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...
Jack Ensminger: Bringing Students Together in a Time of Distance
Jack Ensminger
ASB President Jack Ensimnger (left) posing with last year’s ASB President Will Deklotz during the Ignation Family Teach In.
As Jesuit High School embarks on their first semester in a fully virtual school setting, senior Jack Ensminger is taking on the difficult task of representing the Jesuit student body as ASB President… without actually being at Jesuit.
Jack Ensminger, who has been enthusiastically involved in track, mock trial and CCA, was elected ASB President for the 2020-21 school year back in May.
“[Jack] is very personable,” said senior Ellen Haney, who has worked with Jack in student government for three years. “He’s very enthusiastic about wanting to help the students.”
Jack has been a devoted member of Jesuit’s student government, led by Dr. Exley, for the last three years.
“Jack does a good job speaking up for the students in a way that can get his voice across, but also be respectful of faculty and staff,” said Dr. Exley. “That’s something I really respect about him.”
An ASB President is normally responsible for representing the voices of both the staff and the students of Jesuit High School, as well as presenting to a diverse population of students with different interests, hobbies, backgrounds, etc. As Jesuit transitions to an online format, the normal responsibilities of an ASB President begin to shift.
“A big part of [Jack’s] job is showing students how they can ‘buy in’ to a virtual community, and how they can ‘buy in’ to what we’re trying to get done here at Jesuit,” said Dr. Exley. “When a leader buys in, that gives other people the permission to buy in.”
Although Jack expressed feelings of nervousness at the prospect of representing a virtual community, he is looking forward to new opportunities that the online format may present.
“This year is really different, so I’m excited to see how we can push ourselves as a community to try new things and go to fun new events.” said Jack.
At a time when things seem more distant than ever, Jack Ensminger is looking for ways to bring the Jesuit community together. In Jack’s original platform for ASB Elections, he stated that he “hopes to make Jesuit a place where people are excited to go to school every day!”, which may prove challenging in a time where a students’ day consists of multiple 80-minute Zoom meetings.
“Being online makes being excited about going to school a lot harder,” said Jack. “I think by making class manageable and getting kids excited about learning, we can make school more manageable and fun.”
As a student, Jack understands the struggle of online learning and zoom fatigue, but he hopes that he can find ways to help students “buy in” to the Jesuit community and make the most of their school year.
“Although I know it’s hard, try to put yourself out there and have an open mind,” said Jack. “Little things do matter, like talking in breakout rooms or joining a call. Try to push yourself!”
An excellent representative of Jesuit High School, Jack’s leadership will be demonstrated throughout the school year as he works on uniting the Jesuit community, even in unexpected circumstances.
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...
