THE GEAR MONTHLY PARENT NEWSLETTER ISSUE 50 OCTOBER 2015
WE ARE BOSCO TECH! TEAMWORK - CAMARADERIE - BROTHERHOOD - SALESIANITY Click here to download a printable version of The Gear
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL Dear Parents and Guardians, October begins our second full month of school and many things are happening. Fall sports are fully engaged and preparing our students to do battle on the field. Students have finished making adjustments to their classes and are settling into their schedules. Our standardized testing preparation program is in full swing, with freshmen and sophomores studying for the PSAT and out juniors learning from The Princeton Review instructors how to maximize their SAT scores. And as you read this letter, we are preparing our first report card of the year. All of this only works well with the participation and support of our parents. I ask that you make every effort to monitor and encourage your sons as they progress in their studies, checking in with the NetClassroom grades regularly and contacting their academic counselors as needed. Please send emails to our teachers to stay informed as to what you can do to help our young men to succeed. Look for opportunities for earning parent volunteer hours and try to get involved with the Parent Council. And always, keep our school and all of our students in your prayers every day, as we ask for God’s guidance and inspiration in everything that we do. Sincerely, Xavier Jimenez President Something New for Parents—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 efforts to keep everyone up to date and involved. Please let us know if your email address has recently changed!
NATIONAL MATERIALS SOCIETY PRESIDENT VISTS MSET STUDENTS Did you know that Bosco Tech boasts the only high school level student chapter of the International ASM (American Society for Materials), a professional organization with 30,000 members worldwide. The Tech’s chapter provides students with networking and professional learning opportunities. The group hosted ASM President John Tirpak at their chapter meeting in mid-September. “It was my honor and pleasure to meet and speak with the students of Bosco Tech’s ASM International Chapter,” Mr. Tirpak said. “These young men are on the threshold of a rewarding profession serving others through metallurgical and materials engineering. Through visions, labor, prayer and grace, Don Bosco discovered his vocation. Similarly, the young men of Bosco Tech - through this outstanding MSET program - they will discover a rewarding profession or vocation enabling them to be servant leaders just as Don Bosco did not so ASM student leaders and instructors hosted ASM International President John Tirpak at their chapter meeting. long ago!”
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FROM THE SALESIAN DIRECTOR Dear Bosco Tech Family and Friends: Homecoming, like anniversaries, evokes fond memories of the actual events and previous annual gatherings. We are celebrating three important anniversaries at Tech this year: Homecoming, complete with tailgate party and a football game at home, our 60th anniversary as a school, and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Don Bosco. To our past pupils, if you haven’t been on campus recently, stop by. The Tech is a very different place from when you were here. While much has changed, some things remain the same: a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, technologies that challenge and demand creative and critical thinking, a genuine concern for each young man here, and the Salesian environment. Some alumni have commented on the ‘positive buzz’ around the campus that they haven’t felt for some time. Good stuff is happening here! Wherever you celebrate homecoming, stop by for a visit and support your school. God bless you and your loved ones, Fr. Steven Way, SDB Salesian Director
2015 FRESHMEN SALESIAN EXPERIENCE —BY ASSISTANT CAMPUS MINISTER BRAD STOLZ On August 28 and 29, 110 freshmen took part in the traditional Salesian welcoming experience. The students were warmly assisted in this retreat through the help of 50 upperclassmen Big Brothers, 12 Campus Ministry core team leaders, dozens of parent volunteer facilitators and Salesian Director Fr. Steven Way. The retreat was put together by the long enduring patience, love and ingenuity of Mr. Rudy Herrera, the Coordinator of Youth Ministry. Friday began with the Big Brothers greeting and carrying the sleeping bags and pillows of the freshmen, and then standing as honor guard as the freshmen arrived at a welcoming assembly. The Big Brothers also served as traffic directors, telling the freshmen where to find their abbreviated classes. After lunch, the icebreaking games began. Seventeen groups of freshmen + Big Brothers could be found all over campus doing such things as building human pyramids, rolling tires and playing postmaster. The most popular game was the scavenger hunt. The evening began with dinner and later an opportunity for those who wished, to go to confession on the football field. The long day ended with the traditional Salesian good night as practiced by Don Bosco in his Oratory. On Saturday, the activities were at Huntington State Beach. The freshmen initially played volleyball, frisbee, smashball, soccer and football. Since it was a very hot day, most spent the day in the water bodysurfing, boogieboarding, and swimming. After a BBQ lunch, the action continued in the water, with the added activity of a sand castle contest. The climax of their experience/retreat was the Mass, celebrated by Fr. Way. After dinner and a ride back to school, the new freshmen had the rest of the weekend to relax and talk about the great introduction they had to Bosco Tech.
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BOSCO TECH HONOR ROLL—PRESIDENT’S LIST Spring 2015 Semester Grading Period—GPA 3.5 and above (List does not include graduated seniors) Sophomores Guadalupe Agramon Daniel A. Arteaga Devyn S. Barrios Gabriel A. Benitez * Anthony V. Caballes * Fabrizio A. Castaneda * Cameron R. Caterio * Kenneth Chua * Anthony I. Cortez William M. Cosso * Hersonamoreti Cruz Austin M. Davis Jesus A. Diaz Anthony J. Duarte * Andrew J. Duenas Christopher O. Gamboa Sebastian T. Jurado * Patrick M. Kakooza * Anthony U. Longoria Alexander J. Martinez * Yehya S. Nasser * Matthew G. Olmos Oscar A. Perez Armisael E. Ramirez Anthony Reyes Isaiah Rojas Giovanni G. Samayoa
Aaron M. Sarmiento * Anthony G. Torres James L. Villagrana Grayson B. Wade * Cedric A. Woirhaye * Zeus Zepeda
Joel Medina Michael A. Mendoza Mario A. Mijangos * Daniel J. Mora Andres S. Pena Rodrigo S. Plata William Ramos Michael X. Rodriguez Adrian V. Rosas Luis A. Saucedo Kyle J. Shea Jerome N. Tadeo Timothy V. Thai Andres M. Varela * Diego A. Vargas Lorenzo J. Zamora * Hang Ming Zhang
Juniors Manuel J. Alvarez * Rick A. Chavez Noel A. Cordero Devin J. Cornair * Luis A. Cruz Matthew L. Davis Augustine Escalera Sean C. Eustace Anthony J. Garcia Joseph A. Garcia Leslie Giovanny John Paul K. Gomez-Reed * Joseph Hernandez Bumjoon Kim Matthew G. Lewis Noah A. Lopez Sebastian C. Lopez Ian Luke R. Lumbres Ian Samuel Madrigal Daniel Martinez
Seniors Angel Ajanel Reiley A. Akkari * Christian J. Apanecatl * Justin P. Bueno Norris B. Chen * Kyle Chiang * Paul M. Corcio Christopher M. Diaz Angelo Dominic B. Dom
Matthew D. Engquist Alex Escobar Luis A. Escobar Anthony Figueroa Edwin Flores Victor A. Flores Darrian E. Gardea * Donovan A. Gonzalez Alejandro Hernandez Elias J. Hosseini * Noah I. Jimenez * Trevor T. Johnson Dustin K. Kelso Diego I. Macias * Alfonso Magallon * Christopher R. Martinez Jacob T. McKinney Erick Mendoza Alexis Ortiz Andrew A. Phan Jeremiah J. Rodriguez Ricky Rodriguez Gian Carlo Samayoa * Zachary A. Solorza * Andrew Q. To Rene Vega
* indicates a 4.0 GPA or higher
BOSCO TECH HONOR ROLL—PRINCIPAL’S LIST Spring 2015 Semester Grading Period—GPA 3.0 to 3.49 (List does not include graduated seniors) Sophomores Michael D. Aguilar Alejandro Alaniz Aaron H. Dang Paul Erickson Jonathan W. Escamilla Gabriel Espejel Lorenzo A. Espinoza Diego R. Gomez Aaron I. Gonzalez Roman Hernandez Franco Herrera Signey M. Herrera Daniel J. Hosseini Giovanni Iaconis Brandon J. Lozano Steven Tieu Drake Tran Jake A. Urrutia Eric D. Valdovinos Suyay E. Vazquez Anthony D. Wadzinski Kwan Hang Yam Brandon K. Yee
Juniors Andrew Z. Arboleda Ziyi Fang Louis A. Garcia Carlos D. Gonzalez Alfredo Gutierrerz Jonathan J. Hall Kevin L. La Frank J. Lora Shant K. Loussararian Jacob M. Lovi Zachary J. Lugo Ruben Martinez Jonathan A. Morejon Jason Reyes Aaron M. Rodriguez Sebastian Rojas Yuxi Rong Eden K. To Matthew F. Vanegas Seniors Hiram Acosta Jesus Alvarado
Dominic S. Ayvazian Richard M. Barcelo Justin N. Bohol Jonathan J. Camilleri David B. Casillas Edward E. Castro Matthew A. Castro Xavier C. Cervantes Brennan J. Chua Everson Cruz Hector G. Cruz Jason Garcia Adrian Gonzalez Julian Gonzalez Ruben M. Guerra Ezequiel I. Hernandez Alexander B. Honegger Nicholas I. Ibarra Joshua Martinez Mario A. Martinez Martin Montellano Diego A. Montoya Alfonso Morales Daniel P. Olivas
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Matthew J. Quintanilla Adam A. Razo Ralph L. Rodriguez Michael T. Sainz Nguyen T. Vu Emilio Zuniga
The next list will be issued after the quarter exams at the end of October and will appear in the December issue of The Gear.
Congratulations to all of our scholars for their outstanding academic accomplishments!
A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN OF STUDENT SERVICES Greetings Family and Friends, I hope this message finds you well. As we move further into the new school year, please allow me to reiterate my philosophy on discipline, which is more than enforcing rules or handing out punishments. It is about teaching young people how to make good, healthy choices and assisting them in becoming responsible, compassionate, moral and ethical individuals. The word ‘discipline’ comes from the word ‘disciple,’ meaning one who follows the teachings of a mentor. As the acting dean, I am humbly aware that I am in a position to be a mentor to your sons. At Bosco Tech, we believe in a positive approach to discipline that includes the Salesian model—reason, religion and loving kindness. This positive approach views discipline as training that develops self-control in young people. We must train our students to follow instruction by first teaching them the rules. This training provides students with opportunities to practice these skills. As they practice and possibly make mistakes, we will help them through constructive correction and by providing reasonable consequences for infractions. We believe it is everyone’s job—parents, teachers, and administrators—to work together so the policies and guidelines set forth by the school are followed, adhering to the adage, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Central to the philosophy of Bosco Tech is the belief that parents are the primary educators of their children and we are simply an extension, willing and available to help in the process of education and of building good moral character in the young men entrusted to us. I’m aware you all have rules at home that your sons must follow and if they break a rule, there are consequences, making you the disciplinarian. It is the same here at the Tech. When students fail to follow school policies, there are consequences and it is my job to administer a reasonable consequence. A thorough explanation of policies and guidelines can be found in the Parent-Student Handbook. We encourage families to become familiar with this useful document and to get involved at the school. Please feel free to contact me via e-mail or phone (cplantillas@boscotech.edu or 626-940-2115). I look forward to working with you and your sons throughout the year and I am confident that, together, we will build champions for life and produce men of integrity and strong moral character. Thank you in advance for your support and God bless, Carlos Plantillas Dean of Student Services
PARENT COUNCIL WORKSHOP TOPIC SURVEY A primary goal of the Bosco Tech Parent Council is to help equip families with educational resources that will enhance the life of the entire family. This school year, the Council will host four informative workshops covering a variety of helpful topics. The content of two of the workshops has already been determined, but two are still being planned. We recently asked parents for their input on the topic of those two remaining workshops. Overwhelmingly, the topic of greatest interest to parents is the College Application Process/Scholarship Resources (64%), followed by both Financial Planning/ Living Trusts/Investing for the Future and Paying for College/Loan Options (both 9%). The Parent Council appreciates your help and will keep you informed about the details, dates and times of the workshops.
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OCT. 7 COLLEGE NIGHT TO FEATURE TOP SCHOOLS —ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY FOR BOSCO TECH STUDENTS Bosco Tech will host its ninth annual college fair for high school students and their parents on Wednesday, October 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. It will feature representatives from prestigious universities and colleges across the country. Attendance is mandatory for all students. The college fair 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. The event, sponsored by The Princeton Review, will feature break-out sessions on financial aid for college, standardized testing (with an emphasis on the new SAT), and the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). The college fair is free of charge and is sponsored by the Princeton Review. Interested students and parents can register at www.boscotech.edu/ events. For more information, please contact Mr. Bob Currie, at 626-9402084 or at rcurrie@boscotech.edu. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. with gourmet food trucks available until 8 p.m.
ACADEMIC COUNSELING REMINDERS Please note the following: • Bosco Tech College Fair (see article above)—Wednesday, Oct. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. All Bosco students are required to attend and have already registered for this event. Family members and friends are more than welcome to attend and can register at boscotech.edu/events. • Sophomore parents—College Information Night—Thursday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. in the library • Junior parents—College Information Night—Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. in the library • SAT/ACT fee waivers—students must see Mr. A.J. Pimentel to obtain these • For SAT test & registration dates, go to collegeboard.org • For ACT test and registration dates, go to act.org • Wednesday, Oct. 14—Freshmen, sophomores, & juniors will take the PSAT; seniors will have their class retreat. Need to contact your son’s counselor? Freshmen & Sophomores Seniors International Students & Juniors
Ms. Catherine Diaz 626-940-2120 cdiaz@boscotech.edu
Mr. Paul Ortiz 626-940-2036 portiz@boscotech.edu
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Mr. A.J. Pimentel 626-940-2084 apimentel2@boscotech.edu
SPORTS UPDATE: —BY ASSISTANT CROSS COUNTRY COACH BRAD STOLZ & ASSISTANT J.V. FOOTBALL COACH CARLOS PLANTILLAS
CROSS COUNTRY WINS 5 MEDALS AT FIRST RACE Our first races of the cross country season were at the Rosemead Invitational at Rosemead High on September 11. Fortunately, the races took place at night, so excessive heat was not a major factor. We competed in four grade levels against 45 small schools from throughout the Southern California area. For more than half of our runners, this was their very first high school race, and most did quite well. Five of our runners earned medals. Especially noteworthy were the sixth place finishes (out of 45 schools!) of freshman Aaron Dominguez and junior Manny Alvarez (both running their first high school cross country race). Other medal winners were juniors Zach Lugo and Ruben Martinez (Ruben’s first race). Together with juniors Freddy Gutierrez and Carlos Gonzalez, our junior team placed third out of the eleven teams entered. The fifth medal winner was senior Fernando Esquivel. We expect more great things from all our runners as the season continues!
Left to right: Freshmen Emiliano LaFarga, Vincent Maldonado, Chris Valdivia, Aaron Dominguez (with medal), Joseph Cisneros, Adrian Medrano after running their first high school race.
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? JV’S PROMISE IS EVIDENT! The JV and varsity football teams worked extremely hard over the summer months and have kicked off their season. Both teams have grown in numbers from last season and have improved both in skill and strength. The season opener against Pasadena’s Poly Tech proved to be a real test for the Tigers. Even though neither the JV nor the varsity teams won their games, they are playing great, competitive games. The following week, the Tigers faced a tough Gabrielino squad and again the Tigers played tough with the JV team losing 14-6. Later, the JV Tigers faced La Quinta High School in Orange County and played hard losing a tough battle 20-12 in the fourth quarter. the JV football team played outstanding on Homecoming, ending in a tie 6-6 against Bassett. The majority of the JV team is composed of freshman, playing against teams loaded with experienced sophomores and juniors. Playing against older kids has made our young men mature and play harder every week. The JV team has committed to work hard both on and off the field. Their game is improving dramatically from week to week. Returning players include Joel Garcia, Alex Martinez, Gabriel Benitez, Gabriel Espejel, Raymundo Munoz, Desmond Garcia and Giovanni Iaconis. Their leadership and direction have been outstanding! The future of the program is led by these players in addition to new freshmen Adam Crawford, Esteban Castornena, Abraham Diaz, Devin Espino, Raymond Gritton, Johanny Vasquez, Antonio Flores, Carlos Potrero, Luis Sosa, Gabriel Gonzalez, Andres Rodriguez and new additions Roman Hernandez, Alex Gonzalez, Matthew Verjan, Alejandro Villegas and Noel Cordero. Freshman players are Andrew Arenas, Angel Arellano, Cuba Garcia, Adam Gomez, Jakob Logan, Gary Lopez and Rene Lopez. They join new team additions Sebastian Banderas and Suyay Vasquez. The future of the program is promising and we are excited to continue to offer the experience of playing contact football to our young men entrusted to us for years to come. Go Tigers!
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CAMPUS BLOOD DRIVE IS OCTOBER 1 Parents, faculty, staff and students who are at least 17 years old (16 with parental consent) are invited to support the American Red Cross Blood Drive to be held on campus on Thursday, October 1, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The drive will be held in the Multipurpose Room; simply sign in at the Administration Building’s front desk before making your way to the blood drive. According to the Red Cross, every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood and more than 41,000 donations of blood are needed every day. Each pint of donated blood can save up to three lives. Bosco Tech donors regularly donated generous supplies that are used to help hospitalized patients.
LONG-TIME TECH INSTRUCTOR MEETS POPE FRANCIS Our prayers were with Salesian priest and one-time Bosco Tech instructor Fr. Jim Nieblas when he traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet Pope Francis on the pontiff’s U.S. trip. Fr. Jim, who taught at the Tech for 17 years, is a descendant of the Native Americans who built the beautiful and historic San Juan Capistrano mission. As a representative of his family and ancestors, Fr. Jim was invited to celebrate the canoniziation Mass of Father Junipero Serra. His selection for the honor has been featured in both The Orange County Register and by NBC News. Photo by Nick Agro, The Orange County Register
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! 8
INTRODUCING THE DBTI 2015-2016 ROYAL TECH MARCHING BAND —BY BAND BOOSTER JUN REYES
The Royal Tech Marching Band members began the school year early, paving the way for a successful and fun new year at their annual band camp. This is an important event when new members are welcomed and the band is given valuable time to practice and learn how to play music together. The band has increased in size to almost 30 members this year, adding players to each of the sections. After an intense camp, the band showed its Tech spirit by supporting the varsity football team at their game against Gabrielino High School on September 4. The band played extremely well, receiving plenty of praise from parents and students present. This summer, band leaders Elias Hosseini, Dan Hosseini, Devin Cornair, William Ramos, Noah Jimenez and Anthony Reyes had the opportunity to attend leadership camps, thanks to the efforts of music director Mr. Daniel Almanza and the Music Boosters. The students are grateful for the chance to improve their leadership skills as the fresh academic year brings new and exciting challenges to the music program. The school year also brings new coaches (see bottom photo): Ramon Villanueva (high brass), Osvaldo Gonzalez (woodwinds) and Erick Sanchez (low brass). Together with Mr. Almanza and returning coach Jamar Williams (percussion), the skilled music faculty hopes to continue its tradition of excellence in providing Bosco students the opportunity to learn and grow through music and the appreciation of the performing arts. The Bosco Tech music program is more than just the marching band! After football season, many band members transition to the Concert Band for the winter and spring months, and finally to the Jazz Band in the spring. Students who join one of the school's band programs learn valuable lessons about working together. And extracurricular activity such as music looks great on college applications. Parents are invited to check out the band's YouTube channel, DBTI Music at youtube.com/dbtimusic and the program’s Facebook page at facebook.com/dbtimusic. For more information about the band program, contact music director Daniel Almanza at dalmanza@boscotech.edu or dbtimusic@gmail.com. For ongoing support, band parents are encouraged to donate water bottles, Gatorade and soda, used by the band throughout the school year. The Bosco Tech music program appreciates your generosity.
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OCTOBER 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 .
October Thursday Friday Saturday Mon.-Frid. Tuesday
10/1 10/2 10/3 10/5-10/9 10/6
Wednesday 10/7 Thursday 10/8 Friday 10/9
Blood Drive Report cards mailed home SAT (off campus) Respect Life Week Test Prep #6 Parent Council meeting at 6 p.m. College Fair at 6 p.m. Late start (classes begin at 8:50 a.m.) Freshman tech rotation #1 ends Celebrate Life liturgy (formal dress for all stu-
dents) Saturday 10/10 Monday 10/12 Tuesday 10/13 Wednesday 10/14
Test #2 SAT prep (juniors) Columbus Day (no school) Test Prep #7 School-wide testing Senior class retreat Alumni Association meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday 10/15 Test Prep #8 Friday 10/16 All Nations Day assembly Tuesday 10/20 Test Prep #9 Wednesday 10/21 Test Prep #10 Technology Information Session #2 at 6 p.m. (for freshman parents) Thursday 10/22 Drug and Alcohol Awareness assembly College meetings (sophomore parents at 6 p.m., junior parents at 7 p.m.) Saturday 10/24 ACT Mon.-Tues. 10/26-10/27 First quarter exams for periods 1 & 3 Wednesday 10/28 Faculty Faith Formation day (no school for students) Thurs.-Fri. 10/29-10/30 First quarter exams for periods 2 & 4 Friday 10/30 Dance Saturday 10/31 Halloween November Sunday 11/1 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 SAT Prep for juniors SAT (off campus)
OPEN HOUSE IS NOV. 22—MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW Please note that Bosco Tech’s Fall Open House is Sunday, November 22, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Open House is considered a school day for all sophomores through seniors. Prior to Open House, members of our freshman class will be presented their class ties at a special commemorative Mass, starting at 10 a.m. All family and friends are invited to attend and support the Class of 2019 at the celebration. A reminder to freshman parents that the Technology Information Session #3 will be held that morning, following Mass, at 11:30 a.m.