The Plank
Opinion: How corporations expose children to gambling
Gambling is not a foreign concept to kids these days. Via in-game purchasable loot boxes that dispense items, corporations are exposing the youth to chance-based systems for monetary payouts. Recently, a gaming corporation, Valve, has come under heavy fire from the state of New York after being accused of promoting illegal gambling to minors. Games like Team Fortress 2, Dota 2, and Counter Strike have had purchasable loot boxes that anyone could buy for decades.
How to Reduce Our Carbon Footprint
As Jesuit students, we’re not called just to academic excellence and service to others, but also to the stewardship of God’s creation. With Earth Day in the recent past, we are reminded of the importance of taking better care of our Earth. But real change starts with each one of us, one day at a time.
It doesn’t take a total life transformation to start taking better care of the environment. Small, consistent, daily choices can cut down your carbon footprint while saving money. Here are practical ways students can make a difference every day:
Creative Writing Club offers an outlet for imagination
At Jesuit High School Sacramento, the Creative Writing Club offers students a place to develop their writing and share ideas with other students who enjoy storytelling and poetry.
The club was founded to give writers a shared space to create and collaborate. The club’s goal is to help students stay motivated in their creative pursuits in a busy academic environment.
Jesuit’s Favorite Sports Teams
It’s a no-brainer that students at Jesuit High School Sacramento love sports, but I wanted to conduct a schoolwide survey to get some hard numbers behind it. Students were asked to name their favorite sports team across four major leagues: NFL, NBA, MLB, & the NCAA. As expected, the top of the lists were dominated by West Coast squads, but a few national blue-bloods cracked the rankings.
Here’s the whole breakdown and what it means for the Jesuit fandom:
Jesuit volleyball goes head-to-head against the nation’s top players
Over spring break, Jesuit High School Sacramento’s varsity volleyball team traveled to Hawaii to compete in The Clash of the Titans tournament. The tournament hosted the top competition in the country, allowing the Marauders to showcase their talents and skills while representing the school.
Jesuit played three of the top 15 teams in the country, including No. 2 Mira Costa and No. 1 Huntington Beach. Although they came short of the tournament title, Jesuit showed up and competed against the best talent in the nation.
Opinion: “GOAT” roars in theatres
The new animated basketball film “GOAT” recently concluded its theatrical run, and received a good amount of attention from audiences. The movie focuses on a young goat who dreams of becoming a professional roarball (basketball) player, even though he is considered too small to compete. The film was very entertaining and did a great job telling an inspiring underdog story.
The resurgence of Jesuit’s Debate team
During the 2023-24 school year, Jesuit High School Sacramento restarted its Debate Club after a long absence following COVID-19. In the three years since, the team has made a strong return.
At their State Qualifier Tournament this year, the Debate Club won the Small School Sweepstakes. On April 17-19, Seth Eriki ’26, Bobby Price V ’26, and Nick Baltazar ’29 will be competing at the States competition, and later in the month, Nick and Connor Frings ’29 will be going to the National Qualifier tournament.
Opinion: Too Far Gone? NIL, The Transfer Portal, and the Downfall of College Football
Through the introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) revenue to college football, a sport once defined by the development of young men as players and as people has been corrupted into a player-centric circus that promotes greed and rewards disloyalty.
Control of a program’s success no longer lies in the hands of coaches, but rather in the pockets of their school’s boosters. Programs once built on tradition and reputation have fallen, and new, well-funded programs have risen from the ashes. NIL has made an amateur sport pay-to-win, and it must be amended and limited before it causes even more harm than it already has.
Opinion: Keep the A’s in Sac
For the first time since the Athletics’ establishment in 1967, they are homeless. After spending 57 years in Oakland, they are spending the 2025-2028 seasons in West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park, sharing the minor league venue with the River Cats. The A’s owner, John Fisher, is using Sacramento as a home temporarily as he chases the bright lights of Las Vegas. But what if Sacramento could be more than a pit-stop? What if it became the permanent address?
Opinion: “IT: Welcome to Derry” is a gut-wrenching watch
“IT: Welcome to Derry” is the newest installment in the Stephen King’s “IT” series and a prequel set in the 1960s. The show is directed by Andy Muschietti, who had previously directed both “IT” movies. The main character and star of the show is Bill Skarsgård, who retained the role of Pennywise from the movies.
Anthony Stouder ’26: a modern ‘Man for Others’
Anthony Stouder ’26 has spent his time at Jesuit High School Sacramento building connections, exploring new opportunities, and helping others feel welcome in the community. From athletics to clubs, he has focused on growing as a person while helping those around him find their place in the community.
“I’ve been working on becoming a well-rounded person,” Anthony said. “I’ve been trying to get involved in a bunch of different kinds of things […] because there is so much Jesuit has to offer.”
Opinion: It’s Time for MLS in Sac
Two blocks away from the Golden 1 Center steel is going up at the Railyards. When the construction is complete in 2027, Sacramento will have a privately funded, MLS caliber, 12,000-20,000 seat soccer palace. The table is set—all that’s missing is MLS.
The MLS has just welcomed its 30th team, San Diego FC, for a $500 million expansion fee. The league has publicly stated that it’s pausing expansion for now. However, that pause could end the moment someone writes a check.
And it’s a no-brainer that Sacramento should be first in line.
The emergence of AI at Jesuit
Artificial Intelligence is everywhere in the modern world: in self-driving cars, with images and videos on social media, and educational technology in and out of the classroom.
Students using AI to do their work without the teacher’s endorsement are considered to be committing an academic integrity violation, along the same line as plagiarism. Yet, many students at Jesuit High School Sacramento are still using AI to do their work for them.
Dude, pick up after yourself
This semester has witnessed many outdoor areas around campus have been closed off with caution tape, preventing students from eating in these locations during lunch.
Suddenly students who are trying to find a suitable lunch sport outside are now forced to look elsewhere.
March Madness heats up as it approaches the “Sweet Sixteen”
With the first- and second-round games finished, the 2026 NCAA Tournament March Madness bracket has been set for the Sweet Sixteen, where 16 teams will battle to claim the illustrious title of being the best college basketball team in the country.
Jesuit Auction: getting together to give back
This year’s Jesuit High School Sacramento Auction and Gala, the Starlight Soiree, will be hosted on Sat., March 21 in the Fr. Barry Gym. The goal of this auction is to raise funds for various operations on campus.
Opinion: dreams deferred at the border
“How many more people have to die in the desert before we find a solution to this problem?”
This summer, I was lucky enough to join seven other Jesuit High School Sacramento students on an immersion trip to the Kino Border Initiative. Straddling the border between the United States and Mexico, in the town of Ambos Nogales, the organization provides essential services to asylum seekers and recently deported migrants: meals, shelter, basic medical care, childcare, and legal assistance.
Students eke out a victory in Student vs Teacher Olympics
As one of the biggest events in the school calendar, March 9th-13th, the Student vs Teacher Olympics provided memorable moments across all the events.
Opening with trivia, the students won a tightly contested battle by two points after getting out to a strong start.
Isaac Abbott ’26: running the show
Isaac Abbott ’26 is an incredible cross country runner and a prominent leader at Jesuit. From participating in Liturgy Workshop and Star Crew, to leading the cross country team to various victories, he has certainly left a mark on our campus.
Brady McMains ’26: open to growth
As a football team manager, Team CARE leader, theatre production co-curator, and up-and-coming athletic trainer, Brady McMains ’26’s perseverance and dedication to growth in all areas is a perfect example of what it means to be a part of the Jesuit brotherhood.