Hurley Qi ’22

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Attracting at least 1,600 visitors, Strake Jesuit hosted its annual in-person Open House evening event on December 2nd, 2021. 

The Strake Jesuit Open House presents the school, its facilities, academics, athletics, and much more to interested students and their families. The event is run by the Admissions Office with the help of student volunteers and the SJ faculty and staff. 

In preparation, the school followed the early dismissal order. Despite the event’s being online last year because of the pandemic, the school was able to successfully organize the various activities for the night this year.

“The spirit of Open House was definitely vibrant this year. It is good to see everything up and running, especially after lockdown,” Colin Vu ’22, a student tour guide, said. 

After a quick dinner for tour guides and faculty, the Open House officially began at 7:00 PM at the Parsley Center. Per tradition, President Fr. Johnson and Principal Mr. Lojo both introduced the mission of Strake Jesuit to the visiting families. Following the speeches, student volunteers led visitors in groups of eight to 10 to tour the campus. Throughout the tour, student tour guides introduced the various buildings on campus and their purpose. Visitors were also able to listen to presentations from the various academic departments at Strake Jesuit.

“It was great to introduce prospective students to what Strake Jesuit is all about, from physics to athletics,” Mason Abrell ’22, who helped to man the physics lab demonstrations, said. 

The event concluded at the Moran Dining Hall. Snacks and merchandise were provided to visitors. Faculty department chairs were present to answer any questions, and various extracurricular activities were introduced. After an exhaustive, yet fulfilling night of Open House, SJ Students once again shifted their focus back to preparation for the upcoming final exams.