Spartans and Junior Billikens working together is rare. It’s hard to find a more embittered rivalry between two schools. But as different as “De Smet East” and “SLUH West” might be, they both share a treasured Jesuit identity, an identity that has inspired the two to come together in response to the natural disaster that was Hurricane Harvey.

Among those affected by the hurricane were two Jesuit high schools: Strake Jesuit and Cristo Rei Jesuit. Beau Guedry, a former Alumni Service Corps (ASC) volunteer at De Smet Jesuit, works at Strake. It is connections like these that inspired SLUH and De Smet to come together in an effort to support those who need help.

“We have connections with these folks, we know them, and the idea is how we as a Jesuit networking community can come together,” sports and spirit director Alex Hall said. “When something happens to one Jesuit school in a big way, the others reach out.”

This Friday, before the football game at De Smet, the two schools will kick off the night with a prayer service in the chapel from 5-5:20.

“It’ll be simple,” Hall said. “It’s setting the context of ‘this is us coming together’ and one of the things that we can do for these people that we can’t physically help is spiritually pray for them and help them.”
Following the prayer service, the two schools will co-host a tailgate fundraiser in left field of the baseball stadium. They will sell meals for $4, which come with a drink, chips, and a burger or hot dog. Students will also accept donations outside the stadium gates. All of the money raised will go to those hurt by the storm in Houston.

“This night will show us that we can come together for a common cause,” Hall said. “It might be worthwhile then after to explore our other common causes, and how we can shift things to benefit those common causes in a different way.”