The Vector - Spring 2019

Spring 2019

FOR THE MOREAU CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

FOR THE MOREAU CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

PRESIDENT Mr. Terry Lee PRINCIPAL Dr. Elizabeth Guneratne EDITOR Elizabeth (Morales) Zepeda ’03 CONTRIBUTORS Diana (Straggas) DeFrance ’76 Douglas Hupke Elizabeth (Morales) Zepeda ’03 Timothy Chaparro Erica Escalante Colleen Kelly Monica Heuer Toni West Jared Scott Tesler PHOTOGRAPHY Timothy Chaparro Renkang (Ken) Chen ’19 Mitch Tancio BOARD OF TRUSTEES Barbara Hemenez, Chair Rick L’Heureux, Vice Chair Dr. Elizabeth Guneratne Darlene Hayes Maritza Ilario David King ’82 Terry Lee Marta Vera Leon Dennis Mastrantonio ’71 Jan Miller Sr. Mary Christopher Miller, OP Br. William Nick, CSC Lois Quilalang Ed Raney Quang Trinh ’88

On the Cover Cover art, Friends (charcoal drawing), by Mae Liu ’20. Mae is an AP art student who comes to Moreau Catholic from Luzhou, Sichuan provence in southwest China.

To read more about Mae and our Visual Arts program, vist our website.

THE VECTOR is published twice a year by Moreau Catholic High School 27170 Mission Boulevard Hayward, CA 94544 510.881.4300 MOREAUCATHOLIC.ORG Comments or suggestions for The Vector are welcome. You can email us at communications@moreaucatholic.org

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FEATURES

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ACADEMICS

NEWS

ATHLETICS

ALUMNI

History comes to life for students visiting Washington D.C.

Three young alumni come home to share their gifts with Moreau once again.

Mariner basketball gets caught up in March Madness.

Doug Uchikura ’71 reflects on life lessons and the blessing of being a Mariner.

Also in this

ISSUE Letter from the President

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Crab Feed Recap

Celebrating Diversity

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Funding Hopes and Dreams Recap

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Being Family Means Being Supportive

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Rising Up to the Challenge of Global Citizenship

Entrepreneur and Problem-Solver Extraordinaire

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Greetings Fellow Classmates

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VAPA Banishes the Winter Doldrums

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Alumni Reunion Calendar

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Athletic Year in Review

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Mariner Waves and In Memoriam

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OUR MISSION

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Moreau Catholic High School is dedicated to the legacy and values of the Congregation of Holy Cross and its founder Blessed Basil Moreau. We are a college-preparatory school committed to outstanding achievement.

As a community of faith, we prepare our students through academic, social and spiritual learning experiences that form and transform them as they become responsible citizens of our global community.

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Mariners, Blessed Basil Moreau, the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, founded schools in the 19th century that offered students instructional and educational experiences to fully prepare them for the next steps—study at university, joining the workforce, and ultimately, eternal life. Fully prepared meant, and still means today in Holy Cross schools around the world, as much focus on the arts and cocurricular activities likes clubs and sports as it did on academics and scholarship. And Moreau sent his teachers, the Brothers of Holy Cross, to the far reaches of the globe to provide this education to people who looked differently than he did, spoke differently, worshipped differently, and had a world view that was not centered on Western Europe.

Blessed Moreau set in motion the Holy Cross educational philosophy that encompasses a world view, embraces diversity, educates students in the neighborhoods where they live, and insists that nurturing and forming the heart is as important as challenging and developing the mind.

Today you see the fruits of those seeds in full splendor if you walk the halls of Moreau Catholic. Our dedicated faculty and staff lead by building relationships with our students, fostering a compassionate community, encouraging students to share and celebrate their diversity—cultural, linguistic, racial, religious, and experiential—while delivering a rigorous and innovative college-preparatory education that, for decades, has served students well in university, career, and life.

In this issue of The Vector, you will see wonderful examples of how our diversity strengthens our community, and how the arts fosters and reveals creativity, different perspectives, and the deep spirituality and uniqueness of our students.

Finally, the success of the Mock Trial, DECA, Rally Squad, Football, Basketball, or other sports and academic teams, as well as the high quality of our academic programs and Campus Ministry retreats and immersions, would never happen without the great support we receive from alumni, parents, and friends of the school who invest time, mentorship, financial support, and encouragement to our students, their teachers, coaches, and volunteers. This support is vital to our success, and I continue to encourage your participation and support in our mission, our vocation, our daily work. Thank you for all you do to support Moreau Catholic High School!

As we prepare to celebrate another graduating class in May, we are also celebrating the milestone of the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1969’s graduation from Moreau. We honor the Class of 2019 and the Class of 1969 this May, as it represents the strong continuity and the proud legacy of the Mariner tradition.

God bless and Go Mariners!

Terry Lee President

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CELEBRATING DIVERSITY

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ariners are as diverse as they come. The key to fostering a positive environment in such a diverse community is to make sure everyone feels included.

Teachers have begun incorporating culturally responsive curriculum as part of the school’s theme of “Being Family” so that students can see reflections of themselves in the class. Sarah Ledford asked her social studies students to research a historic figure

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of their ethnicity to discuss in class. Ben Greenbaum ’00’s theology students shared photos and stories of their families. Campus Ministry has a diversity museum showing how different religions celebrate globally.

Every two weeks a different club creates a display for the Diversity Galleria. “These make students feel that they are not forgotten, and reminds them of how special Moreau’s diversity is,” says Toni West, Associate Dean of Students. Being Family is about being seen and feeling supported, and that is what this community strives to do for every student, everyday.

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UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Students speak with Rep. Eric Swalwell who represents eastern Alameda County, which includes Hayward

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government shutdown and snow storm conditions couldn’t stop our Mariners from making the most out of their travels to the nation’s capital. In mid-January, teachers Bob Parker and Caitlin Riley, along with 14 Moreau Catholic students participated in the Close Up trip to Washington D.C. This event is a yearly gathering of students and teachers from across the country, where students and teachers alike participate in workshops regarding U.S. history, politics, and civic engagement.

Parker, a beloved history teacher, has taken students on the Close Up trip over a dozen times, but each adventure is unique. This year, because of the government shut down, many places, like the Smithsonian museums, were closed. Despite this disappointment, Parker was able to leverage his experience as a veteran of the Close Up program to make adjustments to the itinerary, which led to some unexpected opportunities for the group.

Close Up participants usually have the opportunity to only meet with the staff members of their Representatives and Senators. Not so this year.

Instead, students had a rare chance to meet Senators and Representatives in person. Students

came face to face with Representatives Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY)) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA), and Senators Dianne Feinstein (DCA) and Kamala Harris (D-CA). For no one was this opportunity more inspiring than for Anish Mohanty ’19. As arguably the most politically active and passionately engaged student on the trip, Mohanty found himself overwhelmed with excitement over meeting some of his Teacher chaperones Caitlin Riley and Bob Parker idols, especially Senator Harris: “[She is] the first and only person in the Senate to share my Indian origin and my East Bay roots...She came up to me, shook my hand, and thanked me for my letter in a wholesome moment captured by the Senate photographer that I hope will one day be titled, 46 Meets 50.” To meet someone in power who has so much in common with you, is a rare gift indeed.

THE VECTOR Truly, all the students were “Going to see the impressed to find out how monuments and much they had getting to see the in common not only with actual stuff we learn elected officials about...I got to see it from their or touch it, I was right home state, but also with there!” participants - Lindsay Betchart ’20 from states as red as Louisiana and Texas. Antonio Gonzalez ’19 felt that some of his own biases about folks from the south were challenged upon meeting students whose upbringings were vastly different from his. He stated, “I’ve always heard of the stereotype of southern hospitality, and that stereotype is actually pretty true...they all get a bad rep because ‘Oh they’re all Trump supporters, they’re all racist, they’re all bigots’ and all that, but that’s not true at all. They were all just chill about it. They had some of the same views as I do...they were all just really nice people.” Our Mariners reciprocated that kindness by making space to break bread with their new friends. During mealtimes, the Mariners made sure to mix it up and socialize with students from other schools.

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program because civic participation begins with knowing and engaging with others. Parker has noticed this similarity of experience for every group he’s taken to D.C. He explained, “You get to see the process of how the government works and you get to meet some of the people that run things, and I think a lot of the students realize that the people that run things aren’t very much different than they are, they just have some more life experience and it really makes government more approachable, understanding that these are just human beings doing this.” This group of Close Up travelers joins a long line of Mariners who have discovered that the pillars of Being Family and Building Respect extend outside of the walls of Moreau Catholic and begin with recognizing each others’ humanity, a lesson that will out live any information they learn for any test.

- Elizabeth (Morales) Zepeda ’03

Even for students who went on the trip with few expectations, they found themselves connecting with history and politics in a new and firsthand way. Lindsay Betchart ’20 said, “When I went in, I knew nothing, I didn’t know a lot about politics or that much about history, I went in with no expectations but I learned so much! Going to see the monuments and getting to see the actual stuff we learn about in our textbooks, or things we have on tests, I got to see it or touch it, I was right there!” History came to life for her when visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall where one of her relative’s name is etched into the black granite monument, a discovery that she described as particularly poignant.

Some students are so inspired by their experience that they opt to go a second time, like Jodi Brown ’19. Like the other Close Up participants, Jodi agreed that “It’s cool to meet new people and get to know people from different places.” Relationship building is an integral aspect of this immersive

Above: Students get a rare chance to personally ask questions of Sen. and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris (D-CA); Below: Snow covered United States Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial). Photo: Bob Parker

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Being Family Means Being Supportive Moreau Catholic invests in helping students deal with stress and anxiety through various student centered supports

led other activities in the main gym. Students were given the option to do school work during the activity session or to take a mental-health break.

At an evening parent workshop hosted by the school’s counseling team, Lauren De Leon ’17 talked of her struggles with depression and anxiety in college, and Stephen Altbaum, MFT, outlined ways to

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his year, Moreau Catholic has focused on becoming increasingly student-centered as we incorporate social and emotional learning in and out of the classroom.

As Moreau Catholic’s new Associate Dean of Students, Toni West is looking at additional ways to help students deal with stress, have a more inclusive campus, and increase student, teacher, and parent engagement. This fall she spearheaded an AntiBullying Week, Mental Health Week, and a studentled Diversity Galleria.

The Dream Coalition organized its first Anti-Bullying Week in October, which focused on how students can feel stressed from both being bullied or acting out as a bully. Mehar Chattawal ’19 and Ben Jacinto ’19 held a “Breaking Bread” session where students shared stressors that stem from cultural differences in order to foster a community of understanding and empathy.

Rhea Kalra ’20 and Ginger Semko ’19 both realized the need for students to have more knowledge about causes of and treatments for stress and anxiety. This moved them to create the school’s first Mental Health Week in November. “I worked with a few students who felt that our students needed to learn coping techniques to self-regulate and relax when they get anxious,” West said.

Student-teacher relationships play a vital role in establishing a stress free environment for effective learning. In order to strengthen this bond, teachers shared ways in which they relieve stress. They then led fun, stress-relieving activities before and after school, which included karaoke, volleyball, a Disney singalong, and a dimly-lit area in the Campus Ministry room for students to decompress. School counselors

recognize stressors in youth, as well as the parents’ role in regulating their child’s stress. “Stephen did an outstanding job of asking parents to take a more inclusive role in managing stress in their children’s lives, such as issues of sleep, the use of social media, and managing structured homework time were all ways in which parents can support their children,” counselor Stacey Ferreira ’86 shared. She added, “As part of our regular counseling duties, counselors meet individually with students on an ongoing basis as needed. Since students are assigned to their counselor during freshman year, we work on building rapport with them and get to know our students in a much deeper way. This affords us the opportunity to support them during stressful times, and know when to refer them to outside resources.”

In preparation for finals week, Nichole McGowan, Director of Student Activities, coordinates a “Cookies, Cocoa, and Cram” evening for students to help alleviate stress and get the assistance they need going into finals. But this is not the only time teachers offer help to students. “I regularly stay after school because I know that students will always need some guidance or a place to do work,” math teacher, Michael Tsan, said. “During after-school hours, I feel more like a mentor than a teacher, and it helps me understand the students in a different way,” he added.

“We listened to our students and learned that they are struggling with balance and pressures that they can’t control, and we are here to help,” said West.

She is also working on how to incorporate socialemotional learning as part of the curriculum to augment what counselors already do to support the whole student and teachers do to support students academically.

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Rising Up To The Challenge Of Global Citizenship

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tudents took to the Teves Theatre stage in February for the second annual TEDx event.

This year’s theme was Rise Up! This daylong event featured presentations by 20 seniors and a guest student from Bishop O’Dowd High School. The conference culminated in an evening event with keynote speaker Derek Rhodes (Pictured Left) of the Obama Foundation My Brother’s Keeper Alliance. Throughout the day, students engaged with socially and globally relevant topics such as immigration, climate change, mental health, and cultural and gender identity.

Many of the talks were the culmination of students’ capstone projects that began in their junior year Social Justice class, while others were talks about the students’ personal journey. Clifford Vuong ’19 (Pictured Right) examined the model minority myth. He generated an impassioned discussion about the origins of this myth and “the ways that

it manifests itself in the Asian American experience today and their context in social justice discourse,” says Vuong’s faculty mentor Corinna Sanding ’14.

Like TED Talks, TEDxMoreauCatholicHS was crafted to spark thought and deep conversation.

By pursuing topics about which they are passionate, students at Moreau Catholic transform into exemplary global citizens. The presenters at TEDxMoreauCatholicHS identified topics that moved them to raise up their voices to educate, inspire, and challenge others. They worked with their mentors to hone their research and fine tune their talks to produce this high quality event for the community, which will also be shared on YouTube in order to reach a global audience.

Moreau Catholic will continue to partner with other Catholic schools to promote social justice work in the broader community.

- Elizabeth (Morales) Zepeda ’03

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CALLED TO COME HOME Young alumni are invited back as part of the Moreau Fellowship Program to participate in more formation and transformation on the Moreau Catholic campus.

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oreau Catholic welcomed back three alumni from the classes of 2013 and 2014. Colin de Guzman ’14 (Pictured Right), Michael Pacheco ’13 (Pictured Below), and Corinna Sanding ’14 (Pictured Opposite) returned to Moreau Catholic for the 2018 - 2019 school year as the second cohort of Moreau Catholic Fellows. These recent college graduates have taken the opportunity as fellows to explore a career in education by working alongside faculty mentors in different capacities around the school. De Guzman works with Student Government and the Cross Country team, Pacheco teaches theology classes and assists in the Office of Admissions, and Sanding assists in the Learning Center and teaches dance classes.

The Moreau Catholic Fellowship is a one year, post-college opportunity for young alumni to gain work experience and to offer their talents back to the school as they transition into their professional

lives. Fellows are chosen through an application process that attempts to balance the applicants’ interests, areas of study, talents, and professional goals with the needs of the school, which fluctuate from year to year. Having walked the halls before, these alumni bring a unique perspective to their work at the school. They get to experience Moreau Catholic from the flip side, and work with their former teachers as colleagues in Holy Cross education.

This year, in a fitting transition, the fellowship program fell under the direction of Peter Shelley, Director of Holy Cross Mission.

With their mentor teachers’ and Shelley’s guidance, the fellows embarked on this formational journey to apply the Holy Cross experience from their days as Mariners to their work as fellows.

The goal of the program, as Shelley puts it, is for the fellows to “have an amazing experience on all levels. We want them to be challenged, we want them to have fun, we want them to have

THE VECTOR a sense of community, we want to see them grow.” The fellows embody the Mariner quality of being lifelong learners, constantly growing and developing, and exemplify that in their daily undertakings. Blessed Basil Moreau knew that the most effective educators have a vocation to teach, a calling shared by the fellows. When asked why he chose to come back to Moreau Catholic, de Guzman states, “I felt called by God to take this step and come back home.” Through this homecoming, fellows are folded back into the community while sharing their pride for Moreau Catholic and engaging deeply with real world application.

The fellows agree that the best part of their experience is the relationships they have fostered with students and faculty. Sanding shares that a special part of her experience “has been working alongside many of my favorite former teachers.

They taught and inspired me during my time as a student and continue to do so daily.” But the fellows are not the only ones who benefit from this experience. The whole community is strengthened by having these three back on campus.

Sanding’s mentor, Angela Demmel, Dance Director and Chair of Visual and Performing Arts, says of Sanding, “She immediately dove into her role as teaching fellow, winning the hearts as well as the respect of students and faculty alike.”

Though they continue to be inspired by their former teachers, the fellows found the most inspiration from the students that they once were.

The Moreau Fellowship gives fellows a chance to work closely with student leaders in many different environments. Whether at an event, retreat, in the class, or on the field, these fellows support students in becoming adaptable, problem solvers.

They help students develop leadership skills that will help them beyond high school and, in the words of Blessed Basil Moreau, prepare students for heaven.

As with any growth experience, these aspiring educators went through the ups and downs that

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are familiar to all first year teachers, but they handled it all with dignity and grace. Shelley defines his role as providing administrative as well as emotional support: “The three of them are so conscientious of wanting to do a good job, but at “I felt called by God the same time, to take this step and as a typical first year, they’re come back home.” overwhelmed - Colin de Guzman ’14 and tired and confused at times.”

Difficulties aside, the fellows all agree that this work has inspired them to continue pursuing a career in education. De Guzman will be attending the University of Notre Dame Alliance for Catholic Education program in the fall. Sanding hopes to teach at a Catholic K-8 school in the area. And Pacheco has felt hope for the future of Moreau Catholic through his work with students: “Seeing

the future of our school has really inspired me to continue working in education because of the student’s tireless work ethic, their creative minds, and their passion to be social agents of positive change.”

We wish these alumni many blessings and much success in their future endeavors. May the teachings of Blessed Basil Moreau and the spirit of Holy Cross continue to guide them in all that they do.

- Elizabeth (Morales) Zepeda ’03

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VAPA BANISHES THE WINTER DOLDRUMS

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inter time may feel dreary, but Moreau Catholic’s vibrant Visual and Performing Arts programs always find a way to combat the cold and gloom through beautiful artwork and stunning performances.

This winter, the theater program brought A Servant of Two Masters to the Teves Theatre stage and dance revived Christmas themed, audience favorite, On! Dancer. Band and choir serenaded us with beautiful music, and our visual artists treated our eyes to an impressive array of pieces. Below are photos from this winter’s performances. On the opposite page are just a few visual art examples. The piece in the center (#5) is by Pauline Castillo ’19 who was recently accepted to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), which, as art teacher Karen Thomas put it, “is basically the Harvard of art schools!” Our artists never cease to amaze us.

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Michael Vickers ’19 - Digital Drawing and Photography

2. Carson Moses ’21 - Colored Pencil 3. Adrianne Romnarine ’19 - Gouache 4. Grace Thomas ’22 - Cut Paper 5. Pauline Castillo ’19 - Colored Pencil and Graphite

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6. Sabrina Vallejo ’22 - Watercolor and Ink 7. Prince Viray ’19 - Photography 8. Penny Semko ’21 - Cut Paper 9. Ken Chen ’19 - Ink and Graphite

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ATHLETIC YEAR IN REVIEW

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he 2018-2019 Fall and Winter seasons saw 378 student-athletes competing, with nine teams advancing to and competing in NCS Championship playoffs. All 12 Varsity teams earned MVAL All-League awards and honorable mentions.

Fall Sports Varsity Football went through MVAL undefeated and advanced to the NCS Championship, but was defeated by Fortuna in the final game, ending the season 12-1. The team earned 10 MVAL First Team All-League awards, 4 MVAL Second Team AllLeague awards, and Jaylen “Fresh” Ison ’20 earned the Jim Randall Offensive Player of the Year Award.

Girls’ Golf qualified for the first time ever and finished 3rd in the NCS Championships. The team of 5 took home two First Team All-League awards for Maria Magana ’19 and Amanda Wei ’21.

Girls’ Tennis earned Honorable Mentions for the 2018 MVAL First Team All-League: Simi Sethupathi ’19, Anza Vo ’21, and Thalia Ramsey ’21. Mica Ang ’19 and Anne Hritz ’19 earned Honorable Mention Second Team All-League.

Girls’ Varsity Volleyball advanced to the first round of the 2018-2019 NCS Championships.

The team earned three spots on the 2018 MVAL Second Team All-League: Joanne Ohwobete ’21, Bianca Punzalan ’21, and Kendal Kibanoff ’22. An Honorable Mention went to Kendall Smith ’19.

Cross Country, both boys’ & girls’ teams and individuals, qualified for NCS Championships.

Isabelle Loaisiga ’21, made the 2018 MVAL Allleague team.

Rally Squad qualified and competed in Nationals in February, where Cheer finished 4th.

Boys’ Water Polo advanced to the 1st round of NCS Championships for the first time since the program began 5 years ago. Kainoa Lee ’21 and Sam Lacabanne ’19 earned 2 spots on the 2018 MVAL Second Team All-League and Honorable Mention went to Carlo Ferreira ’20.

Girls’ Water Polo earned three honorable mentions: Selena Lopez ’19, Laura Kurtz ’19, and Anina Ferreira ’21.

Winter Sports Boys’ Basketball ranked 4th in the preseason in Bay Area News Group based on last year’s 26-5 season. They went 12-2 in MVAL competition and finished with a 26-8 season record. The team advanced to become the 2018-2019 NCS Division 2 Champions, where they defeated Bishop O ‘Dowd in the championship round. They then competed in the CIF Norcal State Playoffs. They were seeded 6th in Division 1, advancing to CIF State Championships Regional Semi-Final game where they lost to Branson High School. The team earned three 2018-2019 MVAL All-League awards: Maxwell Anderson ’19, David Hector ’19, and Leonard Turner ’19, and Honorable Mention for Amil Fields ’19.

Girls’ Basketball advanced to NCS Division 3 Championship, making it to the 2nd round of the tournament. The team earned a 2018-2019 MVAL All-League award for standout Camille Johnson ’19 and Honorable Mention for Jaelynn Cid ’20.

Boys’ Soccer competed in the NCS Winter Soccer Championships Round 1. Jacob Kilmartin ’19 and Adam Sanchez ’19 earned MVAL First Team Allleague awards.

Girls’ Soccer qualified and competed in the NCS Winter Soccer Championships Round 1. Goalkeeper, Joulie Poulet ’19 earned a 2018-2019 MVAL First Team All-League award. The team also earned MVAL All-League Honorable Mentions for Marissa Rivas ’19, Natalie Rodgers ’19, Jessica Parham ’19, and Anina Ferreira ’21.

- Erica Escalante

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n February 15th, Moreau Catholic High School continued the tradition of developing student athletes to compete at the collegiate level. This year we had three student-athletes sign letters of intent during the winter signing period to attend college and continue their athletic careers: Maxwell Anderson ’19, Jacob George ’19, and Leonard Hawkins ’19.

Anderson will be attending Weber State University in Utah on a football scholarship. An outstanding 2 sport athlete (basketball and football), he played a key role in advancing our varsity football team to the 2018-2019 NCS Championship game in the fall then became a driving force behind the success of our varsity basketball team in the winter. During his time on the hardwood, the Mariners won the 2015 -2016 NCS Division III Championship, 2016-2017 NCS and 2018-2019 NCS Division II Championships. He has been a part of the team that has qualified for the CIF Nor-Cal State tournament each year from 2016 to 2019.

Anderson was also a member of the varsity team that advanced to the Final round of the 2016-2017 CIF Nor-Cal State tournament.

George will be taking his talents to the University

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Left to Right: Jacob George ’19, Maxwell Anderson ’19, and Leonard Hawkins ’19

of Pacific on a baseball scholarship. George has been a part of the varsity team for the last three years. He was offered a scholarship during the early signing period, George will be taking his slick fielding, timely hitting, and leadership skills to the campus in Stockton.

Hawkins is headed to the United States Air Force Academy to continue his football career. A quiet person off the field but a tenacious player on the field, he will apply his strength and quickness as an offensive lineman to the formidable run option offense that the Air Force Academy has made famous. Hawkins was a valuable member of our varsity football team for the last three years and played a significant role in football advancing to the NCS Championship game for the 2018-2019 season and going undefeated in the Mission Valley Athletic League.

Our next college signing date will be May 8, 2019 where we will celebrate our winter and spring student athletes.

- Monica Heuer

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Mariner Madness

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h, Spring! Flowers bloom, bird songs fill the morning air, and the sun shines brightly for a little longer. But there is no better indicator of the coming of spring than the excitement of College Basketball’s March Madness. And this year Moreau Catholic High School was right in the middle of the Madness.

Moreau Catholic boys’ and girls’ basketball teams have experienced a stretch of success that is truly remarkable. Northern California Championships, North Coast Sectional Championships, League Championships, and appearances at state championships. However, maybe the most telling characteristic of success is how our former student athletes are doing at the collegiate level. Six Moreau basketball graduates have taken their talents to the next level and are excelling. Oscar Frayer ’16 and Damari Milstead ’17 are teaming up at Grand Canyon University. Terrell Brown ’16 is playing for New Mexico State. Brandon Lawrence ’16 competes for St. John’s University. University of California, Santa Cruz is where Tyler Klingenbeck ’15 has taken his skills. Leilani Moncrease ’17 plays for Diablo Valley College. And Kaleigh “Pinky” Taylor ’17 calls California State University Stanislaus her home.

Basketball championships have become the standard at Moreau Catholic due in large part to the outstanding talents of Frayer, Milstead, Brown, Lawrence, and Klingenbeck. During their time as Mariners, the basketball program won five Mission Valley Athletic League Championships, three North Coast Section Championships, two Northern California State Championship, and second place at two California State Championships. Success appears to be following them onto the collegiate level. This year’s Western Athletic Conference Championship saw Brown’s New Mexico State Aggies take on the Grand Canyon University Antelopes, which included the duo of Frayer and Milstead. After a hard fought 40 minutes, Brown and the Aggies eventually prevailed over the Antelopes earning them a berth into the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Lawrence and the Red Storm of St. John’s lost in the second round of the Big East Tournament but were selected as an atlarge team into the NCAA Tournament, presenting an opportunity for two Mariners to compete for a national championship. Unfortunately, both teams were knocked out in the first round, but Moreau Catholic is immensely proud of their accomplishments.

When each of these student athletes reflect back on their time at Moreau Catholic, they attribute much of their success to the foundation they received in high school. Frayer states that

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“Moreau pushed me to work just as hard in the classroom as in basketball. This instilled a work ethic that I applied here at GCU.” Brown adds that “the education at Moreau can be really tough to handle if you don’t have the mindset. I had tutors and guidance counselors to help me throughout the years and it was a big help to get to the next level.” Much of this preparation and foundation building can be attributed to Head Coach Frank Knight and his staff. Klingenbeck states, “I was able to compete at a high level because of the mentality that Coach Knight and his staff instilled in me.” This preparation has allowed Mariners to play for collegiate coaches who have had shining professional basketball careers themselves.

Lawrence plays for basketball hall of famer and Golden State Warriors legend, Chris Mullins, while Frayer and Milstead are coached by perennial NBA all-star Dan Majerle.

While he not “Don’t be discouraged might have played if things don’t go as for major athletic originally planned. college program, Work even harder and Klingenbeck his be patient and your attributes overcoming time will come.” the adversity a recent - Leilani Moncrease ’17 of health scare to lessons he learned on the court. This past fall, while preparing for the start of his senior season at UC Santa Cruz, Klingenbeck learned he had a heart condition that required surgery. This did not stop our Mariner. He returned to his team two weeks after surgery to help the Slugs win nine out of the next ten games and earning him a spot on the All-Independent Second Team. He notes, “At the college level, the game is just as much mental as it is physical, so it’s important to be in the correct mental state if you want to perform at a high level.”

Klingenbeck learned that mindset of dedication and determination from his time at Moreau and considers his return to UCSC basketball to be the greatest accomplishment of his athletic career so far.

The Moreau Catholic girls’ program has also established a tradition of preparing young women to play collegiately. Two recent graduates of Mariner girls’ basketball are paving their own way through the college basketball ranks.

Moncrease had her heart set on a four-year

university right out of high school, but eventually decided, upon the recommendation of former girls’ basketball coach Toni West (now Associate Dean of Students), to play for Diablo Valley College, a junior college in Contra Costa County.

While this initially felt like a setback, Moncrease thanks Coach for the encouragement and calls it the best decision she ever made. To younger athletes, including her younger self, she’d say, “Don’t be discouraged if things don’t go as originally planned. Work even harder and be patient and your time will come.” And her hard work has paid off. Moncrease was named one of the best 15 players within the California Junior College ranks and received recognition by her conference as a standout performer. She averaged 14 points per game and helped lead her team to a 32-1 record, winning the California State Junior College Championship. This was the first state championship for women’s basketball at DVC, and the first state championship for DVC athletics generally in 47 years.

Taylor originally signed a letter of intent to play for Holy Names University in Oakland. During her freshman year she was awarded Hawk of the Week 4 times. However, this past summer she transferred to play for CSU Stanislaus in order to pursue her passion to study and start a career in Criminal Justice. Playing in the tough California Collegiate Athletic Conference, she averaged 8 points per game and was second on the team in rebounds. “The most valuable thing I have learned as a student athlete is: what you put in you get out,” she says.

The common thread with all of these studentathletes is the work ethic and dedication that was instilled in them during their time at Moreau Catholic. Milstead explains “Moreau not only made me a better basketball player, but it made me a better student. The academics prepared me for the rigorous studies of college.” Taylor adds, “Moreau helped build my character, to always put in more work, academically and athletically, than anyone else because when you are not working hard, someone else is always working harder.”

These alumni are balancing and excelling in their academic and athletic pursuits thanks to their perseverance and strong work-ethic that they honed during their time at Moreau Catholic High School.

- Douglas Hupke

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In January Moreau Catholic High School’s Athletic Booster Board celebrated its 50th Crab Feed dinner and auction with over 450 alumni, parents, friends, and guests in attendance. We are thankful to

our volunteers and students who gave their time in making this event a true success. One of the highlights of this year’s event was our dessert dash. We had a variety of homemade delectable sweets in which tables with the highest bid had first chance to “dash” to their favorite treat. We look forward to continuing this new tradition for years to come.

This year our caterer, Taqueria Girasol, provided our delicious dinner while our auctioneer, Scott Jennings, provided an opportunity for our guests to bid on their favorite items. We raised over $30,000 on behalf of our student athletes. We are grateful for your support and contributions. A special thanks to the Crab Feed Committee who worked tirelessly in an effort to make this an event to remember.

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Our 10th Annual Funding Hopes and Dreams Dinner and Auction was a huge success. It

was held on Thursday, November 15, 2018 at the Fremont Marriott Silicon Valley. Over 170 guests enjoyed a delicious three-course meal with vintage wine. The raffle, silent and live auctions, and Fund A Student brought in over $90,000 for our deserving students. We wish to thank our Keynote Speaker, Tony Avila ’83, Young Alumna Speaker, Khloe Heath ’14, and Auctioneer, Bob Sarlatte, for their inspiration and generous support.

Also, thank you Fremont Bank for their 10 years of supporting this annual event – our students appreciate your decade of generosity! Avila is co-founder and Managing Principal of Encore Housing Opportunity Funds, a family of $1.2 billion residential real estate private equity funds. Heath graduated from Cornell University last May with a major in Chemical Engineering and an emphasis on sustainable energy systems. Sarlatte is a San Francisco-based, nationally known commercial actor, radio and television personality, comedian, and speaker.

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Little Life Lessons and a Bounty of Blessings Alumnus shares the secrets to his success, which began during his days as a Mariner.

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ong before celebrating 44 years of marriage, the birth of his six children and 12 grandchildren, and a nearly four-decades-long career with the same employer, Douglas Uchikura ’71 attended Moreau Catholic High School, which, he says, was a blessing in itself.

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“Having the opportunity to go to Moreau was a tremendous gift in my life,” says Uchikura, who married his high school sweetheart, Maris Erwin Uchikura ’73, in 1974. The future bride and groom met when they both modeled in a school fashion show fundraiser, had their first date at the St. Bede Parish Festival, and found a faithful teacher, mentor, and friend in Brother Gary Stone, C.S.C., 2005 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. “Without question, my experiences at Moreau were transformative. It was a supportive environment and a place where I learned a bit about striving for success, but also a fair amount about humility and perseverance.”

as one of those front-of-mind pearls of wisdom in one’s life.”

Uchikura’s nephews, Jacob ’14 and Noah ’21 Zertuche, sons of Eugenio “Geno” Zertuche ’83 and Frances Erwin Zertuche ’81, followed in their uncle’s footsteps as members of the Mariners varsity baseball team. Jacob went on to play for the St. Edward’s University Hilltoppers in Austin, Texas, where he received an Academic Achievement Award from the Division II Athletics Directors Association and was named to the Heartland Conference President’s and Commissioner’s Honor

As a former student-athlete, Uchikura “experienced some of the highs and lows of sports and the lessons one takes away from those experiences.” During his senior year, he and his teammates, led

by Head Coach Rich Espicha, won the coveted Catholic Athletic League Baseball Championship. The victory marked a major milestone for Moreau’s varsity baseball program as its first-ever championship title and trophy. It is a moment that will forever remain emblazoned in Uchikura’s heart and mind.

“I remember when the team returned to campus after defeating St. Elizabeth High School in the final,” recalls third baseman Uchikura, who also played varsity and junior varsity football, ran cross country, and competed on the school’s inaugural wrestling team. “We crashed a Parent Meeting that [founding principal] Brother Fisher [Iwasko, C.S.C.] was having in the school’s auditorium, so we could present the trophy to him. You should have seen the grin on his face!”

Sometimes spotted taking a break from his busy schedule to watch the baseball team’s practices, it was Brother Fisher who taught Uchikura a life lesson in perseverance. On one particular occasion, the day after one of his practices, Uchikura was called into his office.

Holy smoke! What did I do wrong? Uchikura wondered.

“As it turned out, he had noticed that I was getting a little down on myself when I’d boot a ground ball hit my way. So, he simply wanted to message to me that I needed to stay positive, learn from mistakes, put them behind me, and move forward,” Uchikura says. “I’ve always appreciated Brother Fisher taking the time to personally boost my confidence and have tried to treat his message

Rolls. Younger brother Noah is a Principal’s Honor Roll recipient.

Indeed, Moreau is a family affair for Uchikura, whose brothers, Brian ’75 and Daryl ’76; brother-inlaw, Chris Erwin ’69; and sister-in-law, Eileen Erwin ’78, are fellow alumni.

Uchikura credits Moreau with preparing him for the next steps in his educational journey, citing the school’s holistic approach, which ultimately resulted in a strong academic foundation, increased personal growth and development, and heightened self-awareness. He continued his studies at the College of Business and Economics at California State University, East Bay, and Santa Clara University School of Law, culminating in a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Business

THE VECTOR Administration degree, and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree, followed by a State Bar of California license and an American Bar Association membership.

In 1979, while he and Maris were expecting their second child, Uchikura left his first job at a local law firm to join Chevron Corporation’s upstream division (oil and gas exploration and production).

His primary responsibilities included obtaining necessary local, state, and federal permits for onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration, development, and production activities in and near Santa Barbara County; negotiating production sharing contracts and joint operating agreements in Albania, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, the Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and Yemen; and providing policy, government, and public affairs counsel to the upstream leadership team.

“One of the first eye-openers for me was the sheer scale of the upstream portion of the business. The necessary capital investment was in numbers I simply was not at all used to dealing with (think in terms of hundreds of millions to billions of dollars),” Uchikura says of the Fortune 500 and Fortune Global 500 company. “Most people have no idea about the immense investment and level of effort required to put a gallon of gasoline in one’s tank and natural gas with which to cook and heat one’s house.”

Throughout his 37 years spent working for Chevron, Uchikura assumed a multitude of roles: Senior Counsel, General Manager, Shareholder Representative (Caspian Pipeline Consortium), Country Manager, and Deputy General Director. He was based in many parts of the world

including Poland, Russia, Turkmenistan, and the United States. From negotiating tables to public hearings, together with accountants, attorneys, engineers, geologists, and others, he represented the company in Albania, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, the Republic of the Congo, Kazakhstan, Malta, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United States, and Yemen.

“Having the opportunity to work for Chevron proved to be a tremendous blessing in my life,” Uchikura says. “I always felt privileged to work with my colleagues. They were professionals of the highest caliber and experts in their respective fields. It was also a tremendous gift to be able to experience directly so much of the world’s diversity, and often the shared human values, in the countries I visited and those in which we lived (Russia, Turkmenistan, and Poland).”

A former member and twotime chair of the Cal State East Bay Educational Foundation’s Board of Trustees, which manages development, public affairs, alumni relations, and donor stewardship activities on behalf of the university, Uchikura received Cal State East Bay’s 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Business and Economics during the fourth annual Forever Pioneer Weekend. The award—the university’s highest honor—recognizes graduates who have made remarkable contributions in the areas of community or public service, or professional or personal excellence; demonstrate a commitment to the values of the university; contribute to scholarship, lifelong learning, and civic engagement; assume positions of ethical leadership within the regional and/or

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professional communities; and provide exemplary service to, or in support of, the university.

“Of course, it was a great, yet very unexpected, honor,” says Uchikura, who has volunteered his time and talent to advise

“It was also a tremendous gift to be able to experience directly so much of the world’s diversity, and often the shared human values.”

M.B.A. students working on their capstone projects. “I greatly appreciate the recognition of my career at Chevron and service to the university that Cal State East Bay was so kind to bestow upon me.”

Uchikura served on the Moreau Catholic Board of Trustees in the 1980s. He was awarded the Moreau Catholic High School Alumni Achievement Award for Service to the School in 1991.

Now retired, sports still play a significant part in Uchikura’s life, and he is quick to poke fun at himself along the way. He plays golf (“one of the most frustrating sports of all time”), pickleball with Maris (“she’s the stronger half of our twosome”), and softball (“although my fielding range is probably as wide as my shoulders”).

Most importantly, he takes great pride and pleasure in cheering from the sidelines at his grandchildren’s baseball, basketball, flag football, and soccer games.

- Jared Scott Tesler

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Entrepreneur and Problem-Solver Extraordinaire

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hen Tanya Menendez ’06 found a gap in the manufacturing industry, she filled the void by starting her own business.

In 2012, after experiencing the trials and tribulations of an outdated sourcing process as co-owner and Chief Operating Officer of a friend’s leather goods and accessories company, Menendez co-founded Maker’s Row, an online marketplace that connects hundreds of thousands of emerging and established designers with more than 10,000 American factories and suppliers.

“I’ve always loved seeing ideas come to life. I love being able to learn new concepts quickly and having the autonomy to create new solutions to problems,” Menendez says. “Entrepreneurship teaches you resilience. It has its ups and downs, but it’s never boring.”

The social-impact entrepreneur did it again in 2018, uncovering some major flaws in the personal finance scene, when she co-founded Snowball, a first-of-its-kind online platform that takes the guesswork out of managing personal finances and building generational wealth, with features that include a complimentary personalized

recommendation engine and affordable one-onone financial coaching via calls and chat.

“Creating wealth should be as easy as creating debt—and I’m excited to make that happen!” says Menendez, a former operations expert at Google and Goldman Sachs.

The business ventures have been creating quite a buzz for Menendez, a first-generation college student, who graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, San Diego. Earning her bachelor’s degree in just three years, she studied technology and its socioeconomic impacts on rural economies, participated in the Mexican Migration Field Research Program, and co-authored a chapter, “The Economics of Migration: Agriculture, Remittances, and Investment,” in Migration from the Mexican Mixteca: A Transnational Community in Oaxaca and California, which was named an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice, a publishing unit of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association.

Nearly a decade later, Menendez contributed

THE VECTOR the foreword to Illinois Congresswoman Robin Kelly’s 2018 Kelly Report: The New American Dream, which details how strategic investments in young adults, mature workers, our nation’s educational infrastructure, urban and rural communities, manufacturing, and the digital sector will create jobs, foster opportunities, reduce inequality, and empower all families to live their American Dream.

ideas and perspectives at the international nonprofit research institute and think tank’s public events, policy roundtables, leadership seminars, and other convenings. Most recently, Menendez was honored, by UC President Janet Napolitano, at the University of California’s Remarkable Women reception, organized by the President’s Advisory Committee on the Status of Women.

Since its founding, Maker’s Row has garnered national attention from countless media outlets, including Adweek, CNBC, CNN, Fashionista, Fox News, Inc., IndustryWeek, Inventors Digest, Latina, MarketWatch, MSN, The New York Times, Nightly Business Report, NPR’s All Tech Considered, Smithsonian, Wired, Women’s Wear Daily, and Yahoo! Finance.

She has even made appearances in books such as America’s Moment: Creating Opportunity in the Connected Age, with a preface by Zoë Baird, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Markle Foundation, and Leapfrog: The New Revolution for Women Entrepreneurs by Nathalie Molina Niño, Chief Executive Officer of BRAVA Investments and co-founder of Entrepreneurs@Athena at the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College.

“It’s a huge honor to have been recognized by institutions that I admire,” says Menendez.

“I’m most excited to inspire more women from all backgrounds to take the leap into entrepreneurship.”

Menendez herself has been named to the Forbes “30 Under 30” list and is credited as one of the “Most Powerful Latinas”

by People en Español, “Coolest People in New York Tech” and “28 Extraordinary Women in New York Tech” by Business Insider, “25 Makers Who Are Reinventing the American Dream” by Popular Mechanics, “Hot 30 Movers and Shakers of New York City’s Startup Scene”

by Entrepreneur, and “30 Under 30 Makers + Shakers” by Brit + Co. She was selected as a Ricardo Salinas Scholar by the Aspen Institute, granting her the opportunity to share her

She also received one of seven inaugural Hispanic Executive and Entrepreneur Awards—among the likes of celebrated Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and Nina García, editor-in-chief of Elle magazine and Project Runway judge—from Crain’s New York Business. “I’m most excited to inspire more women from all backgrounds to take the leap into entrepreneurship.”

Menendez, who is of Salvadoran and Nicaraguan descent, accomplishes this through a wide range of speaking engagements and mentoring opportunities. Past venues have included People en Español’s Most Powerful Women conference, Harvard University’s Latina Empowerment & Development Conference, the Athena Center for Leadership

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Studies at Barnard College’s Entrepreneurs-in-Training program for enterprising high

school girls, and the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Summer Institute.

Moreau Catholic High School’s very own Michelle Dwyer (English), John Flaaten (track and field), Gary Gongwer (social studies, Technology & Media Arts), David Prisk (English), Peter Francis Shelley (Director of Holy Cross Mission, Saint Andre Program, theology), and Philip Wilder (social studies, cross country, track and field) served as sources of inspiration for a teenage Menendez. “I had a transformative experience at Moreau,” she recalls. “Several of my teachers and coaches were mentors, and I loved the sense of community I had at Moreau.”

Now 30 years old, the future looks bright for Menendez, who plans to keep making her mark on the world—and encouraging others to do so as well. “I see myself continuing to build products and solutions to problems I see in the world,” she says. Her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? “Start as soon as possible: Take the first step today toward making your idea a reality.”

- Jared Scott Tesler

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GREETINGS FELLOW CLASSMATES Reflections from the Class of 1969

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ow! We are the ‘Class of 69’...back when people still knew who Willie Mays was (is).

My kind of people. I am really looking forward to seeing all of you, God willing, at our upcoming reunion.

Those of us who have made it here today, have obviously moved the needle a long way on the life expectancy line. Yet, it seems like only yesterday, in a class we had with Mr. Belk, our well beloved classmate, John Walsh, posed this question, in a somewhat whiney tone, “Mr. Belk, when will our ‘graduation day’ ever get here? It is taking so long. I am ready to move on from high school!” I remember clearly Mr. Belk’s response, “John, what is your hurry? Don’t wish your time away. Enjoy it now. Graduation day will get here soon enough.”

Well, indeed it did come and go, and only days after, John Walsh was dead, the victim of a tragic motorcycle accident. Other schoolmates also died young among us, leaving us with some sobering thoughts, and the age old question, “What is the purpose of life?”

The reason I came to Moreau was because my parents, strong in their faith, always wanted me to get a Catholic education. Although, they struggled to pay my tuition fees, I was able to get that education at both the elementary and high school levels. I learned early on to ‘cling to Christ’ for all my needs, in good times and bad. This act helped me to understand better our real purpose in life, and enabled me to respond confidently to these types of questions as posed above.

Let me expound on that some here. Fortunately, we, the class of ’69, were still part of an age when Catholic education was provided mainly by brothers and nuns, with a few priests tossed in as well. By their vocations and religious lives, they knew what they were talking about. They were good role models, as we observed them living life with a purpose; lives of sacrifice, prayer and fasting, while giving up family life and all the things money could buy. They freely chose to stay focused on the Gospel message that “what we do here matters somewhere else” as in accordance with all of Jesus’s teachings. Furthermore, they humbly picked up their crosses and worked among us, hoping and trusting that they could inspire us to a similar world view of serving others while striving to live holier lives, married, single, or religious.

I fully believe that my ongoing religion classes and related subjects at Moreau helped form me well. While I was on the golf team and activities committee, the favorite club I belonged to was the CCD Teachers. We got to go out on weekends to nearby parishes and teach catechism to kids from public schools.

I found the kids eager to learn what we had to share. I wanted them to come to know, as I did, that getting a solid Catholic Faith foundation, with Jesus as the lynch-pin, was of most importance for their (our) future above anything else life offered here.

My great faith foundation was put to the test, rather put to use, immediately after my graduation from Moreau. I entered the U.S. Armed Forces and began training for the Vietnam War, with many of my friends who were pulled in by the draft law of our day. My father, a WWII Vet himself, advised me to simply pray daily, that the Lord would guard me from any situation that would end up as “kill or be killed.” My prayers were answered, and my overall experience was not tragic, rather most uplifting as I went on to be trained as a medical corpsman.

I served in the Navy, the Marines, and the Army during my four year stint of duty, which all proved beneficial to my future, after the bombs ceased to drop, and the last bullet was fired. (That is another whole story I would be happy to share some time).

So, I leave you with these few thoughts on how my schooling at Moreau helped keep me strong in my Catholic roots: remembering how blessed we were for all the many Brothers and fine staff who worked hard in helping us understand better, our real purpose of life.

See you all soon.

O

- Dave Antonelli

ver the years I never spent much time thinking about high school or even college.

The dual challenges of work and raising a family consumed most of my thinking. But now that the

THE VECTOR 50th anniversary of our high school graduation is nearing, I’ve been giving more thought to Moreau and the impact it had on my life.

I actually began my freshman year at John F. Kennedy High School in Fremont. Like Moreau, Kennedy was a brand new school that got its start in 1965. Unlike Moreau, however, Kennedy was a turnkey operation with a sprawling suburban campus, four coeducational grade levels, an innovative approach to the scheduling of classes and study periods, and a full complement of athletic programs and other extracurricular activities. And most important, I could walk to school with other students from my neighborhood.

After six weeks at Kennedy, my parents informed me that I would be transferring to Moreau.

Attending Moreau would be a financial burden for my family and my mother would have to join a carpool of other Moreau moms in Fremont in order to drive us to and from school. In spite of these hardships, my parents were determined that I should go to Moreau.

I wasn’t opposed to changing schools. I had grown up attending mostly public schools and the opportunity to attend a private, all-boys, Catholic high school seemed appealing, even prestigious.

Once I settled in at St. Bede Elementary School, where our first year of instruction would take place, I began to have second thoughts about what my parents had done. Not only were we in a grammar school setting, after Kennedy, I felt like I had literally returned to grammar school. And with no female students to ameliorate classroom misbehavior, my conduct regressed to about the level of a fourth grader. This did not go unnoticed by my teachers and soon I was spending time after school in detention, which meant that I missed my carpool home and my mother had to make an unplanned trip to Hayward to pick me up. She was not happy.

The following year we moved to our shiny new campus on Mission Blvd. Finally, it felt like I was in high school again. The number of faculty had increased dramatically, along with the selection of course offerings and student activities. A new freshman class also had arrived at Moreau, bringing added energy and enthusiasm to our campus. Moreau clearly was on the move.

Moreover, there was regular public bus service from Moreau to Fremont. Thus, on days when I had to serve detention, I could get home on my own without triggering a new family crisis.

My most memorable high school experience, by far, would begin to take shape during my junior year. Moreau’s German teacher and wrestling

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coach, Mr. Dan Barrett, was organizing a foreign study trip to Austria that would be hosted by the University of Salzburg the following summer in 1968. The chance to study in Salzburg appealed to me immediately and after several months I earned enough money working on weekends to pay for my trip expenses. My brother Pat ’70 and my good friend Bill Mariani ’69 also went on the trip, as well as several students Mr. Barrett recruited from other high schools in the East Bay. I had already completed three immersion trips to Mexico to do volunteer work as part of a City of Fremont goodwill mission. I had no idea, though, how magical our trip to Salzburg would be. The trip was made even more special by Mr. Barrett, who I had not known previously. Mr. Barrett’s easy manner and ability to relate to us on an individual basis made the trip, which was a first-time venture for him in leading a student group abroad, an unforgettable experience.

After the excitement of studying in Europe, my final year at Moreau seemed uneventful. Sadly, Mr. Barrett did not return to Moreau and my focus turned to getting into college. My senior-year English class, however, proved to be one of the most influential courses I took while at Moreau.

Thanks to Brother John Perron’s heroic efforts, we learned how to write an expository essay.

What I learned from Brother John stayed with me in college and throughout my career when written reports to senior management and other stakeholders had to be short and to the point.

With our 50th anniversary approaching, I’ve wondered how my life might have changed had I not gone to Moreau, had I remained at Kennedy where I could walk to school with my neighborhood friends. It’s impossible to know what might have happened. But the rigorous academic education I received at Moreau made it possible for me to gain admittance to, and graduate from, a four-year university. In addition, the ethical values I acquired, that are a core component of a Moreau education, guided my decision-making later in life, especially at those times when doing the right thing was not easy or politically popular.

So in retrospect, I believe my parents were right all along—Moreau really was the best school for me.

- Mike O’Neil

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ALUMNI REUNION CALENDAR Contact: Diana (Straggas) DeFrance ’76 at ddefrance@moreaucatholic.org

Moreau High School Mariner Band and Color Guard Reunion

Saturday, June 22, 2019 (Classes 1980 - 1986) Gary Gilroy Era at Moreau Catholic High School - Ivaldi Student Center. Special guest appearances by Dena and Gary Gilroy Chairs: Gina Antonini ’83 - 510.415.1656 Allison McCrossen ’83 - 916.759.3500

Class of 1974 and 1975 Reunion

Saturday, August 3, 2019 at McGrail Vineyards in Livermore. They are inviting the members from the Class of 1976 to attend if those alumni would like to join the fun!

Contacts: Teri Menchini ’74 - teri@laboccafina.com or 510.825.0212 Vickie (Bryan) Bottero ’75 - vickiebottero@gmail. com or 925.381.7861

Class of 1979 40th Reunion Saturday, August 17, 2019 Location to be determined.

Chairs: Tim O’Bayley ’79 Jim Hodgkins ’79

1970 Football Team Reunion

Friday, October 25, 2019 Moreau Catholic High School - President’s Patio Chairs: Ray Hall ’71 - rhall@pmbllc.com Greg Palin ’71 - gbpalin@msn.com Kevin Sweeney ’72 - kevin@cpask.com Doug Uchikura ’71 - deuchikura@gmail.com

Class of 1983 at their 35th Reunion (2018).

If you would like to help plan the following reunions, please contact a committee member.

Class of 1969 50th Reunion

Chairs: Dave Donnan ’69 - dave@davedonnan.com or 530.570.5847 Patrick Gallagher ’69 - jeeppat@netzero.com or 510.439.8880 Dan Morrison ’69 - danmo51@aol.com or 510.364.5384

Class of 1984 35th Reunion

Chairs: Joselyn Yuson ’84 - jyuson@yahoo.com Ed Lara ’84 - edlara@sbcglobal.net

Class of 1989 30th Reunion Chair: Christina Laudani ’89 925.570.1369

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Alumni Special Events Mass of Gratitude May 5, 2019 Baccalaureate Mass and Reception May 24, 2019

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Andrew Davis ’71 was ordained a permamnet deacon for the Dioceses of San Angelo, Texas.

Jennifer (Magpayo) Alderete ’98 and her husband Christopher welcomed their fouth child, Thomas Christopher on January 21, 2019.

Band Reunion June 22, 2019

Class of 1979 40th Reunion Location TBD August 17, 2019 Mariner Day at Oakland Coliseum San Francisco Giants vs. Oakland Athletics August 24, 2019 Alumni Law Day October 12, 2019 Homecoming and 1970 Football Reunion October 25, 2019 MCHS Open House November 2, 2019 11th Annual Funding Hopes and Dreams Dinner Fremont Marriott November 15, 2019 Young Alumni Breakfast (Classes 2004 - 2019) December 20, 2019 Booster Crab Feed January 25, 2020 Alumni Baseball Reunion February 8, 2020 Alumni Softball Reunion Softball Larry Standley Field, Hayward February 22, 2020 Mass of Gratitude May 3, 2020 All events held on campus unless otherwise noted.

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Mariner Waves

Moreau Catholic Golf Classic Sequoyah Country Club June 10, 2019

Classes of 1974 and 1975 Combo Reunion McGrail Vineyards in Livermore August 3, 2019

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Benjamin Greenbaum ’00 and Katie (Hansen) Greenbaum ’08 were married on July 15th at St. Clement Church by Rev. Rolando Bartolay and Fr. Bruce Cecil, C.S.C. They had five Moreau Catholic alumni in the wedding party: Ann Lenore Kilzer ’08, Kevin Hannon ’08, Nic Martinez ’98, Cameron Clark ’99, Mike Harris ’00.

Their musicians/cantors were also Mariners: Ian Santilliano ’14, Angela Busgano ’15, and Justin Firmeza ’20. Their reception was at Wedgewood San Ramon (San Ramon Golf Club).

In Memoriam Mary Ann Baptist Joe D’Assis Jean Paul DeFrance Patti Gularte James A. Hansen Andrei Ingalla ’91 Ron Maciel ’71 Sandra Meekins Fr. Paul Minnihan ’84 George W. Morrison Stan Okon Mark Pepe ’98 Gilbert Puccini Sr. Ann Marguerite Souza Robert Swartz Nicholas Velasquez Kip Wixson

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BEYOND THE VECTOR Scholar-Athletes Chosen as Graduation Speakers

Please join us in congratulating Ryan Sathianathen and Evan Mao on their selection to be the Class of 2019’s Valedictorian and Salutatorian! Ryan and Evan were chosen from a wonderful pool of applicants based on outstanding academic achievement, contributions to our school community, and speeches they wrote and delivered to the selection committee.

Dream Coalition – St. Francis Black History Event

On February 20th, members of the D.R.E.A.M Coalition visited our sister school St. Francis High School in Mountain View for a Black History Speakers Series. Dr. Donald Grant, a Clinical Psychologist, and Diversity/Inclusion Practitioner spoke to the attendees about allyship, advocacy and shifting culture on school campuses.

Students Launch Organization to Support Nonprofits

Nicholas Chan ’19 and four other Moreau seniors recently launched a nonprofit organization – Project: Website – to provide other small nonprofits with free website development services. Chan was inspired to launch his organization in his junior year when he helped a local nonprofit build its own website as part of his capstone project.

Facebook.com/MoreauCatholicHighSchool

Twitter.com/MoreauCatholic

Instagram.com/MoreauCatholic

Youtube.com/MoreauCatholicHS

M OREAU Catholic High School Golf Classic Benefiting the Brother Gary Stone, CSC, Scholarship Fund

MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 Sequoyah Country Club 4550 Heafey Road Oakland, CA 94605

For the past 36 years, Moreau Catholic High School hosted its annual golf classic to raise funds to benefit the Brother Gary Stone, CSC, Scholarships, which are awarded to several students from each grade for their academic achievements.

The tournament brings together members of the board of trustees, alumni, parents of alumni, and current students, faculty, staff and members of the school community for a full day of fun and camaraderie.

Brother Gary Stone, CSC began teaching at Moreau Catholic High School in 1970 and held a variety of leadership roles, including vice principal. In 1979, Brother Gary passed away from cancer. Hundreds of alumni from the 1970s spoke of him as being one of their favorite teachers.

If you are interested in joining the golf committee, securing sponsorships or raffle items, please contact: Diana (Straggas) DeFrance ’76 at ddefrance@moreaucatholic.org.

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Support Our Student Artists

By Sponsoring a Seat in Teves Theatre

Honor your family, celebrate a friend, or memorialize a loved one with a gold plate on a seat in the Teves Theatre.

To sponsor a seat, contact Colleen Kelly: ckelly@moreaucatholic.org or go online to www.moreaucatholic.org/give/teves-theatre-nameplate Premier Seat Sponsor $750 Rows 1-3, Center

Priority Seat Sponsor $500 Rows 4-8, Center

Mariners, We Would Love to

HEAR FROM YOU!

House Seat Sponsor $350

Detach this form and mail to: Moreau Catholic High School Alumni Office, Diana (Straggas) DeFrance ’76 27170 Mission Blvd.

Hayward, California 94544

Your fellow Mariners are interested in reading about what you are doing. Please use this form to keep your classmates and other Moreau Catholic friends up-to-date on the activities in your life. Send us news about career moves, publications, additions to your family, awards, etc. We especially welcome wedding, baby and group gathering photos.

You can also email your news to: Diana DeFrance at ddefrance@moreaucatholic.org. or update your information online at www.moreaucatholic.org/AlumniKeepInTouch

Full Name ________________________ Maiden Name __________________________ Zip________________ Class Year __________ Occupation ____________________Employer _________________________________ Street Address _____________________________________________________________________________ City ______________________ State ________________________ Zip ________________________________ Home Phone _______________________ Email __________________________________________________ News _____________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________

27170 Mission Boulevard Hayward, CA 94544-4194 Change Service Requested

NON-PROFIT ORG US Postage PAID HAYWARD, CA PERMIT NO. 851

MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OUR STUDENTS Whatever your passion — academics, athletics, campus ministry, visual and performing arts — your planned gift benefits both you and our students.

To learn more about including Moreau Catholic High School in your estate plan, please contact Advancement Director Doug Hupke at 510.881.4305 or email dhupke@moreaucatholic.org.