XLIII - Loyola Jesuit College

AnnouncementsAnnouncementsACTING VICE-PRINCIPAL AND ACTING HOSTEL DIRECTOR: Mr. Espedis Omo-OsagieOdiase is the acting Vice-Principal Student Life of Loyola Jesuit College. And Mr. PaulinusAli is our acting Hostel Director. Kindly give them your cooperation.ACCOUNTS INFORMATION FOR PARENTS: Parents to please take note: when you makeany payment into the bank account of Loyola Jesuit College, ensure that the student’sNAME and correct ADMISSION NUMBER are clearly stated on the deposit slip. And depositslips for all payments should be submitted to the account’s office and the school’sofficial receipts collected. As earlier stated, any student owing above N 20,000 will notbe allowed to resume in the Second Term. Please, ensure therefore that all outstandingbills are paid before resumption.NEW SUPERIOR OF THE JESUIT COMMUNITY: Rev. Fr. Ehi A. Omoragbon, S.J., is the newSuperior of the Jesuit Residence at LJC, replacing Fr. Dominic Totaro SJ. Fr. Ehi has beena member of the Society of Jesus—the Jesuits—since 1989. He did his philosophical studiesat Fordham University, Bronx, NY; and theological studies at Hekima College, Nairobi,Kenya. He did graduate studies in Creative Writing at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska;and studied Systematic Theology at the Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley, California.As a Jesuit, Fr. Omoragbon taught Biology at St. Francis Catholic Secondary School,Idimu, Lagos. He was a member of staff of St. Ignatius Retreat House, Long Island, NY,and was associate director of novices at the Jesuit Novitiate in Benin City.He is not new to Loyola Jesuit College. Fr. Ehi taught English and Religion at LJC from1996-1998. He joins us after serving on the staff of the Jesuit Centre, Benin City.We also welcome two Novices of the Society of Jesus, Ignatius Idoko and Emeka Ezealigo,who are on their Community Experiment. We assure them of our usual LJC hospitality.FACULTY WORKSHOP AND MEETING: In preparation for the Second Term, Loyola JesuitCollege organized two full days of workshop for its Faculty Staff on the 6th and 7th ofJanuary 2011. We thank the presenters and all those who helped organize the workshop.The excellent presentations by expert facilitators contributed to the success of the event.Mrs. Jemima Ojo, a seasoned educationist facilitated the topic “Workplace Relationshipand Ethics in a School”; Fr. Bide C. Okolie, a Catholic priest and a Barrister in public practice,spoke on the topic “The Legal Rights of a Child viz-a-viz Student/Teacher Relationship.”Our own Sr. Cecilia Nya SHCJ (former Vice-Principal Academics at LJC) handledsome practical issues bordering on “Work Ethics and Relationship in LJC viz-a-vizTeacher/ Student Relationship.” Fresh from Tertianship, Fr. John-Okoria Ibhakewanlan SJgave a presentation on the various stages of the Human Psychosexual Development. Andthe sole presentation on the 7th of January was on IPP (Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm)which was delivered as well by the refreshed President-Principal, Fr. John-Okoria.3

HOT WATER PROJECTThe Hot Water Project is complete. Insulated hot water tanks with a capacity of 20,000litres as well as insulated pipes and electrical panels have been completely installed.The ultimate testing of the installation will begin at resumption. The project has so farcost the school N11,890,800. This is far above the N9, 468,100.00 initially budgeted.The upward review is as a result of the decision to install an additional insulated tankin the girls hostel. The initial arrangement of merely upgrading the hot water system inthe female hostel would not have sufficiently catered for the needs of the girls. Wethank the Lagos PTA for their contribution towards this project.BYE BYE DARKNESS!Loyola Jesuit College is now the proud owner of a 1000KVA Perkins Generator!In light of the many air-conditioners that came with the cool-the-den project, werecently purchased a 1000KVA generator at a cost of N33million. Electricity supply tothe Den had been abysmal over the past two years.Let there be light!4

THE SOSOLISO PLANE CRASH: OUR STORY:Copies of the recently published book on theDecember 10th tragedy are available in theadmin office. Please, feel free to grab your copyfor just N2,000. Proceeds from the sale of thebook will go to The Loyola Union (a club in LJCwith the responsibility of immortalizing thememory of our Sixty Angels).Contraband Items1. Anything that is edible2. Pocket money (Naira, etc)3. Expensive jewelry/item of fashion4. Perfumes, belts with large buckles5. Mobile phone , camera, video games6. Any unauthorized extra clothing, be ita social wear or LJC uniform7. Any unapproved book/literature8. Non-school sandals9. Any item that is not in the studentcheck-list, unless authorized.10. Any top with ‘spaghetti straps’ orPARENTS’ AND GUARDIANS’ CONSENT FOREXCURSION: All LJC parents/guardians arerequired to give their formal consent beforetheir children are allowed to go on excursionduring the school year. Please, ensure to pick upthe consent form in the admin office. Alternatively,you may send your signed authorizationto: principal@loyolajesuit.org.CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS :To maintain the beauty of our school environment,the school has provided disposable bagsfor trash and garbage. These bags will beprovided to parents/ guests at the security MainGate. Kindly use them, and advice your drivers,maids, children and guests, to dispose them inour big milk-colored waste bins (not the smallergreen bins). Thank you for your cooperation.2010-2011 CALENDER: Please, kindly refer tothe updated calendar page of this Newsletter.Parents are to ensure they schedule accordinglytheir children’s medical check-up, holiday tripsand other personal engagements. Thank you!any other mono-strap top11. Any top that exposes the armpits12. Top with plunging/dropping v-neck13. Sleeveless top without wide straps14. Any skirt that is above knee-level15. Clothing of a transparent nature16. Any other item of clothing that theP r i n c i p a l c o n s i d e r s i n d e c e n t17. Any of the above contraband sent to astudent will be confiscated18. Confiscated contraband will not bereturned to student or to parent19. Unreturned confiscated items will berecorded and given to the poor20. All non-contraband items meant forstudents must be sent through the principal’soffice.5

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF JESUIT EDUCATORS AT LJCFrom the 11th to the 14th of January 2010, there will be a gathering at Loyola Jesuit College of ten delegatesof Jesuit Secondary Education. The delegates will be coming from ten different Jesuit Provinces:Dan CarmodyJean de Dieu RandrianaivoJohn Bosco HayesJose Alberto MesaKalubi Nsukami AugustinMike LewisPaul MayeresaFr. Ignace SamulenziWilliam Tcheumtchoua NzaliEmmanuel UgwejehUSA (Boston College High)MadagascarZambiaColombiaDemocratic Republic of CongoSouth Africa (President of JESAM)ZimbabweRwanda/BurundiCameroonNorth West AfricaSUMMER 2011 - TRAVEL AND LEARNLast summer, 11 LJC students and their siblings spent two weeks in California on a summerexcursion. The trip, 2010 ESL and American Culture Program, was designed by the College of Extended &International Education at California State University, Dominguez Hills, California. The visiting studentswere given ample exposure to American culture and customs. Our children visited Long Beach, UniversalStudios, Disneyland, and took a trip to the Grand Canyon. We saw the bright lights of Las Vegas.The memories of that trip will remain for a long time. To travel is to learn.Summer 2011 holds two different destinations. The first is in the UK – the David Beckham Academy.It features two weeks of soccer training at the David Beckham Academy, London. Alongside will beexcursions to Funcoast World, the Legend tour to Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and Manchester United’s OldTrafford. There will also be an educational Multimedia study Tour to the central office of the BritishBroadcasting Corporation (BBC) in London. The cost of this tour per student is N650,000.00 (Six Hundredand Fifty Thousand Naira only).The second is a combined tour to California State University, Los Angeles, and Orlando Magic BasketballAcademy in Orlando, Florida. On the California itinerary, we have a visit to UCLA’s Getty Museum, SanDiego’s Sea World. There will be interactive classes on critical thinking, effective communication, leadershipand etiquette. We will also visit the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, Universal Studios, and tour theBeach Cities of Redondo, Venice and Santa Monica. We will then spend a week at Orlando Magic BasketballAcademy in Orlando, Florida. The cost of this latter programme is $5,650.00 (Five Thousand, Six Hundredand Fifty US Dollars only).Parents are invited to register their children for either programme. Early registration attracts adiscount! For details about these tours, please contact Mrs. Omotayo Smith of our English Languagedepartment: smith@loyolajesuit.org or 0807 226 2956. NOTE: Please be reminded that the above tours areneither organized nor run by Loyola Jesuit College. You may contact our Admin Office for clarifications.6

Academic Year 2010–2011Please verify with each edition of theNewsletter, as some dates will change2nd TERM: JANUARY 8 – March 30, 2011Faculty Workshop January 6-7SS-3 Resume January 8JS-1, JS-3 Resume January 30JS-2, SS-1 and SS-2 Resume January 30First Continuous Assessment for SS-3 February 1-3Entrance Examination February 5A & C Classes Visiting Day February 13B, D & E Classes Visiting Day February 20Successful Entrance Exam Candidates published on-line March 1Second Continuous Assessment March 2-4Mock SSCE begins March 9-18A & C Classes Visiting Day March 13Three Angels Memorial March 14SS-3 Leave for Home Vacation March 19 or 20B, D & E Classes Visiting Day March 20End of Term Examinations March 21-25End of Term Activities March 26-29SS-3 Resume for WAEC March 27Second Term Ends: Students leave March 30Kairos Retreat March 30—April 3Board of Governors Meeting April 63rd TERM: April 30 – JULY 23, 2011Publication of Final Entrance list into LJC April 1JS-3 Resume (Extension Classes) April 17Easter Day April 24JS-1, JS-2, SS-1 and SS-2 Resume April 30Workers Day May 1 (No Classes)Mock JSCE May 2-9First Continuous Assessment May 24-26Children’s Day May 27A & C Classes Visiting Day June 5Joint Matriculation Examination June 11B, D & E Classes Visiting Day June 12 (LJC Cultural Day)JSS-3 Leave for VacationPending NECO timetableSecond Continuous Assessment June 22-24A & C Classes Visiting Day July 3Board of Governors July 7B, D & E Classes Visiting Day July 10End of Term Examinations July 13-19GraduationJuly 17 (Pending NECO Time Table)End of Term Activities July 20-22Third Term Ends: Students leave July 23SS-1 Leadership Program July 237Service Program for SS-2 Students July 25-August 15

FR. JOHN-OKORIA IBHAKEWANLAN SJA Lesson From TertianshipDear Parents, Staff and Students of Loyola Jesuit College,I bring you good tidings from the Ignatian world. Abundant Graces were bestowed on me during the last five months inKenya. One of the many Graces is what I share with you below.I was a bit upset when I left LJC for Tertianship in Nairobi. I was having doubts as to whether LJC was worth all thesacrifices I had put into it. Are our graduates truly going to be the leaders we desire them to be? Should we as Jesuits not ratherput our energy and resources in the university apostolate? The questions were legion.During Tertianship I became convinced that the potential for positive educational impact is greatest in the secondaryschool years. This conviction first began to develop in me when I did my Grace History (prayerfully going through your life sincebirth to see how God had been present) over a few days. In the years sandwiched between my primary and post-secondaryeducation, I rediscovered therein the role of the Significant Others in my life. Before those years, I thought (like most children) thatI was the center of the universe. My self-centered reference and relationship to reality was reinforced by the attention I got frommy parents and loved ones. However, after a few years my parents seized to be the center of reference and value. As the realityof peer pressure, the struggle for survival and for psychological freedom, became strong, my world needed a broader anchor. Theinevitable separation from parents created a vacuum that had to be filled, just in time, during the secondary school years.When I prayed over the resulting separation from my parents, I remembered some of our LJC parents, the JS-1 mothersin particular, who cried when they had to leave off their children on that first resumption day. Chika Akachukwu’s mother wouldunderstand what I mean. (Object Relations Theory in Psychology places the mother at the center of the child’s developmentalprocess –primarily because of the initial breastfeeding experience). As some of my teachers know, some LJC parents ‘handover’their children to staff members (often not good for the child’s maturity, hello?) who should presumably continue the parental role.What many parents do not realize is that just as there is a natural (inevitable) separation from the child there is also a natural (butnot inevitable) reconnection with the child. This reconnection often takes place within the teen years. Reconnection here meansreestablishing the initial relationship with the child but this time acknowledging each one’s unique personality.Still praying, I could not remember exactly when my own reconnection with my parents took place. What was rather clearis that when the reconnection took place it was no longer a relationship of parental domination and infantile dependency. Therelationship had been affected by the Significant Others in my secondary school years who occupied (some did so only temporarily)the vacuum or rather the privileged parental position. Like many LJC students, I was an Altar Server during my secondaryschool years. Hence my key Significant Others turned out to be two of the Jesuit Priests of my local parish. Who were your SignificantOthers? I wonder who are the Significant Others in the lives of our students in these vital secondary school years.As secondary school professionals, our task is to ensure that a smooth reconnection takes place in the children under ourcare. This is a noble task. It is not surprising therefore that St. Ignatius of Loyola made the Moral Instruction of Children an essentialpart of what it means to be a full Jesuit. The Jesuit Tertianship programme is only a preparation for becoming a full Jesuit,namely, with Final Vows. I prayed through the text of the Jesuit Final Vows. Unlike the First Vows that I made in 1993, the FinalVows include a special vow. As I prayed with the words of this formula for Final Vows, I was struck by the promise of “special carefor the instruction of children….” From that moment on, Tertianship began to restore my belief that the work at LJC is indeed worthall our sacrifices. Our task as Jesuit educationists is to adapt the Ignatian pedagogy for the shaping/reshaping of our belovedyoung ones. I have prayed that our efforts will ultimately produce excellent leaders for the Service of God and Others. Just as Idiscovered for myself, I pray a God-given personality would emerge in each of the Pride during these secondary school years.8