Having a strong and supportive community is at the heart of Jesuit education; however, the COVID-19 pandemic has made in-person community building difficult, requiring Jesuit High School Sacramento to be creative.

In an effort to bring the brotherhood together while still maintaining social distancing rules, Jesuit has organized a “Marauder takeover at the Drive-in” event at West Wind Sacramento Drive-in Theater on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Jesuit students, parents, faculty, and staff are all invited to watch “Men in Black” together as a community.

Last May during the pandemic, Jesuit premiered an original movie for the Class of 2020 at the same theater. Graduating seniors enjoyed the night and the school hopes to repeat that same success with Wednesday’s “Takeover”.

“Our work is always inspired by a deep desire to serve our students and families,” said Assistant Principal for Instruction and Student Life Ms. Fadia Desmond. “We knew we wanted to offer a community-building event to start off the school year and once again in the face of limited options, we remembered the joy the event at the drive-in brought our recent graduates – we wanted to create that same joy for all of our students.”

Vice President Jake Hall ’21 is grateful for this opportunity for students to connect with their brothers in person.

“It’ll be the first time people have seen their friends in-person since school got out and so I think it’s really important that we have this kind of event,” Jake said. “We’re super thankful to be able to have something like this.”

Executive Council President Ronan Brothers ’21 believes the drive-in movie will also be a chance for freshmen to truly experience Jesuit for the first time.

“Every freshman that can attend this event should go because this will give them a taste of what actually being on campus is like,” Ronan said. “They’ve only experienced Jesuit online and this will be their first time interacting with their new classmates.”

Aside from the movie, there will also be a variety of food trucks, including Squeeze Inn, Chandos Tacos, Drewski’s Food Truck, Kona Shaved Ice, and Cowtown Creamery. There will also be a car decorating contest and the winner will get a JUG pass and five parent volunteer hours.

While the drive-in movie is Jesuit’s first in-person event of the school year, it won’t be the last. The Executive Council has been hard at work trying to build on this momentum and to find ways to bring students together while still observing COVID-19 guidelines.

“The executive council is doing our best to keep the student body informed and entertained as much as possible,” Ronan said. “We are working on videos, video game intramurals tournaments, and an upcoming spirit week.”

Regardless of what future events Jesuit has in store, the drive-in movie will surely make for a night to remember according to Ms. Desmond.

“I encourage all of your students and their families to attend,” Ms. Desmond said. “Between the food trucks we have lined up, and the delta breeze that will kick in just before the movie starts, it is bound to be another memorable Jesuit night at the drive-in.”

Tickets for the drive-in movie can be purchased online and sales close Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. Only one ticket per car is needed.