December 2016

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THE GEAR MONTHLY PARENT NEWSLETTER ISSUE 62 DECEMBER 2016

2016 Freshman Tie Ceremony (page 6)

FROM THE PRESIDENT "Take time to be aware that in the very midst of our busy preparations for the celebration of Christ’s birth in ancient Bethlehem, Christ is reborn in the Bethlehems of our homes and daily lives. Take time, slow down, be still, be awake to the Divine Mystery that looks so common and so ordinary yet is wondrously present.”

—Edward Hays, A Pilgrim’s Almanac

Dear Bosco Tech family, May you and your family take the time to savor the many blessings of the season. As students work hard in the remaining weeks of the semester, and as families prepare for the season’s celebrations and festivities, it is my prayer that each one of us will open our hearts to the blessing of Christmas and what it means to each and every heart for whom our Savior has come.

May God richly bless your family this joyous season, Mr. Xavier Jimenez President

REPORT CARDS & TRANSCRIPTS: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? —BY MR. JEFF KRYNEN, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION

Recently, you received a copy of your sons’ first quarter grades. These grades are a progress report indicating how your son is doing at this point in the semester.

It is important to remember that the grades that actually go onto a student’s transcripts reflect only the grades earned at the end of the semester (unless, like a few technology courses, it was only a quarter- or halfsemester course.)

If your family is new to Bosco Tech, this method of grading may be in contrast to what you and your son have experienced when he was in elementary or middle school, where he might have received three or four report cards through the academic year, each of equal value.

Here at Bosco Tech, as with most high schools, each semester has three progress reports including the quarter report card. This is to allow you to carefully track your son’s progress at any point until the semester final grade is earned and entered into a grade book. That final grade is the one that is recorded on your son’s high school transcripts.

If you have any questions about your son’s grades, please contact his instructor or his academic counselor immediately so that grading matters can be addressed in a timely manner.

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SALESIAN DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Bosco Tech family, Our own Fr. Harold Danielson, SDB, thanks our freshman moms for their great generosity toward missions and evangelism (see page 8 of this issue) and I would like to focus on missions as well, but from a slightly different angle.

The Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) seeks to accompany Catholic college students on their campuses. Several studies have shown that many of our young church members fall away or lose their faith during their college years.

FOCUS is a missionary group of young college graduates who live in community and are dedicated to finding ways to accompany current college students to support them and help them to keep, integrate, and nurture their faith. Bosco Tech’s ASB/Student Council is sponsoring our own Chris Garcia (EL ’11) while he serves as a missionary at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania. We strongly believe in supporting our alumni and especially those who choose to serve God’s people. If you are interested in supporting Chris too, please contact me at sway@boscotech.edu.

Christmas blessings to you and your families!

Fr. Steven Way, SDB Salesian Director

MAKING THE SEASON MERRY & BRIGHT FOR CHILDREN 1000+ GIFT BOXES SHIPPED WORLDWIDE More than 1,000 children around the world will have a brighter Christmas thanks to the hard work of junior Grayson Wade who orchestrated a massive Operation Christmas Child shoebox donation drive, and the entire Bosco Tech community who wholeheartedly supported the effort. The drive extended across the Tech campus and throughout the San Gabriel Valley. This year, Grayson secured the support of both the Monrovia Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs. In addition, both Arcadia and Mayfield High Schools are packing boxes to help the effort. On campus, the National Honor Society and the International Club pitched in 170 boxes and assembly help, and individual students donated items through Youth Ministry and through their technologies.

Operation Christmas Child is part of the Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian humanitarian aid organization providing international aid to people in need.

The organization impacts more than 100 countries.

This year’s 1,009 filled shoeboxes exceeds last year’s very impressive 831 boxes. Special thanks to Grayson, and all who donated, participated and supported this wonderful outreach!

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BOSCO TECH HONOR ROLL—PRINCIPAL’S LIST 2016-2017 First Semester Grading Period—GPA 3.0 to 3.49 Freshmen Adrian Alvarado Jaden Ballester Raymond Barraza Joshua Bogust Wenyang Cao Ryan Cayer Oscar Cendejas Julio Contreras Cristian Figueroa Timothy Galvan Lorenzo Gaytan Maverick Henry Christian Hernandez Joseph Huerta Sergio Jimenez Ceron Aaron Lerma Dino Linsalato Christopher Lynn Nicholas Manriquez Alexis Mendoza Joseph Reynoso Joseph P. Rivas Preston Rodriguez Chase Shigemoto Riley Sumner John Sweetin Joseph Wadzinski Sophomores John Acuna Kema Allin Andrew Arenas Kevin Banuelos Marlon Barahona Joaquin Barbosa Aaron Dominguez Diego Espinosa Adam Gomez

Gerrence Gumabao Yung Jun Kim Emiliano LaFarga Jakob Logan Rene Lopez Alfonzo Martinez Miguel Nunez Eric Olvera Daniel Pineda Andres Rodriguez Emmanuel Rodriguez Alejandro Rojo Peter Ronney Luis Sosa Charles Sousamian Stoyan Tsvetkov Nicholas Unger Jaime Uy Bryan Valdivia Johany Vazquez Adrian Villegas Jianlong Xu Zibo Zhou Juniors Shane Beshlian Sihan Chen Hao Ding Gabriel Espejel Lorenzo Espinoza Christopher Gamboa Franco Herrera Sidney Herrera Jaime Hurtado Anthony Longoria Dominic Mercado Andrew Moran Matthew Olmos Armisael Ramirez

Anthony Reyes Christopher Salazar Steven Tieu Anthony Torres Eric Valdovinos James Villagrana Anthony Wadzinski Kwan Hang Yam Seniors Andrew Arboleda Matthew Davis David Flores Louis Garcia Leslie Giovanny Carlos Gonzalez Alfredo Gutierrez Jonathan Hall Joseph Hernandez Andrew Jacobs Bumjoon Kim Roman Kirkbride Kevin La Frank Lora Jacob Lovi Zachary Lugo Ian Luke Lumbres Daniel Martinez Ruben Martinez Michael Mendoza Daniel Mora Lance Morales Jonathan Morejon Andres Pena Aaron Rodriguez Jacob Valero Peterson Diego Vargas Joseph Williams

BOSCO TECH HONOR ROLL—PRESIDENT’S LIST 2016-2017 First Semester Grading Period—GPA 3.5 and above Freshmen Sassan Almasian * Jacob Armas * Berndien Balangauan * Christian Becerra

Christian Boyd Andrew Caballes Eric Cabato Costas Castillo Aaron De Castro *

Sean DeLeonardis George Flores * Damon Florez * Noah Goitia Armour Enrique Gomez (continued on next page)

* indicates a 4.0 GPA or higher

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BOSCO TECH HONOR ROLL—PRESIDENT’S LIST (CONTINUED) 2016-2017 First Semester Grading Period—GPA 3.5 and above Gabriel Gonzalez Daniel Harrell * Samuel Jacobs * Eric Jurado * Michael Kelley Jesus Lujan Joshua Morejon Joel Moreno Raphael Napinas * Andres Nunez Lorenzo Pedroza * Luis Que Christian Ramos Jose Reyes * Francisco Salas Gregory Saunders Ryan Suarez Jeremy Tadeo Rai Torres Aaron Velazquez Joshua Wall Isaiah Williams * Kevin Wong Yifan Zhang * Sophomores Justin Atienza Alex Cepeda Marcos Chavez Gabriel Corcio Abraham Diaz Devyn Espino Canche Michael Felix Michael Garcia * Jerry Gomez John Michael Gonzalez Raymond Gritton Nicolas Gutierrez * Nicholas Hernandez * Patrick Jackson Julian Lopez Kenneth Lorenzana Shuhao Lu * Alex Magallon

Vincent Maldonado Dennis Marciuska * Joshua Maros Julian Martinez Ian McConnell * Marco Nakano Qixin Ouyang Carlos Potrero Stanley Quiros * Justin Recinos Jess Rodriguez Alejando Rosales Henry Rosas * Matthew Salazar Anthony Sosa * Ethan Truong Christopher Valdivia Yibin Xu Juniors Guadalupe Agramon Alejandro Alaniz Daniel Arteaga Gabriel Benitez Anthony Caballes Ran Cao Fabrizio Castaneda Cameron Caterio * Kenneth Chua * Anthony Cortez * William Cosso Hersonamoreti Cruz Jesus Diaz Anthony Duarte Andrew Duenas Paul Erickson Roman Hernandez Daniel Hosseini Sebastian Jurado Patrick Kakooza * Yuzhong Li Alexander Martinez Sol Mireles Sanchez * Hirofumi Nakayama

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Yehya Nasser Jordy Paredes Geddes * Oscar Perez Isaiah Rojas Giovannia Samayoa Aaron Sarmiento * Drake Tran Suyay Vazquez Grayson Wade Cedric Woirhaye Seniors Manuel Alvarez Rick Chavez Noel Cordero * Devin Cornair Luis Cruz Augustine Escalera Sean Eustace Ziyi Fang Anthony Garcia * Joseph Garcia John Paul Gomez Reed * Matthew Lewis * Noah Lopez Sebastian Lopez Shant Loussararian Ian Samuel Madrigal Joel Medina Mario Mijangos William Ramos * Jason Reyes Sebastian Rojas Yuxi Rong Adrian Rosas Luis Saucedo * Jerome Tadeo * Timothy Thai Andres Varela Lorenzo Zamora * JunLin Zeng Hang Ming Zhang * indicates a 4.0 GPA or higher

FRESHMAN TIE CEREMONY Congratulations to the Tech's freshmen class who received their class ties on Nov. 20. Faculty and proud families were in attendance as alumni officially welcomed the members of the class of 2020 into their proud ranks.

May God richly bless each of these young men! Special thanks to our alumni in attendance.

For more photos of the event, visit Bosco Tech’s Facebook page.

CELEBRITY BASKETBALL GAME Bosco Tech’s faculty and coaches challenged the Hollywood Knights celebrity basketball team during a fundraising game in mid-November. Cheered on by the enthusiastic home court crowd, the Tech team beat the stars 85 to 77.

At one point during the fun evening, the entire stadium participated in the Mannequin Challenge. Check out the Hollywood Knight’s video on YouTube to see the whole crowd freeze.

All proceeds from the hugely popular annual game go toward the school’s basketball program.

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NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETIES INDUCT TECH STUDENTS NHS/NHHS JOINT INDUCTION CEREMONY In mid-November, Bosco Tech proudly inducted the campus’ newest members of the prestigious National Honor Society and National Hispanic Honor Society. The students were invited to join the esteemed groups because of demonstrated excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Both prestigious societies emphasize providing service to Bosco Tech, as well as the larger community.

Congratulations to the 2016-2017 Bosco Tech inductees—we are so proud of you!

NATIONAL HISPANIC HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTEES Guadalupe Agramon Alejandro Alaniz Daniel Arteaga Gabriel Benitez Carlos Castillo

Anthony Cortez Hersonarmoreti Cruz Anthony Duarte Franco Herrera Sidney Herrera

Sebastian Jurado Patrick Kakooza Alexander Martinez Lance Morales Armisael Ramirez

Christopher Salazar Giovanni Samayoa Suyay Vasquez

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTEES Guadalupe Agramon Manuel Alvarez Andrew Arboleda Andrew Arenas Gabriel Benitez Alex Cepeda Ricky Chavez Anthony Cortez Will Cosso Anthony Duarte

Gabriel Espejel Jordy Gedes Adam Gomez Jerry Gomez Carlos Gonzalez John Michael Gonzalez Alfredo Gutierrez Sidney Herrera Sebastian Jurado Yung Jun Kim

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Alex Magallon Vincent Maldonado Dennis Marciuska Alexander Martinez Alfonso Martinez Sol Mireles Qixin Ou Yang Justin Recinos Anthony Reyes Sebastian Rojas

Christopher Salazar Anthony Sosa Jerome Tadeo Anthony Torres Suyey Vazquez Adrian Villegas Cedric Woirhaye

BOSCO TECH MUSIC NEWS —BY BAND BOOSTER MR. JUN REYES

October & November Performances—The DBTI Royal Techmen Marching Band continued their busy October with a performance at the varsity football game against CantwellSacred Heart of Mary High School on Oct. 21. This was followed by a trip to USC on Oct. 22 for the annual “Training for Troy” program which allowed the band members to watch the USC Marching Band practice. After the practice, the band was treated to sectional training sessions led by the USC band leaders. The trip was capped off with a tour of the campus.

Later in the day, the band performed at the St. Joseph’s Festival back in Rosemead. The band performed at the final varsity football game at Schurr High School on Oct. 28, where the school celebrated Senior Night.

Though the football season has ended, the marching band will continue to perform at other events throughout the school year. On Nov. 4, the band leaders performed at the National Honor Society & National Hispanic Honor Society Induction Ceremony held at the Tech Hall. The band was invited to perform at St. Peter’s Italian Church Celebration in downtown L.A. on Nov. 6. This was followed by a performance at St. Mary’s Church in Whittier on Nov. 10 to commemorate Veterans Day. The band then performed at the Bosco Tech Open House on Sunday, Nov. 20.

Section Spotlight: Brass (see photo on the next page) Brass instruments can be divided into two types: valved instruments such as the trumpet and tuba, and slide instruments such as the trombone. This year's Bosco Tech brass section includes both families of instruments, and is comprised of students Matthew Vanegas, Stanley Quiros, Yibin Xu, Shiqi Wu, Matthew Agramon, Ming Zhang, Daniel Arteaga, Matthew Davis, Gary Lopez, Alvero Chavez, Daniel Hosseini (Assistant Drum Major), and section leaders William Ramos and Ziyi Fang.

What’s Next for the Music Program?

The Bosco Tech Music Program turns its focus to the annual Winter Concert as the Concert Band and the Music Appreciation Class begin rehearsing this month. The Winter Concert will be held on Thursday, Dec. 15. Please join us for a night of music and entertainment. (continued on next page)

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MUSIC NEWS (CONTINUED) The DBTI Concert Band is planning to compete at the Annual Heritage Festival in San Antonio, Texas, in the Spring. We welcome and appreciate your continued support as the band aims to bring home another award.

“Band members have a special bond. A great band is more than just some people working together. It's like a highly specialized army unit, or a winning sports team. A unique combination of elements that becomes stronger together than apart.�

-- Steven Van Zandt (E Street Band)

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SPORTS UPDATES CROSS COUNTRY’S SEASON HAS A NOTEWORTHY FINISH —BY ASSISTANT CROSS COUNTRY COACH BRAD STOLZ

Since the beginning of the summer, the Cross Country team has worked six days a week, 2 ½ to 3 hours a day. Until school started, they were at practice at 6 a.m. every day, braving the intense summer heat. During their summer camp at mile high Big Bear, they suffered through the usually 45-55 degree early morning cold and high altitude.

The JV team was running 20 or more miles a week, and the varsity team, up to 50 a week. Once school began, they continued to find the energy to practice hard after a full day of demanding classes. They did all this willingly and without complaining.

During the season, many improved their personal record (PR), some by one to three minutes, while one, senior Rodrigo Plata, improved his PR by an outstanding six minutes. In our last invitational meet at Arcadia, three varsity athletes won medals: sophomore Aaron Dominguez, junior Sidney Herrera, and senior Zach Lugo. At the league finals at Santa Fe Dam on November 2, Aaron Dominguez became the eighth fastest boy in our league; he is now the proud owner of an All League patch for his varsity jacket! Our congratulations to all of them for their hard work.

They all represented our school well. We are very proud of them and are looking forward to seeing them in track and field next semester!

Top: Varsity team at Apache Invitational Meet Middle: Aaron Dominguez awarded patch for being among league’s fastest runners. Bottom: Aaron and JV at League finals

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HONOR SOCIETY TEAMS WALKS TO FIGHT CANCER A very special shout out to members of Bosco Tech’s National Honor Society (NHS) and National Hispanic Honor Society (NHHS) who formed an 18-student team, Los Tigres, to participate in the City of Hope’s annual Walk for Hope. The 5K event to benefit women’s cancer research was held at the beginning of November in Duarte. The Los Tigres team walked and raised money in honor of family and friends who have bravely fought the disease.

“The morning was filled with music, speeches, give-aways, and an amazing sense of camaraderie with thousands of people supporting cures and medical breakthroughs for women's cancers,” said Mrs. Antonia Elenes, NHS/NHHS Moderator and 5K team organizer. “Some boys walked and others ran. It was a fun time!”

The City of Hope is leading the fight against cancers unique to women through research, treatment and education. Walk for Hope participants and donors support the organization’s efforts to push the boundaries of science to advance research and treatments on behalf of women everywhere.

KEY CLUB INTERNATIONAL RALLIES AT SIX FLAGS Members of Bosco Tech’s KEY Club International service organization participated in the region’s Fall Rally at Six Flags Magic Mountain in mid-November. The regional represents students from schools in California, Nevada and Hawaii (Cali-Nev-Ha). Key Club International is a world-wide student-led organization that teaches leadership through service to others.

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SOPHOMORE RETREAT —BY ASSITANT CAMPUS MINISTER BRAD STOLZ

On November 15, our sophomore class of about 100 students took part in their annual retreat. This spiritual journey started in the Tech’s Fr. Penna chapel with a prayer and welcome message by retreat director Mr. Herrera (H), and then moved to the peaceful setting of St. Joseph’s Retreat Center where three juniors (Andrew Duenas, Richard Meza, and Suyay Vasquez) and eight seniors (Manny Alvarez, Ricky Chavez, Carlos Gonzalez, Alex Gruber, Ruben Martinez, Michael Mendoza, Rodrigo Plata, and Michael Rodriguez) served as retreat leaders/facilitators. For a more intimate and manageable experience, the sophomores were then broken into three groups, each led by three of the student leaders.

The students began with an icebreaker designed to help them to start enjoying each others’ company with some friendly competition, led by the facilitators and Fr. Paul Nguyen. With everyone now relaxed and friendly (especially since the final competition ended in a draw—no losers), the retreat continued.

The theme of the retreat was “Relationships,” and was divided into three parts. The first part dealt with one’s relationship with God, and how to renew one’s friendship with God. It was led by Mr. Dacanay and Suyay Vasquez who gave a demonstration about God’s total forgiveness of our transgressions. At the end of the presentation, Fr. Paul and Fr. Harold Danielson were available for reconciliation.

Mr. H presented the second part of the retreat where the participants learned the importance of having a loving relationship with family members at this stage in life, and responding to that love as they head towards maturity.

Finally, Mr. Gaba and Coach Shockley encouraged the sophomores to think about their relationships with friends –getting them to realize that learning to work together with good friends and having each other’s back is a gift from God they will need as they continue to progress as the often-challenging junior and senior years approach.

There was free time between sessions, during lunch, and before Mass, which enabled everyone to get to know each other even better and develop new friendships. This important day concluded with a very special Mass presided

by Fr. Harold. It was very likely the only time the students ever attended a Mass in which the priest giving the sermon (Fr. Paul) wore a blindfold as part of his homily.

The sophomores went home on that memorable, enjoyable, and inspirational day with a new understanding and appreciation of the many relationships in each of our lives.

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DRUG AND ALCOHOL AWARENESS ASSEMBLY —BY DEAN OF STUDENT SERVICES CARLOS PLANTILLAS

Teen drug and alcohol use has been an issue that parents, educators and law enforcement officials have grappled with for years. Concerned parties have launched numerous attacks on the problem. However, getting young people, to understand that, well, that’s another problem. Some tactics have yielded positive results; others have fallen woefully short. While strategies and even purposes may clash, most of those involved agree that the problem of drug use persists and is a serious problem.

Posters, billboards, lesson plans, commercials, videos, blogs, bracelets and assemblies, like the one recently held for all students on campus, are just a few ways people can make a difference and raise awareness towards important issues affecting society. As a school and a community of faith, we have a responsibility to educate and inform students on the myths, dangers and risks involved with drug and alcohol use.

However, in the end, the decision is still theirs; will they say “Yes” or will they “Just say ‘No”? That depends on whom they listen to.

Tigers say ‘No’ to drugs There is a lot of talk about drugs out there; you can hear about mariand ‘No’ to bullying.” juana from a friend or pain pills from somebody at school. You might have seen a movie about cocaine or read a post about LSD on the internet. Some of it is true and some of it is not. Whatever the reason, whether it's trying to fit in, boredom or just curiosity, experimenting with any drug can lead to a life you never imagined possible.

Our goal is to inform, educate, raise awareness and answer any questions students may have, in regards to drugs and alcohol, to help and assist them in making good healthy choices as they go through life. It is our hope that after the assembly’s videos and guest speakers, Drug Education Specialist Jesse Crosby and Al Rhradecky of Impact Canine Solutions, students have a better understanding of the negative things drugs can do to their bodies, minds and future. The guest speakers provided concrete facts, gave examples and shared personal stories with our students. The students were also given an opportunity to wear “drunk goggles” that allowed them to see what a person who has been drinking sees and how they react.

I believe we need to stand together and start with small changes. The school administration purchased wristbands in Tech colors for everyone. The message reads “Tigers say ‘No’ to drugs and ‘No’ to bullying.” By wearing these wristbands, together we are making a commitment to live healthy lives and to change the world in which we live.

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REMINDER: TUITION ASSISTANCE DEADLINE IS JANUARY 27 The deadline for current students applying for tuition assistance for the 2017-2018 school year is January 27, 2017. Applications must be filed annually.

Please submit copies of each of the following items to the Tuition Assistance Committee. Applications will not be reviewed until all documentation is received.

• Completed application form • Application processing fee of $20 • Copy of 2015 Federal tax forms and corresponding supplement schedules, if applicable • Copy of either current paycheck stub showing total wages earned for 2016 or all W-2s and 1099s for 2015.

Please review the financial aid application for full details. The forms are available at the Finance Office or on the school’s website.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS ADVANCED PLACEMENT CHINESE EXAM —BY YUZHONG JOE LI, INTERNATIONAL CLUB SECRETARY

This article is specifically written to thank Fr. Andrew Ng for guiding Bosco Tech’s new International students through the process of preparing for the Advanced Placement Chinese exam. Because more than 90% of the Tech’s international students come from China, and over a half of the Chinese students are new to Bosco Tech and have a limited background in English, it can be difficult for them to learn a third language without enough English.

Through the care and kindness to all the Techmen, Bosco Tech offers the AP Chinese test for Chinese students as a foreign language class. Fr. Andrew, an outstanding Salesian priest at Bosco Tech, sacrifices his own time, volunteering to come to the International Learning Center and help the new students prepare for the process of taking the test. The students taking the test will meet with Fr. Andrew until the exam in the spring and are grateful for all the help and guidance!

INTERNATIONAL CLUB FILLS BOXES FOR OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

“Tigers say ‘No’ to drugs and ‘No’ to bullying.”

Junior Gavin Yam (at left) stands behind the 30 boxes the International Club assembled for this year’s Operation Christmas Child drive. (See page 3)

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY VISITS CAMPUS —BY MRS. CATHERINE DIAZ, INTERNATIONAL CLUB MODERATOR

Bosco Tech’s International Club holds a luncheon every month on the second floor of the library. These luncheons are useful to students since there is always a guest speaker who discusses academics. This past month, a special guest speaker from Loyola Marymount University (LMU) spoke to the international students about applying to college. The speaker was Dr. Dan Marschner, the Director of International Admissions and Outreach at LMU. Dr. Marschner introduced LMU, it’s background, majors and what it has to offer students. After that, to show where LMU is on the map of universities, he included some statistics and rankings of the university. He went deeper and listed a list of majors at LMU for those who are interested. The seniors and juniors were the ones who needed information the most so Dr. Marschner did his best to explain and answer all of their questions. The students were glad to have Dr. Marschner since he helped them to get a picture of how to apply to college.

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PREPARING FOR FINAL EXAMS OVER CHRISTMAS BREAK —BY MR. JEFF KRYNEN, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION

January 17 to January 19 are the three days set aside for Bosco Tech students to sit for final exams in each of their academic subjects. These days (plus two more days in the week prior for technology classes) provide an opportunity for our students to demonstrate mastery of their studies.

Christmas break becomes an excellent time for students to organize and prepare themselves for the rigor of the exams. We would like to encourage parents to guide their sons in allocating a portion of their winter break to focus on these very important studies. A few gentle reminders can go a long way in improving students’ performance on their finals and ultimately improve their first semester grades and transcript records.

SCIENCE FAIR —BY MR. ERIC TOM, DEAN OF STEM STUDIES

At Bosco Tech, the annual science fair is both a tradition and a valuable lesson. It teaches students how to execute the scientific method in an experiment of their choosing. Along the way, students learn project management, teamwork, writing, research, and presentation. Many projects use knowledge, skills, and tools from the technology departments, and so it is also an opportunity to integrate the academics with the technologies.

This year, we tried something different: we moved the presentations in Tech Hall to December. In the past, these presentations have occurred in February, but this caused a wide variety of problems. First, February is a busy month for everyone, with numerous events like the Math Competition, Open House, Engineering Day, College Week, and Youth Day. Adding science fair to this list is difficult for parents, faculty, and students.

Also, at the semester, some students change their schedules, which can break up science fair groups. These groups often did poorly as a result. Finally, this allows student to go on Christmas Break without having looming deadlines for science fair. By moving the final presentations to Tech Hall, we avoid all of these problems.

The final science fair presentations in Tech Hall occur on Tuesday, December 13 and Wednesday, December 14. This week or next week, students should be doing in-class presentations.

Science fair cannot happen without the support of parents, and all of the science teachers are grateful for your help. Parents provide the transportation, advice, and supplies for students as they execute their projects. Some parents also volunteer as judges for the presentations in Tech Hall. No science background is required to be a science fair judge. If you are interested in volunteering as a judge, please contact Paul Garcia (pgarcia@boscotech.edu or 626-940-2147) or sign up at http://tinyurl.com/ DBTI-SF-judge-volunteer. Parents will receive parent hours for both judging and training.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA @WeAreBoscoTech

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MANY THANKS TO FRESHMAN MOMS —MISSION COLLECTION RAISES FUNDS TO HELP THE WORLD Many thanks to the moms of the freshman class who donated to the Los Angeles Archdiocese Mission Office’s World Mission Sunday collection at the recent Freshman Mothers Luncheon. Bosco Tech’s own Fr. Harold Danielson, SDB, reports that a total of $288 was collected. Fr. Harold would like to thank all who contributed for their generosity and for identifying the need for vital missions outreach in today’s world. The funds collected that day have been sent to the Archdiocese Mission Office to continue their good work of spreading the gospel.

You may have seen Fr. Harold and his blue tricycle on campus. The long time Salesian priest, who is semiretired, celebrates Sunday Mass at various parishes and St. Joseph’s retreat center. He is a constant presence on campus. He diligently raising funds for missions.

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FIELD TRIP: THE JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM & LITTLE TOKYO —BY SOPHOMORE HENRY ROSAS

On November 22, Bosco Tech’s Japanese classes took a field trip to the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) and Little Tokyo to learn more about the history and culture of Japanese Americans in Los Angeles. We arrived at the museum in the morning, many of us not ic knowing what to expect. Luckily, raph we were greeted by a g & o friendly Japanese man that taught us all about infAmerican w e n traditional Need Japanese drum playing, also known as taiko.

He explained how different words tell you how to use the bachi, the pair of sticks used to beat the drums. For example, “Don” means to use the bachi to quickly strike the center of the drum. “Ka” means to use the bachi to hit the ring around the drum to make a sharp sound. After this quick explanation, we were all invited to play together and enjoyed making loud noises on all of the various types of drums available.

Afterwards, we went upstairs to make origami and then we were quickly whisked off on a tour of the museum.

We passed through an exhibit about the incarceration of many Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Our guide was just 10 years old when his entire family was forced to move to an internment camp where some of his family members had to live in horse stables.

Despite the negative experience he had in the camp, he told us that he still had hope for our generation. He stressed that it is important that we know about the history of our country, good and bad, so that the same kind of thing will not happen in the future.

Once our tour was finished, we crossed the street and went out to have lunch. Greeted by the giant red tower, we were all excited and amazed at all of the different shops around us. From ramen to sushi, students and chaperones alike enjoyed all of the different and enticing flavors that Little Tokyo had to offer. It was a fulfilling conclusion to a very fun and educating day.

Overall, the field trip was a very positive experience that allowed everyone present to experience a culture that not all of us were familiar with. It is amazing that we all learned more about the different culture and lifestyle that Japanese and Japanese American people have while still enjoying ourselves on a fun field trip. Our different cultures do not make us any less united in our longing to express our heritage and learning more about each other allows us to appreciate and really understand each other for who we are.

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DECEMBER 2016 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.

Thursday Friday Saturday Tuesday

12/1 12/2 12/3 12/6

Tuesday

12/8

Friday Saturday Tues.-Wed. Wednesday Thursday

12/9 12/10 12/13-12/14 12/14 12/15

Friday

12/16

Sat.-Mon. Monday Tues.-Thurs.

Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tues.-Thus.

Friday Sunday Monday Tuesday

12/17-1/2 12/19 12/20-12/22 12/23 12/24 12/25 12/26 12/27-12/29 12/30 1/1 1/2 1/3

Saturday Wednesday Thurs.-Fri. Friday

1/7 1/11 1/12-1/13 1/13

Music Program popcorn fundraiser begins (ends on 12/15) Report cards mailed SAT (off campus) Advent reconciliations Parent Council meeting at 6 p.m.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception Salesian Spirit Games (relaxed dress) Student-free day (WASC in-service for instructors) ACT (on campus) Science Fair Alumni Association meeting at 6 p.m.

Music Program fundraiser ends Music Program Winter Concert at 7 p.m.

Late school start at 9:30 a.m. (faculty Christmas breakfast) Locker cleanout Winter dance at 7:30 p.m.

Winter Break (no school) Classes resume on Tuesday, 1/3/17 School offices closed School office hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

School offices closed Christmas Eve (Midnight Mass at 11 p.m.)

Christmas Day School offices closed School office hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

School offices closed New Year’s Day (Happy 2017!)

No school School resumes Parent Council meeting at 6 p.m.

Freshman Technology Selection Day Alumni Association meeting at 6 p.m.

First semester technology exams Tech rotation #3 Lock clean out Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (no school) First semester academic final exams (noon dismissal)

Monday 1/16 Tues.-Thurs. 1/17-1/19

SAVE

•

THE DATE

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• • •

7th/8th Grade Math Competition E-Waste Recycling Fundraiser Yurak Memorial Run/Walk Father-Son Mass & Breakfast Mother-Son Dance

Saturday, Feb. 4 Saturday, Feb. 11 Saturday, Feb. 18 Sunday, April 2 Friday, May 19