Always a special time of year, homecoming weekend was no different this November, as Jesuit graduates from across the country came together to enjoy barbecue and live music while celebrating their shared Jesuit brotherhood.
After the school joined together for Ranger Day festivities and the Jesuit Rangers football team triumphed in their Homecoming game against R.L. Turner on Friday night, Jesuit alumni gathered on Saturday morning for the annual Alumni Family Roundup before the Homecoming Concert featuring country music star Lee Brice capped off the weekend.
Alumni Day began on the football field at 9 am with an alumni touch rugby game. As more alumni arrived with their families, they reminisced and caught up with classmates as their kids amused themselves with face painting, balloon animals, bounce houses and more. At noon, the annual BBQ Cook Off was judged by Coach Hickman, Coach Weeks, Coach Parr, Mr. Garrison, and Fr. Hooks. The competition, between 6 teams of alumni, had begun just before the football game as the briskets smoked overnight. After judging, the alumni had a chance to partake in the delectable barbecue while continuing to socialize with fellow Jesuit graduates.
The alumni also had the opportunity to tour the Campus and Museum to see new renovations and additions to the school since they had graduated. These were great opportunities for interactions between former and current Jesuit students, as the freshman, sophomore, and junior ambassador tour guides offered their student perspective as a result of their Jesuit experience. The alumni were able to see the new robotics lab, converse with the ambassadors about changes in student life, or find out if any of their high school teachers still teach at Jesuit today.
Following Alumni Day, the celebration moved off campus to SMU’s Moody Coliseum for the night’s main event. As guests arrived, they were welcomed by a “Party on the Plaza” outside the arena to enjoy food truck fare while listening to the Day Job Refugees, freshman counselor Mr. Corey Marr’s band.
The opening act on the main stage was “Infinite Journey,” an acclaimed local tribute band to the American group that recorded hits such as Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” They enlivened the crowd with 80’s classic rock that recalled high school memories for many alumni, replicating the iconic guitar solos and soaring vocals of the original band.
The latest in a series of national music acts that have played at Jesuit Homecoming Concerts since 1999, prominent country singer-songwriter Lee Brice put on a memorable show. Brice’s single “I Don’t Dance” won the 2015 Academy of Country Music “Single Record of the Year” award, and has recently propelled him to the top of the charts as one of the hottest country acts. Along with three other self-recorded number one hits (‘A Woman Like You’, ‘Hard to Love’, ‘I Drive Your Truck’), Brice has solidified his status as a country music hit-making songwriter, collaborating with country superstars such as Garth Brooks (“More Than a Memory”), the Eli Young Band (“Crazy Girl”), Kenny Chesney (“Seven Days”), and Tim McGraw (“Still”). Brice lived up to expectations, rocking Moody Coliseum with a memorable performance, ending Homecoming Weekend 2015 with a bang.
