The Gear--April 2019

Click here to download a printable version of The Gear

THE GEAR MONTHLY PARENT NEWSLETTER ISSUE 86 APRIL 2019

ASH WEDNESDAY CELEBRATION BEGINS LENT

MESSAGE FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT Dear Tech Family— Please join us on April 6, when we will host our annual Black & Gold Gala on the Tech campus. Our “Evening Under the Stars” will be an exciting evening during which we will honor some of our own stars, Mr. Terence deSousa, a longtime Tech instructor, and the late Monsignor Jeremiah Murphy, a dedicated Tech board member for more than 40 years.

I look forward to seeing you there, when we will again raise funds for tuition assistance. It promises to be a spectacular evening for a great cause!

Now that Spring Break has passed and third quarter exams have been completed, we are nearing the home stretch on the school year and approaching graduation for our seniors who are getting good news from top universities every day. Please join with me in praying for direction and purpose for these young men!

May God bless your family, Mr. Memo Gutierrez (AU ‘83) Vice President, Administration & Development

YOUTH DAY—“TRUST! GOD’S GOTCHU!” Bosco Tech students and their chaperones, Mr. Brad Stolz and Mr. Rudy Herrera, attended Los Angeles Youth Day, the official start of the Religious Education Congress.

The annual event draws more than 12,000 young people from across the Archdiocese and beyond. The day’s activities were focused on inviting young people to develop a deeper relationship with Christ.

Youth Day 2019’s theme was "Trust!

God’s Gotchu."

Parents of Seniors: Important Dates & Deadlines Please note the following: Prom payments are due April 26. While students may make payments, all money is due by that date. Please note that Grad Nite money was due March 25. Contact Fr. Steven Way at sway@boscotech.edu with questions.

2

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL Dear Tech Family— It has been written, “Easter isn’t a spiritual event that happened just once, long ago; we don’t say ‘Christ has risen,’ but ‘Christ is risen,’ because He rose, body and soul, and is still alive and with us today. That is the true meaning of Easter.

Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen!”

As we near the end of Lent and approach Good Friday, and then Easter, may those words stir our hearts with hope in our Savior and His everlasting promises to each of us.

The 40 days of Lent have reminded us of His long and difficult journey toward the cross. It is my prayer that we will be grateful each day for a Savior willing to take on tremendous hardships on our behalf, and who, ultimately, was victorious— a victory that we can share with him each day.

You and your families remain in my prayers.

In gratitude to our resurrected Lord, Xavier E. Jimenez

SCRAMBLED NATIONALITIES AT THE TECH —BY MR. JIM THOMPSON, RETIRED TECH INSTRUCTOR

While the Tech has been proud to provide a welcoming home to about 25 international students from mainland China, who would have thought we would also be welcoming two students from Uzbekistan? Well, technically, that is not quite true. What is happening is that on Saturday and Sunday, March 30 and 31, two Bosco juniors from mainland China, Henry He and Cristiano Jin, will compete in all-day marathon sessions at the University of Southern California’s Model UN. They will represent the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan at the USC competition.

The two students will compete by making presentations to the Model UN’s Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC), the UN’s oldest standing committee. Over the weekend, they will participate in two important topics: the civil war in Yemen an the global threat of cybersecurity. During the committee meetings, Henry and Cristiano will seek to form alliances with students competing as representatives of other countries, and they will form compromise resolutions that are acceptable to a majority of the DISEC group.

Mr. Bob Currie—who retired from the Tech two years ago—after serving in a range of teaching and administrative leadership positions, has come out of retirement to work with the students and help them compete in this first-year effort against other experienced schools.

Henry and Cristiano face formidable challenges. In the case of Yemen, compromise is made difficult by the fact that many observers see Yemen as a “proxy war” between rival backers Iran (the Houthi rebels) and a Sunni coalition led by Saudi Arabia (backing the official but embattled government). Because Uzbekistan is a majority Muslim country, Henry and Cristiano will have to tread carefully to fit in with their personas as Uzbeki citizens. The cyber security issue might seem to put the two competitors on more familiar ground, although Cristiano (left), an ACE major, and Henry (right), an MSET major, have needed to fill in their background knowledge without a head start from the Tech’s CSEE program.

3

MR. TOM WINS NATIONAL AWARD Mr. Eric Tom, Assistant Principal of STEM Education, has won the 2019 Vernier Engineering Award for a Green and Sustainable Technology student project.

The award annually recognizes educators who use Vernier Software & Technology sensors in innovative ways to introduce engineering concepts or practices to their students. Vernier awardees receive $1,000 in cash, $3,000 in Vernier technology, and $1,500 toward attendance at upcoming STEM conferences. A video about the project is available at www.vernier.com/grants/ engineering/2019-winners/ At the Tech, Mr. Tom teaches a course that investigates green and sustainable technologies utilizing the company’s products. The course, which is aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), has students designing, building, and testing wind turbines, simple off-grid solar power systems, and energy-efficient lighting systems.

“We’re extremely proud of Mr. Tom and the sustainable student projects he has developed,” said Memo Gutierrez, Bosco Tech Vice Principal of Administration and Development. “He epitomizes the deep commitment our faculty has to providing students with forward-thinking, technology-focused coursework.”

Vernier Software & Technology is an Oregon-based educational software and equipment company that produces sensors and graphing software for use in science education. Vernier is one of the first companies to popularize the use of computers and sensor technology, known as probeware or microcomputer based labs during laboratory experiments.

WELCOME, CLASS OF 2023 Bosco Tech’s Class of 2023 was welcomed in style on Saturday, Feb. 23, when the group of eager young men and their families gathered in tech hall for a delicious breakfast and great camaraderie. Four Tech ambassadors spoke about their experiences at the school while current and prospective parents shared their perspective. Thanks to everyone involved who made it a welcoming experience!

4

EAGLE SCOUT RYAN SUAREZ HONORS VETS Congratulations to MSET junior Ryan Suarez who recently completed his Eagle Scout project. Ryan, who has been a member of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish’s Troop 375, chose to clean the headstones of fallen veterans buried at Rose Hills Cemetery for Veterans Day. By early November, Ryan and his team of volunteers had restored more than 100 headstones.

To complete the project, Ryan spent over than 155 hours from start to finish, working with Rose Hills representatives, completing “lots of paperwork” to get the project approved, finishing the work, overseeing volunteers, and creating an end report describing how the project went.

Ryan is grateful to all the individuals who helped him. “The people that helped me with my Eagle Scout project were from my Troop, friends, family, and fellow Bosco Tech Students. Pablo Govea, Victor Patino, and Joseph Reynoso are all the Bosco Tech Students that helped me,” he said. “My group of friends were John Burnett from St. John Bosco High School and Dean Minter from Rio Hondo Prep. From my Troop 375 Christian Borjon from El Rancho High School. Finally from my family my dad Ruben Suarez, mom Ingrid Suarez, and cousin Nathaniel Suarez.”

While the project required tremendous time management skills, Ryan says the best thing he learned in the process was the importance of good leadership skills. “Without the leadership skills I have developed in the course of my life, it would be hard to complete your Eagle Scout rank because it forces you to work as a leader,” he said. “Also, I had to keep myself motivated and, thankfully, had the support of my parents to help push myself to make sure I achieved this rank and no one did it for me. It has been a dream of mine since I was a Cub Scout was to become an Eagle Scout!”

Congratulations to Ryan, whose Court of Honor ceremony is planned for June!

COOKING IN JAPANESE WITH SENIOR DENNIS MARCUISKA MAT senior and Japanese Language student Dennis Marcuiska’s cooking video was recently shared online by The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles. In the video, Dennis gives step-by-step instructions for making crispy gyoza in Japanese with English subtitles. Check it out at Bosco Tech’s Facebook page.

Dennis created the video for his Japanese 3 class after studying the Cooking Unit. In that section, the students learned how to cook Japanese food using given phrases and the students made either a slideshow or video. “Dennis did a great job on videotaping as well as editing with his supreme technique,” the Japan Foundation website said.

5

BOSCO TECH MUSIC NEWS —BY BAND BOOSTER ADRIANA WALL

Jazz Night Out The DBTI Jazz musicians are working extra hours at rehearsal to present “Jazz Night Out: A Tribute to Motown” on Friday, April 26, at 6:00 p.m. in Tech Hall. This will be a fun-filled night filled with the amazing music of Motown, like the Temptations, Jackson 5, “The Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, The Miracles and many more. Come and join the fun! (Please see flyer and ticket order form on page 14.)

The 2018-2019 school year is entering its final months. If your son will be returning for the 2019-2020 school year, encourage him to join the band program! Please check out the band's YouTube channel, DBTI Music, at www.youtube.com/dbtimusic and the program’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/dbtimusic. For more information about the band program, contact music director Daniel Almanza at dalmanza@boscotech.edu or dbtimusic@gmail.com.

“Music is life itself. What would this world be without good music? No matter what kind it is.“ -- Louis Armstrong

BLOOD DRIVE—MAKING A DIFFERENCE Because of scheduling conflicts, the American Red Cross Spring Blood Drive has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the MPR. Thank you to all who have participated in our blood drives. Our last event sent blood products to UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, Providence-St. Joseph Medical Center, Kaiser Los Angeles, Anaheim Regional Medical Center, and Huntington Memorial Hospital. If you have questions about donating blood or about your son participating, please contact Fr. Steve Way at sway@boscotech.edu.

6

7

8

STUDENTS SPEND SPRING BREAK IN SOUTH AMERICA —BY MR. BRAD STOLZ

On March 9, five Bosco Tech students and three chaperones began their nine-day exploration of the South American country of Ecuador and its Galapagos Islands. Our group was joined by a group of 12 students from Alaska and a group of 17 students from Houston.

Our adventure began high in the Andes at 9,250 feet, with a walking tour of the Spanish colonial center of Ecuador’s capital city, Quito. Although even walking at that high altitude can be a little breathtaking, all enjoyed the beauty of the historic old town.

Very special was San Francisco Church and monastery from 1534, overflowing with its gold baroque altar and carvings. The afternoon of that first day was spent traveling through the beautiful Andes to the equator marker, at which we could stand with one foot in the Northern Hemisphere and the other in the Southern. Our guide had us do many experiments with the unique gravitational forces at play there and nowhere else on Earth.

The Galapagos portion of our trip began with a two-hour flight to Baltra Island, from which we took a ferry boat to Santa Cruz Island to spend a day and a half. In the Galapagos, all the animals are tame and unafraid of humans, as they have never encountered predators. It was here that we saw our first wild giant tortoises at a reserve, and visited the Charles Darwin Research Center, where distinct tortoises from different islands are bred. Part of our first evening there was spent on the pier, watching small Gala’pagos sharks swim. The next morning, we got to swim when we snorkeled off a rocky cove.

That afternoon, we had a two-hour boat transfer to the largest of the islands, Isabela, where we stayed two nights. Isabela Island has five active volcanoes, one of which erupted the previous year, but all were dormant during our trip.

Our boat was greeted by a number of sea lions on the pier, all of which were so tame they hardly noticed us passing by them. We did a nature walk to a marine iguana nesting area, where we had to be careful not to step on any, since they were often in our path and were too lazy to move when we approached. Next to the nesting area was a channel where six-foot sharks waited to catch any newborns that might jump or fall in to the water. We later went by boat to another area to snorkel. Among the creatures (Continued on next page)

9

SOUTH AMERICA (CONTINUED FROM LAST PAGE) seen were parrot fish, two large sea turtles, sea lions, and a six-foot shark.

In returning to the port, we saw our first penguins, pelicans, and bluefooted boobies. The next morning, we went to another giant tortoise breeding farm.

After overnighting once more on Santa Cruz, we journeyed to San Cristobal, our final island. There we visited an interpretation center with huge cages of captive-bred tortoises, and climbed the Tijeretas Hills to see the various vegetation and the great view from the top. Our third snorkeling excursion, this time from a beautiful beach, was one of the highlights of the trip. We were able to follow a large sea turtle, which was totally unaffected by our presence. A pond behind us was populated by beautiful red-billed pintail ducks. On our final night in the Galapagos, California showed its singing talent to the other states’ groups during dinner. Afterward, on our walk to the beach, we witnessed hundreds, if not thousands, of sea lions sleeping, fighting, and making their own brand of music on the sand.

After a flight back to Quito, we spent the next day doing a variety of interesting things. Our final day in South America included a two-hour drive through the Andes to go to the Indian market of Otavalo for shopping. On the way, we stopped at a beautiful viewpoint where we were able to get our pictures taken with an alpaca, with a beautiful lake and volcano in the background. Otavalo was a shopper’s exotic heaven, and most of us went on a shopping spree, buying everything from alpaca sweaters to fake shrunken heads. It was followed by lunch in a nearby town, at a restaurant where we could order local food, including cuy (guinea pig). Those who tasted it agreed that it tasted like greasy chicken! This town was one that specialized in making (and selling) leather goods, and many made use of this opportunity. Our next shopping and cultural opportunity came when we visited a shop that makes the typical musical instruments of the Andes. The variety of instruments made and played there was amazing! We were fascinated as we watched a rondador being crafted from reeds (and then played!) As we headed back to Quito and the airport, nature once again became a large part of our last day, as we climbed up to wonder at the beautiful Andean waterfall.

10

SPRING BREAK IN EUROPE What an experience--Omaha Beach and Normandy, the Churchill War Rooms and the Imperial War Museum! Our students, home and back in class today, shared some photos of a memorable adventure, exploring World War II locations in France and England over Spring Break. Thank you to Dr. Tony Arguelles and parent chaperones for making this trip possible!

11

Visit the Bosco Tech website for tickets:

www.boscotech.edu 12

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION—2019 GRADUATION VIDEO A DVD of the Class of 2019’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 for you to have a record of your son at this important milestone and for him to have a visual reminder of the many individuals who have played an important part in his life over the last four years.

At graduation on June 1, as a special bonus to those who purchase the video prior to the day, parents are 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 2019.

The cost of each video is $35 (tax included). Send your order form and check to the Finance Office, making checks 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: 1 2 3 4

!

13

14

15

16

17

APRIL 2019 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 and for events scheduled for later dates.

Tues.-Fri. Tuesday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Friday Saturday Sunday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Fri.-Mon. Sunday Tuesday Wednesday

4/2-4/5 4/2 4/6 4/7 4/8 4/9 4/10 4/12 4/13 4/14 4/16 4/17 4/18 4/19-4/22 4/21 4/23 4/24

Friday

4/26

Saturday Sunday Mon.-Fri. Wednesday Thursday Saturday

4/27 4/28 4/29-5/3 5/1 5/2 5/4

Kairos 89 Parent Council meeting at 6 p.m.

Black & Gold Gala Special Sunday Bingo Junior Retreat NACAC National College Fair (for Juniors) Alumni Association meeting at 6 p.m.

Salesian Spirit Games II and liturgy (relaxed dress) ACT on campus Palm Sunday Blood Drive Easter prayer service WCEA in-service day (no school for students) Easter Break (campus closed) Happy Easter!

School resumes Cardinal McIntyre interviews Junior parent meeting in library at 6 p.m.

Jazz Night Out at 6:30 p.m.

Prom payments are due Class of 2023 Placement Testing from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Father & Son Mass and Breakfast from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

AP Exam Prep Event Black Out (no schedule-interrupting events) Christian Service Hour Deadline Admission Info Night #3 at 5:30 p.m.

SAT (off campus) Class of 2023 Gear Up from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Prom at Long Beach Hyatt

Cheer On Our Teams!

4/2

4/3 4/4 4/5 4/6 4/9

Baseball at St. Monica @ 3 p.m.

Tennis v. St. Monica @ 3 p.m.

Volleyball v. La Salle @ 3 p.m.

Track v. St. Anthony @ 3 p.m.

Tennis at Cathedral @ 3 p.m.

Volleyball v. St. Paul @ 5 p.m.

Baseball v. St. Monica @ 3 p.m.

Lacrosse at Vista @ 9 a.m.

Baseball at St. Genevieve @ 3 p.m.

Tennis at Bishop Amat @ 3 p.m.

Volleyball at St. Monica @ 5 p.m.

4/10 4/11 4/12 4/15 4/17

4/27 4/28

Track Prelims at St. Paul @ 3 p.m.

Tennis v. La Salle @ 3 p.m.

Baseball v. St. Genevieve @ 3 p.m.

Baseball at Sts. Pius-Matthias @ 3 p.m.

Tennis Prelims at Whittier Narrows Baseball v. Sts. Pius-Matthias @ 3 p.m.

Track League Finals at St. Paul @ 3 p.m.

Volleyball at La Salle @ 5 p.m.

Lacrosse v. Crescenta Valley @ 11 a.m.

Lacrosse at Glendale Tribe @ 12 noon