The Sentinel Shield Spring 2021

THE SENTINEL SHIELD

Exciting Renovations Planned for Historic Campus

THE SENTINEL SHIELD

Magazine of Seton Catholic Preparatory

ADMINISTRATION

Principal Victor Serna

Assistant Principal Gene Sweeney, PhD

Director of Admissions Guillermo Vidaurri

Director of Advancement Jim Pogge

Director of Athletics Gregg Buchannon

Director of Guidance Counseling Pam Hollerbach

Director of Finance Linda Surovick

Director of Student Activities Beth Pattock

Dean of Students Julie Grindey

Campus Minister Amanda Bell

Chaplain Fr. Gabriel Terrill

ADVANCEMENT

Director Jim Pogge

Assistant Director Patricia Glasser

Alumni Relations Manager Maggie Brown

Advancement Associate Karen Hill

2020-2021 ADVISORY BOARD

Kelly Brown, President

Bridgette Cosentino, Vice President

Bob Adlhoch

Nelsonja Bastian

Bryan Davey

Perry Gordon

Greg Martonick

Marissa Ramirez-Ramos

John Schiemer

Michelle Sladek

Marjean Steinkamp

Rich Zawtocki

Victor Serna, Ex-Officio

Brandy Martinez, Staff Support

2020-2021 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Gabe Ortiz ‘88, Board President

Medtronic Inc., Medical Device Sales

Carol Dobson, Dobson Family Farms, Owner

Tracy Dorsey, CPA, Seton Catholic Prep and Resurrection

Parish volunteer

Sal Flores, Flores Wealth Management, Registered Principal

Ross Robb, Owner and President of RLR Ventures, LLC

Joe Wallace, Owner, Spotlight Signs and Imaging Solutions

Rich Zawtocki, Zawtocki Law Offices, Attorney at Law

Victor Serna, Ex-Officio

Jim Pogge, Ex-Officio

Brandy Martinez, Staff Support

Diocese of Phoenix

Catholic Schools Leadership

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted

Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares

Superintendent Dominic Salce

Assistant Superintendent Mary Bartsch

Our Mission To provide a college preparatory curriculum within a Catholic faith community focusing on academic excellence, leadership, and loving service to others.

The Sentinel Shield

Managing Editor Maggie Brown ‘02

Designer Beatriz Mojarro, Graphic Design

Printer International Minute Press Chandler

The Sentinel Shield Magazine is published by the Seton Catholic Preparatory Advancement Office

Note: Are you receiving multiple copies of The Shield?

If so, please contact Jim Pogge in the Advancement Office at 480-963-1900 x2006 or JPogge@SetonCatholic.org

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

Dear Sentinel Community:

What a blessing to be part of this wonderful faith community here at Seton Catholic Preparatory. I am proud of the time our students and families spend in service to their parishes and to local organizations. Organizations like Maggie’s Place and Feed My Starving Children are just a few places to name where our current students and families support. It’s great to see and hear the stories of where our alumni continue serving once they graduate from Seton. Many become active in their school’s Neuman Center or other Catholic organizations like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Knowing that our graduates develop a servant’s heart brings me great joy because it brings our mission alive.

Non-profit organizations often ask people to donate their time, talents, or treasures. I would internalize this message as an ask for money. My experience at Seton has widened my perspective and I recognize that it is not just about money. Sharing your time and talents with others sends a powerful message about you. It shows that you have made the decision to care about someone and something bigger than yourself. Our students, parents, staff, and alumni exemplify what it means to serve others and I am grateful to be a part of the Seton family.

I invite you to consider sharing your time, talents, and treasures with Seton Catholic. The pandemic has caused us to do things differently for the past year, but we have remained determined to keep moving forward as a school community. Thank you for your support of Seton and for taking some time to read this publication.

Sincerely,

Victor Serna Principal

CONTENTS

2 4-5 6-7 8-9 10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17

18-19

20-21

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

SENTINEL NEWS

CAMPUS MINISTRY

CHARISM: DETERMINATION

FEATURE STORIES

COVER STORY Coming Summer 2021

ADVANCEMENT

ATHLETICS

ALUMNI NOTES

IN MEMORIUM

SENTINEL NEWS

Mr. Serna and Good Dogs

What better way for a little stress relief than hanging out with two adorable pups? Patch and Bandit visited Principal Serna for a pick-me-up and put a smile on lots of faces in the front office!

Audrey Wood, winning author

Junior Audrey Wood won the 2020 Tempe Writing Contest as the High School Creative Nonfiction winner. Her short piece, “A Goat, A Girl” was written as an assignment in Mrs. Foor’s sophomore honors literature class. Her piece was published in Volume 6 of the Tempe Writers Forum!

Fr. Camou blesses classrooms as we return

After our first school Mass in September, which was attended virtually, Fr. Camou visited different classrooms to bless them as we returned to school in our hybrid model.

Homecoming Spirit Shirts fit for the season

Part of our Homecoming celebrations for students this year included a contest to design the spirit shirt. Junior Stephania Rodriguez created the winning design which perfectly highlights this year.

Mr. Serna, the apple of our eye

Congratulations to Principal Serna for winning the Chandler Chamber of Commerce’s Red Apple Award! The Red Apple Award is given to an educator who demonstrates leadership, fosters partnerships between schools, businesses, and community, and encourages team spirit. Victor was recognized during their virtual award ceremony in September.

Accreditation Visit A Success

By Gail Hartman, Theology

Seton Catholic Preparatory as a WCEA accredited high school is committed to continuous school improvement, ensuring educational excellence and high achievement for all students. On February 11, 2021, the WCEA visiting committee shared their findings with the Seton Catholic community as a result of their visit. This committee reviewed our self-study report, visited classrooms, held interviews and focus groups throughout the week culminating in their written recommendation of Accreditation Status which will be sent to the WCEA Commission for review. This Commission meets in May of each year to read the reports and recommendations and votes for the accreditation status for each school.

This accreditation cycle was unique, as we were prepared for the Visiting Committee’s visit in March, 2020 only to have Covid 19 and the state’s Lockdown interrupt our initial plans. When school began this year, we remained DETERMINED to carry on our mission through providing online instruction, hybrid instruction and concurrent instruction focused on the success of our students. At the same time we began to prepare for our visiting team to complete their visit. This team also persevered and together we continued to share our self-study process with them virtually enabling the visiting team to complete their visit to our classrooms and campus using Zoom, Google Meets, and hyperlinks to observe Seton Catholic Preparatory campus in action. What they found was a Catholic community full of life, learning, and thriving as only we can do even in a pandemic!

MEET

THE NEW CHAPLAIN

By Fr. Gabriel Terrill

Hello! My name is Fr. Gabriel Francis Alexander Terrill, but most people just call me Fr. Gabriel. I am the new chaplain at Seton Catholic, and I am overjoyed to be part of the Seton Community! Since I am new here, I figure this is a good time to introduce myself and share a little bit about my vocation. I was born in Utah and moved out to Arizona with my family back in 2001 when I was six years old. I was homeschooled from second grade through high school, so in many ways this is my first time in a high school. I figure this is a good thing since I am free to cheer on our sports teams, guilt free. For as long as I can remember I always wanted to be a priest. When I was young I wanted to be a priest, a cowboy, an astronaut, and an animator. As time went on I lost interest in cowboys, adopted a phobia of outer space, and came to realize how difficult animation is. The only thing that stuck with me was the desire to be a priest.

This desire grew as I myself matured; in

receiving my first communion, serving on the altar, confirmation, and discussion with priests and parishioners I came to appreciate my faith more and more. I desired to live out my faith in a particular way by living as a priest, celebrating Mass, hearing confessions, ministering to God’s people, and by participating in the ministerial priesthood of Jesus Christ. Eventually I started to investigate the diocesan priesthood. I wrote to someone who was studying for the priesthood, called a seminarian, who studied at a seminary, not a cemetery, in discernment and preparation for the priesthood. In writing to him I came to realize that seminarians, and by extent priests were just people. They have likes and dislikes, they enjoy hobbies, they participate in sports, and incredibly enough they have personalities. This meant that God may have placed this desire for priesthood in my heart and was calling me uniquely to become a priest. In high school I took

my discernment of the priesthood very seriously and started praying holy hours and attending daily Mass.

My senior year of high school I applied for seminary and was accepted by the Diocese of Phoenix. I spent four years studying philosophy in Columbus, Ohio and nearly four years studying theology in Rome, Italy. I was recently ordained a priest on June 6th, 2020.

My favorite sport to play is soccer, my favorite sport to watch is handball since I have no idea how it works and what the rules are. My favorite genre of music is Jazz, I love peanut butter, I can’t stand canned tuna, I enjoy drawing (more doodles than actual drawings), I like to longboard, and I love to read a good novel. Once again, I am excited to be the new Chaplain for Seton Catholic and I look forward to being a spiritual father on campus and getting to know this beautiful community.

Annual Grandparents’ Mass Takes on a New Format

Seton’s Annual Grandparents’ Mass was not the usual bustling event with grandparents joining their grandchildren for Mass at St. Andrew’s and enjoying a luncheon back at the Seton Gym. This year, being faced with social restrictions and wanting to keep our grandparents and community safe, we went virtual.

To personalize the event, a video was created with photos of our Sentinels with their beloved grandparents. These photos were shared by our parents, and included the endearing name the students use to refer to their grandparents. This touching video was shared at the end of the live-streamed Mass, celebrated by our new Chaplain, Fr. Gabriel Terrill.

While this format did not have the same sense of community as being in person, we were happy it gave all grandparents the opportunity to share in the Mass. The Mass and video are available on the Seton Catholic YouTube page for all to view. Our hope for next year is to be together again celebrating and honoring our wonderful grandparents. God bless all our grandparents and keep them healthy and safe!

CHARISM

DETERMINED

Finding a way to do campus ministry in a pandemic is like nothing else I have ever done before...quite literally! While I am not new to Seton (this being my 8th year teaching in the Theology department), this is my first year in my role as Campus Minister.

Sophomore Caitlin Lucke hasn’t been slowed down by social restrictions and is fulfilling her service hours this year by crocheting hats for cancer patients. I started making the hats because I wanted to do something to help others in my community while in the safety of my home during COVID. I found a bunch of yarn in a basket at home, and that’s when I got the idea to make hats! With that idea in mind, I went online to find an organization to donate my hats. I chose to make hats for people fighting cancer because I wanted to give them a little bit of joy and sunshine, and because I couldn’t imagine how scary and sad it would feel to be fighting the disease and not knowing what will happen. Also, losing your hair on top of battling cancer would be awful, so I thought if I made hats for them, it would be a little thing I can do to help them. I hoped maybe it would make someone smile.

After I made my decision, I made the plan, and that’s how it began. I told my grandma about it and showed her the hats I had started knitting. Next, we researched the best yarns for hat-making and went to the craft store to get various yarn and hooks. Then, I looked up different patterns, figured out how to make pom poms, learned how to switch colors, and began making hats. Each hat takes me about an hour to complete. I picked out packaging for the hats and made personal hand-made notes for each one. I want people to know someone is thinking about them during their tough times.

When I make hats, I get joy out of it knowing it will go to either an infant, child, or adult who really could use it, especially when they are in such a hard time of their life. I feel like this will be something I will continue for a long time.

Before I took on this role, I had felt a tug on my heart that the Lord was calling me into a new job and a new ministry, but I love this community and didn’t want to leave. So I kept trying to discern what it all meant. How could my desire of never wanting to leave Seton be so different from what I was being called to? I learned that the Lord always makes a way, and He either reveals it is time to let one of those things go, or He makes a way for both. I am forever grateful that He made a way for both for me.

Growing up in Arizona, I always wanted to attend Seton but I never made it here. I think that desire is part of what led me here to teach and to serve. I went to the University of Notre Dame and earned a BA in Theology, then continued onto Franciscan University of Steubenville for my MA in Theology.

My goal in the classroom is that my students know they are loved and I carry this goal into Campus Ministry. Accomplishing anything this year initially seemed like a massive impossibility, but again, the Lord made a way. Fr. Camou, and now Fr. Gabriel, and I worked together to discern how the Lord desired us to do our jobs in this time. Through a lot of prayer and learning new technology, we created Campus Ministry events that incorporated our charism Determination, and also had this goal at their core.

Some highlights of the year have been: Our All School Masses continue in what I like to call “Pandemic Style”. Mass is said in our chapel, the heart of our school, and

DETERMINED TO SERVE

By Amanda Bell, Campus Minister

live streamed to both classrooms and students at home. Our extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion then take the Eucharist to the students in their classrooms from the Chapel. We are still all celebrating mass together, just not all in the same room.

The Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament has been live streamed and also available to students and staff to attend in person in the chapel, as long as they stay distanced while they pray.

We have put on hybrid versions of our Sophomore Boys and Girls retreats, respectively titled Forge and Beautifully Rooted, which allowed students to be online at home and still participate in the retreat. They were a massive success, and our online students expressed how they truly felt like they were there in person.

As I write this article we are still working on adaptations to our

Sentinel Summit All School Retreat as well as Kairos. Both of these events will still happen just also adapted to pandemic style. They are an integral part of connecting with our students and helping them to come to know the love of the Lord.

We also did not give up on service! While it could be easy to say that we just can’t do service in a pandemic, it is arguably even more important for us to serve now than ever before. The goal of service this year was to help our students connect with their community in some way, even from home. Many

of our students became pen pals with residents of assisted living facilities while others masked up to help at food banks. Our PASS (Prayer and Service at Seton) program adapted because we could not go to St. Vincent de Paul, Midwest Food Bank, or Oakwood Creative Care. Instead, we focused on who we are as Sentinels, asking what we can do to foster more community and serve the least among us on our own campus. This House activity culminated in some of the most beautiful and impactful projects: St. Michael students created a “no one sits alone” campaign, making sure everyone had someone to sit with at lunch. The House of St. Anne did a superlative vote to compliment each other. St. Juan Diego used the Canvas platform and discussion boards to foster communication in our community, with discussions continuing into the Spring semester.

I have tried to keep our major events consistent as an anchor for our students because it is what they know. While they cannot be executed the same as before, the Lord still shows up and moves--that is just the truth of who He is. I cannot wait to plan a non-pandemic style campus ministry event for Seton! But until then I trust that the Lord will keep moving us forward. He will reveal how Seton’s Campus Ministry is called to share His love with our community and help us to all grow in determination.

Beautifully Rooted Sophomore retreat took place in January both in person and online.

Regardless of being in person or at home, students were able to fully participate in our retreat.

2020 ECONOMICS

BROUGHT INTO THE CLASSROOM

By Karen Self, Economics

As a teacher, we often hear students say, “When will I ever use this in my real life?” My response during these difficult items is there has never been a better time to study economics! Throughout the pandemic, students have been able to see economics concepts jump off the page and play out in real time. From the plummet in Gross Domestic Product at the start of the pandemic, to rapidly changing unemployment rates, to understanding the business cycle in terms of the recovery, it’s all right there on the front page of the news. Multiple rounds of stimulus checks allow us to understand government spending and the multiplier effect in real time. Watching the actions of the Federal Reserve bank helps students to understand monetary policy as well. This is to say nothing of the real life supply and demand issues we faced with toilet paper and empty grocery store shelves last spring.

On top of these policies we see in action, current events also allow students to gain a deeper understanding of annual deficits and the national debt. All of these concepts are right in front of us everyday it seems. While we continue to pray for those who have been negatively affected by Covid-19, we are using these events to enrich student understanding of macroeconomics.

High demand and low supply created long lines and empty shelves.

SENTINELS SPAN THE GENERATIONS

Seton Catholic has a wonderful heritage that includes children and grandchildren of alumni continuing the tradition of attending SCP. These Legacy Families are a treasured part of our alumni community, and each year we add more of these multi-generational Sentinel families to our ranks. Here are some words from a few of our incoming and continuing Legacy Families:

Jeff Hall ‘97

We chose Seton for the long standing tradition of academic excellence and sense of community. Having been a part of the Seton family for more than 20 years it was an easy choice. Louise and I could not be more excited to both be Sentinels now! Passing the tradition of OLMC and now Seton on to my kids has been a great joy.

Peter Sauer

For us, sending our kids to a high school with a strong faith community, excellent academics, and lots of extracurricular activities is what it’s all about. I’m excited for them to grow in their Catholic faith. I really enjoyed my time at Seton and am really proud that it’s their turn.

Libby Acedo Spanovich ‘00

We decided to send our daughter, Kadence, to Seton because it has an excellent program, their education is fantastic, and their community and extracurriculars are all great. She’s also going to be in a community that is safe and a place that feels comfortable to her. I’m most excited for her to experience the dances, and the games, and all the traditions like homecoming week and Kairos retreats. Going to Seton means she’ll have a community that will be with her forever.

Colleen Hubbard Bruening ‘00 and Chad Bruening ‘00

We are sending Jackson to Seton for the community. We know that there are other options with rigorous academics, strong athletics, and great programs for community and faith based service. But we know that Seton has all three, and will allow Jackson to explore and discover his strengths over the next four years. We are excited for Jackson to make similar connections and lifelong friendships similar to the ones we were able to make. Obviously Chad’s and my friendship continued through college and we are now family. We feel very lucky to be back as parents. Obviously Seton has grown and changed so much since we graduated in 2000. It means so much to us to be able to give him an opportunity like we had, to go to a small faith based campus that is academically challenging and close knit where he can fill his high school years with wonderful memories and experiences. We are blessed to watch him grow here, we are blessed that he is a Sentinel.

COVER STORY

COMING SUMMER 2021

This summer will mark a major leap forward for one part of Principal Victor Serna’s 10 year vision for Seton Catholic Preparatory.

The Historic Campus renovation will completely update every building that was erected during the 1980’s. For the past 18 months, Seton has been raising funds toward this $4 million project.

The renovation was originally slated to take at least three years to complete.

But in March 2021, the game plan changed.

Shea Homes has selected Seton Catholic Prep to be their first ever high school renovation project. The home construction company has pledged $1.5 million dollars to accelerate the renovation effort!

When the final bell of the spring semester rings, construction crews will swarm onto campus to tackle the bathrooms, update every classroom, give a refresh to the cafeteria, and create a new look for the Front Office and other Administration Building offices. The Historic Campus will look vastly different when students, faculty, and staff return in August!

This year’s projects are expected to cost $2.7 million, and Seton must raise $1.2 million to complete this summer’s work. Thanks to you, we have already secured $250,000 toward this goal due to your support of the 65th Anniversary Gala in August, 2020. Proceeds from this year’s gala, Havana Nights on August 28, 2021, will also go to the renovation.

NEXT PHASE: SUMMER 2022

Next summer, on the docket is a new look for the Library/Media Center, plus a revamp of the Quad to make it more useful for student lunches and activities, alumni events, and parent gatherings. Seton also plans to create an inviting front entrance that will make the campus more visible from Dobson Road (see rendering on front cover).

To support these projects and learn more visit: www.setoncatholic.org/ apps/pages/HistoricRenovations or contact Jim Pogge, Director of Advancement, at jpogge@ setoncatholic.org.

“I’m so excited! I can’t wait to see what it will look like! This is my 20th year here at Seton and a new modern front office will really be nice! A wonderful first impression to all that visit. Thank you Seton!”

- Beth Dodaro

“I am so excited for the renovation. It’s difficult to imagine what it will look like, but it will be fun to decorate and make it welcoming for my students. It is always nice to have new things, but I am mostly thrilled about having a quiet AC.”

-Cynthia Kubasak

FEATURE STORIES

GOLF CLASSIC

The week started with rain, the clouds persisted, and the forecast wasn’t promising. But what happens when four Catholic priests play golf on the same day?

The rain clouds part, the sun shines brightly on a green path, and 148 players enjoy fellowship and a round of golf in support of Seton Catholic Preparatory.

On Friday, January 29th, the Advancement Office hosted the Seton Catholic Golf Classic at Ocotillo Golf Club in Chandler. The course was full and the birdies were flying everywhere—a few eagles were even spotted. Thanks to the players and sponsors, the Golf Classic was a great success, generating over $51,000 in revenue for Tuition Assistance and Programming Support.

A pre-dawn breakfast welcomed the players as they registered for the day, hit the driving range, bought mulligans and raffle tickets, and practiced a few putts. Seton Catholic Prep alumnus Fr. Scott Sperry ‘04 sent the players off with a prayer of thanks for the players and sponsors who joined us on that day.

One of the day’s highlights occurred on the 9th Green. Seton’s new Chaplain, Fr. Gabriel Terrill, transformed into the “Putting Padre.” For a small donation to support Campus Ministry efforts, the Putting Padre guaranteed a sunk putt. Lots of birdies on that hole on Friday!

Again this year, Grand Canyon University sponsored the “A-STEM Corner” contest. The team with the lowest score on holes 11, 12, and 13 won a prize. Proceeds from that sponsorship will provide equipment for Seton’s Robotics and Engineering programs.

It was also a mini-reunion for Seton alums. Over 20 Seton alumni joined the field this year, keeping the Sentinel spirit strong and vying for bragging rights. Once a Sentinel, always a Sentinel.

Here’s a recap of the day’s winners...congratulations to them all:

1st Place, 1st flight: John Schiemer, John Francis Schiemer ‘22, Matt Schwab ‘17 and Jack Schaffer

2nd Place, 1st flight: David Engelbert, Adam Engelbert ‘12, Sam Engelbert ‘13 and John Engelbert ‘16

1st Place, 2nd flight: Jason Haase, Cody Honea, Chris Fontana, Chris Larkin

2nd Place, 2nd flight: Andrew Kozusko, Fr. Dan Connealy, Will Froelich, Eric Matthews Contest Holes

A-Stem Corner: we had a tie!

David Engelbert, Adam Engelbert ‘12, Sam Engelbert ‘13 and John Engelbert ‘16

John Schiemer, John Francis Schiemer ‘22, Matt Schwab ‘17 and Jack Schaffer

Long Drive Men: Mark Sopko

Long Drive, Women: Tracy Dorsey

Longest Putt: John Colonna

Closest to the Pin, Men: Mark Watkins

Closest to the Pin, Women: Teri Hoeft

PLANNED GIVING A SIMPLE APPROACH TO

By Jim Pogge, Advancement Director

Planned Giving.

Two words that bring angst to both donors and Advancement folks like me. For donors, those two words make you think about your death.

For Advancement folks like me, I have to start a conversation about your death. Emotionally speaking, it’s awkward at best.

From a practical standpoint, Planned Gifts are donations in the future (hopefully well into the future). Yet, nonprofit organizations like Seton Catholic have immediate needs for donations— today! So why bother?

I could glaze over your eyes with technical mumbo jumbo about Charitable Gift Annuities, Charitable Lead Trusts, Charitable Remainder Trusts, Beneficiaries and Secondary Beneficiaries, or perhaps Inter Vivos Trusts, whatever that is.

Or, I can make this really simple and tell you a couple stories to illustrate the point.

Statistics show that 90% of Planned Gifts are bequests; that is, donors name a non-profit like Seton in their wills. How do they do it? Usually they complete a short, fill-in-the-blank form and make a short call to their attorneys. We have such a form on our website, by the way.

The bottom line: Planned Giving is usually quite simple--and very powerful. If you are at all curious, please give my office a call.

Now, a few stories:

A couple passed away within 6 months of each other. They were 95 years old, and they had raised their family, enjoyed watching their 18 grandchildren grow up, and even knew 30 of their

great grandchildren. Upon their passing, assets from their estate funded two endowed scholarships at Catholic schools where their children—and some grandchildren—attended. These endowed funds will provide tuition assistance for countless students— forever! Indeed, a nice legacy.

An alumna from a Catholic High School passed away after a long battle with cancer. Tragic. Truly heartbreaking. Her life story of overcoming physical and academic challenges is the stuff of movies. Thankfully, her children were grown. Prior to her passing, she had named her high school as a secondary beneficiary of her life insurance policy; plus, she and her family had worked with me to create a merit based scholarship for students excelling in math—indeed she “planned” this gift.

A businessman from very humble beginnings was always thankful for the business degree he earned at a university. He was especially grateful for an accounting professor because of the valuable principles he learned and that served him throughout his career. They kept in touch through the years. Long after the professor passed away, the business man retired and eventually passed away, too. From his assets, he created an Endowed Scholarship in his professor’s honor that serves low income students. Again…forever!

If these stories resonate with you, please consider adding Seton Catholic Preparatory to your estate planning and as a beneficiary of your estate.

And if you want to hear the story about the woman who invented the TV Dinner and then built a STEM Lab at her old high school, give me a call. It’s pretty interesting stuff--gravy included!

ATHLETICS

In December some of our swimmers took part in the Swim in the Light, a fundraising awareness campaign for mental health by Valleywise Health. Our students participated with other Catholic schools and swam socially distanced 100-yard relay legs, raising funds for the behavioral health programs.

ATHLETIC HONOR ROLL

The Seton Catholic Preparatory Athletic Department boasts a statistic we are proud of that goes beyond athletic success, although there was a fair amount of that as well. While seven of nine Fall teams qualified for their state meets or tournaments, 73 Fall athletes were honored on the Sports360AZ All-Academic Teams. The award honors

all athletes who participated at the varsity level during the year and earns a 3.5 weighted GPA or better. The Sentinels earned 27 first-team All-Academic honors (4.0 weighted GPA or higher) and another 46 athletes earned honorable mention honors. The program breakdown went like this:

Volleyball: A FINAL FOUR FINISH!

Football

11 total honors (Four 1st Team, 7 HM)

Volleyball

The Seton Catholic Preparatory Girls Volleyball team had an outstanding fall season in 2020, finishing with a 15-3 record overall and reaching the final four of the AIA 4A Tournament for the first time in over a half decade.

The team finished a perfect 8-0 on the year in region play, earning their fifth 4A Desert Sky title in a row. They also held the No. 1 ranking in 4A for a large part of the regular season.

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking back on our season is gratitude. All of us, players and coaches, we’re all so grateful that we were able to have a season during the pandemic. We were lucky enough to have our parents and even some of our students come and support us during our big matches. This also helped us to realize that we needed to stay focused and live in the moment. This is something our coach always preached and it helped us to enjoy all of the ups and downs we went through, which really contributed to the success we had!

- Christina Kuras ‘21

REGION OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Christina Kuras

REGION DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Rachael Martinez

REGION COACH OF THE YEAR

James Johnson

ALL-REGION 1ST TEAM

Christina Kuras

Hitter/Middle Blocker

Rachael Martinez Libero

ALL-REGION 2ND TEAM

Catherine Schwab

Hitter/Middle Blocker

Emilee Horky

Hitter/Middle Blocker

Gracie Shearan Setter

HONORABLE MENTION

Alexandra Van Devender

11 total honors (Seven 1st Team, 4 HM)

Cross Country

11 total honors (Four 1st Team, 7 HM)

Spiritline

16 total honors (Three 1st Team, 13 HM)

Swim & Dive

10 total honors (Six 1st Team, 4 HM)

Golf

14 total honors (Three 1st Team, 11 HM)

CHRISTMAS JOY ON THE SMALL SCREEN

I am really passionate about both performing and filmmaking, and plan on majoring in film in college. I had the opportunity to help as an editor and performer on the Seton Christmas Special this year, which was a really amazing learning experience for me. Having this opportunity as a high school student helped me to stretch myself as a filmmaker and performer, and prepare me for what I want to do in college and in life.

I worked as a film editor on the Special, which was challenging, but also really exciting. I edited eight performance numbers, including the ending credits. For the dance numbers, we actually edited the music over the dances, so one of the biggest challenges was getting the music to match up exactly with the dancing. Sometimes I would spend two hours just trying different tactics to get the music to match up, but once it did, it was like magic seeing it all come together.

It was definitely different to produce a filmed Christmas Special, rather than a live Fine Arts Night, but I am really proud of what we accomplished. As a performer, it is always really special to hear the applause from the audience after a Fine Arts Night. This time around, we didn’t have that, but it was even more fulfilling to see the lasting impact this Special had on our community. I

By AudreyWood‘22

remember how exciting it was watching the views and likes keep going up on premiere night and reading all of the comments from people who were able to find some community and Christmas joy through our Special. One of my favorite parts of working on this show was seeing the community impact, and also knowing that people all around the world can watch our show.

Another challenge was the sheer amount of work that went into this Special. I spent about fifty hours editing the show, which I needed to plan around my school work. I volunteered to edit the ending credits, because I had some cool ideas that I really wanted to try. I wanted to make the credits an extension of the show, something that everyone would want to stick around and watch. I knew people usually don’t watch the credits, so I spent the week leading up to the premiere telling everyone to watch until the very end of the credits, because I knew they would enjoy it. :-)

Filming days were fun, but also very exhausting. On a Sunday, we filmed the finale outside in the heat. Later that day, we filmed our group dance four times in a row from different angles, and then I filmed my solo four times immediately after. I felt like I looked so tired and my hair was messed up when we were filming, but when I started editing, I saw a completely different story. The hard work behind the scenes translated to Christmas joy on screen. The first time I saw the finale (which Mrs. Polanco, our dance teacher, did an amazing job of), I felt like I was literally in High School Musical.

I never thought that during COVID, of all times, we would find our own High School Musical experience. We really stretched ourselves and grew our talents as a Fine Arts Department, and I think we definitely surprised ourselves with not only how incredible the show turned out, but also the impact it had on our community. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to combine my passions for performing and filmmaking to help create something that the Seton community will remember and cherish for a long time to come.

I did lights and sound, worked on setting the lights for the different groups and queuing their songs. It was a lot less stressful than normal drama productions, and it was a fun experience to dust off the cobwebs and do some audio work that I haven’t had a chance to do in a while!

- Isaac Baron ‘21

CREATING MORE THAN ART

By Trish Martin, Fine Arts Department Chair

A Fine Arts Department class is traditionally where instructors and students come together to create. A quartet of singers, the cast of a play or members of a dance troop need to socially interact to create and perfect their performances. Even the visual artist needs a studio and equipment to produce their work.

The distance learning model has been challenging for the teachers in the Fine Arts Department, but we have used our creative resources to adapt to teaching both online and in person.

Just a simple thing like distributing materials such as dance costumes, instruments and art supplies to the students became one of the biggest ongoing challenges during the semester. While the student is expected to buy some of her/his own materials, Seton Catholic also provides a lot of the specialty material like clay for ceramics and canvases for art.

Teaching techniques for an arts class online creates a unique demand. While a teacher can show the student how to do a special technique via a Swvil broadcast, feedback is more immediate and personal in person where the teacher can make corrections and suggestions as needed. Our faculty have had to find innovative ways to give their feedback to the students on the screen.

An entirely new curriculum was created for online students in ceramics. Clay work must be done in a studio environment with the use of tools like the potter’s wheel, the kiln, and other specialized equipment. With the hybrid schedule, students only meet once a week for in-class instruction to work with the clay. For the online days, students were assigned a sculpture project where the need for specialized equipment is limited and materials are easy to find. Adapting and adding to their curriculum can be overwhelming for teachers, however our Fine Arts faculty rose to the occasion, offering even more opportunity for their students to learn and be successful.

Through all of these adaptations, one thing has become absolutely clear: our Seton students love the arts! Currently, classes are limited to a smaller number of students than usual, but our students are making the best of the situation. In pre-COVID times, many Fine Arts classes were at capacity, turning away students because all seats available were filled. Seton students, staff, and teachers are resilient and have adapted with these new programming changes. We know with the help of God, we will all get through this.

ALUMNI NOTES

1990

Tony Simek ‘90

Tony has a career in the software industry. He still loves Arizona and is active with the Knights of Columbus. Tony says he credits Seton with a solid Catholic education and values.

2002

Carolina Elias ‘02

Carolina has been producing TV for more than 10 years and now, during this atypical time, she helped produce the Emmy’s! Her responsibilities were managing the logistics and produced 7 of the 24 categories which included coordinating 50 nominees in 36 locations around the world. In one moment she was talking to someone in Connecticut and then another in Barcelona.

1990

Dina Consiglio ‘90

Dina works at St. Therese in Phoenix and stopped by to say hi to Mini Bernasconi in Admissions while she was doing a hybrid school visit!

2002

Colleen Hill Skiver ‘02

Colleen Hill married Ryan Skiver in September in Sedona with their immediate family in attendance. With immediate family. Colleen lives in Phoenix and is Director at PeopleSpace in Irvine, CA and Ryan is the owner of Skiver Law Firm in Scottsdale.

2007

Pat and Meagan Zawtocki Sullivan ‘07

Pat and Meagan welcomed their fourth son, Ronan Gabriel, in August! Ronan joins his older brothers Declan (6), Kieran (5), and Keegan (3) who are all enjoying their newest brother and are wonderful helpers! Ronan was baptized at St. Benedict Catholic Church where he was surrounded by immediate family including his Godparents, Brian Sullivan ‘20 and Molly Sullivan ‘19 (pictured).

2009

Lena Nguyen ‘10

Lena earned her MFA in Fiction from Cornell University, and spent several years teaching English, writing, and cultural studies as a lecturer there. Now she works as an award-winning game developer and writer as well as an author. Her debut novel, a science fiction horroradventure called We’ve Always Been Here. Lena lives in Arizona but travels around the world living in and experiencing different cities.

2009

Elizabeth Sobczyk Pabst ‘10

Elizabeth wrote and illustrated a children’s book called Rosie Posie Twinkle Toes. The story, modeled after her daughter Rosie, is about a little dancer who shows how contagious a cheerful heart can be! This story is about her daughter, Rosie, and she’s currently working on one for her son.

VIRTUAL HOMECOMING

We held a week of virtual events for Homecoming this year, bringing something new each day.

Monday-we launched a new page for alumni, a new Yearbook page with digital access to all of our past yearbooks. -We highlighted all of our past Homecoming royalty.

Wednesday-Some past and current faculty talked about their time at Seton and answered some fun questions for our alums.

Thursday-Alums had the chance to test out the Seton knowledge with trivia including questions on what they learned while at Seton.

Friday-We couldn’t be together at the Homecoming football game like usual but it was live streamed for all to watch.

This virtual Homecoming week also gave us the chance to continue to share the celebration with anyone who missed it, not just alumni, our whole community. If you visit the Alumni page our website you can look at the Yearbooks, watch the Homecoming Royalty and past faculty video, and test your knowledge at trivia!

IN MEMORIAM

The Seton Catholic Preparatory community extends its deepest sympathy to friends and family members of the deceased. May they rest in peace in the arms of the Lord.

Mary Palomino, Class of 1966 Alumnus & Grandparent

October 2020

Miguel Ruiz, Class of 2024 November 2020

Niklaas Thomas, Class of 2015 December 2020

Steve Nestvold Past Parent

December 2020

Mark Hermosillo, Class of 1983

December 2020

Carolyne Delci Valenzuela, Class of 1967 Alumnus December 2020

Mark Stoll, Class of 1958 Alumnus, Past Parent and Grandparent

January 2021

Manuelita Valdez Valenzuela, Class of 1961 Alumnus & Past Parent

January 2021

Michael Clements,

January 2021

1969

Seton Catholic Preparatory mourns the passing of Mark Stoll Sr., a member of our first graduating class. Mark met his wife Sylvia, also from the Class of 1958, in high school. They married shortly after Sylvia finished college at Seton Hill in Greensborough, PA.

Mark started working in construction right after high school and years later started Stoll Masonry with his brother. Mark’s work included many buildings at both the original Seton campus and our current campus as well as numerous jobs for the Diocese. Mark has literally helped build Seton to what it is today.

Mark and Sylvia’s legacy include 4 children and 7 grandchildren who have graduated from Seton and 2 currently in their senior year.

May

August