Pioneer Connections | Winter 2019

Providence High School

PIONEER Connections

Fall 2018 | Winter

Compassion

Dignity

Justice

Excellence

Integrity

Save the Date

Providence

High School

Celebrating our school …celebrating our community

Saturday, April 6, 2019 Lakeside Golf Club, Toluca Lake

For more information, go to www.providencehigh.org

Providence High School 511 South Buena Vista St. Burbank, CA 91505 818.846.8141 www.providencehigh.org

Administration Members of the Class of 2019 gather together for the Senior Sunrise, a tradition at PHS that kicks off the beginning of their senior year.

Mr. Joe Sciuto, Head of School Mrs. Allison DeFrancesco Castro ‘02, Principal Mr. Ernest Siy, Dean of Students Ms. Kerry Martin, Dean of Studies

2018-2019 Board of Regents

in this issue...

Mr. Stuart Posin, Chair Mrs. Christy Rodriguez Futernick ‘88, Vice Chair Mr. Tim Chan, Secretary Dr. Emily Arambulo Sr. Sheila Browne, RSM Mr. Mike Chiarodit ‘82 MESSAGE FROM OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL 4 Mr. Ken Coopman Ms. Pam Corradi FEATURES Mrs. Libby Ghekiere

Board of Regents Welcome New Members 5 Mrs. Denise Gutches

Photo recap: Pioneer Welcome Luau 6 Sr. Mary Hawkins, SP Med & Tech Focus Programs Collaborate on Alexa Skills Challenge 8 Mr. Francis Largoza

Why Do We Have to Read This Stuff?

10 Rev. Francis Mendoza 2018 Grandparents’ Day 12 Mrs. Erica Menke

PHS Artists Participate in Worldwide Inktober Challenge 14 Mrs. Sharron Dowthwaite Nelson ‘75 Mr. Tanner Ragland

Mr. Stephen Swofford PIONEER NEWS BRIEFS 16 Mr. Rafe Vega

Mr. Johnnie Whitaker PIONEER LIFE 18 Mrs. Anne Zwart

PROFILE Sr. Rosa Nguyen, SP 20

REMINISCE Alumni Events 22 Alumnotes 28

PATRONS Inaugural Donor Dinner 30 List of Donors 31

LET US PRAY 34

Sr. Lucille Dean, SP - Emeritus Member Sr. Nancy Jurecki, OP - PH&S Chief Mission Integration Officer Pioneer Connections is published by the Advancement Department at Providence High School.

For questions or comments about this publication, please contact Allison Hastings Knowles ‘99 at 818.846.8141 x14417 or Allison.Knowles@providencehigh.org.

PLANNED GIVING 35

Photo credits: Angel Azoulay ‘19, Michelle Boucher ‘95, Lifetouch, Giovanna Montoya ‘19, Rogelio Caedo ‘11, Allyssa Moscotte, Richard Williams 3

Fall 2018 | Winter 2019

a message from our HEAD OF SCHOOL...

Dear Friends of Providence High School,

A

s many of you have read from the email letters from our Board of Regents Chair, Mr. Stuart Posin, and myself on November 1, this will be my last year as Head of School at Providence High School. I will be leaving for another Head of School position at a school in Pasadena beginning on July 1, 2019.

I appreciate all of the kind words from so many of you. This is a special place, and this community will always hold a big place in my heart. It has been an honor to continue the amazing legacy of the Sisters of Providence. I have always “sought what they sought,” while working to “know our students, care for our students, and ease their way.” Marcie and I have chosen to include Providence High School in our estate plans. Please consider joining us in this “Circle of Caring.” All of the information you need is available on our school website.

Providence High School to thrive in areas that other high schools cannot. You will read about many of these successes in this issue of Pioneer Connections. What I appreciate most about being a part of this large health care system is that our Mission and Values (as a system and as a school) are still very much in line with what Blessed Emilie Gamelin, SP, and Mother Joseph, SP, established as early champions of caring for the poor and vulnerable.

In July of 2016, our governing Catholic health care system, Providence Health & Services, joined with St. Joseph Health to create one health care organization, Providence St. Joseph Health (PSJH). The purpose of the two organizations coming together is “to serve more people in need, increase care for the most vulnerable among us, and be signs and witnesses of God’s healing presence in our world…always and only for the sake of others.” We are the only high school in the U.S. which is governed by a health care organization, and we are a thriving school community in large part because of the support of PSJH. Most people know that we are “connected” to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center (PSJMC) next door to us here in Burbank, but many don’t know that PSJMC and Providence High School are part of this much larger health care organization – 51 hospitals across seven states, 829 clinics, 119,000 plus employees, the University of Providence, and of course, Providence High School. We are uniquely positioned at

Please make certain to follow us on social media – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Also, please stop by campus if you have not been here in a while. We love to show off our talented students, faculty, and staff!

Thank you for your support of the Providence Fund. We are able to continue to inspire new Pioneers each year because of your generosity. If you have not had a chance to participate in this annual Providence Fund, please consider doing so. All of the information is available on our website – www.providencehigh. org.

Yours in Providence,

Joe Sciuto Head of School YOU BELONG HERE.

Go Green!

In an effort to be better stewards of the environment, if you would like to receive your issue of Pioneer Connections via email instead of mail, please contact the Advancement Office at 818.846.8141 x14417 or Allison.Knowles@providencehigh.org.

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Board of Regents Welcome One New Member and One Returning Member

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rovidence High School’s Board of Regents welcomed Dr. Emily Arambulo and Stephen Swofford to the Board this year.

Stephen Swofford returns to the PHS Board of Regents after a one year absence. He has been with The Walt Disney Company for more than 20 years; having spent the past five as Vice President, Client Services for the Disney Digital Studio Services group.

Dr. Arambulo has been practicing dentistry in Encino for more than 20 years and continues to take advanced training in various aspects of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Stephen resides in the San Fernando Valley with his wife, Michelle, son Brandon ‘14 (pictured with him, above), and daughter Rebecca.

Her son, Enrico Arambulo ‘20 is a junior at Providence.

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Fall 2018 | Winter 2019

2018 Pion

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neer

Luau

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Fall 2018 | Winter 2019

Medical and Tech Focus Programs Collaborate on Amazon Alexa Skills Challenge: Tech for Good

By Dr. Arjan Harjani Medical Focus Program Director

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visit to the doctor may one day be a visit to your living room, where you can have a conversation with your Amazon Echo — or more specifically, Amazon Alexa, which is creating a team within its Alexa division called “health and wellness.” As it stands, the team includes more than a dozen individuals, and at its helm sits Rachel Jiang, a five-year veteran of Amazon who has previously been on advertising and video teams.

After having received the basic guidelines and a timeline to go along with the project, seniors in Tech Focus and juniors in Med Focus went to bat to create seven entries. Students generated sets of questions that would generate short utterances in proper sequence with the goal of getting a patient or individual to get an answer, or answers, to specific questions related to health care.

All teams were able to submit entries before the deadline and that was an accomplishment in itself, given the short window of time that was made available to us and trying to coordinate the seven teams from the two focus programs to brainstorm and transfer information from med to tech for generating, coding, and, finally, submitting.

When Providence St. Joseph Health’s marketing and tech expert Johnny Hamilton offered this opportunity to us, we jumped at the idea! It was a great contest to be part of and one in which the two focus programs had a unique opportunity to collaborate and join forces (involving brains, hands, fingers, and keyboards).

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The primary objective of the group project and contest is to ensure that Alexa is more helpful when it comes to health care. And that’s no easy task. Not only must the group contend with the inherent difficulties of keeping folks healthy, but it must also comply with the regulations and privacy laws outlined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. For the time being, the health and wellness team is apparently taking a closer look at how Alexa could help with diabetes management, care for mothers and infants, and aging.

solutions” could have broader implications for the entirety of the medical field.

If Alexa manages to crack the code on providing health care services to folks inside their homes, it could mean that patients would be able to instantly share health data with their doctors and health care providers or receive medical advice and even attention without ever going to the hospital.

Amazon is just one of many tech companies looking to enter the health care space. Apple has been trying to turn its wearable into more of a medical device, as has competitor Fitbit. We’ll just have to see which tech giant successfully makes it to market first.

This is by no means the first time that Amazon has made headlines this year in regard to health care in the hopes of improving health care across the country. While this program is meant exclusively for employees of the three companies, its focus on “technology

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Fall 2018 | Winter 2019

Why Do We Have to Read This Stuff?

By Annie Matthews ‘93 Faculty & Tech Integration Specialist

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“Why do we have to read this stuff?”

In 9th grade, my students read Homer’s The Odyssey, an Ancient Greek epic poem that recounts the adventures of the great hero Odysseus, whose return journey from the ten year Trojan War takes him another ten years. It is a tale of high adventure (sea monsters, ghosts, bloody battles, fantastic settings, cyclops… sheep), but it is also a tale of Odysseus’ wife and son waiting and wondering, and the troubles that plague them at home in Ithaca.

Most of the kids have some passing cultural knowledge of the epic, mainly from video games, pop culture and Percy Jackson (“Wait, is that the one with, like, the mermaids who sing and like, hypnotize people?”), but when they take their first look at the real thing, they balk: it’s long, it’s ancient, it’s in verse, and it’s totally

s an English teacher, I get this question from my students every year. Sometimes it’s delivered with a little bit of whine, and it would be easy to chalk it up to laziness or typical teen resistance. It would be easy to answer vaguely with “because it’s good for you” or “because everyone reads it.”

However, my outlook as a teacher changed when I realized this is a legitimate question, and one I should be able to answer. Why do we have to read this stuff? Especially when some of it is so old? (“Omg, Ms. Matthews! Is this even in English?!”)

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made up by some ancient dead guy whose identity we are not even sure of. How is it relevant to them? How could the perils of some ancient fictional dude in a toga battling giants and six-headed monsters have anything to do with the world we live in today?

he is even still alive. Many of the monsters Odysseus faces are referred to as “she,” including a six-headed beast, Scylla, that eats men alive, and a giant whirlpool, Charybdis, that swallows entire ships that cross her path.

Most troubling, Odysseus and his son brutally punish the maids of the household who “fraternized” with the enemy suitors by hanging them in the courtyard.

I confess, I had never read The Odyssey in its entirety until this past summer. Until then, I had used the excerpts in a textbook with my students, which were mainly about Odysseus’ grandest adventures featuring monsters like the Cyclops and supernatural creatures like Circe the witch and the Sirens. I read about a new translation by Emily Wilson, the first translation from the original Greek into English by a woman. I was intrigued, and ordered my husband to buy it for me for Christmas.

As you can see, these themes unquestionably mirror issues and discussions happening right now, in the world around us. We live in a society that often struggles to care for veterans, especially those who suffer from PTSD after seeing combat. There is continued debate globally about our obligations to immigrants and refugees and the reciprocity of our relationships with one another. Feminism, the #MeToo movement, and the continued fight for women’s rights highlight our complicated grappling with what it means to be a woman in this society. Ancient text, modern problems.

As I read the epic, which begins, not with Odysseus, but rather with his son, pining for a missing father and trying on his own to find out what it means to be a man, I was struck by the realism of the young man. It was not at all like reading an ancient text through a foggy tunnel of time. This character seemed as real as any of the young men who sit in my classroom every day. He tries to assert himself, only to choke up and lose his nerve. He says in one breath how much he misses Odysseus, and in another that he wishes he had a different father all together. Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, is complex and relatable as well. Plagued by illmotivated suitors who clamber for her hand in marriage while partying in her home, she is trapped in a waiting game that requires intense cleverness and presence of mind even while she is beside herself with grief over her missing husband and worry for her son. These were hardly the flat, stiff characters one pictures on the side of a Grecian urn.

I decided to offer my students three perspectives from which they could choose to study the epic - The Survivor, The Stranger and The “She” – perspectives that I hoped would highlight the relevance of Odysseus’ story, despite its age. I selected specific excerpts from the epic depending on the perspective, so that students would be reading the parts most relevant to the lens they were using. As we read, they have annotated their texts, not just to summarize the events, but also to draw connections between the ancient text and our modern world. As we wrap up, they will write an essay responding to the following prompt: What do we learn about the place of the survivor/the stranger/the “she” in the world of Ancient Greece? How does that compare to our modern world? How do our experiences shape the way we view the world? How can a shift in perspective change our viewpoint?

As I continued to read, three distinct motifs became clear, motifs that, again, struck me in their realism: •

Odysseus is a survivor. He is a veteran of a long and bloody war. He has seen combat, not only on the battlefield of Troy, but in the struggles he faces as he attempts to return to the life he led before the war.

There are many parts of the epic in which Odysseus weeps pitifully for his fallen comrades and because he so desperately misses his wife and son. There are still other parts in which he rages hotly, and these terrifying flashes of brutality reveal the violence that has consumed his life for the past twenty years.

•

Strangers are sacred. The Ancient Greeks subscribed to the concept of xenia (translated roughly as “guestfriendship”), which were strict cultural rules about the reciprocal relationship between guest and host. Multiple passages in the epic invoke this concept, and ultimately the characters believe that the gods will reward those who treat guests, strangers, refugees and foreigners well, and will punish those that do not. Likewise, the gods reward guests who honor their hosts, and curse those who betray that sacred bond. Not everyone in the epic honors these rules, and Odysseus himself seems to invoke them only when they serve his purposes.

•

The depiction of women and females in the epic is, well, complicated. There is definitely a double standard when it comes to marital fidelity. Odysseus sleeps with two supernatural women on his way home, the nymph Calypso and the sorceress Circe, while Penelope weeps and grieves and fights with every fiber of her being to remain faithful to her husband though she is not sure

I cannot wait to see what they write.

So, now when the students ask me (with that little bit of whine) “Why do we have to read this stuff?” I have an answer: Just because it’s fictional, doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

Let me say that again: Just because it’s fictional, doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

In other words, all good stories, whether they actually happened or not, hold some universal truth. We live only one life on this planet, somewhere around 80 years or so, if we’re lucky. We have one set of experiences, we perceive the world from one viewpoint, and therefore our true understanding of the world and those around us is inherently limited. When we read stories, however, our range of experiences increases exponentially. Through stories, we can reach back through time and relate to ancient characters who surprisingly feel familiar, and we realize they are just like us.

Through stories, we can extend beyond our own perceptions and view the world through the eyes of someone who is decidedly not like us, and thereby learn a little more about the other people who walk alongside us on this planet.

Ultimately, the goal is empathy, something the world is in desperate need of. Why do we have to read this stuff? Because it is going to make us better human beings.

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Fall 2018 | Winter 2019

Jeanie Scheetz, Rosa Vidal, Emma Wilson ‘21, Alberto Vidal, and Michael Scheetz

2018 Grandparents’ and Special Friends Day

T

he fifth annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day on Tuesday, November 20th was attended by nearly 150 grandparents. As in years past, the event was a collaboration between the Advancement Department and Campus Ministry, while the Parent Board sponsored the luncheon.

This annual tradition has become one that the Providence community, as well as the grandparents, look forward to. Students are given the opportunity to spend time with their grandparents while sitting together during the Mass of Thanksgiving and enjoy a special lunch in each other’s company after the Mass. Father Mike Perucho from Holy Family Parish in Glendale presided over this year’s Mass.

Joann Caputo, Orla Dempsey ‘20, Niamh Dempsey ‘19, and Willie Cintron

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Brianna Beedle ‘19 and Christina Bonano

Lyn Durso, Dia Schuldenfrei, Paris Campen ‘22, Hunter Campen ‘22, and Ray Schuldenfrei

Carson Richard ‘22 and Barbara Phifer

Charlotte Meyer ‘22 and William Pistey

Hannah Ghekiere ‘19 and Libby Ghekiere

Jan Atchity and Gabriel Martin ‘22

Jaden Baker ‘22 and Lydia Goodwyn

Zach Tanear, Crystal Sanrow ‘20, and Monica Tanear

Zabil Nazarian, Bella Nazarian ‘22, Sophie Nazarian ‘21, and Harry Nazarian

Paola Godinez ‘19 and Sylvianna Van De Water

Mary Constantinou, Zachary Greenfield ‘20, and Tat Constantinou

Norah Flynn, Connor Flynn ‘22, and Richard Hall

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Fall 2018 | Winter 2019

PHS Artists Participate in Worldwide “Inktober” Challenge

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hroughout the month of October, the PHS Visual Arts department, along with artists worldwide, participated in Inktober, an annual art event created by artist Jake Parker, who created the event in 2009 as a challenge to improve his inking skills and develop positive drawing habits. It has since grown into a worldwide endeavor with thousands of artists taking on the challenge every year.

Each day, artists were inspired by simple prompts published on the Inktober website, such as “poisonous,” “exhausted,” and “stretch” or created artwork using prompts they made up. The main objective was to incorporate ink in the artwork.

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Each day participants, including Providence students and faculty and staff members alike, gathered in front of the art room during lunch to create their art.

On November 1, the art was on display at a special wine and cheese reception that was attended by more than 100 guests. The Art Club raised more than $500 from the sale of the art, which will be used to purchase art supplies or fund a field trip.

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Fall 2018 | Winter 2019

pioneer NEWS BRIEFS

Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Team Season Recap

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his past season, the girls’ varsity volleyball team was led offensively by Ashley Davis ‘22 with 210 kills, Liana Artunian ‘20 with 160 kills, and Justine Nunez ‘19 with 411 assists. They were led defensively by Isabella Mahan-Mesa ‘20 with 340 digs, and Nicole St. Denis ‘19 with 169 digs. The girls were named champions of the first annual Lions’ Pride Tournament and placed second in the Bishop Diego Tournament.

Nick Montijo ‘19 Experiences a History Making Season

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ick Montijo ‘19 experienced a successful cross country season, winning his race at prelims and posting the fastest Division 5 time.

He finished first at the Mt. SAC Invitational, earned first team all Prep League by finishing fourth at league finals, finished first at CIF prelims, was a CIF championship medalist finishing eighth at CIF championships, and he was Providence High School’s first State Championship Qualifier, where he finished 34th out of 214 runners.

Nick plans to continue running in college and has already met with some coaches to discuss his future at the collegiate level.

PHS Choir Performs at City of Burbank’s Tree Lighting Ceremony

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he PHS choir was invited to perform at the City of Burbank’s annual Mayor’s Tree Lighting Ceremony where they helped spread some holiday cheer! Members of the choir are pictured above with Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy, Congressman Adam Schiff, and Choir Director Marisa Rawlins-Bradfield.

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The Helping Hands Club Incorporates Exercise with Fundraising

Zumba is a fitness program that incorporates dance and aerobic movements performed to energetic music. The choreography incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo.

The idea of a Zumba fundraiser came about as a result of Pelaez and Counselor Ms. Michele Mullaly often working out together and having discussions about bringing Zumba to work in some capacity.

T

he Helping Hands club coordinated a Zumba fundraiser to help raise funds for breast cancer awareness. More than ninety students participated in the fundraiser which raised over $500!

“When I was asked this year to be the moderator for Helping Hands, I knew that this would be a great opportunity [for] a Zumba fundraiser,” said Pelaez. “Since our school is a health conscious campus, it was a great opportunity to [do] something different and fun at the same time.”

“This was a healthy way for our students to raise awareness for this important cause which has impacted many persons in our community personally in one way or another,” reflected Helping Hands Club moderator Mrs. Mayra Pelaez.

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Fall 2018 | Winter 2019

pioneer LIFE

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Page 18: 1. Sophomore girls show their class spirit during Pioneer Week festivities 2. Principal Allison DeFrancesco Castro ‘02 creatively displays her support for each grade level 3. Senior boys participate in the beloved egg toss challenge on Pioneer Day 4. Math teachers Mr. Juan Lopez, Mrs. Olga Barahona, and Ms. Nicole Morrison cleverly incorporated math into their Halloween costumes 5. and 6. Choir members perform during the Broadway Revue Page 19: 1. PHS community celebrates All Saints Day Mass 2. 2018 Mock Trial team and moderator Mr. Dennis Bullock ‘88 3. Students involved with Operation Gratitude participated in providing care packages for the troops 4. Seniors on the Kairos retreat

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Fall 2018 | Winter 2019

profile: SR. ROSA NGUYEN, SP because I liked the snacks. When I was seven years old, I became more aware of how meaningful it was for my family to attend Mass and receive the Blessed Sacrament daily. When I received First Communion, the Blessed Sacrament became my spiritual food each day. I became involved in church activities such as participating in CCD class, children’s choir and, later, youth camp. I became a teaching assistant for the local sisters’ Sunday school in my parish.

One day the idea was lightly planted into my mind and heart that maybe I could be a religious sister like one of our local religious sisters in my parish. I was attracted to their lifestyle because of their gentle loving care and selfless love for others. At that moment I prayed, “Dear God, I want to be a sister, please show me and help me keep it secret from my parents until I finish high school.”

God had a plan! I was sent to a boarding house to stay with the Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross in Saigon, South Vietnam where my aunt, who was a sister in this congregation lived and served. She was my angel because she accompanied me on my spiritual journey to discover my vocation. I adapted to religious life quickly even though I was not an official member in the congregation. I started to love praying with the sisters, spending time doing some works of charity with them, and helping children at Sunday school. God continued to stir my heart’s desire to live in religious life.

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You

s we celebrate the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Sisters of Providence in Montreal, it seems appropriate to turn the spotlight on the continuing legacy of the sisters here at Providence High School. The Sisters of Providence were pioneers in the areas of healthcare and education and founded PHS in 1955. Through the years, the daily presence of the Sisters of Providence has dwindled, however they are still very much a part of the PHS community and we are fortunate to have Sr. Rosa Nguyen, SP work in the finance department.

Growing

up in

Vietnam,

what was your childhood like?

What made you decide that might be the path for your

life?

Right after finishing high school, I felt a strong call to religious life.

I felt my world view shift. I wanted to do something meaningful with my life. I took time to pray and meditate on God’s invitation to be a religious sister.

The more I discerned the more I recognized that I was most fully myself when I was in tune with God. It just so happened that way for me, I believed I was meant to live the lifestyle of a religious sister. For others, they may hear a call to married life, being a parent, becoming ordained or choosing the single life. Whatever lifestyle God calls us to is IT, the best one for us. I realized that to be true to myself it meant that I had to let go of something and let God do the driving. I am in the back seat. I am able to say, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” I see religious life not as a choice anybody can make on their own; it is a response to God’s choice.

Was

religion a big part of your upbringing?

I grew up in a big Vietnamese family of five sisters and three brothers and I am proud and blessed to be the youngest in this strong Catholic family. I do not have the words to express how blessed and happy my early childhood was. My siblings kept telling me I was spoiled. But I quickly responded, “Not really, I’m just well loved.”

What about the Sisters of Providence appealed to you the most, above other religious orders?

Before entering the Sisters of Providence, I looked into a couple of congregations of religious women, but I decided to join the sisters of Providence. Religious life is a call and an invitation for me to

Every day after school, my mother and sisters took me to church with some snacks, which kept me still at church. Each day I could not wait for classes to finish, so I could go to church with them

Pioneer Connections

felt the call to become a sister when you were in high

school.

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love and to serve God and His people selflessly no matter where I am.

thing the sisters ask me is how am I doing. The next question is how is PHS doing? The sisters keep saying “Surely, I keep my eyes on you and keep the PHS mission in my prayers. I ministered there many years more than your age.”

First, I chose the Sisters of Providence over the other religious orders because it was my personal taste. My personal preference is more active and the Sisters of Providence are an apostolic community, which means we practice loving God by serving others directly. In contemplative orders, they have communal prayer in the chapel several times a day, work in the garden or make altar bread to practice loving God by loving one another.

This is very good work and a special call. However, personally, I know that being a Sister of Providence I can be me and serve God and the world.

As a member of the Sisters of Providence, when we are sent on mission, as one sister or as ten sisters, we do it on behalf of the Congregation. We serve with all our hearts. I believe each staff and faculty member working at PHS has a call. A call to work together to bring the heritage and mission of the Providence legacy alive. Sr. Lucille Dean, a former principle at PHS had said “We need to read the signs of time. We need to trust and open opportunities for the lay people to carry the Providence mission and make it come alive in them.”

Second, I chose to be a Sister of Providence because of the mission.

The mission calls each member to proclaim the mysteries of Providence by our compassionate love and creative, prophetic solidarity with the poor. After living with the Sisters of Providence for 13 years, the mission of Providence has gotten into my veins, and it flows constantly through my daily actions.

Doing my ministry here at PHS has helped me to become more aware of the real presence of real people in our school. I hope each staff and faculty member as well as each student continues to be nourished by God’s love with an open heart for serving others and bringing about the kingdom of God to our broken world. We are called to stand together with the Sisters of Providence in living the Providence mission and values: compassion, dignity, justice, excellence and integrity.

Third, I chose to enter the Sisters of Providence because I love the community life. The strength in my vocation comes from living in community with the sisters who have made the same life commitment. Our communal life is about sharing, about giving of self, about praying and working together, and about supporting one another.

This February will mark the one year anniversary of your final vows. What did it mean to you to profess your vows among your community of Sisters and members of the Providence High School community?

My perpetual vows celebration is a meaningful and significant memory for me. It filled me with a great joy to experience the support from staff, faculty and students at Providence High School and to see familiar faces of my own Sisters of Providence who traveled from different places and countries to be with me.

It was a very special and tangible way to bond and unite us as a Providence family, which gives me courage and hope for the future.

Committing to living a lifetime of chastity, poverty, obedience, and service to the others is not a career choice, but a way of life.

It is who I am and what I am called to be. I want to strive to be a witness to the love of God. And He has called me.

If you hadn’t chosen religious life, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

I never thought I would not be a religious sister. I felt God had a plan for me even before I was born and called me by name through my baptism and asked me to respond when I could speak freely, “Here am I Lord, I come to do Your will.” God has called and invited me every day to love and to serve. I could not run away from His loving invitation. Being a Sister of Providence allows me to continue to grow fully into who I am called to be. The sisters support me and encourage me to discover all the gifts and talents that God has given me.

Reflecting back as a Providence sister, we each try to live life fully and treasure respectfully the gifts of each member, some have the gift of being a nurse, a social worker, a teacher, or a lawyer. We are not different from other people in our society, but the lifestyle is different. We commit to live our vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, to serve God and His people, that makes us who we are. If I had not chosen religious life, I believe I would be doing the same ministry that I am doing now to be truly me.

We are Sisters of Providence; we share a common heritage, a common call, a common life, a common mission and common vows. In living these vows we become Providence for our world.

My perpetual vows celebration was not only for me and for the Sisters of Providence, but also for the whole Church. As Pope Francis has said, “the consecrated life is a precious gift to the Church and to the world. Do not keep it to yourselves; share it, bring Christ to every corner of this beloved country. Let your joy continue to find expression in your efforts to attract and nurture vocations, and recognize that all of you have some part in forming the consecrated men and women of tomorrow.” (Pope Francis spoke in Korea 8/16/2014). Religious life is a special call, God continues to invite me to this life style to manifest Providence and to serve His people in unity, holiness and love. I continue to say, “Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.” With all of that I would like to say Providence of God, I thank you for all.

Currently, you are the only Sister of Providence who works at Providence High School. What does it mean to you to carry on this legacy?

Doing ministry at Providence High School is a gift and a blessing each day for me. Although I am the only Sister of Providence in this mission, I am not doing it alone because I have more than one hundred Sisters of Providence with me in spirit. Any time I go home to Seattle, which is like a “mother house” for us, the first

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Fall 2018 | Winter 2019

alumni EVENTS

Save the Date!

PHS Class of 1969 is having their 50th reunion luncheon at Providence High School on Saturday, June 8th, 2019.

Calling all alums in the Seattle area:

P

rovidence High School is coming to your neck of the woods on January 15, 2019! Join representatives from PHS for some happy hour fun. If you don’t live in the Seattle area, but will coincidentally be in town that evening, be sure to let us know so we can send you more details about this event. Please contact Alumni Relation Coordinator Joannes Pamatmat Rodriguez ‘03 at Joannes.

Rodriguez@providencehigh.org or 818.846.8141 ext. 14403.

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Career Day - Tuesday, November 13, 2018

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ioneer Career Day was a success thanks to our alumni. On Tuesday, November 13, nearly 20 alumni gathered on campus to engage and share their professions with students. Alums shared their personal journey of accomplishments and lessons learned to get to where they are today.

Kristen Becker ’01, a copy editor at Los Angeles Business Journal says she hopes students “look at my experience and recognize there’s not one path toward success.” The different professions our alumni represented definitely showed success in various forms. Speakers talked about their careers in art, business, cinema arts, education, medicine, law enforcement, and technology.

This event allowed some students to learn to keep an open mind.

“You can pursue a career later on in life that may not interest you present day, at all,” says Deanna Bornoff ‘21. Meanwhile, other students’ take away was that any position is an opportunity.

“Even small jobs can turn into major projects that will get you further in life,” says Charles Kater ‘22.

The afternoon started with a keynote address followed by two breakout sessions. Students were assigned sessions based on a survey they took about career interests.

Sean Kaloostian ’03, a neurosurgeon, says he hopes to “encourage [students] to pursue careers that give back to the world around them.” His hope is in line with the school’s mission and how our students are encouraged not only to think about what they want to do in the future, but more so, who they want to be.

Career Day was and continues to be a celebration of the PHS community and the legacy of the Sisters of Providence. We are so proud of our alumni. They are an inspiration to our students!

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Class of 1968: 50th Reunion

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embers of the Class of 1968 gathered for a full weekend of 50th reunion festivities in October! The women gathered at PHS on Friday, October 12 for a campus tour followed by dinner at a classmate’s home in Glendale.

Saturday continued with lunch in Glendale and a trip to Castaway Restaurant in Burbank. The reunion weekend ended with a Sunday brunch at a classmate’s home in Santa Monica.

Pioneer Connections

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Class of 1973: 45th Reunion

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wenty-four graduates from the Class of 1973 (the last year PHS was an all-girls’ school) gathered for the 45th class reunion to reminisce and share life stories at the home of LouAnn Galieote Reising ‘73 in Valley Village.

We are women who come from ALL walks of life. We have all laughed and cried together and we appreciate our life-long connection. We raised our glasses for our principal, Sr. Rebecca, and to our classmate, Sue Alexander Gilbert ‘73, both of whom passed away this year. The afternoon flew by and we came away with several great ideas for the 50-year reunion.

The Class of 1973 has had a reunion give or take every five years and each time we have a classmate attending for the first time.

This year was no exception. Another classmate had not attended since the 20-year reunion, so we had a lot of catching up to do.

Some women traveled from out-of-state (Maryland, Washington, and Arizona) and some from just a few miles away.

- Olga Castellanos ‘73

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Class of 1993: 25th Reunion

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he Class of '93 had a fantastic time reminiscing over old yearbooks and stories, as well as checking out the growth and change Providence has undergone over the years. Thank you to Daniella Puccini ‘93 and Julie Casella ‘93 for organizing the event and to all who joined us to help bring back some good memories and catch up with old friends.

Special thanks to Mr. Vega for joining us and facilitating a tour of the campus, along with alumna and current faculty member Anne Matthews ‘93. BIG thanks to PHS for hosting us. Hope to see more of you at the next reunion!

Pioneer Connections

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Class of 1998: 20th Reunion

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embers of the Class of 1998 gathered for their 20th reunion at The Other Door bar in North Hollywood.

Highlights from the evening included Tina Coronel ‘98 lending her crafting expertise in making lanyards with each alum’s senior photo which everyone got a kick out of, former PHS teacher Mr. Michael Cooper bringing the personalized San Francisco 49ers jersey the class gifted him at their graduation, which he had everyone sign and Mr. Rafe Vega’s attendance and speech reminding the class that the alums are always welcome members of the Providence community, “Once a Pioneer, always a Pioneer.” In addition to lots of catching up, the classmates ended the night with headphones and dancing at the bar’s silent disco.

retreat. It was made in memory of three of their classmates who were lost too soon: Jainee Abrera ‘98, the namesake of the scholarship fund, Jeannie Deocampo ‘98, and Laura Priest.

The gift was made possible through donations by the class’s alums, including many who weren’t able to attend the reunion, the family of Jeannie Deocampo ‘98, and from the generosity of classmate Gaby Galvan Katz ‘98, and her husband Jonathan Katz, owner of The Other Door bar. Gaby and her husband graciously offered the venue (and all necessary vendor services) and also donated the revenues from drinks that Gaby had specially concocted for the reunion, as well as 10% of the bar’s proceeds from the entire evening.

As part of their reunion, the class organized a gift toward The Jainee Abrera Kairos Scholarship Fund, which provides needbased assistance to seniors with the costs of attending the KAIROS

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alumnotes

(PHOTO 1) Debbi Bennett ‘71

1970’s

Debbi Bennett ‘71 - “Like many of my classmates, this year I turned that magical age of 65. I do not have retirement plans in the works, as I am energetic and just love my job. In fact, recent lifestyle changes, such as a low carb diet, have re-energized me. I call this method “youthening” instead of aging. It seems that the rebellious streak that began in my teens still exists in subtle ways (just ask any of my instructors from that era). I am politically active and I refuse to dress or act my age. For instance, this year I attended Wondercon, a science fiction convention, fully dressed in what is known as “cosplay” ... which is wearing costumes to suit my favorite science fiction interests. I was in full Harry Potter regalia one day, and a revolutionary outfit to celebrate “Hamilton the Musical” the next. Thus, I may age but I refuse to grow old. Warm regards to all of my PHS family.”

(PHOTO 1)

(PHOTO 2) Susan Merkle Gmur

‘71 became a Grammy again. Here is a photo of Aiden (3) with Marshal, who was born on October 15, 2018.

Dianne Mowbray Ashley ‘73 is married with two children, a girl and boy.

Pioneer Connections

(PHOTO 2) Susan Merkle Gmur ‘71

(PHOTO 3) Elizabeth Flores ‘79

Daurie Bolwell ‘73 - “I’m helping fulltime with my mother who recently broke her hip.”

Michelle Strongo Pfeiffer ‘73 - “I’ve taught math for 33 years (I try to be like Mrs. Greenhill!), been married for 28 years, have one son (24 years old), and have lived in North Hollywood for 28 years.”

Olga Castellanos ‘73 - “I continue to be grateful for my PHS education and the many friendships that have withstood the test of time and distance. I retired many years ago and have the great fortune to be married to the same great guy for 35 years.

We have two grown daughters living in San Francisco.”

Alicia Diaz Colombo ‘ 73 - “I’m happy and trying to live more and more days.”

LouAnn Galieote Reising ‘73 - “I am a grandma!”

Cynthia Hody ‘73 - “I have thoroughly enjoyed my career as a college professor in political science/international relations at University of Maryland. I live in Columbia, Maryland with my husband, Rusty Toler, and have two grown children.”

Lupi Basil Merlo ‘73 - “I’ve been married for 44 years and blessed with my three kids.”

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Lori Sortino ‘73 - “The foundation that I received at Providence has had a lasting impact on me. I know that the education that each of you receive will help you to contribute to our world. I am currently retired from the Upland Unified School District after working 37 years as a special education teacher and school psychologist.

I am now working as a therapist in Eagle Rock and am finishing training as a Jungian Analyst.”

Chrystyna Osadca Zacharczuk ‘73 “I’m not yet retired. Staying active and connected. Savoring family and friends.”

Mary L. O’Neill ‘74 was recently honored as one of the Irish Legal 100 recognizing Irish American Lawyers across the United States. The recipients attended a reception at the home of the Irish Ambassador in Washington DC. Additionally, she was awarded “Attorney of the Year” from the Constitutional Rights

(PHOTO 4) Joannes

Pamatmat Rodriguez ‘03 married her husband, Brian, in Los Angeles on April 14, 2018. The couple met at Starbucks and Brian proposed on the balcony outside her office. The two had a wonderful time celebrating their union with a honeymoon to Italy exploring the sites and food. This school year is the first time Joannes is being called Mrs. Rodriguez.

(PHOTO 4) Joannes Pamatmat Rodriguez ‘03

(PHOTO 5) Collette Lee ‘17

Foundation for her work with the Mock Trial program.

on a network. We shot the Kevin Sorbo comedy pilot at Providence in March 2017!”

Heather Hansen ‘07 - “I thought I’d give an update of what I’ve been up to as I am proud that I graduated with a Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree from University of St. Augustine in San Diego this April and became a licensed physical therapist.

I’m currently living in Brooklyn, New York and am working in outpatient orthopedics helping people get back to doing what they love after an injury.”

Sr. Julie Kubasak ‘77 continues in her 35th year as a Daughter of Charity, having served as teacher, principal, Vocation and Formation Directress, and in provincial leadership. The Daughters are a community started by St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac for the purpose of serving Christ in persons who are poor.

Sr. Julie currently lives and serves at the Community’s provincial house in the Bay area.

1990’s

2010’s

Flores ‘79 was voted “Teacher of the Year” by her school. She’s with her fourth grade boys in the photo.

Bobby Jayne ‘90 is currently an Executive VP for Genesis Capital, a Goldman Sachs Company, and living in Pasadena, California.

2000’s

Jennifer Hansen ‘01 teaches pre-K in Washington and has three children with her husband, Ron.

(PHOTO 3) Elizabeth

1980’s

Bradford Broyles ‘82 - “I have recently made progress getting our TV shows up

Stephanie Hansen ‘03 earned her Masters of Public Health from USC and is a Quality Operations Manager for a large health insurance company. After spending several years living in Madrid she has settled down in New York City with her husband Francisco.

(PHOTO 5) Collette Lee ‘17 - “I am currently

in my second year at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (or “Cal Poly SLO” for short) studying industrial engineering. In contrast to the destructive robots I built in Providence’s Battlebots Club, I now help construct the beautiful Rose Float for the Cal Poly Universities.

This includes working on mechatronics, welding the skeleton of the float, and, of course, decorating the float! The float’s theme for 2019 is “Far Out Frequencies” so stay tuned on New Year’s Day to see the float in action!

Here is an image of me welding the thigh of one of the astronauts on the float (I am the one in blue).”

We love to hear about all of the wonderful things our alumni are experiencing!

Please keep us updated about your lives post PHS. Send updates and photos to Allison Hastings Knowles ‘99 at Allison.Knowles@providencehigh.org.

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donors

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new tradition was created to honor members of the “Head of School Circle” ($5,000 and above giving) with a dinner with Head of School Joe Sciuto. The private dining experience to celebrate these donors was held in The Bishop’s Perch room at Redbird Restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. Attendees included alumni, current parents, and Board of Regents members.

Pioneer Connections

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we give thanks to OUR GENEROUS DONORS

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he Providence High School community would like to thank the following patrons who have graciously made donations to Providence High School from June 1, 2018 through October 31, 2018. The Advancement Department does its best to ensure all donors are recognized, however if we inadvertently missed someone, please accept our sincere apology and know that your generosity did not go unnoticed.

Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Adamian Mr. and Mrs. Eduardo Alejo Rose Marie Spinoso Alex ‘86 Dr. Sami Alskaf Ms. Patricia Alvarado Mr. David Angulo and Ms. Lynette Romero Mr. and Mrs. Hovig Arabian Gary Arakelian ‘88 Mr. and Mrs. John Arakelian Mr. Misak Arakelyan and Ms. Ninel Grigoryan Dr. Emily Arambulo and Mr. Karl Arambulo Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Arias Ms. Patricia Arias Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Arslanian Mr. Matt Atchity and Ms. Jennifer Martin Ms. Sonja Augustine Mr. and Mrs. Sarkis Avedikian Mr. and Mrs. David Avetisyan Mr. and Mrs. Phil Avila Ms. Lori Azoulay Mr. Ararat Bagramyan and Ms. Liana Navasardyan Mr. and Mrs. Jerald Baker Ms. Gene Barnhart Mr. and Mrs. Roberto Barragan Mr. and Mrs. Roberto Batres Mr. and Mrs. Oganes Bedganian The Benevity Community Impact Fund Mr. David Bird Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Blanchette Mr. and Mrs. David Blumberg Mr. and Mrs. Craig Bollesen Mr. and Mrs. John Bonano Mr. Raul Borja

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Bornoff Jennifer Bornoff ‘95 Mr. and Mrs. Bill Bracken Mr. Kristopher Brown and Mr. David Todd III Dennis Bullock ‘88 Burbank Town Center Mr. and Mrs. Dean Cala Mr. Byron Caloza and Ms. Bernadette Ragasa Dr. Angelique Campen and Mr. Chase Campen Mr. and Mrs. Sergio Cardenas Mr. and Mrs. Jose Castillo Ms. Josefina Castillo Mr. and Mrs. Froilan Casupanan Mr. and Mrs. David Cedeno Ms. Lorena Cerritos Mr. and Mrs. Tim Chan Mr. Ned Chikh and Ms. Chaza Amin Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Ching Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Chuchvara Michelle Fodor Clapp ‘66 Mr. and Mrs. Mike Collier Mr. and Mrs. Bill Collins Mr. and Mrs. Robert Coontz Dr. and Mrs. Gene Coughlin Mr. and Mrs. Dino Cruz Mr. Barry Cullison and Ms. Laura Carney Ms. Kathy Culpepper Mr. and Mrs. Mark Daniels Mr. and Mrs. Craig Davis Ms. Palmer Davis and Mr. Greg Fuller Mr. and Mrs. Eric De Sagun Mr. and Mrs. Noel De Vera Mr. and Mrs. Windell Del Valle Mary Filizola DeLongfield ‘66

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Mr. Tuyen Dinh and Ms. Thao Nguyen Walt Disney Company Foundation Disney EARS to You Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation Ms. Lina Doi Mr. and Mrs. Marc Dube Mr. and Mrs. Manuel Dubon Mr. Richard Dungan and Ms. Jennifer Morgan Mr. Bryan Ellenburg Mrs. Jennifer Ellenburg Ms. Tiffany Ellinger-Leza Mr. and Mrs. Erik Estrada Mr. Ihab Fadly Ms. Michelle Faraon Ms. Amy Fasciglione Ms. Joanie Fenstermaker Mr. and Mrs. Max Fernandez Fidelity Charitable Mr. Hector Flores and Ms. Jennifer Jacobs Ms. Michele Flynn Dr. Maricel Fortin and Mr. Edgar Fortin Mr. and Mrs. Jon Gallero Mr. and Mrs. Sanford Ganz Ms. Maria E. Garcia Mr. Mauricio Garcia and Ms. Leslie Barnett Mr. and Mrs. John Garrick Mr. and Mrs. Edgardo Gatdula Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gehan Mr. Stepan Gevorgyants and Ms. Anna Grigoryan Mrs. Elizabeth Ghekiere Mr. and Mrs. Hans Ghekiere Pattie Seward Gocke ‘63 Mrs. Gerry Goffin Mr. Greg Goggins and Ms. Kimberly Hartt

Fall 2018 | Winter 2019

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Greenfield Mary Hood Groff ‘74 Mr. and Mrs. Jorge Guerrero Mr. and Mrs. Raffi Guezubeuyukian Victoria Reynolds Hallak ‘95 Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Hallbach Mr. and Mrs. Vahe Hamzoian William H. Hannon Foundation Joe Hanratty ‘82 Mr. and Mrs. Link Harnsberger Mr. and Mrs. Rafi Haroutounian Annette Montague Haugen ‘60 Mr. and Mrs. Joe Heist Mr. Joel Hernandez Mrs. Claire M. Hickey Dr. and Mrs. Joe Hines Ms. Gillian Hobson Mr. and Mrs. William Holt Mary Ellen Horan ‘75 Mr. Robert Humphreys and Ms. Tracey Robertson Mr. and Mrs. Sean Idian Ms. Lorna Inguito Mr. and Mrs. Delane Jackson Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Kagan Mr. and Mrs. Aram Kaloustian Dr. and Mrs. Suad Kapetanovic Mr. and Mrs. Jon Kaplan Mr. Fayez Karroum and Ms. Maria Danhach Mr. and Mrs. Peter Kater Mr. and Mrs. Harry Kazazian Ms. Lesli Keligian Mr. and Mrs. Michael Keller Dr. Hrach Khudatyan Mr. Patrick Kim and Ms. Young Lee Mr. and Mrs. Mossig Kizirian KPMG LLP Mr. and Mrs. Zareh Krumian Ms. Michelle Laforce Mr. Eric Lambert and Ms. Tina Trivan Mr. Jose Leon Mr. and Mrs. Amonte Levias Ms. Shelley Levine Ms. Amy Liebowitz Mr. and Mrs. Michael Lipton Mr. and Mrs. Michael Loftus Mr. and Mrs. Todd Lohnas Mr. and Mrs. Sean Madadian Karen Loew Maerz ‘65 Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mahan Mr. Ibrahim Malki and Ms. Elizabeth Sultanyan Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mallo Mr. and Mrs. John Manikyan Mr. Michael Manson and Ms. Vita Hall Mr. and Mrs. Orlando Marcelo

Pioneer Connections

Ms. Hannah Markey Dempsey Mr. and Mrs. Weston Marsh Marsh & McLennan Companies Matching Gifts Program Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Martinez Mr. and Mrs. Kim Kee Martinez Mr. and Mrs. James Mayeda Mr. and Mrs. Peter Mayor Ellen McManus McCarthy ‘81 Mr. and Mrs. Nelson McCormick Mr. and Mrs. Michael McHugh Patricia Simon McInnish ‘72 Mr. and Mrs. Paul McKenna Joan Brake McNerney ‘63 Mr. Luis Medina Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Menke Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Meyer Mr. and Mrs. John Meza Mr. and Mrs. Mike Mohnani Mr. Jose Molina and Ms. Mirna Escobar Mrs. Patricia Monegain Mr. Shawn Monegain Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Mongelli Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Montante Kathleen Hurley Montierth ‘65 Mrs. Maribel Montijo Mr. and Mrs. David Moon Mr. and Mrs. George Mooradian Mr. and Mrs. Ted Morris Ms. Nicole Morrison Mr. & Mrs. Hiko Muto Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Narisma Mr. and Mrs. George Nazarian Sharron Dowthwaite Nelson ‘75 Mr. and Mrs. Jon Niemann Ms. Alice Noravian Mr. and Mrs. Rick Nowak Mr. and Mrs. Cary Ocon Mr. and Mrs. Paul O’Connor Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Olivas Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Omundson Mr. and Mrs. Robelson Oreto Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Ortega Mr. Marco A. Ortiz Ms. Gayane Ovsepyan Mr. Josue Pacheco Lisa Casella Pantoja ‘96 Mr. and Mrs. Paul Parker Drs. Mayur and Nisha Patel Mr. and Mrs. Michael Pierce Stacie Gwillam Plunkett ‘89 Mr. and Mrs. Vagan Poladyan Mr. and Mrs. Steve Porter Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Power Mr. and Mrs. Robb Pratt Cynthia Preciado ‘00 Ms. Julie Prendiville Roux

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Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Quille Mr. Tanner Ragland Mr. and Mrs. Rafael Ramos Mr. and Mrs. Erizaldi Rebultan Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Reyes Mr. and Mrs. David Riccitiello Mr. and Mrs. Leo Robles Mr. Bill Romeo and Ms. Chelsea Hutton Mr. and Mrs. Jaymee Roy Mr. and Mrs. Steven Running Mr. and Mrs. Michael Rustom Mr. and Mrs. Miguel Ruvalcaba Mr. and Mrs. Matt Sagona Mr. and Mrs. David Samija Mr. and Mrs. Dede Sanrow Mr. and Mrs. Kris Santa Cruz Sister Joeline Santiago, SSS Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Santos Mr. and Mrs. Romeo Santos Mr. and Mrs. Ruel Santos Margaret Caito Savluk ‘67 Dr. Vincent Sayoc and Dr. Jocelyn Jerusalem Sister Barbara Schamber, SP ‘61 Mr. and Mrs. Joe Sciuto Mary Rausch Sepucha ‘61 Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Serenil Mr. Sergei Shibkov and Ms. Alina Kievsky Mr. Sam Shirvanian and Ms. Anet Khayat Mr. and Mrs. Craig Simon Ms. Maura Simon Mr. and Mrs. Indra Siswanto Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Siy Linda Smith ‘75 Ms. Stacy and Denise Smithers Ms. Tracey Smolin Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Solomon Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Sorenson Mr. John Sparano and Ms. Jeanne Benedict Mr. Greg Spring and Ms. Ivy Brown Mr. and Mrs. David Stoffers Mr. and Mrs. John Straw Mr. Martin Sukunyan and Ms. Azatui Tagvoryan Mr. Ting Sun Mr. and Mrs. Rustico Sunga Mr. Kieron Swaine and Ms. Lisa Jennings Mrs. Alyse Sweeney Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Swofford Dr. and Mrs. Fawzy Tadros Mr. Nestor Tapia and Ms. Leniza Cruz Ms. Barbara Thadeus Mr. and Mrs. Michael Tidik Mr. and Mrs. Nelio Tolentino Mr. Asad Toolami-Vaghei and Ms. Atefeh Iranmanesh

NAMED SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS

GIFTS IN MEMORY OF

GIFTS IN HONOR OF

Patricia Balue

Ashley Breakman

Class of 1975 Scholarship Fund

Donation made by…

Mr. and Mrs. Link Harnsberger

Donation made by…

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Solomon

Eleonora Greenhill

Noah Breakman

Donation made by…

Linda Smith '75 Mary Ellen Horan '75

Eleonora Greenhill Scholarship Fund Donation made by…

Traci Wargo-Lehman '91

Donation made by…

Traci Wargo-Lehman '91

Donation made by…

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Solomon

Jack and Bettie Seward

Sister Alexis Melancon, SP

Donation made by…

Pattie Seward Gocke '63

Sister Alexis Melancon Scholarship Fund

Marianne P. Turner '60

Donation made by…

Pattie Seward Gocke '63 Mary Rausch Sepucha '61 Sister Teresa White, SP '62

Lee Anne Schwend Willis '75

Reif-Kasper Scholarship Fund

Donation made by…

Mr. Arthur Turner

Donation made by…

Mary Rausch Sepucha '61

Rafael Vega Donation made by…

Ms. Josefina Castillo

Donation made by…

Linda Smith '75

Donation made by…

Mr. and Mrs. Edgardo Gatdula

Mr. and Mrs. Noel Torres Mr. and Mrs. Suheil Totah Mr. and Mrs. Duy Anh Tran Mr. Arthur Turner Ms. Genevieve Tyrrell The U.S. Charitable Gift Trust Fund Mr. and Mrs. Eric Van Gilder Ms. Sandra Vasquez Mr. and Mrs. Pedro Velazquez Mr. and Mrs. Jessie Villanueva Mr. and Mrs. Manuel Villar III

Mr. Florentino Villarreal and Ms. Livier Lopez Mr. and Mrs. Donato Viray Ms. Candace Walker Mr. and Mrs. Keith Ward Traci Wargo-Lehman ‘91 Paul Warson ‘90 Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Washington Mr. and Mrs. Michael Weaver Wells Fargo Community Support Campaign

Mary Cahill Whitaker ‘72 Mr. and Mrs. Fredrick White Sister Teresa White, SP ‘62 Mr. and Mrs. Richard Williams Mr. and Mrs. Sean Wilson Mr. and Mrs. Jason Winters Mr. and Mrs. Craig Wood Mr. James Ziegler Mr. and Mrs. Peter Zwart

If you would like to make a donation to any of the scholarship funds, or are interested in setting up a scholarship fund, please contact Vickie Bagwell in the Advancement Office at 818.846.8141 x14413 or Vickie.Bagwell@providencehigh.org.

For information about Planned Giving, please contact Michelle Jackson at 818.846.8141 x14409 or Michelle.Jackson@providencehigh.org.

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we pray to THE LORD...

P

lease keep the following members of the extended Providence Community in your thoughts and prayers:

The family of former PHS Principal Sr. Rebecca Berghoff, SP. Sr. Rebecca passed away on September 13, 2018.

Austin Bourdages ‘21 for the loss of his grandfather, Lomer Bourdages.

Karen Van Blair Delgado ‘62 for the loss of her son, Christopher Delgado.

Jeanne McLaughlin Feybush ‘68 for the loss of her sister, Corinne McLaughlin-Davidson ‘64. Corinne passed away on August 6, 2018.

The family of Msgr. Robert Gallagher. Msgr. Gallagher, a former Board of Regents member, passed away on July 26, 2018.

Genevieve Harnsberger ‘19 and Patrese Harnsberger ‘21 for the loss of their grandmother, Patricia Balue.

Jackson Kohn ‘21 and Charlie Kohn ‘22 for the loss of their grandfather, Robert Kohn.

Liam Mahan-Mesa ‘17 and Isabella Mahan-Mesa ‘20 for the loss of their grandfather, Dr. Jaime Orlando Mesa.

Genesis Molina ‘20 and Josmary Molina ‘22 for the loss of their grandfather, Julian Silverio Escobar.

E

ternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

Ella Noravian ‘19 and Jillian Noravian ‘22 for the loss of their uncle, Franco Noravian.

Harrison Pyros ‘16 for the loss of his father, Roy Pyros.

Ada-Nicole Sanger ‘16 for the loss of her great-grandmother, Cecile Binette.

May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Brandon Swofford ‘14 and Board of Regents member Stephen Swofford for the loss of their grandmother and mother-in-law, Sandra Hibbard, and grandfather and father, Ken Swofford.

Amen.

Holly Tobin Wagenbach ‘66 for the loss of her son, Jeremy Drew Wagenbach.

Paul Warson ‘90 and Alexa Warson ‘21 for the loss of their mother and grandmother, Ruth Warson.

Pioneer Connections

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D

PLANNED GIVING BRIEF

E HI G H CH

OOL

PROVI

NC

S

E

Michelle Jackson michelle.jackson@providencehigh.org 818.846.8141 ext. 14409

THE IRA CHARITABLE ROLLOVER IS PERMANENT! HOW YOU CAN BENEFIT

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR AN EASY WAY TO HELP THE CAUSES YOU CARE THE MOST ABOUT? If you are 70 / or older, you can make a gift from your IRA account to help support the work of our organization this year and benefit.

WHY MAKE AN IRA CHARITABLE ROLLOVER GIFT? Congress has extended the IRA charitable rollover and made it permanent. An IRA rollover gift is a way for you to support our cause today without impacting your checking or savings account balance.

Gifts made from your IRA (up to $100,000 per year) are not reportable as taxable income. They also qualify for your required minimum distribution (RMD) which can lower your income and taxes.

YOU CAN BENEFIT FROM GIVING FROM YOUR IRA IF… You wish to make a significant gift without using cash or other assets.

You do not need all or a portion of your IRA income.

You are paying too much in taxes and are looking to reduce your income.

You do not itemize deductions. Because a rollover gift can reduce your income and taxes, you can still benefit from charitable giving even as a non-itemizer.

You want to give over and above your normal giving this year.

An IRA rollover gift does not count towards the 50% annual limitation on charitable gifts.

In addition, making an IRA rollover gift may prevent you from:

WHAT IF YOU HAVE A 401(k) OR OTHER RETIREMENT PLAN?

being bumped into a higher federal and/or state income tax bracket

This gift opportunity only works for IRAs. If you own another type of qualified retirement plan, you must first make a tax-free rollover of funds into an IRA. Then you can make the gift from the IRA account to support our work.

hitting the phaseouts on your deductions and personal exemptions falling into the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) incurring the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax This information is not intended as tax, legal or financial advice. Gift results may vary. Consult your personal financial advisor for information specific to your situation.

HOW CAN I MAKE AN IRA ROLLOVER GIFT? Contact your IRA plan administrator to learn their procedure for making a rollover gift to charity. We can also provide you with a sample letter and assistance.

To learn more about the benefits of making an IRA charitable rollover gift, please contact us today.

Copyright © 2015 Crescendo Interactive, Inc. Used by permission.

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Providence High School 511 South Buena Vista Street Burbank, CA 91505 www.providencehigh.org

keep in touch Please take the time to follow PHS on social media as an additional way of staying connected to all things Providence-related.

@phsburbank

@phsburbank

@phsburbank

@phsburbank

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Parents of Alumni: If your daughter or son no longer resides with you, please contact the Advancement Office so we can be sure to update our records.

Contact Alumni Coordinator Joannes Pamatmat Rodriguez ‘03 at (818) 846-8141 x14403 or Joannes.Rodriguez@providencehigh.org.

Pioneer Connections is published by the Advancement Office at Providence High School.

For questions or comments about this publication, or if you would like to contribute to Providence High School, please contact: Mrs. Vickie Bagwell Director of Development 818.846.8141 Ext.14413 Vickie.Bagwell@providencehigh.org

Ms. Michelle Jackson Development Officer 818.846.8141 Ext.14409 Michelle.Jackson@providencehigh.org

Mrs. Allison Hastings Knowles ‘99 Publications Coordinator 818.846.8141 Ext.14417 Allison.Knowles@providencehigh.org

Ms. Joannes Pamatmat Rodriguez ‘03 Alumni Relations Coordinator 818.846.8141 Ext.14403 Joannes.Rodriguez@providencehigh.org

Mrs. Susan Yee Asst. Director of Development .818.846.8141 Ext.14414 Susan.Yee@providencehigh.org

Ms. Elizabeth Park Development Assistant 818.846.8141 Ext.14416 Elizabeth.Park@providencehigh.org