Last Minute Gifts
Are you in the same boat as many other people right now and still don’t have gifts for the holiday season? The good thing is that there is this great thing called Amazon Prime which can ship any gift in two days. Below are some last minute gift ideas that we all need.
For the Star Wars Lovers in your life, anything related to Baby Yoda, or “Grogu” as some call him, would be a Great gift. Baby Yoda is the cutest thing in 2020. You would have to be crazy to not like Baby Yoda. Recently Baby Yoda toys have been flying off the shelves at stores like Fred Myer. On Amazon, there are Baby Yoda t-shirts, action figures, mugs and, my personal favorite, the plush toy. This item is 40 dollars on Amazon.
For the Chefs in your life, get them something to help them cook in 2021. This present will even help out because you might get some better food out of it. However you can get spatchulas, knives, or an air fryer, but my favorite gift is the Bicycle Pizza Cutter. The Bicycle Pizza Cutter can help anyone have more fun in the kitchen. This item is 15 dollars on Amazon.
For the music and podcast listeners, get them something to help them jam out in 2021. There are many different headphone options on Amazon, but I think the best gift is the classic AirPods from Apple. To keep the AirPods Safe, you can get a fun looking case. This item is around 200 dollars on Amazon.
For the gamers in your life, gift them something to make their gaming experience more enjoyable. On Amazon, there are gifts like blue-light glasses and different headsets, but I think the best gift for the gamer is a new gaming keyboard and mouse. This item is 40 dollars on Amazon.
For the sports fans in your life, get them something to help cheer on their team. On Amazon, you can buy any type of merchandise you can think of, but I think the perfect one is a face mask so they can support their team while staying safe. This item is 12 dollars on Amazon.
JJ Gray is a junior and this will be his second year in journalism student, he is excited to be in the class and have a great time. In JJ’s...
Crusader Comics & Quarantine Struggles: The Scrapbooking Edit
Avni Sharma is a current sophomore at Jesuit High School. She enjoys writing about a wide variety of topics, from music reviews to current politics. Though...
Sarcastic. Artistic. Enthusiastic. These are three words Steele Clevenger would use to describe herself. A senior at Jesuit High School and a veteran journalism...
Stella Bonta is December’s Artist of the Month
Stella Bonta
Stella Bonta is December’s Artist of the Month.
When she was four, freshman Stella Bonta remembers drawing images of her family, the sun in the top left corner of the page, and grass across the bottom.
“Whenever [my sister and I] would draw the grass, we have this texture on the walls in our house. I remember we would hold the paper up to the wall, and like, color, so it had texture,” Bonta said.
At the age of six, Bonta recalls a time when she was frustrated at a drawing, foreshadowing her future as an artist and self-proclaimed perfectionist.
“I was drawing at the kitchen table because I actually had free time when I was six. I was trying to draw something that did not look like a stick figure, something with arms with actual thickness. I remember trying so hard, and I just got so frustrated, and went back to drawing stick figures with three fingers and like the triangle body.
In elementary school, Bonta did not have a regular art class. Once a year, however, an art teacher would visit her class and give a lesson. In middle school, Bonta began to have a regular art class, although she said she had a difficult time relating to the type of art that was taught in the class.
“It was cool, but my main teacher for art has really just been YouTube,” Bonta said.
When it came to auditioning for the Jesuit Art Program, Bonta submitted her work to a Padlet, where it was reviewed by art teachers Sascha Manning and Danielle Chi.
“She has a really good sense of color composition, all of those fundamentals that are needed for the advanced class,” Manning said. “Her work has a lot of expression in it, and she has very strong skills in drawing faces and hands.”
Manning also admires how hard Bonta works and how much time and effort she spends on her art. She described her as “expressive,” “friendly,” and “enthusiastic.”
“Stella is a very friendly person in every breakout room that she is in. She gets everyone interacting. People find her very approachable. She also very thoughtful and her enthusiasm really comes through very easily,” Manning said
Bonta says she has two separate art styles: one very realistic for portraits, the other for character sketches and “draw-this-in-your-style” challenges on Instagram.
“The proportions are bigger and everything’s a bit more exaggerated —it’s semi-realistic,” Bonta said.
Bonta’s favorite medium right now is watercolor because it is “unpredictable.” She says she could not use watercolor until she bought a travel set, and realized she was using way too much water. Now, watercolor is an integral part of her artwork.
Right now in her Art I Advanced Class, Bonta is working on an art project pertaining to environmental justice and climate change.
“The idea is to have Mother Nature in the center being suffocated by the human race, an image of suffering, Bonta said.
Aside from practicing her art at Jesuit and posting her work on Instagram, Bonta has her own YouTube Channel for her art, which she started in eighth grade. She said the most challenging part of having a YouTube Channel, and being an artist in general, is “art block,” and having difficulty being creative. Despite this challenge Bonta continues to work on her art.
I feel like since COVID, art is a huge part of my life now,” Bonta said. I cannot go a day without drawing something. Art has totally shifted roles in my life. It is now my main creative outlet.”
Fellow Art I Advanced freshman Emma Williams described Bonta as funny and kind, even though she has only met her through Zoom this year!
“I met [Stella] through our second art class when we were in a break out room together,” Williams said. “She has amazing [art] technique and I love how nice she is to everyone. She also has a great sense of humor.“
When asked what advice she would give to beginner artists, Bonta said that patience and persistence are important to putting out one’s best work.
There’s always more to learn,” Bonta said. “There’s always something I can improve on, study, or practice. Get out of the mindset of “it’s good enough.” Be patient, don’t try to finish as fast as you can.”
Does Bonta see art in her future?
“I want art to have a significant role in what I’d do in the future,” Bonta said. “I would love to have a career in art, but I could also do it on the side because I also love linguistics.”
Sarcastic. Artistic. Enthusiastic. These are three words Steele Clevenger would use to describe herself. A senior at Jesuit High School and a veteran journalism...
Food Insecurity Amidst a Pandemic: A Crisis Within a Crisis
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Cars stretch for miles outside a California food bank during the coronavirus pandemic.
With the economic turmoil and millions of job losses due to the coronavirus pandemic, a record number of Americans face food insecurity this holiday season. The pandemic has exacerbated issues already present in America’s food insecurity crisis, significantly affecting those already experiencing financial hardship.
According to a report by the Feeding America Organization, about 37 million (10.1%) Americans faced food insecurity pre-pandemic. However, a recent update to that report found the number jump to a staggering 50 million (15.6%) food-insecure Americans. The South is the hardest hit region, with Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama projected to have the country’s highest food insecurity rates.
Andrea Casey, Director of the Arrupe Center for Justice at Jesuit High School, contends that the pandemic’s sudden grasp and uncertainty are to blame for the spike in food insecurity.
“A lot of new families are experiencing food insecurity because of sudden loss of job, business instability, etc.,” Casey said. “A lot of progress to fight food insecurity has been reverted in the past nine months.”
Furthermore, the pandemic has exacerbated issues for those already vulnerable to food insecurity, Casey said. People working a minimum wage job, facing reduced hours, or struggling to make ends meet are now facing even more obstacles to gain food stability.
Casey has witnessed the pandemic’s effects on the food crisis as one of the coordinators for Jesuit Portland’s annual Food Drive. Although there are multiple logistic challenges of organizing a food drive amidst a pandemic, Casey has worked tirelessly to make a food drive possible. In total, Casey estimates that Jesuit Portland will support over 300 local families with grocery store gift cards (and 88 of those families will also receive gifts) and hundreds more with non-perishable foods going to local food pantries.
Efforts such as the Jesuit Food Drive and other local initiatives are especially needed in Portland, as the city battles an alarmingly high food insecurity rate. A report from the Oregon Food Bank found that over 550,000 (14.6%) Oregonians face food insecurity, with the majority stemming from the greater Portland area.
With such staggering local and national numbers, Casey stresses the need to support those most vulnerable in our communities. Casey is also a firm believer in community action, reminding us that all support—big or small—has a tangible impact.
“I encourage people to ask ‘what can I do?'” Casey said. “Especially during a pandemic, people can get hung up on what they can’t do. Instead, think about what is a reasonable ask. Is there something you can give up to support others during these difficult times?”
A senior at Jesuit High School, Reet Chatterjee strives to better humanity with his writing. His writing focuses include social justice, politics, reform,...
Christmas Mass of Anticipation by Lucy Menendez
Mr. Hogan addressing the student body at the Christmas Mass. Courtesy of Jesuit’s 2018 yearbook.
Dark blue lights fill the Knight Gymnasium as the nicely dressed students climb the bleachers. The Christmas spirit is in the air and the choir welcomes all alumni and parents. The students are gleeful and itching for Christmas break. The Christmas Mass of Anticipation is under way.
“The Christmas Mass of Anticipation is the last Mass we have as a school community before Christmas,” head of Campus Ministry Don Clarke said. “It is an all school Mass, and the greatest attended Mass we have during the year.”
Father Couture has presided at the Christmas Anticipation masses in previous years.
“It is also a celebration, in which we prepare ourselves, as a community, to celebrate Christmas; to celebrate Jesus’ birth and welcoming God’s incarnate self into our world,” Father Pat Couture said. “The season of Advent is a season of anticipating Jesus’s birth, and so as a community, in anticipation of that soon coming Christmas day, we celebrate a Mass together before we depart for the Christmas break. However, we know that all of this looks very different this year.”
Due to COVID-19, Jesuit’s Christmas Mass of anticipation will be completely virtual, and JCTV will be streaming the service via YouTube.
“The mass will be in the Canisius Chapel as the Masses have been this year,” Clarke said.
“There will be a slide show of December happenings at Jesuit through the Food Drive,” Clarke said. “There won’t be a combination of hundreds of students working to provide so many set up talents, but there will be Christmas songs, Christmas prayers, and a little more than we do usually.”
Sascha Manning, head of Jesuit’s art department, was saddened that the elaborate decorations usually hanging from the Knight Gym ceiling would be missing this year.
“Unfortunately with COVID, there are no handmade decorations planned for this year’s mass,” Manning said. “It’s something we’ll all miss, but we look forward to hopefully being a huge part of that for next year’s Christmas mass!”
Though the service will be streamed, it will not hold the same holiday spirit as it had in previous years.
“The Christmas Mass of Anticipation is my favorite,” Father Couture said. “I love the energy from the students, faculty, staff, parents, and alums who attend. I love the music; I love the decorations; and from the procession into the recession out I am all smiles because it is such a special event. After every Christmas Mass of Anticipation, I feel humbly blessed that I had the opportunity to celebrate with everyone present, to celebrate with our community.”
“It will still occur if we are physically together or socially distanced,” Father Couture said. “It will still occur because when we celebrate together, God will still be present with us.”
Lucy Menendez is a senior at Jesuit High School and first time journalism student. Lucy plays basketball at Jesuit and is involved in multiple clubs. Her...
Live Theater During the Pandemic: Jesuit Presents Godspell!
James Miller
Principal members of the Godspell cast pose for a group photo after their closing night.
It’s not easy producing live theater in the age of social distancing, but drama directors Jeff Hall and Elaine Kloser have been working hard with students to put on a production of “Godspell” in a new digital format.
The show was made up of a cast of about 34 actors, ten students performed live onstage and the rest performed on the screen through a variety of projections and special effects. In this new format, new opportunities, as well challenges presented themselves.
“It’s been really fun to get creative in a way that we haven’t before when [trying] to figure out how we can create a show and bring a larger group of people together in a time when we can’t all be in person,” said junior Ava Maloco. “I think it’s pretty exciting when everything is a little up in the air and you’re not sure exactly how things are going to turn out.”
Behind the scenes was a tech crew of 40 students who had been working tirelessly to ensure a smooth run.
“The tech crew has been preparing for Godspell by setting up not only what we normally use for a show, like lights, microphones, but we’ve also been creating a huge amount of video projections featuring the ensembles, in addition to all the equipment needed to stream Godspell to everyone watching from home,” said senior tech crew member Luke Motschenbacher. “During the actual performances, the tech crew will be running lights, projections, microphones and sound effects, the cameras, and much more.”
The show follows a bit of an unconventional plot line, illustrating the story of Jesus’ life through parables, songs, and dancing. The message of the show, however, is really up to your own interpretation.
“The show basically follows Jesus’s life, but I’d say that in a more abstract way the show is just about teaching valuable lessons, especially about community, in a more entertaining way,” said Ava Maloco.
Many of the virtual ensemble and principal cast members agree that Godspell is centered around a common theme of community.
“It’s pretty difficult to really understand what Godspell is about. I know many people think it’s a huge Christian and religious show, but I disagree,” said junior James Miller, who played Jesus. “Godspell tells a very simple but important story: a group of strangers being united through song, celebration, and, most importantly love.”
The show premiered on Friday, Dec. 4, with two more performances that followed Saturday and Sunday. Over 900 viewers streamed the show online, as well as a small live audience of family members who were able to watch the show live.
“I think livestreaming the show really opened more doors than it closed,” said junior Kate Goddard. “My grandparents live in Ireland, so if we were to do the show [in person] they wouldn’t have been able to see it. But even with the eight hour time difference they were able to see me and they said it was the highlight of their long year in isolation.”
Godspell is an incredibly touching story, and although the original show has been performed at Jesuit before in 1970 and 1995, it remains a show that reflects an important message relevant to the modern age.
“I think [Godspell] also relates to the times we are living in right now. There is a song called “Beautiful City” near the end of the show before Jesus is killed, and the lyrics mention how we can slowly start to recover and [that] things may not get better right away, but they will eventually,” said junior Theron Abel. “This is such an important message for us right now, living in these tough times, and we have to realize that things will get better.”
Chase Kerman, a junior at Jesuit High School, is excited to explore Journalism and grow as a writer in her first year taking the class. At Jesuit, Chase...
An Interview with Mr. Clarke on Santa Clarke
Jesuit Photography
Santa Clarke at the Food Drive Assembly
In light of the beginning of the Food Drive and holiday season, I had the opportunity to talk with Campus Minister Don Clarke on Jesuit High School’s favorite holiday figure, Santa Clarke. Although the Jesuit student body will not be able to experience Santa Clarke’s joyous presence in person through the traditional Food Drive assembly, Clarke speaks on how his close friend, Santa Clarke, will continue spreading the spirit of giving and love this December.
Crespo: What is Santa Clarke’s daily routine?
Clarke: Everyday he gets up, comes out his hair and his beard, practices his “ho, ho, ho’s” for a while, then he practices carrying a bag around and works on going down chimneys. He checks in with toys being made, and then looks in on different people as they are collecting food for the Food Drive.
Crespo: How is Santa Clarke going to spread the holiday spirit to the student body this December despite not being able to see them in person?
Clarke: I hope we get to see the student body on Dec. 12 when it’s the drive-by for the Christmas lights. I think Santa Clarke will be there. I talk to him regularly, everyday. I heard that he was on the video for the Food Drive assembly. He also does a couple of other things. He helps with a couple of different parishes around the area and different groups that need a Santa Claus, so he shows up there as well. His most favorite thing is seeing the students. I think when he broke into the Knight Center [in the assembly video] and there were no students there, that was very, very disheartening for Santa Clarke.
Crespo: What does Santa Clarke love about the holiday season?
Clarke: [He] loves the generosity of people. I think it just kinda goes in the back of their brain like, “I gotta do the Food Drive stuff, I gotta do the food drive stuff,” and then when they finally bring in stuff…they see what the whole community can do. The smiles are usually a little bit deeper than usual when people see what happens when the Food Drive shows up.
Crespo: What are your thoughts on Dr. Fauci’s statement that Santa Clarke is immune to the Coronavirus?
Clarke: I think that it is pretty self-evident that he is immune to the coronavirus and therefore can go to all different kinds of places. But as you saw in the video, Santa Clarke has his own specially designed face mask by Mrs. Claus that is candy cane-ish and everything. He won’t catch it because he will wear a face mask all the time and after every house, he cleans his hands and makes sure everything is all antiseptic. I appreciate that Dr. Fauci said that you don’t have to worry about Santa Clarke this year.
Crespo: What is your favorite type of Christmas cookie?
Clarke: There is a former principal, her name is Mrs. Satterberg, and she heard one time that I like shortbread cookies, so every year, even after she retired, she still makes me shortbread cookies. So it would be Mrs. Satterberg’s shortbread cookies that are my favorite Christmas cookies. (Mr. Clarke speaks for Santa Clarke in this regard too, obviously.)
Crespo: What spirited and uplifting message do you want to send to the student body during the holidays?
Clarke: There are so many different things that talk about what the real meaning of Christmas is, and I will say that up at the North pole [Santa Clarke] watches Hallmark Christmas movies. They always talk about Christmas as love, and I think the greatest love that we as humanity have been able to experience, is the gift of God’s presence in the world, certainly, through the presence of Jesus Christ, but through the beliefs of so many faithful [people] that want to be good, and that’s faiths of all different kinds. I think that is where the meaning of Christmas is. And I think that if we want to have a Christmas that goes a long time, then we figure out exactly what it means to love and show acts of kindness and to cherish one another. When that happens, Christmas is unbelievable.
Crespo: Thank you so much for meeting with me Mr. Clarke.
Clarke: Thank you for asking.
Isabel Crespo is an editor for the Jesuit Chronicle. She is a Junior at Jesuit High School and is excited to pursue her passion for writing on a deeper...
Senior Gregor McKelligon Uses Music to Express Himself
How as self-taught guitarist found his passion in making music
Gregor McKelligon
Senior Gregor McKelligon uses music to express himself.
Back in September, I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight student musical talent. On September 21, three videos of exceptional Jesuit musicians, including senior Gregor McKelligon, were sent to the student body to vote on who would perform at Coffeehouse. Here, I interview McKelligon about his personal style, his passion for music, and where he got started.
Clevenger: When did you start playing guitar?
McKelligon: In 7th grade, I got my first guitar. That same week, [our class] was going to Outdoor School and I really wanted to play, so I grinded that whole week, and sang “The A-Team” in front of everyone. That was the first song I ever learned.”
Clevenger: Is that the first instrument you ever learned to play?
McKelligon: I played trumpet in middle school. But I probably wouldn’t have gotten a guitar if it weren’t for my sister. She was the one who was always interested in music, which is what inspired me to get into it. She also plays guitar, but she mostly plays country music.
Clevenger: Do you have a specific musical style?
McKelligon: I would say it’s a mix of alternative-pop-hip-hop.
Clevenger: And do you write your own music?
McKelligon: Yes, I’ve been writing a lot of music, and have been recording songs since February 2020. I have two songs, which I post on SoundCloud.
Clevenger: Have you always been a singer, or is it a skill you have picked up since you started playing guitar?
McKelligon: I’ve definitely gotten better at singing over the past few years, but there was a time in my life, when I was a kid, that I wouldn’t sing. You could not get me to sing because I was pretty shy. Now, singing has turned into a way for me to express myself. It’s a very comfortable thing for me.
Clevenger: But you don’t take choir at Jesuit?
McKelligon: I took choir my freshman year, as part of the Art Wheel. When I took the class, I was in the middle of trying to figure out how I really felt about music. I liked it, but I didn’t think of it as a passion yet. Over the past two years, though, it’s become my main hobby.
Clevenger: Ok, let’s talk about performing. Who do you perform for now? I know you put out that video in September. What made you want to do that?
McKelligon: I have performed at Coffeehouse. I did the last Coffeehouse of freshman year, which is when my sister was a senior. That was our last opportunity to do a duet, so we performed together.
Clevenger: So you said you perform with your sister. Do you have anyone else that you sing or perform with?
McKelligon: I have friends who have similar interests as me, and we work on music together. [seniors] Aidan Azavedo, Max Barton, Alex Perussi, and Alex Hayes all help me with my music. They take beats from online, and rap over them. Alex and Andrew are the producers, so they work with the microphone, and whatever work comes along with producing.
Clevenger: How many songs have you written?
McKelligon: I have a ton of unreleased songs that I’m working on, but I only have two that are out right now. I usually write my own songs. Sometimes I’ll collaborate with my friends. I made a studio in my basement, so that’s where we play.
Clevenger: How do you find the time to work on your music?
McKelligon: When I have sports, I go to practice after school, and then come home to record a part of a song. Whenever I can find the time. I usually do my homework later at night.
Clevenger: Are you a self-taught guitarist?
McKelligon: Yes, and it was hard to keep going. After a while, your fingers start to hurt. But I enjoyed music a lot, and it was my way of expressing myself. Sometimes, I don’t even realize I have a feeling inside me until I get it out into a song, and then listening back to the song, the lyrics are so much deeper than I thought. It almost gives me a reflection of myself. I mostly write about things that are going on in my life.
I feel like there is a lot of pressure to play a sport or be part of an activity that everyone else is participating in. I like finding my own way. There’s something that makes me happy and excited with myself when I do something that’s different from what other people are doing.
Clevenger: When did you start recording your music?
McKelligon: I used to use the Voice Memos app on my phone. I didn’t know how to produce or anyone that knew how to produce, so I just started playing guitar and singing, and recording it on my phone. I recorded my first song in January 2020. We recorded it in a closet.
I’ve put all my money into this, but my parents are really supportive. I show them my stuff, and they support both me and my sister. I have a few friends that I’ll show all my work to. I haven’t released very much material, so there isn’t a lot for people to base my stuff off of, but I’m a perfectionist, so if I’m going to release something new, I want it to be perfect.
My best stuff comes out when I’m having strong feelings. One of my songs, “The Way That You Are,” just came out of me after I was fed up with certain things that were happening in my life. Even though some of the words reflect my anger in that moment, it is probably my best lyrical song.
Back in September, I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight student musical talent. On September 21, three videos of exceptional Jesuit musicians, including senior Gregor McKelligon, were sent to the student body to vote on who would perform at Coffeehouse. Here, I interview McKelligon about his personal style, his passion for music, and where he got started.
Clevenger: When did you start playing guitar?
McKelligon: In 7th grade, I got my first guitar. That same week, [our class] was going to Outdoor School and I really wanted to play, so I grinded that whole week, and sang “The A-Team” in front of everyone. That was the first song I ever learned.”
Clevenger: Is that the first instrument you ever learned to play?
McKelligon: I played trumpet in middle school. But I probably wouldn’t have gotten a guitar if it weren’t for my sister. She was the one who was always interested in music, which is what inspired me to get into it. She also plays guitar, but she mostly plays country music.
Clevenger: Do you have a specific musical style?
McKelligon: I would say it’s a mix of alternative-pop-hip-hop.
Clevenger: And do you write your own music?
McKelligon: Yes, I’ve been writing a lot of music, and have been recording songs since February 2020. I have two songs, which I post on SoundCloud.
Clevenger: Have you always been a singer, or is it a skill you have picked up since you started playing guitar?
McKelligon: I’ve definitely gotten better at singing over the past few years, but there was a time in my life, when I was a kid, that I wouldn’t sing. You could not get me to sing because I was pretty shy. Now, singing has turned into a way for me to express myself. It’s a very comfortable thing for me.
Clevenger: But you don’t take choir at Jesuit?
McKelligon: I took choir my freshman year, as part of the Art Wheel. When I took the class, I was in the middle of trying to figure out how I really felt about music. I liked it, but I didn’t think of it as a passion yet. Over the past two years, though, it’s become my main hobby.
Clevenger: Ok, let’s talk about performing. Who do you perform for now? I know you put out that video in September. What made you want to do that?
McKelligon: I have performed at Coffeehouse. I did the last Coffeehouse of freshman year, which is when my sister was a senior. That was our last opportunity to do a duet, so we performed together.
Clevenger: So you said you perform with your sister. Do you have anyone else that you sing or perform with?
McKelligon: I have friends who have similar interests as me, and we work on music together. [seniors] Aidan Azavedo, Max Barton, Alex Perussi, and Alex Hayes all help me with my music. They take beats from online, and rap over them. Alex and Andrew are the producers, so they work with the microphone, and whatever work comes along with producing.
Clevenger: How many songs have you written?
McKelligon: I have a ton of unreleased songs that I’m working on, but I only have two that are out right now. I usually write my own songs. Sometimes I’ll collaborate with my friends. I made a studio in my basement, so that’s where we play.
Clevenger: How do you find the time to work on your music?
McKelligon: When I have sports, I go to practice after school, and then come home to record a part of a song. Whenever I can find the time. I usually do my homework later at night.
Clevenger: Are you a self-taught guitarist?
McKelligon: Yes, and it was hard to keep going. After a while, your fingers start to hurt. But I enjoyed music a lot, and it was my way of expressing myself. Sometimes, I don’t even realize I have a feeling inside me until I get it out into a song, and then listening back to the song, the lyrics are so much deeper than I thought. It almost gives me a reflection of myself. I mostly write about things that are going on in my life.
I feel like there is a lot of pressure to play a sport or be part of an activity that everyone else is participating in. I like finding my own way. There’s something that makes me happy and excited with myself when I do something that’s different from what other people are doing.
Clevenger: When did you start recording your music?
McKelligon: I used to use the Voice Memos app on my phone. I didn’t know how to produce or anyone that knew how to produce, so I just started playing guitar and singing, and recording it on my phone. I recorded my first song in January 2020. We recorded it in a closet.
I’ve put all my money into this, but my parents are really supportive. I show them my stuff, and they support both me and my sister. I have a few friends that I’ll show all my work to. I haven’t released very much material, so there isn’t a lot for people to base my stuff off of, but I’m a perfectionist, so if I’m going to release something new, I want it to be perfect.
My best stuff comes out when I’m having strong feelings. One of my songs, “The Way That You Are,” just came out of me after I was fed up with certain things that were happening in my life. Even though some of the words reflect my anger in that moment, it is probably my best lyrical song.
Clevenger: Would you consider pursuing music as a career?
McKelligon: I mean, yeah, that’s the goal. I’ll go to college, and music probably won’t be my major, but it may be a side activity, because it is my true passion. My dream is performing.
Stay tuned for McKelligon’s new single, “The Day That I Realized,” coming soon to SoundCloud! You can listen to McKelligon’s other songs here: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/CwfVkAgf2aw779mM9
Sarcastic. Artistic. Enthusiastic. These are three words Steele Clevenger would use to describe herself. A senior at Jesuit High School and a veteran journalism...
Sader Lights drive thru December 12th at 6pm
Seniors Anna Dellit, Owen Mackin and Cole Huesby help set up Sader Lights. Photo Curtsey of Gwynne Olson
On Saturday December 12th Student Government will be holding “Sader Lights” on campus. Sader Lights is a collection of beautiful lights, similar to the Oregon Zoo’s “Zoo Lights,” that decorate the courtyard and Mary’s Way.
Because of COVID-19 restrictions, Sader Lights will be a little different this year. Instead of lining Mary’s Way, lights cover the Tennis Courts, The Flag Pole, Desmet parking lot, and all empty spaces in between.
After being cleared and sanitized, students set to work decorating the campus. Senior Maiti Teklemariam explained how students were able to come on campus.
“In Student Government, we have been working hard on this event for weeks to make this event student interactive and have an amazing final product,” Teklemariam said. “To align with CDC guidelines, students were only allowed to be on campus for two hours and we could only have a small group. After we found a group of volunteers, we had them come to campus on separate days because of time constraints. After they were screened by a faculty member, they were free to decorate safely amoung their peers.”
You will be able to drop off non-perishable foods for the Food Drive, collect your Food Drive shirt (if you qualify for one), get a candy cane from Santa Clarke and enjoy a beautiful path of Christmas lights.
Thanks to the hard work of all the students that came and helped decorate, the Jesuit campus is beautiful. Come with your family and/or quarantine buddy on Saturday to experience the now drive through Sader Lights. The event starts at 6pm and runs till 8pm.
Make sure to check them out and come back to Jesuit Chronicle website next week to see a fun video of the setup and event.
Gwynne Olson is a junior staff writer for the Jesuit Chronicle. Gwynne is the youngest of two. Brooke, her older sister, is a recent graduate from the...
Podcast: Seniors Reminisce on Food Drive Memories
Jesuit High School
The famous towers of cans at Jesuit High School’s annual food drive.
Keep your hopes up, Jesuit! Food Drive is still on for 2020, and there are many people working to make it a success. Listen to Jesuit High School Seniors Lucy Menendez and Reet Chatterjee reminisce about their favorite food drive memories over the past four years. Enjoy!
A senior at Jesuit High School, Reet Chatterjee strives to better humanity with his writing. His writing focuses include social justice, politics, reform,...
Lucy Menendez is a senior at Jesuit High School and first time journalism student. Lucy plays basketball at Jesuit and is involved in multiple clubs. Her...
Can teachers maintain the same relationships with students over Zoom?
Word web describes roles teachers play in students’ lives, something difficult to maintain through online learning.
Teachers have been trying numerous methods to maintain relationships with their students over Zoom, despite the challenges hindering them. With both students and teachers adjusting to the online learning environment, class connections have been established between both students and teachers. However, connections between those in the classroom have been altered, and forming relationships takes an entirely different form over Zoom.
This is especially challenging for the Freshman class. Teachers of the Freshman class have taken extra care to engage their students, helping them to establish connections with their peers in any way possible.
“Certainly try to make things more lighthearted,” Freshman Theology teacher Mr. Lantz said. “A lot more small talk and personal conversation. [I] try to create that personal connection where you would normally just be able to be in the same room with the person.”
The primary differences between in-person classes and Zoom classes are not only the deep connections formed between peers, but also the small interactions between teachers and students in class or during passing periods.
“It’s harder because it’s all of the tiny little things that just don’t happen,” Theology teacher Ms. Barry said. “It’s when you walk into the classroom; it’s that whole beginning of class and it’s that whole walking out of the classroom. There’s moments where they walk by you or you walk by them and you have these tiny interactions.”
Along with small interactions, teachers have been trying numerous different methods to engage their students as a whole, establishing a sense of community within a virtual classroom. These methods include small discussions before class, bonding activities in breakout rooms, and much more.
“I’ve watched other teachers’ classrooms and sat in on Zooms, so I saw one teacher who let students tell her how they’re doing in a private message on Zoom chat which I really like because it’s kind of intimidating to talk on Zoom when there are 30 people in the class,” Mr. Lantz said.
In addition to teachers creating new methods of connecting with their students, students also have the opportunity to take initiative and maintain relationships with their teachers. This can be in the form of small actions, such as staying after class to provide feedback or even simply speaking up during class.
“Asking questions during class is a really nice way to engage in class,” senior Savannah Fitts said. “Also talking during breakout rooms or getting to know teachers better by sometimes staying after the Zoom to give them advice…Especially with Environmental Science, Ms. Humm is new, and I’ll sometimes stay after and say, ‘I really like doing this, or I really like this project.’”
While small interactions hold great value, classes involving deep discussions between students find challenges when breaking barriers between students. Connecting through a screen proves especially difficult, as class discussions may require a strong sense of trust between students, something difficult to build virtually.
“I learned early in my teaching career that if you ask people to be vulnerable and do something that makes them raw, you have to support them,” Ms. Barry said. ”So anytime I give them an assignment that makes them be vulnerable or asks them to be vulnerable, I’m going to support them by reading it and responding to them, but I also want them to share with their partner…I tell them to build trust a little bit at a time, and trust as much as you can and a little bit more. That’s actually going so much better than I thought it would because I was worried about that over Zoom.”
While maintaining a strong sense of motivation for school can be difficult for students when learning virtually, teachers also may feel drained from the constrictions placed through online learning, hindering them from fully connecting with their students.
“It’s a lot more emotional energy from me,” Ms. Barry said. “I just have to be very obvious that I love you and I care about you and I want you guys to talk to each other, and I’m trying [to come] up with creative ways of doing [that] over Zoom.”
Scout Jacobs is a managing editor for the Jesuit Chronicles at Jesuit High School. As a senior in high school, this is her third year doing...
Celebrating Ms. Roxann Asp
Dorian Studios
Ms. Roxann Asp
We celebrate the life of sophomore health teacher Roxann Asp (1971-2020), who passed away after a battle with cancer on November 30, 2020. The day after her passing, Jesuit administrators sent an email to the Jesuit community expressing their profound sadness.
“She was a natural teacher—organized, passionate, practical, and incredibly devoted to her students and athletes,” the email said.
A teacher, as well as a coach, Ms. Asp affected the lives of many young students. Ms. Asp came to Jesuit in 1996 to coach basketball, cross-country, and softball. She then joined the faculty as a biology and health teacher. Ms. Asp then left Jesuit in 2007 to teach at NAYA Many Nations Academy for Native American Youth, and returned to Jesuit in 2014.
To pay tribute to Ms. Asp, please attend Jesuit’s prayer service tonight at 6 p.m., where students and staff will take time to pray for Ms. Asp and her family.
Sarcastic. Artistic. Enthusiastic. These are three words Steele Clevenger would use to describe herself. A senior at Jesuit High School and a veteran journalism...
