Feature: Why do Alumni choose to come back to their alma mater?
It’s hard to think some of the most beloved teachers at Jesuit once roamed the same halls, sat in the same desks, and ate the same chicken burgers on Wednesdays during their student years.
Greg Moore, a graduate of the class of 1984, is known for his knowledge of world religions and his liturgy band role during the Friday Mass in the liturgy band.
He began his Jesuit career the year of 1992, serving as Christian Service director for 13 years and then transitioned to teaching theology.
As a student, you could find Moore on the soccer field or leading encounters.
“In my senior year, I started playing guitar and I started playing guitar in the Jesuit chapel. We called our group four guitars and a clarinet. It was very descriptive”.
Moore often regales his students that he went to a Jesuit School, although it was not the same one they know today.
Jesuit was an all-boys-school and significantly smaller than it is today, Moore finds the school unrecognizable to his high school years.
“At break and at lunch there was a basketball hoop outside the cafeteria. There were mobs of people out there playing pickup basketball […] They were brutal. Guys would come in with bloody noses and bruises on their faces.”
Mr. Andreas, graduate of class 1996, began teaching at Jesuit the year of 2011.
He is known for giving amusing anecdotes during his history lessons and his signing at Mmass every Friday morning.
As a student, his high school life was shaped by sports. But as years went on he began to broaden out, embracing the whole idea of being open to growth.
Playing football, leading encounters, and his famous cantering performance shaped his experience.
Although Andreas knew he wanted to be a teacher he began experimenting with other majors. Ultimately, he returned to what he really loved, history.
“The teachers I had for history at Jesuit and also the teachers that I had otherwise like Dick Hazel and Mike Simon […] and several other teachers that heavily influenced me and of course, my dad’s also a teacher, so that also led me down that path”.
Ms. Webb, a new addition to the staff this year, graduated from Jesuit in 2011.
During her time in high school, Webb played soccer all 4 years and was involved in the Campus Ministry aspect of Jesuit.
After high school, she majored in English for undergraduate studies then decided to go to law school.
Although she practiced law for a couple years, Webb always knew she would end up teaching at Jesuit.
“Jesuit has almost created a self-sustaining ecosystem for itself where people who leave want to come back because they are so appreciative of what the school environment here has done for them”.
Correction 10.18.2023: Greg Moore was incorrectly identified as George Moore in a previous version of this article. The Jesuit Chronicle regrets this error.
