News

Everything from Beyoncé to BMWs were displayed last Friday as St. Louis University High held its annual Activities Fair, an exposition event for most of SLUH’s extracurricular clubs and affinity groups. Over 70 clubs were part of the fair, which took place on the Circle Drive, and the fair was a joint venture for the Food Drive, where StuCo sold Pretzel Boys and donuts to raise money for freshman service.

The St. Louis U. High School campus was a sea of blue last Friday night as the Running of the Bills kicked off the football team’s first home game. This cherished event, which serves as a rite of passage for incoming freshmen, was filled with energy, enthusiasm, and blue paint.

St. Louis U. High’s Environmental STEM class, taught by science teacher Bill Anderson, launched their annual weather balloon this past Tuesday. The balloon provided great data and photos alike before coming down in Illinois.

Taking a step into the Polish past and present, a group of students from St. Louis U. High, Nerinx Hall, and St. Joseph's Academy boarded a flight on May 25, 2024, for a 16-day summer exchange program. They landed in Krakow, Poland, and had classes at SLUH’s Jesuit partner school, Kostka High School. Students stayed with exchange families in their homes and learned about Polish culture. Director of Global Education Rob Chura traveled with the students.

Over the summer, eight rising seniors made the trip across the sea to immerse themselves in Lithuanian and Latvian cultures and in the Russian language. 

Jake Fitts has joined the St. Louis U. High staff in the role of Director of Athletic Performance and has already taken steps to level up the school’s sports teams as well as foster a healthy and active community. 

Although it’s one aspect of St. Louis U. High that students can miss on a daily basis if they don’t look closely enough, Environmental Services has both a familiar face in a new role—Environmental Services Director Emmitte Prince—and new EVS staff hires Gerald Brown and Ryan Baker. 

Thirteen years after graduating as a student, Joe Shaver ’11 has returned to St. Louis U. High as Director of Advancement Services.

STEM and Math teacher Fernando Alvear joins the St. Louis U. High staff to work and help expand the two programs. 

Back home at last, St. Louis U. High alum Andrew Kresyman ’10 has returned. Kresyman is now teaching Honors Chemistry and Physics, taking the place of Mary Russo, who left at the end of last year, in the Science Department.

The halls of St. Louis U. High are buzzing with excitement as a new face has entered the Math Department—math teacher Molly Kelly, whose passion for the subject is as infectious as her commitment to student success. With a career spanning over a decade, Kelly’s return to high school teaching is being met with high expectations and eager anticipation from students and faculty alike.

As a centuries-old institution, St. Louis U. High has, to put it simply, a lot of stuff. It is the job of Abbey Metzler, Archivist and Library Assistant, to keep track of the important historical items in SLUH’s growing archive. Metzler reads, organizes, and maintains spreadsheets to help make historical information accessible to those who want to learn more about SLUH history.

The beloved Jesuit tradition of the Mass of the Holy Spirit was held in the Si Commons yesterday, remarking on the significance of diversity, love, and understanding at St. Louis U. High.

Four juniors spent their summer participating in a program called STL Changemakers: Kayden Kim, Peter Kramer, Nicholas Detweiler, and Theodore Rechtin. STL Changemakers is a two-week summer program to explore the history of St. Louis, educate and engage in today’s most important issues, and develop projects focused on creating a better future for St. Louis. 

“This is the first bus of fans that St. Louis U. High has sent in the 21st century. It took us almost a quarter of the century, but we were waiting for you.”

Principal Fr. Matt Stewart, S.J. looked for laughs over the PA of the fabled Battle for I-55 Spirit Bus, as it pulled out of a busy Wally’s back onto, well, I-55. The dozens of students packed into the bus were rowdier than ever, clutching strangely-named sodas and beef jerky; the voyage through the corn and wheat of the Midwest was about halfway over, and sailing was worrisomely smooth so far. 

Each year, dozens upon dozens students embark on a journey outside of the U.S. through St. Louis U. High’s Global Education programming. In 2023-24, 159 Jr. Bills visited 15 countries. Another 14 groups came to SLUH from countries like Taiwan, Chile, and Ireland, giving many Jr. Bills the opportunity to host a student.

St. Louis U. High says hello this school year to its newest member on the student life team, Melissa Buttice, who will be helping out Assistant Principal for Student Life Brock Kesterson and Director of Security Dan Schulte. She will be overseeing the day to day of the office, which includes checking attendance, checking kids in and out, and most importantly, organizing the list of people to be called to Kesterson’s office at the end of the day. She fills the shoes of former registrar Rita Mulligan, who retired from the same desk at the end of the last academic year.

The St. Louis U. High Advancement Department has expanded over the past year, welcoming three new employees who have already made large and lasting impacts on our community.

In an exciting beginning to the summer, a trio of students and two teachers from St. Louis U. High traveled to Chile to immerse themselves in the country’s culture.