English Instructor Mr. Jesse McFeron graduated from Blanchet in the class of 1996. McFeron, who is actively involved in the Blanchet community, reflects on the traditions and positive environment that Blanchet creates for both students and teachers, expressing his fondness for Tradition Week that has only grown since his time as a student.

“I remember running the lake, and as an underclassman, being real scared of getting pushed into the lake. I ran real fast so I didn’t get laked,” said McFeron. “I remember massive amounts of spirit. I remember it being a really good time.”

McFeron is still actively involved in the Tradition Week festivities.

“[I enjoy] all the faculty events. I like to be a part of it,” said McFeron. “I used to really like the faculty-senior basketball game, but I am horrible at basketball…. Last year they switched over to a faculty volleyball game and I was so excited about that because I’m a lot better at volleyball than basketball, but the result was terrible, we got waxed. That was sad. But the tug-of-war is fun, and I like all the little silly stuff.”

McFeron, who has taught at Blanchet since 2010, attended college locally, earning a B.A. in English after attending the University of Washington. McFeron also received his Master in Teaching from Seattle Pacific University, and Professional Certification from the University of Washington’s Bothell campus. McFeron works in the English department, teaching basic English classes as well as The Graphic Novel as Literature.

“I love graphic novel,” said McFeron. We get to talk about comic books as literature…. And the pillars of the art form. Students have really picked up on the depth [of the graphic novels]. There’s a lot of significance in the layout of the story, and the balance between words and pictures, which the reader hopefully picks up on….The students really get excited for the class, and their excitement is infectious.”

While Graphic Novel is McFeron’s favorite class to teach, he enjoyed taking English the most as a student, especially because of the unique trip that his English 12 Honors class took. In the 1995-1996 school year, 30 English students traveled to Oregon to see Macbeth, Merry Wives of Windsor, and Twelth Night.

“Our teacher, Mr.Genest, took the whole class down to Ashland, in Oregon, for the Shakespeare Festival,” said McFeron. “We also read and wrote a lot in that class, which was good college prep. It showed us the benefits of hard work and the ability to do something crazy difficult and look back and feel accomplished.”

As a student, McFeron was also involved in many activities.

“[As a student, I was involved in] drama and jazz choir all four years,” said McFeron. “In drama, I got involved in both the crews and the cast….I especially remember the show Rising Star. The music in that show was written by Mr. Richarz.”

Throughout high school, McFeron participated in drama and the performing arts. McFeron joined the cast in The Fifth Sun, played a thug in Rising Star, sang in the jazz choir, acted as the prince in Wilde Swallows, and had the role of Curly in Oklahoma.

“Playing such a romantic role made for a memorable last Blanchet musical,” said McFeron in a 1996 interview for the Yearbook.

Today, McFeron is involved in Knowledge Bowl, the Kairos retreat, and Native American Week.

“I was involved with setting up Native American week which I thought went really well,” said McFeron. “I guess you could say that I took point on that. After having been here and seen the mascot controversy in the nineties, and how it’s simmering nationwide, I saw that we should take at least one week to highlight Native American culture as the Braves. It’s still not enough but it’s a start.”

McFeron likes teaching because of his unique interactions with many different students and teachers throughout his day.

“I like variety,” said McFeron. “I have so many little personalities in here that I never know what to expect. I get bored really easy so I like that.”

As an adult, McFeron chose to work at Blanchet because of the friendly and united community.

“The community is really strong. Not only among the students,” said McFeron, “but the faculty is crazy supportive. They are all very nice people that when we go through crises and hard times, we pick each other up. That’s amazing.”

McFeron, with his experience as a Blanchet graduate, has grown a love for Catholic schools and an appreciation for Blanchet’s supportive atmosphere.

 
“That’s part of the reason I teach in catholic schools,” said McFeron. “It’s not that that doesn’t exist in public schools, but the fact that we can talk about faith and live that faith and take action on it instead of just hesitating or over think appropriateness in the workplace gives us a freedom to be closer and more supportive.”