Falcon Family News - April 2023

FALCON FAMILY NEWS

A MESSAGE FROM THE COUNSELING DEPARTMENT CHAIR

Dear Families,

As a child, it was always difficult for my parents to figure me out.

When our family would attend the Hot August Nights car shows in Reno, and everyone would spend countless days looking at and admiring old cars, I was always walking around town looking for a library. I never wanted to watch the game, never wanted to hang out at the mall; my interests always seemed to involve reading. So, in the 5th grade, my parents made the big decision to buy me the Encyclopedia Britannica series hoping that satisfy my appetite. Not having a lot of money at the time, it was a big financial decision. But with each passing month, I would devour whatever mysteries the letter “A” had in store for me, then “B”, then all the way to the end. Or so I thought.

When we got to the letter “I”, my parents let me know that money was a bit too tight, and they were not going to be able to continue the series past where we left off. I was crestfallen to say the least but trusted that the world beyond the letter I would present itself eventually. My parents comforted me by saying that I would go to Christian Brothers for high school and that CB would “finish what we started”.

Indeed, that is exactly what Christian Brothers did for me back in the early 90s, and what we as a faculty continue to do today for all the young people entrusted to our care. Together, we ensure that their education extends beyond the letter “I” and encompasses a human, holistic approach rooted in the Lasallian charism. One crucial component to that ministry here at CB is the Counseling Department; a well-respected team of dedicated, Lasallian professionals whose singular focus is on the personal, college, and academic needs of all the students. Our goal is to help empower the student to have a life of meaning suitable to their goals, but along the way, make sure they strive to create a better community around them. It is a lofty goal indeed, our own “founding father” and esteemed counselor Mr. John Higgins described it to us as being “the conscience of the school”, but our counseling

team is always prepared. That tradition is alive and well within our group of counselors today, with whom I call my colleagues and friends.

In the world of college counseling, we have Mrs. April Melarkey and Ms. Melissa McClellan. Our wellness program consists of Mrs. Emily McDougall and Mrs. Juanita Patterson ‘81. Mrs. Michelle Timm, Mr. RileyPortal, Mr. Purdy, and I round out the four grade-level counselors. Mrs. Cynthia Grajeda keeps us all running smoothly as our counseling administrative assistant.

Our department has over 95 years of combined service to this institution, and many more years in the profession outside of CB. Of our own children, 16 are graduates, current falcons, or will be attending CB next year. We are coaches, Lasallian Educators of the Year, retreat leaders, club leaders, program directors, and familiar faces all around campus. We are also known to put on quite the Halloween party (this past year’s Jurassic Park-themed celebration was a hit)!

Our commitment to you as a counseling department is that your child’s education will never stop at the letter “I”. The education you began with your child is the education we will finish together. We as counselors will do our very best to support the personal, college, and academic goals of each student entrusted in our care, quite literally, from “A” to “Z”.

God’s Blessings,

Armando Diaz ‘94, MA, PPS 2024 Grade-Level Counselor Counseling Department Chair

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS HIGH SCHOOL ENTER TO LEARN, LEAVE TO SERVE

COUNSELING DEPARTMENT

College News

Graduating Seniors have been receiving letters of acceptance to colleges and universities across the country. Congratulations to the class of 2023! As many seniors already know, this has been a very competitive year for college admission.

In addition, with many colleges and universities implementing “test optional” and “test blind” policies due to COVID-19, many schools received a 10-30 percent increase in application numbers, driving down admission acceptance rates. Many seniors across the country applied to more colleges than ever to hedge their bets. This has resulted in record numbers of applicant pools for colleges all over the country. Since most campuses have from 45,000-100,000 applicants to fill freshmen classes of approximately 4,500, one can see how difficult decisions have been for admission offices in 2023. In fact, for the eighth year in a row, many UCs and CSUs have instituted a waitlist for stellar students who were not admitted. It is difficult to know to what extent the waitlists will be used, and as a result there have been disappointments not only among our own students, but for tens of thousands of other California seniors.

Thankfully, most of our seniors planned well and applied to not only reach schools, but target and likely schools. As a result, CB students continue to have great options for next year and can begin their college careers at great schools. If any seniors are still grappling with final decisions, remember Mrs. Melarkey and Ms. McClellan are available to assist and support you. Seniors who will be attending community college should have already completed their application, registration, and online orientation. Students attending a UC (and needing to satisfy the Entry Level Writing Requirement) should be receiving information on the May 21 (tentative) Analytical Writing Placement Examination (AWPE). Click the link for more AWPE info and sample questions

The good news is that many of our students have been admitted to several prestigious universities and programs, including Tufts, Harvard, UC Berkeley, UCLA, LMU, Santa Clara, Tulane University, Sacramento State University, Saint Mary’s College of CA, etc., and too many others to list.

Parents, be sure to have your senior go to their Scoir account as soon as possible to enter in their college acceptances. Students must list ALL colleges to which they have been admitted and ALL scholarships, awards, etc., no later than May 6 .

Summer Programs

Summer will be here before we know it! Summer is a wonderful time for students to expand their horizons, enrich their lives with fascinating experiences, and improve their readiness for college through academic pursuits. There are many summer opportunities for high school students: classes, camps, travel study, volunteer service, and employment. Opportunities exist locally as well as across the country and abroad. Check out the CB Counseling website for details and contact information or talk to your grade-level counselor.

Summer School Reminder

Summer School is a great opportunity to remediate any Ds or Fs students received so that they can maintain college eligibility or to get ahead academically! Please contact the student’s gradelevel counselor if you have any questions. Click the link to register for summer courses

UPCOMING COUNSELING DATES

Saturday, April 15: ACT at CB

Thursday, April 27: Transition for college night for the class of 2023. Join via zoom from 6-7 p.m. Link coming soon.

SHOP THE CLOTHES CLOSET!

The Clothes Closet will be open during lunch in the Main Hallway on April 18 Families can make shopping appointments by calling the main office.

Senior families, please consider donating your student’s CB dress code appropriate clothing and bless another family!

Another glamorous night spent on the CB campus, “Meet Me in Paris” brought friends, family, and alumni back on March 18 in support of tuition assistance at Christian Brothers. The love for our school was palpable, and our attendees once again exceeded expectations in their generosity, spirit, and passion for our students! Thank you to our entire Falcon community for their support –you all made a difference!

LASALLIAN STUDENT LIFE

Junior Retreat

Families, please remind your Juniors to sign up for your Junior Retreat. This retreat is a great opportunity to build community. Click the link below to sign up!

April 25-26 at San Damiano

VENAVER

Students will leave for VENAVER Yakima, WA on April 1 and return April 8

Worship With Us!

Mark your calendars, you’re invited to Mass at Christian Brothers.

• Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:45 a.m.: Celebrate weekly Mass in the beautiful Chapel of St. Joseph

• Friday, March 31 at 10:30 a.m.: Stations of the Cross Prayer Service

• Friday, May 5 at 10:30 a.m.: Founders Day Liturgy on the Main Lawn

Bishop Soto Visits CB!

We are so blessed to have welcomed the Most Reverend Bishop Jaime Soto to campus on Friday, March 17, for the Feast of St. Patrick. Bishop Soto began his visit with a beautiful celebration of Mass in the Chapel of St. Joseph. He enjoyed breakfast with the God Squad, spoke to several classes, connected with counselors, and even made an appearance on KBFT. Thank you, Bishop Soto, for your visit! Here are some highlights from our wonderful day together.

Supports

MEDIA, VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

Spring Choral Concert, “A Disney Spectacular”

As soon as we get back from break, the choral concert, “A Disney Spectacular,” kicks off the final weeks of school. Mr. Bohm and our choirs will be busting out all your favorites from these family friendly films. There are two concerts on Saturday, April 22: one at 5 p.m. and one at 7 p.m. So, if you want to see “A Whole New World”, live that “Hakuna Matata” life, or just brush up on the “Bear Necessities”, come see the show. It’s the 4th quarter and we’re “Almost There!” “A Disney Spectacular” tickets are available on our website!

Spring Instrumental Concert

The Spring Instrumental Concert follows right behind on Thursday, April 27 at 7 p.m. Our student musicians are ready to play their hearts out, including the debut of our Beginning Band. It’s only $5 for an evening of entertainment! Get Spring Instrumental Concert tickets on our website.

LaSalle Art Show

Closing the April Arts Trifecta in style is the LaSalle Art Show on Friday, April 28 starting at 4 p.m. This show showcases the efforts of our students in the visual arts classes and receives submissions from the entire CB community. The artwork is widely varied and truly impressive. You may also even be able to purchase some of the work yourself! Admission is free to all, so come celebrate our student artists!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES!

Students may sign up for these wonderful opportunities through the MobleServe app!

• April 2: Credit Union SACTOWN Run

• April 2: Be a bunny for River Lake Community Assoc. Easter Event!

• April 15: 5 Senses Saturday

• April 22-23: Sports for Life! Soccer tournament

• May 13: Sacramento Life Center Rose Sale Prepareation

Spring Play, “The Importance of Being Earnest”

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported our students in the spring production of “The Importance of Being Earnest,” by Oscar Wilde! Here are some snapshots from the play.

Congratulations to our Falcons who have received the Capital Athletic League ScholarAthlete Award

ELIGIBILITY: Athletes who are members of a Capital Athletic League recognized Varsity Team are eligible for the award. Freshmen are not eligible as the athlete must have at least one year of grades, beginning with the 9th grade. Athletes must finish the season in good standing.

Athletes must have a cumulative 3.50 GPA (or above) weighted grade point average as well as a current 3.5 (or above) weighted GPA. The cumulative GPA is based on cumulative grades of Semesters from 9th grade onward. Athletes are awarded a Scholar-Athlete patch for each sport season for which they qualify.

Dive

Aidan Abansado ‘24

Ellie Liu ‘25

Sarah Nanigian ‘25

Kathleen Ruecker ’23

Giselle Vazquez ‘25

Varsity Baseball

Nicolas Baass ‘24

Nicholas Goldberg ’23

Liam Golden ‘24

Luis Guzman ‘23

Isaac Holland ‘24

Landon Howard ’23

William Kobane ‘23

Kellen Martinez ’23

Ricky Maya ‘24

Dylan Messier ’23

Tomas Torres ‘24

Men’s Varsity Golf

Joaquin Almeida ‘25

Jacob Gouker ’24

Drew Perry ‘23

Joshua Ryan ’23

Men’s Varsity Tennis

Roman Bailey ‘24

Jeremiah Ballesteros ‘23

Timothy Cole ‘23

Nolan Fernandez ‘23

Julian Isler ‘23

Neel Manchanda ‘25

Matteo Musicco ‘24

Jacob Steenhausen ‘23

Samuel Strachan ‘23

Lucas Walter ‘23

Varsity Track and Field

Grace Bettencourt ‘23

Nikos Burciaga ‘23

Lucas Calderon ‘24

Josiah Campbell ‘25

Nathan Carrasco ‘24

Brady Carson ‘24

Yonathan Cervantes ‘24

Diego Cortes-Torres ‘24

Finn Day ‘24

Luis Esquivel ‘24

Julian Gonzalez ‘24

Yessenia Gonzalez ‘24

Sabrina Gouker ‘24

Varsity Track and Field

Dana Greer ‘24

Devin Greer ‘24

Camilo Guerrero ‘24

Keilee Hall ‘24

Aleyah Harmon ‘25

Elise Henderson ‘25

Lily Jensen ‘23

Ella Johl ‘25

Vivian Johnson ‘24

Sofia Jordana ‘24

William Littlejohn ‘24

Ashley Ciaresa Lobo ‘24

Alexander Manuselis ‘24

Ariana Milner ‘24

Alexanderia Moya ‘23

Samuel Nealon ‘24

Taylor Pagano ‘24

Ruth Palko ‘23

William Pletcher ‘24

Preston Rabey ‘24

Anne Rodriguez ‘23

Sofia Salazar ‘25

Reign Saldana ‘24

Shane Schriock ‘24

Robert Spore ‘25

Sarah Stinson ‘24

Sydnie Watkins ‘24

Falcon Academic Award

Women’s Varsity Lacrosse

Lucenna Castagnola ‘25

Savannah Castillo ’23

Elissa Cook ‘24

Tara Cooper ’24

Francisca Dickenson ‘24

Cassie Duggan ‘25

Amaya Jackson ‘25

Kathleen Kuzmich ’23

Margaret Kuzmich ‘25

Gabriella Palamidessi ‘25

Elise Perkins ‘25

Madeleine Steenhausen ‘25

Ellia Suleiman ‘25

Shannon Wong ’23

Jessica Young ’23

Men’s Varsity Volleyball

Braeden Dineen ‘23

Jack Gonong ‘23

Ethan Lee ’23

Jayden Nero ‘23

Jonas Nguyen ’23

Nolan Xavier Nguyen ‘25

Jeremy Rosales ’23

Flynn Ryan ‘25

Varsity Softball

Josephine Eschleman ’25

Maya Filger ‘24

Jolie Gomez ’23

Tiana Johnson ’23

Kerrigan Lynch ’24

Hannah Tandy ’24

Varsity Swim

Riley Blacklock ‘23

Linnea Fulton ‘24

Abigail Gonong ‘25

Abigail Hurst ’23

Gian Jones ‘25

Natalia Parfenova ‘25

Maria Plazibat ‘23

Alexander Potter ‘25

Anna Potter ‘25

Emerson Reel ‘24

Natalie Rominger ’23

Lana Storm ‘23

Logan Tiska ’23

Jack Vicari ’23

Kiara Yalan ’24

Jenna Yates ‘23

Alanna Yuzon ‘23

Men’s Varsity Lacrosse

Benjamin Adams-Munoz ‘23

Michael Campbell ‘23

Jacob Carlson ‘25

Sebastian Fernandez y Garcia ‘24

Matthew Harris ‘25

Stephan Hewitt ‘25

John Koch ‘25

Connor Koepke ‘24

Elijah Shabaaz ‘24

John Siddens ‘24

Jack Simon ‘25

Nicholas Webster ‘24

ATHLETICS

Congratulations to all the CAL All League

Winter Athletes from the 2022-2023 season!

Women’s Soccer

Brooklyn Horst ‘23

-MVP

Emily Mayes ‘23

-Defensive Player of the Year

Scarlet Pope ‘23

Elizabeth Ledesma ‘23

Bailey Rakela ‘25

Lily Jensen ‘23

Men’s Soccer

Zach Hembd ‘23

-Defensive Player of the Year

Collin Ross ‘24

Jack Bergfeld ‘23

Connor Nye ‘24

Summer School

is the place to be!

Christian Brothers High School is back this summer with enriching activities for students 2nd through 12th grades!

School Advantage

June 20 through July 29 Sign up today at www.cbhs-sacramento.org or scan the QR code!

MODEL UN CONFERENCE

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CB’S BRAVE THE SHAVE

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS SNAPSHOTS | MARCH 2023 SOCCER BANNER CEREMONY CATHOLIC YOUTH ADVOCACY DAY