The Gear--January 2024

BOSCO TECH’S MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

THE GEAR

ISSUE 136 JANUARY 2024

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Happy New Year, Tech family!

The tradition of giving a yearly ‘strenna’ or thematic gift, to the entire Salesian family dates back to the time of St. John Bosco, who wished to unite us all around a common goal and vision for each new year; Salesian Rector Majors have continued the tradition ever since.

2024’s strenna, presented by Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime S.D.B., Cardinal Rector Major of the Salesians, is especially inspirational in our work at the Tech. The strenna, “The dream that makes you dream,” is based on the 1824 dream that St. John Bosco had at the age of nine years old. In it, the child saw Jesus and Mary who shared with him his future mission in life—to educate poor children through charity and kindness, with a humble heart. The dream would leave an indelible mark on Don Bosco’s life.

As we celebrate 200 years since that pivotal vision, Fr. Artime encourages us to take from it several key points: • God has a plan (dream) for each of us • He speaks to us in many ways, often by planting dreams within our hearts • We must help young people explore the dreams the Lord has given each of them • And finally, we need others to build ourselves and achieve our dream.

See the full strenna explanation here: https://files.constantcontact.com/46e50122301/46f7f0b1-21864429-8866-9d1dc719cd7a.pdf As we enter a new year, let’s prayerfully reflect on the dreams God has given each of us, recognize that we can’t achieve everything on our own and need others to make those dreams come to fruition, and that God has called each of us to guide the young people in our lives as they discover God’s plans and dreams for their lives.

When Fr. Artime visited our campus last school year and prayed with our Tech community, he spoke a very special blessing over each student’s life and family. May 2024 be full of those very blessings about which he prayed.

Here’s to a great 2024 and the fulfillment of God’s plan for the Tech community!

SALESIAN SPIRIT GAMES-BROTHERHOOD & TEAMWORK

Happy New Year,

Memo Gutierrez (AU ‘83) President

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TUITION ASSISTANCE & RE-ENROLLMENT IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR

The online FACTS Grant & Aid Tuition Assistance application and Re-enrollment Packet for the school year 2024-2025 is accessible through your FACTS Family Portal and opened on Thursday, November 2, 2023.

Parents must apply annually online for re-enrollment and tuition assistance through the FACTS Family Portal. The Re-enrollment packet is required to be filled out and submitted before applying for tuition assistance.

Please go to www.boscotech.edu, from the top right-hand corner select Student/Parent Hub, scroll down click on FACTS Login, sign in with your Username and Password, select Parent then select Login. On the home page of the FACTS Family Portal on the left-hand side select Apply/Enroll, select Enrollment/Re-enrollment, select Click Here to Open Enrollment, and then select the Start Enrollment Packet. Enrollment Packets are pre-populated; please update information or confirm the data before submitting your re-enrollment packet.

As stated in the Enrollment Contract, an enrollment fee of $650 is charged to your FACTS payment plan and due on February 23, 2024, with an automatic withdrawal from your payment plan account.

Following charges are the Student Service Fees of $750.00 split in two payments of $375.00 on March 22, 2024, and April 19, 2024. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Doris Longoria at dlongoria@boscotech.edu The dates to submit an online Tuition Assistance application through FACTS Grant & Aid is: November 2, 2023, through February 2, 2024. No exception will be made after Feb. 2.

To apply for the online Tuition Assistance application through FACTS Grant & Aid, please follow the steps below: • Log in to your FACTS Family Portal. On the home page select Financial, and then select apply for FACTS Grant & Aid; sign in with your email and password.

• Click on Start Tuition Assistance Application.

• Select the appropriate school year 2024-2025.

• Complete the steps as prompted and upload all the required documents.

• Submit with FACTS Grant & Aid processing fee of $40.00.

Applicants will not be reviewed until all required documentation is uploaded and the Grant & Aid fee paid. Please note that if your FACTS account is past due, your Tuition Assistance application may be denied. The Tuition Assistance Program is designed to provide funds to eligible students from institutional and private funding sources. Tuition Assistance awards are valid for the year of application only. Assurance of an award is not guaranteed on an annual basis and depends on many factors, including available funding and application timing. We encourage families in need of Tuition Assistance to apply by the suggested dates. Please contact Mr. John Garcia at jgarcia@boscotech.edu with questions regarding tuition assistance.

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INTERNING AT THE WHITE HOUSE TECH ALUMNUS EARNS COVETED PRACTICUM Alumnus Grayson Wade (ACE ’18), covaledictorian of his Tech graduating class, is working as an assistant to Principal Jeff Krynen (BT ’81) while completing his degree in Applied Mathematics/Statistics at Cal Poly, Pomona. Set to begin graduate studies in the area this coming fall, Grayson recently enhanced his education by completing two very practical internships; one was with the U.S. Navy’s Naval Surface Warfare Center in Corona with their STEM-focused internship program and the other with the White House’s Executive Office of the President.

The White House position required Grayson to move to DC for three months to work as a data analyst in the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the Made in America Office. There, he analyzed federal procurement data to determine how much the government is spending on foreign-manufactured products and what those products are. The goal was to ensure that federal agencies are in compliance with Buy American laws and ultimately, to see what the government can do to bring manufacturing of certain products back to the U.S. From meeting John Kirby, National Security Council Spokesman, and OMB Director Shalanda Young to seeing President Biden and Vice President Harris, Grayson had several interesting experiences during his time in the nation’s capital. Because of his extensive research into procurement, he even had the opportunity to contribute to a report submitted by OMB to Congress that was mandated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021.

Although he could not discuss the nature of his work at the time, Grayson shared he was surprised to find government database systems are fairly antiquated in functionality and efficacy, compared to the private sector. “Under such constraints, it is actually amazing that the government functions as well as it does,” he said. “Many private sector industries would be completely paralyzed if they were hamstrung with the technology the government has.” Overall, Grayson said both internships gave him real-world experience in his future career--data analytics—and helped him make connections with professionals in several governmental areas.

“I also made the decision based on these internships that I want to ultimately pursue a career in the government,” he said. “I feel that the work I did in my two intern roles was important, and I want my work to have value.”

(Continued)

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WHITE HOUSE INTERNSHIP

STANFORD SPOTLIGHTS TECH ALUM

CONTINUED

FEATURED AMONG HIS CLASSMATES

“Internships are the only way to get real-world experience in the field you want to pursue, and they help you determine if that field is a good fit,” he said in encouraging current students and alumni to seek beneficial practicums. “You may have the opportunity to pursue really cool experiences too, such as working for the White House. That’s pretty exciting!”

We’re so happy to see that recent Tech graduate Christian Figueroa (CSEE ’23) is thriving at his dream school, Stanford!

Christian recently was featured in the prestigious university’s Stanford Report feature “Meet six from the Class of 2027.”

The freshmen were selected from among the class of 1,700 from around the world. It gave them the opportunity to share their paths, passions, and aspirations. https://news.stanford.edu/ report/2023/11/29/class-2027-snapshot/

HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTEES

On a side note, Christian just announced his candidacy for the Democratic National Committee, hoping to represent Gen-Z. Visit www.FigueroaFuture.com for details.

SOCIEDAD HONORARIA HISPANICA The Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica, foramlly organized as the Spanish National Honor Society in 1953, recognizes high school achievement and promotes interest in Hispanic studies. The ‘23-’24 inductees are: Nolan Adalin Jake Ayala Adam Beam Daniel Cendejas Riley De Luna

Joshua Gamez Nicholas Garcia Sebastian Gomez Saif Halari Khiru Khan

Ivan Manzanilla Anthony Ramirez Sean Sotelo Daniel Vazquez

ST. PATRICK’S EVENT IS MARCH 16 SAVE THE DATE FOR POPULAR ANNUAL CELEBRATION

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with us on Saturday, March 16--join us for food, music, fun and fabulous auction prizes. All proceeds benefit students through tuition assistance. More details of the festive evening coming soon.

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the oldest, largest, and most widely recognized co-curricular student organizations in American high schools. Qualifications are based on the society’s four pillars: scholarship, service, leadership and character. The ‘23-’24 inductees are: Mario Barbosa Daniel Cendejas

Naim Daib Hovan Kuftedjian

Jacob Martinez Massimo Sorce Aaron Wu

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2023-2024 1ST SEMESTER HONOR ROLL

HONOR ROLL (CONTINUED)

Honors List 1st Semester Final GPA 3.00-3.49

Valdez, Gaston Villeda, Anthony Vo, Jaedon Wu, Colin

Freshmen Abundiz, Matthew Burbano, Jeremiah Calvache, Angel Cortez, Nathan Franco, Adam Franco, Aidan Garcia-Henriquez, Luis Garcia, Daniel Gomez, Sergio Helms, Henrik Miranda, Andrew Munguia, Frank Munoz, Dominic Nabeel, Muhammad Perez-Sandi, Isaiah Ramirez, Bryant Ramos, Ilan Rodriguez, Gerardo Tafoya, Tyler Velazquez, Dylan Yost, Jensen Zepeda, Eivar Sophomores Alvarez, Eric Cagigas-Bermejo, Armando Cai, Alex Deusch, Lukas Gallardo, Dominic Gomez, David Islas, Marc Lee, Brandon Maltez, Joaquin Ramirez, Sylvester Ramos, Aidan Real, Damien Romero, Diego

Rosales, Branden Sandoval, Rafael Santana, Aleister Tan, Ryan Tran, Matthew Valadez, Dominic Vargas, Joshua

Vazquez, Daniel Vicario, Christopher Zhang, Eric

Juniors Acuna, Diego Aguilar, Mario Avalos, Aiden Casillas, Juan Cisneros, Caleb Erami, Jaden Godinez, Chris Khazaal, George Kou, Mark McJunkin-Contreras, Bobby Perez, Aiden Sanchez, Max Suzuki, Damian Velasquez, Adam Williams, Cedes

Freshmen Ambrose, Caleb Ayala, Brandon Barna, Louis Bigham, Connor Brause, Wyatt Chavarria, Eric Coronado, Harrison Estevez, Andrew Gonzalez, Diego M. Gonzalez, Diego S. Gonzalez, Freddy Harada, Shotaro Hogan, Liam Jauregui, Dallas Lee, Julian Martinez, Kenneth McJunkin-Contreras, Andrew Multani, Harnoor Pacificar, Gavin Pedraza, Manolo San Diego, Sean Sandoval, Diego Tacadena, Arnel Yang, Edwin

High Honors 1st Semester Final GPA 3.50-3.99

Seniors Carrera, Jose Cervantes, Peter Cliffton, Trevor Cordova, Gerardo Davila-Valdez, Elijah Garcia, Nicholas Giron, Eduardo Halari, Saif Hernandez, Andrew Hernandez, Dominic Khan, Khiru Martinez, Noah Morales, Gabriel Rodriguez, Juan Sanchez, Michael Valdepena, Raymond

Sophomores Alvarez, Jr., Jose Casas, Dylan Castillejo, Lucas Cortez, Sean De La Cruz, Ethan Jether Diab, Naim Favela, Diego

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Gonzalez, Nicolas Gutierrez, Aaron Hasenbein, Jhonen Jimenez, Benicio Kuftedjian, Hovan Lopez, Liam Maguellal, Carlos Martinez, Jacob Martinez, Ricardo Nieves, Vincent Orozco, Ivan Parra, Alexandro Payan, Cristian Phaneuf, Andrew Ramos, Stephen Renteria, Nicholas Santana, Julian Smith, Francis Sorce, Massimo Tapia, Raul Villasenor, Josiah Juniors Acob, Eli Beltran, Kendon Benitez, Darius Camarillo, Joshua Campa, Jacob Canada, Clark Cendejas, Daniel Cini, Andrew El Mais, Siyph Gauna, Robert Luis Hernandez, Vincent Mora-Aguayo, Javier Munoz, Daniel Orea, Abraham Ramirez, Anthony Rodriguez, Andrew Rojas, Kevin Rooney, Jacob Tadian, David Tanada, Riley

Seniors Avila, Bishop Ayala, Jake Cabral, Ryan Cervantes, Aidan Demata, Serian Gamez, Joshua Garcia, Ryan Herrera, Luca Lopez, Matthew Madrid, Nathaniel Mendez, Manuel Meyer, Joshua Monteon, Adrian Osborne, Ryan Peck, Alex Pedroza, Anthony Rivera, Phoenix Rozario, Nathan Shahin, Andrew Sotelo, Sean Tanada, Ryan Tran, Ethan Vasquez, Conan Wu, Aston Highest Honors – 1st Semester Final GPA 4.00 and Above Freshmen Arteaga, Seraj Cao, Andy Castellanes, Gavin Cervantes, Raymond Cipriani, Evan

Dela Rosa, Ethan DuBois, Yuchen Garcia, Andrew Guzman, Sebastian Jovellanos, Jalen Kumar, Aditya Marquez, Anthony Martinez, Raymond Morales, David Morales, Raymond Nguyen, Joaquin Nguyen, Tristan Posada, Marcos Rapp, Riley Rico, Diego Scofield, Matthew Sun, Oscar Varela, Joaquin Vo, Dylan

Martinez, Alexander Viengkhou, Ryan Wong, Micah Wu, Auston Seniors Beam, Adam Bulthuis, Wesley Dai, ZhenPeng De La Cruz, Andrei Dominguez, Nicky Glassow, Caleb Gregorio-Lee, Joseph Lee, Joseph Ramirez, Anthony Rivera, Mario Schweiger, Donivan Tran, Kenneth Yang, Henry

Sophomores Barbosa, Mario Bobadilla, Nathan Carrano, Gianni Carranza, Tomas Parks, David Rico, Alejandro Tran, Kyle Wu, Aaron Juniors Adalin, Nolan Camacho Castro, Luis Cheung, Evan Diaz, Dominic Anthony Gomez, Sebastian Gonzalez, Nathan Guerrero, Seth Iniguez, Jose Lieu, Kyle Lugo, John

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, e n o d Well men! e l t n e g 70% of t he Tech student body ear ned Honor R oll statu s in the first semeste r!

$50,000

for STEM College Scholarships!

STUDENTS DECORATE/DONATE TREES MAKING SPIRITS MERRY & BRIGHT

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and following the Salesian Spirit Games, the winners of this year’s technology Christmas tree decorating competition was announced; the winners were ACE (third place), CSEE (second place) and BMET (first place). Congratulations, gentlemen!

Each tree was donated to a local family in need to help make Christmas merry. Thank you, Techmen and Parent Council (for donating the trees.)

Become an Edison Scholar.

Edison International is awarding $50,000 college scholarships to 30 high school seniors to help them follow their dreams in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) and empower them to change the world.

Science

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS INCLUDE: • Must be a high school senior and show financial need

Technology

Engineering

Math

Guidelines at:

EDISONSCHOLARS.COM

• Have a minimum 3.0 GPA • Live in Southern California Edison’s service area • Plan to attend a four-year college or university and pursue studies in science, technology, engineering or math.

All Edison Scholars recipients are eligible for a paid summer internship with Southern California Edison upon completing the first year of school. Scholars must meet the minimum eligibility requirements and complete the required hiring screening.

The 2024 Edison Scholars Application is open from

OCT. 2, 2023 JAN. 23, 2024

APPLY NOW

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SALESIAN SPIRIT GAMES

Students faculty and staff celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception as a family before the traditional Salesian Spirit Games on Dec. 8. While each tech engaged in the friendly challenges, there was strong competition. Congratulations to ACE students, who were the overall games winners, and to CSEE who took the Spirit Cup! Great job, all!

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SUPPORTING VETERANS

RED CROSS CLUB EXCEEDS GOALS IN HELPING HOMELESS VETS

ALUMNI SOCCER GAME

Thank you to all who donated to the Red Cross Club’s recent Veterans Wish List Drive, for homeless vets. Much-appreciated boxes full of practical items were delivered to the Arcadia Red Cross on Dec. 15. Our generous students and families donated hundreds of essential items like toothpaste, towels, shampoo, soap and underwear, and was one of the top donating high schools in the San Gabriel/Pomona Valley Red Cross Region. Donations were thoughtfully packaged as individual hygiene kits to take care of the veterans.

“This drive is so important because we are giving back to our veterans who have sacrificed their time and lives to make sure our country is safe,” said Club Co-President Andrei De La Cruz. “The least we can do for our vets is make sure that they have what they need to get through the holidays and rough winter.”

THANK YOU!

Thank you, alumni! On December 23, Techmen from through the years took to the soccer field to support the Tech’s Soccer Program and have some fun. The event was a great success with more than 20 alumni taking the field to play against both the current JV and varsity teams in a mini tournament. The friendly format saw alumni take on younger siblings who are current team members and alumni fathers cheering on sons.

For more photos of the day, visit the Tech’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/weareboscotech/ The Soccer Boosters are already planning next year’s event!

THANK YOU! MOCK-UP SHUTTLE REBUILD BEGINS STUDENT TEAM GEARS UP FOR RARE OPPORTUNITY

What a great kick-off meeting of the Tech’s Space Shuttle mock-up restoration team at the beginning of December! Mr. Ed Byrne, a retired NASA engineer who will help oversee the students’ work, was on hand as Mr. Garza grouped the students into teams, assigning responsibilities and lead roles.

Watch this space for their progress in the coming weeks!

Thank you, Columbia Memorial Space Center for this incredible opportunity!

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..FOR HELPING US SUSTAIN THE LEGACY

As the number of the Tech’s founding fathers--the Salesians--has lessened in recent years, Techmen have increasingly become its stewards. Today, you’ll find Techmen everywhere on campus—alums working to make the school even better for today’s students.

Each Techman has greatly benefitted from our Salesian education and when we recently asked you to partner with our alumni in sustaining the legacy, many responded so generously! We’re very grateful because now, more than ever, it’s up to us, together. If you haven’t already done so, will you consider making a financial contribution today at boscotech.edu/giving

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ESPORTS WIN CHAMPIONSHIP AGAIN

IN GRATITUDE

BY HEAD COACH STEPHEN ANDRYSHAK

The Bosco Tech community is extremely grateful for all recent donations made by generous foundations, organizations and alumni. Among those gifts:

December 2023 Name

Chris and Jenny Hansen Charitable Fund Hugh & Hazel Darling Foundation Graue Family Foundation O’Reilly Family Fund

The Fall 2023 season has come to a close and with it, another championship has been won!

Bosco Tech’s Overwatch 2 team went undefeated all year and claimed the title of VHEL’s Alpha division in dominating fashion with a 4-0 victory in the finals. Coach Shak (Esports Manager) and Coach Lowery (Overwatch 2 Coach) could not be more proud of the boys this season.

Amount $50,000 $10,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000

Purpose Endowment Scholarships Unrestricted Unrestricted

Bosco Tech truly appreciates our benefactors who share our mission to educate young people. Please let us know if you have connections to a charitable foundation, or if your employer has a grantmaking program. Contact Manager of Foundation Relations Anne Sigoloff at asigoloff@boscotech.edu or (626) 940-2027.

STUDENTS RE-ESTABLISH DEBATE CLUB

Smash Ultimate player Marc Islas finished in 3rd place for VHEL’s Alpha Smash division!

Halo went undefeated during the regular season but unfortunately lost in the playoffs falling victim to injuries and sickness and finished in 4th place of the HSEL Fall major. They are looking for a big bounce back in the spring season and are setting their sights on nationals in June.

Valorant kicked off the year winning the first ever LAN hosted at Bosco Tech. Unfortunately, the rest of the season did not pan out as hoped but Coach Cilantro believes the spring season could be set for a turnaround with some previous players planning to return to the roster.

Our Fortnite and League of Legends both made their VHEL playoffs as well. League fell in the semifinals finishing T4 and the duo of Daniel Munoz and Andrew Walldez finished in second place in the Fortnite finals. An incredible season by those two just barely getting edged out by a duo roster from Cannon.

Is your son good at debating or interested in honing his public speaking skills? Encourage him to join the Tech’s Debate Club! Students can be part of a dynamic team and participate in competitions. The club meets every Tuesday in Room 406 after school. Founded by juniors Andrew Cini and Evan Hauffen, the club is moderated by Mr. Angel Garcia. To join the discord or get more details, email acini.2025@boscotech.net or ehauffen.2025@boscotech.net.3.

All together it was a great season for Bosco Tech Esports, our first full season of competing in the newly outfitted lab. Mario Kart was added as a new game title for students to compete in and saw a good first season for them starting out. Also, I would like to give a big thanks to our production team who helped produce and stream the matches that you all get to watch from home on our Bosco Tech Esports youtube channel.

“I was motivated to re-establish the debate club primarily due to my own challenges with public speaking and I realized that there might be many students facing similar issues,” said Andrew. “A platform like a debate club is an excellent way to practice and overcome this hurdle. The club also aims to revive interest in the art of debate, which seems to have dwindled over the years. My hope is that students who participate will not only improve their public speaking skills, but also gain confidence in expressing their ideas. The club is not just about debating; it’s a safe space for students to confront and conquer their public speaking fears, while also enhancing their critical thinking and argumentation skills.”

Thank you for your continued support, and we will see you all in the spring!

Photo is of some of the Overwatch Roster.

Left to right are Joseph Portillo, Donivan Schweiger, JuanPablo Carillo, Isaak Dahdul, Juan Casillas, Dion Aguilar, Liam Lopez. In the center is Coach Lowery. Not pictured are Ryan Hernandez and Nathan Garcia.

Once the club gains momentum, they plan to engage in activities with other schools, including our sister schools. This includes debates, competitions, and possibly joint events. The interactions, Andrew said, are not only about competition, but also about creating a supportive community for students who share a common goal of improving their public speaking abilities.

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JANUARY 2024

Please note that dates, events and locations are subject to change. Check the school’s full calendar at https://www.boscotech.edu/student-life/calendar for the latest updates.

MON 1/1 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD

MON.-MON. 1/1-1/8

NO CLASSES

MON-TUES

1/1-1/2

SCHOOL OFFICE CLOSED

WED-FRI

1/3-1/5

OFFICE HOURS ARE 8 AM TO 3 PM

MON

1/8

FACULTY-STAFF FAITH FORMATION RETREAT (STUDENT-FREE DAY)

TUES

1/9

SPRING SEMESTER BEGINS (FIRST DAY BACK FOR STUDENTS)

THURS

1/11

SECOND SEMESTER ORIENTATION

DRUG & ALCOHOL AWARENESS SAT

1/13

S.T.A.R. PROGRAM MATH TUTORING AT 9 AM

SOCCER BOOSTER CLOTHING DRIVE MON

1/15

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR DAY (SCHOOL CLOSED)

TUES

1/16

PARENT COUNCIL MEETING AT 6 PM (VIA GOOGLE MEET)

THURS

1/18

GRADE 9-11 ONLINE PARENT MEETING WITH COUNSELING DEPT. AT 6 PM

SAT

1/20

HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT TEST AT 8 AM

OUR LADY OF ANGELES WALK-A-THON AT 9 AM

S.T.A.R. PROGRAM MATH TUTORING AT 9 AM

TUES

1/23

SOPHOMORE RETREAT BEGINNING AT 8 AM

SAT

1/27

S.T.A.R. PROGRAM MATH TUTORING AT 9 AM

SUN

1/28

GOLF BOOSTERS POKER TOURNAMENT AT 12 NOON

WED

1/31

FEAST OF ST. JOHN BOSCO LITURGY

SAT

2/3

S.T.A.R. PROGRAM MATH TUTORING AT 9 AM