On November 13, 2011, local youngsters and their families flocked to the Jesuit campus for our school’s annual Preview Day. For three hours, prospective future students roamed the characteristically busy halls of Jesuit, gaining their first taste of the school.
Preview Day activities began at 1:00 p.m. when an unusually large crowd of parents and children descended upon the Terry Center for a quick introduction. Principal Tom Garrison expressed excitement at getting such a large turnout, by his account the “largest in recent memory.” Mr. Garrison spoke first, introducing himself and the Jesuit community to the wide-eyed group. President Michael Earsing followed with a prayer before dismissing the families to check out the presentations put on in the main building.
From 1:30 to 4:00 p.m., families were given the opportunity to explore the halls either by themselves or as part of student-led tours put on by Jesuit Ambassadors. Representatives from the Math, English, Science, Foreign Language, and Social Studies departments gave presentations throughout the afternoon in which teachers explained their respective courses and entertained questions. These exhibitions were each 40 minutes in length, allowing families to take in multiple aspects of the school.
While teachers gave structured presentations, liaisons from the athletic department and music department put on informal meet-and-greet sessions in the athletic building and Billings Band Hall, respectively. As it did during freshman orientation in August, the cafeteria served as an activity fair. Student and faculty leaders of Jesuit’s numerous clubs, including The Roundup, set up booths and answered questions from interested young men.
Student club leaders noted the surreal nature of helping run the booths that they once visited as grade-school students. “Being on the other side of the booth was interesting,” said Chris Hurley ’12, who heads Jesuit’s yearbook The Last Roundup. “To be completely honest, I had no idea how tiring running [Preview Day] was. It’s always great to see fresh faces that will one day be Jesuit’s student leaders… It was definitely an eye-opener to think that I could come back one day and see these kids running the yearbook.”
For more information on visiting Jesuit or learning more about the community, contact the Admissions department.
