November 2015

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THE GEAR MONTHLY PARENT NEWSLETTER ISSUE 51 NOVEMBER 2015

BOSCO TECH COLLEGE FAIR DRAWS CROWDS

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL Dear Bosco Tech Families and Friends, During this season of thanksgiving, I am reminded of key words from the book of James, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

—James 1:17 These words are a priceless reminder—let’s be grateful for the everyday gifts in each of our lives. We have much to be thankful for within our Tech community. We are blessed to be part of a strong and growing faith family, bound together by a rich tradition of dedication and service to others. We have faculty and staff who truly care for each student and his well being. We have families who sacrifice so that their children can have a bright future. These components create an atmosphere where good things are happening and young people are thriving.

Personally, I am thankful for each one of you and your many contributions to Bosco Tech. My ongoing prayer is that this season of gratitude will be a time of thankfulness and unity in each of your homes.

Thankful for you, Xavier Jimenez President

2015-2016 SENIOR CLASS PRIVILEGES Parents of seniors, please be advised that the following privileges have been approved for the senior class for the 2015-2016 school year. As of Oct. 5, a student of the senior class is allowed: •

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Relaxed dress the last day of the week. (Any last day of the week that requires Formal Dress supersedes the relax dress). Relaxed dress includes athletic clothing. If you have any questions please see Mr. Plantillas.

Relaxed dress during final exams.

At the discretion of the second block instructor, seniors can be dismissed from class 5 minutes early for lunch.

Speed line in Tech Hall; no waiting in line for FOOD the first twenty minutes of lunch. You must wait in line to pay like everyone else.

As a class, be first to be released to and from rally’s, assemblies, liturgies or other student body events (pending behavior).

To paint the senior wall with approved drawings and messages.

Please be advised that Bosco Tech’s administration reserves the right to revoke these privileges at any time.

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FROM THE SALESIAN DIRECTOR Dear Bosco Tech Family and Friends: Before your Halloween candy was eaten, the Christmas onslaught is in full force!

Thanksgiving often gets lost between the two. The holiday itself is one of the best celebrations around because everyone, no matter whether a believer or not, is thankful for something. Wealthy and not, immigrant and indigenous, influential and meek, all people can pause for a day and be thankful.

We at the Tech are thankful for all of you: our current parents who entrust us with their sons and help us to build a small part of the Salesian family. We are thankful for our alumni and past parents who share their past experiences here at Tech and find so many ways to support our current work. We are thankful for our friends and benefactors whose belief in our mission motivates them to share their resources with us to move us into the future.

In whatever category you find yourself, be assured of our thanks and prayers for your contributions and continued support of Bosco Tech. May God bless you abundantly for your generosity and dedication at this special time of year.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones, Fr. Steven Way, SDB Salesian Director

BOSCO TECH’S HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE IS SUNDAY, DEC. 13 —DON’T MISS FUN CRAFTS, BREAKFAST WITH SANTA & FABULOUS SHOPPING Santa Claus is coming to town and he’s headed straight to Bosco Tech’s Holiday Boutique on Sunday, Dec. 13. The jolly old elf will visit with guests and enjoy breakfast with the kids at the fun craft center while parents can Christmas shop in a fun, festive environment. This is a great opportunity for the whole family to get in the spirit and find great gifts in one place!

The boutique and craft center are open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; join us for Mass before the boutique at 9 a.m. One-of-a-kind Christmas gifts and festive holiday decorations will be available in the boutique in Tech Hall during those hours. Contact Mrs. Cathy Rivera (crivera@boscotech.edu or 626-940-2006) for details.

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HONOR SOCIETIES INDUCT BOSCO TECH STUDENTS NHS/NHHS JOINT CEREMONY IS NOVEMBER 12 In mid-November, Bosco Tech will proudly induct the newest members of the prestigious National Honor Society and National Hispanic Honor Society. Students are invited to join these 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 2015-2016 Bosco Tech inductees!

DRUG & ALCOHOL AWARENESS ASSEMBLY Bosco Tech again hosted a school-wide drug and alcohol awareness assembly to further educate students about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. Scheduled during the traditional Red Ribbon Week, the assembly consisted of a multi-media presentation and expert speakers, as well as the yearly demonstration by the school’s canine detection company. Students were asked to wear their “Tigers say ‘No’ to drugs and ‘No’ to bullying” wristbands for the week and the remainder of the school year as a constant reminder of the school’s zerotolerance policy.

“I believe we have better served our entire community, raised awareness and provided concrete facts and information to assist our young men to stop and think before they act and make these tough and life-altering decisions,” said Dean of Student Services Carlos Plantillas, who coordinates Red Ribbon Week activities.

ALUMNUS PLACES IN ‘AMERICA’S CUP OF ROCKET SCIENCE’ 2014 Bosco Tech graduate Christopher Andre has earned a place in the 8th annual Global Trajectory Optimization Competition (GTOC), also called “the America’s Cup of Rocket Science.” The GTOC is a competition drawing leading aerospace engineers and mathematicians worldwide who challenge themselves to solve an open-ended interplanetary trajectory design problem. This year's problem was devised and judged by the Outer Planets Mission Analysis Group at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

Christopher’s solo GTOC entree surpassed those of teams lead by aeronautics and astronautics experts, ranking 15th for teams that submitted solutions (of 36 entrants). Already considered a junior in his second year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Andre studied Computer Science & Electrical Engineering while at Bosco Tech.

“We’re incredibly proud of Christopher,” said Bosco Tech President Xavier Jimenez.

“His extraordinary grasp of the nearly-impossible problem posed and his complex solution earned him a spot alongside experienced aeronautic and engineering professionals.

We’re expecting to see many more great things from this gifted young man.”

“It was relieving to find that my solution had even passed the validation stage,” Andre said. “A valid solution is not easy to construct or verify, no matter how simple it is.

Even some of the advanced teams have had trouble with this and have occasionally been disqualified for it. Even though most of the competitors were beyond me in skill and experience, I’m still proud that I was able to put together a solution with no issues.” Andre plans to pursue a degree in either aeronautical or mechanical engineering and is considering graduate school for optimization and controls systems engineering.

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FRESHMEN COACH TINY TOTS FOOTBALL Kudos to the Bosco Tech freshmen who just completed a season of coaching flag football through the City of Rosmead’s Tiny Tots sports program.

The remainder of the freshman class will coach basketball and soccer later in the year. The next freshman team scheduled to coach will work with the Tiny Tots volleyball program.

The students are (from left to right): Sebastian Moreno Stoyan Tsvetkov Nicolas Gutierrez Noah Toribio Ethan Truong Not pictured is Michael Felix

TEST PREP & COLLEGE READINESS UPDATE Bosco Tech students continue to advance in the campus’ ongoing standardized testing and college application prep sessions. In October, as seniors continued their college admissions workshops, sophomores and juniors took the College Board’s PSAT exam and freshmen took the PSAT 8/9 exam. Results from these standardized tests, comparing the progress of hundreds of thousands of U.S. students, will be available in January. We congratulate our students on their efforts with these important assessments.

Now that the initial testing has been completed, as the juniors refocus to the Princeton Review SAT preparation, the underclassmen will spend the remaining test review days continuing their studies of critical reading, writing and math skills. Research clearly indicates that reading is an important predictor of success in both college and career. This is why the curriculum is custom designed to build students’ comprehension skills, writing abilities and math talents and is a critical part of Bosco Tech’s academic program.

The standardized test review, critical reading and college admissions programs will finish the second week of November.

COMING SOON FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE— DAILY STUDENT BULLETIN EMAILS As we have mentioned, for your convenience and to keep you abreast of campus happenings, the campus Daily Student Bulletin will soon be sent to your email inbox each morning. It will be downloadable and can easily be printed, if you desire. This is the same bulletin that is read in each class every morning, following our opening morning prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, in an effort to keep everyone up to date and involved.

Please help us to communicate by letting us know if your email address has recently changed or if you would like to have a second email added to the system for your spouse.

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TRANSITIONS SENIOR RETREAT —BY CAMPUS MINISTRY ASSISTANT BRAD STOLZ

For two days in mid-October, the senior class took part in an overnight retreat at Bosco Tech and at the St. Joseph Retreat House. The retreat team consisted of about eight seniors led by Mr. Rudy Herrera , the Tech’s Youth Minister.

The first day was based on the playground and home aspects of the Salesian oratory model. After a few icebreakers, the theme of “Transitions” was introduced the first evening with a well-received talk by 2013 ACE alumnus Ivan Limeta who spoke on, “How do we take God with us?” The presentation included photos of their first days as freshmen. These brought many laughs upon seeing what their classmates looked like back then. It gave them a chance to reflect on the last three years. The rest of the evening the seniors spent bonding and reconnecting with their classmates playing football, soccer, and lacrosse while others shared music and food.

The second day focused on the church component of the oratory. The day began with breakfast that led into the first series of talks, beginning with a presentation by 2011 Graphics Communications alumnus Steven Mota, “Here Comes College – A Reality Check. ” His talk was supplemented by senior Zack Solorza whose presentation focused on the three things the class members wish they had known about Bosco Tech, what they have learned while here, and the things they were taking with them.

The retreat was concluded with a prayer service by Mr. Herrera and the retreat team. The service included a brief video of memories of their first three years, edited by senior Kyle Chiang. Afterward, the unanimous consensus of the senior class was that the retreat was a very worthwhile and enjoyable experience.

COLLEGE NIGHT DRAWS HUNDREDS Bosco Tech hosted its ninth college fair for high school students and their parents on October 7. Nearly 800 attendees met with representatives from over 40 colleges and universities from across the country.

The annual event provides high school students a venue in which to meet representatives from top colleges in one location, enabling young people and their families an opportunity to explore their options and compare colleges and universities from across the country.

Sponsored by The Princeton Review, it featured break-out sessions on financial aid for college, standardized testing (with an emphasis on the new SAT coming in March), and the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) offered by the Cal States.

Bosco Tech received overwhelmingly positive responses from the representatives in attendance. “I'm always so impressed and honored to be among the young men of Don Bosco,” said Robert Brody, the UC Davis college representative. “Any one of them will make a fine addition to whatever college they choose.”

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NEAR-RECORD DONATIONS AT CAMPUS BLOOD DRIVE At the Blood Drive on October 1, Bosco Tech students, faculty, staff, parents and friends donated a combined 55 units of blood. It’s just under the record 56 units collected in 2011.

Sixty seven people signed up and were joined by several walk-ins. The drive actually extended past the 3:30 closing time because of all the donors. Please mark your calendar for the next blood drive on January 12, 2016. Students must be at least 17 years old (16 with parental consent) to donate blood.

FRESHMAN MOTHERS’ LUNCHEON “Derby Days” was the festive theme of this year’s annual Freshman Mothers’ Luncheon and the lovely ladies were decked out in their finest chapeaus and bonnets. Escorted by handsome Bosco Tech Ambassadors, the mothers, grandmothers, aunties and other special guests enjoyed lovely salads, finger sandwiches, and fruit, followed by decadent desserts (chosen from a selection of the cheesecakes our band is currently selling). Following a special Mass, led by Fr. Harold Danielson, Bosco Tech President Xavier Jimenez and Parent Council President Norma Camero welcomed the lovely ladies. Special thanks to Mrs. Antonia Elenes and Mrs. Catherine Diaz for their addresses to the group.

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SENIOR SELECTED FOR TOURNAMENT OF ROSES HONOR BAND Congratulations to senior Elias Hosseini (CSEE), who has earned a coveted spot in the 2016 Tournament of Roses Honor Band, the official band of Pasadena’s Rose Parade. Elias, who has played the trumpet since junior high, serves as drum major of this year’s Bosco Tech marching band. He has participated in the California State University Los Angeles First Chair Honor Band and attended the California Leadership Academy and System Blue band workshops. Elias also plays in Bosco’s symphonic and jazz bands.

Each year, the Tournament of Roses Honor Band selects the best musicians from all over California. Only about 100 spots are given to high school students.

“Elias has earned his spot in the Tournament of Roses Band through his talent, hard work and persistence,” said Mr. Daniel Almanza, Bosco Tech’s music program director. “Since his freshman year, he has been one of the hardest working students in the band. The entire Bosco Tech family will be proud to see him on New Year’s Day!”

SOPHOMORE MINISTERS TO CHILDREN WORLDWIDE Receiving a thank you letter from a child in Nepal inspired Bosco Tech sophomore Grayson Wade (ACE) in his ongoing work with Operation Christmas Child.

Several months every fall, Grayson honors the Salesian directive of helping those less fortunate by collecting small toys, personal hygiene items and candy for small children in third world countries. The items are placed in gift wrapped shoe boxes and distributed worldwide.

This year, Grayson has enlisted his classmates and teachers and is nearing his goal of filling 600 gift boxes. In his six years of collecting, he estimates he has filled more than 1,000 boxes. Operation Christmas Child, run by the Samaritan’s Purse organization, has been offering spiritual and physical aid to people in need around the world since 1970.

Grayson visits local community organizations, like Rotary International and Kiwanis International, to encourage others to get involved. He also goes door to door asking for donations and has collected boxes in schools and businesses around the community. The resourceful young man even has local shoe stores saving empty boxes.

“I’m inspired thinking of the kids who are happy to receive a box,” he says. “I like to think it spreads hope. It’s a good way to speak about our faith and encourage people to understand God’s love. And I think it’s important to help others because we take a lot of small things for granted in this country. I think it’s a good way to instill interest in the people of other countries at an early age.”

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ROYAL TECH MARCHING BAND NEWS —BY BAND BOOSTER JUN REYES

Sept. & Oct. Performances The DBTI Royal Techmen Marching Band helped celebrate Homecoming 2015 by performing during the sweltering afternoon varsity football home game on Sept. 19. The band performed two new songs, “Shake it Off,” and “Uptown Funk,” to the delight of the home crowd. They finished off the month by performing at the annual High School Night on Sept. 30.

There was no slowing down for the band as October arrived. Due to scheduled SATs for seniors, the band was limited to performing during the first half of what turned out to be a great win for our varsity football team against Cantwell High School on Oct. 2. The band then welcomed incoming freshman moms at the Freshman Mother’s Luncheon on Oct. 4. They then performed at the annual College Night on Oct. 7, followed by a performance at the St. Linus Festival on Oct. 9. The next day, the band attended the annual “Training for Troy,” where they got to watch the USC Marching Band practice and were then treated to sectional training sessions from the USC marching band leaders.

Leadership Spotlight The 2015 DBTI Royal Techmen Marching Band leaders are Drum Major and High Brass Section Leader Elias Hosseini, Low Brass Section Leader William Gutierrez, Woodwinds Section Leader Angelo Domingo, Percussion Section Leader Devon Cornair, Librarian Daniel Hosseini, and Project Managers Noah Jimenez and Anthony Reyes.

Players of the Month (by Daniel Hosseini) This year, Music Director Daniel Almanza and the band leaders will be selecting players of the month for the Advanced Band and Introduction to Music class. The player of the month for the Advanced Band is Matthew Engquist. Matthew is an excellent and reliable player, who exudes prime leadership qualities within the band. The player of the month for the Introduction to Music class is William Cosso. William went above and beyond the expectations of the music appreciation first class project with his invention of the “Winophone.”

Cheesecake Fundraiser The Music Boosters will have a Cheesecake Fundraiser in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas! They make great gifts! Band members will begin distributing flyers soon. We appreciate your continuing support.

“Where words fail, music speaks.” -Hans Christian Anderson 9

SPORTS UPDATE: VARSITY FOOTBALL WIN! —BY HEAD FOOTBALL COACH BRANDEN JONES

After an 0-4 start, the Bosco Tech Tigers varsity team were set to square off against rival Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary Cardinals on their home field on Oct. 2. After exchanging punts multiple times to start the game, the Tigers found the end zone first with a 53-yard touchdown pass from senior captain Adrian Gonzalez to Rey Castellanos. From there, the defense continued its domination of the Cardinals and got the ball back to the high flying Tigers offense with a Jacob McKinney fumble recovery. After a big run by senior Martin Montellano, quarterback Gonzalez walked in to the end zone on a zone read; immediately after, senior Roy Escalante punched in his second two-point conversion with a bruising run to extend the lead to 16-0 with 6:28 left in the first half. On the very next offensive play for the Cardinals, junior Daniel Uballez intercepted a pass and raced to the end zone untouched for another Tiger touchdown. On the next series, the Cardinals utilized a well-timed reverse to catch the defense off guard; senior Silas Flores was able to run down the ball carrier and prevent a touchdown before the half. As both teams exited the field for halftime, the scoreboard read 24-0 in favor of the Tigers.

The Tigers received the second-half kickoff and had a penalty laden drive that negated several positive plays and a touchdown. After a punt, the ferocious Tigers defense struck again with a first down interception, this time by senior Christian Rios, who also leads the team in tackles. The offense quickly capitalized on the short field and extended the lead to 30-0 with a Montellano touchdown! After a Cardinal touchdown, cutting the lead to 306, the Tigers answered with a full field drive capped by an Escalante touchdown to bring the season high scoring total to 36. The remainder of the fourth quarter saw an Arthur Romero interception and a great goal line stand for the defense. With the clock winding down, the Tigers lined up in the ‘victory’ formation, took a knee, and celebrated their first victory of the 2015 football season.

Offensively, Montellano and Escalante combined for over 200 yards rushing, Gonzalez completed 63% of his passes, and the offense went over 400 yards of total offense for the first time all year. Making all of this possible was the offensive led by seniors Luis Escobar, David Casillas, David Moreno, Michael Sainz, Jeremiah Rodriguez, Edwin Flores, and juniors Robert Luna and Diego Vargas.

Defensively, Uballez and junior Adrian Cisneros led the way with 14 and 8 tackles, respectively. Senior Nicholas Ibarra led the unit with two and a half tackles for loss. Luna had two forced fumbles and a sack and the defense created four turnovers (three interceptions and one fumble recovery).

The Bosco Tech Tigers will now enter Santa Fe league play and square off against St. Monica, St. Anthony, Mary Star of the Sea, and St. Genevieve.

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SPORTS UPDATE: JV FOOTBALL & CROSS COUNTRY —BY JV DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR CARLOS PLANTILLAS & ASSISTANT CROSS COUNTRY COACH BRAD STOLZ

Junior Varsity Football—The JV football team continues to improve coming away with a tie on Homecoming and beating their rival Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary 28-16 just before league play began. Bosco Tech’s Tigers began league play against St. Monica High School on October 17 at Santa Monica City College. This band of brothers continue to bond and work together to bring honor and victory to their school, their peers and their families. Please keep the team in your prayers as they begin league play!

Cross Country—The cross country team’s practices and races over the last month have been mostly combinations of heat, hills, heat, dust, heat, long runs, heat, and even a torrential downpour. The first Del Rey League race took place on a hot Sept. 23 at La Mirada Park. Although our team finished fourth, it was against the current state champions and two other teams in the California top 10. Freshman Aaron Dominguez was the third fastest freshman in the league.

The Billy York Invitational took place at extremely hot and dusty Riverside Cross Country Course on Sept. 26.

We combined the JV and frosh-soph races so that none of our runners would have to race in the over-100-degree last race of the day. If Aaron had raced in only a frosh-soph race, he would have come in overall second place (missing first by only one second). Even so, both our varsity and JV teams finished in the middle of the small schools division, and five of our runners established for themselves a new and faster PR (personal record).

At the hot San Gabriel Valley 1 on 1 Challenge at Mt SAC October 4, we ran against 30 schools, only 7 of which were small schools. Although this course is the toughest in California, Anthony Tichachati, Ruben Martinez and Rodrigo Plata, Eric Valdovinos and Richard Meza, and Chris Valdivia all ran races faster than the flat Riverside course. Aaron Dominguez won the only medal of the day.

Our second league race was at Arcadia County Park on October 14. Due to our bus breaking down and the latefinishing PSAT tests, we had no time to warm up for the JV race. But our team once again came through with 11 of our 24 runners setting a new PR (personal record). Freshmen Emiliano LaFarga and Adrian Medrano had spectacular improvements: 1:41 and 2:30 minutes respectively.

We again finished 4th against the same three top rated teams.

Throughout every race we have run this season, junior Manny Alvarez has had our fastest team time( and it is his first year running cross country!). Congratulations to Manny and to all!

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EXCITING SUMMER EXCURSION

BOSCO TECH STUDENTS TO STUDY ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING & HISTORY IN GREECE Bosco Tech students will have the opportunity to take a oncein-a-lifetime architectural and engineering study tour next summer. This exciting excursion, hosted by ACE Chair Mr. Chris Barnett, will include lessons in history as well structural construction. The trip is open to students in all technologies.

The group will tour Ancient Greece where mortals mingled with gods. Well-preserved archaeological sites like Epidaurus and Mycenae will bring the Ancient Greeks’ daily life into focus.

Location stops, lead by local guides and a full-time tour director, will include the Acropolis, Olympia, Epidaurus, Mycenae and the Temple of Poseidon. Discover a remarkable era in human history, one that saw key advances in architecture, politics and philosophy.

The group leaves June 19 and returns June 28, 2016. For morning information, contact Mr. Barnett (cbarnett@boscotech.edu or 626-940-2064).

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

The Original Snow Cone Factory

We are grateful to our generous sponsors!

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NOVEMBER 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 .

Sunday

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All Saints Day Daylight savings ends—Remember to turn back clocks Tuesday 11/3 Parent Council meeting at 6 p.m.

Wednesday 11/4 Test prep #11 Saturday 11/7 Test #3 Princeton Review SAT Prep for juniors Sat.-Fri. 11/7-11/20 Music program cheesecake fundraiser Parents— Tuesday 11/10 Parent-Teacher Conferences (1:30-4:30 p.m.

Show your Tech pride! and 5:30-7:30 p.m.)

Bosco Tech parent t-shirts on Wednesday 11/11 Veteran’s Day (no school) sale starting at Open House.

Alumni Association board meeting at 6 p.m.

Thursday 11/12 Test Prep #12 Tuesday 11/17 Sophomore class retreat Wednesday 11/18 NHS/NHHS induction ceremony at 6 p.m.

Friday 11/20 Technology rotation #2 ends for freshmen Sunday 11/22 Mass & Freshman Tie Ceremony at 10 a.m.

Open House from 12 noon to 4 p.m.

Technology Information Session #3 at 11:30 a.m. in techs Wednesday 11/25 Thanksgiving liturgy (formal dress) Thurs.-Sun. 11/26-11/29 Thanksgiving break Friday 11/27 Alumni basketball game Saturday 11/28 Alumni soccer game Mon.-Sun. 11/30-12/6 Varsity basketball tournament Tues.-Fri. 12/1-12/4 Kairos #82 Tuesday 12/1 Parent Council meeting at 6 p.m.