The Lantern - March 2018 by Presentation High School

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LANTERN Presentation High School Parent Newsletter | March 2018

Here at Presentation, our seniors are making important decisions about which college they will attend in the fall. As Catholic educators, we know that the value of a human being is much more than college acceptances, coursework and test scores. We are focused on educating the whole person. Presentation alumna leave these halls not just prepared to succeed in their next educational endeavors but in life itself. For more than ten years, we have interviewed seniors prior to graduation to understand their experience at Presentation.

What the Class of 2017 Says: 92% say they feel empowered and take pride in being a woman as a result of their education at Pres. 93% say they have developed study skills at Presentation that will help them in college and eventually in their careers. 94% say attending an all-female school was a positive experience for them.

Quotes and Reflections from the Class of 2017: “Being at an all-girls school where you are not limited, you can be the smartest person, best athlete, whatever you want to be. We are a community that pulls everyone up…” “In every single class—no matter what subject—Pres keeps showing us how women can contribute to the world, and how we can make a difference in the world. A great example is Global Women's Issues, where we learn about different cultures around the world. Or in English, where we discuss the women's roles in literature..” “I think that being Catholic means living a life full of love and understanding. I think it is extremely important that we recognize the human dignity of everyone and respect that everyone needs to be treated fairly and equally and we need to fight for that in society..”

Parent Board

Attendance Office

My sincere thank you to all the parents and friends that attended this year’s Under the Sea-themed Crab Feed. Thanks to an army of volunteers, it was a huge success. If you missed it, the entire gym and gym foyer felt like you were truly under the sea. Everyone enjoyed dancing to the live band as well.

We are well into second semester with classes, homework and co-curricular activities. It is important for students to be at school and on time. If your daughter misses 15 minutes or more from class, she will be marked absent. Please be sure to send her with a note to the Attendance Office if this occurs. Also, as a precaution for staying healthy, remind your daughter to wash her hands and use hand sanitizer dispensers around campus. She should avoid sharing drinks or food with her friends and she should cough into her elbow. This will keep those germs at bay! Remember, by law, the school cannot dispense medication. Your daughter may carry Advil, Tylenol, Midol, cough drops, etc. in her backpack to use as needed.

By Matt Sunseri | Parent Board President |matt.sunseri1@yahoo.com

As we may get lost in the day to day demands of life, parenting and keeping up with our busy schedules it’s easy to forget that we’re past the half- way point in the school year. That means the annual Fashion Show is fast approaching. With the event scheduled for April 21, students will be asking for your support in the sale of pre show raffle tickets, advertising and show sponsorship. Or, you can put your passion for fashion to work as a fashion show volunteer. All proceeds will benefit the school’s Endowment for Financial Aid, which provides scholarships to deserving young women, If fashion isn’t your passion, there are still a few more days to sign up for the annual Father-Daughter dance on March 9. We hope you dads and daughters will all join us for this memorable evening! Yours in Pres, Matt Sunseri Parent Board President

By Catherine Furtado | Attendance Secretary and Registrar

Please remember to call the Attendance Office by 9 a.m. if your daughter is coming to school late or is absent. When she returns to school, the first thing she must do is bring a note from you to the Attendance Office. In the rare instance when your daughter needs to leave school for an appointment, send her to the Attendance Office before school begins with a note from you stating the reason she needs to leave campus and the time of her dismissal. She will be given an early dismissal notice from the Attendance Secretary, Ms. Furtado. She can leave at the stated time on the early dismissal slip. If you have any questions, please contact the Attendance Office at (408) 266-1060 or email Ms. Furtado: cfurtado@presentationhs.org.

Club Spotlight: Asian Student Union Asian Student Union’s first year here is a rousing success! Senior Vivian Le and junior Sofia Basilio created this club to celebrate, discuss, and share Asian culture on campus. 120 members signed up at Club Fair – that’s 15% of the student body! And every meeting since packs the room. Together they plan and prepare for future events while learning to make cranes from scraps of square paper, enjoying snacks like Yakult yogurt drinks or Yan Yan crackers or Pandan waffles, and playing music from the South Korean boy band BTS or the Indian Hindi movie Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Sometimes they even fill the library during joint meetings with LatinX. The two clubs band together and put on the Culture Fair on November 21, or make presentations analyzing minority representation in mainstream media. Their efforts pay off, with the Culture Fair hosting over 100 students – eating, dancing, playing games, painting henna, folding origami, watching Bollywood performances from Jazba (the school team), learning from exhibitions about individual countries, and more. Asian Student Union enjoyed the first festival so much, they’re doing it again after school on February 15th in honor of Lunar New Year. There will be dumplings and almond cookies, do-it-yourself tables making lanterns and fans, paper cut-out decorations featuring the Asian Zodiac, information boards about New Year traditions, and incredible performances – including lion dancing and ribbon dancing, which will insure prosperity in the coming year. The Lantern | March 2018

College Counseling

Counseling

With the February and April break, opportunities to visit a college campus are readily available. Many campuses may still be in session during your visit, a wonderful opportunity to witness the student body in action. Taking note of the diversity of the campus, the various student organizations that appear most prevalent, as well as how students interact with one another can provide a prospective applicant with a picture of how they might fit in at that campus. I recently heard the advice from a College Admissions representative to conduct your own personal walking tour of the campus after hours. Seeing the campus in the evening hours provides you with an unfiltered view of the campus, one a student guide from the admissions office may not readily provide. While it is a rare opportunity for visitors to sit in on a class, you may be able to travel off the beaten path after your formal tour and walk around the various classroom buildings for a first view perspective on class size and student engagement. Taking notes of your impressions after each visit is recommended, as this may prove helpful when your daughter is writing her college essay supplements, and making the ultimate decision on where to attend. If your daughter if thinking of applying to out-of-state colleges, but traveling before an acceptance is cost and time prohibitive, the College Counseling Department highly recommends visiting the plethora of campuses within a three hours drive. UC Merced, UC Davis, and Sonoma State can provide students with an idea of how attending college in a rural setting may feel, while UC Berkeley and the University of San Francisco can give her an impression of city living. Santa Clara University and Saint Mary’s College of California can give you a feel for a private college, while San Jose State offers the perspective of a busy public college in a small city. Virtual tours are the next best option beyond personal visits, however, nothing compares to stepping foot on a college campus to gain perspective on the fit and feel of each unique setting.

I love my job. I smile each day when I arrive at work, when I am walking through the hallways, and as I leave each afternoon. My goal is to make each student I meet with feel confident about the College Counseling process she is about to embark upon, and I feel good about the work I accomplish each day in my humble office. In the fourteen years within this career path I have chosen, I have seen hundreds upon hundreds of students conclude their senior year excited about their next steps in life. From community college to highly selective institutions, and everything in between, the students I work with manage to find their place, and are genuinely happy about what the future beholds. Assisting students in determining their next steps towards their future is what makes this job feel like anything but work. However, in recent years, I have noticed a distinct shift in the perception of college admissions. While the college application process should be enjoyable and exciting, I am seeing fear becoming an increasingly present emotion during my meetings with students. Fear of rejection (everyone receives at least one dreaded rejection letter!), to false myths surrounding this process and rite of passage abound (it is more difficult to gain acceptance to the UC’s from Presentation!). I always tell my students to approach me if they would like to inquire about a rumor stated as fact, and I will do my very best to dispel any untruths I uncover. I encourage you, as parents to do the same. There are a variety of independent businesses and organizations cropping up in the Bay Area, preying upon the mythos that surrounds college and admissions to highly selective institutions. If fear drives the College Admissions process, the junior and senior years of highschool may pass families by as quickly as they began. Schedule a weekly conversation surrounding college, so that it does not overrun daily moments you have with your daughter. Create a supportive and fun approach to building a list of opportunities together, as it may be one of the final major events in her life that you partake in together as a team. Trust the process and the First Five College approach to shaping a list. It truly does work out in the end.

By MaryLynne Rodriguez | Director of College Counseling

Fashion Show: Lighting the Way “Let your light shine so brightly that others can see their way out of the dark.” Lunch show begins at 11 a.m. Dinner show begins at 6 p.m. Don’t miss Presentation High School’s, Lighting the Way, Fashion Show on Saturday, April 21 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. This year is the 52nd anniversary of fashion show! “Nothing can dim the light which shines from within you” – Maya Angelou This year’s theme, Lighting the Way, is about our girls shining brightly as they start their next journey and empowering them to be leaders down the pathways of our future. Our students can become guiding lights, sparking change and igniting opportunity for others. Living the school motto, “Not Words, But Deeds,” the show brings together our Presentation Family, faculty, friends and fashions from

local and national stores with the purpose of raising funds for the Endowment for Financial Aid. Reservations for the show open on Wednesday, March 7 and student gallery tickets go on sale the same day. A big shout out to our generous store partners – BCBG Max Azria, Bella James, Bombshell Boutique, Chico’s, Eli Thomas, Francesca’s, Ibiss, Kendra Scott Jewelry, Kitsch Couture, Penelope Boutique, and White House|Black Market. When you’re shopping, please be sure to thank them for their continued support of Presentation! For more information, to make reservations or donations, visit the Lighting the Way Fashion Show Web page, www.presentationhs.org/fashionshow. See you at the show! www.presentationhs.org

Campus Ministry

Community Involvement

Would your daughter like to join Peer Ministry for the 2018-2019 school year? Peer Ministry is a program that meets once a month for friendship, prayer, small group faith sharing and relaxation. Any current freshman, sophomore or junior may apply and we welcome students of all faiths and students who are questioning their faith. Peer Ministry students also have the opportunity to gain leadership experience through leading younger students on their class level retreat. Applications for next year’s Peer Ministry Team will be due mid-March. Please encourage your daughter to apply!

Mission Drive has officially began and students are working together to benefit our Presentation Sisters living and serving in Nicaragua and Guatemala. Sister Rachel Pinal helps support two low income schools in Nicaragua that take in students who otherwise could not afford to go to school. She uses our donations to buy shoes for students who walk several miles a day to get to school, buy books and simple laptops for teachers, and make repairs on school buildings. Sister Ellen Cafferty works in a suburb near Guatemala city in Guatemala. The money donated to Sister Ellen is used to provide simple hygiene items, medicine, clothes, and food to one of the poorest communities in Guatemala city. While these schools and communities are far from San Jose, the students and families our donations benefit are no different than us. They long for simple shelter, the dignity of work, education for their kids, and the ability to live healthy lives. During these six weeks let us come together to learn more about these communities and extend our love to our brothers and sisters in need.

By Claire Hansen | Director of Campus Ministry

Would your daughter like to participate in liturgical ministry? Student volunteers are needed to altar serve, minister the Eucharist and lector. Training is available. Interested students should contact Claire Hansen at chansen@presentationhs.org. Sophomore retreat takes place on Tuesday, March 6 at the Jesuit Retreat Center in Los Altos. This retreat focuses on friendships and forgiveness, and priests from local parishes will be present to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Senior Retreat takes place on March 15-16, also at the Jesuit Retreat Center. This overnight retreat is devoted to coming to know God’s call – in yourself, through others, in prayer, through challenge, and in acts of service. Seniors will enjoy this chance to build community and learn more about each other before they graduate. As with all our retreats, we welcome students of all faith traditions to attend. Finally, Lent began on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Lent is a season to prepare for the death and resurrection of Jesus. Here are some ideas to help your family engage more prayerfully in this Lenten season: • Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Every Catholic Church in Santa Clara county will be open from 6-8pm on Wednesdays during Lent. #thelightisonforyou • Read a daily prayer reflection at www.sacredspace.ie or sign up to get a daily reflection emailed to you, such as “Living Lent Daily” from www.loyolapress.com. • Listen to a daily prayer with music and scripture at www.prayasyougo.org. • Pray the Seven Penitential Psalms (Psalm 6, 31, 50, 101, 129 and 142). • Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. • Spend some time in quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament or The Stations of the Cross. The Lantern | March 2018

By Lindsay Swoboda | Director of Community Involvement

Here are the January Service Stars: • Madison Craig: 3 hours at the Village House • Sofia Funk: 5 hours at Breakthrough Silicon Valley and Labrador Retriever Rescue • Indrea Goyal: 4 hours at Los Alamitos Elementary School • Nandita Jayanthi: 4 hours at Stratford Middle School • Nicole Krukova: 4 hours at Edge • Emery Markey: 6 hours at Lexington Elementary School • Graciana Paxton: 22.5 hours on campus and San Jose Rose Garden • Jordan Rizzo: 10 hours at Lincoln Glen Manor • Audrey Taylor: 5 hours at Moscow Ballet • Nina Ulaganathan: 4 hours at Our City Forest • Margaret Wang: 5 hours at The Nutcracker

Physical Education

By Dianne Lagana| Physical Education Department Chair Presentation has a new face on campus! Meet Jennifer Rhodes, our new yoga teacher. She has been teaching for over six years with over a 1000+ hours of teacher experience making her an E-RYT through the Yoga Alliance. She has a BS from San Jose State University, started in corporate marketing and developed two small businesses when she found her “calling” for yoga over 10 years ago. Her hope is that her students will use the many tools they learn in class to deal with stressful situations to more productively manage life, work and school. She has a lot of energy and passion and deeply believes (from personal experience) that yoga can open us up to calmness, awareness and strength. She looks forward to sharing and teaching the students at Presentation over the coming years!

Dance Team

Performing Arts

Dance team has been very successful this competition season placing first in almost all of their categories. They were also awarded Regional Grand Champions at the West Coast Elite Competition. This month they will be competing at the Contest of Champions Nationals in Orlando, Florida in hopes of bringing back their fourth championship.. Wish your fellow panthers good luck!

Spring Play The hard-hitting and very timely play adaptation of the George Orwell classic 1984 will perform in the Valenzuela Theater March 14-22. A cast of twenty one performers and a dozen technicians are preparing the story about what happens when totalitarianism suppresses free thought, when privacy is a thing of the past and when “Big Brother is Watching You.” Ryan Remmel (Bellarmine 2019) and Pres senior Zoe Prior head a talented cast of student actors who are anxious to see the audience reaction to their work. To see this challenging and thought-provoking show, make your reservations on our homepage/box office, where you can select and pay for your seat online. This production is not recommended for those under 13 years old due to mature subject matter.

By Sara Fugate | Dance Team Coach

Dance team will also be teaching a Middle School dance camp, which starts Tuesday, March 20 from 4-6 p.m. in the dance studio. Anyone who is in middle school is welcome to this program. They will have the opportunity to learn a dance alongside the dance team and will perform at the schools Spring Dance Concert. The Middle School program will be from May 9-11, and dress rehearsal is Tuesday, May 8. Hope to see you there!

By Jim Houle | Director of Performing Arts

TADA! Fundraiser Mark your calendars for our annual Blue Plaid Player fund-raising production of Working, a classic musical from the 1970s which will perform April 13-27. Working, which features music written by several artists including Steven Schwartz (Godspell, Wicked), James Taylor, with new songs by Lin Manuel Miranda (Hamilton), tells the story of various American professions through song. Songs about teaching, waitressing and mill-working are only some of the professions celebrated in this classic show. Join our adult volunteer performers, directed and produced by long time Blue Plaid Player company members Chris Flanagan and Dan D’ali, and help provide needed funds to our performing arts program while enjoying a night of culture. Special gala performance on Saturday, April 14 will include a dinner before the show. Tickets for all of our theater events can always be found on our home page/box office. See you at the theater! www.presentationhs.org

Athletics

By Stacey Mallison | Athletic Director Our basketball team is working hard to defend their CCS title and have earned a record of 17-4. They are currently in third place in the WCAL and are ranked third in CCS and 15th in the state of California. The basketball team has earned great wins over St. Ignatius and St. Francis. They held the annual Faculty Appreciation night on Wednesday, Feb. 7; it was a great opportunity to honor and thank the amazing faculty and staff at Presentation and have a fun night supporting and celebrating the Presentation basketball program and community. The Presentation soccer team has earned an overall record of 14 wins, two losses and three ties in their quest to defend their CCS title. They are currently ranked third in CCS and #17 in the state and are looking to do well in the CCS tournament that starts during Presentation’s February break. They have been impressive both offensively and defensively this season—they have scored 40 goals and allowed 16 goals in their 19 games. In fact, freshman star Sofia Martin has 12 goals and eight assists so far this season. Our spring sport student-athletes started their season on Monday, Jan. 29 and are off to a great start! Softball, swimming & diving and track & field are hard at work hard to get in shape and get ready for a great and competitive season. We are also starting the lacrosse program this spring and will be fielding a varsity team to compete against local schools. We are very excited to add lacrosse to our athletic program and look forward to having more opportunities for our students to participate in and represent the Presentation athletic program. This spring we are volunteering with the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative (BAWSI), which is a local organization that focuses on teaching elementary aged girls about health, hope and wholeness; BAWSI provides a unique and fun way that Presentation studentathletes can directly impact young lives. Our student-athletes will be working with the elementary aged girls, playing sports with them and teaching them about healthy lifestyles. For more information about getting involved with BAWSI, contact the Athletic Office. On Monday, Jan. 29, College Counselling and Athletics held a workshop for students who are interested in continuing their athletic career in college. It was a very informative session led by a former Division 1 women’s soccer coach that explained the differences between Division I, II and III schools and what our students should be doing now to increase their chances of being recruited. We also had former Cross Country and Track & Field star Hannah Wood ’14 who is currently competing in her senior season at Santa Clara University speak and she gave an overview of what a typical day of a collegiate student-athlete looks like as well as shared her experiences of being a current collegiate student-athlete.

Varsity Home Games Swimming & Diving Saturday, March 3 vs. Notre Dame San Jose | 10 a.m. Thursday, March 15 vs. St. Francis High School | 3 p.m. Thursday, March 22 vs. Valley Christian | 3 p.m.

Lacrosse Monday, March 12 vs. Notre Dame Belmont | 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 28 vs. St. Francis High School | 5:30 p.m.

Softball Thursday, March 22 vs. Willow Glen | 4 p.m. Friday, March 23 vs. St. Ignatius College Prep | 4 p.m. Thursday, March 29 vs. Valley Christian | 4 p.m.

Track & Field Track & Field meets are held at Bellarmine Wednesday, March 28 vs. Archbishop Mitty | 3 p.m.

The 4th Annual Athletic Fundraiser, Game of Throws, is on Saturday, March 24! Registration is now open for the event— please plan on attending and register early! All proceeds from this fundraiser directly benefit the student-athletes at Presentation. Please support our amazing Panthers! Contact the Athletic Office for more information about Game of Throws! www.presentationhs.org

March 2018 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

For complete calendar visit www.presentationhs.org/calendar

6 Student Holiday: Faculty Professional Development

LAMP Meeting, 6-9 p.m., Jenvey House

19 1984, 2 p.m., Theater

, 25 2 p.m.,1984Theater Immigration Immersion Social, 3-4 p.m., Reception Room

Golf Tournament Mtg., 6:30-8:30 p.m., Library TADA! Board Mtg., 6:30-7:30 p.m., Reception Room

Spring Leadership Conference, 1-5 p.m., MSC

Alum Blue Line Pizza Community Night, 6-9 p.m., Blue Line Pizza, Campbell

Crowds4Pres

Fashion Show Model Training, 3-8 p.m., MSC

26 Confirmation Mtg., 6:45-8:30 p.m., MSC

Circle & Platinum Dinner, 6-9:30 p.m., MAC

LAMP Spring Event, 5-9 p.m., MSC Parent Board Mtg., 7-9 p.m., Library

Lantern League Steering Committee Mtg., 12-1:30 p.m., Basile House

Young Alum Board Mtg., 6- 8 p.m., Jenvey House

Fashion Show Mtg., 7-9 p.m., Library

Soccer Awards Night, 7-9 p.m., MSC

20 Board of Trustees, 3:30-5 p.m., Library Solidarity Dinner, 5-6:30 p.m., MAC

27 Fashion Show Model Training, 3-8 p.m., MSC

THURSDAY

21 7th Grade Day, 12:30-3:30 p.m.

Fashion Show Model Training, 5-8 p.m., MSC Alumnae Council, 6-8 p.m., Jenvey House

San Francisco Urban Plunge Booster Board Mtg., 7-9 p.m., Library

College Info Night for Juniors, 7-8:30 p.m., MSC

15 Math & Science Colloquium, 7-8:30 p.m., MSC

Astronomy Club Viewing Night, 8:30-9:30 p.m., MSC Mandatory 22 Fashion Show

Participant Mtg., 12:30-1:10 p.m., Library "Plaid to Meet You" Event, 4-6 p.m., MSC

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

10 San Francisco Urban Plunge

Alumnae Day of Service

Father-Daughter Dance, 7:30-10 p.m., MAC

San Francisco Urban Plunge

16 Fashion Show Executive Mtg., 8-11 a.m., Basile House

1984 Opening Night & Gala, 7-11 p.m., Theater

Lenten Prayer Service, 11:05-11:45 a.m., MAC

1984, 7 p.m., Theater

Game of Throws 4.0 Athletic Fundraiser, 5:30-10 p.m., MAC

1984, 7 p.m., Theater

30 School Holiday: Holy Thursday

31 School Holiday: Good Friday

MARCH 2018 Presentation High School The Lantern 2281 Plummer Avenue San Jose, CA 95125