SUMMER
2019
VERBUM DEI 1956
AC
E •K NOWLEDG
TE
D
ES
N
E
H ME GOO
N
S • DIS CIPLI
CONNECTIONS
SUMMER | 2019
L etter
fr o m
the
P r i n c i p a l
VERBUM DEI 1956
AC
E •K NOWLEDG
TE
D
ES
Dear Friends,
N
E
H ME GOO
N
S • DIS CIPLI
We are so proud to present the Class of 2019 and celebrate its accomplishments. These 162 students offered 26,090 hours of service to their communities over four years at St. Pius X High School. Due to their community service and academic accomplishments, the class earned $12.84 million in scholarship offers from colleges and universities across the country. We pray for their continued success and peace as they move into the wider world.
CONNECTIONS Saint Pius X High School
A d m i n i s t r at i o n Principal Dr. Barbara Rothweiler President Rev. John B. Trambley II Assistant Principal - Academics Barbara Neff Ducaj ’79 Assistant Principal - Instruction Orlando Rodriguez Assistant Principal - Dean of Discipline San Juan Mendoza Business Manager Carmen Cavnar Director of Marketing and Enrollment Jeff Turcotte Director of Athletics Jim Cook ’83 Director of Community Service Alicia Eiler ’83 Director of Technology Jose Samora A D V A N C E M E NT O F F I C E Director Bobby Wallace Associate Director of Advancement and Alumni Jean Marie Skipp ’87 Editor Melissa W. Sais
We are equally proud of our most recent St. Pius X alumni to be ordained to the priesthood. Fr. Steven Huber, CSB, ’04 and the Congregation of St. Basil celebrated his ordination on Feb. 9, 2019, at his home parish, Our Lady of the Annunciation. He now serves at Assumption Parish in Windsor, Ontario. Deacon Timothy Meurer ’09 will be ordained on June 15, 2019, at St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe and will serve in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. We pray for them as they begin their ministry, for all priests, and for vocations to the priesthood and religious life especially from St. Pius X High School. This issue of Connections also includes stories of Sartans across the world bringing their creative minds to all manner of careers. Featured are Fulbright scholar Kayla Matteucci ’14, filmmaker Ryan Lacen ’99, milliner Lisa Dircks Carey ’86, and celebrity stylist Marissa Motley ’09. Sartan success equals success for all of us. As we launch graduates founded in the academic excellence and Catholic values provided by no other high school in Albuquerque, we provide our community and our world with people who will make a positive and beautiful impact. Support that success with your gift to the St. Pius X Annual Fund. Find an envelope on Page 8 to make mailing your gift simple or donate online at saintpiusx.com/give.
Sincerely,
Barbara M. Rothweiler, Ph.D. Principal
C o n t e n t s F E A T U R E SPX Ordinations ...................... 6
Graduation.................................1
Two St. Pius X alumni are or will be ordained as priests this year.
SPX Sports................................14 Alumni Notes............................17
From political science to art, Sartans find their way to creative spaces. SUMMER VERBUM DEI 1956
2019
AC
G •K NOWLED
TE
O
LIN
E
H ME GO
The mission of St. Pius X Connections is to provide alumni and friends of SPX with news, information, and inspiration regarding the school and each other.
In Memory................................16
Creative Sartans Worldwide..... 10
DN
St. Pius X Connections is published by the St. Pius X High School Advancement Office.
D e p a rtment S
E
5301 St. Joseph’s Dr. NW Albuquerque, NM 87120-1712 (505) 831-8400 www.saintpiusx.com
CONNECTIO ES
S • DIS CIP
NS
ON
T H E
C O V E R
Fr. Steven Huber ’04 celebrated his ordination in February with fellow priest and classmate Fr. Graham Golden ’04.
Graduation2019 The 60th graduating class of St. Pius X High School was offered $12.84 million in college scholarships upon graduating May 22 at the Santa Ana Star Center. The Baccalaureate Mass celebrated by Archbishop John C. Wester and Graduation Ceremony marked the completion of the 162 graduates’ high school education, which included 26,090 hours of community service over their four years of high school. Seniors Honored at Convocation
Armand Giannini
Amanda Stone
Vanessa Lucero
Mason Davis
The Class of 2019 Top Ten students were honored at graduation for earning the best grade point averages in their class over four years of high school. They are (from left) Ana Rios, Elizabeth Freisinger, Leslie Ortiz, Colton Damon, Amanda Stone (salutatorian), Adrienne Swindle (valedictorian), Brandon Baggerly, Vanessa Lucero, Kayla Moehn and Lauren Huling.
Vanessa Lucero is the Outstanding Graduate of the Class of 2019, the highest award presented at the St. Pius X High School Senior Honors Convocation. Using the motto of St. Pius, “Teach me goodness, discipline, and knowledge,” St. Pius X faculty look for a student whose life truly embodies these traits to name Outstanding Graduate. Lucero also received the Excellence in Social Studies Award for excelling in the SPX social studies program and exhibiting a passion for history and government. Armand Giannini and Amanda Stone are recipients of the Principal’s Leadership Award. The award recognizes students who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in school, community and campus ministries activities and has grown as a person academically, spiritually and in their love for St. Pius X High School. Stone also is the recipient of the 2019 Primo Contreras Award, given to a student who has demonstrated joy in serving others on campus as well as outside our school community, a love of St. Pius X High School, and exemplary character. She is a four-year member of liturgical choir, served as a retreat leader, daily mass participant, and was instrumental in the formation of the Catholic apologetics club and the first ever student body Eucharistic procession. She teaches music and religious education at her parish and volunteers for a variety of service projects. Mason Davis and Vanessa Lucero were honored by their class with the Senior Choice Awards. Each year seniors choose a young man and a young woman to represent the “best of their class.” Seniors are asked to consider the following qualities in nominating a peer from their class who represent the all-around ideal St. Pius student: intellectual integrity, respect and caring for his or her peers, sensitivity, congeniality and leadership. The seniors are asked to vote for the two students whom they most respect and admire as good people and as good Christians. Words and phrases like “role model, always smiling, always helpful, selfless, compassionate and diligent” are phrases used to describe Lucero and Davis. They have been active in student council, campus ministry, sports, and other student activities. They are committed to their Catholic faith, to St. Pius, and are held in the highest esteem by their classmates.
Top Ten
St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
1
Graduation2019 Academic Awards The National Hispanic Recognition Program, sponsored by College Board, named eight Hispanic St. Pius X students as National Hispanic Scholars: Bryan Carrillo, Tristan Chavez, Aubrianna Gonzales, Vanessa Lucero, Kayla Moehn, Leslie Ortiz, Cecilia Pareja, and Amanda Stone. Lauren Segura received the Manuel Lujan Scholarship, an award of $500 per year renewable over four years of undergraduate studies at a New Mexico university.
Aubrianna Gonzales & Vanessa Lucero
Nadia Kelley and Morgan Willie are winners of the Renaissance Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Fine Arts department. Each year, the Fine Arts faculty selects two students who have excelled in multiple areas of the Visual and Performing Arts to receive this prestigious award.
Lauren Segura
Nadia Kelley
Dominic DeBlassie, Kayla Moehn & Sarah Brown
The SPX State Champion Academic Decathlon Team honored seniors Dominic DeBlassie for a National Silver Medal in Science, a National Silver Medal in Speech, and scholarships for being voted MVP of the Saint Pius Team and for an overall score of 8th out of 220 students in the Varsity Division; Kayla Moehn for a National Silver Medal in Art; and Sarah Brown for 4th place in Speech and 7th place in Math and Interview. Model UN honored seniors Danilo Padilla and Alyssa Christman for being elected presidents and leading the class and Kate Neuschwanger for setting an example for all Security Council. Also recognized for success in Model United Nations and International Relations are Brandon Baggerly, Logan Doughty, Armand Giannini, Lauren Huling, Joshua LaFayette, Ethan Lash, Dominic Mantelli, Reghan Pettit and Colton Sevier.
Lauren Huling, Colton Sevier, Joshua LaFayette, Danilo Padilla, Kate Neuschwanger, Alyssa Christman, Armand Giannini & Logan Doughty
The Class of 2019 Elena Katrina Abeyta Monique Francine Aragon Jason Zachary Arnett Danielle Lauren Baca Javier Joel Baca MaryGrace Claire Baca Brandon Michael Baggerly Levi Maximus Barela Michael Adan Barela Cameron David Blanchard Luke Daniel Boswell Selena Maria Brandt Sarah Grace Brown Lauren Ashford Browne Martin Giovon Candelaria 2
Gabriela Carrasco Bryan Carrillo Jaden Cole Casias Shalyn Rae Caudill Christopher Colion Chadwick Gregory John Chadwick Esperanza Chavez Lauren Olivia Chavez Olivia Diane Chavez Tristan Anthony Chavez Madison Kay Cheshire Alyssa Nicole Christman Justin G. Clarke Tessa Elizabeth Cogburn David Christopher Coleman Ryann Catherine Cornelius Georgieana Rosemary Cotinola
St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
The National French Contest recognized Brandon Baggerly and Leslie Ortiz for their high achievement. Baggerly earned a second
Theodore Gregory Coyle Rachel Monique Crespin Colton B. Damon Tori Soleil Davis Mason Robert Davis Dominic Anthony DeBlassie Ciara Rose Del Frate Corbin DeMmon Logan Patrick Doughty Tristin Wade Duff Hailee C. Eldredge Robert Anthony Espat Elisabeth B. Filener Elizabeth Michelle Freisinger Michael Joseph Freisinger Fernando Conrad Fresquez Jr. Abelino Rey Garcia
Antonio Roman Garcia Cesar Elias Garcia Evangeline Louise Garcia Isaiah James Garcia Armand J. Giannini III Robert James Godshall Aubrianna Shayne Gonzales Jeremy Matthew Gonzales Reyes Francisco Gonzales Sophia Maree Gonzales Lucas Diego Gutierrez Sol Eduarda Gutierrez Jacob Matthew Herrera Melissa Joy Hipple Hannah Frances Holmes Lauren Marie Huling Lauren Marie Jones
Andres Raymond Joseph Nadia Renee Kelley Julianna Pauline Koch Zachary William Kolkmeyer Amanda Francine Koronkiewi Joshua Ethan Lackner Joshua Roy LaFayette Abigail Katherine Lardner Ethan Alexander Lash Julia Yvette Lopez Marissa Aurora Lovato Vanessa Marie Lucero Isabella Carmen Madrid Mariah Alice Magness Dominic Anthony Mantelli Taylor Jaymes Mariano Ethan Martinez
place ranking in the state and a national silver medal for an 8th place national score in French 3. Ortiz placed fourth at state in French level 3 and 12th in the nation.
Service Awards Mya Martinez-Metzgar received the Marcita Marek Award. Marcita Marek was a teacher who taught physical education for many years at St. Pius. The award was established by her family to recognize Marcita’s interest in promoting peer education and involvement in the athletic programs of St. Pius and is given to a young lady who embodies the qualities of athletic leadership and service that Marcita Marek valued.
Mya Martinez-Metzgar
Andrew Sanchez & Annette Quintana
Seniors earning Varsity Letters in Community Service for 120 hours of service in one year were Adrienne Swindle and Ana Rios. Earning Gold Medals for 500-plus hours of service were Javier Baca, Sophia Gonzales, Jazmyn Melero, Luke Pham and Marissa Silva. Earning a Silver Medal for 400-plus hours was Cecilia Pareja. Earning Bronze Medals for 300-plus hours were Lauren Browne, Tessa Cogburn, Ryann Cornelius, Elizabeth Filener, Mya Martinez-Metzgar, Leslie Ortiz and Lucas Gutierrez. Ten Seniors qualified to receive pins for their exemplary service to the St. Pius X High School Liturgical Choir and Orchestra: Dominic DeBlassie, Selena Brandt, Nadia Kelley, Justin Clarke, Julia Lopez, Mariah Magness, Leslie Ortiz, Davin Ruggles, Tristian Ruiz and Amanda Stone.
Evangeline Garcia
Ryann Cornelius
Taylor Mariano
Ryann Cornelius, Evangeline Garcia and Taylor Mariano received the SPX Native American Leadership Award for being active participants in the SPX Native American Club, and demonstrating leadership in school and their communities. Receiving $1500 DECA Scholarships for their contributions to the St. Pius DECA program for 2 or more years were Mya Marie Martinez-Metzgar Phillip Martin Martinez Arianna Elise Lopez Matthews Karina Faith McCarty Joedon Mckenzie McConnell Jacob Martin McCoy Jazmyn Aurora Lee Melero Megan A. Mings Kayla Marie Moehn Joshalyn Angel-Mary Molina Cristian Andres Monsalve Santiago Ramon Montoya Natalya Denise Mora Brian Sean Morris II Sydney Amalia Moya Santiana Marisol Narvaiz
Kate Marie Neuschwanger Johnny Minh Nguyen Peter Nguyen Sarah Jessica Olguin Selena Maria Orona Alexandra Marie Ortiz Leslie Faith Ortiz Sarah Elizabeth Otero Danilo Manuel Padilla Taylor Michael Telesfor Padilla Cecilia Gloria Pareja Reghan Emily Pettit Luke Minh Pham Isabelle Marie Pilon Annette Rose Quintana Rebecca Ann Restrepo
Ana Elizabeth Rios Lainey Teresa Robbins Jaren Joseph Rodriguez Mariana Rosas Kaitlin Abby Rossiter Matthew Phillip Rowe Davin Dlouhy Ruggles Tristian Tayler Ruiz Isabella Ann Sais Andrew James Sanchez Jontel Caitlyn Sanchez Sean E. Sanchez Steven J. Sanchez Marisol Danielle Sandoval Jordan Richard Schalow Sebastian Patrick Scheller
Georgieana Cotinola & Tessa Cogburn
Daniel Victor Schick Martinique Nicole Sedillo Karina Alessandra Segura Lauren Rae Segura Nathan Clement Miner Setter Colton C. Sevier Isaac Benjamin Silva Marissa Rae Silva James Nicholas Slatton Grant Curry Smith Andrew Sky Snyder Christian Brandon Solis Luis Miguel Soto Amanda Elizabeth Stone Adrienne Nicole Swindle Jacqueline Anne Taylor
Aurora Amalia Telles Aidan Thomas Megan Elizabeth Thomas Maya Sonrisa Trujillo Abigail Billie Gianna Valdez Isaiah Javier Valdez Edmundo Venturanza Jr Andres Diego Vigil Royce Lawrence Waconda Morgan Wauneka Willie Wen Wu Donovahn Niles Wyatt Camille Wyckoff Lillian Mary Wyckoff Luis Miguel Ybarra St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
3
Graduation2019 Georgieana Cotinola and Tessa Cogburn; first year DECA students receiving $500 scholarships for their contributions to the program were Annette Quintana and Andrew Sanchez; and receiving a $500 scholarship for volunteering the most service hours in the snack shop was Jazmyn Melero. Editor-in-Chief Aubrianna Gonzales and Assistant Editor Vanessa Lucero earned the 2019 Chi-Rho Yearbook award for superior writing and organizational skills, maturity in solving problems, strong work ethics, and professionalism to help produce this important piece of school history.
Athletic Awards Zachary Kolkmeyer & Davin Ruggles
Aidan Thomas
Zachary Kolkmeyer and Davin Ruggles are the 2019 St. Pius X Scholar-Athletes. Each year St. Pius X selects a young woman and a young man to receive the Scholar-Athlete Award for excelling equally in academics and athletics. The requirements for this award include being an honor student and a varsity multi-sport athlete or a yearround varsity athlete of exceptional leadership and performance. Kolkmeyer is a soccer, basketball and tennis athlete. Ruggles is a track and swimming athlete.
Sophia Gonzales
Jacob McCoy
Teddy Coyle Sophia Gonzales, Instructor Juanita Marquez & MaryGrace Baca
Class of 2019 College Acceptances Adams State University
Eckerd College
Midland University
Samford University
University of Arizona
American University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Missouri State University
San Diego State University
University of Denver
Arizona State University
Emmanuel College
San Jose State University
University of Kansas
Benedictine College
Florida Institute of Technology
Neumont College of Computer Science
University of Kentucky
Bethany College
Fort Lewis College
New Mexico Highlands University
Santa Clara University Southern Methodist University
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
Central New Mexico Community College
Gateway Community College
St. Mary’s College
University of Minnesota
St. Edward’s University
University of New Mexico
Syracuse University
University of Oklahoma
Tabor College
University of Oregon
Texas A & M
University of Portland
Texas Christian University
University of San Diego
Texas State University
University of San Francisco
Texas Tech University
University of St. Thomas
Champlain College Coe College Colorado College Colorado School of Mines
Gonzaga University Grand Canyon University Gustavus Adolphus College Hastings College
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology New Mexico State University Northern Arizona University Northwestern College Nova Southeastern University
Colorado Springs University
Howard University
Colorado State University
John Carroll University
Cornell College
Johnson and Wales
Providence College
Creighton University
Kansas State University
Purdue University
Dartmouth College
Kent State University
Regis University
DePaul University
Long Island University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Eastern Kentucky University
Loyola University Chicago
Roger Williams University
United States Military Academy West Point
Eastern New Mexico University
Marquette University
Salve Regina University
University of Alabama
4
St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
Occidental College Oregon State University
Trinity University United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School
University of Utah University of Washington Virginia Polytechnic Institute Western New Mexico University Wichita State University
2019 Reunions
Julia Lopez is the Danny McKay Memorial Manager of the Year for her stellar commitment as manager of the SPX Dorados Dance Team. Sophia Gonzales and MaryGrace Baca are the Outstanding Sports Medicine Students of the Year for their commitment to the SPX Sports Medicine Program and SPX athletic teams.
Class of 1969 50th Reunion June 14-15
Jacob McCoy (football, baseball), Aidan Thomas (golf ) and Megan Thomas (dance) are the 2018-2019 Athletes of the Year for demonstrating the highest skills, leadership, teamwork, coachability and work ethic.
Military Commitments
Contact Tessy Schooley at 505-867-3886 or patrice.schooley@comcast.net
Class of 1979 Julia Lopez
Joshua LaFayette was conditionally selected to receive a three-year Army ROTC scholarship to The University of New Mexico. Sophia Gonzales received the Navy ROTC Marine Corps Scholarship. Logan Doughty received the Air Force ROTC Scholarship.
Contact Desiree Stone at 505-250-8552 or slpdesiree.stone@gmail.com
Class of 1989
Enlistments announced included Abigail Lardner, Coast Guard; Santiana Narvaiz, Air Force; and Sean Sanchez, Navy.
30th Reunion June 21-22
Robert Godshall received admittance into the United States Air Force Academy Preparatory school class of 2020. Teddy Coyle received admittance to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. His appointment was announced by USAF Col. Mike Mullane, St. Pius X Class of 1963, West Point graduate, Vietnam veteran and Space Shuttle astronaut.
40th Reunion July 19-20
Contact Christina Plante Panaitescu at 602-318-1138 or christinapanaitescu@gmail.com
Class of 1994 Megan Thomas
25th Reunion August 9-11
Contact Beth (Sims) Tate at 505-506-8183 or bethsims33@hotmail.com
Class of 1999 20th Reunion July 20-21
Contact Lindsey Kasprzyk Sachs at sachs.lindsey@gmail.com
Class of 2009
10-Year Reunion June 21-22 Contact Monique Miscusi at Spx09reunion@outlook.com
Santiana Narvaiz & Sean Sanchez
Logan Doughty, Santiana Narvaiz & Robert Godshall
Congratulations,
Visit saintpiusx.com/reunions for detailed information.
Class of 2019! St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
5
SPXOrdinations
I
Don’t be Afraid to Ask the Questions It was a homecoming for Steven Huber ’04 as the Congregation of St. Basil celebrated his ordination to the priesthood Feb. 9, 2019, at Our Lady of the Annunciation Catholic Church in Albuquerque. “It was so special to have it there,” said Huber, now Father Steven Huber, CSB. “There are so many people in the parish who have known me throughout my life. For many of them, it was a first time to see an Ordination Mass. It was neat to share that with the parish community.” Huber was baptised and confirmed at Annunciation. He made his first communion and went to elementary and middle school there. He was an altar server, a communion minister and a lector there. And now, at Annunciation, he has celebrated his ordination and and his first Mass. Most Reverend Ricardo Ramirez, CSB, Bishop Emeritus of Las Cruces, presided at the Mass of Ordination. He was joined by many Basilians and local priests, including Fr. Graham GoldFr. Steven Huber (left) receives Annointing of Hands at his ordination en, a priest of the Norbertine Community ordained in 2015 and He knew the Basilians from his experience at NMSU and a fellow member of the SPX Class of 2004. believed his degree in education fit well with their work of “When I was a student at Pius, the thought of the Christian education and evangelization. While the Basilians priesthood was in the back of my mind, but I was pretty well teach and administer high schools and universities, they also convinced I was going to become a high school choir director,” serve as missionaries, parish priests and pastors, hospital Huber said by phone from his new parish in Windsor, Ontario, where he serves as associate pastor. SPX Choir Director Lina chaplains, licensed counselors and therapists and retreat directors. Ramos and Evelyn Olguin, director of the liturgical choir, “As I started to visit and know them more, I began to feel helped him grow his love of music. Theology teachers Scott their sense of brotherhood,” Huber said. “It felt natural and Howard ’85 and Al Mills were a positive presence. like I belonged there.” “I saw faith in action at St. Pius,” Huber said. At the end of Huber’s second year teaching “I saw faith in action Huber went on to New Mexico State University choir, his decision was made. He resigned and to earn a degree in music education in 2009. While started his formation with the Basilians in June at St. Pius.” at NMSU, he attended the campus Newman 2011. He served at Assumption Parish in Windsor Center, where he connected with the Congregation of St. Basil. as a deacon in the final months before his ordination and then After graduating from NMSU, Huber taught choir was assigned there. at Eisenhower Middle School in Albuquerque for two years. “At Windsor sits on the U.S.-Canada border and the view out the end of the first year, I felt like something was missing and Huber’s window shows the bridge to cross into Detroit. “There’s the question of the priesthood kept nagging me,” Huber said. an advantage to being right the border, if there’s something I’m Around that time, Fr. Chris Valka, whom he first met at missing that I can only get in the States, I can be in Detroit in the NMSU Newman Center, sent him an email asking if he five minutes” he said. Huber’s Basilian community there includes had ever thought of becoming a priest. “That made me start the pastor and another priest in residence at the parish. discerning more intensely whether I was being called to the “The Basilians’ primary ministry is teaching, but I’m grateful priesthood,” Huber said. for this form of ministry,” Huber says. “The sacrificial life is so He also began talking to Msgr. Bennett J. Voorhies of important to who a priest is. This time I’m spending is good Annunciation Parish, who connected him to the Archdiocese of foundational work, to be a minister in a sacramental role. You Santa Fe vocations discernment retreat. He attended and began wouldn’t necessarily get that working full-time teaching. I work to explore the question of diocesan priesthood versus religious with families in all stages of life – planning funerals, couples life. Huber realized that sharing a common life with a religious getting married, people experiencing difficulties.” community appealed to him. Continued on Page 16 6
St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
D
Encouraging Students to Consider the Call
Deacon Timothy Meurer ’09 believed he had it figured out Meuer attended the when he graduated from St. Pius X High School and headed to University of Dallas for New Mexico Tech to become an engineer. three years, graduating with “I had it all figured out,” he says by phone from Mount a degree in philosophy. He Angel Seminary in Saint Benedict, Oregon. “I would get a spent the past four years job in a naval shipyard and live in the suburbs with a wife at Mount Angel Seminary and two kids.” in Oregon. He will be Once he got to college, that began to change. “I figured out ordained a priest of the engineering was not for me,” he says. “After two years at Tech, Archdiocese of Santa I transfered to UNM and changed my major to music. And Fe on June 15, 2019, at after my first semester at UNM, I had no idea what I really St. Francis Cathedral in wanted to do.” Santa Fe. During that time of contemplating careers he was also “I’m now winding contemplating the vocations of married life and the priesthood. down my time at seminary, Meurer was born into a strong Catholic family, attending Mass focusing on how to apply at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish every weekend. He was an what I’ve learned to elementary and middle school student at Queen of Heaven people’s lives,” he said in Deacon Timothy Meurer School and St. Mary’s School in Albuquerque. April. “The seminary “My faith was an important part of my life,” he says. provides you with the founIn eighth grade he thought of joining the dation of what it is that you are, the identity Jesuits, the order ministering to the community of who a priest is and what that means in the “They have something of Immaculate Conception Church and St. modern world. It gives you confidence in who no other high school Mary’s School. you are.” in Albuquerque has – “Once I got to St. Pius that changed,” he An interest in someday obtaining bi-ritual Christ in their midst.” says. “High school takes on a character of its faculties, allowing him to minister to both own. You start figuring things out, usually by Roman Catholics and Byzantine Catholics, making mistakes. I lost interest in the priesthood. I started has its roots at St. Pius X, where his teachers Lorcan dating my junior year and dated on and off for five years.” McMurchada and Rania Garnem shared their Byzantine Academics and music – he was a three-time All-State Choir Catholic tradition with him. “Something about that flourished member – were his strongest suits at St. Pius, along with for me,” he says. community service with pro-life ministry and youth ministry Meurer adds that students of St. Pius X are so fortunate in his parish. “James Penn, Charla Smith ’89, Dan Cappleman, to be where they are. “They have something no other high Mark Robinson, Barbara Ducaj ’79, Coach Ron Tybor, these school in Albuquerque has – that is Christ in their midst, were men and women who had a tremendous effect on me,” especially present in the Blessed Sacrament,” he says. “I Meurer said of his teachers at St. Pius X. encourage them to consider the call to the priesthood and By the time he was three years into college, the question of religious life. We need to replenish the ranks of priests; the priesthood was back in his mind. He spoke with Deacon St. Pius can be a proud offering of students. From that strength, David Little at St. Thomas Aquinas, who pointed him to the we will grow and flourish.” vocation discernment retreat held each year by the Archdiocese Meurer says strength is needed today in the Church. of Santa Fe. “We have to acknowledge that there are people who have “It was a 50-50 shot when I went to the retreat,” he good anger and there is pain that we need to be aware of and remembers. “I talked to the archbishop (Michael J. Sheehan) minister to,” he says. “It’s going to take a lot of courage and and the vocations director, Fr. Michael de Palma, and their real action on our part to restore the trust and confidence that witness to me was very strong. I returned from the retreat, went has been lost, but I’m looking forward to it. I am a sign of to my mom’s room and said I’m going to the seminary. A few hope. I like to view myself as a part of the solution, and I months later I was there.” thank God, that with His graces, nothing can hold us back.” St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
7
PlannedGiving ate! D e h t e v a S Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Legacy Planning Workshop With a good plan you can leave your family the gift of peace.
Make St. Pius X High School a Lasting Part of Your Sartan Legacy It’s easy to give to future generations of St. Pius! Just use the following language in your estate planning to create a valued Sartan Legacy for generations to come. I hereby direct for charitable purposes $_______________ (or ________ percent of my residual estate) (or ________ percent of my retirement plan) (or ________ percent of my life insurance policy) (or________ percent other, i.e., Charitable Trust, etc.) to the St. Pius X High School Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, for the benefit of St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This gift shall be used for ______ General Purposes
______ Tuition Assistance
______ To support the existing endowment of ___________________________________________(Specify) ______ To create the ________________________________ Endowment as a permanent endowment for the benefit of St. Pius X High School. (Amount required to establish a permanent named endowment fund is $30,000.) As with any decision involving your assets and/or estate, we urge you to seek the advice of your professional counsel when considering a gift to the St. Pius X High School Foundation, Albuquerque, NM.
Join us for hors d’ouevres and a glass of wine or a soft drink and a Legacy Planning Workshop. What legacy will you leave? Is your plan written down? Is your plan specific? Is your current plan up-to-date?
For Your Estate Plan For St. Pius X Foundation
St. Pius X High School Foundation Sartan Legacy Society Gift Notification When you have named St Pius X in your estate plan, let us know! Inspire others with your generous example. Complete the following information and include it in the reply envelope.
If you have not thought of planning for the future, there is no better time. Take advantage of this Legacy Planning Workshop.
I hereby notify the St. Pius X High School Foundation in Albuquerque, N.M., that I have named the Foundation as a beneficiary of my estate plan.
There will be a professional advisor present to answer your questions.
Should I change my intent toward the St. Pius X High School Foundation, or should the dollar value of my estimated estate gift significantly increase or decrease, I agree to notify the Foundation of the change.
Join us at: Hotel Albuquerque Wednesday November 6, 2019 Hors d’oeuvres at 5:30 Program Begins promptly at 6:15 PM Jointly sponsored by St. Pius X High School and the Catholic Foundation. 8
St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
The estimated amount of my gift for charitable purposes is $__________________ (This dollar figure is optional for St. Pius X High School Foundation planning purposes — we will never disclose publicly any amounts you indicate in this notification.)
I hope that my Sartan Legacy Society Gift Notification will encourage others to contribute, currently or through their own Estate Planning, to the St. Pius X High School Foundation for the benefit of St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque, N.M. Signature(s) ________________________________________________________ Date __________________ ______ I/We wish to remain anonymous as a member of the St. Pius X High School Legacy Society. ______ Please list my/our names on the public roster of the St. Pius X High School Legacy Society as:
__________________________________________________________________________ As with any decision involving your assets and/or estate, we urge you to seek the advice of your professional counsel when considering a gift to the St. Pius X High School Foundation, Albuquerque, NM.
SPXAdvancement Giving to Support Future Generations of Sartans The fondest memories of St. Pius X for John Freisinger ’85 are of his friends and his teachers. To honor them both, he took the opportunity to contribute to the efforts of the St. Pius X High School Foundation through the Phil Zuber Endowment. Freisinger, executive director of InnovateABQ, and his wife, Shelly, found the endowment to be a perfect opportunity to thank the St. Pius family for all that the school has done for them and their children, Michael ’19 and Elizabeth ’19, and help support future Sartans. “Mr. Z was one of my favorite teachers because he helped me look at the world more holistically and less academically,” Freisinger said. “We studied poetry through the eyes of modern poets like Sting of The Police and Geddy Lee from Rush. I started to see real-world parallels for the subjects we were studying and my eventual degree and subsequent work in Russia were directly linked to our study of Sting’s “The Russians.” With a degree from the University of New
Frank Frost Photography
Mexico in economics and a minor in Russian studies, Freisinger’s first job out of college was with Coca-Cola Refreshments in Moscow as a sales trainer. This spring, Elizabeth, a captain of the SPX Dorados Dance Team and a member of the Class of 2019 Top Ten, and Michael, a member of the SPX engineering team and a soccer and rugby athlete, graduated from St. Pius. Elizabeth
will attend Gonzaga University and Michael will attend Colorado School of Mines. “I can say without hesitation that my children have received the best Catholic, college preparatory education in the state,” Freisinger said. “What they will remember are the friends that they made during their four years on campus. But more than 30 percent of the students at Pius receive some form of financial assistance, so if someone before us had not made a similar contribution in prior years, some of those friendships may never have happened. “We are deeply grateful to God that we have been able to send our children to St. Pius and we encourage alumni, as they are able, to contribute to help fund scholarship endowments so that future generations can enjoy the same rich experience that we had at Pius.” To learn more about endowed funds at St. Pius X High School, visit saintpiusx.com/give or contact Jean Marie Skipp at 505-831-8500 or jskipp@spxabq.org.
Successful Mardi Gras Gala Supports SPX The St. Pius X High School Foundation Mardi Gras Gala raised more than $112,000 to support tuition assistance for deserving students at Albuquerque’s only Catholic high school. “For One Night, Let’s All Reunite!” was the theme of the evening as St. Pius X High School alumni, families and supporters celebrated Mardi Gras with style. About 400 people attended the event March 2 at Hotel Albuquerque, including Archbishop John C. Wester, Archbishop Emeritus Michael J. Sheehan and Superintendent Susan Murphy. The Premier Sponsors of the evening were Independent Director of M & T Foundation Darren Beckett and Frontier/Golden Pride. Those in attendance supported the event with sponsorships, live and silent auction bids, and volunteer efforts. Additional sponsors for the event were Gateway Financial Advisors, Inc.; Dekker Perich Sabatini; Morgan Stanley, Michael C. Daly, CFP and Charlie Carroll, CFP; Our Lady of the Annunciation Parish; RAKS Building Supply Inc.; Rizek Design and Remodeling; RX Innovations; Bank of America; Berger Briggs Real Estate and Insurance Inc.; Roses Southwest Papers Inc.; Sterling Outfitters Inc.; Tinnin Hunt Club; and Coleman Vision.
Mark your calendars for next year’s
Mardi Gras Gala February 22, 2020
St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
9
CREATIVE SARTANS FIND WORL MATTEUCCI: NUCLEAR POLICY From St. Pius X High School Model UN to actual United Nations meetings in Geneva to a Fulbright Award to study nuclear policy in London, Kayla Matteucci ’14 is taking an interest in international relations sprouted at SPX to its farthest reaches. This spring Matteucci received the most competitive Fulbright Award given. Granted to just two people each year, the UK Open Award will allow Matteucci to pursue independent, postbaccalaureate research in nuclear policy with the government of the United Kingdom and King’s College in London. Matteucci is currently the 2018 Junior Fellow in Nuclear Policy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, one of the most renowned think tanks in Washington, D.C. She will leave for London this fall and spend nine months to a year on her research. She graduated with bachelor’s degrees in International Relations and Spanish from Fordham University in 2018. “As a Fulbright scholar, I’ll be studying nuclear warhead dismantlement,” Matteucci says from the Capital. “Nuclear weapons have two parts, a bomb and a launcher – the delivery system to carry the bomb to the target. At the height of the Cold War, there were over 70,000 nuclear weapons in the world. Now they number closer to 14,000. But past treaties that have reduced the number of nuclear weapons have only verified the dismantlement of the delivery systems, not the bombs themselves. “I’m interested in treaties that also verify the dismantlement of bombs and that seek a higher standard of transparency and trust. How do we someday make Continued on Page 12 10
St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
Lacen: feature films
For Ryan Lacen ’99, running around Albuquerque with a hand-held camera was the best way to spend his high school years. “I’d take a camera and a friend who was down to film stuff and we’d go,” he says from North Hollywood, where he’s been based for the past 12 years. “From the earliest age, film was the only thing that drove me.” Now in the final stages of completing his second feature film, Lacen is taking that passion into the world through his work as a writer, director and producer. “All the World is Sleeping” is a film written and directed by Lacen portraying the real-life experiences of New Mexican women dealing with substance abuse and generational addiction. Filmed in Las Cruces and Albuquerque, it stars Melissa Barrera of Starz’s “Vida,” Jackie Cruz from Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black” and Jorge Garcia of ABC’s “Lost.” The film will be complete this summer, and Lacen will then take it to film festivals. “It was great to be able to come back to New Mexico to film,” says Lacen, who began his work in the film industry in Albuquerque as an intern and as an assistant for two years. “All the World is Sleeping” follows “The Dust Storm,” Lacen’s first film about a broken musician reunited in Nashville with a girl who crushed his heart years earlier. It received the Continued on Page 12
DWIDE SUCCESS CAREY: hat design Lisa Dircks Carey ’86 calls herself a tumbleweed. Wandering from place to place – New York to Napa Valley, Spain to Ecuador, Austin to Santa Fe – she gathers up all she can from each experience. Today she’s settled in Lexington, Ken., directing all she has accumulated into the beautiful and whimsical hats she creates as milliner LD Cary. “All that experience has added up to what I have to work with creatively,” Carey said from her design space as she put the finishing touches on hats destined to complete Kentucky Derby couture. “These beautiful works of whimsy satisfy my fascination with bits of nature and fabric. As I’m making these hats, my wandering to and fro informs my design.” Officially in her fifth year designing and creating custom and couture ladies dress and casual hats in straw and felt with accents of ribbon, stone, feathers and flora, Carey loves the details and the whimsy of her hats and fascinators. Sold online at LDCary.com and from Carl Meyers, a boutique in Lexington, the hats range in price between about $300 and $600. “I had a practical upbringing so I have a hard time saying I am an artist, I don’t see myself deserving that title,” she said. “But I’m happy creating something tangible that brings beauty to the world in a small way.” Carey began her journey into millinery making what she calls fanciful, 19th-Century-inspired headdresses for her girlfriends in Lexington, where she worked in administration at Three Chimneys, a world-class thoroughbred farm. Faced with a move that would split her time between New York and Florida, Carey wondered what kind of job could accommodate Continued on Page 13
Sartans use creativity across careers to bring goodness, discipline and knowledge to the world.
MOTLEY: CELEBRITY STYLING In 2015, Marissa Motley ’09 got in her car and drove to Los Angeles with one goal in mind: fashion. Four years later she’s styling celebrities for red carpet events, models for magazine shoots, and musicians for album covers. “Styling is the first thing I excelled at easily,” Motley says from her car in L.A. traffic. “I started assisting and it just came to me.” Not that breaking into the field and the frantic daily pace of her freelance wardrobe styling business are easy. She left the University of New Mexico in 2015 with a degree in political science and Africana studies, a minor in business management, and a lifetime of personal fashion research. “As a kid, I always said I wanted to be a designer, but what that meant was I wanted to work in fashion,” Motley says. “I thought the only way to do it was to become a designer, but I didn’t resonate with being behind the sewing machine.” Once she discovered styling through television shows like the Rachel Zoe Project, she knew where she fit in. She gave herself six months to figure out how to break into fashion styling. Lucky to have an aunt in L.A. with whom to live, Motley got a job in retail to pay the bills and an internship with L.A. Fashion Week, and started looking for stylists who needed assistants. She took courses in styling from the School of Style and learned the logistics of styling and breaking into the business. Continued on Page 13 St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
11
MATTEUCCI Continued from Page 10
LACEN Continued from Page 10
(such treaties) politically and technically feasible, even if it is a distant reality decades down the road?” After beginning undergraduate studies at Fordham, Matteucci became interested in international security. She focused on nuclear policy during two summer internships at Sandia National Laboratories and several internships at think tanks and non-governmental organizations in New York. Some of her internship time included work at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, and senior year analysis of U.N. meetings on nuclear disarmament. “My interest started at Sandia, where you are witnessing nuclear policy from an up-close perspective, and not always an international one,” she says. “In Geneva, I gained a better understanding of the international impact of the work we were doing at Sandia.” Matteucci says before her internships, she did not realize the extent of Sandia’s major role in U.S. nuclear policy. “In New Mexico it’s right there in front of us, but I didn’t have a clear grasp of the gravity of what is going on there, how important it is and how it shapes things internationally,” she says. Active in debate, Youth in Government and Model UN at St. Pius X, Matteucci decided during her junior year that she would pursue a degree in international relations or politics. “Model UN with Ms. (Elisa) Machtinger ’99, that was a defining experience,” she says. “And it was crazy to go from Model UN to the UN. I texted Ms. Machtinger throughout my time in Geneva.” Matteucci says writing is a vital skill she carries into her career from SPX. She credits English teachers Charla Smith ’89 and Mimosa Finley for developing her writing skills and her love of writing. Theology teacher Michaela Bruzzese ’86 and Spanish teacher J.D. Baca also helped and challenged her. Another area of interest outside her discipline: jazz and blues piano. Playing piano since age 5, she started a band in D.C. and has played at the Watergate Hotel, the InterContinental on the Wharf and the International Spy Museum. Her nuclear policy colleagues even come to hear her play. “Music is humanizing and my field is very serious,” she says. “It’s good to have that balance of doing something completely creative.” She plans to play jazz in London, too. Once in London she hopes to bring her research on nuclear policy to the scholarly community and to public audiences to give better visibility to nuclear policy topics. “I’m hoping to produce very high quality research and share it with as many people as I can,” she says. “I’m excited to dig into it and feel challenged. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed, but that is always a sign I am going to learn so much.”
best director award and the grand jury prize at the Las Cruces International Film Festival in 2016. Lacen attended New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico, studying business and media arts. Bachelor’s degree in hand, he knew he wanted to pursue film. After he graduated, he put the names of several cities in a hat with the idea he would live for a year in whichever city he pulled. He pulled out Portland. “I wanted to go and get experience and material to write about,” he says. “I went to Portland to have stories to tell.” A year later, in 2005, he came back to Albuquerque as New Mexico was just starting to attract films. He started as an intern. With some experience under his belt, he began to get jobs as a production assistant. “It was great as a filmmaker to work under (directors) Ron Howard and Kevin Smith and see how they did things and how they worked,” he says. After two years as an assistant, Lacen decided he was ready to move forward. “It got to the point, I was helping make their films, but I wanted to create my own content.” He moved to L.A. and started doing work for commercials and music videos. In 2014, he joined Normal, a boutique production company, and became a partner in the company made up of fellow maverick filmmakers. The company creates content including film, television, music videos, commercials and digital media, so Lacen’s work varies greatly week to week and day to day. “Monday I might be filming at the beach, Tuesday filming a car chase, and Wednesday on a plane to scout a location,” he says. And even with that varied schedule, he sets aside time to write every day, because telling stories is what he really aims to do. He’s working now on a television pilot and another movie script. “My goals are to keep directing and writing films,” he says. “Keep stepping up that ladder, telling stories. I want to create a catalog of films that tell the story of who I am.” Lacen says his SPX English teacher Jennifer Hilsey inspired him with literature and created a safe place to be creative and to push himself. And while at the time he thought his mother, Diane Lacen, taking a job at St. Pius X during his sophomore year was the worst idea, it actually became a great blessing for an aspiring writer to live in a house with an English teacher. “St. Pius was there to shape you,” he says. “It was always a safe place to experience the best and hardest parts of high school and to find your way. It was that bubble for me.”
12
St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
CAREY Continued from Page 11
MOTLEY Continued from Page 11
dual locations. A friend who know of her design skills pointed her to a hat and handbag designer working in New York and Palm Beach. She took an internship that required that she take classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She took the classes and the internship, which later turned into a job with the designer. After about two years, she decided to launch her own hat design business and began making hats featured on the high-fashion e-commerce website Moda Operandi, which allows customers to shop directly from designers. After a year with a master hat maker in Santa Fe, Carey took her hat design enterprise two years ago back to Lexington, where beautiful hats go hand-in-hand with horse racing, garden weddings, dressing up for church and sunny skies. Carey has always appreciated costume and period pieces, and as a student at SPX, she looked for the next crazy new wave get-up to wear to school. “I always had a creative side, but I was not raised to pursue that,” she says. She lists Augustine Martinez with his right brain-left brain exercises, James Padilla and Jeanette French as influential, all English teachers who introduced her to different worlds and cultures through literature. She left St. Pius X for Trinity University in San Antonio planning to pursue law school. After college she moved to Lexington and worked as a paralegal, earned a master’s degree in education, and then went to work in the film industry as production accountant on films including “Traffic” and “Courage Under Fire.” Her film work eventually led to a job with Francis Ford Coppola working on a script in New York for a year and then on his Napa Valley estate for a year. “That time was instrumental,” Carey said. “He taught me if you can imagine it you can make it reality.” As the hat designs and the business she imagines have become reality, she’s pleased to make people feel good, feel inspired and know that they look lovely. “Throughout civilization we’ve always put something on our heads – a wrapping, an elongation, a cap of some sort, a crown,” Carey said. “A headdress makes you feel different – better, stronger, more confident, more beautiful.”
“It wasn’t easy; the work was often unpaid, sometimes I’d get reimbursed for gas,” she says. “But I was training my eye to make this mine.” She was gaining experience and opening doors into the industry. About two years in, she juggled assisting, interning and working retail. That became too much to handle, but also made her realize she was ready to move full-time into styling. The day after she quit her retail job, she landed a full-time assistant position with Zadrian Smith, a celebrity stylist based in London. And after assisting with his L.A. clients for a year, Motley was ready to try it on her own. She opened her business a year ago. She adds clients through connections made as an assistant and as a stylist and through Instagram. A typical assignment might include styling client Ashleigh Murray, who plays Josie McCoy on the television series Riverdale, for a red carpet event. Motley gets ideas from Murray on the type of look she wants to wear. Then Motley approaches fashion showrooms in L.A., New York and even Europe, describing the client, the event and why they would want to lend their designs for the celebrity to wear. If the designer finds it to be a good collaboration, they send their items or Motley picks them up. “There is a lot of work that goes into building relationships with designers and showrooms that allow you to curate just the right look for each client,” she says. Everything from dresses, pants, tops, shoes and jewelry – usually 25 to 50 different looks – will be on display at a fitting for Murray to choose from. Motley has a tailor on site to adjust the winning look to perfection. On the night of the event, Motley helps dress the celebrity and works with the hair and makeup artists to achieve a cohesive look. After the fitting, Motley takes everything not selected back to the showrooms. “It’s a lot of physical work,” she says. “Dresses are heavy!” Styling has taken Motley and her looks to New York Fashion Week, magazine editorial and e-commerce shoots, Coachella, The Voice, The Emmy’s and music videos. “In L.A. there’s an event every weekend, a movie premier, a festival,” she says. And she’s styling for them all. As for her own style? “I really look for pieces that are minimal and well-constructed in tailoring,” she says. But she often has to be practical about her clothing choices as a day will have her down on the floor making sure a hem is just right or hauling heavy dresses around town. “As much as I hated wearing a uniform at Pius, I wish I had one today,” she laughs. “I miss the ease of just putting on the same thing every day.”
St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
13
SPXSports Sartans Earn Three State Championships
St. Pius X (24-5) captured the Class 4A state baseball championship with a 5-2 triumph over No. 3 Artesia. On its way to the finals, the team beat Belen 8-0 and Academy 15-2. Pitcher Hayden Walker was named New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year, the first time in the award’s 35 year history that it has been given to a Saint Pius X baseball player. Cesar Garcia, Josh Lackner, Jacob McCoy and Grant Smith were selected to represent the North team for the North South All Star Game. In District 5-AAAA honors, named First Team All-District were Grant Smith, Jacob McCoy, Josh Lackner, Cesar Garcia, Hayden Walker, Mason Ashcraft and Nate Sanchez. Named Second Team All-District were Brayden Peyton, Jacob Martinez, Austin Jaramillo and Matthew Cornelius. Honorable Mention
honors went to Robert Godshall, Alex Gruber and Danilo Padilla. Sartan Steven Sanchez, senior, won the 4A state wrestling championship in the 113 pound weight class in overtime. His brother, Matthew Sanchez, junior, was state runner-up in the 120 pound class. They were joined at State by Ulban Aragon, sophmore, and Christian Solis, senior. In SPX boys golf, senior Aidan Thomas brought home his second consecutive individual Class 4A state title, with a two-stroke victory at Piñon Hills Golf Course in Farmington. The SPX boys team finished fourth at the championship, with sophomore Samuel Jones finishing in the top 10 for individuals. The team also took District Championship honors and won the Albuquerque Metro Golf Championship and the APS Invite.
Sartans Celebrate Signing Day
SPX held its annual Athletic and Fine Arts Signing Day celebration on May 1. Congratulations to 16 Sartan seniors signing, with 14 signing for athletics and two signing for fine arts: (from left) Isabelle Pilon, New Mexico Highlands University, Soccer (Division II); Aidan Thomas, New Mexico State University, Golf (Division I); Justin Clarke, University of New Mexico, Music Scholarship (String Pedagogy and Music Performance); Sarah Brown, John Carroll University, Golf (Division III); Tristin Duff, Hastings College, Shotgun Sports (NAIA); Davin Ruggles, Adams State University, Swimming (Division II); Marisol Sandoval, Tabor College, Volleyball (NAIA); Megan Thomas, University of Minnesota, Dance Program (Division I); 14
St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
Grant Smith, New Mexico State University, Baseball (Division I); Cesar Garcia, Butler Community College, Baseball (NJCAA); Joshua Lackner, Howard College, Baseball (NJCAA); Mason Davis, Colorado College, Soccer (Division III); Donovahn Wyatt, Samford University, Football (Division I); Antonio Garcia, University of New Mexico, Rugby (Division I); Cristian Monsalve, Bethany College, Soccer (NAIA); and Selena Brandt, University of Kansas, Music Scholarship (Marching Jayhawk). Not participating in Signing Day but selected for Division I teams were Lauren Jones and Isaac Silva, University of New Mexico, Cheer; and Isabella Sais, Kent State University, Dance.
SPXSports
Thomas closed out his final high school season winning District Individual Medalist and Player of the Year and the Boys Metro Individual Title. Coach Jorge Tristani won District Boys Coach of the Year. St. Pius X rugby (14-2-1) is the 2019 State Runner-Up. Team captains were Tony Garcia and Greg Chadwick. The Dorados dance team earned the third place trophy in 4A Dance at the State Spirit Championships with a high energy pom routine and a lyrical jazz piece. Senior Lillian Wyckoff placed third in javelin at the State 4A track and field Championships. The SPX cheer team competed at the State Spirit Championships and placed 4th in the 4A co-ed division. In SPX water polo, junior William Mummert broke the state single game scoring record. He scored 11 goals, breaking the previous state record of 10, which he set himself last year as a sophomore. The SPX girls golfers are District Champions with sophomore Jayden Bates winning district Individual Medalist and senior Sarah Brown winning District Player of the Year. The girls team earned fifth place in the Class 4A state championship and third in the Albuquerque Metro Golf Championship. The SPX boys tennis team (8-4 overall, 6-0 district) is the 2019 District Champion. The team made the semifinals in the 4A State Tournament and finished top 4 in tournament. Nicholas Scheller and Zachary Kolkmeyer advanced to the state final in doubles. Girls tennis (6-4 overall, 5-1 district) earned District Runner-Up. Ciara Del Frate qualified for state in singles and Georgieana Cotinola and Jackie Taylor qualified for states in doubles.
The SPX girls and boys swimming teams each earned second place finishes at the District Championships this year. The Sartans qualified six relays for State Championships and all six relays advanced to finals. Standout swimmers who qualified individually for the State Championships were seniors Davin Ruggles and Rebecca Restrepo, sophomore Christopher Perea and freshman Leo Kim. All four of these swimmers moved on to finals. Members of the SPX girls basketball team (18-9) were honored at the All Metro Ceremony: Maya Trujillo, First Team All-Metro, and Karina Segura, All Academic. In SPX boys basketball (15-12 overall, 3-5 district), senior Jason Arnett received 1st Team All-District and 2nd Team All-Metro awards and senior Zachary Kolkmeyer earned 2nd Team All-District and All-Metro Academic Team honors. SPX softball went 7-12 in the 2019 season. Jocelyn Chavez and Gabriela Carrasco were selected Second Team All-District.
2019 Sartan Open Open Raises over $27,000 for SPX Athletics
The 18th Annual Sartan Open was held on April 26, 2019, at Los Altos Golf Course benefiting the Athletic Booster Club. Congratulations to Team Tremco that placed first for the second year in a row. Thank you to Chris Moya, SPX Girls’ Golf Coach, and our event partners and players for making the tournament a success. The Athletic Booster Club will be moving the 19th Annual Sartan Open to August of 2020. See you next year! St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
15
In Memory Sammy Armenta Jr., age 42 of Bloomfield, NM, died April 7, 2019. His survivors include his wife of 10 years St. Pius X High School Nurse Monica Armenta, children Sammy III and Michelle, step-children Siera and Shawn, Brooklynn and Nick ’22. Richard T. Bressan ’65, age 71 of Albuquerque, died Feb. 3, 2019. His survivors include his wife, Karla; daughters, Krissy Bressan and Katie Pellerin; and brother, Tom Bressan ’68. Mary Pat Byrd, age 93 of Albuquerque, died March 26, 2019. She is survived by her daughters Pat “Sugar” Varbel, Sue Kline, Nancy Moke, Anita Valentine, Vicki Schmahl ’70, Cathy Melloy ’78, Helen Knee-Wright ’79, Deanna Garnica; sons Stephen ’74 (Lou Anne ’74), Tom ’77; 46 grandchildren including Kenneth Byrd ’02, Shaundra Byrd ’01, Michael Byrd ’00, Kristen Byrd ’99, and Andrea M. Byrd ’97; 63 great-grandchildren; and 8 great-great-grandchildren. Ron Clark ’72 died Dec. 22, 2018. Jeanette Franchini Devoti, age 93 of Albuquerque, died Nov. 24, 2018. She is survived by her husband of 71 years, Frank Devoti; and her four children, Colonel David Devoti ’66, US Army Ret., Janis Devoti ’68, Jeanine Voller ’70, and Don Devoti ’74; nine grandchildren including Marisa Mirabal ’03, Dr. Dante Devoti ’06 and Adriana Devoti ’11; and one great-grandson. Tom Doherty, age 80 of Albuquerque, died Dec. 31, 2018. His survivors include his wife of 58 years, Gail; their four children: Suzanne Doherty Glenn, Michelle Doherty ’81, Jeannine Doherty ’83, Mark Doherty ’87; and two grandsons. Suzanne Elizabeth Durnford ’85, age 51 of Thornton, Colo., died April 19, 2019. She is survived by her mother, Margaret Schwaner; her husband, John; their children, J.P. and Margaret; her brothers: Eric ’79, Mark ’80, Jeff ’81, Brian “B.J.” ’82, and Brad ’83. Msgr. Francis X. Eggert, age 88 of Albuquerque, died February 20, 2019. He was an instructor from 1958 to 1968 and principal in 1968 at St. Pius X High School. He is survived by his sister, Shirley Villa; nieces, Melodee Witt, Carole Sullivan, Shirley Sandlin, and Carla Villa ’80; and nephew, Daniel Sandlin; great-nieces and nephews including Edie Bickel ’20. Robert Donald “Don” Eiler, age 84 of Albuquerque, died April 4, 2019. He is survived by his daughter Alicia A. Eiler-Ordonez ’83. James H. Foley, age 93 of Albuquerque, died March 19, 2019. He is survived by his wife, Eloisa; his children, Jim Jr., Denise ’72, Martha Joan ’74, Brian ’76 and Carol ’77, seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
Patrick Ryan Golden, age 32 of Albuquerque, died April 12, 2019. He is survived by his parents, Mary Jury ’79 and Jaime Golden; and his brothers, Brandon Goodwin and Kevin Golden. Charlotte Lee Goodwin, age 91 of Albuquerque, died March 17, 2019. She is survived by her husband, James P. Goodwin; children, Patricia Ellis ’65, Beth Bailey ’70, Rose Ann Goodwin, Jim Goodwin, Mary Jury ’79, Mike Goodwin ’81, Charlotte Rode ’83 and KC Maxwell; 19 grandchildren, and 11 great- grandchildren. Frank J. Graham, age 93 of Albuquerque, died January 10, 2019. He is survived by his children, Rita Graham, Donna Burnett ’72, Paul Graham ’75, Andrew Graham ’78, Michael Graham ’81, and David Graham ’86; 10 grandchildren including Adam Burnett ’06, Kevin Burnett ’08, Amanda Myers ’10 and Christopher ’13; and two great-grandchildren. Mary Rose Grummer, age 96 of Albuquerque, died Jan. 17, 2019. She is survived by her sister, Helen Hayes; children, John Charles ’65 (wife Diane), Ann ’66 (husband Tom ’66) Sims, Eileen ’67 (husband Tom ’67) Paez, Marilyn ’69 (husband Geoff ’69) Dorn, Janet ’72 (husband David), Ralph ’73 (wife Roberta), Martin ’75 (wife Marilyn Kelly), Judi ’80 (husband Howard) Stallings, and Larry ’82 (wife Sara Grummer-Strawn); 23 grandchildren including Brian Sims ’90, Elizabeth Tate ’94 and Peter Sims ’90; and 22 great-grandchildren. Eloy Ramon Gutierrez, age 94 of Albuquerque, died December 14, 2018. He is survived by his children Linda ’67, Eloy ’70, Teresa ’74, Patty ’74, Don ’76, and Tim ’79; 16 grandchildren including Bryan R. Lucero ’94, Damon Lucero ’99, Nathan Lucero ’02, Melissa Gutierrez ’99, Dominic Gutierrez ’02, Dylan Gutierrez ’12, Genevieve Gutierrez ’03, Mike Mares ’05, Ryan Kelly ’07, T.M. Kelly ’04, Michelle Gutierrez ’05 and Timothy Gutierrez ’09, and 13 great-grandchildren. Timothy O. Hartman ’77, age 59 of Jefferson City, Mo., died Feb. 2, 2019. He is survived by his children Timothy John Hartman and Julia Hartman; siblings Judy Ruekberg ’69, Don Hartman ’67, and Joe Hartman ’62. Richard Anthony Hawley, 84 of Albuquerque, died March 30, 2019. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Rosalie; his 10 children, Greg Hawley, Laura Ussery, Katy Hawley-Bird ’78, Margaret Byrne ’80, Mary Ann Hawley ’81, Eileen Racca ’83 (Jeff ’83), Sister Annunciata Hawley, O.P. ’85, Jerome Hawley ’87, Andrew Hawley ’87, and Rosanne Garvey; his 54 grandchildren including Trevor J. Bird ’13, and 10 great-grandchildren. Send your “In Memory” contributions to msais@spxabq.org.
Lori Simon Knight ’86 of Phoenix, Ariz., passed away March 15, 2019. She is survived by her husband, Patrick, and two sons. Janet Theresa Krezan, age 59 of Albuquerque, died November 20, 2018. She is survived by daughter, Jessica, sons, Johnathan and Nicholas; three grandchildren; and siblings Dale Krezan ’71 and Julie Randal ’75. Antonio “Tony” E. Martinez, age 72 of Albuquerque, died February 16, 2019. His survivors include his wife of 52 years, Ailene; daughters, Lydia Martinez Lucero ’88, Dolores M. Velasquez ’90 and Victoria Rice ’94, and 11 grandchildren. Mary Lou Michnovicz, age 91 of Albuquerque, died March 9, 2019. She is survived by 13 children, Michael ’67, Toni Gibson ’68, Andy ’69, Maria, Jon, David, Stephanie, Mark, Paula, Karla, Matthew, Patrick and Margaret Ann; 22 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Krishauna “Krishy” Perez, age 27 of Albuquerque, died Jan. 15, 2019. She is survived by her daughter, Sheyla Marie; sister Marisa Perez ’13; mother Paula Perez and fiance, Michael Gallegos; father Christopher Perez and wife, Bernadette Perez; grandmother, Frances Romero; grandfather and grandmother, Tom and Gloria Perez. Katherine Grace Pyell ’62, age 74 of Albuquerque, died Oct. 30, 2018 from ALS. Her survivors include her husband Gene Pyell; children Aaron Jaramillo and Kerry de Vore; three grandchildren; and siblings Mike Herndon; Phil Herndon ’65, Mary Kuehn, Tim Herndon, Tomas Herndon, Amber Herndon and Paul Herndon. Kathy is preceded in death by her parents and three siblings Donald Herndon, Ann Herndon and Margaret Wilfehrt ’67. Ambrosio Sanchez, age 88 of Albuquerque, died April 14, 2019. He is survived by his daughter, Carmel Sanchez-Busby ’82; sons, Phillip ’85 and Ricardo Sanchez; and five grandchildren including Kathryn Busby ’21. James Sands MD, age 87 of Albuquerque, died July 18, 2018. His survivors include his wife, children including James Sands ’77, William Sands ’78, Karen Sands ’80 and John Sands ’82, and grandchildren. Doris Schum, age 88 of Albuquerque, died February 5, 2019. She is survived by seven children, Mike, Steve ’68, Tim ’69 (Mary ’69), Kathy, Susie, Lisa and Kevin; 15 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. Patty Pick Snead, age 80 of Albuquerque, died March 19, 2019. She is survived by her husband of 58 years, Bill Snead; her children, David Snead ’83, Jennifer Snead Chavez ’85; and three grandchildren. Patricia (Pat) Weiss, a physical education teacher at St. Pius X High School from 1974 to 2016, died Jan. 2, 2019.
Huber Continued from Page 6 Huber offers this advice to people discerning where God is calling them: “Don’t be afraid to ask the questions. Reach out to someone and say I don’t know if God is calling me. There are many steps along the way to the end result. Just saying you’re thinking 16
St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
about it is not automatically locking you into it. “I sometimes wondered if God knew I was going to be a priest, why did he let me spend time going to college and then teaching. I know now he used those experience to shape me into the person I am today.”
AlumniNotes 1960s
Mike Brown ’64 was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame in December 2018. Head boys basketball coach for Albuquerque Academy from 1984 to 2010, his teams won 442 games overall and six straight state titles from 1989-1994.
1980s
C. Shannon Bacon ’89 was appointed to the New Mexico Supreme Court, replacing retiring Justice Charles Daniels. Bacon has been a judge in the 2nd Judicial District in Bernalillo County since 2010. An adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law, Bacon teaches evidence and trial practice. She will stand for election in 2020. The National High School Athletic Coaches Association named Toby Manzanares ’81 a National Finalist-Volleyball for the NHSACA National Coach of the Year-2019. He recently completed his 32nd year of teaching PE and coaching volleyball, the 22 past years at Rio Rancho High School.
1990s
Cuoghi Edens, MD ’99 is an Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago Medical Center where she is a quadruple board-certified Rheumatologist, seeing both adult and pediatric patients with complex rheumatic diseases. She completed her medical school at the University of New Mexico, combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency at University of Michigan, and combined adult and pediatric Rheumatology fellowship at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. She lives in Chicago with her husband Anthony Bernal, an executive chef who is opening his own restaurant.
2000s
Sartans shine in Albuquerque Business First’s 40 Under 40 list: Kaelan Brennan ’10, co-owner/vice president, Berger Briggs Insurance and Risk Solutions Inc.; David Le ’01, Realtor, Roaring Realty, and master chocolatier, Cocopotamus; Lorin (Ortiz) Share your news! Send your Alumni Notes to the editor at msais@spxabq.org
Saavedra ’03, chief risk officer and executive vice president, Southwest Capital Bank; and Rhiannon (Schroeder) Samuel ’10, executive director of Viante New Mexico. Luis Espino ’13 recently received admission into the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. He attended the University of Miami (FL). After his freshman year, he joined the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and served as Philanthropy Chair. His academic proficiency landed him on the Provost’s Honor Roll by his senior year, where by spring he became a member of Gamma Sigma Alpha, the National Greek Honors Society. He graduated in May 2017 with a bachelor of science degree in biology with minors in chemistry, psychology, and history. He then completed his master of science degree in physiology at Tulane University in 2018. Chris Graham ’13 is currently in his first year at Creighton University’s School of Dentistry in Omaha, Neb., pursuing a Doctor in Dental Surgery (DDS). Graham attended the University of New Mexico on a cross country and track scholarship. In 2015, the indoor track team won the Mountain West Conference title, where he participated in the mile and the distance medley relay. Graham graduated from UNM in December 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in business. Lauren Marek ’10 is in her first year of medical school at the University of New Mexico. After graduating with a bachelor of science in biochemistry, she served as a
Public Health Advisor for the Center for Disease Control in the Boulder Colorado Office of State, Tribal and Territorial Support. During her two and a half years with the CDC, she was assigned the areas of HIV Prevention and Infectious Disease. Following med school, Lauren would like to return to Public Health through the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service. Golfer Patrick McCarthy ’16 is the Male Student Athlete of the Year at Missouri Western. He also was selected as one of the four individuals to compete in the NCAA Division II men’s golf Central Regional in May. He entered the regional with four top-10 finishes. He has placed in the top-20 in nine events. McCarthy also was named an All-MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association) athlete. St. John’s University linebacker Alex Sais ’16 was named to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District VI football team and received 2018 Fall Academic All-MIAC (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) recognition. Sais is an accounting major with a 3.8 GPA. In 2018, he had 55 tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
New Mexico Tech Professor Stephanie Pick Baca ’99 (center) offers a course in American Culture and Leisure Ethics and utilizes her friendship with Frank Holloway ’00, (2nd from left) owner and operator of Hollow Spirits in Albuquerque, to engage her students. Students attempt to understand American culture and eras by studying and participating in activities that reflect the specific beliefs and values of the American public via consumer products, social, recreational and leisure activities. After studying the drinking habits of Americans, students are asked to create a Prohibition Era brew using only ingredients that would have been legal to purchase during the time and create their own “bathtub gin” for a competition. Holloway volunteers his time to attend class once a semester, along with his master distiller Martin Ullola, to judge these unique student concoctions, some of which were are made by Pius graduates and current Tech students. Pick says her time at St. Pius, specifically in Mr. Kovarik’s history and government class, taught her the value of encouraging student participation via debates, re-enactments and student presentations, which provide the opportunity to learn, live and experience history in a unique and thoughtful way. St. Pius X Connections • SUMMER 2019
17
For alumni, donors and friends of St. Pius X High School SUMMER | 2019
Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE
VERBUM DEI 1956
•K NO
ES
St. Pius X High School
N
E
D H ME GOO
PAID
WLED
AC
GE
TE N
S • DIS CIPLI
CONNECTIONS St. Pius X High School 5301 St. Joseph’s Drive NW Albuquerque, NM 87120 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
www.facebook.com/spxalum
For the benefit of the St. Pius X High School Foundation and the Albuquerque Del Sol Foundation.
SPX Jamie Tinnin
Memorial Shootout 6, 2019 2 r e b o t c O , y : Saturda e t a D e h t e v a S Join us on Saturday, October 26, for the 3rd Annual SPX
Jamie Tinnin Memorial Clay Shootout at Tinnin Hunt Club in Bernardo, NM. For more information regarding volunteering, sponsorships or team registration contact the SPX Advancement and Alumni office at 505-831-8406.