Mission Statement ICA Cristo Rey Academy is a Dominican Catholic college preparatory that empowers girls from underserved communities to become confident young women able to realize their full potential. By providing an excellent academic curriculum, a unique corporate work study experience, and the support of our spiritual community, we prepare students for a life of faith, purpose, and service.
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The ICA Cristo Rey Update
WHAT’S INSIDE FALL/WINTER ISSUE
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No. 118
A Message from the President The New Team Restorative Practices—Planting Xinachtli Back in Full Swing ICA Cristo Rey’s Rooftop Garden 2022 Business Lunch Alumna Returns for Internship Alma Mater Matters In Memoriam
ICA Cristo Rey Academy has been sponsored by The Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose since 1883. The ICA Update is published twice a year by the Mission Advancement Department of ICA Cristo Rey Academy. 3625 24th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 415.824.2052 • www.icacristorey.org
Fall 2021
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A Message from the
President Dear ICA Cristo Rey Community, I am grateful for having been given the opportunity to lead ICA Cristo Rey Academy for the last 11 years. It has been a joy and a privilege to serve you as President of the school. As you know, ICA Academy is the founding school of the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose and is very dear to our hearts. It is an educational community unlike any other, and we rejoice in its excellence.
You may have already heard that I will be transitioning as President at the end of this school year. We have now begun a search to identify a new President who will guide the school into the future. Please keep this intention in your prayers. I leave then, with more than a touch of sadness, but also gratefulness for what we have managed to accomplish together. Where once our new students only dreamed of getting through high school, today they aspire to college and a professional future career. They know they can depend on our teachers, staff, and counselors who will support them every step of the way to offer guidance, reassurance, and encouragement. I have found great joy in watching our students gain personal confidence and professional skills through their work with our corporate sponsors. This year, in the midst of the pandemic, we still managed to welcome nine new companies as partners and six individuals as sponsors allowing us to place students in non-profit offices, a testament to the reputation of the Work-Study Program and the value it holds for both the companies and our students. We are grateful to welcome our students back to campus. It’s a joy to see them develop new friendships and have the opportunity to learn from our teachers and from each other. There is a spirit of sisterhood that is alive among current students and among the generations of alumnae before them. It is this spirit and passion for learning that will be some of my most cherished memories of my time serving as your President. We look forward to welcoming you back to more in-person events in the coming months. Please also save the date of March 4, 2022, for our Annual Business Lunch at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero. Thank you for all your support over the years—it means a great deal to all of us—and may it continue. God Bless you,
Sister Diane Aruda, OP President
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The ICA Cristo Rey Update
CWSP remote worker for TYLin International.
ICA Cristo Rey Leadership Contributors
Lauren Bell Sandra Oltranti ‘85 Melissa Ruiz ‘02 Erika Lana Sarmmiento Eve Vaccaro
Sister Diane Aruda, O.P. President
Dr. George V. Fornero Principal
Rita Cummings Vice President of Mission Advancement
Andrea Manchester Director of Marketing and Communications
Erika Rangel Director of Corporate Work Study Eve Vaccaro Director of Admissions and Enrollment
Managing Editor
Board of Directors
Copy Editor
Cathy Unruh Chair of the Board
Jim Dekker
Joshua Myerberg
Elizabeth (Liz) Dondero
Meghan Railey
Editorial Designer
Ann G. Miller Vice Chair of the Board
Michael Heffernan
John Ring
Anna Kearney
Martha Roldan
Mary Lawson
Anita Trachte
Paul Mohun
Sister Mary Susanna Vasquez ’67
Andrea Manchester Derek Wetzel
Barbara Peavy
Nicholas Andrade
On the Cover
Gina Antonini
Class of 2022 celebrate the kick off to their senior year.
Maureen Coleman
Mark Bley
Jim Moloney Ryan Musser
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The New Team A
s we begin the school year, we are joined by some new faces in our Admissions Office. Our new team is made up of Eve Vaccaro and Jasmine Kharma, with consulting help from longtime Bay Area admissions veteran Bobby Ramos. Eve Vaccaro is our new Director of Admissions and Enrollment and comes to ICA Cristo Rey with over a decade of experience in secondary education, having worked at a sister Cristo Rey school in Denver, Colorado as their Work Study Program Director of Operations. Jasmine Kharma is our new Admissions Assistant and Recruiter, and she has jumped right in with her effervescent personality and warmth, welcoming new families and students for our newly revamped
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The ICA Cristo Rey Update
EVE VACCARO
JASMINE KHARMA
BOBBY RAMOS
“Spartan for a Day” program for visiting eighth graders. With Bobby’s Bay Area connections, the team has hit the ground running, welcoming future Spartans to campus and meeting eighth-grade students on the campuses of their current middle schools. As of print date the team has visited over 26 schools, hosted 31 student visitors, and welcomed families in our first in-person Open House since fall of 2019! As Mrs. Vaccaro stated, “We are thrilled to bring in the next class of women inspired to change the future of their family through education and work experience. Our excellent community of educators, students, and alumnae have inspired many generations of women leaders, and we look forward to many more following in their footsteps.”
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Restorative Practices– Planting Xinachtli By Erika Landa Sarmiento, Dean of Student Culture
P
iyalli! Hello! I identify as an Indigenous Xicana Educator meaning that I present myself entirely, and carry myself through, my ancestors. My mission here is to plant a xinachtli, to plant a seed. To plant a xinachtli of understanding, of compassion, of respect, of accountability, and of Indigenous knowledge. Restorative Practices have been a part of my educational experience in the Los Angeles School District, but also as a way of life. To be an educator who implements Restorative Justice practices means to be in constant learning of the day-to-day factors of a student’s life—and to value students’ cultural and community wealth through having conversations and holding space for them. At the core of this also sits the ability to empathize and to be constantly aware of one’s biases. It comes with the knowledge that we are bound to make mistakes, but we must work on restoring the damage that comes with those mistakes.
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The ICA Cristo Rey Update
Restorative Practices are rooted in Indigenous epistemology and have been implemented into the educational system in the past several years as a means to decrease the rate of the “schoolto-prison pipeline.”* For decades our educational systems in the United States have seen the continuing systemic inequity between our white students and our students of color. This is due to an educational system that was historically created to serve the more wealthy white population. This has led to the creation of educational policies that do not best serve students of color. Restorative Practices in schools
allow space for evaluating what is working and not working for our students of color. The implementation of Restorative Practices must go hand-inhand with accountability and communication with students, parents, and staff in order for it to be a successful transition. The idea behind working in a restorative environment is to work in partnership with the entire community, to create space for the entire community to be heard. It’s important to note that implementing restorative practices does not equal “no punishment,” but rather, it calls for accountability. Students must
learn that there are consequences to one’s actions. Positive language along with accountability will lead to good outcomes in the long-run and will allow us to build relationships with our students. Reciprocity and reflection of myself through my students sits at the center of my work here. I pray for the little xinachtli to grow and bloom one day, but also to spread other xinachtli in the future. A xinachtli of understanding, of compassion, of respect, of accountability, and of Indigenous knowledge. * Restorative Justice Ending the School to Prison Pipeline. Ted Talk
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Back in Full Swing By Lauren Bell, Athletic Director
”
I am absolutely thrilled that
sports are back
”
in full swing.
– Lauren Bell
Athletic Director
I
n the spring of 2021, our student-athletes were only allowed to play outdoor sports, which included shortened seasons of soccer and flag football. As of fall 2021, both indoor and outdoor sports are again permitted. Our Spartans have eagerly embraced the opportunity to compete again. Our fall sports teams, volleyball and cross country, are wrapping up their seasons, and it has been a blast cheering them on both on the court and the track. I’ve enjoyed seeing our Spartan families and friends pack the gym as it
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The ICA Cristo Rey Update
gives our girls that extra energy and push that is needed in tough games. Our winter sports, basketball and soccer, are up next, followed by our spring sports, flag football, swimming, and track, so the thrill of Spartan athletics will continue as we progress throughout the school year. We are grateful that our young women have the opportunity to play the sports that they love and continue to create memories with their teammates and coaches that will last a lifetime. Day after day, we will continue to compete and represent ICA Cristo Rey Academy with pride.
I’ve enjoyed seeing our Spartan families and friends pack the gym as it gives our girls that extra energy and push that are needed in tough games.” Lauren Bell
Lauren Bell has been with ICA Cristo Rey for six years. Before becoming the Athletic Director and P.E. Coordinator she served the school as Dean of Students.
“We finally have a sense of normalcy that we’ve been without for the last one and a half years, so it is important that we do not take these opportunities for granted.
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ICA Cristo Rey’s Rooftop Garden By Sandra Quilici-Oltranti ‘85, Academic Assistance Specialist
Sowing Seeds for a Healthy Change
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The ICA Cristo Rey Update
Sandra Quilici-Oltranti ‘85 directing students on how best to plant seeds.
M
y love for gardening began in my 30s, but I think I inherited my green thumb from my Italian father and grandfather, who always grew their own vegetables back in Italy and then in San Francisco. I started growing my own vegetables, especially tomatoes, about five years ago, and I continue to learn new things each planting season. When I came to teach ninth-grade religion at ICA in 2018, my office was located three flights up on the rooftop. I enjoyed all the natural light and fresh air, along with getting my cardio climbing up and down those three flights of stairs. It was then I began to envision a rooftop garden filled with a variety of beautiful flowers, herbs, and vegetables that could help inspire students. In the last few years, I have become passionate about how our food is connected not only to our health and overall wellbeing, but also to the health of the planet.
I have always been concerned about the environment, so I decided to teach a PE & Wellness course called Food & the Environment, where I could share my knowledge and passion for growing, cooking, and eating healthy food with young people. This past summer we began the process of getting planter boxes and an untold amount of soil up to the roof, which took some time and help from staff, students, friends, and family. Even though the garden is in its early stages, I am excited that my students are now helping sow seeds for vegetables and herbs, which we can harvest and use in our cooking class. It’s funny how just playing in the dirt and planting some small seeds can bring so much joy to young and old alike. I know gardening and cooking have been a lifesaver for me, especially through the pandemic, and I hope to pass on this passion for healthy food onto my students at ICA Cristo Rey.
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Business Lunch Friday, March 4, 2022
the next 35 years. He retired in 1999 from Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette as head of its West Coast fixed income department.
Marie and John Duggan, Honorary Chairs.
B
oth native San Franciscans and first-generation Americans, John and Marie were born in San Francisco in the 1940’s and represent their own Irish-Italian alliance. Both of John’s parents immigrated from Ireland. He grew up in the Mission District, graduating from St. Ignatius College Preparatory and then earning a degree in Accounting from the University of San Francisco. After graduation at age 21, John entered the world of finance where he would spend
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The ICA Cristo Rey Update
Marie lived closer to North Beach in the Cow Hollow district and was born into a restaurant family, raised by her father from Croatia and her mother from Bari, Italy. In 1937, her father Ante, had opened Original Joe’s Restaurant on Taylor Street and it was Marie’s second home. She pursued her education in the city, graduating from St. Paul’s High School and then earning a History degree and a teaching credential from the University of San Francisco. After their marriage in 1969, Marie concentrated on family life tending to their children, Elena and John. Unexpectedly in 1976, an illness in the family business drafted her back to the restaurant. She soon drafted John and a new career path was set for both of them. Eventually, John and Marie
bought into the business in 1984 and operated the restaurant for the next 25 years with Marie at the helm. Following a devastating fire that destroyed the Taylor Street restaurant in 2007, the Duggan’s took a pause. After much family debate and discussion, Marie and John realized it was time to pass the reins to the younger generation. It proved to be a great decision, as children Elena and John successfully resurrected Original Joe’s in North Beach in 2012, then Westlake in 2016, and most recently, West Portal in 2020, making their parents extremely proud. A chance meeting with Sister Lily Fitzpatrick in the lounge at Original Joe’s Westlake brought John and Marie into the ICA family in 2016. The ICA mission fits in with their beliefs fostered by their own Catholic educations by being persons for others and lending a hand for the good whenever possible.
We are thrilled to honor Jenny with this year’s Leader in Mission award for her leadership, mentorship, and inspiration as a role model to our future young women leaders.
J
enny Novoa ‘86 is the Senior Director of Risk Management & Safety for The Gap, Inc. Jenny has been with Gap Inc. for 29 years in various positions within the Risk Management & Safety Department. Jenny is responsible for risk financing, insurance procurement, and domestic and international claims for all insurance lines and safety. From our Corporate Work Study Director, Erika Rangel: “Jenny, who is an alumna of ICA, is also a longtime supporter and advocate of the Corporate Work Study Program. She exemplifies the ICA Cristo Rey mission both in her long-term support and mentoring of our ICA students (having sponsored 44 students at Gap over the course of 11 years)— but also in her impressive and successful career path. We are thrilled to honor Jenny with this year’s Leader in Mission award for her leadership, mentorship, and inspiration as a role model to our future young women leaders.” The Gap Inc. is a leading global specialty retailer, with $16 billion in global sales from its Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Athleta brands, with 3,000 stores and 110,000 employees.
KGO-ABC7 and David Rosati, will receive the Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) 2022 Leader in Co-Education award.
D
avid Rosati has been with KGO TV for over 16 years including VP of Finance and VP of Operations and Business Planning. Dave was born and raised in San Francisco and attended Holy Name School, St. Ignatius College Preparatory, University of San Francisco, and Golden Gate University. Erika Rangel, CWSP Director, shared, “We chose Dave Rosati for the Leader in CoEducation Award because of his long-term commitment to our Corporate Work Study Program. Dave and his team at ABC 7 have been a corporate sponsor for the past eleven years. They have mentored over 40 of our students and set them on their first career path.” Dave is willing to invest his time to work very closely with the supervisors of our students to help provide a positive work experience. Dave and his wife, Berlina, have two children: Dana (UC Davis graduate) and Aaron (SJSU senior year).
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Alumna Retur for Internship By Melissa Ruiz ‘02, Director of Guidance
A
nice addition for this school year is having our first ever Guidance Department Intern! ICA Cristo Rey’s Guidance Department has never had an intern before and to have an alum makes it even more special. Her name is Jasmine Lobato, from the Class of 2014, and we’re thrilled she’s with us. Jasmine is earning her Master’s Degree in Counseling and Guidance at San Jose State University (a double Spartan!). To help her gain experience, Ms. Lobato has her own caseload of students who she meets with on a weekly basis. She is working on building relationships, keeping track of academic progress, and being a consistent presence for students. She is also working with our college counselors to learn more about the college application process and to be aware of what the seniors are experiencing.
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The ICA Cristo Rey Update
ns We’re hopeful that this will be a helpful internship for Ms. Lobato. All of us in the Guidance Department are excited to be back in-person and working with the students. We’ve missed them and working together in the building is a great feeling. In academic counseling, I am checking on students frequently and helping them to work through the transition back to in-person learning. For college counseling, Ms. Benson and Ms. Genger teach College Prep classes and are guiding the seniors through every step of the application process. In general, we’re all working together to reconnect with all of our Spartans and to learn how they’ve changed and grown in the past 18 months. It’s been good for us to work with them again and we know they are feeling the same way.
”
I wanted to give back to this
community that has helped
shape me. Melissa has been a great mentor as I’m in the early
”
stages of practice and learning.
–Jasmine Lobato ‘14
Fall 2021
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Alma Mater Matters
Vanessa Rivera Reyes ‘17 married Suraj Silwal in Godawari, Nepal on October 17, 2021.
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The ICA Cristo Rey Update
Ashley Bonilla ‘14 became engaged with her college sweetheart, Jose Calderon, on August 7, 2021, in front of the Starbucks where they had their first date, surrounded by friends and family. They are planning to be wed in 2023.
In Memoriam Jeannette Maglio Beeler ‘56 Sister Dolores Marie Calderwood OP ‘46 Helen Callan Carey ‘47 Richard Clarke, husband of Carol Gemmet Clarke ‘57 Anna Dalgaard, mother of Jacqueline Brundrett Zuger ‘65 Bill Davey, husband of and Kevin Davey, son of Marcella Reed Davey ‘57 Jean Feilmoser ‘71 Catherine Gander Dunn ‘48 Gerta Greer Piazza ‘54 Edward Jasinski, brother of Halina Jasinski Gobert ’64, Wanda Jasinski Scanlan ’66 and Sophie Jasinski ‘69
JoAnn Kerr Harrington ‘58 Loretta Kerna, Mother of Eileen Kerns Dewey ’87 (deceased) Pati Lopez, Mother of Rachel Lopez 2018 Patricia Mahoney Sienes ‘46 Oscar Peralta, Father of Maureen Peralta Conway ‘76, Laura Peralta Schulte ‘81, Mary Peralta ‘82 Mildred Samaha ‘42 Ina Shea ‘48 Edith Taylor Davis ‘53 Dennis Windle, son of Barbara Palos Windle ‘65 Arlene Whitlow Sawyer ‘52 Priscilla Wong Sarinas MD, ‘70
Give a Gift to the Future
Memorial Cards
Remembering ICA Cristo Rey in your will is an important and personal gift to future generations. Throughout the history of the school, thoughtful individuals have helped to provide a Catholic education to countless young women. We hope that, after you have provided for your family, you will consider making a bequest to ICA Cristo Rey Academy. The following wording is suggested as appropriate for an unrestricted gift:
ICA Cristo Rey Academy is a school rich in history and proud of its place in the story of San Francisco. Because of this pride, we feature on our Memorial Card the beloved statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception which stands in the foyer of the convent chapel. This statue is prominently featured in an 1880 picture of Mother Pia and her original community of Sisters. A complete history of the statue is included with each Memorial Card. Would you like to remember your loved one in a special way? In addition to Memorials, cards are also available for special occasions, birthdays, anniversaries, or illness.
I give and bequeath the sum of $___________ (or, ______% of my estate) to ICA Cristo Rey Academy. When you help to provide education for the young women of tomorrow, you provide an enduring gift for the future. For more information, please contact Rita Cummings, Vice President—Mission Advancement: rcummings@icacristorey. org, or go online to www.icacristorey.org.
You may order by emailing Rhonda Hontalas at rhontalas@ icacademy.org.
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If you would like to support our students and our school, please visit our website: www.icacristorey.org.