Like Father, Like Son(s)

The doors to De La Salle High School opened in September of 1965 with just two academic wings. The first graduating class of the school, the class of 1969, had a total of just 98 students, compared to today’s average of 240 students. Yet, after 57 years of activity on campus and 54 graduating classes, De La Salle now has a whopping 10,626 active alumni worldwide.

Spartan alumni typically remain committed to the school they attended during the end of their adolescent years. They donate both their time and treasure to ensure that the opportunities they received are available to the young men who follow in their footsteps. For some, this also means watching their sons matriculate through the same high school they did. They see it as an important step in their families’ faith and life journey. Currently, 70 students, from 62 families, are second-generation Spartans at De La Salle.

Through the years, 233 alums have had at least one son attend De La Salle. Although, for many, multiple children walked the same halls that they did years ago. In total, 325 second-generation students have continued their family’s legacy on Winton Drive. Now, with the school closing in on its sixth decade of existence, it shouldn’t be long before the first, third-generation student follows in the footsteps of his grandfather.

We hope you enjoy a few short stories from some of the school’s multi-generational families, as they describe why De La Salle means so much to them.

“De La Salle is not just the high school my sons attend, it’s a family they were born into. They grew up attending De La Salle events with no doubt in their minds that they would soon be participating in those events. Their biggest transition may have been calling the person they always knew as Leo, Mr. Lopoz.

I remember when my oldest, Dominic, was born. Among many other feelings, there was a great sense of pride and joy that he may have the opportunity to attend De La Salle and share some of the amazing experiences I did. I too grew up with my eye on De La Salle, but it was still foreign to me until I showed up on Winton Drive in 1990. It quickly became home. I still remember those first few days of freshman football and the brothers I made, and still have today. This is the place that shaped a goofy 14-year-old into the man I am today. Yes, there have been other influences in my life, but I can say without a doubt that the teachers and coaches at De La Salle helped me shape what is now my moral compass and work ethic. I see what the last four years have done for my oldest and am amazed that 28 years later they have done the same for him. I also see how quickly it takes shape with the changes my freshman son has made in just seven months as a Spartan.

They have both had bumps, just as I did, but this family they were born into was there for them and they have, and will, help them come back stronger. I look back at the devastation experienced by my son when cut from the freshman basketball team and the life lesson he turned into a paper about adversity and growth for Mr. Pelster’s English class junior year. I also look at the dedication he then put into water polo, which became his path and has helped him secure his ongoing education through a commitment to play Division 1 at the University of Santa Barbara.

Sam’s adversity came in a different form when he lost his freshman baseball season before it began with a torn UCL. Again, the De La Salle family was there in the way his teammates have rallied around him and the care the unbelievable staff and parents of his teammates have shown for him. His Spartan story is still in its first chapter, but I know with the support system and family around him on Winton Drive, it will be a great one.

Ours is just one of many stories of families with legacies coming through De La Salle. I am always amazed when I am at an event and see the number of alums that now have their sons attending; knowing their sons will receive the same education, care, support, and love that they did.”

“When I graduated in 1999, I had no idea what God had in store for me and my future. I had no idea what career I would choose or where I would be 24 years later, but here I am. My family and I live in the East Bay and I have worked in the financial services industry for the past 19 years. I am a husband to my beautiful wife Kate and father of three great kids; Nicholas Jr. (16), Natalie (10), and Nathan (5). I can say, without a doubt, that graduating from De La Salle helped mold me into the man I have become. I wanted to continue that same tradition and provide a quality education for Nick Jr. and his siblings.

Nick Jr. is enjoying his sophomore year at De La Salle, where he is a member of several clubs and is finishing up his first year of Mock Trial. As a student at De La Salle, I learned about responsibility, accountability, and being a man of integrity; and as a student-athlete, I learned about discipline, hard work, and brotherhood. I am happy to see how well Nick Jr. is doing in school academically, and I am also very excited to see what the next two years will bring and the continued success that I know he will have in the future. He is a great big brother and friend and he has a heart of gold. He is setting the bar pretty high for his siblings, whom both hope to become graduates of De La Salle and Carondelet in the

“Looking back on my time at De La Salle, it’s interesting to think that when I graduated in 1990, it had only been in existence for a short 25 years. Four years earlier, it also wasn’t my first choice for high school. Rather, it was a logical choice because I had been a product of a small Catholic school in a small neighboring town. Luckily, my parents recognized in me a kid who needed further spiritual and emotional guidance at that stage of my life, and I thank them for the gift of an impactful high school education.

Upon entering De La Salle, the impact on me was immediate. Despite being one of 200+ boys that fall of 1986, I felt like the teachers got to know me very quickly. I wasn’t simply a number. Teachers connected with me on a level that made me feel like I was an interesting person to them. They got to know who my friends were, and what sports and academic interests I had, and they catered to my learning style. The teachers made me laugh, and I felt like I belonged to a thing much bigger than me. And this continued throughout my high school years.

I was taught how to persevere when times were tough (two years of football and three years of wrestling at De La Salle will bring out real character). Strong friendships were formed – both with my contemporaries and teachers – as well as with many kids, many of whom I wouldn’t have thought I’d have anything in common with (and they would later say the same thing). If there were two lifelong lessons I took away as a student, one would be the importance of respect for others who may have different outlooks or opinions. The other – and most cherishable part of De La Salle was and will always be – the privilege of being able to say I am part of the Brotherhood, a connective tissue and lasting bond with any and all Lasallian students and teachers throughout the world.

Knowing this, it was important to my wife and me that we consider De La Salle as the environment for our sons’ transformations into adulthood. For us, besides a name, a lasting gift we wanted to provide our sons was an educational environment where strong values of respect, collegiality, and teamwork were taught and modeled every day. We sought a place where they would be mindfully guided and cared for – spiritually, and emotionally – in all aspects of high school. De La Salle, we strongly believe, is the environment where they could become better versions of themselves. To date, my wife and I still hear stories from Nick (class of ‘22), and Mitch (‘25), about the joyful and memorable classroom and team moments they experienced. Such conversations serve as wonderful reminders my sons have (and continue to receive) the gift of the De La Salle Brotherhood, a gift founded on the same values once taught to me, and a gift they can one day possibly pass on.”

“In 1958, Wilhelmus (Bill) van der Klugt and Elizabeth (Bep) van der Lans immigrated to the United States from the Netherlands. Meeting in Lodi, Calif., the two were married and began a family. Bill and Bep were raised in modest families and were devoted Catholics. They knew the importance of quality education as well as the importance of raising their three children in the Catholic faith. After a few years at St. Catherine’s in Martinez, the couple had to decide where their kids were to attend high school. They learned about De La Salle and Carondelet from friends, and though the cost would be a stretch for the family, decided to enroll John and, three and four years later, Doreen and Mike. Little did they know what they were entering into with the Brotherhood/Sisterhood at these two schools.

Bill would be seen on a daily basis at the school watching the three participate in athletics. The weather was never a deterrent. Bep would manage carpools to and from the schools with other families and spend countless nights correcting grammar in papers. (I wish I had her editing this piece. Sorry mom, most of it stuck.) The comradery the three siblings experienced on the playing fields/courts was what Bill and Bep saw, but the bonding during the school days, retreats, and off-campus activities was only known to each of the kids.

As one of those kids, the entire experience at De La Salle is beyond what words can describe. The dedication of the instructors and supporting staff, to countless hours donated by the volunteers that support the school day in and day out is amazing. The vision of De La Salle and Carondelet is to develop young men and women who will enter the schools to learn and leave to serve. This vision laid the groundwork for each of our futures. John became a peace officer, Doreen a paraprofessional and now a school administrative assistant (at St. Catherine’s), and Michael a public accountant. All leading lives serving the community.

With the opportunities, Bill and Bep gave to their children and the experiences they each had, there was no doubt the next generation of “VanderKlugts” would be attending De La Salle/Carondelet. Between the three of us (I married a graduate of Carondelet, Sheri HardtVanderKlugt), we’ve had NINE children who have now graduated from the schools (two who have married or are about to marry a Cardondelet graduate) and gone on to college.

The De La Salle and Carondelet Brothers, Sisters, educators, administrators, and community have instilled the importance of dedication, hard work, and faith into each of us. The drive for academic and athletic achievement helps us live out the Lord’s hope that we utilize the gifts He has given us and to share such gifts with those around us. I continue to enjoy supporting the De La Salle community as a White Coat to help ensure that those students who have followed me and my children have the opportunity to experience the joy and Brotherhood/Sisterhood that we have all benefited from and daily strive to pass on to others.

To the De La Salle and Carondelet Community, thanks for all you have done, and I look forward to many more years of involvement and service.”