The Vector - Spring/Summer 2020

Spring/Summer 2020

FOR THE MOREAU CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

OUR MISSION

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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SCHOOL NEWS

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VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS

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GRADUATION

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ALUMNI

FEATURES

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BECAUSE WE KNEW YOU

ART IN THE TIME OF COVID

ALWAYS HOPEFUL

MARINER HEROES

After 39 years at Moreau Catholic, Phil Wilder finally graduates.

Visual Art students document and deal with quarantive through art.

Valedictorian, Simer Shera, and Salutatorian, Maria Charles, reflect on their most unusual graduation.

MCHS alumni who have been on the frontlines of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic share their experiences.

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BOLD MOVES FORWARD The class of 2020 graduates amid mountains of uncertainty, but Amari Bouyer (Cover) and Anya Khatri (Opposite) remind this graduating class with their cap designs to keep making bold moves forward. See more from this special graduation celebration on page 28.

EDITOR Elizabeth (Morales) Zepeda ’03

FOR THE MOREAU CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

MOREAUCATHOLIC.ORG Comments or suggestions for The Vector are welcome. Email us at communications@ moreaucatholic.org

DESIGN EDITOR Timothy Chaparro CONTRIBUTORS Kristie Alejo ’15 Paolo Canuto ’14 Diana (Straggas) DeFrance ’76 Erica Escalante

PHOTOGRAPHY Paolo Canuto ’14 Timothy Chaparro Dominic Earney ’22 Don Feria ’95 Kainoa Lee ’20 Still Light Studios Jonathan Tesfa ’21 Screenshots submitted by Moreau Catholic faculty

THE VECTOR is published three times a year by Moreau Catholic High School • 27170 Mission Boulevard •Hayward, CA 94544 510.881.4300

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Mariners, BE BOLD is proudly displayed on the cover of this edition of The Vector, and it sums up the hard work, perseverance, emotional struggles, and Mariner pride of our 2020 graduates. They had no idea that March 12, 2020 would be their last day together on campus, and that most of the anticipated and beloved traditions of senior year would be cancelled. But they took it all in stride, as best they could, and finished strong. They were bold in finding their voices to speak out in support of Black Lives Matter and put on a virtual presentation to inform and show solidarity. They are a remarkable class that will never forget their senior year of high school—these events will shape their lives, and we hope, make our world a better place when they take on the mantle of leadership in the future. Congratulations to the Class of 2020! We love you and wish you all the best in college, career, and life!

We are so proud to share this issue of The Vector with you, as it showcases our students and our alumni in the context of their achievements, before and during the pandemic. The talented artists and athletes, scholars and social justice warriors are all celebrated and respected in our community. We know there are so many great stories out there in our alumni community. Perhaps this issue will inspire you to share your story, or the story of one of your classmates, that we can feature in our future editions.

As I mentioned in our last issue, the projects around campus have been completed and look great! When it is safe to do so, we welcome you to see our newly-renovated Main Gym at a volleyball or basketball game this year. Our award-winning Dance Program, under the direction of Angela Demmel, gained a bit more space to rehearse in their studio with the expansion of the dance floor. And the clocks, tones, and public address system has gone completely digital with the replacement of our original systems. We continue to work on our new HVAC system, and expect progress on that during this upcoming school year.

This year we also celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Brothers of Saint Joseph by Father Jacques Dujarie.

These Brothers became the Brothers of Holy Cross when Father Dujarie asked Blessed Father Moreau to take over for him as their leader due to declining health. The same Brothers that sponsor our school, and founded our school in 1965, draw their lineage back to 1820. We honor and celebrate the work of the Brothers of Holy Cross, in their sponsorship of Moreau Catholic and their work around the United States and all over the world. Happy anniversary Brothers!

Finally, I am so grateful to the hundreds of parents, alumni, students, and friends who supported tuition assistance and scholarships over the past few months. These financial gifts have made a tremendous difference to the roughly 30% of our students who need assistance to continue their education at Moreau. You are treasured and appreciated!

God bless you all, take care of each other, and Go Mariners!

Terry Lee President

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A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR To meet the novelty of all that has happened since March—a global pandemic, worldwide protests against police brutality, and the uncertainty of what our “new normal” will be—this edition of the Vector will forgo some of the traditional elements of graduation editions past.

We seek to authentically document this moment in our school’s history. Instead of smiling groups of graduates among throngs of supporters outside of the Paramount Theatre, you will see grads and their families wearing masks around our campus. Rather than the usual alumni Waves, we have honored some of our alumni who have been on the frontlines of COVID-19. Screenshots of virtual “classrooms” replace joyful photos of end of the year festivities.

Through all this, however, our Mariners continued to Bring Hope in the form of a student lead teach-in regarding the importance of Black Lives and faculty who have diligently created community resources. In times of strife, Mariners continue to prove that they are resilient, resourceful, passionate, and, above all, hopeful of a better, brighter tomorrow.

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Understand Our Voices:

MCHS Teach-In with Student Leaders Being in shelter in place didn’t stop our Mariners from seizing a teachable moment. On June 29th, Social Justice Leaders Mahda Fallay ’21 (below), Teri Beasley ’21 (right), and Anya Mosby ’21 (bottom left), in partnership with Associate Dean of Sudents, Toni West (bottom right) and other student leaders, spoke to the Mariner community about the Black Lives Matter movement during a live, virtual broadcast that included spoken word, personal anecdotes, rarely told Black history, prayer, song, and a question/comment session.

Moreau Catholic released a statement in support of Black Lives, which was supplemented by a statement written by student leaders. However, many of those same student leaders felt the urgency in taking it one step further. Senit Ghile ’21 led the coordination of this teach-in.

About the importance of such an educational event, Anaya shared, “Individuals can only be held accountable for what they know, and once given knowledge, it’s on them to decide what they do with it. I hope that after hearing from [us] people were inspired to become better advocates and allies.” Teri agreed, poignantly adding, “[T]he main motivation for organizing this event [was] to uplift Black voices and share with the community on how they can take action. This event has given me confidence in speaking on racial issues and has allowed for me to voice that my brown skin should not be a reason for killing me.”

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If Everyone Talks About Diversity, Why Do I Feel Left Out? Neha Mandhani ’20 (with Ruchi Kamboj ’20, not pictured)

TEDxMoreauCatholicHS:

THIS IS ME

The third annual TEDxMoreauCatholicHS event took place on March 5, 2020. This year’s theme was “THIS IS ME,” which celebrated diverse stories through the voices of our students. The event explored identity and how to use the gift of being YOU to change the world. They were joined by keynote speakers Thomas Awiapo during the day time talks and Asha Sudra in the evening.

As always, our Mariners tackled big topics including the public defender crisis, multiculturalism, societal beauty standards, machismo in Latinx culture, women in leadership, mental health, being LGBTQ and Catholic, and more. Social Justice coordinator, Jerico Abanico, shares, “It was amazing and inspiring to see our students use the TEDx platform to share who they are and how they can change the world...

These students are changing hearts and minds each day!”

Ending Injustice: The Public Defender Crisis Aidan Arnold Galati ’20

The “Key” to Great Artistry Justin Firmeza ’20

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The Implausible Ideal of Asian Beauty Clarissa Guevarra ’20

TEDx speakers, hosts, and organizers with evening keynote speaker, ASHA (front, center)

Mental Health Deserves More Than a Week Fiana Yeh ’20

Complex Contradictions Adan Nevel ’20

Living Between Two Worlds Angel Graybeal ’20

Closing the Gap Between the LGBT Community and the Catholic Church Vincent Mascarenas ’20

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EMPTY CLASSROOMS, NON-STOP LEARNING On Thursday, March 12, 2020, Moreau Catholic became the first high school in the Oakland Diocese to voluntarily close the campus and immediately implement distance learning as a precautionary measure to the COVID-19 pandemic. While other schools in the area soon followed, many were not able to implement distance learning as quickly or efficiently as MCHS. Some schools took nearly three weeks after the shelter-in-place order from Gov. Gavin Newson to implement distance learning, but thanks to the hard work of our faculty and administration, Mariners only missed one day of instruction.

By leveraging all of our educational technology as well as our strong relationships with students to stay true to our mission, we were able to have much success with distance learning for the end of the Spring semester without sacrificing academic rigor. Acknowledging the anxiety and uncertainty that permeates all our lives, and actively working to maintain structure, normalcy, connection, and community with our students, we expect it to go just as well at the start of the Fall.

Parents, students, and community members have praised Moreau Catholic for these efforts. Dean Barnes ’92, father of a current Mariner as well as a rising 8th grader in Dublin, wrote to Dr. Guneratne to say, “Moreau’s handling of the situation and preparation to move to distance learning is impressive...without a doubt, Moreau has got it together. Thank you for that!”

Undoubtedly, this is a challenging time for teachers and students everywhere, but the Moreau Catholic family has risen to the challenge. Faculty have praised the students for their adaptability throughout this hardship, and students in return have felt loved and supported. Kristen Parker, Visual Art teacher, shares, “Students really do want to learn and are determined to show up as best they can in this new space.” Dave Prisk, English, adds, “I have been nothing but impressed by the earnestness with which so many Moreau students seem to be working to claim their education in this moment of hardship and to make the distance model we’ve implemented effective instructional time for them. It’s very clear to me that Mariners absolutely want to be partners in creating instructional experiences that work for them, offering themselves to that challenge with humility, honesty, and respect...I have also been reminded how much students’ educational success depends on fostering their emotional health, staying mindfully connected to their needs and realities.”

It has not been easy, as the ever optimistic Fr. Bruce reminds us: “It’s not always perfect, requires some patience and perseverance, but we are making it work.

We’re all in this together!” We are proud of the way our Mariners are handling this unprecedented situation. As a Mariner family, we understand that these adjustments, though moderately inconvenient, are necessary for the health and safety of our community. We pray everyday for those on the front lines of this pandemic, and we continue to work hard with the hope that in doing so we are doing our part to bring our community hope.

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BUILDING RENOVATIONS Our facilities received a much needed face lift this summer.

After more than 50 years without major improvements, the main gym got a paint job, new acoustic material, floor refinishing, new lines and athletic logo painted, and new bleachers.

The weight room also got an upgrade thanks to the fundraising initiated by the 1970 football team—the first football team in Moreau history. The old wrestling mats were removed and replaced with flooring to expand the weight room to both sides.

Soon, the whole space will be filled with weightlifting equipment.

Lastly, the dance studio got an expansion of the dance floor with the removal of what was once the raised altar of the former chapel.

New mirrors will be added to make the length of the room usable dancing space.

We thank our maintenance crew for their hard work in sprucing up our building as we prepare with much hope to return to campus

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Head Librarian, Jessica Simons (pictured right with her husband, Ray), has spent much of her time in quarantine 3D printing face shields for donation to medical personnel. She worked with Emergency Design Collective to print and distribute hundreds of masks that were given to the Eden Area Interfaith Council, the United Healthcare Workers Union, and a Fremont hospital (nurses from said hospital are pictured far right wearing shields made by Simons). For her efforts, she received the Multiplying Good: One in a Million Award in recognition of her “generous, kind, and heroic service to others.”

Physics teacher, Michael Tobler, is currently working with a group of science educators and college students, led

by Dr. David Rakestraw of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, to develop and refine physics activities that can enhance distance learning.

The experiments the team are developing take advantage of the powerful sensors on smartphones to allow for incredibly accurate data collection.

Lab equipment is expensive, and most schools can only afford to have one piece of equipment for every four to six students. However, since 95% of people have a relatively new smartphone equipped with these excellent sensors, this makes doing experiments accessible for most students to do from anywhere, including in their homes. “This is a way for every student to be engaged in the experimental process of gathering data, so it’s not just one person doing the lab and everyone writes down the results...everyone is able to get data,” says Tobler.

The team’s plan is to make these activities widely available for free

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COMMUNITY MINDED FACULTY to educators, and Tobler is currently working on a shell for the Canvas Learning Management Platform to make it easier for teachers to drop these activities into their lessons for physics students at any level.

Tobler says that this creates the opportunity for doing what he calls “flipped labs” where “students do the lab at home then come in and talk about the data in class,” a particularly useful set up for this time of distance learning.

If you would like to access the activities this team has been developing, you can visit https:// st.llnl.gov/sci-ed/distance-learning.

HOLY CROSS EDUCATORS OF THE YEAR Ka re n T h omas

Rookie Ye ar: Position: V 2010 isual Art Teache r; VAPA Dep artment Chair; Link Crew Coordinat or

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Career Hig hlights: “Her mag netic ener gy attract all...with he s the a r jokes and enthusiasm ttention of “She emb .” odies all fo ur key valu Educating es of More Hearts and au.

Minds by individualit inspiring y. Building Respect b model on y how respec b t is not one eing a role Hope by b eing there si for every st ded. Bringing needs her. udent who And Being Family by loving our embracing unique se lves.” and

2020 Holy Cross Educ ators of th e Year

Rookie Ye ar: Position: C 2011 haplain; Theology Teacher; Assistant Water Polo Coach; Ass istant Mock Tria l Coach

Career Hig hlights: “He helped me feel go od when I restore my felt bad, he confidence lped when I felt “He’s alwa excluded.” ys friendly , and greet with a sm s everyone ile...A simp le smile ca someone’s n really ch day...that’s ange inspiring.”

“He’s taug ht me kind ness and to talk to to not be people. To afraid be myself and to em in every si brace tha tuation t.”

“He’s a ra y of sunshi ne . He’s alwa always wa ys happy nts to talk and .”

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Because We Knew You In an empty classroom, in a nearly empty school, Mr. Phil Wilder sits alone in front of his virtual Zoom classroom awaiting to begin his final day of teaching at Moreau Catholic High School. He sits in room D09, his original classroom from 1981. Back then the room held 42 students with only 40 chairs and no desks. The room, which faces the east, becomes a hot box with the afternoon sun, but on this late spring morning, it is cool and quiet.

He greets each student by name as they “enter” the classroom. “Good morning Jacob!” “Hey there ‘Captain’ Kirk, you ready for the AP test?” “G’morning Sunny, Sophie, Dolores, Dwayne - Big Time!” Students in this American Law and Justice Class share some highlights from their research projects as Mr. Wilder listens intently, interjecting from time to time with a story or one of his famous puns. “I researched insanity pleas as a defense…” “That’s crazy!” says the king of dad jokes. By the end of the 85 minute class, one student initiates a round of applause for Mr. Wilder, to which he humbly responds “You don’t know how much I learn from you.”

That is Phil Wilder to a T. Never one to take too much credit, always willing to share the spotlight.

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“So much of me/Is made of what I learned from you/You’ll be with me/Like a handprint on my heart” - Elphaba, “For Good” from Wicked moreaucatholic.org |

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THE ULTIMATE SENIOR After 39 years at Moreau Catholic, Phil made the choice to finally graduate (not retire!) along with the class of 2020. True to form, he did not want a big send off party, so in some ways being in shelter in place during the COVID-19 pandemic allows for the quiet ending he wished for. Even so, Principal Dr. Liz Guneratne wasn’t going to let him go without celebration. She conferred an honorary diploma on Phil in a surprise ceremony complete with regalia, pomp, and circumstance.

During his final day of teaching, one of Phil’s US History students said, “Mr. Wilder, you’re like the ultimate senior, right?” It’s a playful taunt that also embodies Phil’s philosophy

of teaching that he is always learning from his students and colleagues. Mock Trial team member, Leya Parial ’22, agrees: “Mr. Wilder was the person who taught me there’s no such thing as failure, but simply learning experiences.”

Over nearly four decades, Phil has taught Social Studies classes, coached Cross Country and Mock Trial, and been an inspiration to thousands of students and faculty alike. In 2019, he was honored with the

Empire Mock Trial William Hennessy Outstanding Educator Award. The award is given to an educator who instills the values of respect, appreciation, kindness, and dedication in their mock trial students.

LEAVING A LEGACY The Moreau Catholic Mock Trial team is one of the most highly decorated MCHS teams in recent years due in large part to Phil’s passion and dedication, which, according to Tanishq Babel ’20, “have been the pillars that have held the mock trial team together.”

Tanishq lovingly adds, “He is a generous, caring, and compassionate person with an infectious smile!”

Phil leaves behind a thriving law program that consists of a highly competitive Mock Trial program, an annual Law Day, a robust network of MCHS alumni in law and law enforcement, a week-long summer Mock Trial summer camp for middle school students, and the Scrimmage

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for Champions, which brings mock trial teams from other schools to compete on the Moreau Catholic campus. But his legacy will live not in just the programs he built, but in the people whose lives he touched.

At the end of the year faculty and staff virtual meeting, his colleagues had nothing but praise to share about him. Some words they used to describe him were: mentor, role model, friend, scholar, gentleman, and a class act who is genuine, thoughtful, honest, and down to earth. Theology department chair, James Hannon ’02, shares, “One thing that inspires me as a teacher is the way [he sees] greatness in people that don’t see greatness in themselves.” This is a sentiment shared by another Mock Trial student, Narayah Aloo ’20: “He fought for me to see confidence within myself even when I couldn’t. He’s made me feel proud of everything I say and speak my mind.”

Phil is an educator who new and experienced teachers alike look to for advice and guidance. Bob Parker, who founded the Mock Trial team back in 2005, shares, “I’ve always told anyone that’ll listen that when I grow up I want to be like Phil Wilder. I don’t know if I’m ever gonna grow up, but I still want to be like Phil, as a teacher, as a father, as a person.”

Social Studies teacher Sarah Ledford adds, “Coming to Moreau three years ago as my first year teaching, I went in and observed his class a bunch and I remember taking notes like ‘Do everything he does!’”

feel really good. I knew this was gonna be hard because what you’re gonna miss, you don’t know. It’s been such a part of me.” He looks forward to spending time with his wife, Jessica, and when it is once again safe to do so, they hope to travel to Bordeaux, France and to Toronto, Canada where he can obtain citizenship thanks to his father’s Canadian citizenship.

Those who have spent any amount of time with Phil know that he likes to tell stories to illustrate his thoughts and feelings. In this moment, he shares how his daughter, Kayla ’13, introduced him to the world of musical theatre and he begins to play “For Good” from the musical Wicked on his phone. This is the song he would have liked to dedicate to his colleagues at his retirement, nay, graduation party if the circumstances had been different. As the song plays, his eyes get misty, but his smile never falters. “If we can cry it means we have to have laughed a lot at the same time,” he says. For those unfamiliar, the song ends with the words “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”

Thank you, Phil. It is we who have known you who have been changed for the better.

CHANGED FOR GOOD Though Phil could have blessed any school with his presence, likely making more money at a public school, he chose Moreau Catholic stating, “There were things here that called me at times.” In true Phil Wilder fashion, he lovingly jests about his time here, “For a Jewish kid who came to a Catholic school back in the day, who would have thunk it would have been as good as it is?”

This moment has been half a lifetime in the making. Naturally, it’s a time of reflection and mixed emotions. After his final class ended, Phil said, “I feel good. It’s a little surreal. I

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Moreau Catholic High School received the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Safe Sports School award for its Mariner Athletic Program.

The award champions safety and recognizes secondary schools that have met the recommended standards to improve safety in sports. The award reinforces the importance of providing the best level of care, injury prevention, and treatment.

“Moreau Catholic High School is honored to receive this 1st Team recognition from NATA,” said Monica Heuer, MCHS Athletic Director. “Congratulations to Athletic Trainer Dave Bruton & Moreau Catholic High School! Trainer Dave did an awesome job working through the requirements.

We know this will continue to be a work in progress, but, as we can all agree, this couldn’t come at a better time.”

“The health and safety of student-athletes is critical as it has both immediate and long-term effects,” said NATA President Tory Lindley, MA, ATC. “NATA created the ‘Safe Sports School Award’ to recognize and champion schools nationwide that are committed to enhancing safety in sports. We are proud to see the list of award recipients grow exponentially each year as schools see the immense value in holding themselves to best practices and policies that ensure a high standard of athlete care.”

Spring Athlete Signings Congratulations to these seniors who have signed to continue their athletic pursuits at the collegiate level.

Josephine Gonsalves Diablo Valley College Soccer

Kainoa Lee Seattle Pacific University Pole Vault

LACROSSE DEBUTS AT MOREAU CATHOLIC Though their inaugural season was cut short, we want to congratulate our first ever Girls’ and Boys’ Lacrosse teams for paving the way for a new branch of Mariner Athletics.

Each team played three games before having to hang up their sticks for shelter in place. We look forward to seeing a full season of Mariner Lacrosse in the new school year. As always, go Mariners!

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Reesah Baker City College of San Mateo Softball

Jaylen “Fresh” Ison Western Oregon University Football

SIGNED SIGNED SIGNED SIGNED

MCHS IS A FIRST TEAM “SAFE SPORTS SCHOOL”

San Jose Community College Basketball

Nicholas Ledesma Western Oregon University Football

Leila Velasquez City College of San Mateo Softball

Elijah SalazarAlexander Butte College Football

Delilah Corral Franciscan University (Ohio) Softball

SIGNED SIGNED SIGNED SIGNED SIGNED

Solomon Thomas

The Vector apologizes to the the Girls’ Soccer program whose achievements we mistakenly left out of our Winter/Spring Vector. Below is the text that should have been included to celebrate their season.

The Girls’ Soccer program has seen exponential improvement on and off the field this season. With an emphasis on teamwork and friendship, the team has been able to push each other to grow from mistakes and have a bit of a laugh along the way. An extremely talented core of returning players welcomed a small incoming class of new students to become a team of six seniors, six juniors, four sophomores, and two first-years.

The new players quickly assimilated to the rigors of a varsity sport and made their mark upon the program in a variety of impactful and positive ways. With the team graduating only three starters, the team looks to continue building on that strong foundation.

The Mariners accomplishments were recognized by the rest of the Mission Valley Athletic league, as Alessandrea Carpio ’20 and Marissa Rivas ’20 were standout midfielders, Isabelle Valdez ’22 was highlighted for her defensive skills, and Josephine Gonsalves ’20 for goalie.

Despite the tough season, there is hope for Mariner soccer, having 12 returners next year. The team will have another year to grow together and is expected to come out strong next year to be right back where they belong: fighting for a spot in the top seed in the MVAL. -Erica Escalante, Assistant Administrator to the Athletic Director

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ALWAYS Hopeful It wasn’t the graduation they had envisioned. When rehearsing their speeches at home, they pictured themselves speaking from the beautifully ornate, Art-Deco stage of the historic Paramount Theatre in Oakland, not from a podium on Moreau’s own Teves Theatre stage in Hayward. They had imagined seeing a live audience of their peers, family, teachers, and friends, not giving a speech into a camera lens in front of a sea of printed photos of their classmates taped to the theatre seats. Despite all this, our class of 2020 valedictorian and salutatorian gave heartfelt speeches at our graduation event in late May. Speaking to the Vector from their homes via Zoom, these young women shared some reflections about their unusual graduation speaker experiences.

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Both young women applied to be graduation speakers pre-COVID, but learned of their selection during Shelter in Place. When asked how being in the midst of a pandemic affected what they chose to speak about, both spoke of taking the opportunity to share optimism with their classmates. Maria, who was the salutatorian and whose speech was meant to reflect on the four years of high school, shares that while COVID-19 is “a significant part of what happened” during their time in high school, she says, “I didn’t want to make it too sad because I feel like we already hear enough of ‘Oh, I’m so sorry about this being taken away from you.’ I wanted to make it more like it’s ok, despite having this taken away from you, things will go on.” Simer, the valedictorian, shared a similar sentiment about infusing her future focused speech with hope.

“The concept of my speech didn’t change, but I approached it with more hope. I put a little more encouragement because we can’t really do things that we were planning to do in the immediate future, so I was like ‘Don’t let this stop you, there’s more future to come,’’’ she says.

And what a future these two have in store. Both plan to pursue a pre-med track at UC’s in Southern California—Simer at UCLA and Maria at UCSD. Simer will study psycho-biology while Maria looks to study pharmacological chemistry in order to “learn more about the medicine side of medicine.” Having been heavily involved in cocurriculars at

Moreau Catholic such as DECA and the American Red Cross club, it’s no surprise that they would choose such involved career paths. Despite their big plans and dreams for the future, these highly motivated young women are learning to take each day as it comes. Simer shares her newly adopted approach to life: “I’m taking things more day by day, week by week...In terms of long term planning, I’ve prepared for the worst case scenario, which in the long run won’t even be a worst case scenario. I’ve accepted that staying home a little longer or having to get an apartment off campus

“Why should we be afraid to say ‘I don’t know?’”

–Simer Shera ’20 Valedictorian Speech

really won’t be as big a problem as it seems in my head…Even though I’ll miss out on some things, the world is still moving, and will still go forward, and I’m taking it as it comes.” Maria agrees, adding that she would rather wait until next year to have a complete on-campus college experience than live with health risks or stringent restrictions by attempting to live on campus too soon.

Join us in wishing Simer and Maria, and the entire class of 2020, the best of what the future has in store!

“We have learned resilience and how to recuperate from loss...We learned how to speak out about injustices we saw,” –Maria Charles ’20 Salutatorian Speech

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SENIOR PICK-UP MCHS made the news with our special, socially distanced celebration where we honored seniors with personalized gift bags of grad swag, their cap and gown, their end of year awards, and a custom lawn sign.

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Graduation Awards At a traditional graduation ceremony, the graduating class learns for the first time who among them has received these special graduation awards. Let us celebrate these eight graduates for their extraordinary achievements!

Top Row: Moreau Catholic Theology Award: Justin Ian Canio Firmeza Blessed Basil Moreau Award: Boston Rizal Malasan Palacios Cross & Anchors Award: Ian Miguel Geronimo Principal’s Award & Scholarship: Joseph Segismundo Bottom Row: Mariner Leadership Award & Scholarship: Reanna Mae Aquino Felix Brother Gary Stone Memorial Award & Scholarship: Adán Salvador Nevel GPA Awards ~ 1st in the Class: Tiffany Tsou (4.67 GPA) GPA Awards ~ 2nd in the Class: Mehul Jai (4.61 GPA)

Parent Volunteer Awards Many parents volunteer their time to assist the school in the running of various events. Our athletic, fine and performing arts, extracurricular, and fundraising events depend on the generosity of parents who donate their time and service to our school. We recognized six volunteers who have devoted an extraordinary amount of time to our school community this year.

Amy Cassidy (Center) - Parent of Maeve ’23 and Fiona ’21 Joanne Sarino (Top Left) - Parent of Leila Velasquez ’20 Colleen Arnold (Top Right) - Parent of Aidan ’20 and Benjamin ’23 Rachel ’82 & Geoff Gonsalves (Bottom Left) - Parents of Josie ’20 Jackie Duncan (Bottom Right) Parent of Diana ’20

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BOLD MOVES FORWARD When it became clear that a traditional graduation ceremony would not be possible, school leadership quickly moved to create a celebration on campus that would be both safe and meaningful for all our graduates and their families. Over the course of two days, each grad got to walk across the stage to collect their diploma and move their tassle in the presence of their closest relatives then take professional photos in full graduation regalia.

The graduates took it all in stride, taking their

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first bold steps forward into an uncertain future.

The class of 2020 will not be defined by how their senior year ended. They will be remembered for their perseverence and resilience. This class of perfect vision has taken on some of the world’s most pressing concerns, whether in the realm of social justice, scientific innovation, or artistic revolution.

Ultimately, they will be defined by the great work that lies ahead of them.

Congratulations to the Moreau Catholic graduating class of 2020!

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ALL IN THE FAMILY This year we celebrate 19 legacy families in the class of 2020. A legacy family is made up of a student/students who has/ have at least one Mariner alumni parent, thus keeping the Mariner legacy alive!

Thank you to these families for believing in the mission of Moreau Catholic generation after generation.

Devan Nguyen, son of Thi Hoang ’99

Carlo Ferreira, son of Katrina (Rosario) Ferreira ’93 and brother of Anina ’21

Ellana Calderon, daughter of Neil Calderon ’92

Gabriel Toouli, son of Julie Tsen ’86 and brother of Christian ’16

Thaddius Le Roy Ramsey, son of Venus Picart-Ramsey ’93 and brother of Thalia ’21

Maia Martin, daughter of Paul Martin ’85

Josephine Gonsalves, daughter of Rachel (Cirimele) Gonsalves ’82 and sister of Caroline ’17

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Delilah Corral, daughter of Denisse (Munoz) ’00 and Daniel Corral ’00

Adan Nevel son of Magdalena (Alvarez) Nevel ’91 and brother of Mireya ’22 and Salma ’24

Isaiah Manuel-Otico, son of Kathryn (Segarra) ’91 and Gregory Otico ’93 and brother of Kamryn ’22 and Gregory ’23

Sofia Famalett, daughter of Laura (Cisneros) Famalett ’80 and sister of Isabella ’15 and Serena ’17

McKenzie Norman, daughter of Richelle Manuel ’96

Christopher Lothrop, son of Mary Anne (McFaul) Lothrop ’78 and brother of Lauren Ricchini ’13

Matthew Garcia, son of Gregory Garcia ’83

Gabriella Fleischman, daughter of Julie Corral ’79

Victoria Cava, daughter of Gretchen (Moitoso) Cava ’89 and sister of Katherine ‘23

Patrick Domingo, son of Michael Domingo ’90

Jacob Drabin, son of Anne Marie (Riley) Drabin ’82 and brother of Darren ’06 and Yvonne ’09

Ty Borghi son of David Borghi ’85

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Cindy Chavez ’82 is president of the Santa Clara County board of supervisors, the lead agency in the county broadly fighting COVID-19. On July 1, she talked to the Vector over Zoom and shared some of what’s on her mind during this tumultuous time, some reflections about her time at Moreau Catholic, and how young people can be and are leaders in their communities today.

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

What were you like during your time at Moreau Catholic?

Moreau was kind of a scary place to me because I had never been at a private school. The first month I was there I cried every day on my way home. Then my mom encouraged me to run for student council. I served on the senate as a freshman, then I was student body president ultimately. I got really involved in government.

Almost all of my experiences there were really positive.

As a student I would say I was active in school.

Who was the most influential person in your life during that time and how have they influenced who you are today?

Probably my father at the time. He’s passed away since, but he was a union carpenter who hated his union. I’m a liberal, Democratic woman. My dad was a Republican.

He had a very strong sense about right and wrong, that people needed to be treated with respect, that color and how much you made shouldn’t matter. That was a very core value of his. That really was a big influence on me as I got older.

I believe we have an obligation as people to meaningfully understand the sacrifices of people who have come before us and comport ourselves in a way that honors their sacrifice. So whether that’s people who have fought in the military, or my father who worked really hard to make sure I could attend Moreau, those contributions and sacrifices, in my mind, have to be honored in what we do for the next generation. At that time I started more to understand that.

What do you spend most of your time thinking about?

I’m thinking a lot about health, a lot about equity, a lot about how our response to COVID reflects our values as a society and a community. Equity has always been a core value and core component of the work that I do.

I worked in the labor movement for many years. I ran a think tank that focused on low-income communities and communities of color and working families. Part of

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the reason I was so engaged in the labor movement is that I saw it as one of the few ways to act collectively to make sure that the economy was fair to everybody in it.

How have your beliefs evolved over the years? What has caused them to change?

When I was younger I thought that people could go into two categories; you were either a good person or were not a good person. What I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older is that people, all of us, are 80% good, 20% working on it. If we think of all of us as not being perfect, it changes the way we address problems.

I’ve realized that we can be so judgmental of each other that we lose the empathy to meaningfully solve problems in the world.

I remember having really defined beliefs. If you’re a good person, this is how you comport yourself. But my father was an alcoholic, and the complexity of having someone in your life who is the kindest most loving person you can think of, yet have this debilitating disease that makes them unreliable—was my father a good person or a bad person? Well, he was a really good person with a really tough disease. When I look back on him, I think of him as being courageous, smart, kind, and an alcoholic.

I don’t think of the world as being black and white [anymore]. I do think of people as being complex and that we are worthy of redemption. Which I think, in this time, matters even more.

How do you stay open to others’ perspectives while staying true to your core?

I think everybody struggles with that. Part of my job is letting people tell me what they think and how they feel, irrespective of what I think or how I feel, in part because as a public servant, it’s really my job to listen and try to understand with as much empathy as I can.

I had a meeting yesterday with an amazing young woman [who] was explaining to me what we need to

be doing for communities of color, what we need to be doing for women, what we need to be doing for low income communities. I listened to her without saying, “Before you were born I was working on those issues.”

It wouldn’t have been helpful! She needed to say what was on her mind and I needed to demonstrate and model respect for her opinion.

Those kinds of conversations are really important. Part of being in public office, without letting people abuse you, is letting people share their views. I don’t tolerate [slurs or threats] because that’s not public speech and that’s not civil—not that people always have to be civil. The civil unrest we’re seeing is exactly because I’ve heard people say, “People should just be peaceful,” but the fact of the matter is that peaceful doesn’t always get the world’s attention. I wish it did. But sometimes it takes catching the attention and imagination of a nation to get us to become the next thing we’re gonna be, hopefully better than we were before.

Tell me of a time you changed position on an issue.

When I got into the labor movement, I was speaking at a rally, and I was really taking it to employers: “People should be treating workers with more respect!” I was literally on a little soap box, on a bull horn, shouting. Afterwards, this very sage man who ran [the plumbers’] union asked to have coffee with me. He said to me, “The partnership I have with employers is really important to me [because] they’re gonna be the ones going and getting these jobs that my members are going to rely on.” Again, it took me from that black and white. His point to me was that the long term partnerships that we have in our lives are important, compelling, and that we are inextricably linked.

The thing that’s so interesting to me about him is that his union was the union that gave us money to fight a campaign to make sure that every child in Santa Clara County had access to health insurance no matter what country they were from. What was compelling about that [was that] his members made so much money, there wasn’t a single one if their kids that didn’t have health insurance. But he understood that with this abundance came a responsibility to help people who were not in his union whose kids needed help. He taught me about how linked we are both ways—you don’t run down someone that you’re eventually gonna work with, and you lift everybody else up.

What bothers you about the world today and how do you fit into the big picture?

The world is such a complex place and as I think about young people in particular who are graduating right now, they’re going to deal with economic restructuring, climate change, the dismantling of, I hope, racism and inequity, and I have to throw in there that women are still far, far behind. I look at this confluence of challenges in the world, and I think about how [young people] are going to have the weight of the world on their shoulders if we don’t take some of that weight off now. And that people can’t see 10, 15, 20 years down the road when we’re going to have shortages around the world—because of climate change— of food, water, and other things. That’s what concerns me.

obligation to do that. Whether you’re the head of a household and you’re raising micro-humans and you really want them to treat each other with kindness and respect, grow up with empathy, care about the world; whether you’re running a business in a really ethical way; whether you’re a pastor, a priest, a nun, a student that in our relationships we change the world. And we do it everyday.

I see people do it everyday. We can’t control asteroids, but we have so much control over how we live, the choices we make, the people who we make our choices about.

What can our Moreau Catholic community do to help achieve housing equity or equity in other ways in our own community?

When an affordable housing project is being proposed in your neighborhood, say yes. Go to the council meetings, the community meetings, and say, “Yes in my backyard!”

That’s the first thing. Everybody can do it. Everybody can write a letter. Everybody can send out a Tweet or Facebook post, and go to the meetings and tell the elected officials, yes in my backyard. We have so many people that believe in affordable housing [but think that it] should be built somewhere else. The fact of the matter is—and this is where climate change, equity, and fairness get wrapped up into one thing—we have so many people who are homeless who are veterans. That should not be. So when you’re saying no to affordable housing, you’re saying no to veterans. You’re saying no to individuals who may be disabled. You’re saying no to people who may have mental health issues. You’re saying no to communities of color.

And we need people to say yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, we’re going to help! That’s something everybody can do right off the bat. You can run for office. You can be on a planning commission. You can join a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of low income people in your community. They’re everywhere! Right now, you can go on Facebook and join anything and make your voices heard.

I feel that the silence—around affordable housing, around women’s rights, around racism—is what allows unhealthy things to grow in our communities. We have to not be silent. If anything these times tell us: use your voice.

Final thoughts?

I do want to say how much I appreciated my education at Moreau. For me, Moreau opened up a whole window of people who really challenged young people to think about the world in thoughtful ways. I look around at folks that I graduated with that went on to be doctors and lawyers and actors and performers. Moreau creates an environment that supports the growth of each student, that really allowed me to explore the meaning of life and I got to do that before I got to college. Moreau created the opportunity for me to question the world around me and think about it in terms of justice and social justice. The thing I learned there is that charity is important, justice is necessary.

That’s what I learned from Moreau.

What gives me hope is young people. I feel there are all these emerging leaders that I have so much hope about!

Do you think the world is fixed or flexible? Do you think it can be changed for us or we need to change for it?

I believe that it is within our capacity to make the world what we want it to be, and that every day we have the

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As if being a dual MD and PhD student during a global pandemic weren’t enough, one intrepid Mariner sought a way to help her community in crisis. Mericien Venzon ’09 teamed up with medical students from four medical schools in New York City to begin an organization called PPE2NYC. A student at NYU herself, Venzon saw first hand the dire need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff in New York City’s hospitals. On March 20, just one week after her school closed, Venzon and her colleagues launched their organization to collect and distribute donations of PPE to local hospitals.

Working in one of the early epicenters of the COVID-19 crisis was a daunting undertaking to say the least, but it was a task these medical students felt passionate about taking on. After being featured on the city’s website, they received tens of thousands of PPE donations from people all over NYC, including businesses that had to shut down like nail salons and veterinarian offices. Venzon shares that while things felt bleak, her Moreau Catholic, Holy Cross values kept her motivated.

“Two months ago, things seemed pretty dark, but it reminds me in those times of our school slogan: in darkness there’s light,” she says, adding, “We used to joke at the peak of the pandemic that we hope we’re out of business in a month.” It is that positive attitude and love for her community that has kept this Mariner afloat during a difficult time.

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as well as the FDNY. More recently they started taking PPE to hand out at protests in order to keep folks safe as they practiced their constitutional right. The organization has received requests for PPE from doctors in Arizona and the Navajo Nation, so they are working to expand their efforts outside of NYC both by providing PPE as well as guidance for local organizations to streamline their own collection systems.

She and her colleagues are keeping the possibility of another spike in mind, though they have their fingers crossed that the situation is not as dire as in March. “I’ve been trying to get donations out so we can prevent a second wave as much as we can.

With the protesters and homeless shelters that are most vulnerable right now, preventing that would be great. We’re doing our best to do that,” she states.

We asked our alumni who have been essential to fighting this pandemic to share what their experience has been like over the last few months. Read their stories below and share in our gratitude for the work they do!

Raychaelle Blue Marquez ’99 Registered Nurse/ Major—United States Air Force “Raychaelle is an Air Force Reserve Nurse who was activated and deployed to support the influx of COVID-19 patients in New York - one of the hardest hit areas in the US. She provided medical care at a local hospital in the Bronx. It was a challenging experience with only a day’s notice prior to her deployment, the Bronx hospital being ill-equipped and the constant flood of emergency patients.

Thankfully the USAF provided PPE to keep staff safe. She is now home in Ohio with her husband (an active duty USAF nurse) and three daughters.

She certainly saw a lot while deployed in the Bronx, NY: protests/small riots upon arrival, fellow nurses die of COVID, and several moms test positive (but not their new borns!). As a thank you for her service she was fortunate to ride on an executive plane.”

- Submitted Anonymously

Justin Lola ’80 Vice President of IS and Cloud Services Because at the time of this interview the demand for PPE has decreased since the early peak of the pandemic, Venzon has found other ways to support her community. She has partnered with artist Ros3world to create postcards, the sale of which go to benefit Gov. Cuomo’s relief fund to help local businesses. This effort is equally important to Venzon. She shares, “A lot of people put their lives on hold. It’s important to make sure our favorite restaurants, and things that make New York New York will still be there in a few months.”

Venzon is half way through her med school program, specializing in infectious disease and immunology and this experience has “only made it more clear that this is what I want to do.”

“I have provided Telehealth technology solutions for the company to provide continued services to patients. I also worked on a task force to establish processes for using new telehealth service, quickly established remote capabilities, so staff could work from home safely and effectively, and provided devices and education to patients, so they could stay connected with family, friends, caregivers and doctors/nurses/others during COVID-19. Our patients are at very high risk, so enabling them and our staff to continue to engage and communicate effectively has been a great outcome. We are finding ways to get it done in spite of these very challenging times.

My team and the senior leaders I work with are ‘over the top!’”

If you would like to support PPE2NYC, visit ppe2nyc.com. The Ros3world collaboration postcards are available for sale on Etsy. moreaucatholic.org

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Cheryl (James) Lamont ’82 Registered Nurse “I love what I do and find JOY in helping others feel better during this fearful time. I help new mothers recover after having their baby/ies. Their stress is real and now has been escalated knowing that they have to come in to a higher risk environment to have their baby. This stress presents in both physiological as well as psychological ways which can put a damper on previously planned expectations for their stay with us. I help them with mindful meditation, when needed, and remind them to see their beautiful baby as their new ray-of-sunshine and hope in their lives. It’s not always easy.”

Denean (D’Angelo) Hanson ’85 NICU Registered Nurse “I have continued working in the NICU and attending high risk deliveries for our tiniest of patients. Special care is being given to our COVID moms and babies!”

Dr. Anthony G Retodo ’84 Physician “I am the Kaiser Permanente Medical Services Director and Physician for the Folsom Medical Office Building. I take away the doors and floors in our caring facility to create an inspired and spirited Coyote healing family dedicated to being the best place to receive care and work our KP mission. In a world turned upside down, we have quickly learned and evolved the way we deliver our world leading care with social distancing using the power of video, telephone, and email. Most of my providers now work safely and virtually from home.

We have created a safe place to work by limiting traffic in to our building with friendly greeters to screen, perform temperature checks, and arrange for same day drive up COVID testing.

We have innovated pharmacy curbside medicine pickup, same day medicine delivery to COVID-19 patients’ homes, and 3-5 day mail delivery for non urgent medications.

Because of this, we have successfully flattened the curve in our area to give us time to prepare for future suppression of new surges. Working collaboratively with all of my colleagues, we have all expanded our trainings and learnings to support each other in ways we never thought we were able. I am now currently trained to work our Roseville Hospital as a Hospitalist if we become overwhelmed. So many things done in such a short time all for the right reasons to save us all. I could not be more happy to be part of my Spirited Kaiser Permanente Family at a time we need this most.”

Jason English ’00 Administrative Services Nurse Manager “It has been my pleasure ensuring the hospital is staffed and calm during these uncertain times!”

Christine (Torres) Roland ’77 ER Doctor “Christine has been doing heroic work in the emergency room at Kaiser in Sacramento throughout this health crisis.”

-Submitted by W. Michael Lovett

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Sgt. Angela Irizarry ’93 Police Sergeant

Kathy (Lucas) Kernan ’74 Registered Nurse

“The pandemic brought a dramatic change to the Hayward Police Department affecting our work schedules and modifying how we can continue to best serve the community as safely as possible. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, six School Resource Officers and I were assigned to schools in Hayward. Due to school campus closures, we got re-assigned to patrol duties.

The department developed an emergency patrol schedule, requiring all officers in special assignments (like the SROs) to deploy to patrol duty and work 7 (12.5 hours) days or nights straight and then be “quarantined” for 14 days.

The mission has been to mitigate the risk of the virus exposure to employees, our families, and the Hayward community while continuing to provide essential, emergency services to the community we serve. HPD’s primary function has been to maintain public safety, but it has been quite challenging while still adhering to the safety protocols to reduce exposure to or the spread of COVID-19 to each other and the community. Officers have been required to wear personal protective equipment (masks, gloves), take reasonable and sometimes creative steps to minimize opportunity for exposure during routine police work while maintaining social distancing (when feasible), handling some incidents/contacts by phone, and curtailing some non-essential proactive work. Though the temporary schedule and modifications have been challenging, HPD continues to be there for the community. We want the community to know we are still out there to offer them a peace of mind; serving and protecting, and getting through this pandemic together.”

“Kathy has over 40 years at her career as a nurse with the same employer. She has the most genuine and caring heart for all those she meets, and will go out of her way to help.

Sometimes it means spending her own time researching the latest information to share. During this pandemic, she continues to report to work to serve the sick, while exercising safety precautions for herself and those around her. She shares these safe practice recommendations against COVID-19 with family and friends to keep us safe and up-to-date. My sister is my hero.”

- Submitted by Janet (Lucas) Webster ’81 Mercedes Zertuche ’78 Registered Nurse, Case Management, Emergency Department “Working tirelessly to help all patients “ -Submitted by Fran Zertuche

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Nyssa (Thomas) El-Amin ’99 Nurse Practitioner “I work inpatient palliative care unit. We help have tough conversations with critically ill patients and their families regarding their healthcare wishes. I also assist with pain and symptom management.”

Jennifer Reyes ’88 Physician “I have been working from the beginning of the COVID pandemic as a family medicine physician through telemedicine mainly, but during the second surge, I am now seeing patients more frequently in the clinic since there is more of a need. I continue to pray for healing and an end to this pandemic.”

Marcos Gonzalez ’19 Barista “To many, coffee shops may not provide the most essential service in the world. But as a barista at his local Peet’s Coffee, Marcos continues to serve many ‘regulars’ who are a part of the essential workforce and depend on his coffee shop for an energizing beverage. For the other customers just looking for a treat, Marcos is shocked to hear how much value his continued service offers. For them, the simple act of going out for coffee reminds them of all they took for granted pre-pandemic.

What used to be a mundane, quick trip for a cup of coffee has become what they look forward to most during our new normal!

Thank you, Marcos!”

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Roderick Ballelos ’96 ER Doctor “I have been a practicing Board Certified Emergency Room doctor in Las Vegas for 10 years.

Besides the October 1st shooting in 2017, this has been the most difficult time as a doctor. My team and I see multiple patients with possible and confirmed cases of COVID every shift. Since I am a night shift doctor, there are times I am the only doctor inside the hospital. Besides taking care of the patients in the ED, I also have to respond to codes and emergencies on other floors of the hospital, including the COVID+ floors. I think that’s one of most stressful times during my shift. Knowing that I am walking into an area to treat a very ill patient, where COVID is everywhere, coming face to face with a dying patient to intubate the patient and put them on a ventilator. Then, going home to my loved ones, scared that I may be bringing COVID home with me. But, I’ve learned to accept that this is a part of my job. I hope that with everything going on during this pandemic, us in the medical field will inspire the next generation of healthcare workers. One day, I would love to give back to MCHS, my foundation, and start a scholarship for students looking to pursue a career in healthcare!”

FOR THEY ARE JOLLY GOOD FELLOWS

I didn’t expect to be a fellow, but I was always interested in coming back to Moreau. I learned about the fellowship program from many of my former teachers. So I decided to apply after graduating from SFAI in 2018.

It was a great experience working with my former teachers as co-workers. I was extremely excited to teach what I learned from college, and help students to develop some of their artistic endeavors just as Paul McKenna ’83 and Karen Thomas did for me.

There were a lot of highlights during my time as a fellow. I got to know my former teachers and new co-workers, and developed a bond with them that I cherish. I’ve learned how difficult it is to work in education. One thing that I am proud of is that I helped one of my work-study students with an application for one of her dream film schools, and she was accepted!

Although there were challenging times throughout the year; I am proud to say that I made a difference in at least one student’s life.

To future fellows: it’s okay to say no sometimes because you can quickly get overwhelmed with too many

projects. Take some breaks, and hang out with your co-workers to help maintain some energy. Don’t forget to eat! Most of all, be sure you’re doing what you like, once you find a great department to work in, it’ll hardly feel like a job.

-Paolo Canuto ’14 Moreau Catholic Fellow 19-20

demonstrate what a strong, organized, exciting, and caring educator looks like. They, along with a lot of my former teachers, welcomed me back with open arms. Working closely with the both of them on planning retreats, organizing rallies, and mentoring our student leaders allowed me to understand why so many alumni wish to come back to Moreau.

Never in my high school career did I think I would be working at that same high school. Moreau Catholic is like a second home to me—it’s where I met most of my closest friends, had amazing educators that I now call colleagues, and made so many memories that could last forever.

Throughout college, I was focused on becoming a nurse. However, after working with the students at Moreau, I don’t know if I would ever want to leave education, which is why I will be coming back for the 20-21 school year as a Campus Ministry Assistant. I loved every second of my fellowship and I was so sad when it was cut short due to the pandemic. I will always cherish getting to know these educators as people outside of the classroom.

The faculty and staff at Moreau were some of the best teachers that I’ve had, so much so that I wanted to see what it would be like to learn from the best. I was encouraged to apply for the program after one of my close friends, Corinna Sanding ’14, applied for and got the fellowship the year prior.

I was blessed to have the chance to work with two amazing colleagues who had once been my teachers. Ann Khristine Tabora and Nichole McGowan

I wish more of my friends from high school would take this opportunity and be open to the idea of education.

I wouldn’t change my fellowship for anything!

-Kristie Alejo ’15 Moreau Catholic Fellow 19-20

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REUNIONS UPDATE Dear Mariners, Several classes have shown interest in coming back to their alma mater to celebrate their reunions - bringing with them their Mariner pride and fully reconnecting to the school. How awesome is that!

Based on the recommendation of the Alameda County Health Department and after very thoughtful and careful considerations, Moreau Catholic High School has temporarily suspended hosting events on campus. Due to the unpredictable situations arising from COVID- 19, planning special events, which requires securing catering, bar, invitations and for some, hotel and airfare reservations, has become problematic. It is our hope that all reunions can move forward in the Spring / Summer 2021 when it is safe.

I wish all Mariners celebrating their special milestone best wishes, and stay healthy and safe.

Congratulations to the classes of 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2005, and 2010. Finally, a huge shout out to the Class of 1970 - Happy Golden 50th!

MCHS EAGLES We know that achieving the level of Eagle Scout is no small feat. We are proud to honor our Mariner Eagles on a special plaque by the front office. If you are an alumni Eagle, we want to honor you too!

To have a name added to the plaque, please contact Alumni & Special Events Manager, Diana (Straggas) DeFrance ’76.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Blessings, Diana (Straggas) DeFrance ’76 Alumni / Special Events Manager ddefrance@moreaucatholic.org 510.881.4330

IN LOVING MEMORY Please pray for the souls of all our dearly departed especially David Benz ’81 Albert Castellanos Madeline Isaacson Alice Kleckner Joseph Rosarion ’81 Connie Weber

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ARTWORK INDEX 1

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5

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3

7

4

8

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11

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Art in the Time of Covid (Still Life Photography)

6. Carrie Wang’23

1. Josh Gonzaga ’20

8. Paolo Koch ’21

2. Katherine Chang ’20

9. Zoe Ramos ’22

3. Beatrice Quiambao ’20

10. Penny Semko ’22

4. Zoe Ramos ’22

11. Josh Gonzaga ’20

5. Angelina Pereda ’22

12. Zoe Ramos ’22

7. Malachi Salazar ’22

Going Digital: 13. Several students from Visual Arts 14. Chris Yang ’23

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15. Maya Gonzalez ’23

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17

15

18

16. Christian Legaspi ’23

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17. Mya White ’23 18. Carrie Wang’23

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19. Gabby Diroll ’23 #GettyMuseumChallenge: 20. Vase of Flowers by Georges Seurat; reimagined by Dhruv Patel ’23 21. The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai; reimagined by Avighna Suresh ’21 22. Saint Francis of Asisi, artist unknown; reimagined by Carlo Nalagan ’23

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20

25

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23. Melancholia by Fernando Botero; reimagined by Ben Torrence ’22

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30

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32. The Desperate Man by Gustave Corbet; reimagined by Mary-Abigail Limun ’20

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25. Self Portrait by Karel Dujardin; reimagined by Danielle Ferreira ’21

33. Portrait of a Woman by Vincent Van Gogh; reimagined by Sophie Breuil ’20

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26. Girl with the Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer; reimagined by Angel Chen ’22

34. Self Portrait by Judith Leyster; reimagined by Connie Zhou ’20

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27. The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali; reimagined by Rebecca Paulisich ’23 28. Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci; reimagined by Gianna Tateo ’23

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Life at a Stand Still:

35. Composition with Yellow, Red and Blue by Piet Mondrian; reimagined by Mauricio Khamseh ’21 36. Classic Landscape by Charles Sheeler; reimagined by Ryan Shish ’23

29. Woman with a Parasol in a Garden

by Auguste Renoir; reimagined by Grace Thomas ’22

37. Penny Semko ’22

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31. Woman with an Umbrella by Toyohara Chikanobu; reimagined by Leah Otto ’21

24. Brothers by Malvin Gray Johnson; reimagined by Teri Beasley ’21

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27

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30. Black and White by Man Ray; reimagined by Fatema Bhaiji ’22

38. Sydney Ebert ’21

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39. Adela Day-Rodriguez ’22 (in the style of Gustav Klimt) 40. Olivia Breuil ’22 41. Isabelle Valdez ’22 (in style of Frida Kahlo)

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42. Wenting (Joanne) Yeu ’20 43. Justin Marucut ’20

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Top row: Daughter of Susie (Jerez) Canright ’03; Son of Chrissy (DeFrance) Todd ’05 and grandson of Diana (Straggas) DeFrance ’76; Daughter of Marissa Evangelista ’18 Second Row: Children of Deanna (Gin) ’02 and Mike Denoga ’02; Son of Ana Wilson ’04; Daughter of Christine (Abellera) Pham ’02 Third row: Daughter of Broderick Brown ’99; Son of Alden Wong ’03; Daughter of Alberto Aranda ’95. Bottom row: Daughter of Adrian Morales ’07; Son of Kristin (Graham) ’02 and Kendall Hannon ’02; Son of Elizabeth (Morales) Zepeda ’03

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Mariners, We Would Love to

HEAR FROM YOU!

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 (Straggas) DeFrance ’76 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 _____________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ moreaucatholic.org |

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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 Director of Advancement, Doug Hupke at 510.881.4305 or email dhupke@moreaucatholic.org.