April 2015

THE GEAR MONTHLY PARENT NEWSLETTER ISSUE 46 APRIL 2015

CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2018— FRESHMAN TIE CEREMONY (SEE PAGE 11)

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL Dear Bosco Tech Families and Friends, There is, in a sense, only one thing that matters as we stand at the beginning of Holy Week. Think of it as an invitation to a drama, painted for us by St. John’s gospel, a drama of love and betrayal. I ask myself and invite you to do the same; “Shall I, this year, attend this drama empty-handed?”

Pope Francis reminds us that God offers salvation in a thousand different ways, but too often we become stubborn and want to have it ‘my way.’ Recall that in the Old Testament Book of Numbers, during the departure of the Hebrew people from their oppressors in Egypt, the Lord sent as punishment, for their grumbling and complaining, seraph serpents which bit the Israelites and many of them died. The story continues with Moses advocating for his people to the Lord and mounting a serpent made of bronze onto a pole, giving salvation to anyone who looked at it after being bitten. The drama we will embark upon during Holy Week is the love story starring Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, who was mounted on a cross for the poison which is sin. As we stand on Palm Sunday, singing Hosannas or “Way to go, Jesus, Son of David,” and on Friday, demanding His death, I share the words of Pope Francis reminding us that to not accept God’s gift in the way it is offered is a sin. It poisons our soul and deprives it of joy. And Jesus, he said, “solved this problem by climbing Mount Calvary.”

Make Holy Week special. Make it holy with your family by attending the ancient rituals commemorating Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem, the Lord’s Supper, and His death and burial on Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

On Resurrection Sunday, celebrate our victory over the poison of sin and join me in being people of Easter joy.

On behalf of Bosco Tech’s faculty and staff, the Salesian brothers and fathers, and my fellow administrators, I wish you and your family a Happy Easter.

Xavier Jimenez Principal/President

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FROM THE SALESIAN DIRECTOR Hello Bosco Tech Family and Friends!

As I am writing to you, we are nearing the end of the Lenten season. It is a season that prepares us for the celebration of Easter. “He saw and believed” John, 20:8.

What is the meaning of Easter and how do we follow through in daily living our faith?

How are we going to see signs of life amidst death, confusion and uncertainty—pain that sometimes seems to surround us?

My purpose in writing this is not to give a definition to these questions. Even if I did, my answers would not adequately define these issues in your life. You have to answer these questions yourself and I know the exercise will not be easy. Therefore, I am going to attempt to provide you with some helpful tips to rediscover Easter’s joy, peace, and freedom in the Risen Christ: From the Gospel of John 20:1-9, the day began with darkness and fear. The tomb had been desecrated. The body had been stolen. You see, the Resurrection is more subtle in this Gospel. Mary (not our Blessed Mother) and Peter miss the sign. They remain locked in grief, still carrying the painful burden of Calvary—exemplifying that Easter calls for faith! Those who have witnessed the long and painful death of a loved one know too well the difficult search to find signs of life. There were shattered dreams and disappointments, broken relationships, broken hearts. We don’t experience a sudden glorious moment of life returned, but amidst all these headaches and heartaches, there is a need for an individual’s openness to believe in God’s power to raise us up just like Jesus on that Easter morning!

My final question is: Do you see to believe or believe to see? You must make your own choice! Peace is one of the blessings for Easter so I say, in the name of God, peace be with you and yours.

Fr. Chinh Nguyen, SDB Salesian Director

2015 SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS Congratulations to the following students who worked extremely hard to earn the title “Scientific Researcher” and have placed in this year’s Science Fair: 1st Place — The Effects of Colloidal Silver on Distinct Bacterial Cultures Alexander Honegger Anthony Tichachati 2nd Place — Counting Your Caffeine at Tea Time Joseph Garcia Lorenzo Zamora 3rd Place — The Effect of Deck Design on Speed and Acceleration Reiley Akkari Adam Razo Andrew To Honorable Mention — Productive Solutions Will Cosso Austin Davis The Maze Swimmers Giovanni Samayoa Daniel Arteaga Light ‘Em Up Justin Bohol Josh Martinez Wood Gasification vs. Propane Trevor Johnson Alberto Chavez

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Grayson Wade

Students explain their scientific findings to Mr. Richard Ronan during experiment judging.

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE Bosco Tech’s 60th Anniversary Black & Gold Gala, the kickoff to our year of anniversary celebrations and festivities, was a tremendous success. The Gala, which featured dinner, dancing and both live and silent auctions was held on March 28 at Montebello’s beautiful Quiet Cannon Country Club. All proceeds from the hugely popular event will go directly to the school’s financial aid program.

On display that evening were commendations and congratulatory letters from the following government and church leaders: -U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan -U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu -Rector Major Angel Fernandez Artime, SDB -Most Reverend Jose H. Gomez (Societa Di San Francesco Di Sales) (Archbishop of Los Angeles) -California State Senator Edward Hernandez -Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors -California State Assemblymember Ed Chau -Rosemead Mayor William Alarcon (EL ‘66) The proclamations and letters are on display in the Administration Building lobby. See May’s issue of The Gear for event photos.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION—2015 GRADUATION VIDEO A DVD of the Class of 2015’s graduation ceremony, including scenes taken before and after the ceremony, will soon be available. The DVD will include highlights of the senior awards ceremony and luncheon, the senior class barbeque, and the baccalaureate Mass, as well as the complete conferral of diplomas.

This is an opportunity to have a record of your son at this important milestone and for him to have a visual reminder of the many friends that have played an important part in his life over the last four years.

On June 5, as a special bonus to those who purchase the video before graduation day, parents who are interested will be invited to videotape a brief message to their son to be included in the video. Before the baccalaureate Mass, there will be two cameramen with microphones in front of the 600 classroom building. See them if you wish to tape your congratulations to your son and the entire class of 2015.

The cost of each video is $34.07 (tax included). Send your order form and check to the Finance Office, making checks are payable to Bosco Tech. For information about ordering, call the Finance Office at (626) 940-2018; for information about the DVD, contact Mr. Brad Stolz at bstolz@boscotech.edu or (626) 940-2091.

(Please detach bottom portion and return to the Finance Office with your check.)

Your Name_______________________________ Your Son’s Name __________________________________ Address ________________________________________________ City ______________________________ Zip ___________________________ Phone Number (______) ______________________________________ Number of videos you’d like to purchase:

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MUSIC NEWS— HERITAGE FESTIVAL & JAZZ NIGHT ON THE HORIZON —BY MR. RICHARD RANGEL, BAND BOOSTER As we move into the last few months of the 2014-2015 school year, the members of the DBTI music program are busier than ever. On March 1, Bosco Tech hosted the Spring Open House, and the marching band performed throughout the day at various locations around the campus. Between performances, the band members were on hand to answer questions from prospective students and parents. The excellent Tiger Cheer squad joined the marching band once again for this event.

But Open House was just the beginning of a busy month. The band performed again the following Sunday, March 8, at one of their regular venues: St. Peter’s Italian Church in downtown Los Angeles. The boys provided the music as the congregation walked in a celebratory procession around the block. Photos and a video clip of this performance are posted on the DBTI Music Facebook page. If you haven’t yet visited our page, find it at Facebook.com/dbtimusic and give us a Like!

Hot on the heels of the St. Peter’s performance was the Applebee’s Flapjack Fundraiser, which took place on March 14 at the Montebello location. At last tally, the Concert Band program had raised almost $500 from this event. Band members were on hand to perform and to greet guests as they arrived, and family and friends of the Bosco Tech music program enjoyed a pancake breakfast. We are very thankful to everyone who supported us through this fundraiser, and we are grateful to our friends at the Montebello Applebee’s who hosted the event.

The Heritage Festival trip is almost here! The Concert Band will be trekking to Colorado Springs and back over the weekend of Friday, April 10. Dozens of high schools from all over the country participate in this annual festival. This will be the longest trip the band has taken in recent years, and we are looking to bringing home another gold award.

Closing out the month will be the annual Jazz Night Out extravaganza. Mark your calendars for Friday, April 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. in Tech Hall. Jazz Night Out is one of the music program’s biggest fundraisers and is sure to be a lot of fun. This year’s theme is Motown. We hope you will come and join us!

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SPORTS UPDATES —BY ASSISTANT TRACK AND FIELD COACH BRAD STOLZ & LACROSSE COACH KEVIN HOLT Track & Field started their 2015 season at the large Bishop Amat Relays at Citrus College. Our JV relay team won second-place medals, and our varsity sprinters took first in the 100 and 200 meter races.

Our first Camino Real League meet was against Cantwell. We overpowered them 110 to 29 points. Our JV and varsity relay teams won, as did many individual team members: sophomore Hiram Acosta won the 200 meter sprint, as did senior David Fuentez in the 100 meter. Junior Everson Cruz took the high jump, and senior Joseph Bustamante the long jump. Senior Antonio Gomez took first with a 10-foot pole vault. Distance runner and senior Mikey Gonzales won both the varsity 800 and 1600 meter races. It was a good start for the beginning of our regular season, and hopefully a predictor of great things to come.

All league meets, both home and away, are played at St. Paul. Here is the league schedule for April. Come by to cheer us on: - April 1, St. Monica (3:15) - April 22, Salesian (3:15) - April 29, league prelims (3:00) - May 5, league finals (4:00) Our team consists of about 45 athletes. Besides diligently practicing six days a week, the team has been doing a series of events to build camaraderie as well as raise funds, such as attending a taping of America's Funniest Videos, and hosting a pancake breakfast at Applebee's. While these fundraisers help, we still need about $20,000 worth of equipment ranging from a $275 set of batons to a $15,000 pole vault pit system. Partial donations for any of these would be greatly appreciated.

Lacrosse is the fastest growing team sport in America. Native Americans were playing the game for generations when French Jesuit missionaries first witnessed it in the 1600s. According to tradition, First Nations people believe the game was given to man by the Creator to be played for His amusement. Originally, the game could take days to play and range for miles.

Today, lacrosse is played at over 60 Division I NCAA colleges and there are over 300 teams nationwide that play at division II, III, NAIA, and MCLA. The game has seen phenomenal growth in Southern California in the last decade, and now it has come to Bosco Tech.

As testimony to individual determination, one student, Jacob McKinney, was intent on sharing his love for the sport he had been playing for nine years. He convinced Coach Shockley that Lacrosse was the right fit for Bosco Tech. Coach Kevin Holt, from Jacob's old Pasadena teams, was recruited and 22 Tigers decided to give it a try.

Bosco Tech’s team plays in the Pacific Lacrosse League, consisting of twenty two teams in both Northern and Southern California. The Tigers play in the eastern conference of the southern section along with Damien High School, Norco, Santiago and Vista High School.

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ARCHDIOCESE CHRISTIAN SERVICE AWARD WINNER On March 18, Archbishop Jose Gomez presented to local Catholic high school seniors the 2015 Archdiocese of Los Angeles Christian Service Award at a special Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

According to the Archdiocesan Department of Elementary and Secondary Catholic Schools, “Through the Christian Service program at Archdiocesan Catholic schools, students at all class levels are encouraged to give service – beyond the school setting – in ways that further their faith, engender hope, and witness love.”

The Bosco Tech recipient of this year’s prestigious award is senior Anthony Navarro. Since his middle school years, and throughout his years at Bosco Tech, Anthony has provided peer ministering support, participated in high-profile fundraising events (such as the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life), tutored children at the Boyle Heights Salesian Boys & Girls Clubs, and is prominently serving youth spiritually by running retreats and prayer services. Anthony did all this while maintaining excellent grades in his classes.

The Bosco Tech community is extremely proud of Anthony’s generosity and ability to be a mentor and inspiration to younger children. “I would like to recognize Anthony’s parents, also, for instilling a sense of selfless service in their son,” said Principal Xavier Jimenez.

IDEA TEAM MAKES ITS MARK AT ROBOTICS COMPETITION Bosco Tech’s IDEA Robotics team made an impressive showing in their first-ever competition in mid-March.

The team, comprised of juniors in IDEA’s Production and Transportation Design class, competed in the Los Angeles Regional for the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), hosted by For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). The three-day competition was held at the Long Beach Arena.

The rookie team took part in 10 fast-paced meets to achieve a respectable ranking of 30 out of 66 high school teams. Many of the competing teams are seasoned pros with several years experience; some teams traveled from as far away as Hawaii, Chile and Columbia. The IDEA team was the second-ranked rookie team at the competition and the only one to be selected by a top eight-ranked team to be a part of their alliance for the playoff matches. Their Cinderella run ended in the quarterfinals.

“We’re really proud of our students and how they formed effective alliances with other teams in the competitions,” said IDEA instructor Rene Romero, who oversees the team with IDEA Chair Luis Garza.

“They really outdid themselves and are already planning for future competitions.”

Boeing is the team’s official corporate sponsor and Jose Karam, Boeing Subcontract Manager and Bosco Tech alumnus (EL ‘90), is are team. $75/person.

Order at boscotech.edu/events. the advisor toTickets the 22 person The school’s CSEE today technology also has a competitive team, the Gearheads, who participate in a separate FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) competition circuit.

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JUNIOR CLASS RETREAT AND CLASS RING CEREMONY On March 20, the Class of 2016 and their families gathered for the school’s traditional unity ceremony where juniors received their class rings. The event consisted of a prayer service, the presentation of the rings, and a brief talk by alumnus Michael Reynaga (MS ’97) who spoke on Salesian brotherhood. Family portraits and a light reception followed the ceremony.

The event was the completion of a day-long junior class retreat held at St. Joseph’s Retreat Center. Congratulations to our junior class!

SUMMER SPORTS CAMPS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS Bosco Tech will host five youth sports camps for grades 6-8 starting on June 22. Participants can choose from week-long camps on football, baseball, soccer, tennis and volleyball; choose one camp or join all five. The camps will be held on the Bosco Tech campus.

Each camp runs approximately one and a half hours, mostly in the afternoon. The program is perfect for most competitors, as the camps will consist of intermediate to advanced drills. Includes a camp shirt and a competitive game/tournament to end the week. $125 per sport or $500 for all five. To register, visit www.boscotech.edu. For more information, contact Athletic Director Chris Shockley at lshockley@boscotech.edu or (626) 940-2101.

BOSCO TECH SPONSORS Bosco Tech would like to thank the following businesses for their support.

We are grateful to our generous sponsors!

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STUDENTS HELP NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS GROUP The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) wishes to thank several Bosco Tech students who recently spent a Saturday assembling promotional materials for the national association at their Los Angeles headquarters.

The volunteers were: Angel Ajanel, Jonathan Alamilla, Jesus Alvarado, Rick Chavez, Jano Chen, Norris Chen, Jesus Diaz, Justin Estrada, Edwin Flores, Adrian Hurtado, Tony Lopez, Dante Mendez, Alexis Ortiz, Devon Ponce, Emilio Torres, and Rene Vega.

SHPE is currently establishing a student chapter on our campus, in conjunction with Cal Poly Pomona’s student chapter. Last summer, SHPE provided internships to two Bosco Tech students, an invaluable opportunity and resume enhancer.

GOING OVER & BEYOND: CHRISTIAN SERVICE HOURS —BY COORDINATOR OF YOUTH MINISTRY PAULINA GONZALES

Attention students— The academic school year will soon end, and with that comes many deadlines. Many of you have already submitted your hours and reflections and some of you will soon turn in your forms. I am humbled by how many of you continually choose to volunteer more than the required 25 hours. Some seniors will end their four years having served over 300 Christian Service Hours.

To recognize those individuals, we are instituting the Christian Service Award Medallion for Bosco Tech seniors who complete a minimum of 300 documented service hours.

As a small token of appreciation for their sacrifice, seniors will be awarded this medallion during their upcoming senior awards.

I am pleased to announce that the Youth Ministry Team is growing by one more member. Mr. Rudy Herrera, who is also the Freshmen Counselor, will assist Youth Ministry as the Christian Service Hour Coordinator. Welcome back to the Youth Ministry Team, Mr. Herrera!

CLASS OF 2018 PRESENTED WITH CLASS TIES Congratulations to the freshmen class on receiving their class ties at the annual tie ceremony, held during the Mass prior to Spring Open House on March 1.

Faculty and proud families were in attendance as alumni officially welcomed the members of the class of 2018 into their ranks.

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APRIL 2015 Please note that dates and events are subject to change. Check the school’s full calendar at www.boscotech.edu (see the Upcoming Events box on the lower right side of the homepage) for the latest updates .

Wednesday 4/1 Thurs.-Sun. 4/2-4/12 Thurs.-Mon. 4/2-4/6 Friday 4/3 Sunday 4/5 Tues.-Thurs. 4/7-4/9 Tuesday 4/7 Wednesday 4/8 Friday 4/10 Monday 4/13 Wednesday 4/15 Thursday 4/16 Friday 4/17 Saturday

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Sunday Mon.-Fri. Wednesday Friday Friday Saturday Tuesday Tuesday Friday Sunday

4/19 4/20-5/1 4/22 4/24 5/1 5/2 5/5 5/5 5/8 5/10

Locker cleanout—all students Easter break (classes resume on Monday, 4/13) School office closed Good Friday Easter Sunday School office hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Parent Council meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Alumni Association meeting at 6 p.m.

School office closed School resumes (regular schedule) Parent-Teacher conferences at 1:30-4:30 p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Late start at 8:50 a.m.

International Day Dance from 7 to 11:30 p.m.

Gear Up #3 for incoming freshmen at 8 a.m.

ACT (off campus) Father & Son Breakfast at 10 a.m.

AP exam prep event black out Holy Mass at 10:40 a.m. (formal dress) Jazz Night Out at 7 p.m.

Progress Report # 7 report cards mailed out SAT (off campus) National Teacher Appreciation Day Parent Council meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Mother-Son Dinner Dance from 6 p.m. to 12 midnight at Quiet Cannon Mother’s Day

UPCOMING EVENTS Parent-Teacher Conferences Father & Son Breakfast Jazz Night Out Mother-Son Dance Prom GradNite for Seniors Baccalaureate & Graduation Golf Tournament

Wednesday, 4/15 Sunday, 4/19 Friday, 4/24 Friday, 5/8 Saturday, 5/16 Tuesday, 6/2 Friday, 6/5 Friday, 6/26