FOR THE MOREAU CATHOLIC COMMUNIT Y SUMMER 2017
PRESIDENT Mr. Terry Lee PRINCIPAL Ms. Lisa Tortorich COMMUNICATION COORDINATOR Mr. Timothy Chaparro EDITOR Mr. John Forsyth CONTRIBUTORS Mr. Ryan Brusco Ms. Diana (Straggas) DeFrance ’76 Ms. Adrianne Ford Mr. Terry Lee Ms. Nichole McGowan Mr. Phil Wilder Ms. Elizabeth Zepeda ’03 DESIGN AND LAYOUT Christine Kosmicki PHOTOGRAPHY Mr. Sergio Estrada Ms. Renee Jankowski Samsher Randhawa BOARD OF TRUSTEES Barbara Hemenez, Chair Rick L’Heureux, Vice Chair Cindy Bath Elizabeth Guneratne Maritza Ilario David King ’82 Terry Lee Marta Vera Leon Dennis Mastrantonio ’71 Sr. Mary Christopher Miller, OP Fr. Paul Minnihan ’84 Br. William Nick, CSC Lois Quilalang Char Raimondi Ed Raney Kevin Sweeney ’72 Lisa Tortorich Quang Trinh ’88 THE VECTOR is published three times a year by Moreau Catholic High School 27170 Mission Boulevard Hayward, CA 94544 (510) 881-4300 MoreauCatholic.org
Oh! The Places You’ll Go 201 seniors were accepted into 1025 colleges and have received $11.6 million in scholarships.
Moreau Catholic 2017 2
COLLEGE STATISTICS
ATTENDING:
UC 17% Cal State 32% CA Private 23% Out of State Public/Private 13% Community College 14% GAP .04% 4 year College 85% 2 year College 14%
Washington University, St. Louis Skidmore College UC Berkeley EECS at UC Berkeley UCLA USC USC-School of Viterbi Engineering University of Texas University of Illinois- Urbana Champaign Northeastern University New York University Purdue University
A Letter from the President Dear Mariner Community, Greetings from Moreau Catholic High School! We send you our best wishes and hope you are enjoying the summertime with family and friends. While the teachers and students are off on vacation, our campus is still buzzing with activity. Summer maintenance projects, summer school classes, Mariner Explorers Camp, athletic camps, and our first Junior High Leadership Summit are just a few of the activities taking place this summer. Inside, you will read about one of our most exciting projects, the renovation of two classrooms that are being transformed into our new Incubator Space. Taking the lead from research labs and startups, Moreau will now have a space where students can work on their Senior Capstone Projects and utilize multimedia tools such as the MCTV studio, a podcast recording booth, and Virtual Reality cameras. They will plan and deliver TEDx talks and fully demonstrate their personal transformation as they propose solutions to problems, large and small. The renovated space will continue to support our outstanding MCTV program and classes, as well as journalism, yearbook, and Speech and Debate classes.
Celebrating after Baccalaureate Mass, with Principal Lisa Tortorich and Rahul Joshi ’17
Our Graduation issue also brings you all the excitement and magic of Commencement 2017. This talented class left its mark on our school in many ways, and will not soon be forgotten. We wish all of the students from the Class of 2017 blessings, happiness, and success. As you will see in one of the inside ads, CRAB IS BACK! After a foray into prawns (partially forced by the crab toxin in 2015) for the last two years, we are happy to be returning to delicious Dungeness crab on January 27, 2018. It is not too early to mark the date in your calendar—I look forward to seeing you there. We also say a fond farewell to Mr. Steve Showers, who at the time of his retirement was the longest-serving teacher on staff. After 43 years of service, we all wish Steve a happy and healthy retirement. Finally, I invite all alumni to come out and celebrate our first Green and Gold All Alumni Celebration on Saturday, September 16. We will be celebrating all the reunion class years ending in 2s and 7s, but all alumni are invited to join in. As we have gotten older, it has been difficult for our small staff to plan and organize nine different class reunions each fall. So, like many schools our age, we have shifted to this format and encourage all alumni to join in and support this new event. I imagine many classes will still have their own private events, which we will continue to support the best we can, but this Green and Gold All Alumni Celebration will be our new annual event to bring alumni together on campus for fun, food, and memories. I look forward to seeing many of you on September 16th! Thank you for all you do for Moreau Catholic High School, and enjoy the remaining weeks of summer. Best wishes,
Terry Lee President
Summer 2017 3
UPCOMING EVENTS AUGUST 2017 August 11 Freshmen Orientation Day Ivaldi Student Center August 14 First Day of School
Beyond the Vector Explore the world of Moreau Catholic online with these stories and videos
August 15 Opening of School Liturgy
NPD’s Newly Appointed Chief of Police
August 17 Back to School Night 7:00 P.M.
Mike Carroll ’83 was appointed to the position of Police Chief on July 1, 2017. Chief Carroll was hired as a Police Officer for the City of Newark in April 1991.
August 18 Frosh Box Social 6:00 P.M.
Introducing the First Moreau Fellows
August 26 Alumni Current Parent BBQ (During Welcome Back Dance)
Join us in welcoming the first members chosen for the Moreau Catholic Fellowship Program. Devan Bevilacqua ’13 and Narciso Bernardo ’13.
August 30 Fall Sports Parent/Coaches Meetings 6:30 P.M.
SEPTEMBER 2017
Super Women of our Past
September 4 No School Labor Day
Congratulations to senior Kristen Benz and junior Isabella Socias for their documentaries being chosen by alumna and 43rd Treasurer of the U.S. Rosie Rios ’83, to be a part of her Teachers Righting History project.
September 15 Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows Mass September 16 Green and Gold All Alumni Celebration September 19 College Night
OCTOBER 2017 October 6 Parent Admission Tour 8:30 A.M. October 14 Law Day October 27 Homecoming Game vs. Newark 7:00 P.M.
NOVEMBER 2017 November 1 All Saints Day Mass
Connect With Us Follow us for up to the minute updates, stories, and features. Facebook.com/MoreauCatholicHighSchool Instagram.com/MoreauCatholic Twitter.com/MoreauCatholic
November 4 Open House 9:30 A.M. November 6 Funding Hopes and Dreams
Moreau Catholic 2017 4
In This Issue 6 10 12
Maker Faire Personal Projects Showcase Creative Thinking
The Moreau Catholic Golf Classic This year’s winners are...
Mariner Sports Wrap Recap of the Fall, Winter and Spring Sports Summer 2017 5
16
Academic Clubs + Teams Paving the way for success
20
Wisdom for the Class of 2017 From your Valedictorian and Salutatorian
28
End of an Era Steve Showers has left the building
The 3rd Annual Maker Faire Personal Projects Showcase Creative Thinking
On April 25th, Moreau Catholic hosted its third annual Maker Faire event where students were invited to display a variety of projects that they have been working on throughout the year. For those unfamiliar with the Maker Faire, it can be best described as a showcase for innovation and experimentation across the spectrum of science, engineering, art, performance and craft.
As the years go by and the momentum grows with Moreau’s Maker Faire, Simons envisions bigger and better things in the future. “Ultimately I would love to see our school have a booth at the Maker Faire in San Mateo, and I would love to work with our science teachers because I know their curriculum is becoming more project based and it would be great to have their work showcased at Maker Faire. I see the same schools there every year and it would be great to be included in that and I think that if we put in the work to train the kids to present their work that they could be a part of it as well.”
Moreau’s Head Librarian, Jessica Simons, who runs the Maker Faire each year, said that there were about 10 groups who participated in this year’s event. “We had some classes and some individual students present their projects that featured artwork from art classes, 3D printed objects, a virtual reality video game, and an Arduino project that was programmed to make music. We had everything spread out over the middle of the library and they were able to present their work to faculty, staff, and students.”
Presenting in front of a group is something that can be difficult for a lot of students, especially in an environment outside of a classroom setting, but Simons sees huge benefits in using the Maker Faire to strengthen students’ confidence. “Not only do they need to come up with projects, but they really need to know how to talk to people coming up to them and asking them what they’re doing. That has been a goal of mine since we started this 3 years ago, to get us to Maker Faire, or even to the mini Maker Faire at the Park Day School in October. It’s on my wish list and it would be great if we could do it.”
Most of the works that were on display were done entirely on the students’ own time, and are projects that they are passionate about outside of the classroom. “It was a lot of personal stuff, so they did it on their own time,” Simons said. “We have Maker Lab equipment available for checkout yearround, like the laser cutter and 3D printer. For 3D printing they have to bring us the files, but for Maker Faire we don’t care if it was something that was made at home or with our equipment. For the most part these were personal projects, which is really cool because without the Maker Faire we wouldn’t get to see what a lot of these kids are creating.”
“Next year will be our 4th annual Maker Faire, and I anticipate even more participation, especially from teachers and classes, to get more kids to come into this space to see everything,” said Simons. “I look forward to continuing to showcase what our kids are doing!” by John Forsyth
Ryan Lin ’18: Maker Faire aquaculture project
Moreau Catholic 2017 6
Innovation at Moreau Catholic
The Incubator Space and Interactive Experience in Virtual Reality 21st Century Creativity Virtual Reality Game by Ben Bega ’18 Of all the projects to be displayed at the Maker Faire, the one that has been the most talked about was a Virtual Reality video game that was made by Ben Bega ’18. Bega, who had previously submitted a homemade computer to the Maker Faire, went one step further by creating a fully interactive VR experience that allowed players to explore an aviation museum. “Since VR is still so new and there aren’t a lot of games out there, I started to make my own games for it,” Bega said. “I started off with a couple of projects that I never finished, so this is the first one that I actually completed. It is an aviation museum that is based off of the real life one in Redwood City, and right now I have designed 7 World War II era planes that you can explore. There’s an audio tour and you can explore a scale model or a full size model, and you can walk right up to each one, go under it, view it all the way around. That was the basis for the project.” Bega is already working on designing a new VR game that he hopes to be able to present at next year’s Maker Faire. “I’m about a quarter of the way through a multi-player game; it’s a one-on-one type fighting game. Each player spawns into an arena and you can choose from 3 different classes and each one has different sorts of weapons and defenses. If I bring an additional headset next year, we can have one-on-one games in the library.” by John Forsyth
The Incubator Space, where student passions intersect with the needs of the world Moreau is excited to introduce its newest classroom upgrade for the 2017-2018 school year. The Incubator Space, where student passions intersect with the needs of the world, will be a place where Moreau’s media arts, social justice, and Speech and Debate courses can flourish and grow. Designed to give students the opportunity to develop and expand upon their vocational calling, this adaptive space will include flexible seating, a 360 Virtual Reality station, and a Podcast studio — all designed to help students develop agency skills that will allow them to go out and change the world. There will be more to come in the following weeks, and we look forward to having you visit our new classroom at the start of the 2017-2018 school year! by Ryan Brusco Summer 2017 7
Celebrating Mariner Scholars
On May 7, 2017 Moreau Catholic hosted two very important events honoring student achievement: the Scholarship Hall of Fame and the Evening of Excellence. Hundreds of Moreau students are honored at these events for their academic achievements and scholarship awards. In addition, the Scholarship Hall of Fame recognizes donors who have established scholarships and provides an opportunity for the school and the student recipients to thank the donors for their generosity. Moreau Catholic 2017 8
Prawns Got you feeling Crabby?
This year, crabs return as the main course! Moreau Catholic High School Booster Club presents an all-you-can-eat Crab Feed. Join us for a night of dining, auctions, raffles and FUN! Saturday, January 27, 2018 Moreau Catholic Booster Club 27170 Mission Blvd. Hayward, CA, 94544 For more information, Summer 2017 email boosterclub@moreaucatholic.org 9
The Moreau Catholic Golf Classic supporting the Br. Gary Stone, CSC, Memorial Scholarship
Christine Krisman and her foursome who came in first place for the womens division
The 35th Annual Moreau Catholic Golf Classic was held on Monday, June 12, 2017 at the beautiful Crow Canyon Country Club in Danville. The tournament brought together alumni, faculty and staff, members from the board of trustees, and friends of Moreau Catholic for a day of golf, camaraderie, great food and all around fun times. All proceeds went directly to the Brother Gary Stone, CSC Memorial Scholarship Fund. Special thank you to the following volunteers for their meaningful support to our well deserving scholars: 2017 Day of Event Volunteers Camryn Brooks ’20 Tim Chaparro Diana (Straggas) DeFrance ’76 John Forsyth Daniela Hupke ’20 Doug Hupke Colleen Kelly Jasmine Knight Sharlene Mansfield Celeste Marucut ’17 Justin Marucut ’20 Cheryl (Baglietto) Mears ’75 Julie Moore Bernadette Perenne ’16 Carlota Perenne Char Raimondi Michelle (Raimondi) Thompson ’85 Chrissy (DeFrance) Todd ’05 Lisa Tortorich Jenny Toscano Kayla Wilder ’13 Kim Young Julie Zhu
2017 Golf Committee Phyllis Moroney, Chair Dr. Tim Canio Diana (Straggas) DeFrance ’76 Nicole Dutra Skip Eitemiller John Hannon ’73 Kathy Hebert Doug Hupke Tim Ilario Buck Kleckner ’77 Diane L’Heureux Sharlene Mansfield Rick McMahon Sonia McMahon Jim Thompson Quang Trinh ’88 Kayla Wilder ’13 Wandra Williams
Niccolo Delucchi, Paul Delucchi ’87, Carlos Briones ’12, and Dave Baptist ’85 took first place for the mens division
Tom Spillner ’71, Mark Spillner ’73, Mike Moran ’74, and Art Songey ’73
Moreau Catholic 2017 10
Rising Star
Meet Ryan Lu ’18, undefeated in his league and determined to follow in the cleat-steps of another top Mariner golfer The first day of the golf tournament was rough for Ryan Lu. With a score of 78, the Moreau junior was tied for seventh place in a battle against the top high school players in the league. “I knew I had to do better the second day, improve my score,” says Lu, recalling how his coach helped him focus under the pressure. “Coach Matt [Mora] told me not to worry too much, to think about each shot in the moment, not what would happen next.” Day two ended on a much better note for the young golfer. Lu shot a 72 and earned the title of 2017 MVAL Golf Champion. His coach at Moreau is quick to point out that the competition was stiff that May afternoon. “Ryan was up against a bunch of players who were ranked higher,” Mora says, “and he beat them all.” Not bad for someone who picked up a club for the first time only two years ago. As an eighth grader, Lu was growing dismayed with his basketball game (“physical limitations—not tall enough”). He decided to join his father one day at the golf range. “I kinda picked it up pretty fast from him,” Lu says of his first coach, who continues to help him practice. Moreau Athletic Director Christine Krisman has known Lu since his freshman year. For her, it’s been rewarding to watch his confidence grow along with his game. “He’s a very hard-working kid,” Krisman says. “I think he’s finally at the point where he’s accepted that he’s a top golfer.” His coach has helped him every step of the way. “Coach Matt is one of the calmest and [most] positive-minded coaches I have ever met,” Lu says.
“No matter what, he always discovers a way to mentally prepare the team by draining down our stress.” He values the relationships he’s made at his school. “I grew up with a lot of people here,” Lu says. “There’s a bond.” And even though he’s been known to race from school to stay at the range until it closes, he finds most people understand. “They know I’m busy but we’re still close,” he says. “They’ve got me.” Coach Mora praises Lu’s work ethic along with the composure he brings to the game. “In golf, you shoot a 72 one round and then next week you shoot 88. It’s just the way the game is,” Mora says. “It’s very mental. Whether you have a good game or a bad one, it’s how you deal with it—that’s what makes you a great player.” And Lu, Mora adds, is a great player. “He is phenomenally mature for his age, a joy to work with and carries himself so well on the course.” Lu explains that he has always tried to emulate the pros. “They keep their composure,” he says. “I don’t let emotions surpass me. Coaches don’t like that.” One of his biggest inspirations is a former Mariner. “Carlos!” Lu says, his voice lifting in excitement when asked about the history of the golf program at his school. He’s referring to Carlos Briones ’12 who left Moreau with a ranking of seventh in California and went on to play at Santa Clara University. “We went to the same
Summer 2017 11
elementary, middle and high school— and he was a state champion,” Lu says. “It would be nice to be the second one.” This summer you can find Lu on the greens at Monarch Bay Golf Club, preparing to do just that. Equally determined to play at the college level, he just finished his strongest academic year yet and plans to keep a careful eye on his grades going forward. And after college?
“Golf is really competitive,” Lu says, acknowledging the difficulty of making it to the pro level. “You have to have a backup plan.” His plan includes a business degree. Coach Mora sees a fantastic future ahead for Lu. Does he think his top golfer has a chance at the pros? “Absolutely,” Mora says. “He’s got the mentality and the work ethic you need to do that. He wants it that bad.” Lu’s family keeps him motivated toward his goals. He wants to make them proud. “Golfing isn’t cheap. My parents have put a lot into my training,” Lu says. “I want to give back to them. They have sacrificed so much for me. I want to show them it was worth it.” by Adrianne Ford
Mariner Sports Wrap CROSS COUNTRY
WATER POLO
League: Boys 3rd, Girls 3rd Playoffs: Boys 8th in NCS, Girls 6th in NCS All League: Nia Isom, Breanna Herrera, Talia Lowerre, Krystal Tsoi, Spencer Borbon, Nico Melendres, Michael Vickers
League: Boys 6th, Girls 7th All League: Mercedas Reichel, Rachelle Moran, Selena Lopez,Tanner Granzella, Sam Lacabanne, Jeremy Nacu
FOOTBALL League: 2nd Playoffs: Quarter finals in NCS All League: Trenton Ramos, Jullen Ison, Alex Johnson, Jackson Posadas, Nicholas Pepares, Kenry Jourdan, Russell Winston, Jordan Seiden, LJ Anderson, Josh Pullum, Hayden Moses, Javanz Dorners, Jordan Seiden
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL League: 2nd Playoffs: Lost first round NCS All League: Mariah Lark, Katrina King, Sydney Mendoza-Beck, Hannah Gamez, Haley Legaspi
GIRLS GOLF All League: Camryn Brooks
GIRLS TENNIS
RALLY SQUAD
League: 7th All League: Caytlyn Noble
See page 14
BOYS BASKETBALL League: 1st Playoffs: NCS Champions, Nor Cal Champion, 2nd in State All League: Damari Milstead, Kyree Walker, Jullen Ison
GIRLS BASKETBALL League: 2nd Playoffs: 4th in NCS All League: Kaleigh Taylor, Sydney Mendoza-Beck, Katrina King
BOYS SOCCER
GIRLS SOCCER
League: 8th All League: Oscar Garcia, Jacob Kilmartin, Adam Sanchez, Jacob Martin, Colin Joseph, Ton OgiRobbins, Hayden Moses
League: 4th Playoffs: Lost in first round All League: Zabrina Aviles, Talia Lowerre, Tanya Brouse, Alex Carpio, Hannah Ogi-Robbins, Jolie Poulet
SOFTBALL League: 4th Playoffs: Lost in Quarter finals All League: Gabi Perez, Arielle Acosta, Janessa Khamseh, Leila Velasquez, Haley Fuentes, Gabby Franco
SWIMMING League: Boys 4th, Girls 7th Playoffs: Swim Relay team qualified to NCS
BASEBALL League: 3rd Playoffs: Lost in Quarter finals All League: Alex Pham, Marc Goulart, Jacob George, Jeremiah Munoz, David Tellez, Gerardo Vargas
BADMINTON League: 7th All League: Andrea Yuen, Roseil Yap, Edwin Shih, Tony Xu, Abby McCutcheon, Jerry Jiang
BOYS TENNIS League: 8th All League: Singles: Charley Jiao, Advay Sharma, Jake Carpenter Doubles: Noah Jacala, Jeremy Santos; Barrett Ng, Benny Sulit
BOYS GOLF League: 2nd Playoffs: Ryan Lu qualified as Individual to Tournament of Champions for NCS All League: Ryan Lu, also MVP of the League
BOYS VOLLEYBALL League: 2nd Playoffs: Lost in Semi Finals All League: Michael Watt, Anthony Melgarejo, Louis Boccaleoni, Jeremy Fojas, Vincent Mascarenas, David Santos, Kyle Balidio, Jason Buan
TRACK & FIELD League: Boys 4th, Girls 5th Playoffs: Mariah Lark was NCS champion in Pole Vault All League: Ethan Cardenas, Mariah Lark, Myles McAroy, Nico Melendres, Colin Joseph
Rally Squad
Q & A with Rally Squad Head Coach Jasmine Ogle ’90 The Moreau Catholic High School Rally Squad had a historic season in 2016-2017, earning their first qualification for Nationals where they ended up with an incredible 4th place finish in the Super Varsity Show Cheer Novice division! We sat down with head coach Jasmine Ogle ’90 to learn a little bit more about the team and their amazing season.
The girls have to balance their time wisely. The Rally Squad has consistently had a 3.0 GPA and many of the girls maintain 3.5 and above. I believe it is because they have a strong work ethic with their education and they want to be on the Rally Squad as well, so they do what is necessary to maintain their grades.
Looking back on an incredibly successful season for your team, can you tell us a little bit about how the year went from your point of view? The past year was very successful especially in the area of competition and mastering skills. For the first time our Varsity cheer squad made it to the finals in their division. This is incredibly difficult to do with so many talented squads out there! Varsity Cheer and Song competed together and won 2nd place in a category that is very similar to performances we do for our home crowds at Moreau! For those who don’t know, what does the Rally Squad season look like? The Rally Squad has a 10 month season. In those 10 months the girls are taken through an evolution of progression towards mastering as many skills that our squad is capable of mastering. The summer time is where we begin. The girls go through rigorous conditioning and strength training in order to get them ready for the upcoming season. Cheerleading / performance requires a lot of endurance, stamina, and strength in order to perform their routines and the technical elements in a routine.
First Cheer team in Mariner History to place at Nationals; Song won Nationals in 2009.
What do you see as being the biggest rewards the members of the team get out of being on the Rally Squad? I think it is the feeling of family, a sisterhood, and the development of confidence. Most girls come to the squad as freshmen. They are young and unsure of themselves. Some girls have some experience, but cheerleading/ performance forces you to become more confident and less inhibited.
How did this season compare to previous ones, and what do you think contributed most to the team’s success? I pushed them much harder from the very beginning with their skills this past year. Only letting intermediate stunting skills and dance technique skills be the minimum of how we would begin to progress. The girls embraced this challenge and it helped them gain more confidence earlier in the year and they developed more muscle memory and endurance with executing their technical skills.
What does the future look like for this team? What are the goals for next season? JV will have a lot of new girls who have never cheered before. The goal there will be to get their basic skills down and learn to be confident when performing.
How much time do the members of the team spend practicing each week? How do they balance Rally Squad with the already time consuming and challenging rigors of school? The squad practices 3 times a week (6-10 hours depending on the necessity). When football season and basketball season kicks in, they continue this schedule but now have to incorporate games. We also have Competition Season during football season.
Varsity cheer and song will have some nice talent. We have a lot of returners and they want to keep progressing in what we can accomplish. Our goal is PROGRESSION. We want to have great performances for our school and we want to compete to the best of our ability and hopefully be just as successful as this past year! by John Forsyth
Moreau Catholic 2017 14
SAVE THE DATE 9th Annual Moreau Catholic High School
Funding Hopes and Dreams Dinner and Auction
Opening the Door to Opportunity Benefiting the Trust for Student Support
Thursday, November 16, 2017 6:00-8:30 p.m. Fremont Marriott Silicon Valley 46100 Landing Parkway Fremont, California 94538 510.413.3700
For more information, please contact: Diana (Straggas) DeFrance ’76 ddefrance@moreaucatholic.org 510.881.4330
The Trust for Student Support plays a vital and important role by providing tuition assistance for many students at Moreau Catholic High School. Together we can continue to support their hopes and dreams to receive a Catholic college preparatory education. Summer 2017 15
Academic Clubs and Teams
Paving the way for success in Business, Entrepreneurship and Law
Mock Trial Team Wins Empire Mock Trial Competition Photo of the team taken from Empire Mock Trial in Atlanta
The 2016-17 Mock Trial team had an incredible year that was filled with first-time occurrences and new experiences. For instance, the team won the Empire Mock Trial competition in Atlanta, Georgia; organized Moreau Catholic’s first ever Alumni Law Day; hosted its annual Mock Trial Camp for Junior High School students; and made it to the final round of the Alameda County Mock Trial Finals for the fifth year in a row.
The team had an incredible year as they finished the regular season with an undefeated record for the fourth year in a row. They faced Oakland Tech in the semi-finals and advanced to the finals for the fifth year in a row where they lost to the team from Amador Valley High School. After the final trial the team was still not finished as they scrimmaged with the Santa Clara County champion to assist them in their preparation for the State Championships. The team is currently preparing to assist St. Clement School who is putting on a Mock Trial, working on an application for the Empire Mock Trial World Championships to be held in New York in November, organizing the second Alumni Law Day and planning the 4th Mock Trial Summer Camp.
The team was ably assisted by their attorney coaches Peter Borruso (class of 2003 and a public defender in Yolo County) and Ron Indran, a District Attorney from San Joaquin County. At the start of the new school year, new students were recruited which increased the team roster to a total of 35 members. They also added two new coaches in Dennis Borruso (father of Peter Borruso) and Heather Marinko (Mock Trial alumna from the class of 2013). This was good timing as they began to prepare for the Constitutional Rights Foundation case for the school year which was released in mid-September.
by Phil Wilder
Moreau Catholic 2017 16
DECA Team Competition Wins DECA (also known as Distributive Education Clubs of America) is an international association of high school and college students and teachers of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality, and marketing sales and service. Moreau’s DECA team experienced an excellent season capturing numerous awards at their conferences and competitions. At the NorCal Career Development Conference, Rithika Adavikolanu and Manasi Vitthanala placed third in Business Law and Ethics Case study. In addition, they were overall finalists for Business Law and Ethics and Overall Finalist in Franchise Business Plan. Karthik Kalyanaraman won First Place in Marketing Exam and was a Finalist in International Business Plan (IRIS - Emergency Communications Network). Rhea Khalra garnered First Place in Roleplay Two in Apparel and Accessories Marketing. Nichal Suri, Supreet Thiara, Hemali Bhas placed second in Independent Business Plan (they designed an app called Quick Dress). And finally, Abhishek Mandalam, Athira Pratap and Ravi Thiara had a first place finish in Sports and Entertainment Marketing Operations Research. At the State Career Development Conference, Karthik Kalyanaraman won first place in Automotive Services Marketing while Athira Pratap, Ravipartap Thiara, and Abhishek Mandalam took first place in Sports and Entertainment Operations Research. Allan Sur was a finalist in Roleplay for Food Marketing. Karthik Kalyanaraman and Danielle Curammeng placed in the Top 8 in International Business Plan. Rithika Adavikolanu and Manasi Vitthanala finished in the Top 8 in Franchise Business Plan. Nia Isom and Isabelle Osorio were top 8 finishers in Marketing Management Team Decision Making. by Nichole McGowan
Future Business Leaders of America The FBLA academic team had a very busy year and saw great results. On February 4, 2017 the FBLA attended the Bay Section Leadership Conference in Cupertino. The team had outstanding results: • Manjari Ganesan placed 8th in the Creed Event. • Mekhla Kapoor, Anisha Nanisetti, and Raveena Atwal placed 5th in the Hospitality Management Team Event. • Tifa Yeh placed 4th in the Sales Presentation event. • Tiana Cheung received a Champions of Bay Ribbon. April 6-9, 2017 the FBLA attended the State Leadership Conference in Sacramento and two students had terrific results: • Harsh Srivastava placed 1st in the Help Desk event and advanced to Nationals • Tiana Cheung placed 3rd in the Digital Video Production event which advanced her to Nationals and she received two Business Achievement Program awards In July, the FBLA will attend the National Leadership Conference in Anaheim. Harsh Srivastava will compete in Help Desk and Tiana Cheung will compete in Digital Video Production.
Abhishek Mandalam, Athira Pratap, and Ravipartap Thiara celebrating their first place finish.
Summer 2017 17
Karthik Kalyanaraman ’17 This past May, Moreau Catholic senior Karthik Kalyanaraman joined an elite group of students from across the country as a 2017 National Merit Scholarship winner. This award recognizes academic promise and distinguished performance on the PSAT. In 2015, 1.6 million juniors from more than 22,000 high schools were submitted for initial screening and consideration. The nationwide pool of semifinalists represented less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. Karthik was chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists for the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program. National Merit Scholarship winners are judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. We extend our congratulations to Karthik on this prestigious honor. by Adrianne Ford
Moreau Catholic 2017 18
Katelyn Olsen ’17 The rigor of a Moreau Catholic education permeates all areas of a Mariner student’s experience. Successfully balancing a challenging course load can result in huge gains for students once they graduate, as proved true for recent graduate Katelyn Olsen. Her years at Moreau were loaded with honors and AP courses, active involvement in clubs like the Library Club, co-curricular activities such as dance and drama, as well as teaching ballet outside of school. Though she received acceptance and awards from many prestigious schools such as UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, and University of Washington, Olsen chose to attend UCLA. There she will be among 1.5% of applicants who were invited to apply for the Regent’s Scholar Society, and even fewer who were accepted. This
allows her many special privileges including a $2,000 honorarium, one-on-one faculty mentorship, early registration for classes, and guaranteed housing and parking for four years. Olsen was in the Honors Dance class both junior and senior years. As a junior, while in Mr. Tobler’s AP physics class, Olsen was inspired to explore Newton’s Third Law of Motion as the topic for her thesis choreography and research project. Of that experience she says taking both classes simultaneously pushed her to take her dance and her research to the next level and to develop a deeper understanding in both subjects. While many students feel they need to be involved in everything all at once, Katelyn felt that doing a few things well would distinguish
Summer 2017 19
her from applicants, an instinct that proved true: “I think what set me apart was how balanced and well-rounded I was. I didn’t take AP and honors in each subject, just the ones I was passionate about so that I did not get too overwhelmed and could put my full effort into all of my courses.” At UCLA Olsen will double major in dance and is choosing between Physics, Math, and English as her second major. She looks forward to taking a variety of classes to narrow down her passions to a second major and possible career path. Best of luck to Katelyn Olsen, a truly inspiring Mariner. by Elizabeth Zepeda ’03
Wisdom for the Class of 2017 Mikayla Cree wasn’t prepared for what she found at Moreau. “I was shocked by how loving and kind everyone was,” she says of her arrival four years ago from a large public middle school. Never before had Cree experienced such a tight-knit community or encountered so many students who shared her passion for learning. When The Vector caught up with her, Cree was preparing to graduate as the Class of 2017 Salutatorian. The honor is especially meaningful, she says, because at Moreau it’s based on more than a high G.P.A. (hers is 4.04). Top-ranking students in the running for Salutatorian and Valedictorian are required to audition their graduation speeches before a selection committee. While her list of extracurricular activities is the long one you’d expect from a Salutatorian (cheerleading, choral program, student government, Curriculum Committee, Executive Council, Girl Scouts, youth group, among others), Cree admits it hasn’t always been easy to juggle everything. “I have a tendency to put on a smiley front and do it all,” she says. “Being able to say ‘I need help’ was a lesson I needed to learn [and one that inspired her winning graduation speech]. At Moreau you aren’t expected to handle everything by yourself.”
Mikayla Cree ’17 Salutatorian
The Moreau community, she says, has supported her through good times as well as challenging ones like the start of her senior year. In less than a month, Cree lost three people in her inner circle, including her youth group leader and grandmother.
But there was an unusually high level of participation under Cree, McGowan says. After weeks of painting and prop building at Cree’s home, her classmates transformed their hallway into a 1950s-themed soda shop complete with classic car murals and cutouts of their teachers as greasers and waitresses on roller skates. “It was pretty amazing,” McGowan recalls.
Attending the Senior Kairos Retreat helped her cope. “I was wondering why life throws everything in your face all at once,” Cree recalls, “and I looked around at all these wonderful capable human beings... I believed in myself because I believed in all my classmates.”
Cree’s class won the competition, and the experience helped inspire her future plans. “I decided I loved to lead a group of people toward a goal,” says the graduate, who is considering majors in economics and global studies at her next destination, Saint Mary’s College of California. If you’ve seen her walking confidently about the gym delivering a memorized speech for student government, it’s easy to imagine her in the leadership role she hopes to secure in the public or private sector.
Nichole McGowan, Moreau’s Director of Student Activities, says Cree notices when someone is having a tough time. “She will speak up on their behalf, try to solve a problem,” she says. “She’s kind and friendly—and it’s genuine.” McGowan describes Cree as a hard worker who inspires others to rise to a challenge. A prime example? Cree’s leadership of the Spirit Week Decorations Committee during her junior year. “No one wants to be on it,” McGowan explains. After all, taking careful measurements and covering an entire hallway’s lockers in themed artwork for the annual school-wide competition is an arduous task.
Wherever Cree lands, she will remember what Moreau taught her, she says. “I learned that when you are surrounded by wonderful people, it doesn’t mean you can’t stand out.” by Adrianne Ford
Moreau Catholic 2017 20
Mitchell Leus’17 Valedictorian Mitchell Leus was warming up for a badminton competition at Moreau when he learned he had been named the Class of 2017 Valedictorian. “My dad couldn’t believe it,” Leus says, remembering the special moment when they called his mother together to share the good news. Leus’ 4.34 G.P.A. coupled with his audition before the selection committee sealed the honor. The title of his winning speech: Be a Gift to the World. “There is a debt to be paid, and it is paid with service,” Leus told his class on graduation day. “We owe it to the people in our lives who have believed in us and who have sacrificed for us.” This fall he will head to the University of California, Berkeley, with plans to major in public health. Whether he works as a health policy strategist or pursues a career in medicine, Leus wants to lend a hand to a struggling system. “Healthcare needs a lot of help,” he says. The goal doesn’t come as a surprise to the Director of Student Activities, who appreciated the depth of Leus’ contributions to student government. “It wasn’t just about having fun – creating a better prom or dance,” Nichole McGowan says. “Everything had a purpose. It was always about making our campus a better place.” Leus led the drafting of a student government constitution. He also served as a class co-curricular officer, headed the Spirit Week Decorations Committee and shared his ideas on both the Class Council and Executive Council.
issues close to his heart. He registered voters for the 2016 presidential election through the Leaders for Education and Advocacy and Democracy program and helped educate young people on hepatitis B awareness as an intern at Stanford University’s Asian Liver Center. He was one of just 50 students in California selected for the Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project, a legislative training experience in Sacramento that stresses the importance of knowing your roots.
Mock Trial was both the most challenging and rewarding part of his high school experience, says Leus, who served on the defense team that brought Moreau to state competitions his junior year. “The judges really test your resilience, your critical thinking skills and your ability to think on your feet,” he says.
Leus, the son of immigrants, talks with pride about his parents’ early life in the Philippines, where his father worked on a farm and his mother traveled for hours to sell handmade clothes in town centers. They weren’t able to finish college before coming to the United States but have made sure all four of their children have the opportunity to earn their degrees. “That’s why I’m such a hard worker,” Leus says.
With a watering can in hand most days at Moreau, Leus may be best known for leading the Earthwise Club in the creation of a flourishing plot of flowers, fruit trees and vegetable beds on campus. Just like the plants in the community garden, Leus has grown a great deal at Moreau. He credits Ms. Jessica Guidotti ’04, the Earthwise Moderator, with helping him soften his leadership style. (“You could describe it as a little bossy,” he admits.) “She showed me the best leaders know when to listen and when to speak,” he says.
But what explains his ability to juggle a heavy A.P. course load with a dizzying list of extracurricular and service activities? Leus is quick to answer: “Lots of prayer and coffee.”
Moreau helped connect Leus with exciting opportunities to develop his leadership potential and advocate for
by Adrianne Ford
Summer 2017 21
Moreau Catholic 2017
22
Graduation Day - May 28, 2017 - Paramount Theatre
Summer 2017 23
Senior Art 1. Kaliegh Taylor 2. John Reyes 3. Alex Young 4. Zabrina Aviles 5. Samantha Gelico 6. Leilani Moncrease 7. Alissa Perez 8. Tasha Tsao
1
2
9
3
4
Moreau Catholic 2017 24
8
6
7
5
Summer 2017 25
The 2017 Holy Cross Mass of Gratitude
Director of Campus Ministry Ann Khristine Tabora and Raimondi Volunteer Award recipient Yolanda Moran
On Sunday, May 7 the Moreau Catholic High School community celebrated the 2017 Holy Cross Mass of Gratitude. Over 125 guests celebrated the Fourth Sunday of Easter. The Mass honored all those who have volunteered at Moreau Catholic this past academic school year. Several people were recognized for outstanding service to the school. Ms. Yolanda Moran received the John A. Raimondi Volunteer Award and Ms. Gina Maya received the Alumnae Volunteer Service to the School Award.
when it’s Yolanda heading up the brilliant ideas — who would or could say no! “The first Senior BBQ was truly amazing, so many parents were thrilled to be able to attend an event where they could volunteer and be with their senior kids. Parents loved it,” remarked Yolanda. Yolanda loved to travel and chaperoned many kids to Mexico and Spain, immersing the students in other cultures. In addition, Yolanda spent three years moderating the Funabashi Program and she took several groups of students to Japan where they had the time of their lives.
Moreau Catholic High School – the only Holy Cross School to be named after its founder, Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau, CSC, is proud to continue his faith filled mission and vision. The school community is grateful for the many blessings we receive. As responsible stewards of all that is given to the school, we honor and thank our volunteers for their dedication and service.
Yolanda has attended over 30 class reunions. Her past students love reconnecting with her — they all have amazing memories of Yolanda being their favorite teacher. Over the past 30 years, Yolanda has spent her time volunteering for the Athletic Department at the Crab Feeds, working the snack bar, ticket sales, and Casino Nights. Her fondest memory was when she played a horse during Night at the Races!
In 1980, Br. Joseph Connell, principal of Moreau High School, hired Yolanda as a full time Spanish teacher. Shortly after, Yolanda took over as Cheer Moderator when Fran Warmerdam ’73 left the school. Yolanda was the first cheer moderator to have a male student on the squad.
The school community thanks Yolanda for her decades of service to the school. Congratulations, Yolanda on a welldeserved accomplishment!
During this time she was also Senior Class Moderator. She was instrumental in getting the seniors to wear their cap and gown to Baccalaureate Mass and planned the first Senior BBQ. There was some resistance to these new ideas, but
Moreau Catholic 2017 26
Alumnae Volunteer Service to the School Award recipient Gina Maya ’88 and family
“When you have a heart to serve as a volunteer, you don’t do it for awards or recognition. You do it because it is who you are at your core,” remarked Gina Maya ’88. Gina has been volunteering at Moreau Catholic High School for over 12 years. She has served as the director of Mariner Wear, worked endless hours with the Booster Club, snack bar, crab feeds, and special events. She has also worked many Freshman Orientation Days, and raised thousands of dollars working the phones for Campaign for Champions.
She is thankful to the school community for giving her family an education that is faith filled as well as academically superior to other schools. Thank you for everything you do Gina, the entire Moreau Catholic community congratulates you on this great honor! by Diana (Straggas) DeFrance ’76 Past Recipients of the John A. Raimondi Volunteer Award
“Gina’s infectious laugh and positive spirit makes her someone the Booster Board was always happy to have at their meetings and events. Gina always brought great new ideas for all to hear. She is and always will be a great friend of the school and the Booster Club. You can always count on her to be part of the Mariner Family,” said Athletic Director Christine Krisman. According to Gina, Moreau Catholic is more than her family’s alma mater. The school has been a second home. Moreau Catholic for the Mayas means family legacy: Gina ’88, brother, Rick ’90, sister-in-law, Sarah ’90, brother, Matt ’94 and sons: Larry ’13 and Joey ’15. These seven Mayas are all proud Mariners and are thankful to their parents, Linda and Rick, Sr. for all the sacrifices they made to support Catholic education.
Richard Smith, Ed Raney, Elvia Quiroga, Rogelio Santillan, Sue Bonin, Yolanda Moran, Phil Wilder, Char Raimondi, Bernie Puccini, Steve Miller
Summer 2017 27
The End of an Era
Steven Showers, rock star science and English teacher, has left the building Steven Showers, or Mr. Showers as he is known to thousands of alumni, has dissected his last frog and diagrammed his last sentence inside the classrooms of Moreau Catholic High School. After more than four decades opening young eyes to the wonders of science and the power of the written word, the much-beloved teacher retired in May. Showers still remembers the interview that landed him the job 43 years ago. “Brother Tom Frey offered it to me on the spot,” He recalls on a break from grading his truly final exams at Moreau. “It seemed like an adventure. I’d never been to Hayward. I didn’t know the East Bay.” Initially hired as a marine biology instructor, Showers found a strong sense of community at his new workplace. “I had gone to allboys schools,” he says. “What immediately struck me at Moreau were the friendships between the guys and the girls. I thought that was so cool.”
“Teaching has allowed me to do what I love, to give students the opportunity to see things new.”
Showers was fresh out of San Francisco State, where he majored in English and joined a girlfriend in as many of her science courses as possible. The relationship didn’t last, but it helped the young teacher grow versatile in two distinctly different subject areas. Showers spent 30 years at Moreau focused primarily on English, but always kept his hand in science with at least one or two biology courses. Phil Wilder, who describes his longtime colleague as “a human Google,” says, “I’m not sure there is anyone else out there who can examine the structure of a sentence Moreau Catholic 2017 28
and the structure of a molecule with the same expertise—and do it as seamlessly.” Showers enjoyed teaching in both departments. “One subject was very fact-oriented, concrete,” he says. “The other you could go anywhere with the discussion.” Peter Peabody, who taught alongside Showers for many years, knows him as “a dedicated educator who deeply cares for his students and expects them to respond to his expectations and rise to be the best they can be.” Those expectations included the absence of grammatical errors in every student paper Showers received, whether it was an essay or a science lab report. “My job is to help them grow,” Showers says. One of the first to arrive at school and one of the last to leave (usually lugging a box of student papers), Showers devoted his life to making Moreau a better place. He served as an unofficial Mock Trial coach, broke a sweat planting trees in the school garden and worked with his students to compile a fascinating archive of Moreau history. As Principal Lisa Tortorich explains, Showers’ dedication to the school and its students has never wavered. “There are teachers who, in the last few years, mail it in, but he remained active,” she says. “In the last year alone he completely revised our freshmen conceptual physics curriculum and worked on our three-dimensional holographic technology to make it come alive.” When asked how the school will
ever fill his shoes, she is quick to answer: “We can’t.” At Moreau, Showers enjoyed the freedom to shape his lesson plans. “The school was very supportive in a lot of ways, especially academically,” he says. “I could use the novels I really like. It didn’t have to be ‘Great Expectations.’” Instead, it might be “The Hobbit,” a book one former student recently thanked Showers for making her read “before it was cool to read” it. Showers was known for expanding minds as well as vocabularies. For a time he announced Moreau’s football games and provided extra credit to his students who dropped by the press box with the correct definition of his “Word of the Day.” When it came to the instruction of writing, Showers took a nuts and bolts approach. “My thing was verbs,” he says, explaining how he outlawed the words go, put and get in his English classroom. If you opened the door and peeked inside on any given day, you would find his students furrowing their brows in search of more descriptive action words. “As a teacher, you can’t be the type who expects pats on the back,” he says. “You don’t hear a lot about the influence you have on students because they move on. They develop and go on to fantastic, interesting lives. One in a hundred or maybe 200 come back.” Popular KGO-AM Radio Host Brain Copeland ’82 is one former student who returned. Standing before the group of well-wishers at Showers’ farewell luncheon, Copeland recalled how he lost his mother, a single parent, shortly before he entered Showers’ classroom for the first time. His new teacher, he said, supported his passion for writing and helped rescue one “grieving, messed-up 15-year-old kid” from the depths of despair.
“You had such a profound effect on me and my life,” he said to Showers, his voice cracking with emotion. “I never would have made it through my teenage years without you…I certainly wouldn’t be doing the things that I do now were it not for you…I certainly wouldn’t be an author, I wouldn’t be writing plays…”
Heidi Muhr
Athletic Department booster and planner extraordinaire retires
“I’m sorry that you’re leaving Moreau… I’m sorry for all the kids coming in who won’t get to experience you, but I’m glad you’re going to get some rest.” The next chapter of Showers’ life will find him spending more time with his wife, Judy, and their family. He’ll keep writing and editing biographies on www.findagrave.com (His contributions to the site already number well over 1,000 pages), consider offering his services as a genealogist to others, and maybe travel. “Teaching has allowed me to do what I love, to give students the opportunity to see things new,” he says. “But this year was tough. I’m getting tired.” Still, Showers wasn’t quite ready for his exit when Moreau’s principal, Lisa Tortorich, found him in the hallway at the end of finals week. “He had a thoughtful look on his face,” she recalls. “He looked at me and said, ‘I am just about to go into the last class of my career.’” It happened to be in the same room where Showers taught his very first course at Moreau 43 years ago. He told Tortorich he wasn’t sure how he felt, but it was difficult to believe so much time had passed. It all seemed like a blur. She walked with him to the door, and they stood together for just a moment on the threshold. Then Mr. Showers taught his last class. by Adrianne Ford
Heidi Muhr (Left) with Christine Krisman
Known for her radiant smile and willingness to help whenever asked, Heidi Muhr left an indelible mark on the Moreau Catholic community. For the last nine years, Muhr worked as Assistant to the Athletic Director, Christine Krisman. In those years she became “party planner extraordinaire,” as Krisman put it. She hosted athletic events such as the end of the year coaches’ banquet and the annual Booster Club Crab Feed and Auction. Under her leadership, the crab feed raised over a quarter of a million dollars for the athletics department. Her penchant for celebration comes from her genuine joie de vivre. According to Krisman, “She’s always done things that bring her joy, and she brings a lot of joy to all of us.” Over nearly a decade, Muhr witnessed hundreds of student-athletes pass through her office and attended hundreds of athletic events. For some, those faces and experiences would begin to blur, but for Muhr each of those moments is an individual treasure: “I get chills witnessing the talent and character of our students. Athletes, musicians, actors, dancers, journalists - you name it - they bring me to tears.” As do all who come through Moreau Catholic, Muhr is now a permanent member of the Mariner family. Though she will be leaving our community, she will not soon be forgotten. Join us in celebrating Heidi Muhr and wishing her a joyful retirement. by Elizabeth Zepeda ’03
Summer 2017 29
Alumni Feature
Meet Moreau Catholic’s very own Property Brothers
In a busy real estate office overlooking Van Ness Avenue in the Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, Neil and Daryll Canlas are in between property showings with barely enough time to eat a quick lunch before getting back to work. Both are Moreau Catholic High School alumni, Neil class of 2004 and Daryll class of 2005. The two co-founded The Canlas Brothers Real Estate Group in 2015 but have been working in Bay Area real estate since they were able to obtain their licenses at 18 years old.
State before transferring to Pacific Union College in Napa for nursing. But I did this with the intent to go back into real estate, so I did family deals here and there through college. And then I pretty much said I’m going to work night shift for the next couple years and just hustle during the day, so there were some days where I didn’t sleep. I would work from 11 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. at the hospital and then put on a suit and tie and go back to real estate with a smile on my face.” Neil on the other hand was traveling the world for his job with Deloitte, working internationally in Dubai, India, and all over Europe.
“We always had interests in homes. Even as kids I remember our parents having bought and sold real estate,” said Neil. “Our mom was really into buying nice homes and I think we saw that at a young age and realized it was a great industry, so we have been into real estate since we were little kids.”
“It was good experience, and I got to learn how to speak to executives, how to write formal letters and emails, how to work long hours, and to travel,” said Neil. “But at the end of the day I always knew that we were going to come back and do this together. So I kind of went part time for a little bit and in 2015 we formed The Canlas Brothers Real Estate Group and since then it’s been non-stop.”
After graduating from Moreau, they each took their own unique route to end up at the same destination. Neil spent a number of years in consulting work with Deloitte before moving onto software sales, while Daryll began his career as a registered nurse before starting to split his time between the hospital and the housing market.
As a company, The Canlas Brothers Real Estate Group work not only on the brokerage side of the business, buying and selling as realtors, but they are also investors as they buy, fix, and flip properties. As of the time of our meeting
“I was deciding whether I should go to school for nursing or to go into business,” said Daryll. “So I started out at SF
Moreau Catholic 2017 30
Daryll estimated that they had 6 listings on the market with approximately $15 million in escrow. Additionally, they had 4 properties that were in the middle of the rehab process.
do what we can to give back and see the school flourish, because it made us who we are, and I think that’s really important to both of us. Moreau was amazing, I can’t say enough about it,” said Neil. “Now that we are going to have a big emblem up on the scoreboard we are going to have to start going to a ton more football games!”
“With there being two of us, we divvy up the work,” said Neil. We have to divide and conquer, so I handle all the retail sales, while Daryll manages all of our flips. It’s our passion; it’s something that’s more than just a business. In life we realize that you must give to live, and to live is to give. We help people get into their first home, and that’s one of the biggest things in somebody’s life. We’re just thankful for what we do.”
“I think Neil hit the nail on the head. You’ve got to cherish those moments because for a lot of high schoolers the time is going to fly by super-fast. If I close my eyes, it still feels like yesterday, and I’ll remember those moments for the rest of my life,” said Daryll.
Before long, the conversation shifted back to Moreau, as it tends to do whenever any number of alumni end up in the same room together, regardless of the fact that they are brothers.
As their young company is thriving in a very competitive San Francisco real estate industry, Neil and Daryll wanted to give some advice to their fellow Mariners who might be still trying to figure out what they want to do with their careers.
“We played basketball together, and one of the coolest things Daryll and I were able to do was to be on the same teams,” said Neil. “To be able to be on Varsity at the same time, it was a fun experience…although I’m sure the team has gotten a little better since we were there.” “We would get so serious and into it pregame and postgame,” said Daryll. “There were just a lot of fond memories and I can almost smell the gym, you know what I mean?”
Daryll Canlas ’05 (left) and Neil Canlas ’04 (right)
“For someone who doesn’t know what their route in life will be, I think the most important thing is just to be open to anything and try new things, because you never know whether you’re going to like something or not, so you can’t have a closed mind,” said Daryll. “So you have to open up your mind and put yourself out there – and I know a lot of it has to do with fear, but if you do the things you fear, death of fear is certain.”
“If I were to give someone advice at a young age, I would say that there are two things that you need to do and I promise you’ll be successful,” said Neil. “The two things are to work really, really hard and to be really, really nice to people. If you do these two things in life, I don’t care what your industry is, I don’t care what you do, you’re going to be successful in the end. So I try to live by that mantra every day. If I just work really hard, harder than anybody else, and be nice to people, I think success will come.”
They reminisced about school dances, favorite teachers and classes, ASB tips, and the friends that they made during their time here that they are still close with years later. “A lot of our best friends to this day went to Moreau, even more so over college friends. Since we went to Moreau together we have known them for so long – we know their parents, we know everything about these guys since we all grew up together. As a matter of fact, we’re going to watch the Warriors game tomorrow at our place, and the guys we have coming over all went to our high school,” said Neil.
by John Forsyth Learn more about the Canlas Brothers Real Estate Group by visiting their website at: www.thecanlasbrothers.com
With a lifetime of cherished memories and strong foundations that were created at Moreau, Neil and Daryll have recently begun to get more involved with their alma mater and are excited to start giving back to the Mariner community. The first sign that you will see of this, literally, will be a Canlas Brothers Real Estate logo on the scoreboard overlooking the football field.
“We want to do what we can to give back and see the school flourish, because it made us who we are, and I think that’s really important to both of us.”
“Moreau is more than just a school, it’s our family and our best friends are the people we met at Moreau. We want to
Summer 2017 31
David Bermudez ’99 Justin Knox ’91
Megan Scully ’11
Mariner WAVES 1991
2011
Justin retired from the Marine Corps as a Lieutenant Colonel after 20 years of service on July 1st, 2016 from Marine Aircraft Group 31 in Beaufort, South Carolina. His last flight was with VMFA-122 “The Crusaders.”
Megan L. Scully ’11, graduated William Jessup University class of 2017. She attended William Jessup on a full Basketball Scholarship; in April 2017 she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, Emphasis Multiplesubject with a K-8 teaching credential and a minor in Religious Studies.
Justin Knox ’91
1999
David Bermudez ’99
David is a twelve year public safety veteran and has been coaching boxing for almost fifteen years. He is an active amateur boxer for the United Combat Association, a league consisting of police, fire, and military service men and women. He is also an avid blogger and the author of “Coach David’s Time Tested Tips on All things Boxing.” He lives in the TriValley area with his lovely wife Laura and their three beautiful children, Annalise, Gabriella, and Christian.
in the Biomedical Sciences section. He is continuing his education at West Virginia University to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience, focusing his research on neurodegeneration – Alzheimer’s disease in particular.
Megan Scully ’11
Scott Lowder ’13
Scott graduated from Georgetown University magna cum laude with a B.A. in Government and a double minor in English and Business Administration. He’s taken a position as a Site Director at Capital Educators in Washington, a small education company that operates in the greater D.C. area. He’s looking forward to attending law school in the near future!
Megan completed her student teaching locally for Snow Elementary (5th grade class) and Musick Elementary (3rd grade class) and will be teaching locally in the fall of 2017.
2013
2014
Jacob Boos ’13
Jacob recently graduated from St. Edward’s University with a B.S. in Biology. In his final semester he presented his research at the 120th Annual Texas Academy of Sciences and took first place
Stephanie Siri ’14
Stephanie attends Arizona State University and is majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in Women and Gender Studies.
Moreau Catholic 2017 32
2016
Sabrina Lee ’16
Sabrina attends Chico State and is having a wonderful experience and is learning so much in the process. She says “I’ve never felt so prepared for college, and I’m blessed that I learned from the best.”
In Memorium
We hold these departed, and their families, in our thoughts and prayers: Isaac Andino ’16 Braxston Banks ’86 Sherman Blach Br. Thomas Cousino, CSC Julie (Villarreal) Dillon ’86 Wilma Gasson Greg Hernandez ’83 Frank Kleckner ’74 Ken Perez
Jacob Boos ’13 Scott Lowder ’13
Stephanie Siri ’14
Mariners, We Would Love to HEAR FROM YOU!
Sabrina Lee ’16
Detach this form and mail to: Moreau Catholic High School Alumni Office, John Forsyth 27170 Mission Blvd. Hayward, California 94544
Your fellow Mariners are interested in reading about what you are doing. Please use this form to keep your classmates and other Moreau Catholic friends up-to-date on the activities in your life. Send us news about career moves, publications, additions to your family, awards, etc. We especially welcome wedding, baby and group gathering photos. You can also email your news to: John Forsyth at jforsyth@moreaucatholic.org. or update your information online at www.moreaucatholic.org/AlumniKeepInTouch Full Name____________________________ Maiden Name___________________ Zip___________________________________ Class Year_____________________________ Occupation______________ Employer___________________________________ Street Address______________________________________________________________________________________________ City_________________________________________ State___________________ Zip___________________________________ Home Phone ___________________________________ Email_______________________________________________________ News______________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Summer 2017 33
Moreau Catholic High School
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Celebrating the graduating classes ending in 2 and 7
All alumni are invited to attend
All alumni of Moreau Catholic High School are invited to attend the Green & Gold Alumni Celebration! Please join us for a fun and casual night of catching up with old friends, sharing good food and drinks, and dancing the night away at your alma mater! We will have multiple mingling areas organized by decade, some of your favorite former teachers and staff will be in attendance, and we will take class photos on the new football field! So invite your classmates or get a group together - we want to see you all back at Moreau! Location: Moreau Catholic High School Time: 5:30 p.m. Catering: Off the Grid Food Trucks Local craft beer and wine will be available in the festival area. Purchase tickets online: www.moreaucatholic.org/greenandgold General Admission: $50 Under 21 / Designated Driver Admission: $40 *Adults only event Questions? Contact John Forsyth, Alumni Manager 510-881-4308 • jforsyth@moreaucatholic.org
Moreau Catholic 2017 34
Make a difference in the lives of Moreau Catholic students There are a variety of ways you can support students at Moreau Catholic High School and make a lasting impact on their educational experience. Cash and Pledges Gifts of cash may be made online by credit card or by personal or cashier’s check made payable to Moreau Catholic High School. While outright gifts are appreciated, we can arrange a pledge to be paid over time (annually, monthly or quarterly) via check or by credit card. Tributes and Memorials Honor someone special, as either a living tribute or a memorial, by making a gift in his or her name. Stocks and Bonds You might be able to avoid paying substantial capital gains taxes and can deduct the full value of your gift from federal taxes.
Planned & Estate Gifts Include Moreau Catholic High School in your will, it’s possible to establish an annuity or other income-bearing arrangement that actually benefits you and possibly your heirs, and at the same time benefits Moreau! Corporate and Foundation Support Corporate sponsorships and program support are an important part of supporting Moreau Catholic. If you work for a company or foundation that might be interested in partnering with Moreau or may have a matching gift program let us know. We would be happy to foster a long lasting relationship.
In-Kind Gifts We always appreciate it when items are donated for use at one of our many school events or by the school in general. The value of a gift in-kind is tax-deductible. Contact Diana DeFrance if you would like to make a Gift In-Kind Donation. Real Estate and Appreciated Assets We can help make it easy to donate your home, other real estate, and appreciated assets, such as fine art. Real estate and appreciated assets may be donated outright, as well as through planned giving.
For more information about how to make a gift to Moreau Catholic High School Contact Doug Hupke at dhupke@moreaucatholic.org or call at 510.881.4305
Summer 2017 35
27170 Mission Boulevard Hayward, CA 94544-4194
NON-PROFIT ORG US Postage PAID HAYWARD, CA PERMIT NO. 851
Change Service Requested
The Moreau Catholic High School Athletic Hall of Fame
April 28, 2018 Ivaldi Student Center 7:00 P.M.
Nominations are now being accepted online at www.moreaucatholic.org/HOFform For more information, contact Diana DeFrance at ddefrance@moreaucatholic.org
The Moreau Catholic High School Athletic Hall of Fame was instituted to pay tribute to athletes, coaches, teams, volunteers and administrators who exhibit outstanding achievement, character and leadership while at Moreau Catholic and beyond. Inductees display Holy Cross values, such as respect, exercising justice, compassion and integrity as citizens of the global community, and living ethical and moral lives. Athlete Nominees: Must have graduated from Moreau Catholic at least 5 years prior to induction. Preference will be considered for athletes who achieved all-league, set individual records, or team records, were league champion (for individual sports), or NCS championships (individual and team). Team Nominees: Varsity teams who won a league championship title(s), attained NCS competition or championship, lengthy win streak, undefeated season, or set a team record. Athletic Department staff, volunteers or administrators: Made a significant contribution toward the development of Moreau Catholic athletes, won coaching awards or championships, and maintained a high level of coaching performance for a number of years while achieving the respect of the team, the school community and their peers.