, feels that the community at Jesuit
High School Sacramento has been just as generous to him,
especially in the aftermath of the accident that changed his
life.
Opinion: Georgetown University offers historic campus, Catholic education
Georgetown University is a private Jesuit institution and
research university located in Washington, D.C. It offers the
opportunity for Jesuit High School Sacramento students to
continue their Jesuit education in the nation’s capital, with
access to a multitude of internships and a beautiful campus.
Latinos Unidos gives voice and community to latinos students
Latinos Unidos is Jesuit High School Sacramento’s Latino heritage
club. It is a club that seeks to give a sense of community and
voice to Latino students at Jesuit.
Vandalism restricts availability of some bathrooms on campus
Recently, a wave of bathroom vandalism has swept across Jesuit High School Sacramento, leaving hundreds of students with compromised restroom availability and forcing the school to spend thousands of dollars to repair the damage.
2022 Freshman Retreat built community, sustained tradition
Jesuit High School Sacramento’s Freshman Retreat is an event that every Jesuit freshman attends to make their transition to high school smoother while inspiring a sense of brotherhood among their class.
Jesuit prepares for an exciting Holy Bowl
The 53rd annual Holy Bowl is this Saturday, Sept. 10, at Sacramento City College’s Hughes Stadium. After last year’s lopsided 44-0 victory against Christian Brothers High School, Jesuit High School Sacramento is ready for another great game.
Review: ‘Ambulance’ has a sour emotional core
Michael Bay strikes again. His newest action thriller film
“Ambulance” stars Eiza González, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Jake
Gyllenhaal.
Review: ‘Uncharted’ Underwhelms Expectations
On Feb. 18, 2022, “Uncharted” was released in theaters. The film
stars Tom Holland as Nathan Drake, Mark Wahlberg as Victor
“Sully” Sullivan, and Sophia Taylor Ali as Chloe Frazer. It
opened to overwhelmingly negative critical reviews, and
underwhelming box office results, making only 51 million dollars
in its opening weekend and one of very few movies to make less
than a 1 thousand dollar-per-theater average.
2022 valedictorian and salutatorian contribute to Jesuit community
On April 13, Jesuit High School Sacramento announced that Matthew
Mellas class of 2022’s valedictorian and that J.P. Leatherby ’22
will serve as the salutatorian. These leaders of the senior class
received these honors not just for their stellar academics, but
also for their involvement in the Jesuit community.
Mask mandate lifted, Jesuit begins return to normalcy
For the first time in over two years, students can choose to
attend classes without wearing face masks. This is due to a
change in the Jesuit High School Sacramento masking policy on
March 7, 2022, which states that “masks are now recommended but
not required.”
Opinion: ‘Don’t Look Up’ serves up supreme satire
“Don’t Look Up” was released on Dec. 5, 2021 on Netflix and in
theaters. The film follows Leonardo Dicaprio as Dr. Randall
Mindy, a socially anxious, good hearted astronomy professor, and
Jennifer Lawrence as doctoral candidate Kate Dibiasky.
Jesuit golf team is on par to tee off the 2022 season
Golf is a staple of the Jesuit athletic community, and with this
year’s season teed up, the team is ready to drive, with their
first competition being the De La Salle tournament at Diablo
Country Club today, March 7.
Jesuit’s Photography Club focuses on fun
This year marked the founding of Jesuit’s Photography Club. The
Photography Club is a place for Jesuit students who are
interested in photography to take interesting photos and compete
in competitions. It is also a place for budding photographers to
sharpen their skills with the help of a community of other Jesuit
photographers.
Opinion: Blockbuster “Dune” reaches for the stars and misses
Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” came out on Oct. 22, 2021, and made
$40.1 million in the box office. This would not classify the
movie as a hit by any means, but it’s still respectable. The book
“Dune” from 1965 served as the influence for the “Dune” film, as
well as “Star Wars” and “Star Trek.” I chronicled much of Dune’s
rich filmography in another article. However, the focus of this
piece is on only one part of Dune’s filmography, the newest
quagmire in the Dune franchise, Dune 2021.
Why Jesuit students will be having a lot less final exams… and a lot more projects with exams.
Over the past 18 months, COVID-19 has at times changed finals or
at other times obliterated them entirely. This year, however, the
school made finals real once again.
Review: Can Dune deliver a blockbuster…finally?
“Dune,” the upcoming $165 million blockbuster by Legendary Pictures, is based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 book of the same name. Released on October 22, 2021, and directed by Denis Villeneuve, this film includes actors Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, & Stellan Skarsgård.
Mr. Daniel Mascarenhas: Teaching Jesuit Students on the Path to Priesthood
Mr. Daniel Mascarenhas, S.J. is a Jesuit scholastic who came to Jesuit High School Sacramento this year as part of his path to priesthood. After studying philosophy at St. Louis University in Missouri, Mr. Mascarenhas was assigned to the Golden State where he had previously worked as a mechanical engineer in Silicon Valley.
Mr. Mascarenhas was born and raised in Western India where he attended a Catholic school from 1st to 10th grade. His normal routine in India does not sound much different than what students at Jesuit experience every day.