The Gear--November 2022

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Bosco Tech’s Monthly Newsletter Issue 124 November 2022

2022 Bosco Tech College Fair 75+ Colleges & Universities On Campus

Message from the Principal Greetings, Tech family— I’m looking forward to seeing many of you on November 6, when we will host both our Fall Open House (from 12 noon to 4 p.m.) and our traditional Freshman Tie Ceremony (beginning at 9:30 a.m.).

The tie ceremony is always a special time for me, as an alumnus, to reflect on the brotherhood and sense of family that is pervasive among our student body and our graduates.

As we officially welcome into the fold our ninth graders, we reaffirm that we are more than a top-notch learning community, but a Salesian family, and we consider it a blessing to add the newest group to our proud ranks.

Following the tie ceremony on Nov. 6 is the next Technology Information Session, as ninth graders near the completion of their third technology rotation. Freshmen will make their final technology selection on Saturday, Dec. 10. Time slots for those face-to-face meetings are based on GPA and will be assigned in the weeks just before the 10th.

I encourage you to attend our next session of the 2022-2023 Speaker Series with Julia Storm, M.A., as she talks on Tues., Nov. 15, at 6:30 p.m. about Good Digital Citizenship. Ms. Storm is a Los Angelesbased Digital Media Wellness Specialist, as well as an educator, writer, and the founder of ReConnect, a whole child and whole family approach to preparing kids for life in the Digital Age. Later that week, on Nov. 17, the Rector Major of the Salesians, Rev. Ángel Fernández Artime, who is the head of all Salesians of Don Bosco worldwide, will visit our campus. We’re very proud to introduce him to our student body and staff.

As students near a well deserved break for Thanksgiving (Nov. 19-27), it is my prayer that your families would be graciously blessed with time with your loved ones and the presence of the Lord in all your gatherings.

I am grateful for our community, Jeff Krynen (BT ‘81)

2021-2022 Annual Report is Now Online The Bosco Tech Annual Report is published each year. We invite you to explore highlights from 2021-2022, review our yearend financials, and join us in thanking our generous alumni, parents, foundation partners, and friends in helping keep Tech strong through an unprecedented period of time.

To read the full report, visit https://issuu.com/boscotech/ docs/2021-2022_annual_report_final_10-13-22

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Tech Senior Co-Hosts Local TV Show Interest and involvement in his community has led to a unique opportunity for Tech senior Christian Figueroa (CSEE ’23). The senior class co-president and honor student is cohosting a bi-weekly program on KGEM-TV, the City of Monrovia’s community cable station that broadcasts City Council meetings.

A frequent in-person attendee at the meetings, Christian was approached by Apple Music host and producer Chris Loos, a Monrovia resident who volunteers his expertise to the “Monrovia City Council Recap” program that offers informative, fact-based reporting of the council meetings. Chris asked Christian to provide a young person’s perspective of proceedings.

“I knew from our conversation he was special,” Chris said. “Then, seeing how well prepared he was, while maintaining his poise, and professionalism as we recorded the show at KGEM-TV showed me that I was sitting with an absolute superstar! Christian’s genuine passion for government & legislation makes him a perfect fit to be a lead host of our City Council recap team here in Monrovia. Excited to see what the future holds for this incredible talent.”

“I’m incredibly humbled by the opportunity,” said Christian. “The goal of my role on the broadcast is to get more students to watch and become more aware of community issues. If I can inspire, in some way, other students to actively engage, I’ll be happy.”

From a young age, Christian was inspired to be active in his community and to give back by his grandmother who has devoted her entire life to activism and public service, being an integral voice on various national and local political campaigns. In addition to his role as class co-president, Christian is currently an officer in the school’s National Honor Society, Wellness Club, and Key Club. He is particularly interested in Monrovia’s prioritizing of infrastructure maintenance, climate initiatives, and support services in the school district.

“Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm once said, ‘Service is the rent we pay for living on this earth,’” Christian said. “It’s all about how you can make people’s lives better. I believe it’s essential for young people to get involved at an early age because it is never too early to serve your community. A movement begins with one person, regardless of their age.”

“Although people my age can’t vote yet, we can still participate in our democratic system and make our voices heard in innovative ways like this broadcast series.”

Christian plans to begin his undergraduate studies in economics next fall. He hopes to hold political office one day, ultimately, at the congressional level. And, with his desire to serve and with an understanding of public affairs beyond his years, he’s off to a great start!

Watch Christian in this video: www.cfigueroa.me/kgem

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Freshman Tie Ceremony—Welcome to the Family!

Sunday, Nov. 6, is the Tech’s annual Open House. For freshmen, that means a special celebration of their important place in our school through the Freshman Mass and Tie Ceremony.

During the Mass, freshmen are presented their class ties, and parents and others will assist them in putting the ties on. All freshmen are required to attend this event and up to four other family members are invited to join in the celebration.

The entrance to the event is at the South Gate to the school and families can enter the campus beginning at 9:00 am. The ceremony will be in Tech Hall. Freshmen and their families should enter using the side door closest to the school chapel.

The student dress code for the morning is formal. We ask students to wear a white, long-sleeve dress shirt, without a tie, over dark slacks, dark socks, and appropriate dark dress shoes (black is common, but not required). Don't let your son forget his belt!

--Approximate schedule for freshmen 9:00 am -- South Gate opens for freshman families 9:30 am -- Freshman Mass & Tie Ceremony begins in Tech Hall.

11:30 am -- Technology Information Session#3 in the student's current technology classroom (mandatory for freshman parents/guardians to attend; students are not required to attend the TIS) 12:00pm -- Open House begins (12 noon - 4 pm)

NHS Teams Up with Tech Support to Provide Peer Tutoring Now, in addition to scheduled Tech Support sessions with the teachers, students can take advantage of Techmen Tutoring, afterschool peer to peer tutoring for grade improvement hosted by National Honor Society members.

“After working with many teachers, counselors and students, I feel that additional support from our NHS members can really make a positive impact with the retention and overall grade improvement, especially with our continual Tech Support students,” said Mr. John Garcia, Director of Tuition Assistance and Endowments.

As Tech Support sessions are underway, the NHS members are available on a regular basis to provide additional tutoring. I will be the point of contact.

Techmen Tutoring sessions are: Mondays (Admissions Embassy) 3:15 pm to 4:30 pm Tuesday through Friday (Library) 3:15 pm to 4:30 pm If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Mr. John Garcia at jgarcia@boscotech.edu.

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Guest Speaker Addresses Social/ Emotional Learning in the Wake of Covid 2022-2023 Tech Speaker Series Kicks Off

Bosco Tech was fortunate to have Dr. Casey Weinstein speak to both faculty and parents when she visited the campus in mid-October. Part of the Tech’s 20222023 Speaker Series, Dr. Weinstein, who is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a doctorate in Psychology, spoke about how Social/Emotional Learning in the Wake of the Pandemic.

Dr. Weinstein specializes in working with teens and young adults. She has spent several years working with private schools in the Los Angeles area and, in the past, has worked as a school counselor providing services to faculty, students and their families. Her goal is to help adolescents build a strong, positive foundation for self esteem and help parents and schools guide them during these formative years.

Find more information about Dr. Weinstein at www.drcaseyweinstein.com, and learn about upcoming speakers at www.boscotech.edu/speakers and see the flyer on the next page.

In Gratitude—Charitable Grant Updates The Bosco Tech community is extremely grateful for all recent donations made by generous foundations, organizations and alumni. Among those gifts: October Name Amount Purpose Rose Hills Foundation $ 46,500 Scholarships Lopker Family Foundation $450,000 Lopker Endowment 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 grant-making program. Contact Manager of Foundation Relations Anne Sigoloff at asigoloff@boscotech.edu or (626) 9402027.

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Bosco Tech Band News —By Band Booster Leslie Rooney

Our DBTI Marching Band was honored to be invited to play at the St. Linus Festival in Norwalk and received a return invitation to play at the Homecoming Game for one of our sister schools, San Gabriel Mission High School. Rounding out the month of events was supporting our Tigers at our Bosco Tech Football games.

Do you have questions about the band? Please email our Music Director, Mr. Hankins at shankins@boscotech.edu or Drum Major Santiago Alvarez at salvarez.2023@boscotech.net.

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Esports Update

—By Mr. Stephen Andryshak, Esports Manager

After a two-week pre season the esports program is now a few weeks into their regular season and has shown some very exciting early signs of success.

Valorant Varsity started off their season on a 2 win streak but lost a close battle recently to be at 2-1. Valorant JV shares the same record sitting at 2-1 themselves.

Halo had a week with no match and is sitting at 1-2 but is looking to bounce back majorly in their next match after some good practice in their off week.

Rocket League has been amazing this year winning all of their preseason games. They have carried that success to the regular season as they are undefeated at 3-0.

The League of Legends team is sitting at an even 2-2 to start out their season and are steadily making improvements and look to get above the .500 mark soon.

Our Apex Legends team is currently sitting in third place in their division after a few good weeks of play.

Our top Fortnite roster is currently sitting at 4th place in their division with their eyes set on the team above them.

Lastly, our fall Super Smash Bros. players are competing in a 1v1 format league and preparing for CIF Smash to start in the spring. Our current top 2 players (Sean Viengkhou and Andrew Cini) have a 3-1 record each.

Tech Alumnus in the Spirit of Troy Recent Tech graduate Victor Patino (MAT ’21), who played in the Royal Techmen Marching Band for four years, is happy to be part of a musical family again. Victor, who plans to major in Animation at SC’s School of Cinematic Arts, plays third trumpet for the famous Trojan Marching Band.

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Tech Basketball Team members in National Tournament Bosco Tech is proud of our very own Jaden Erami (‘25) and Andrew Hernandez (‘24) who participated in the National Latino Tournament in San Diego at the beginning of October.

Congratulations to both athletes who advanced to the basketball tournament's semifinals in their division!

Jaden and Andrew were selected to participate through tryouts within their club team, Los Pochos.

The National Latino Tournament’s goal is to unite all Latino communities on the basketball court.

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Cross Country Begins News Season —By Head Coach Blayze Fimbres & Assistant Coach Brad Stolz

October was a very eventful month for our cross country teams and runners. There were four meets, as well as our annual Alumni Race.

The first was the St. Paul Invitational which took place at Hollydale Park in South Gate on October 1. Our varsity finished in 4th place with senior Christian Perez 2nd place and sophomore Daniel Cendejas 7th. The J V team did quite well taking 2nd place with juniors JP Rodriguez finishing 2nd overall and Joseph Lee 5th overall. Thirteen of our 23 runners PRed (got a new Personal Record). Four varsity runners received medals, and 8 JV earned medals, some for the first time ever.

The next meet was our second league meet, The Del Rey League Duals held on a hilly course at La Mirada Regional Park on October 11. The JVs repeated a 2nd place finish with 5 of our runners in the top 10. They were led by junior Khiru Khan’s great 19:19 PR run. In a close battle with Salesian that came down to the wire, our varsity took 4th place overall, led by Christian’s and Daniel’s 5th and 6th place finishes. Daniel was the fastest sophomore in the race. No medals are given at regular league meets.

On October 15, at El Dorado East Regional Park in Long Beach, Bell Gardens Invitational was our 3rd meet this month. This meet was run by grade levels, and Christian took 8th place in the 200 man senior race; Daniel had a spectacular 2nd place in the field of 215 sophomores, and freshman Nicholas Renteria PRed for the second time that week with his breakthrough performance of his first race under 19 minutes (18:53). At least 7 medals were won.

Our biggest race was on October 21 at MtSAC in Walnut. The meet is spread out over two days with 500 schools and 15,000 runners participating. It is considered the toughest course in the US. Our varsity had a 6th place finish out of 22 schools, with Christian finishing 4th and Daniel finishing 6th in the race. Our JV finished 5th out of 15 teams, aided by Khiru’s top 20 finish. Christian and Daniel both received medals.

November brings the end of this great season with league finals, CIF southern section prelims, and finals.

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Tuition Assistance & Reenrollment for 2023-2024 School Year The online Tuition Assistance application for the school year 2023-2024 process for FACTS Grant & Aid is accessible through your FACTS Family Portal in the Financial tab starting on Friday, November 4, 2022.

Parents must apply annually online through FACTS Grant & Aid for Tuition Assistance located through your FACTS Family Portal. 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 any questions regarding tuition assistance.

The deadline to submit an online Tuition Assistance application through FACTS Grant & Aid is:  New Families: November 1, 2022, thru February 03, 2023 - No exception will be made after the

deadline  Returning Families: November 4, 2022, thru February 17, 2023 - No exception will be made after

the deadline.

Please follow the steps below: 1. To apply for online Tuition Assistance through FACTS Grant & Aid, you will need to login to your FACTS Family Portal. On the home page select the financial tab, and then select apply for FACTS Grant & Aid; sign in with your family portal email and password.

2. Click on Start Tuition Assistance Application.

3. Select the appropriate school year.

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

5. FACTS Grant & Aid the processing fee is $40.00 Applicants will not be reviewed until the re-enrollment packet is submitted, all documentation is received, and the Grant & Aid fee paid. Please note that if your 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.

Please login to your FACTS Family Portal home page under the Apply/Enroll tab, select Enrollment/ Reenrollment tab, select click here to open enrollment, and then click on the start enrollment packet.

Enrollment Packets are pre-populated; please update information or confirm the data by submitting your reenrollment packet back. As stated in the Enrollment Contract, a $650 Enrollment fee is charged to your FACTS payment plan and due on February 24, 2023, with an automatic withdrawal from your account.

Following charges are the Student Service Fees of $750 in two payments of $375 on March 24, 2023, and April 21, 2023. Please contact Mrs. Doris Longoria at dlongoria@boscotech.edu with any questions.

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Seniors Coach Future Interns When Bosco Tech seniors Christian Perez (ACE) and Diego Munoz (IDEA) completed their summer internships, they gained a wealth of knowledge that they could apply to their studies. They interned at JMDiaz, Inc., owned Tech alumnus Juan Diaz, an engineering corporation specializing in transportation planning and civil engineering.

Christian and Diego are now sharing insights with current juniors who are participating in the Bosco Tech’s popular internship preparation program. The two seniors hosted a question and answer session during a recent lunchtime meeting of the 40 program participants.

“The best thing I learned from the internship was what it feels like to work on a job site as a civil engineer,” said Christian. “Having in-person experience does help me visualize what my major looks and feels like. The main reason why an internship is a good experience is that it helps people understand what the workforce is.

There are a lot of things people can’t really tell you but you just need to experience it.”

Diego agreed, “An experience like mine would be very useful to the juniors because they would be able to receive an insight as to what they would want to become when they grow up. Being able to have this experience puts them ahead of their competition because they have been in the environment and know what is expected of them.”

In coming weeks, the internship program will cover business essentials like resume building, workplace etiquette and job interview skills. Bosco Tech’s internship program regularly sends students to work in in predominantly STEM-related professions, alongside engineers, scientists, and doctors. Many of the internship opportunities are provided by Tech alumni working in a variety of professions.

If your company hires summer interns, please contact Mrs. Anne Sigoloff, Manager of Foundation Relations, who oversees the internship program, at asigoloff@boscotech.edu.

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Alumni Updates Techmen Reunion Weekend Seeing old friends, reminiscing, catching up, and swapping stories—Techmen Reunion Weekend 2022 was all about reuniting Techman brothers. Following the All-Alumni Mixer on Friday, Oct. 21, individual classes reunited to celebrate milestone anniversaries the next evening, on Oct. 22.

If you know a Techman who’s not hearing from his alma mater, please ask him to update his contact information at boscotech.edu/alumni/info so we can let him know about future gatherings.

—Techmen, Still Got Game?

Don’t Miss the Alumni Basketball Games on Nov. 25 Tech alumni, meet us on the court on Friday, November 25, alongside fellow alums, to work off that Thanksgiving dinner and show us what you’ve got!

Bring your own uniform, if you have one.

Game times: 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.: —4 p.m.: Alumni 2010 and older vs Alumni from 2011-2022 —5 p.m.: JV vs. the team who loses 4 p.m. game —6 p.m.: Alumni who won 4 p.m. game vs. Varsity Save your spot by contacting Varsity Head Coach Michael Romo at mromo@boscotech.edu.

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November 2022

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.

Tuesday

11/1

All Saints Day liturgy End of Tech Rotation #2 for freshmen Parent Council meeting at 6 p.m.

Wednesday 11/2 Start of Tech Rotation #3 for freshmen All Souls Day (/Dia de los Muertos concludes) Saturday 11/5 SAT (off campus) Sunday 11/6 Freshman Tie Ceremony 9:30 a.m. (Tech Hall) 11:30 a.m. TIS #3 in technologies Open House 12 noon to 4 p.m.

Herff Jones information beginning at 12 noon Wednesday 11/9 Herff Jones ring order deadline 6 p.m.

Thursday 11/10 Sophomore Retreat—POSTPONED Friday 11/11 Veterans Day (school closed) Tuesday 11/15 Speaker Series with Julia Storm at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday 11/17 Campus visit by Salesian Rector Major Angel Fernandez Artime Friday 11/18 Thanksgiving prayer service at 2:05 p.m.

Sat.-Sun. 11/19-11/27 Thanksgiving break (classes resume Mon. 11/28) Mon.-Tues. 11/21-11/22 School office hours 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Wed.-Sun. 11/23-11/27 School office is closed Thursday 11/28 Happy Thanksgiving!

Saturday 12/3 SAT (off campus) Mon.-Tues. 12/6-7 Reconciliation services by Theology class Tuesday 12/6 Parent Council meeting at 6 p.m.

Thursday 12/8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Liturgy) Salesian Spirit Games Friday 12/9 Virtual Coffee with the Principal at 8:00 a.m.

Dance at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday 12/10 Freshman Technology Selection Day starts at 8:30 a.m.

Parent Council Holiday Boutique 8:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tuesday 12/13-14 Activities/Club photos during lunch period (be sure to dress for your group) Wednesday 12/14 Winter Sports Assembly @ 2:05 p.m.

Kids Feeding Kids When Tech sophomore Nolan Adalin (BMET), who volunteers at the East Los Angeles Community Youth Center, noticed that some of the program’s children did not have enough to eat, he decided to address the need. Forming “Kids Feeding Kids,” Nolan has organized an ongoing food drive.

Now, with the holidays approaching, KFK’s goal is to provide Thanksgiving dinners to 15 of the children's’ families. With the support of Campus Ministry and Nolan’s classmates’ help, KFK is currently seeking meal donations for the food drive.

“I think it’s important for young people to step in because it may inspire others to do the right thing for people in need,” said Nolan. “I’m asking my Bosco brothers and teachers to support Kids Feeding Kids by donating canned goods, beverages, and desserts, along with a brief written message to the children, offering words of inspiration.”

All donations can be dropped off in MAT until Wed., Nov. 16.