Farewells

ON CAMPUS

farewells

After 46 years of coaching, teaching, and mentoring countless young

Nell Jeffrey served the Sacred Heart Cathedral community for two men and women at both Sacred Heart and Sacred Heart Cathedral, Steve Franceschi has announced that 2022 will be his last at the school. Known lovingly and simply as “Coach Fran” to generations of students, Steve initially came to SH in 1977 as a baseball coach and PE teacher, this after a storied prep career at Balboa High School, the University of Pacific, and then as a farmhand in the San Francisco Giants organization for four years. After leaving the Giants, he came to Sacred Heart and coached under Jim Koeppen for one year before taking the over the helm of the program in 1978. He served as the head coach of the Fightin’ Irish from 1978 to 1992, and won the WCAL championship in 1978, a team headlined by future Yankee minor leaguer and SHC head coach Matt Gallegos ’78 and Bill Scudder ’78. Steve also coached football for years, primarily the frosh team and then handling the quarterback position on the varsity. He later entered the college baseball ranks, coaching at USF for one year, Sonoma State for four years, and at San Francisco State for five years. He returned to the Irish in 2002 to serve as the pitching coach. For his coaching career, Fran was inducted into the San Francisco Prep Hall of Fame in 2008. Equally important, Fran has touched the lives of thousands teaching physical education at the school. Oftentimes, a freshman’s first experience at SHC has been in PE class with Steve, an introduction to the history and culture of the school via its adopted ambassador. Franceschi also taught a Theory, Analysis and Coaching class, examining the mechanics of coaching through motivational techniques, film, and hands-on experience helping teach PE at De Marillac Academy. “The kids are really learning life lessons,” he said, adding “and it’s been a great joy for me to teach this class.” Steve was also instrumental in the establishment of the SHC Hall of Fame Baseball Academy, a precursor to the school’s current comprehensive Summer Institute. The Academy started at its inception with two sessions of 40 players each. Today, SHC’s Summer Institute offers enrichment courses and sports academies ranging from tennis to volleyball to nearly 1,000 students ages 8-14 each summer. decades. She touched the lives of thousands of students over the course of her tenure as an Instructor of English and an Instructor of Religious Studies. With a total of 43 years in Catholic education, Nell has fulfilled her role as a faithful mentor and guide to all of Steve Franceschi her students. Nell shares, “To Nell Jeffrey each and every student I have taught; to each and every parent I've interacted with; and to each and every teacher, staff member, administrator, and maintenance person I have worked, plotted, laughed, cried and learned from over the years — thank you!”

Director of Community Life Greg Schmitz has selflessly served the SHC community for eleven years, known for his radiant positivity and genuine love for his students. During his time at SHC, Greg organized countless student experiences that provided opportunities to connect to SHC’s Lasallian Vincentian traditions. His retreat work Greg Schmitz inspired incredible student transformations over the years. Each year, Greg can be found walking around campus to administer ashes to community members unable to attend Ash Wednesday services. Greg is widely admired within the SHC school community for his understanding of the Lasallian Vincentian charisms and his ability to inspire kindness and positivity in those around him. In 2020, Greg received the Vincentian Service Award which honors faculty members whose work is inspired by the charity of Christ and who models the Vincentian charism by ministering with compassion, mildness, cordiality, respect and devotion.

At the close of this academic year, SHC bids farewell to a host of its most beloved faculty and staff members. We acknowledge the following staff members for their many combined years serving Sacred Heart Cathedral and impacting generations of future Fightin’ Irish:

Tim Burke ’70 Hermes Ruiz

Brooke Borwell Janice Kristanti Erin Quint-Cramer

Kristy Chun Geoff Hunt Jack Schindler ’09

Br. John Hoover Nicholas Purves Andreana Villa ’03

Ish Ruiz Ramiro Flores Leiana Payawal Sherie Lo Giudice ’06

Andrew Shahamiri Veronica Zermani Mike Knapp 1WeekIrish, Sacred Heart Cathedral’s annual week of community building and giving, was a huge success! Our community came together to raise $200,000, crucial funds that will benefit the students of SHC. Thanks to a generous donation by an investor, all gifts were matched, dollar for dollar. Take a moment to re-live these highlights from the week:

MONDAY, MAY 9

Serving Our Community SHC Alumni, parents, and faculty and staff served 1,100 meals to community members in partnership with St. Anthony’s Dining Room in San Francisco.

TUESDAY, MAY 10

Transforming Lives We highlighted our incredible academic programs and transformational curriculum.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11

Welcome Home — Paella on the Plaza SHC welcomed more than 150 alumni and parents on campus to share a communal meal, including a special performance by the SHC Chamber Choir and String Ensemble.

THURSDAY, MAY 12

Thank You Educators! We honored the outstanding achievements and long lasting contributions to SHC from two community icons — Tim Burke ’70 and Janet Castagnola Shapiro.

FRIDAY, MAY, 13

Heart of the City — 170 Years of Educating Bay Area Youth With the close of 1WeekIrish, we look ahead to Sacred Heart Cathedral’s 170th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, September 10 at Oracle Park. We are thrilled to come together to celebrate our rich history, our amazing, on-campus community, our future and our legacy.

SPORTING GREEN

SPRING SPORTS RECAP

BASEBALL

Coach Brian Morgan’s squad continued the proud tradition of Irish baseball, finishing 4th in the powerhouse WCAL and ending their season in the first round of the CCS DI playoffs. With an overall record of 17-12 (8-6 in league), the Irish were led offensively all season by Texas A&M signee Lucas Kelly ’22, a first team all-league selection. In addition to Kelly, standouts included second team all league selections Nick Katz ’22 (Lawrence University), Justin Tapia ’22, Colin Spear ’22 (University of Nevada, Reno), Jeffrey Agard ’22, and Ronin Mukai ’22. Rounding out the many Irish honorees, Ivan Herrera ’22 and Hawaii commit Aidan Taclas ’22 were named Honorable Mention all league. Highlights of the season including defeating St. Ignatius twice in come-from-behind fashion and beating Archbishop Mitty in the first round of the WCAL playoffs. In addition to the success of the varsity team, the JV squad finished second in the league with a 10-3-1 record, 18-4-1 overall, a harbinger of continued success for the SHC baseball program.

boys GOLF

The Varsity golf team finished 5-11 overall, 3-11 in the WCAL with a victory over Riordan and two wins over St. Francis. Fifth year Varsity Coach KC Murphy's team also won non-league matches against Marin Catholic and University, two teams that won their leagues. SHC finished 6th in the WCAL league Championship at Presidio. First Team all WCAL honors went to Enrico Diaz ’23 and George York ’22. Diaz shot 75 in the League Championship for 3rd place individual, and George York carded a 77 for 6th place individual. The pair represented the Irish in the CCS at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch. York had 79, just missing qualifying for the CCS Championship in a scorecard playoff, and Diaz shot 83. The Irish also competed in the Wildcat Tournament at Meadow Club, and The Champ Classic at Silverado during the season. Shout out to graduating seniors and 4-year members of the program, York and Garrison Williams ’22.

Lucas Kelly ’22 barrels one up...again

Jackson Irons ’24

BOYS LACROSSE

The boys lacrosse team earned wins against Terra Linda, Bay School, and Archbishop Riordan while competing in close contests with Mitty, Serra, University and Lick Wilmerding. Second team all leaguer Luke Wachowicz ’23 led an up-and-coming team retooling after the departure of numerous upper classmen. Captain Holden Maier ’22 led the team through the season with Jackson Edwards ’23, Frankie Spagnoli ’23, Gabe Kutner ’23 and Jackson Irons ’24 being key contributors to the team’s success. With a 3-10 overall record (0-7 in league), coach Jerry Nevin and his program continue to build for future success. Go Irish!

SOFTBALL

The Fightin’ Irish softball program (1-9 WCAL, 7-12 overall) continued its evolution, beating St. Ignatius for the first time in recent memory and displaying fire and tenacity on the diamond. Boding well for the future, the team was fueled by underclasswomen, with pitcher/catcher Danielle Cote ’23 earning first team all league honors, pitcher/infielder Ade Giomi ’25 and infielder Arden Walsh ’25 making 2nd team all WCAL, and infielder Katie Reugg ’24 garnering Honorable Mention. With the restoration of Lang Field as a home field mere blocks away, the Irish are poised to take the next step as a competitive factor in Bay Area softball.

boys & girls SWIMMING

Irish swimming had another historic year under coach Jonathan Riley in his 8th season. Jonah Lee ’23 repeated as Central Coast Section 100 yard Breaststroke Champion. Boys swimmers Coby Chan ’22, Lee, Eli McCarty ’22, and Victor Volskiy ’22 qualified for the CCS meet in both the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay, posting season best times at the St. Ignatius dual meet. The SHC team's four divisions had an SHC record, 24 qualifying swims at the WCAL finals and five boys SHC records were broken. Lee set new varsity boys records in the 500 free, 200 IM and 100 breast, Chan set a boys record in the 200 free and the relay team of Chan, Volskiy, McCarty and Pascal Reich ’22 set a program record in the 400 Free Relay. Coach Riley also welcomed two new coaches to his staff, SHC English teacher Maria Apablasa and former swimmer Christine Pubill ’17.

boys TENNIS

First year Head Coach Andy Liang set the foundation for future teams as the boys tennis program welcomed several new underclassmen to the program. With one senior and one junior on the roster, the young team went 1-13 on the season and improved steadily throughout the season. The sole graduating senior Ben Ceragioli ’22 earned WCAL Honorable mention along with Jonah Goorin ’24.

Jonah Lee ’24

Danielle Cote ’23

Fightin’ Irish celebration

Coach Andy Chan’s track & field team was an interesting mix of veteran and young talent, with a wide array of standout performances throughout the program. Over the course of the season, 114 medals were earned at weekend invitationals, the frosh/soph girls placing 2nd at the Castro Valley Relays. The year-end WCAL meet produced 5 champions, Alex Martinez ’25 in the JV 3200, Annie Gaffney ’25 in the JV 400, Chloe Thorpe ’24 in the JV 300 Hurdles, Jasaun Mabrey ’25 in the frosh/soph boys triple jump, and the JV girls 4x400 relay team of Kanoe Palmer ’25, Thorpe, Gaffney, and Isabella Guzman ’25. In addition, Kendric Sanders ’23 (100 meters) and Liele Savage-Huerta ’23 (discus) both qualified for the CCS meet based on their fine performances. Team athletes of the year awards went to Sanders and Nico Dreier ’22 for the boys and Savage-Huerta and Elizabeth Nip ’22 on the girls side. Great job, Irish!

Juliana Santana ’23 in the shotput ring

boys VOLLEYBALL

The Irish boys volleyball program continued its ascent, mixing veteran talent with up-and-coming youth. The varsity finished 4-8 in the brutally-tough WCAL (21-18 overall) with middle Jonah Nelson ’22 earning 2nd team all league and setter Brandt Dobson ’23 and outside hitter Callum McArthur ’24 getting honorable mention nods. Often starting four frosh or sophmores, the Irish held their own against nationally-ranked powerhouses St. Francis, Bellarmine, Mountain View, and Monta Vista, amongst others, and demolished cross-town nemesis Saint Ignatius twice. The team’s season came to an end in the CCS DII semifinals, losing in three sets to a veteran Leland squad, the eventual division champion. With new talent joining the program, a strong JV squad and the first-ever frosh team going undefeated in league play, the Fightin’ Irish looked poised for a sustained run of significant success under longtime coach Nga Tran. Congratulations to the team!

The long walk

Callum McArthur ’24