Lancer Magazine, Spring 2012

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Spring 2012

Pat Bonacci, AFSC, Serving La Salle for Over a Quarter of a Century


Join La Salle’s

A current La Salle family recently made a $100,000 matching grant to La Salle High School to support hardware upgrades, enhance our technology infrastructure, and support the Lancer Robotics program. The family has offered a two for one dollar match; that is, for every two dollars La Salle raises between now and June 30, 2012 to build and improve upon its technologic platform, the family will in turn provide a matching dollar.

Here is your chance to have your gift make an even bigger difference to La Salle Here’s how the Technology Match works; A $1,000 gift will trigger an additional $500 in matching funds from the family, resulting in a $1,500 gift to La Salle; a $2,500 gift will generate $1,250 in matching funds, resulting in a $3,750 gift to La Salle; a $5,000 gift will generate $2,500 in matching funds, resulting in a $7,500 gift to improve La Salle’s technologic base and keep us at the leading edge of learning technologies. While the threshold for matching funds is $1,000, any gift you choose to make to the La Salle Technology Fund will be appreciated, and will help build digital literacy at our School. Remember, your corporate matching gift also counts toward the La Salle Technology Match Campaign. The goal of the Technology Match Campaign is to raise at least $300,000 to build upon the excellence of a La Salle education through technologic improvement and innovation. To make a gift to the La Salle Technology Match, please go to www.lasallehs.org/give.


Lancer Magazine is published three times a year by the Office of Institutional Advancement at La Salle High School of Pasadena, Inc. for alumni, parents and friends. Inquiries and/or correspondence should be directed to: John C. Blackstock ’67 Director of Communications La Salle High School 3880 East Sierra Madre Boulevard Pasadena, California 91107-1996 626.696.4316 jblackstock@lasallehs.org All pages are displayed on the La Salle website. www.lasallehs.org OFFICERS & ADMINISTRATIONS Board of Trustees: Peter Godfrey, Esq., P’07, ’08 (Chair) James Canny ’65 Ken Canzoneri, DDS ’72, P’01, ’02, ’04 Brother William Carriere, Ph.D., FSC Tamara Flowers Ty Gaffney ’65 Erica Hahn P’00 Nancy Iredale, Esq., P’06 W. Robert Kohorst ’71, P’03, ’07 Mimi MacCaul, AFSC P’84 Sister Ann Patricia O’Connor, CSJ Barry Schweiger ’60 Board of Regents: Dennis A. Jebbia, Chair Julie Williams P’04, Vice Chair Ann Ayres P’11 Geoff Ayres P’11 Doug Campbell John Delaney P’82, ’85, ’89 John DeMarco P’12 Peter Godfrey, Esq. P’07, ’08 Pete Griffith P’00, ’03 Scott A. Hancock, Esq. P’11 ’11, ’11 Bradford Hixson P’13 David Lam P’08, ’09 Joseph Lumarda P’14 Alumni Board: Jeff Weigand ’67, P’02, ’05, ’08, Chair Brandon Birr ’03 Angie Gilliam ’02 Marissa Lluch ’95

Edward L. Malicdem ’88 Michael S. Overing, Esq. David J. Skibinski, MBA Craig Sloane P’09, ’11, ’13 D’Arcy Sloane P’09, ’11, ’13 Michael W. Stoddard P’07,’10, ’12 Jody Tolan P’11 Yolanda Valadez P’08 Kenneth F. White, MPA ’82 Serena Flowers Williams P’04, ’06 Walt Williams P’04 Joseph M. Zanetta, J.D. P’12

Robin Quintanilla ’03 Thomas Stafford ’99 Mike Sullivan ’70, P’08, ’13 Andrew Vogelbach ’01

Administration: Richard Gray, Ph.D., President Patrick Bonacci, AFSC, Principal John Ring, Associate Principal for Student Services Frank Laurenzello, Associate Principal for Curriculum and Instruction Robert Packard, Chief Financial Officer Jon Keates, Director of Institutional Advancement Brother De Sales Benning, FSC Christian Brothers Representative Editor: John C. Blackstock ’67 Director of Communications

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Features

Rose Princess Cynthia Louie ’12................................................................... 6 Posing as a Giraffe Makes her Unique Bootleggers Ball.............................................................................................. 12 The 13th Annual Crystal Ball Honors Pat Bonacci Lancers’ Basketball and Soccer Advance to CIF...................................... 16 Outstanding Seasons Produce Multiple All League Selections

Making a Difference...................................................................................... 20. Jill Truesdale Remelski ’01 and Daniel Healy ’01 Give Back in a Big Way Twenty-Seven Years of Service to La Salle................................................. 22. Pat Bonacci Recounts his Years as La Salle’s Principal Amazing Students.......................................................................................... 26 From an Architectural Illustrator to Concert Pianist, Lancers Excel St. Baldrick’s Day............................................................................................ 30 The La Salle “Shavees” Raise $6000 for Cancer Research Physics Class Catapults to Exams............................................................... 32 Building Catapults Augments Physics Labs Yummy Days at La Salle................................................................................ 36 The first Taste of La Salle is Unqualified Success

Departments

Publication and Production: Kolor Graphics Bureau Inc., Los Angeles Editorial Contributors: Kristen Schultz ’98 Jade Rogers ’01 Thomas Stafford ’98

La Salle Matters......................................... 2

Photo Credits: Cover: John Blackstock ’67 Pages: 5, 7 Courtesy of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses. Page 4 Brad Wright ‘73, top. Page 4, bottom courtesy of Cynthia Louie. Pages 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 27, 29 (screen shots), 30, 31 top, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, John C. Blackstock ’67. Pages 18, 19, Brian Miller ’79. Pages 21, bottom, 39, 41, Kristen Schultz ’98. Page 26, courtesy of the Shadian Family, ABC News. Page 28 courtesy Amelia Garrison. Page 31, bottom, Michael Powers.

Principal Ideas........................................... 4 Alumni Profile.......................................... 30 Noa Porter ’99 Who Knew?............................................... 34

On the Cover: Principal Patrick Bonacci, AFSC © 2012 La Salle High School of Pasadena, Inc.

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Staying Connected ................................. 54 Page 30 SPRING 2012

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

matters

La Salle I

’ve been reading a wonderful book called “My Life with the Saints” by James Martin, SJ. It is a memoir of his life as a Jesuit as interpreted through a variety of heroic people (Catholics call them “Saints”) whose life stories enhanced his own understanding of his relationship to God and to the people he encounters on a daily basis. His chapter on Thomas Merton, a Trappist Monk who died in 1968, was a particularly compelling read for me. Almost 20 years ago, I had read Merton’s journal, “The Sign of Jonas”. It described his life in the monastery over the course of five years as he prepared to be ordained a priest. Like any journal or diary, “The Sign of Jonas” entailed wading though more than a few entries detailing the mind-numbing quotidian of life in a monastery in which silence throughout the day is the norm rather than the exception. But, because Merton was recording his journey to the priesthood, there were more than a few nuggets of insight made by a brilliant young man who was convinced of his priestly calling, but who also wrestled with the demons of self-doubt and insecurity. Here is how James Martin, SJ describes the impact Thomas Merton had on him: Thomas Merton: “struggled with some of the same things I did - pride, ambition, selfishness. And he was struggling with the same questions I was wondering about: What are we made for? Who is God? What is the purpose of our lives?”

At some point - however brief or extended - we all wrestle with these questions. Even the modern saint - Mother Teresa of Calcutta - stared at the abyss of self-doubt for significant periods. So, it seems, Merton’s struggles can be viewed as a natural part of the process leading to religious or spiritual maturity. Martin confirms this point by noting that: ”To me, Merton’s contradictions…revealed his deep humanity.” Does that mean the unfolding challenges of the human condition can be compared to the lives of the Saints? Here’s what Merton had to say about that: “For me, being a Saint means being myself” For many of us, our piety precludes comparing ourselves to Saints; and yet, the human condition leads to an ongoing effort to be and to do good (sometimes successful, sometimes not)…and that’s as good a definition of sainthood as I can articulate. It is with this definition of sainthood in mind that we celebrate

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27 years of devoted service by our beloved Principal Pat Bonacci, AFSC. And it is also with this definition in mind that we prepare to welcome Brother Christopher Brady, FSC as La Salle’s next principal. We have learned from Pat how to stay focused on the end-game: the central purpose of La Salle’s Mission to produce good students and good people. We have seen him model the virtues of dedication, commitment, patience and trust in others. We know what he stands for and the care and attention he brings to each individual encounter. We’ve seen him angry (rarely) and capable of self-doubt. In short, we’ve learned to respect, admire and have deep affection for a delightfully human principal. In a like manner, we will learn - over time - the human and holy characteristics that make Brother Christopher a saint. We will discover his strengths and forgive his weaknesses. We will look to him - as we did to Pat - for guidance on how to become more saint-like. And he will look to us for guidance on how to encourage the students entrusted to our care to become more saint-like. When I finished “The Sign of Jonas”, I remember being filled with hope that the human condition while always a work in progress - is capable of producing saints on a regular basis. James Martin had this delightful way to describe the sanctity of Thomas Merton: “Seeing that someone so human could be so holy gives me great hope.” I agree. As you review this issue of Lancer Magazine, you will encounter more than a few examples of “saints-in-the-making…students, alums and teachers…all negotiating the same quotidian of daily living that challenged Thomas Merton to be his best self. And, having read these stories, I think you’ll agree this is a great time to be a member of the La Salle Family.

Dr. Richard Gray President

SPRING 2012

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FROM THE PRINCIPAL

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et me begin by stating for the record that I am not retiring from La Salle High School. I have received numerous communications from alumni who somehow came to believe that my stepping down as principal meant that I was fully retiring from the school community. Thankfully for me, I will continue to be a full-time member of the faculty and staff, just hopefully not as full-time as I have been. My new title will be Vice President for Mission, a position that does not currently exist. I am most grateful to Dr. Gray for offering me this opportunity and together we will create the full scope of this new position. Even though the extent of this new role is not fully developed yet, I do know that I will continue to teach, which is a priority for me, as well as taking an enhanced role with student advising. I will also have the opportunity to become more involved with student programs such as our immersion and retreat programs through our Student Life Office. It is also my hope to be of more assistance to our marvelous Director of Alumni Relations, Kristen Schultz ’98, and to be a resource for our Board of Regents. My interaction with the faculty will be as a colleague as well as a resource for Lasallian Formation Programs that I will be initiating on a scheduled basis. Providing ongoing and systematic Lasallian Formation to our community is one of the key responsibilities of my new position. It is also the piece that will take the most strategic planning and organization over the next school year to implement. Even though I am not retiring, my stepping down as Principal is a huge change for me. It has been my blessing to have been the Principal of La Salle High School since 1995. I sincerely thank all of my administrative colleagues who provided me with guidance, support and wisdom during all of these years. Administrators such as the school’s first President, Philip Clarke; Associate Principals Ring, Laurenzello, DesHarnais, Matheus and Mellor; CFO Packard; Br. DeSales; Directors O’Connor, Schultz, Henry and Blackstock; IA Directors Plante, Delaney, Tremblay and Keates; and all of the support staff especially, Marie Pederson and Elizabeth Serhan. Since 1995, I have had the pleasure of hiring virtually all of the faculty members and support staff currently at the school. They are a marvelous group of dedicated and deeply gifted individuals who consistently put the educational and spiritual needs of their students first. I also want to especially thank Dr. Richard Gray for the trust and confidence he has shown me over his years as President. La Salle High School is the outstanding school community it is because Richard has deliberately and strategically guided the school. His is not an easy task and his entrusting the future of the school to Br. Chris Brady, FSC as the next principal is a clear indication of Richard’s plans for the future successes of La Salle High School. I have been constantly asked this year how I was feeling about stepping down. My response most recently has been that it feels weird. I could not help but think to myself at various times throughout the last few months, “that will be the last time I will do that” - I will not be the one to hand out the academic awards; or make a particular greeting or address at a ceremony; hand out diplomas at graduation, or the one to make the final decision on a school issue. It feels weird but change is good. As I stated before, the school will be very well served by the leadership of an excellent administrator, Br. Chris and the team of administrators, faculty and staff that Br. Chris will be working with is superb. For me, being able to still be very involved on a daily basis with the students and the community is a marvelous benefit and having more time to spend with my lovely wife, marvelous daughters and the time to spoil rotten my two grandsons is what I need. My sincerest thanks to all who have taken the time to write or speak to me regarding this change. I appreciate your warm thoughts and kind comments more than you can ever know. La Salle is a fantastic and special community and it is such because of the character and talents of the current and past students who have graced its classrooms and because of the spirit and fidelity of the faculty staff and parents who make up our unique Lasallian Community. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this faith-filled Community since 1985 and, with God’s will, for many more years to come.

Patrick Bonacci, AFSC Principal

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Cynthia Sticks Her Neck Out and a ‘Giraffe’ Makes it on the Rose Court By: Jade Rogers ’01

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his year’s theme for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade was “Just Imagine…” What can you “Just Imagine?” ‘Just Imagine’ having the determination, inspiration, and encouragement to reach for your dreams and to succeed at them; to never give up; to work hard and to be the very best person you can be. Now “Just Imagine” being one of the seven beautiful ladies on the Rose Court, attending over 150 community service events, riding on a float during the Rose Parade, seen by 70 million people, watching via worldwide television, and reigning over the Rose Bowl. Did you ‘Just Imagine’ it? If you are Senior Cynthia Louie, then you no longer have to “Just Imagine” because all that became a reality for this lovely Rose Princess. Cynthia, along with 1,000 other young hopefuls, first tried out for the prestigious Tournament of Roses Court on September 17, 2011 at Tournament House. As mentioned in the previous issue of Lancer Magazine Cynthia showed up that day wearing a giraffe costume. She stood in front of the judges and said, “As you can see I am comfortable with who I am and I’m not afraid to express myself.” Cynthia then ripped off the giraffe costume revealing her business suit underneath and said, “But I can adapt to whatever environment you need me in.” She had the courage, intelligence, poise, confidence, fire, and drive that the judges were looking for. Tryouts for the Rose Court were based on four in-person interviews. As 1,000 girls went down to 250, to 75, and then to 35, it was finally announced on October 10, 2011 which seven ladies would be part of the historical Rose Court, and Cynthia Louie, number 858, was called to the front. “The idea of actually being a Rose Princess seemed impossible to me. I would always shrug off the idea with skepticism. But then I found a picture of me and the 2000 Rose Queen Sophia Bush. This just shows how much I’ve dreamed of the position ever since I was young.” The moment Cynthia heard her name and was handed her flowers, she knew she was going to become a celebrity overnight, a role model, and an inspiration to little girls all over the city and beyond. Through Cynthia’s entire experience, she said the most exciting moment was when she heard her name called to be on the Court. 6

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From October to January, Cynthia attended over 150 community service and philanthropic events. These included visits to hospitals, retirement homes, schools for adults and children with disabilities, club luncheons, photo opportunities, and public relations visits. She also got to ride in the Goodyear Blimp, to meet the Grand Marshal J.R. Martinez, and meet the football players from Wisconsin and Oregon who competed in the Rose Bowl. Before she knew it, 2011 was coming to an end and the morning of January 2, 2012 was here. Cynthia says, “I was picked up from my house a little before 2:00am. I was taken to the Amadeus Salon for hair and make-up appointments that lasted until 4:30am. Then, for the rest of the time, up until the parade officially started, the other girls on the Court and I were fitted for our crowns, ate breakfast, got dressed, attended the flag raising ceremony, gave interviews to KTLA broadcasters, and then finally boarded the float.”


After an incredible ride down Colorado Boulevard she found it hard to believe all this incredible experience was nearly over. Cynthia said the hardest part was seeing all of it come to an end so suddenly. “There are so many events. Everything is so exciting, fast-paced, and crammed into a little over three months. I was always looking forward to the next event. And now it is difficult realizing it’s all over.” But through her entire Rose Court experience, Cynthia has grown a lot as a person, learned many lessons, and gained new friendships with her fellow Rose Court ladies. “Through this entire process I learned to not be intimidated by anything and to be my own catalyst…Between all the etiquette, modeling, and speech training as well as participating in over 150 events, I learned I had to grow up and become an adult. I needed to be conscious there was always going to be someone looking at me. Being on the Rose Court has really helped me to grow up and has transformed me entirely.” Now that her Royal Court duties are over Cynthia is happy to be back at school. But she knows she could not have gotten through the past few months of balancing a hectic Rose Court schedule and school schedule alone. Cynthia was blessed to have the support and guidance from her family, friends, and the Lancer community. She says,“All of my teachers have been very supportive and excited about the whole process and they are very understanding with my work and offer many ways for me to make up any of my school work up. I am also very thankful for my mom, brother, and my Aunt Caroline.”

“As you can see I am comfortable with who I am and I’m not afraid to express myself.” - Cynthia Louie ’12 Cynthia has jumped right back in to being at school all day and continues to study hard and be an academic success. She continues to be involved as a Student Ambassador, and as a member of LEAP, National Honor Society (NHS), California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and Pi Alpha Chi Service Society. Outside of school, Cynthia is a volunteer at the LA Zoo and on the Nordstrom BP Fashion Board. Cynthia also wants to fill more of her time up with extra community service, especially dedicating more of her hours towards some of the many volunteer groups and organizations that she has met while on the Rose Court. Once she graduates from La Salle, Cynthia plans to attend either the University of Southern California or Boston College. She has a deep passion for Marine Biology but she says she will probably end up majoring in Journalism or Business. Being a Rose Princess has given Cynthia even more poise, confidence, public speaking skills and academic achievements, as well as a fun personality. Now maybe Cynthia started a trend on the first day of Rose Court interviews. Will the Lancer community see a young lady dressed up as a lion, tiger, or bear? Oh my! Photo caption on page 5: The Queen and Court, from left. Princesses Sarah Zuno, Hanan Worku, Morgan Devaud, Queen Drew Washington, and Princesses Kimberly Ostiller, Cynthia Louie and Stephanie Hynes. Queen Drew is in white; the princesses are in elegant, one-shoulder, true cobalt blue gowns by Tadashi Shoji. SPRING 2012

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PRIORE’S March in the Rose Parade Caps Amazing Music Career

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enior David Priore will be off to Cal State Northridge next fall, studying music, capping off an impressive four-year musical career at La Salle. David is the line captain for the Lancer drumline, percussion section leader for advanced band, drummer and vibist for the La Salle Blue Note Octet, percussionist for Music for the Masses and a member of the Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra the past two seasons. Last fall, he was named to the 2012 Tournament of Roses Honor Band, surviving an arduous audition process, capturing one of seven spots coveted by more than 70 students in the drumline. He not only developed his musical skills -- including memorizing eight pieces of music -- but also his marching skills. The physical stamina required to get through the parade was made clear by the amount of marching that the band had to go through. Multiple loops around Dodger stadium were grueling, but necessary to prepare everyone for the five-mile parade route. Each of these experiences prepared David for the college audition process, though the Rose Parade experience proved the most intense. By working with more experienced and skilled musicians, he was able to adjust to the pressure, focus and figure out how to prepare difficult music in a short period of time. Ms. Foley states, “With the Rose Parade, David follows Jackson DelanyMcCudden, ‘11 and Albert Law, ‘10, adding his name to a group of standout La Salle musicians who can say that they’ve been a part of a great musical tradition. Even more impressive, though, has been David’s tenure here at La Salle. He has worked harder than any other musician I can remember to become the standout he is today. I am very proud of what he has accomplished and the service he has given to the music department.”

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Tournament of Roses Names ®

Chief Operating Officer

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From Tournament of Roses Public Relations

he Pasadena Tournament of Roses® announced on March 16, 2012, that Jeffrey J. Allen ’84 assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer. Allen also will maintain the role of Chief Financial Officer for the association. “Jeff has been a core player on the Tournament of Roses team and I am so pleased to see him assume even more responsibility within our organization,” said Tournament of Roses President and Chairman of the Board Sally M. Bixby. “We value the dedication, commitment and drive he brings to us each day.” In his new role, Allen will interface with volunteer leaders and committees in the areas of communications and marketing, membership services, sponsor-ship and procurement in addition to the Tournament’s corporate and civic participants. As chief financial officer, he will oversee the financial matters for the association. “I am thrilled that Jeff has accepted the Chief Operating Officer position,” said Tournament of Roses Executive Director Bill Flinn. “I have enjoyed our working relationship for many years and very much look forward to working closely with Jeff as he brings his own brand of creative energy to the role of chief operating officer.” “It’s been a wonderful experience working with the Tournament of Roses and I am honored to be named chief operating officer,” said Allen. “This role will allow me to enhance my working relationship with the volunteers, staff members and the many organizations associated with the Tournament of Roses.” Allen has 24 years of financial experience in both public and private accounting. Allen was hired as the controller of the Tournament of Roses in December of 1999 and was promoted to chief financial officer in 2003. Allen served financial roles with various US soccer-related entities including Vice President of Finance for Women’s World Cup 1999, Controller for Major League Soccer and Finance Manager for Men’s World Cup 1994. Allen began his career in 1988 with Coopers and Lybrand as a public accounting auditor where he earned his Certified Public Accounting certificate. Allen graduated from La Salle in 1984 and the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in economics with an emphasis in accounting. Allen served on La Salle’s Board of Trustees from 2000-2006.


PAT BONACCI AFSC Honored at 13 Annual Crystal Ball th

By Jade Rogers ’01 with John Blackstock ’67 From left, Jon McDuffie, John Guzman.

Pat Bonacci holds the 2012 Lasallian Award with, from left, Dr. Richard Gray, President of La Salle, Brother James Joost, FSC, Auxuliary Visitor and Gery Short, Director of Education for the De La Salle Institute.

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a Salle High School held its 13th Annual Crystal Ball, titled “Bootleggers Ball” on April 27 at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. Crystal Ball Chair, Tess Crabtree P’12, ’14, chose the theme that spanned the time from the Roaring Twenties to the end of Prohibition in the Thirties. “That gave us a lot of fun options for decorations and props,” she said standing next to a stack of oak whiskey barrels. Guests dressed as mobsters, flappers, and in other attire from the ’20s and ’30s enjoyed a night filled with fun, fellowship, dinner, and dancing. They dined at tables beautifully adorned with hydrangias and roses and draped with pearls and feathers and danced to vintage music that included Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Cole Porter.

Pat Bonacci with Jenny Frangie and Dennis Voltattorini P’02.

The night was also filled with the thrill of the pursuit while bidding on several dozen items during the Live, Super Silent, Silent Brown, and Silent Purple auctions. Auction items included a trip to the 2013 Masters Golf Championship, six nights on a South African Safari, VIP tickets to a Lakers home game in a luxury suite, field level Dodgers tickets, Getaway for two at the White Stallion Ranch and a framed picture of Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, just to name of few of the many items auctioned off at the Crystal Ball. Aside from the auctions, there was also an Opportunity Drawing where guests had the chance to win a trip for two to Hawai’i, an iPad 2, or four Disney Hopper passes.

From left, Keri Crowell P’14, Tess Crabtree P’12, ’14, Liz Kwong P’12, ’14 and Karen McAlister P’08,’11,’14.

SPRING 2012

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Silent auction display.

Isaac Shadian and Cynthia York Shadian P’04, ’06,’12.

Brother Christopher Brady, FSC congratulates the Hawaiian Vacation winner, Christine Marez P’14.

Dr. Gray and Mr. Bonacci with Tess Crabtree, Chair of the Crystal Ball. 10

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Justin and Mia Dean P’13, Tess Crabtree and Patti and Bill Jameson P’15.

Eugene and Joan Bock.

From left, Jackie Oldham P’08, Marty and John Hoffman ’77 P’ 06, ’08, ’12 and John Oldham ’74 P’08.


Nearly 400 guests came to congratulate this year’s Crystal Ball honoree, La Salle’s Principal, Patrick Bonacci, AFSC, P’94, ’97. Pat was selected as the recipient of the 2012 Lasallian Award. “Patrick Bonacci was a fabulous choice for Crystal Ball honoree. Pat has touched so many students, faculty, staff and families,” said Tess. Pat served at La Salle for the past 27 years initially as Assistant Principal and then as Principal for the last 15 years. Pat will become the Vice President for Mission on July 1, 2012. “Oh what a night!” exclaimed Tess immediately following the event. “I just want to thank each and every one on the committee for giving their time and talents for the sake of all the students at

La Salle. Our Bootlegger Ball team of volunteers and staff took care of everything from the littlest detail to the largest undertakings... every piece of the puzzle came together perfectly. Simply saying thank you does not seem to cover the sincere gratitude that I feel,” she said. The Crystal Ball is La Salle’s largest fundraiser of the year that allows everyone an opportunity to come together and support La Salle’s programs and activities the School provides to the students. Proceeds from the evening help support our academic, athletic, student life, arts and financial aid programs.

Auction in progress.

Dance class students performed the Charleston before the award ceremony.

Band members perform. SPRING 2012

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2008 Carol and Brad Wright ’73 April in Paris

2011 John and Karen McAlister Behind the Great Wall

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2007 Mary and Paul Bigley ’77 007 For Your Eyes Only

2010

2012

2010 Hope and Dino Clarizio ’75 New York, New York

2009 LeAnn and Michael Healy Denim & Diamonds

SPRING 2012

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GORDON A

thletic Director Anthony Harris, announced the selection of Russell Gordon as the Lancers’ new football coach during a packed Athletics Boosters meeting on January 10. Coach Gordon comes to La Salle from Campbell Hall where he has been for the last 15 years. In his eight years as Head Coach, he has compiled a 51-37 overall record. Gordon has taken his teams to the post season four of his eight years including a trip to the CIF finals. Gordon was named CIF Coach of the Year in 2005 and is the Head Coach for the East in the 2012 Daily News All-Star game. Gordon has been successful in preparing his athletes for the next level and has placed 17 of his former players on Division I and IAA college football teams. “I have had great success not only with a winning percentage, but also in making sure that student athletes learn to be accountable for their actions while learning lifelong lessons that they can implement into their daily living,” commented Gordon. “We are very exited and pleased with taking our program to the next level,” said Harris. “Gordon was very impressive in the search process, but more importantly, he is the best fit for La Salle football as we move forward.” When asked why he applied for the coaching position, Gordon said, there is a tremendous amount of talent and passion at La Salle. “I was on campus for the homecoming game when this team 14

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By John Blackstock ’67

was 0-8 and I couldn’t believe what I saw. The stands were filled, the community really came out for La Salle and that was an 0-8 team. From then on, I really wanted to be a part of this program and I’m happy I was able to join Anthony.” “I’m really proud of this gentleman,” said Harris of Gordon, who will also be the Assistant Athletic Director. “I hired him 15 years ago at Campbell Hall and I’m really proud of the man he’s turned into and the coach that he’s become.” “Campbell Hall has been great to me and it’s a great school,” Gordon said. “But, I’m ready for a new challenge in my life. Plus, I look forward to professional growth and to be an Assistant Athletic Director means a lot to me.” Gordon’s application was one of over 70 submitted that were eventually reduced to 10 immensely qualified candidates. “The interview process was pretty grueling because there were great candidates and lot of stuff to go through, but his (Gordon’s) package was exceptionally well thought out and prepared,” Harris said. Gordon was the unanimous choice among the selection committee, according to the committee chair. Gordon, who is the school’s fifth football Head Coach, and says he will bring most of his staff to La Salle, replaces Coach Antoine Peterson, who remains part of the La Salle faculty.


PAT BONACCI at the Crystal Ball Over the Years 2006 Jeri and Tom Beck Journey to Atlantis

2003 Pete Griffith A Safari Adventure 2001 Pat Wickhem An Evening in Paradise

2000

2002

2004 2006

2002 Marshall Rose Moonlight & Roses 2005 Shelley Allen and Bob Kohorst ’71 The Road to Morocco 2004 Angel and Jeff Throop A Taste of California

The Crystal Ball... “Always a Bright Moment in every La Salle Year.” - Pat Bonacci 12

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Season Takes Girls to Quarter Finals By By Kevin Cormier, Varsity Head Coach

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he 2011 - 2012 season saw the Lancers capture their second Camino Real League Title in four years. The Lancers also placed six girls on the All Camino Real League team: Kandyce Smith 1st Team, Sierra Bononi 1st Team, Caroline Knop 1st Team, Claire Fitzgerald 2nd Team, Sarah Kopcha 2nd Team, and Denise Peterson 2nd Team. Sophomore Kandyce Smith was also selected to the Division IV All CIF 1st Team, and Caroline Knop received an Honorable Mention selection. The season saw the Lancers make many great plays with two great wins over St. Joseph’s Lakewood to gain the League Title, and a stunning 2nd round win over Marlboro High School to advance to the Quarter Finals of playoffs. In the Quarter Finals, the Lancers had control of the game early but fell to eventual Division IV champion Campbell Hall High School. The team graduated only two seniors so the future looks bright for the Lancers. The Lancers will begin summer play at the end of finals and they look to gain valuable experience for another title run next year. Success over the past two years had the Lancers selected to move up to the ever tough Del Rey League for 2012 - 2013. So make sure you catch these Lancers in action next season. Schedules will be put on the Lancer athletic website in the Winter so look out for it.

Senior Denise Peterson

Sophomore Sarah Kopcha

Sophomore Kandyce Smith SPRING 2012

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Ethan Anabel scores against Maranatha.

By Dan Sheridan ’98, Varsity Soccer Coach

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ardon the borrowing of a famous line, but how can you not smile about the strange and sometimes circuitous road to the Boys Varsity Soccer Del Rey League Championship? Numerous instances of strength, courage, and hilarity ensued throughout the 20112012 boys varsity soccer campaign. There was the inexplicable red card for All Del Rey League midfielder Sam Zanetta at Cathedral during a dreadful 6-1 drubbing. Then an apathetic first half against an overmatched LA Baptist squad, followed by a blistering second half that resulted in a strange 2-2 tie. Those were merely a few of the unpredictable moments from this past season. There was plenty of drama and quite a bit of success during this beautiful 15-3-3 season. The season started against traditional San Gabriel Valley power St. Francis and resulted in a 1-1 tie in what even the most ardent anti-soccer fan would have to concede as exhilarating. Starting a near record seven seniors, the La

Salle boys soccer team had high expectations and fired out of the gate, beginning the season with a 7-0-1 undefeated record before dropping a pair of games during the loaded La CaĂąada Tournament over Christmas break. The Lancers were led by three All-CIF and All Del Rey League performers in defenders Cesco Luna and Heyden Berge along with forward Andrew Powers. The defense was impressive and consistent throughout the year, supported by the Most Valuable Goalkeeper of the Del Rey League in Garrett Kubon. Yet, none of this would have been possible without the support of a few players who did not make All League or All CIF. How could one forget the goal in the last two minutes to beat Bishop Montgomery 1-0 at home following the devastating setback at Cathedral to open league play? Or the legendary performance of midfielder and former starting goalkeeper Stephen Wright in net against Bishop Montgomery in Torrance following the unfortunate red card to starter Garrett Kubon in the previous 3-2 victory over Cathedral at home a few days earlier? All CIF and All League defender, Hyden Berge.

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League

All CIF and All League forward, Andrew Powers shreds another defense for one of his team leading 10 goals.

Championship...

All league an the Del Ray League Most Valuable Goal Keeper, Garrett Kubon secures one of his 10 shutouts.

Wright posted a 1-0 ninety minute shutout (yes-ten minutes of injury time for the home team) despite a deep cut to his lower lip that later required stitches. The value of teamwork and hard work could not have been more evident in this memorable Lancer squad who posted the school’s first league championship since the 2006 Santa Fe League title. The season is gone and so are the nine seniors who graduated, including Sam Zanetta who is off to play at Willamette University next season, but the memory lives on for the next group of Lancers who surely will be inspired by the 2011-2012 team and the motto all boys soccer players follow at La Salle High School: live the tradition.

All CIF and All League defender, Cesco Luna.

All league midfielder, Sam Zenetta.

SPRING 2012

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The Wyland Foundation Mobile Learning Lab at La Salle on March 26, 2012.

Science Department Shares Wyland Mobile Learning with Local Grammar Schools

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Ryan Flynn ’13 manipulates water gates to demonstrate water maintenance programs throughout the state of California.

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oincidentally, a rainy day, in March, saw the La Salle Science Department host more than 300 third and fourth grade students and teachers from St. Andrew, Assumption, Saint Rita and Saint Elizabeth elementary schools to explore the Wyland Clean Water Challenge. Members of La Salle’s Science National Honors Society were hosts to our grammar school guests guiding them through the Wyland Mobile Learning Lab and encouraging children to become “Water Warriors” and take the pledge to protect this most valued resource. La Salle students guided our guests through activities that demonstrated various aspects of our California Water System including: Estuary Food Webs, Pollution Run-off Wetland Succession, The Wheel of Water Misfortune and Engineering and Water Management. Science Honors students also taught students about the distribution of water on Earth and provided coloring packets for the grammar school students to enjoy.


We Remember...

Andrew Lucas ’13 demonstrates water succession programs in the State of California to 4th grade students from Assumption BVM.

Former Christian Brother and teacher, EDWARD “TONY” WAFFEN (BROTHER ANTHONY) passed away on December 4, 2011 from a massive heart attack in Wasilla, Alaska where he lived with his wife Delores. He was 73. Tony, as he was known to his family and friends, worked as a teacher, at La Salle from 1962 to 1971 then as a counselor and administrator in the Inglewood School District and the Southern California Regional Occupational Center, where he helped juniors and seniors in college select their career fields and get work after graduation. When he retired in 1995 he moved to Alaska and worked for both Holland America and Royal Celebrity Tours as a rail guide. He enjoyed meeting the people traveling to Alaska and sharing what they could look forward to seeing the sights of the great state. Tony will be remembered by his family as someone who had a great sense of humor who was always considerate of others and whose positive outlook on life he shared with family and friends he made along his life’s journey. The family suggests memorials in Tony’s memory be made to Saint Mary’s College, 1928 Saint Mary’s Road, Moraga, Calif., 94556 c/o Scholarship Fund.

Monica Duong ’12 explains the food webs of estuaries in Southern California to third grade students from Assumption BVM.

Emily Paluch ’13 oversees third graders from Assumption BVM as they spin the wheel of water misfortune.

Former Visitor of the San Francisco District BROTHER RAPHAEL WILLEKE died at Mont La Salle on the morning of March 13, 2012. During his 67 years as a De La Salle Christian Brother, he served as an educator and respected administrator. He made his final vows on August 4, 1951, also at Mont La Salle. Brother Raphael began his collegiate studies at the Brothers Scholasticate at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga and completed his BA degree in 1956. In his early years, he was a shop teacher at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, participating in the District’s experiment with occupational education. In 1964, he studied at Catholic University in Washington before proceeding to the Motherhouse in Rome to participate in the Second Novitiate. He returned to Mont La Salle in 1966 as Director of the Novitiate, where he stayed until 1972, when he was named principal at San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno. Br. Raphael was appointed Visitor of the District of San Francisco in July of 1974 and held that post until 1980. At the expiration of his term, he served as principal at La Salle High School in Pasadena. He returned to Mont La Salle in 1983 as Director General, and one year later was named a Vice President of Mont La Salle Vineyards. When the winery was sold in 1989, Br. Raphael became the administrator of Mont La Salle and kept that position until 2001 when he retired to Sacred Heart Cathedral Community in San Francisco. BROTHER HAIG MARTIN CHARSHAF passed away unexpectedly on April 1, 2012, at Seton Medical Center in Daly City, California. He was 82 years old and a member of the De La Salle Christian Brothers for 65 years. In August of 1947, he received the habit. Brother completed his B.A. at Saint Mary’s College, Moraga, in 1951 and immediately began a long career in education. He was granted a year’s break to study at Fordham University in New York, and, in 1960, completed an M.A. in Philosophy and the History of Education. Later, in 1982, he also earned an M.A. in Spirituality from the University of San Francisco. Another transfer in 1970 took him back to Saint Mary’s College as General Manager of the Computer Center, an office he held until 1972. This was followed by a year as principal at La Salle High School in Pasadena. Brother Haig retired in 2004 and lived in San Francisco until his death. He was involved in the life of Epiphany parish and will be remembered for his kindness, generosity and outreach to those in need, as well as for a good sense of humor and quick wit. SPRING 2012

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Jill Remelski ’01 Daniel Healy ’01 R EC E I V E A L UMN I S E RVIC E AWA R D

By Ed O’Connor, Director of Student Life

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nter to Learn Leave to Serve is a saying that all recent graduates have often seen and heard ever since entering La Salle. But our graduates do not just hear this saying. They live it. In part, they live it because of the service opportunities they experience at La Salle. Service becomes a way of being, a way of living. So many of our graduates continue to do great work both globally and locally after leaving La Salle. They indeed leave to serve. Since the fall of 2006, La Salle has given the Alumni Service Award to recognize more recent graduates for service to the community, whether on a volunteer basis or as part of their vocation. This year, La Salle recognized Jill (Trousdale) Remelski and Daniel Healy, both from the class of 2001.

JILL (TROUSDALE) REMELSKI ’01 is the executive director of St. Francis Center: a community center in Los Angeles. The mission of St. Francis Center is to serve homeless and near 20

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homeless people in the greater Los Angeles area in the manner of St. Francis of Assisi by: serving their immediate needs; educating, empowering and accompanying them; providing them with the tools necessary to build better lives and neighborhoods; and addressing the systemic causes of poverty through advocacy. As Executive Director of the Center, Jill’s responsibilities included, setting mission direction and fundraising. One of the biggest efforts in her position was to increase the visibility of St. Francis Center in the Los Angeles area. When asked what led her to work at St. Francis Center, her response was: “My journey with St. Francis Center began almost 10 years ago, while attending school at the University of Southern California. I wanted to help our poor community, but wasn’t ready for direct service, so I interned in the Center’s offices. Shortly after college, I returned as a staff member. I was happy to be helping administratively, but I was still a bit weary. It was my second week and the week before Christmas. I squeezed my


way through the long line of homeless men and women waiting for a warm breakfast and the chance to get out of the cold. In an uncharacteristic moment I blurted out ‘Merry Christmas!’ and immediately felt a sense of guilt. Merry Christmas? On the streets, with no family or feeling of hope? What a stupid thing to say. That is when it happened. A guest immediately retorted ‘This is the best Christmas yet.’ My misunderstanding of the homeless, and my feeling of stress about conversation were blown out of the water. I suppose this moment is what has kept me committed to this work. “I need somebody else who can smile with me through all of the problems that happen during the day because at the end of the day, I got nothing to look forward to, said one of our homeless guests recently. “I’ve never looked back. Now every morning as I walk up to the Center my favorite part of the day lasts for five minutes. Make eye contact. ‘Hi. How are you?’ Have a moment of conversation. Repeat. That is the spirit of St. Francis Center. Our Programs have provided practical resources to alleviate the day-to-day suffering of the homeless and poverty for almost 40 years. We understand that being homeless goes beyond not having food or a place to sleep. It involves feeling alienated from society. Our service is not complete if we don’t make our guests feel completely welcome. Many days the most important part of our service is our ‘hello’ because in that moment we renew their hope.” When asked about La Salle, Jill said she admires La Salle for fostering an environment where students were challenged to do new things. She played volleyball for two years, was in a musical, attended a Lasallian leadership camp and was co-editor of the yearbook. She also appreciates how La Salle approached service not as “having to do hours,” but rather as the opportunity for class and school-wide events, that allowed for reflection on how we are actually served in the process of serving others. La Salle students and faculty partner with St. Francis Center during Founder’s Week.

DANIEL HEALY ’01

When Daniel was at La Salle he was very active in campus ministry service projects. He remembers the encouragement he received to get involved in community service while working at Union Station, Covenant House, on skid row and participating on a Venaver trip to Salinas. He also played basketball and water polo and played trumpet in the band. Daniel says he found his passion for serving others while at La Salle. He remembers the encouragement he received to get involved in community service working on various projects with Ms. Tina Bonacci and myself. Working side by side with teachers and students brought him much joy. His experience in high school led him to work with the poor while attending college. Daniel worked with a group called Hunger Project at UCLA. The Project serves meals at a homeless shelter in West LA. He joined a Christian Fellowship group that led him to do more and serve others, which he considers God’s calling in his life. After getting his undergraduate degree, he pursued a graduate degree in Public Health to be better equipped to help those in need. During that time, he did an internship with the Violence Prevention Coalition of Greater Los Angeles (VPC). He so loved the work that he stayed with the group. VPC is a nonprofit organization which works to reduce violence in our communities. At VPC, he works with faith and community-based organizations to help in this cause. During his workday, Daniel helps coordinate trainings and conferences and participates in community meetings. Recently, he was working in Pasadena with a group that is helping formerly incarcerated persons reintegrate back into the community. Jill and Daniel are sterling examples of unselfish dedication to serving those in need. They are the embodiment of our Mission Statement that concludes… We motivate our students

to respond compassionately to the needs of others, especially the poor.

ALUMNI

Adopt-a -Family Thanks to the support of the alumni community the Alumni Association raised over $2,700 for the Alumni Adopt-a-Family Christmas Gift Drive for the 22 foster children the Alumni Association adopted for the holidays. Alumni came back to campus on December 3rd to help wrap the gifts and others brought their children and families for photos with Santa. Mark your calendars for this new Alumni Christmas Tradition! Alumni Gift Wrappers, back row, left to right, Pedro Fernandez, Ileana Montano ’03, Jonathan Catano ’09, Mark Dannahusen ’10, Robin Quintanilla ‘03, Elaine Lugo ’06, Danielle (Gallagher) Forillo ’03, Brandon Birr ’03. From row, left to right, Robby Quintanilla ’10, Michelle Toyoshima ’03, Anjali Agrawal ’03, Isamar Montano ’09. Not pictured: Mike Sullivan ’70, Phil Velasco ’07, Hayley Gripp ’11. SPRING 2012

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DEDICATED TO LA SALLE FOR 27 YEARS Pat Bonacci with family, from left, daughter Tina ’94, wife Claire, grandson Jacob, son-in-law Jay, grandson Jayden and daughter Julie ’97

PRINCIPAL PATRICK BONACCI AND HIS YEARS AT LA SALLE By Richard Gray, Ph.D.

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1971 graduate of Saint Mary’s College of California, Pat Bonacci, AFSC leapt right into the world of Catholic education by taking a teaching job at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary School in Pasadena. He remained in that capacity until 1977 when the Pastor asked him to serve as the lay principal of the school. Pat served ably in that capacity until 1985 when Divine Providence led him to La Salle High School. Meeting with Brother Robert, Principal, seated center and Mr. Patrick Bonacci, Assistant Principal, standing second from right are from left, Brother Patrick Henry, Director of Student Activities, Brother De Sales Benning, College Counselor, Mr. James Amendola, Director of Guidance and Counseling, Mrs. Marie Pedersen, Assistant to the Principal, Bonacci, Brother James Joost, Director of Campus Ministry, Mrs. Maureen Mellor, Dean of Studies, seated. c. 1986. 22

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and, in 1994, the initiation of a construction project that essentially transformed the campus. Since then Pat has overseen the most dramatic expansion the School has ever known. Enrollment has almost doubled during the last ten years of Pat’s stewardship, and while he would be quick to say that others had a greater role to play in the School’s current success, we know, in a way that he will not admit, that it is the force of his wonderful, caring personality that explains why the culture of La Salle is so successful. Throughout the changes at La Salle Pat continued to exemplify the Lasallian values of faith and zeal. And Pat has never weakened his commitment to making La Salle a better place for the students entrusted to his care. As Principal of La Salle, Pat implemented the School’s Service Learning Program, expanded the immersion program, and established Founder’s Week of Service, in which he, personally, has participated alongside teachers and students. The hugely

Pat Bonacci with Vicky Benitez, Homecoming, 1997.

Pat shares bread at the Thanksgiving Liturgy in 2004.

Serving under three principals, Brother Christopher Bassen, FSC, Brother Robert Mizia, FSC, and Brother Philip Clarke, FSC, Pat occupied virtually every administrative position in the School: Dean of Students, Director of Admissions, Dean of Studies, and Assistant Principal. Typical of Pat and his love of the students entrusted to his care, he has always taught at least one class throughout the 27 years he has served La Salle. In 1995 then Brother Philip Clarke asked Pat to serve as Principal during a time of unusual transition at La Salle which included the implementation of the President/Principal model

Pat with, from left, Dr. Richard Gray, President, Brother Alvaro Echeverria, Superior General, Brother Stanilaus, Visitor, San Francisco District, at Academic Awards Assembly in 2007.

Pat with student son Founders Day 2002.

Pat with Michael Harper, CIF Softball Champions Plaque.

popular Block system essentially reorganized the way instruction in the classroom was managed and, even as he prepares to transition to his new role as Vice President for Mission, Pat has supervised a two year implementation of a curriculum mapping process. His commitment to children is exemplified by the fact that, in addition to teaching, Pat also serves as an Academic Advisor. With only one extraordinarily dedicated Christian Brother on staff, the School has come to rely on Pat to hold up for us the Lasallian values of the Christian Brothers. Anyone who has SPRING 2012

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engaged in a conversation with Pat about the schools sponsored by the Brothers will have noted his frequent reference to “our” school in Sacramento and to“our”school in Berkeley – as if he were a Brother – when in reality he so thoroughly identifies with the Mission of the Christian Brothers to give a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor, that it would never not occur to him to identify with the Lasallian schools up and down the West Coast. Pat truly demonstrates how a lay person can work “together and by association” with his vowed colleagues in the Christian Brothers. His service to the Church and the Community does not stop at the School’s doors. Pat has been actively involved in the larger church through the Archdiocesan Principals Association including tenure as a member (and Chair) of the Archdiocesan Principals Advisory Board and leadership of the Catholic Athletic Pat with unidentified woman at Day at the Races, 1996.

Pat congratulated a senior at the Academic Awards Ceremony in 2003.

Dr. Richard Gray and Pat Bonacci with 50th Anniversary Proclamation from the City of Pasadena, 2007.

Pat with Dr. Gray and his “right-hand-man,” John Ring, Assistant Principal in 2004.

Pat Bonacci with Director of Development John Plante. c. 1988. 24

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Association. Furthermore, he has been active at his parish, Saint Luke as a Lector and long time volunteer at the annual parish fiesta. His civic engagement is best exemplified by his attendance at countless Eagle Scout Honor Courts and a willingness to sit through long City Council hearings on behalf of La Salle. Allow me to share one comment from a colleague that could be just as easily applied to Pat’s relationship with students and parents: If Mr. Bonacci’s first name weren’t Patrick, it could just as easily be Patience. Throughout the years I’ve worked with him, he’s been a remarkable example of that virtue. His door is always open and an invitation to enter means an invitation to be listened to sincerely and with understanding.

Returns to La Salle as New Principal

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Lancer Magazine Cover featuring Pat Bonacci, AFSC and Brother Stanislaus, FSC when he became Affiliated with the Christian Brothers.

Pat on scooter after breaking his foot in 2009.

ubsequent to a national search which attracted over 60 qualified candidates, Dr. Richard Gray, President of La Salle High School, has appointed Brother Christopher Brady, FSC as its 14th principal. Brother Christopher will begin his duties on July 1, 2012. He succeeds Patrick Bonacci, AFSC who, after 27 years of dedicated leadership will become the School’s Vice President for Mission. Brother Christopher brings over 30 years of professional secondary school experience including 23 years as principal of two Lasallian schools located in the Bay Area. A native San Franciscan, Brother Christopher earned his B.A. at Saint Mary’s College of California and his M.A. in School Administration from the University of San Francisco. His career as a teacher included service in a variety of administrative capacities from Director of Student Activities to Dean of Students and Vice Principal. In addition to his administrative duties, Brother Christopher has served on the Board of Trustees of: Justin-Siena High School (Napa, CA), La Salle Catholic College Preparatory (Milwaukie, OR), Saint Mary’s College of California (Moraga, CA) as well as the Provincial Council for the Christian Brothers’ District of San Francisco. He is the recipient of the University of San Francisco Outstanding Educator in Administration Award and the Archdiocese of San Francisco Assumpta Award. In making the announcement, School President, Dr. Richard Gray, said, “Brother Christopher brings a proven record of educational leadership, a keen grasp of the challenges currently facing principals of Catholic secondary schools and a zealous passion for the students entrusted to his care.” In accepting the position, Brother Christopher’s educational career has come full circle: he is returning to the school where he began his teaching career in 1975. SPRING 2012

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AMAZING LANCERS

LA SALLE STUDENT GETS UP CLOSE VIEW OF

Conrad Murray

By Vicki Paluch, Arts Boosters

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a Salle High School senior Allison “Allie” Shadian filmed where no other individual media outlet could go – the courtroom of Judge Michael Pastor on the 15th day of the Conrad Murray trial for the involuntary manslaughter of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. In fact; she got parts of the courtroom that were not allowed on TV during this trial, specifically the jury box, cameras, control center and audience seats. The high-profile case was televised internationally. Her “behind the scenes” view of the trial that captivated millions around the world for seven weeks aired on LTV (La Salle High School’s student television closed-circuit program) the day after Murray was found guilty. The pretty blonde dashed out of school after the verdict was read to film the closing of her seven-minute feature film on the trial and media circus. Allie changed to brunette for her on-air report. During the filming of her project, she was given enviable access to the courtroom and media room, being permitted by Judge Pastor to film inside the empty courtroom before the trial resumed with the testimony of the prosecution’s expert witness, Dr. Steven Shafer, who literally wrote the book on the drug Propofol. She filmed the empty jury box, the camera boxes for the Court TV live feeds for the media pool, the inner workings of the Media Room and the circus outside the courtroom where Michael Jackson fans and supporters of Conrad Murray faced off. She interviewed one fan who traveled from England to see the trial, but the Michael Jackson impersonator did not win the lottery for courtroom seat that morning. “The fans were lined up and waited for the Jackson family. It was a sea of people,” recalled the 17-year-old Pasadena resident. When the court was ready to resume, she stowed her camera and took her seat in the courtroom gallery in same row as Randy and Rebbie Jackson, the late pop icon’s brother and sister. How did a La Salle student gain such access? It helped that her grandfather is Judge Lance Ito, the judge who presided over the O.J. Simpson trial, and that a family friend is KABC news reporter Miriam Hernandez, who brought Allie to court that day after Allie received her media pass. The day before she went to the courthouse, Judge Ito 26

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gave Allie a quick tutorial on what to expect – “It was like Law 101,” she said. Judge Pastor said I had to film everything I needed before the trial started. “I learned that the courtroom is under strict control – no cell phones, no websites. And I was surprised by the combat that takes place in court,” she recalled. “I also saw the pressure on the reporters covering a big story. They really have to be on top of it and they must act quickly to get a good story.” To see LTV report, go to www.lasallehs.org, click News & Events and News Archive.

Allie Shadian with KABC news reporter, MIriam Hernandez


AMAZING LANCERS

Freshman Has

PUBLISHED By John Blackstock ’67

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reshman Taylor Brennen had six of his architectural renderings published in a book titled “All Homes Great and Small”. It is a compilation of drawings of homes in the San Gabriel Valley by local illustrators. It was written and produced by architect John Louis Tegtmeyer who also has some of his architectural illustrations included in the book. By far the youngest illustrator in the book, Taylor says it was quite an honor to be included with such well-known architectural illustrators. In addition, Taylor also completed a rendering of Mayfield Junior School in Pasadena that was a full-page feature in their school magazine. Yet, his illustrations are not limited to homes in the San Gabriel Valley. He recently finished a dog portrait for the former State Secretary of Education, Bonnie Reiss. Taylor’s other interests include mathematics, engineering and aviation. He is an accomplished aviation photographer and wants to get his pilot’s license soon. To become an architect is not his goal right now, but rather to study engineering, “which is such an integral part of architecture,” he says. “It would be great to get into the Air Force Academy and learn to fly jets. If I get an appointment to the Air Force Academy, I would major in aerospace engineering I think.” Another unique accomplishment for a freshman is that Taylor started a new club on campus called Support Our Troops. The club sponsored the very successful Boxes of Love for families of service men at Christmas time and recently sent over 300 cards and letters to Captain Leroy Cisneros ‘89 who commands the men and women of the 2668th Transportation Company in west Afghanistan. “I just wanted to get involved on another level, and this seemed like a great way to do that and help people at the same time.” SPRING 2012

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AMAZING LANCERS

AMELIA GARRISON

Gold Key American Visions Nominee

By Vicki Paluch, Arts Boosters

Her work, “Laundry Relationships,” shows three girls in a coinoperated laundromat, where an older teenager is folding clothes while two younger girls sit huddled together looking at a lacy shirt, readying themselves for the day when they can wear such a grown-up piece of clothing. Amelia caught the photography bug when she was in sixth grade and took a photography class at Amory for the Arts. By the time she was in eighth grade, she got her Nikon and has been taking photographs ever since. In addition to taking AP Photography, Amelia has been a familiar actor in numerous La Salle theater productions, including “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Twelfth Night.” She competed last October in the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California’s Fall Festival. She also plays tenor saxophone in Jazz Band, Pep Band and Advanced Band. “My involvement in all the arts has helped me develop an eye for seeing things differently,” she said, noting that her love for the arts was first nurtured at the Waldorf School in Altadena, where she attended prior to La Salle. “I have learned to think out of the box and look at the world differently.” La Salle AP Art and AP Photography teacher, Ellen Slatkin, had assigned students to create a work that captured a slice of America. “No one pays attention to laundromats or the people inside,” said Amelia, who estimated she shot 75 images on her Nikon DSLR camera before she had the photograph she wanted. She used color enhancement and photo shop to make the image edgier and to highlight the LA feeling of the palm trees outside the dreary coin-operated laundry. “If I push them, they grow,” Ms. Slatkin said. “I expect them to reach down deep and they do.”

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melia Garrison has been named as one of the top student artists in Los Angeles County in the Los Angeles Region Scholastic Art and Writing Award Competition. She was selected as one of the five Gold Key winners and American Vision nominees from Los Angeles County for her “Laundry Relationships,” a work of photography. To be named an American Vision nominee, a panel of judges selected her work as the “Best of Show” in her category for the 2012 Los Angeles Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Amelia’s work will automatically advance to the national competition in New York. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened the email and saw that my name was the first one. I am just one of five people in LA County to receive this honor,” said the 17-year-old senior. 28

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12 LANCERS HONORED FOR ART Twelve other La Salle art students won regional Scholastic Art Awards, including Gold Key winners Katrina Dela Cruz for her still life painting, “Fruit and Shoes;” Stephanie Delazeri for her animated short film, “Ballmation;” Jessica Gardner for her painting, “untitled;” Shannon McCauley for her painting “Sky,” and Sheyda Pejoumand for her painting, “A Serious Man.” In addition, Miles Brenninkmeijer won a Silver Key award for “Ripples,” a work of photography, and Elizabeth Hoffman won a Silver Key for her painting, “Cupcakes.” La Salle students receiving honorable mention awards include: Amara Blades, Tamara Chacon, Katrina Dela Cruz, Stephanie Delazeri, Andrew Linaac, Kelly Mercade, and Miranda Stein. You can see the students work for yourself at the Scholastic Art Award exhibit at the Armory for the Arts in Pasadena, which will be held from May 19 through June 10. The gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, noon until 5:00pm. The Scholastic Art Award Ceremony and closing reception for the exhibit is Sunday, June 10, at the Armory at 2:00pm.


Delazari’s Magic Ball

AMAZING LANCERS

BOUNCES HER TO A

GOLD MEDAL

By Vicki Paluch, Arts Boosters

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unior Stephanie Delazeri was honored as a National Gold Medal recipients in the 2012 National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, for her inventive and humorous animated film, “Ballmation.” The National Gold Medal Awards, are the country’s longest-running and most prestigious program for creative teenagers. The film also won a “Sally” Award, La Salle’s award for filmmaking excellence. The film, which was shown at the school’s Film Festival on March 17, depicts the surreal adventure of a hand-drawn ball on a pad of paper. The ball becomes animated, breaks free of the writing pad, jumps off and bounces through a school corridor with a pixilated Stephanie chasing after it. “I feel happy that other people are enjoying my work,” said the 16-year-old Advanced Art student, whose film will be screened in New York as part of the celebration. However, watching peoples’ reaction to her films is not what motivates her. “I enjoy the process more than the displaying of it,” she said.

“Stephanie is highly respected by her peers. They appreciate her quiet comments.” - Ms. Ellen Slatkin, AP Art Teacher

Stephanie is no stranger to winning awards for her animation. Her animated films “The Right to Happiness” and “Everything Makes Sense” also won regional Honorable Mention awards in the 2012 Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards. Last year, her film, “Walking Birds,” received a regional Gold Key award. It also went on to win an honorable mention for student films at the Ottawa Animated Film Festival last summer. She created “Ballmation” in the Cal Arts CAP (Community Arts Partnership)/Sony Pictures Media Program at the Center for the Arts in Eagle Rock, where she attends the after-school program three days a week. While developing her skills as an artist at La Salle, Stephanie said she prefers the medium of animation because she gets to add “so much more character and personality” to her work. Imagine giving personality to a ball that bounces off the page and takes its creator to an awards ceremony at Carnegie Hall! SPRING 2012

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AMAZING LANCERS

P U R E

G O L D

By John Blackstock ’67

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essica Gardner ’12, a student in Ms. Ellen Slatkin’s AP Art class, garnered a 2012 National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Gold Medal for her painting, “Untitled.” The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, run by the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, is the oldest and most prestigious national program offering early recognition and scholarships to creative teenagers. To advance to the nationals, a student must be named a regional Gold Key or Silver Key winner or Gold Key and American Visions nominee. This year’s competition attracted 200,000 submissions in 28 categories of art and writing. “I was surprised by how big a deal this Gold Medal is,” said Jessica, whose painting, along with the works of other medalists, will be exhibited at Parsons, The New School of Design in New York City. Jessica’s painting, “Untitled,” is of a Victorian-era chair, stark in its simplicity and yet highly detailed. An Advanced Placement Art student, Jessica chose to study the “household architecture” of chairs as her portfolio concentration. She is creating a series of 12 paintings of different types of chairs, using the chair “as a vehicle to express humanity in aloneness, not loneliness.” Jessica came to AP art without the traditional 30

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prerequisite work. “She obviously had talent, but she had a lot of catching up to do,” commented Slatkin. “She is working in metaphors - formal chairs, casual chairs. It’s part of who she is.” Jessica did not consider herself an artist until just two years ago when she brought her own emotions to her work and began to work for herself and not to please her peers. Her choice of subject matter is a natural outgrowth for Jessica, who intends to pursue an art/architecture major in college.

“I was surprised by how big a deal this is.” - Jessica Gardner


AMAZING LANCERS

By John Blackstock ’67

J

uniors, Ryan Flynn and Andrew Lucas earned the highest composite score of 36 on the ACT college admissions placement exam. The ACT® test is a curriculum-and standards-based educational and career planning tool that assesses students’ academic readiness for college. Less than one tenth of one percent of the 1.6 million exam takers achieve a perfect score. This is truly an amazing accomplishment. Both Ryan and Andrew are members of the robotics team. Next year, Andrew will supervise production and engineering and Ryan will be one of the main engineers as well as the robot navigator and spotter during robotics competitions. “These two are very creative and have a friendly, competitive spirit,” commented Mr. Roy Chang, Computer Education teacher and Robotics Club moderator. Mr. Dave Desmond,

AP Social Studies teacher and Chess Club moderator says, “Their chess matches are extremely competitive, but they enjoy and appreciate each other’s depth of logical thinking.” Both young men are members of Pi Alpha Chi Service Society, members of the National Honor Society and have qualified for the California Scholarship Federation. One small differentiation is that Andrew is working toward the rank of Eagle Scout while Ryan is a member of the Lancer swimming team. Yet, despite a rigorous schedule of AP courses, they have collaborated on a “Star Wars” fanfiction book for the last two years. Yes, quite the amazing duo.

STEPS INTO THE SPOTLIGHT By Vicki Paluch, Arts Boosters

K

evin Chan, a La Salle junior and an accomplished pianist, has been selected as a semi-finalist in the prestigious Music Center Spotlight Awards competition. A panel of judges selected Kevin to be one of the 15 semi-finalists in the classical instrumental music category. The Music Center Spotlight Awards is one of the nation’s most acclaimed performing and visual arts education programs for teens in Southern California. The program offers training in the arts and awards more than $100,000 in scholarships annually to finalists and semi-finalists. This year, 1,194 Southern California high school students auditioned in six categories: ballet, non-classical dance, classical voice, non-classical voice, classical instrumental and jazz instrumental. From each category 15 students were named as semi-finalists. In the first round of the competition, Kevin performed two works, Haydn Piano Sonata in E flat major, Hob. XVI/49: Allegro and Liszt Grandes etudes de Paganini, S141 – No. 3 in G sharp minor (La Campanella). Kevin began taking piano lessons when he was five years old. His mentors are distinguished teachers, including his current teacher Dr. Grace Xia Zhao of the University of La Verne, with whom he has studied for the past year, and Antoinette Perry of the Thornton School of Music at USC. La Salle students and families have heard him accompanying the school’s choir during concerts and playing in the Jazz Band.“Music has always been the way I have been able to express myself,” said Kevin. “My favorite classical era is the Romantic era. It’s more lush and subjective and expressive.” In addition to taking Honors Physics, AP U.S. History, Pre-Calculus, and other courses, Kevin practices piano two hours every day. When competitions are close at hand, he practices for up to four hours daily. “You challenge yourself to get as far as you can, and I just take it on,” Kevin said. Kevin has received multiple awards at the Southwestern Youth Music Festival, Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) branch, and MTAC state solo piano competitions. At the end of 2011, Kevin won second place in MTAC West Los Angeles Branch Alice Frazier Kitchen Memorial Scholarship competition. In May, Kevin competed in the Glendale Piano competition and was awarded a honorable mention. Later in the month, he competed again in the MTAC West LA Alice Frazier Kitchen Memorial Scholarship and was awarded the first prize. SPRING 2012

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Seniors Julia Jacques, Kimberlyn Kelly and Vinny Degatto.

Sophomores, from left, Thomas Faber, Jason Dalcour, Izac Barba, Noah Glass and Derek Inata.

Junior Bridget Quiambo with Julie and Kimberlyn.

La Salle Celebrates

SAINT

BALDRICK’S DAY By John Blackstock ’67 32

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Juniors Paul Hoffman, Dean Brumm and Patrick Sullivan. The essance of St. Baldrick’s Day.


Pete Griffith, P’01, ’03, former Board of Trustees Chair.

O

David Magluyan ’15.

n Thursday, March 22, La Salle High School hosted a fundraising event for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Money raised for St. Baldrick’s is used to fund research projects dedicated to finding cures for childhood cancer. One aspect of La Salle’s mission statement calls students to “respond passionately to the needs of others” and, in orchestrating this event, senior Kimberlyn Kelly has done just that. After seeing other St. Baldrick’s events, Kelly tackled the challenge of bringing such an event to La Salle. She encouraged

Mr. Ed O’Connor, Bridget Quiambo, Mr. Owen Hou.

The Generous Shavees.

Thomas Faber ’14.

over 30 students and faculty members to be“shavees,”participants who pledge to raise money for St. Baldrick’s and shave their heads on stage during the event. In addition to recruiting participants from La Salle, Kelly also reached out to St. Francis High School, garnering an additional shavee. “Our original goal was to raise a thousand dollars, but I’m so excited and proud of my fellow Lancers and faculty members for their support. Between donations collected online and at the event, almost $6,000 was raised for the foundation,” said Kelly.

Bryce Shaw ’13, Andrew Torrijos ’14.

Austin Wallis ’13 feels the love.

SPRING 2012

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Lancers

From left, Lauren Perez ’12, Brendan Wong ’13, Vincent Feng ’12, Johnny Guinto ’12

Elysse Mosquera ’13 Angela Dionisio ’13

I

n February, Mrs. Chija Bauer’s honors physics class got to put what they were learning in class about energy and momentum into practice. The students worked in teams of two to build a catapult that would launch gumdrops 10 meters into a 30cm bullseye. The design criteria for the catapults were as follows: Maximum height of device with arm at lowest position – 0.4 meters. Maximum height of arm extended upwards – 2 meters. The throwing action must be the free action of the device. In other words, students could Claudia Vasquez ’13

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Brett Mirley ’13, Robert “Jamie” Stover ’13


From left, Liam Buchanan ’13, Brianna Barta ’13, Andrew Lucas ’13

Chaos Towers Teach Conceptual

Physics use human power to set and release the device, but they could not hold the propulsion arm in place once it is set nor could human power be used to propel the gumdrop. There was no restriction on the orientation of the throwing arm. The catapult may throw the gumdrop overhand, side arm, or even underhand. Materials used were restricted to typical household items with a $5 maximum expenditure for purchased items. No hazardous materials, rat traps or explosives were permitted. Typical materials included spoons, string, glue, rubber bands, Popsicle sticks, wooden dowels, chopsticks, mousetraps and wire hangers. Students also tested how attaching a sling to their throwing mechanism, putting the catapult on an incline, and putting the entire catapult on wheels affected their accuracy and distance. Garrett Stone ’13

Melanie Franco ’13 and Tiffany Tren ’13

By Brian S. Miller, Science Department Chair

S

enior, Michael Anastasia excelled in conceptual physics. He embraced the course and concepts of physics and applied them to the filmmaking that he loves. He is a student who truly benefited from this course. And, true to one of our Mission precepts; We nurture the unique talents of each student. Michael filmed a brief video of his conceptual physics class and the chaos towers constructed by the class members. The students worked in three groups to construct and analyze motion through these towers. They were required to write a project paper identifying and explaining five physics principles represented in the towers. They also drew diagrams and schematics of the motion of the marbles. Each student evaluated the collaborative efforts of the members of their group. The Science Department is pleased to share the video that Michael did such a good job filming and editing. Copy the following Internet address to see the film. http://lasallehsonline.org/mod/resource/view. php?id=16478

SPRING 2012

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Chef Claud Beltran and his tasting table for Noir Food & Wine

is a

SUCCESS Many thanks to all of the sponsors, donors, attendees and especially the following vendors for making this first time event such a success: Altadena Town & Country Club, Beyond the Olive, Casa del Rey Mexican Restaurant, Chakra, Choza Mama Peruvian Cuisine & Bakery, Clase Azul, Corner Bakery Café Hastings Ranch, El Portal, Hangar 24 Craft Brewery, Lasallian Education Fund (Brother Timothy Wine), London Gastropub, Mediterranean Garden Grill, Nikki C’s Restaurant & Bar, Noir Food and Wine, Opera, Paco’s Mexican Restaurant, Panda Inn Pasadena, Patron Tequila, Philippe The Original, Porto’s Bakery & Café, Saint James Spirits, San Antonio Winery, Sterling Cuisine, Stone Brewing Company, Sugar Fix, The Bruery, The Derby, and The Spot Gourmet It seems the Alumni Association has established a tasty new tradition. Ellen & Tom Hoffman, P’12, ’14 and Rocco ’73 & Mary Jo Sanello, P’01, ’04

T

he Alumni Association hosted the first ever Taste of La Salle on March 24th. Over 250 guests tempted their tastebuds with delicious tastes from the 29 participating restaurants and beverage vendors. The Opportunity Drawing drew a lot of interest with Brian Doerning ‘81 winning the 12 bottles of wine and pasta making basket. Giselle Figueroa ‘07 won the “Tools for a Top Chef” basket and Grace LaFanchi won the highly coveted “Eat Out For a Year” basket which included over $1,000 worth of gift cards to local eateries. The event netted over $7,000 to establish the Alumni Scholarship Fund for a graduating senior. This scholarship program will be put into place during the 2012-2013 school year. 36

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Nance Eason, Jean Matakovich & Sue Behrens enjoying tequila tastes from Clase Azul


Guest enjoying tastes from Sterling Cuisine, Chef Steven Marshall ’96

D’Arcy & Craig Sloane P’09, ’11, and Chef John Angelopulos from Altadena Town & Country Club

Peter Williams P’04, ’06, Serena Williams P’04, ’06, Dennis Jebbia, Tamara Flowers

Ben Pirih ’96, Sarah (Hansen) McNamara ’02, Michael McNamara ’96, Jorge Gonzalez ’96

Jay Madden P’08, ’11, Brian Doerning ’81, P’11, ’15, Nancy Madden P’08, ’11, Ken Buchanan P’10, ’11, ’13

Staff members of The Bruery including Patrick Rue, left, and Mike Rue ’69, right.

Chris Iglesias ’05, Brett Weigand ’05, Chris Victor ’05, Melissa Tavera ’05, Matt Jones ’05

Jane Greenstreet P’09, ’14, Leona Villalobos, Devin Mostoufi, Stacey Birkholz, and Diana Breda P’10, ’12, ’14 SPRING 2012

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Sells boxes from the top to the floor for the Q&A Reveals love of the NBA and of course, La Salle By Tommy Stafford ’99

Q: WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT POSITION WITH THE WARRIORS AND WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES? A: My current position is account manager in the premium seating department and I focus primarily on selling our luxury boxes. I also sell our floor seats and do work with our corporate sponsorship division in advertising. I work in sales so my job is to generate revenue for the team. The majority of my clients are corporations like IT companies, law firms, advertising agencies, etc. I’m continuously prospecting and networking through a handful of avenues to meet prospective clients. Q: WHAT ARE YOUR PROFESSIONAL GOALS? A: I like what I do and want to work in professional sports for most likely the rest of my career. I have a good eye for athletic talent and would ultimately like to be more involved in basketball operations, which handles assembling our team through free agency and the draft.

the opportunity to play at our practice facility and also at our home arena after games. It’s definitely exhilarating playing at ORACLE Arena and takes some getting used to as your depth perception is thrown off when shooting and playing in such a large arena. The team gives everyone on the staff season tickets so I always invite family and friends out to games. It’s a nice thing to be able to do and I have a lot of buddies that follow the NBA. Another perk I really enjoy is personally getting to know some of the players and coaching staff. We recently hired Mark Jackson as our head coach and Jerry West as an executive board member and both of them are extremely gracious and a pleasure to be around. Jerry is one of the greatest players to ever play the game and may be the most successful general manager in the history of the league, having assembled all those championship Lakers teams, yet he is so humble, generous with his time, and truly a warm hearted man. Q: NOW THAT YOU LOOK BACK, WHAT BIG LESSONS DID YOU LEARN AT LA SALLE THAT HAVE HELPED YOU TODAY? A: I think La Salle provided a solid curriculum and was a foundation for my college education as well as my professional career.

Q: HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT GETTING THE JOB? A: I knew a few executives that worked for the team and had heard they were hiring. I had experience in sales and in sports and I was able to set up interviews through the people I knew. I was fortunate enough to interview well and ultimately land the job. My experience was crucial as professional sports teams get an exorbitant amount of interest from candidates when they are hiring. My experience allowed for an easy transition and positioned me to be successful with the Warriors.

Q: ANY PARTICULAR TEACHERS OR STAFF THAT INFLUENCED YOU? A: I had many good teachers in my four years at La Salle, but I can’t single one or two out from the rest.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PERKS, THINGS PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROFESSION/PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT? A: I’m a big sports fan and love the NBA so being at all our games is a lot of fun. I also play basketball, as well as other sports, and have

Q: WHAT WAS YOUR PATH AFTER LA SALLE? A: After I graduated in 1999 I moved to San Francisco to attend USF. I was a media studies major with an emphasis in marketing and journalism. Upon graduating, I landed a job with ESPN working on the X-Games. After that, I started selling commercial

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real estate here in the Bay Area for Sperry Van Ness. I focused on selling apartment complexes and did that for about 5 years. While selling real estate, I met an investor that ran a sports agency which represented professional football players. I had free time in the evenings and on weekends I ended up getting involved with the firm and became an essential part of the recruiting division. I would sell real estate during the day and prospect football players in the evenings and on weekends. I still have ties with the firm and we currently represent a few players in the NFL and CFL. With the real estate market heading towards a huge recession and after learning firsthand how competitive and cutthroat professional athlete representation is, I started exploring other career opportunities. Basketball is my favorite sport and I’m now happy to have more stability and be a part of the NBA and the Golden State Warriors. Q: WHAT WERE YOU INVOLVED IN AND WHAT DID YOU ENJOY AT LA SALLE? A: I played on the varsity golf team for four years and was elected to the hall of fame. I also played on several traveling club teams outside of La Salle for soccer and ice hockey. I really enjoyed the smaller class sizes and the fact you got to know your classmates and the faculty on a personal level. I also enjoyed the campus and

all it had to offer. It seems the school has done an excellent job of keeping the campus up to date with in terms of technology and facilities which is evident by the new cafeteria, library, football field, etc. Q: WHEN NOT WORKING FOR THE WARRIORS, WOULD DO YOU LIKE TO DO FOR FUN? A: I like to travel and took a trip around the World a few years ago. I also like staying active and have recently started playing a lot of tennis. The Bay Area and San Francisco have a lot to offer in terms of restaurants, night clubs, festivals and outdoor activities and I like socializing with friends and being out on the town. Q: ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD A: I was recently back on campus for the Decade of the ’90s reunion weekend and had a great time. That was my first opportunity to see a football game on La Salle’s campus and was impressed with the large turnout. I enjoyed catching up and having a drink with former classmates and faculty at the party. I also enjoyed touring the campus and seeing what has and has not changed over the years. I’m glad to still have close friends from La Salle and wish everyone there all the best.

ALUMNI BASEBALL Alumni battled the Lancer Varsity Baseball team on Saturday, February 11, 2012 on Lancer Field. The Alumni led for most of the game, but lost in the bottom of the ninth when the Varsity team tied it up and then won the game with a walk off home run. The final score was 8-6 Lancer Varsity.

Alumni in attendance, left to right: Alec Edwards ’06, Tommy Stafford ’99, Tom Edwards ’03, Kenny Williams ’11, Leo Anaya ’89, Matt Jones ’05, Steven Petrovich ’11, Chris Knowles ’04, Ernie Martin ’09, Nathan Bury ’07, Mike Reed ’03, Craig Perez ’98, Tim Reed ’10, John Auer ’11, Coach Tom Cano (1980-1990), Ramzi Rabadi ’92 and John Tellez ’85. Not pictured: Hazim Rabadi ’87 and Marty Garcia ’87. More pictures from the game and video can be found online at www.lancernetwork.com. SPRING 2012

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Alumni News, Weddings & Births

Staying

Connected

1962

Wayne Osborne retired from the Navy after 43 years, 9 months and 11 days of service. He said that one of his more memorable military experiences was serving as the Deputy Fleet Surgeon (5th Fleet) based in the kingdom of Bahrain where he coordinated the healthcare needs of the joint naval forces during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He and his wife Marilyn reside in Escondido where Wayne volunteers with the USO and enjoys his restored 1965 corvette.

Dennis Baldi owns Northeast Machine Service, a machine shop catering to the automotive industry that builds race engines. He has four children, seven grandchildren and lives in Eagle Rock. Edwin Jenkins is a senior software engineer for The Word & Brown Companies in Orange. He designs, develops, installs and maintains enterprise level financial software applications. His specialty is forensic programming and trouble shooting for legacy software systems. Both he and his wife Donna are Eucharistic Ministers at their parish and have four daughters and eleven grandchildren. They make their home in Oceanside.

Class of 1962 50 Year Reunion Weekend September 7-9, 2012 A hotel room block for the Reunion Weekend has been established. Go to www.lancernetwork.com/62Fifty for more information or call the Alumni Office at 626.696.4362. Official invitations will be mailed over the summer. Richard Kolberg is the environmental and branded sales manager for Valero. He and his wife Vicki have two daughters and live in Danville. Roy Raat is the budget officer for the US Army Corps of Engineers, Northwest Division. He retired from the United States Army in 1989 after 23 years of service. He and his wife Susan live in West Linn, Oregon. 40

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Gerald McElroy owns White Rock Advertising which focuses on advertising in television and radio in Las Vegas. He is the past president of the Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas and the Nevada Republican Mens Club. He has volunteered his time with the American Cancer Society, the Las Vegas Opera, Toastmasters, Clark County Museum Guild and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. Gerald has two children and three grandchildren. Anthony Paegel is a partner in the accounting firm of Van Tassell and Paegel in Bishop. Michael Johnson is self-employed as a CPA in San Luis Obispo. He is presently the controller of a new micro-brewery in Redmond, Oregon which was started by his daughter and son-in-law called Phat Matt’s Brewery Co. From 1993-2008, he was a sports agent representing mostly baseball players in the United States and overseas. He helped organize the Italian baseball team for the Olympics by finding players and coaches. Mike has two grown children and five grandchildren. Tom Young is the president of Titus Holdings LTD. He is an investor and director of two public and two private companies, the trustee of a private equity fund and trustee of a client restructuring trust. Tom is also the director of four charitable entities and trustee of two charitable endowment funds. He and his wife Kathy have been married for 44 years and have three daughters, six grandchildren and live in Sylvania, Ohio. Steve Buccola is a professor of economic theory at Oregon State University. He and his wife Amy have two sons and live in Corvallis, Oregon. Michael Weidner is a retired systems director for The Aerospace Corporation. He and his wife Linda have been married for over 45 years, have three children and four grandchildren and live in Colorado Springs. Richard O’Neill was a controller for an audio company but is now retired. He was also ordained as a Deacon in the diocese of Seattle but has retired from that as well. He has five children, three grandkids and lives in Tustin.

1963

Bill Quirk has served on the Hayward City Council since 2004 and was reelected in 2008. Bill is a graduate of Columbia University and received his PhD in Astrophysics at the age of 24. He taught at Caltech and man-

aged a NASA research team that studied global warming and eventually retired from Lawrence Livermore Lab in 2005. He is now running for State Assembly where he feels his scientific and mathematical background will be a great asset in evaluating issues including the budget, energy, and the environment. Bill and his wife, Laurel, moved to the Hayward area in 1978 and have been married for 40 years while raising two children.

1966

Jim Lynch has published “Synergy”, the eBook at Apple’s iTunes store. This 137 page art book is the result of a two year collaboration of Jim’s New York-based photography and California writer J. David Gray. Specifically designed for ultimate viewing on the iPad, it is suited as well for the iPhone. “Synergy” is a very unique art book as it combines insightful short essays and poetry with a dramatic variety of photography used to inspire the writer. A print edition is planned.

1967

James Quandt,

Chairman

Emeriti of the Board of Trustees of St. Mary’s College of California , announced the signing of Tim Tebow for a significant advertising endorsement contract for The FRS Company, headquartered in Foster City. Jim serves as Chairman of the Board of the FRS Company as well as Managing Partner of Thomas James Capital, Incorporated, headquartered in Aliso Viejo, CA.

1968

Tom Iarossi retired from the Army in 2010 after a second long stint of active duty and is back in school, working on his second Master’s in Education. He plans to spend his twilight years as a Special Education teacher, and says he will never truly “retire” because there’s just too much life still to live. He and his wife Patty have three daughters, three grandsons and live in Encinitas. Tom can be reached at tom@teachertechforum.com.

1972

Mark Passarini is a manager in environmental engineering for Southern California Edison. He has been a member of the Tournament of Roses since 1999 and is an active supporter of the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation. Mark and his wife Erin have been Continued on page 32


A L U M N I

R E G I O N A L G AT H E R I N G S SAN DIEGO San Diego Alumni had a great time at the alumni gathering on January 21st meeting new Athletic Director Anthony Harris and getting updated on their Alma Mater. Those in attendance included, left to right, James Ryan ’86, Everett Evleth ’87, Norm Hovsepian ’66, John Maffei ’66, Woody Woodaman ’62, Wayne Osborne ’62, Tom Iarossi ’68, John Blackstock ’67. Not pictured: Mike Orser ’87.

T H E B AY A R E A The Bay Area Alumni Gathering on Saturday, March 3rd brought back alums from the Class of 1960 through the Class of 2004. Pete’s Tavern near AT&T Park was a great setting and everyone enjoyed getting a chance to network and hear what is going on at their Alma Mater.

Those in attendance from left to right: Matt Dondanville ’01, Mark Dondanville ’04, Brother Martin Ash, FSC, Brother Raphael Patton, FSC, Tom Galindo ’71, Francine DeMarco ’98, Steve Bieck ’71, Kendall Grant ’98, Al Lumas ’60, Jenny Gosselin ’02, Anthony Gioia ’04, Larry Callaghan ’60, Bob Leppert ’66. Not pictured: Summer Johnson ’97, Erin Lentz ’97. SPRING 2012

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married for 31 years and have four grown children, one granddaughter, Lilleann (3), and live in Glendora. Paul Taquino is a financial analyst with Auto Club Insurance- Northern California. He and his wife Nancy have two sons and one daughter and live in San Rafael.

Joe Brand owns his own IT support services company, 2 Data Services and lives in Riverside.

1976

Joseph

Peters

recently

1986

Stephen Zoccoli and his wife Genoveva recently celebrated their one year wedding anniversary. The two were wed in October 2010 and live in Arcadia. Gianni Galati worked with HAT (Helping all Transients) over the holidays and with the help of friends and co-workers he was able to collect

Guy Giacopuzzi is a dentist and dental implant surgeon and also is an assistant professor at Loma Linda University’s School of Dentistry. He and his wife have five children ages 15-25 and live in Cedar Glen. Mark Charvat worked for Sears from 19761990 where he found himself in 14 different positions in 11 years. He eventually started The Outlet by ELS which is currently located in Monrovia. Mark oversees the planning and operation of the corporation and is working on moving the business to a new location in Azusa where construction is underway for a 46,000 sq. foot facility. Mark and his wife Julie have two sons, Brian ’95 and Jason ’97, and three grandchildren. Robert Jahier is the IT-Computer Forensic Examiner for Hawaii’s Department of the Attorney General. He is very involved with his church and has participated on mission trips to both Kenya and Bangkok. In fact, Robert met his wife Cheryl on his first missionary trip to Guam back in 1983. Robert and Cheryl have four children, Malcolm (26), Renisha (23), Calonai (17) and Etalynia (15), and live in Honolulu. Scott Rowe is a musician and music educator. He and his wife Brendah live in Santa Barbara. Robert Wiegand owns Southwest Medical Imaging, a mobile imaging company that provides ultrasound testing and reports for physicians, hospitals and nursing facilities. He and his wife Chris have been married for 35 years and have three sons, Nick ’97, Scott and Matt, and one granddaughter. Dan Krouse is a senior supervisor with YRC Freight. He has a grown daughter who lives in Boulder, Colorado and he lives in San Pedro. Jeff Mead owns his own accounting firm, Mead Allsup & Lim. In addition to accounting and tax services his firm also does business consulting, internal controls evaluation and computer consulting related to accounting systems. Jeff and his wife Pam have been married for 13 years and live in Indio. He has two grown sons. Daniel Mizerski retired from the position of Northern California Network General Manager for American Water in 2006. Since then he has been doing a lot of remodeling and construction projects and volunteering for the Sierra Streams Institute where he coordinates the monitoring program. Daniel and his wife Martha have been married for 32 years and have one son and a granddaughter. 42

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launched his feature film project, “Shadow of the Werewolf” on the IndieGoGo website. Joseph wrote the script and will be directing the film on location in Argentina. He and his co-producer, Simon Barron (pictured), have already traveled to Buenos Aires to scout locations and meet with actors, talent agencies and production companies. Anyone that can provide a donation to make this dream a reality is encouraged to visit his IndieGoGo site at www.indiegogo.com/Shadow-of-the-Werewolf. Joseph can be contacted through his website at www.josephdpeters.com.

1977

Robert Sympson is a Senior IT/ Ops Program Manager for Microsoft in Redmond, Washington.

1982

Mike Anderson is a vice president with Finestone Partners, a securities, brokerage and investment management company. He is also the founder and managing director of Bruin Professionals, a UCLA Alumni Association organization, which serves as a professional business networking group that has also provided internships and scholarships for UCLA students. Mike and his wife Denise have been married for almost ten years and live in Chatsworth.

John Ryan is an immigration services officer with the Department of Homeland Security. He and his wife Patty live in Omaha, Nebraska. Rick San-Martin is the Director of Student Activities and a math teacher at Arroyo Pacific Academy in Arcadia. He still works with AYSO as an advanced coaching school instructor and also teaches at the L.A. 84 Foundation coaching school. Rick and his wife Tresha have three year old twin boys, Kanoa and Makani, and live in Los Angeles. John Cummings is a vice president with REV Finance Group. He and his wife Adriana have two grown children and live in Claremont.

103 sleeping bags, close to 300 pairs of thermal socks and approximately 50 second hand jackets which he and his family handed out on Skid Row on Christmas Eve. Brian Keith is the branding manager for A.G. Barr p.l.c., a soft drinks company based in the United Kingdom, where he lives with his wife Joanna.

1988

Michael Martinez worked with La Salle’s Mock Trial team as they prepared for the 2011-2012 Los Angeles competition. Michael regularly attended after school and weekend practices, helping the defense team craft questions, construct a theory of the case and develop their courtroom personas. His expertise in these areas was invaluable to the students’ performances in court; but equally important was his support of their growth as critical thinkers and teammates. Thanks to his efforts, the team was able to practice in a real downtown courthouse, an experience that helped the newer members acclimate to the trial atmosphere much more quickly. Many thanks to Michael for his dedication to La Salle; the students and his fellow coaches look forward to working with him again next year. Michael has his own practice, Martinez Charles LLP, in Pasadena.

1990

Scott Morris is the republican candidate in 2012 for Arizona State Senator in the Arizona state legislature. In addition, he is founder and chief executive officer of Morris Entertainment, an entertainment company specializing in film and


television, as well as photography and event planning. He is happily married to his wife Christy of nearly ten years.

1994

Jason Ybarra is making his rounds as a guest at several sci-fi and comic conventions including “Big Wow” in San Jose in May and “Power Morphicon 3” in August in Pasadena. He has also been working on the new Star Trek movie and has been confirmed to work on Transformers 4 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the upcoming year.

1999

Stacie (Torres) Nyborg has started her own legal practice specializing in small business counseling, real estate and estate planning in the Verdugo City neighborhood of Glendale. She graduated with a BA in Political Science from Yale University and received her JD from the USC Gould School of Law. Stacie lives with her husband Scott in Monterey Hills.

2001

Katie Johnston is an international deployment specialist for USAID, a foreign disaster assistance agency in Washington DC.

SAVE

CLASS OF 2002 10 Year Reunion at Barney’s Beanery in Old Town Pasadena

the

DATE

August 25, 2012

2004

Ashley Aloi is an Emergency Room Registered Nurse at Huntington Beach Hospital. After a few years of bedside experience, she hopes to advance her career and become a hospital administrator. Ashley will soon graduate with her second bachelor’s degree in nursing and bridge into her MSN program.

2005

Matt Jones is finishing his second year at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and is on the International & Comparative Law Review. He plans on graduating with a concentration in corporate law and hopes to eventually work in a corporate setting completing mergers & acquisitions.

Class of 2007

FIVE YEAR REUNION Thanksgiving Eve Everyone will be there so you don’t want to miss out! Wednesday, November 21st 7:30pm -10:00pm Café Santorini’s Rococo Room in Old Town Pasadena If you are interested in being part of the Reunion Committee contact Kristen Schultz ’98, Director of Alumni Relations, 626.696.4362 or kschultz@lasallehs.org.

Have a new email address or a new place? Contact the Alumni Office at alumni@lasallehs.org with your updated info so that you receive all the news regarding your reunion.

2003

Orrin Evans was serving as a political appointee at the U.S. Department of Agriculture as Senior Advisor for Marketing and Regulatory Programs to Secretary Tom Vilsack. Orrin has since decided to return to school and is attending Columbia University in New York to complete his degree in economics and international relations. Rosa Guzman has spent the past three years working in Brentwood at Pacific Eye & Ear Specialists as Chief Ophthalmic Technician, Patient Care Coordinator, and Clinical Research Coordinator for Dr. Howard R. Krauss, a neuro-ophthalmologist. Rosa is currently attending an ophthalmic assisting training program at Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA and once she completes the program she will be a Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COA). As a hobby Rosa produce music videos and has most recently worked with TiRon and Ayomari.

2007 2009

Erika Palffy graduated in December from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Danielle Lao, a junior at USC, defeated the top-seeded and #29 ranked player with a decisive second set to claim the singles

2010

2011

Michael Perry a sophomore track and field jumper at UCLA, earned a spot on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for the 2011 fall quarter. In fact, Michael holds the distinction as the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA with a 3.977 in Music.

Samantha Whitehead is a sophomore at St. John’s University and a member of the Red Storm’s soccer team. Sam created a walking team that participated in the October 23, 2011 “Walk To Cure Diabetes” in Flushing Meadows, New York. S.A.M.S. team, “Sam’s Amazing Mighty Superheroes,” which consisted of walkers from the Red Storm women’s soccer team, raised $5,438 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Sam was also interviewed by New York 1 and created a YouTube video about her story and facts about the disease, which she has lived with since she was sixteen years old. Michelle Johnson broke the MIT indoor triple jump record at New England Division III Championship at Smith College on February 18 with a jump of 11.23 m (36’10.25 ft).

Engagements Lynn Wheeler ’00

was engaged in May 2011 and will marry Jason Hoffer in June 2012 in Thousand Oaks. Together they have moved into a beautiful home in Granada Hills and are very excited to start their lives together. Working as a Nurse Practitioner at both Mount St Mary’s College in their student health center as well as in family practice has been very fulfilling and rewarding. Jennifer Sharp ’05

crown at the National Collegiate Tennis Classic on January 15th in La Quinta. Danielle entered her third season as a Trojan ranked No. 42 in the nation in singles.

and Will Vegors are engaged to be married. A June 2012 wedding is planned. The ceremony will be held at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Tujunga with a reception following at the La Cañada Country Club. Jennifer graduated on May 7, 2011 from the University of Wyoming with a BS in Family & Consumer Sciences: Professional SPRING 2012

43


Child Development. She is currently employed at Developmental Preschool and Day Care Center as a preschool teacher in Laramie. She also holds a Child Development Associate and Infant Director credential. Kyle Sinclair ’07 and Evgenia Pylarinou, a citizen of Greece, got engaged on February 7, 2012. They met on Kyle’s study abroad trip to Athens, and are currently working through US immigration to allow her to move to America. Kevin graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in May 2011 with a degree in Religion and Psychology. He remains in Tacoma, WA, where he works in the Apple Store and continues to grow his YouTube piano channel. He plans to launch his music album on iTunes next year. Ted Sharp ’09

proposed to Gigi Naginis on

July 16, 2011 at the Seashore Village Lighthouse in Long Beach. They are planning a December 2013 or January 2014 wedding. Ted is a third year Mechanical Engineering student with an emphasis on propulsion at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ. He has worked the past two summers at JPL in the Environmental Testing Facility. In April 2011 he competed at the University Student Launch Initiative sponsored by NASA in Huntsville, AL. The competition included designing, building, and testing reusable rockets with associated scientific payloads. They were required to write proposals, go to local elementary schools and teach, and design a website. Ted and his team wrote a proposal that gained them a grant from NASA. They managed to work within the budget of this grant and fulfill all the requirements of the competition. They successfully launched on April 16, 2011.

Weddings

pilates instructor at a gym in Encinitas and her husband is a Force Reconnaissance Marine at Camp Pendleton. Nabil Bisharat ’02

married Fanny Charvet on

October 29, 2011. The two met while attending law school together at UC Davis. Nabil is now an attorney with Reed Smith LLP in Los Angeles and he and Fanny live in Santa Monica. Emily Cairns ’05 and Henry Roffe-Silvester were wed in England on July 31, 2011 in a typical English wedding ceremony. Emily’s sister Kate and Whitney Westphal ’05 were both bridesmaids. Emily graduated with a degree in International Politics from UC Santa Cruz where she was part of the women’s rugby team and placed 2nd in the State. Upon graduation from UCSC Emily immigrated to Devon, England. Both Emily and Henry are working at a school which was founded in 1604 and plan on eventually raising a family in the English countryside. Anyone visiting the UK is welcome to visit Emily as she is more than happy to host La Salle Alumni.

Births & Adoptions Chris Kozo ’90

and his wife Katherine are

Annie Santana ’94 married Geoffrey Grush on September 4, 2011 at Serra Retreat Chapel in Malibu. Elizabeth Herman ’01 married Eric Schmutzer on September 22, 2011 at the Mission Inn in Riverside. They now live in Oceanside where Elizabeth is a personal trainer and 44

LANCER MAGAZINE

same time, they went through the procedure with the surrogate, they found out that Katherine was pregnant. Katherine gave birth to their daughter Auline Alexandra Kozo on October 8, 2011 and their surrogate gave birth to twin boys, Lucas James Kozo and Jackson Thomas Kozo, on October 26, 2011. Chris and his family reside in San Diego. Sharon (Williams) Hoeg ’98 and her husband Richard are happy to announce the birth of their second daughter, Elizabeth Renee, who was born on January 4, 2012 at 5:43am. Zack Branch ’98

and his wife Hazel welcomed

their daughter, Tiera Avalon, into the world on February 4, 2011. She weighed 7lbs., 1oz. and was 20in. long. Zack and his family recently relocated to Las Vegas from Minnesota. Melissa (Garcia-Bayha) Klose ’99 and her husband John welcomed their first baby, John Charles Klose VI, into the world on February 12, 2012 at 4:37pm. He was 7lbs., 8oz. and 19½ in. All of the family is happy and healthy. Karen (Quintelier) Couch ’00 and her husband Andrew are thrilled to announce the arrival of their daughter, Charlotte Rose. She was born on October 7, 2011 weighing 7lbs., 12oz. and 19½ in. long. Aimee (Clark) Lambert, Esq., ’00 and her husband Rick are excited to announce the birth of their daughter Whitney. She was born on October 11, 2011, in Roseville, CA. She weighed 8 lbs., 6 oz.

proud to announce the birth of their unconventional triplets. After trying for four years to get pregnant, they hired a surrogate. Around the


Join Our Recent Graduates in Honoring

F

or their Senior Class Gift, the Class of 2012 raised over $2,100 for the Pat Bonacci, AFSC Endowed Scholarship Fund. They chose to support a San Miguel Scholar because without these funds, six of their fellow classmates could not have made their high school journey with them. They chose to support the Pat Bonacci fund specifically, because they are the last graduating class at La Salle to have Mr. Bonacci as principal and they wanted to honor him with this donation. The Christian Brothers’ shared mission of providing a “Human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor”, the Pat Bonacci, AFSC Endowed Scholarship Fund was established in 2006 to allow low income students the opportunity to attend La Salle. Currently over 24% of the student body receives financial aid with the majority of those students receiving full and half tuition grants. Your gift to the Pat Bonacci, AFSC Scholarship Fund will not only honor Pat’s service to La Salle but will also allow for more financial aid dollars to be available to qualified low-income students. The La Salle community has been enormously enriched by Pat’s dedication, energy and passion. We hope you will join us in honoring his contributions by making one of your own.

Make your gift online at www.lasallehs.org/Give.


La Salle High School

3880 East Sierra Madre Boulevard Pasadena, CA 91107-1996 www.lasallehs.org Address Service Requested

20 Annual

Transforming Lives Since 1680

th

Lancer Golf Tournament & Banquet Monday, October 29, 2012 Four-Person Scramble 11:00am Shotgun Start Glendora Country Club 310 South Amelia Avenue Glendora, CA 91741 ALL LEVELS WELCOME Proceeds to benefit La Salle’s Academic, Arts, Athletic, Student Life and Financial Aid Programs


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