August 2022 FALL SEMESTER
C H R I ST IA N B R O T H E R S H IG H S C HO O L
E N T E R T O L E A R N , L E AV E T O SE RV E
FALCON FAMILY NEWS A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT “Fulfill your ministry with all the affection of your heart.” – St. John Baptist de La Salle DEAR FAMILIES: On behalf of the Christian Brothers High School community, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2022-23 school year! Our faculty and staff are eager to greet students for what will be our 147th year in Sacramento. As we do so, please know that as Lasallian Catholic educators, we are truly committed to, in the words of the Founder, fulfilling our ministry with all the affection of our hearts! This summer, I was blessed to begin what will be three consecutive, two-week summer sessions of study at the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies. This intensive Lasallian education and formation program studies the life, work, and spirituality of our Founder, Saint John Baptist de La Salle, and the origins of the Lasallian educational mission. Through an examination of the writings of De La Salle and an analysis of some modern educators, our studies focus on developing a deeper understanding of the Lasallian heritage and its influence on contemporary education and spirituality.
and safety of our school community is at the forefront as we navigate the evolving conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. We will continue to follow national, state, and local health recommendations. Doing so has served us well these past two years. We are profoundly grateful for the trust you have placed in us as your partners in preparing your sons and daughters for success in college and life. I pray you enjoy these last two weeks of summer vacation and know that we all look forward to welcoming our new and returning families on the 17th. Sincerely,
Crystal LeRoy, Ed.D. President
The Lasallian Catholic mission resonated deeply for me when I took on the role of President in 2020, however, the more I learn, the more I understand how this incredible charism continues to thrive more than 300 years after its inception. Rooted in our Lasallian Core Principles of faith in the presence of God, quality education, inclusive community, respect for all persons, and concern for the poor and social justice, we are committed to preparing students not just for college, but for life. Doing so necessitates reaching the hearts and minds of the students entrusted to our care. As such, we began a robust Educational Visioning process last year to inform our strategic initiatives over the next five years. We also launched a partnership with Challenge Success, a group created by Stanford University professors and educational researchers to identify ways in which we can increase student well-being and academic engagement. Important work also continues in our efforts to ensure Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging throughout our community with employee, parent, and student groups informing these critical endeavors. With COVID-19 still of such concern, please know that the health
INSIDE THIS ISSUE • Counseling • Media, Visual and Performing Arts • Lasallian Student Life Office • Athletics
CHRISTIAN BROTHERS HIGH SCHOOL MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | WWW.CBHS-SACRAMENTO.ORG
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COUNSELING Welcome to the 2022-2023 School Year! The CB Counseling Department is excited to welcome both you and your student to the 2022-23 school year! We are highly trained counselors rooted in the Lasallian mission and we welcome the opportunity to work with your student regarding their personal, academic, or college counseling needs. The counselors will visit classrooms and share important academic and college information with your son/daughter shortly after school begins. Additionally, each student will have a meeting with her/his grade-level counselor during the school year. Students may request a counseling appointment at any time by filling out a green Counseling Request form and parents may also make a request by phone or email. We would also like to inform you of several upcoming events sponsored by our department that will assist us in supporting your student.
Upcoming First Semester Counseling Events • Tuesday, August 23 – Coffee with the College Counselors for senior parents from 9–10 am in a virtual format • Saturday, August 27 – SAT Preparation Class for seniors begins (in preparation for the October 1 SAT Exam), four weeks (Saturdays 8/27, 9/3, 9/17, and 9/24 from 9 am–1 pm) in the STEM building. Registration forms will be available in the Counseling Center and on the CB website (We will not hold a class on 9/10, the day of the ACT test and Holy Bowl.) • September – College Application Workshops before school and after school (Dates and times TBA) • Thursday, September 1 – College Night for Seniors and Their Parents from 6–8 p.m. at the George Cunningham ’40 Performing Arts Center • Thursday, September 8 – “Making High School Count:” Freshmen Parents’ Intro to Counseling Night & Athletics Orientation from 6–8 p.m. at the George Cunningham ’40 Performing Arts Center (parents only) • Wednesday, September 28 – Private/Parochial College Fair at Jesuit High School • Tuesday, October 4 – Financial Aid Night for seniors and their parents from 6–8 p.m. at the George Cunningham ’40 Performing Arts Center • October – College Application Workshops before school and after school (Dates and times TBA) • Saturday, October 1 – SAT at CB from 8 a.m.–1 p.m. in the STEM classrooms • Saturday October 8 – ACT Preparation Class for seniors (tentative) begins (in preparation for the October 22 ACT Exam), two weeks (Saturdays 10/8 and 10/15 from 9 a.m.–1 p.m.) Registration forms will be available in the Counseling Center. • Wednesday, October 12 – National Testing Day (PSAT 8/9 for freshmen, PreACT for sophomores, and PSAT/NMSQT for juniors (9 a.m. start)
• Saturday, October 22 – ACT at CB from 8 a.m.–1 p.m. in the STEM classrooms • November – College Application Workshops before school and after school (Dates and times TBA) • Tuesday, November 8 – Coffee with the College Counselors for junior parents from 9–10 a.m. in a virtual format • Wednesday, November 30 – College Night for Juniors and their Parents and College Handbook pickup from 6–8 p.m at the George Cunningham ’40 Performing Arts Center
Meet our Counseling and Student Support Team Counselors are always readily available for consultation with our students. We are excited to announce the addition of two new counselors to the department. Mrs. Michelle Timm (Class of 2026) joins us as the new freshman counselor. Mr. John Riley-Portal is the counselor for the sophomores (Class of 2025). Mr. Armando Diaz ’94 is the junior counselor (Class of 2024) and the Counseling Department Chair. Mr. Kirk Purdy is the counselor for the seniors (Class of 2023). Please contact your child’s grade-level counselor to make an appointment. Also new to the department is Mrs. Juanita Patterson, who will be joining us as our second full-time Wellness Counselor. She will be joining Wellness Counselor, Mrs. Emily McDougall, and they will be working together to give prevention presentations and see students for more long-term counseling across all grade levels. Ms. Melissa McClellan is the Director of College Counseling and Mrs. April Melarkey is a College Counselor. Mrs. Cynthia Grajeda is the Administrative Assistant to the Counseling Department and is a valuable member of our team. Please let us know if we can assist you in any way!
Scoir The School Counseling Department encourages all freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior students and parents to utilize the many facets of our web-based tool for personal, career and college planning! You may click on the link on the front page of the school website in order to access Scoir. Scoir is a wonderful tool for students to update their resume, explore careers and colleges, research scholarships and finish any activity that your counselor has asked you to complete. If you have forgotten your username or password, please contact your grade-level counselor or Mrs. Cynthia Grajeda, Administrative Assistant, in the CB Counseling Center.
SAT Prep Class Christian Brothers is hoping to once again offer a four-week SAT exam preparation course for the Class of 2023 students. The class will be taught by our own English and Mathematics teachers and will be held on four Saturdays, beginning August 27th, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The cost of the course is $200, and soon you’ll be able to print the registration (continued)
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form from the school website. This course will conclude shortly before the October 1st SAT. A similar course will be taught for the juniors (Class of 2024) in the Spring. More specific information will be forthcoming. Students must register for the exam by going to the College Board website at www.collegeboard.com.
ACT Prep Class Christian Brothers is also hoping to offer a similar two-week prep course for seniors in preparation for the October 22nd ACT. This class will be taught on two Saturdays (October 8th and 15th) and will be from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. More specific information will be forthcoming. For more information, please contact Cynthia Grajeda at 916-733-3680 or cgrajeda@ cbhs-sacramento.org or Melissa McClellan at 916-733-3679 or mmcclellan@cbhs-sacramento.org. Students must register for this exam by going to the ACT website at www.act.org.
Belonging, Wellness, and Student Life at CB Christian Brothers High School is very proud of its commitment to making our community the place to be. Naturally, this lends itself to an emphasis on belonging as an essential part of our Lasallian Catholic identity. When we discuss belonging, it’s important to understand that we are talking about acceptance, invitation, connection, purpose, and expectations. We desire all members of the community to be a part of this community as they are. The research shows that belonging is positively correlated to health, wealth, and connectedness in adulthood. Although we hope that in many ways CB makes belonging look easy, it does take some real work and intentionality. Every community, including ours, has room to grow in this area. Last month, Dr. Leroy called a meeting with community leaders to discuss this topic and make a visit to the Unity Center at the California Museum in the March Fong Eu Secretary of State Building. During this conversation, we reflected on the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for our school and its connection to belonging. According to social scientist John A. Powell, founder of the Belonging and Othering Institute at UC Berkeley, a community that focuses on belonging is one where “its members should have a shared empathy and lasting stake in one another.” Christian Brothers High School, with its 147-year history and thousands of alumni scattered across the world, naturally has a “lasting stake” in its community members of the past, present, and future. Furthermore, according to Powell, these communities “reject all strict ‘us versus them’ framings, but without erasing what is different and unique in each party.” In the words of Pope Francis and a theme taught in our religion classes, “unity is not uniformity.” We are blessed to exist in a diverse city such as Sacramento. We are blessed to be united in our five Lasallian Core Principles. And we are blessed to welcome a diverse and unique student body to our campus this year.
In order to meaningfully address belonging and wellness at CB, we have expanded our wellness counseling services to include a second Wellness Counselor, Mrs. Juanita Paterson. We are building and implementing a homeroom period with the goal of expanding it into a robust advisory program, called The NEST. The NEST is an acronym that stands for Nurturing Every Student Together. We are continuing our work with our Parent, Student, Faculty, and Staff DEIB teams. We are continuing to partner with Challenge Success at Stanford University to further understand the student experience of wellness and balance in order to allow them to thrive later in life. Be on the lookout for more information about how this Belonging Project will take shape and involve you. We are excited about the possibility of providing families with discussion questions for dinner-time conversations and a speaker series for issues related to the high school experience. We look forward to an opportunity to hear from students about how they define success on their terms. Student Life is an essential component of how we can add value to the high school experience for our students. Our community is centered on the five Lasallian Core Principles and unique mission that is focused on creating the best young people the world has to offer. In four years at CB, we hope that students have encountered transformative curricular experiences that are relevant to students’ lives, service opportunities that enliven the soul, and community practices that recognize students as unique individuals and children of God, born in the divine image. The Belonging Project seeks to embed the bridging building work necessary for belonging in all aspects of our institution from how we leverage our alumni network to the community accountability policies and practices in our Dean’s Office. If you are interested in being a participant in this work, please contact Assistant Principal Julian Elorduy ‘03, Dean Joey Elftmann or parent leader Laura Hewitt.
STAY CONNECTED!
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LASALLIAN STUDENT LIFE OFFICE
MEDIA, VISUAL, AND PERFORMING ARTS Hello all you artsy Falcons! It’s going to be a great year of concerts, plays, KBFT broadcasts, Open Mics and Visual Arts. Check in here every month for information on all the arts happenings at CB.
Welcome! The Lasallian Student Life Office welcomes two new members to the team: Ms. Fernandez as Assistant Director and Mrs. De Leon as Administrative Assistant. The LSLO has worked diligently with student leaders to prepare for the upcoming year. God Squad met this summer to prepare for the opening Prayer Service on Friday, August 19 and Liturgy on Friday, September 16. God Squad has paved the vision for this year’s faith-based opportunities and they are very excited.
SRLT Training Update The Senior Leadership Retreat Team (S.R.L.T.) was at Lake Tahoe for a four-day training event July 25-28 to organize, imagine, and execute a robust retreat program at every grade level this academic year!
Upcoming Exciting Updates • 40 student council members and class moderators are on retreat and training August 5-7. • 50 student council members and senior leaders will welcome new freshmen at Lock-In 2022 on Friday, August 12. • Falcon Force will lead the student cheering section at home football games on Friday, August 19 and Friday, August 26. • Much preparation with student leaders for September with Holy Bowl, Spirit Week, and Homecoming • Freshmen will have their retreat at Sacramento Newman Center on Thursday, September 15 and Thursday, September 29. • Only a slim number of spots remain for the October Kairos. Sign up for the October Kairos or other Kairos dates at this link.
First up, AUDITIONS! We are so excited to be producing Seussical the Musical this fall. Seussical is a play about what it feels like when you don’t fit in, trying to get the attention of a crush, and the joy of finding friends who really hear you, all told through the wild world and characters of the Dr. Seuss books. It’s a show full of jazzy music, amazing costumes and fast-paced dancing: basically it will be tons of fun. And if you’re feeling nervous about auditions, bring a friend! Auditions will be September 6-8 after school until 5:30 p.m. in the George Cunningham ‘40 Performing Arts Center and anyone is welcome to try out. Here’s how it works: • Tuesday, September 6: Singing - Prepare a song to sing. It can be any type of music as long as it shows off your voice and it is fun for you. You can bring sheet music (we will have a pianist to accompany you) or sing on your own. No karaoke tracks please. You will only be singing for Mr. Jackson (Director), Mr. Sobelman (Music Director), and Ms. Christianson ‘01 (Technical Director), not in front of other students. So pick a song and start practicing! • Wednesday, September 7: Dancing - Show up in clothes that allow you to move easily. We will teach everyone some choreography from the show, give you some time to practice and then see people dance in groups. We will also teach some of the music from the show to see how voices fit with the songs. • Thursday, September 8: Call Backs - If we need to see more from you, we’ll call you back. We may teach you a song from the show and see how you sing it, teach you some choreography and have you dance, or give you a short scene from the show to perform. Don’t worry if you’re not called backyou may still be in the show, we’ve just seen what we needed to. You can find all this information as well as a music recording of the show and a script on the “SEUSSICAL the Musical” Schoology group. Have more questions or having trouble joining the group? Email Mr. Jackson or Ms. Christianson ‘01. See you at auditions!
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ATHLETICS Please note the following important information concerning the upcoming athletic year: • All athletes must have the FinalForms athletic medical clearance with a valid physical prior to any participation or tryouts for athletics. To find the FinalForms information, please go to the CB website --> Quick Links • Fall tryouts officially begin Monday, August 1. To obtain other specific sport tryout times and practice information, contact the head coach directly or check the CB Athletics website . • Download the CB Falcons app. This is the official app for Christian Brothers High School Athletics, which brings fans closer to the team than ever before. Get game coverage, news stories, game previews and recaps, enhanced stats, customized game alerts, player profiles and much more! Follow the CB Falcons all season long on your mobile device.
Upcoming Events • Monday, August 1 - Fall sports begin • Tuesday, August 30, at 6:00 p.m. - Athletic parent meeting for fall sports in the George Cunningham ’40 Performing Arts Center • Thursday, September 8 at 6:00 p.m. - New Parent Athletic Orientation takes place after the Counseling Department’s “Making High School Count” event in the George Cunningham ’40 Performing Arts
Sports Updates Cheer Our cheer squads attended cheer camp at Christian Brothers this summer. The team has been practicing during the summer preparing for the upcoming fall and winter seasons.
Cross Country The cross country team has been working hard all summer by participating in summer workouts and preparing for the upcoming season.
Baseball In a six-week span in the early part of the summer, the CB baseball program was able to get a peek into the future. A team was put together of incoming freshmen baseball players and played against other schools from Elk Grove. This is the 11th year the CB program has taken part in a summer league of this kind. It was a great opportunity to introduce the class of 2026 to CB and its traditions. The boys learned how we run practices, pre-game, and how we play at CB. With a baseball program steeped in tradition and reputation, it was an amazing opportunity to introduce a new group of players to CB. The future, without a doubt, looks bright.
Women’s Basketball The Women’s Basketball program had a great summer. All levels participated in a summer league and played in the various local tournaments.
Football This offseason has been very productive for the Christian Brothers football program. The varsity and JV teams have been training in June and July for the upcoming season. After a successful summer in the weight room, the Varsity Falcons are working hard to challenge for a CAL league championship and return to post season play. The Christian Brothers Junior Falcons football and cheer program recently began its 10th season and will field four teams, ages 6-14 years old. We would like to encourage Christian Brothers families to get involved in the program and encourage young athletes to learn football fundamentals and brotherhood at an early age.
Men’s Basketball Student-athletes and coaches from the Men’s Basketball program continued to embrace the process of working hard in the summer to improve individually and as a team. The varsity team participated in the long running Hiram Johnson Summer League and many local high school tournaments. Members of the program also assisted with the Christian Brothers men’s basketball summer camp.
Women’s Volleyball As Coach James Todd enters his seventh year at Christian Brothers, he is very optimistic for the 2022-2023 season. The team has been working out at open gym sessions all summer. With a cast of returners, Coach Todd feels that the team will be able to compete at a high level this year. The sky is the limit for this team, and we are looking forward to the upcoming season. Go Falcons!!!
The CB Extravaganza is back! Friday, September 9, 2022 Established in 1987, this favorite CB tradition brings wineries, breweries, restaurants, caterers, and live music to campus in support of CB’s Tuition Assistance Fund.
Buy tickets today at www.cbextravaganza.com
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