Summer 2023: Presentation Magazine

Summer 2023

CC S Champions

Presentation Varsity Soccer

LETTER FROM THE

Dear Presentation Community,

We have much to be grateful for as we look back on this past school year, including marking Presentation High School’s 60th Anniversary with alumnae from the pioneering first graduating class.

Even as so much has evolved, our commitments to fostering an inclusive community and empowering young women to be fearless and faithful leaders who are ready to serve the world remains more relevant today than ever.

We are proud to continue this legacy and we thank you for your support. We hope you enjoy reading about our incredible students and alumnae and all they are accomplishing along their lifelong educational journey.

With gratitude,

Holly Elkins, President

Kristina Luscher, Principal

School leadership team members gathered with Sisters of the Presentation and other Presentation People from across the United States for a 3-day conference in South Dakota to envision a collaborative future.

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Alums from 38 different classes traveled from as far as Massachusetts for the occasion which included class rings, plaid skirts, alumnae Bingo and campus tours.

60th Anniversary All-Alumnae Reunion

Pioneering Class of 1966

60th Anniversary Mass

The service included prayers for the entire Pres community, a homily from Fr. Victor about the work of Venerable Nano Nagle, and a reflection from Sr. Pam Chiesa, PBVM about her time teaching at Pres. Community event included snow cones, carnival games and face painting.

Pictured left to right: Karen Shea Duncan, Sally DiSalvo Longinetti, Maureen Curran Clark, Marlene Mirassou, Pam Adolph McCarthy, Sue Mann Toussaint, Genevieve Phillips Pereira, Jenelle Sposito Morella

60th Anniversary Family Carnival

Student Life

THEATER: Student productions included Bye Bye Birdie, Into the Woods and Twelfth Night.

MATH & SCIENCE

ACADEMY: Chandler Sutherland ’16 was one of six STEM experts who participated in our Math & Science Colloquium Speaker Series. The Ph.D. Candidate in Plant Biology shared about her research in Genomics and Plant Biology.

IMMERSION TRIPS: Students participated in five trips this year, including one to Nogales, Arizona and Mexico for the Kino Border Initiative.

ROBOTICS: The Robotics Team earned the Excellence in Engineering Award at the 2022 Capital City Classic.

CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS

Community celebrations included our Multicultural Rally, Diwali, the Santo Niño blessing and Las Posadas.

SPEECH & DEBATE: Students earned 22 different degree distinctions from the National Speech & Debate Association this school year in both local and national tournaments.

DANCE: The award-winning Dance Teams earned eight awards at USA Nationals including 1st in JV Lyrical and Pom.

Multicultural Rally

Diwali

Santo Niño Blessing

Special Distinctions

Celebrating the hard work, dedication, and talent of these remarkable individuals who have demonstrated outstanding skills, creativity and leadership.

Michelle Lu ’23 (Student Writer)

Jasmine Chang ’25 (Advanced Art 2D student)

Meera Misra ’24 (Student Photographer)

Sasha Wang ’24 (Student Writer)

Allison Kemp ’23 (Gold Key portfolio, AP Art Portfolio 2D Student)

Kathy Guo ’24 (Design Student)

Riya Kondepudy ’25 (Advanced Art 2D Student), not pictured

Student

at

3rd Place in Division, USA National Team Competitor 2022, World Taekwondo Championship in Slovenia

Speaker Awards, Senior Round Robin, Speech & Debate Tournament

Speaker Awards, Jack Howe Memorial Speech & Debate Tournament

U.S. Presidential Scholars Program Candidates

Sudi has been accepted into two highly selective and prestigious programs. First, as a member of the New York Academy of Sciences Junior Academy, a program that provides students with opportunities to collaborate with peers from around the world.

Sudi is also a participant in the 1000 Girls, 1000 Futures program, an initiative of the Global STEM Alliance that brings together young women from diverse backgrounds to explore STEM fields.

Sudikshaa "Sudi" Amar '23

St. Thomas Aquinas Award, Diocese of San Jose, Saints in the City

Speaker

Bring Change to Mind Mental Health Event

Premier Distinction, Speech & Debate Association Honor Society

Clare Taylor ’23 Azin Anees ’24 Ava Injaty ’26

Nikki Raman ’23

Scholastic Winners, Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards

Nikki Raman ’23 & Jia Gill ’23

Nikki Raman '23 & Ananya Bharathapudi '24

Madelyn Vasquez ’23

Clarissa Gomez ’23

Gabriela Mata ’23

Natalie Gebala ’23 & sister Gabrielle Gebala ‘26 National Hispanic Recognition Award Medal Winners, USA Fencing Summer Nationals

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Abbeygael Cabuag '23

CCS Wrestling Champion Abbeygael Cabuag ’23 has been making waves in the wrestling community. What started as a family activity turned into a passion for Abbey, who is now a nationally recognized wrestler with dreams of competing at the international level.

What do you like about wrestling?

I love the community and the confidence I’ve built from it. I don’t think I’d be as bold as I am today without it.

How did you get into the sport?

It started because of my dad and brother. Initially, I didn’t want to compete but I just fell in love with the sport as I continued to watch the women’s side of wrestling grow.

What’s next for you?

I have decided to continue my academic and athletic journey at Vanguard University! I am excited to help grow this young program and represent my home state of California.

FALL HIGHLIGHTS Tennis

Tennis garnered the Central Coast Section (CCS) Scholastic Champion award for exemplary scholastic achievement with the highest GPA of all tennis teams across the CCS.

Golf

Golf finished 4th in the WCAL with Alessia Indelli ‘23 representing Pres at the Laguna Seca Golf Course as part of the CCS Championship golf tournament.

WINTER HIGHLIGHTS

Field Hockey

Field Hockey was honored as the Sportsmanship Team of the Year in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL).

Cross Country

Cross Country qualified for the CCS Division 4 race held at Crystal Springs course.

Varsity Basketball

Varsity Basketball qualified for the CCS Championship Tournament, winning its opening round game and showing great potential for the future under Coach Gary Plummer.

Soccer

Soccer had a phenomenal season under Coach Todd Daniels, ultimately winning the CCS Division 2 Championship title. They beat Christopher (4-2) and Woodside (2-0) in the CCS Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds, and won the Division 2 Championship game against Sacred Heart Prep.

“Being a captain of a Pres team has helped me become a better leader and also increase my self-confidence.”

Danica Kubota ‘23, Cross Country Captain

Spirit

2022-2023 Giving THE OF

We want to extend heartfelt thanks to the entire Presentation High School community for supporting the holiday drives and making a difference in our broader community.

Morgan Raak ’23 helps load donations

5 10 15 20 25 30

Travel Blog

Social Science teacher Mrs. Brodie took an unforgettable trip last summer to Cork, Ireland. She visited the original Presentation Sisters convent and Nano Nagle’s tomb.

“It is amazing how the small steps taken by Nano Nagle more than 200 years ago still leave a legacy today.”

Mairead Brodie

Milestone Years of Service

Mary Clare Bernal '10, Kate Deak, Katie Fauria '12, Lisa Gray '87 Fuqua, Tim Goodman, JoAnne Hurlston, Jennifer Rhodes, Chérie Somavia, Stacey Teague '85 Stebbins, Nohora Vargas, Tony Zamora and Claire Zirbes '12

Crystal Catalan, Sean Donoho, Melissa Ursin, Lindsay Velez and Kirk Westbrook

Sharon Iorgulescu and Liliana Poppen

Jesus Cobarrubias, Juan Covarrubias, Sherrie Raposa and Brenda Welles

Siobhán Ippolito '91 O’Byrne

Catherine Aquino '87

Nano Nagle's Tomb

Original Convent and Museum

Donor Spotlight

Bronwyn and Sal Saglimbeni

We support the Panther Fund because we believe in the power of investing in young women. At Presentation, our daughters get a world class education in an intimate, faith-based environment. We want this not only for our daughters, but for as many young people in our community as possible.

-Sal and Bronwyn Saglimbeni

To view our '21-'22 Impact Report and Honor Roll of Donors, visit www.presentationhs.org/impactreport

We support the Panther Fund because we believe in the power of investing in young women. The Panther Fund allows us to be a part of that investment in the future.

Pictured left to right: Maddie ’26, Sal, Luca, Stella ’24 and Bronwyn

Alumna Spotlight

Sally is a member of Presentation’s pioneering class. Her three daughters attended Pres and she currently has three granddaughters attending the school. This year, Sally and classmate Jenelle Sposito ’66 Morella designed a new plaque commemorating this Statue of Mary gift from their class (see photo).

Pictured left to right: Dana Longinetti '96 White, Gianna '23, Mia '26, Sally DiSalvo '66 Longinetti, Elena Longinetti '00, Aimee Longinetti Geddie '94 and Elise '26

Linda Horton '82 Crowe

After attending Cal Poly SLO and living on the Central Coast, Linda and her family relocated to the north Georgia area in 1996. Her two children have since graduated and Linda is now retired following 30+ years in the Sports and Entertainment industry. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Jeff, traveling and biking.

Jaclyn Sunzeri

'08 Gojenola

Jaclyn recently wrote and published a book “You’re Doing Great Mama” for new moms to feel validated and supported on their postpartum journey, including resources about postpartum depression and anxiety. The book is now available through Amazon and Barnes and Nobles.

Cristina Arolla

'05

Cristina married Kris Linquist in March 2022 at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA. In attendance was Pres alum and best friend, Jeanine Trenner ‘05 Goodwin

Career Day

Featured 55 accomplished alumnae shared their career journeys and insights with students. Keynote speaker Deepika Bodapati '13, who co-founded Athelas, urged students to work on something important to them and to be relentless in their pursuit.

Members of the Class of 1984 gathered for a fun evening at the home of Moira Hogan '84.

Shelby DieBold '10 Antes, MAT

Shelby married her high school sweetheart Andrew Antes, MD, MS in May 2022. The ceremony in The Shakespeare Garden referenced Shelby’s background as an English major and current job as an English teacher. PHS alumnae in attendance included Jackie DieBold '17, Jennifer Greenfield '10, and Kerri Ward '85 Antes (Andrew’s mother.)

Katie Keifer '14

Katie married Tyler John Jones last July in Alaska, and they now live in Anchorage. Her former classmates, who were her bridesmaids, along with her aunts were among the attendees.

From Left to Right: Grace Hargadon '14, Kim Keifer Hutsenpiller '86, Kathy Keifer Durkin '71, Katie Keifer Jones '14, Beth Keifer '69, Maggie Forbes '14, Kate Blach '14 and Ellen Kingery '16

Nithya Kiron '15

After a successful 3-year run at Adobe in technical sales, Nithya is pursuing a career shift to attend University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Nithya fondly remembers her time at PHS in Speech & Debate and is excited about getting her law degree.

Hannah Browne '19

Sabrina Tian '18

Gabi Stevens '18

Gabi graduated from California Baptist University in December Magna Cum Laude with her degree in nursing and is now working as a Registered Nurse at St. Luke's Hospital in Boise, Idaho.

While majoring in Environmental Science at Santa Clara University, Hannah co-planned the "Fashion Without the Footprint" event with middle and high school students to raise awareness of the environmental impact of fast fashion.

Anika Adulla '20

Sabrina graduated from the University of Pennsylvania last May with a double major in Design and Cognitive Science (and saw Chloe Zhou '17 at the commencement ceremony.) Sabrina will be attending grad school and pursuing a joint MA/MSc in Global Innovation Design at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London for the next two years, which includes spending several months in both Beijing and Singapore.

Anika spoke at a WISC (Women in STEM Careers) event about her journey as a pre-med student and how Pres helped her along the way. Anika is currently a third-year undergraduate at Case Western Reserve University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Psychology, and conducts research at the CWRU School of Medicine on the pathogenesis of glaucoma.

Faguni Gupta '21

Faguni received the Virginia Jeanette Drummond Kissane Women in STEM Memorial Scholarship, created by the Kissane family in honor of the longtime PHS faculty member Ginnie Kissane who was an avid encourager of young women pursuing careers in STEM.

Tori Baroni '20

From hundreds of applicants, Tori was selected as 1 of 30 finalists to compete in the semi-final round of NextGen National: Finding the Voices of Tomorrow in November 2022.

Little Panthers

New Family Addition?

Please email alumnae@presentationhs.org to get a plaid onesie for your Little Panther. Toddler tees available for purchase at our online store The Lantern Locker www.lanternlocker.com

Brinley Rae

Abigail Enney ‘22

Abigail ran the Golden Gate Half Marathon in November 2022 and finished first in her age group.

Daughter of Briana (Di Bari) Schachter '01 and Neil Schachter, sister of William and Henry

Daughter of Sarah Kuhs '11 Houts and Brian Houts

Granddaughter of Tracy Gullick '79 Medal

Child of Erin Dizon '05 and Aaron Thomas

Daughter of Jennifer Miller '09 Hamilton and Danny Hamilton

Son of Jennifer DiVittorio '09 Chowaniec and her husband Phil

Ava

Nora

Caroline Blythe

Frankie

In Memoriam

Nabil Astrinos: Father of AnnMary Astrinos '03

Denise Brady: Mother of Elisha Brady '05 and Caitlin Brady '08

Nicholas Callaway: Father of Ashley Callaway '04 Lopez and Michele Callaway '08

Pierina D'Agostino: Mother of Lucy D'Agostino '67 Gifoli

Sadie DiMiceli: Mother of Debbie DiMiceli '77, Donna DiMiceli '80 Krueger, and Denise DiMiceli '83 Palmer

Patricia Enney: Mother of Cheryl Enney Zeman '83 and Grandmother of Abigail Enney '22

Connie Nunes '80 Faira: Alumna

Valentino C. Felipe: Father of Danna Felipe '84 Davis and Lou Felipe '95

Virginia Fiock: Mother of Diane Fiock ’94 Rosenthal and Grandmother of Nora Rosenthal ‘24 and Lauren Fiock ’24

Lindsay Fraka '03: Alumna

Lydia Gomez: Mother of Andie Valenzuela '20

Colleen Smith '02 Hake: Alumna

Leslie Hall: Sister of Kristina Luscher, Aunt of Madeline Luscher '19 and Hannah Luscher '21

Joani Hansen '71: Alumna

Kristeen Hansen: Mother of Elizabeth Hansen '88

Mary Ann Herlihy: Mother of Shannon Herlihy '95 and Jennifer Herlihy '98 Halas

Jorge Iorgulescu: Grandfather of Sofia Iorgulescu '23

Hugh Jackson: Father of Karen Jackson '99, Grace Jackson '21 and Paige Jackson '21; Husband of Cecilia O'Brien '84 Jackson

Dr. Samuel Kais: Father of Connie Kais '87 Ajlouni, Father-in-law of Betsy Fanoe '84 Kais, Grandfather of Cassidy Kais '16 and Andrea Kais '17

Dr. Anne Murphy '76 Kent: Alumnae; Sister of Aileen

Murphy Troquato '79, Mary Murphy '80, Regina Murphy

Maurantonio '83; Sister-in-law of Michele Markey

Murphy '79; Aunt of Patty Maurantonio Sperling '16

Chris Kovarik: Father of Zoe Kovarik '23

Yolanda Leon: Grandmother of Celeste Leon '23

John Clark Lewis Jr.: Grandfather of Robyn Naragon '15, Karin Naragon '16, and Kathryn Lewis '16

Frank Lico: Father of Linda Lico '73, Tricia Guidace '82, Lisa DeKay '86

Bianca Lupo: Grandmother of Valentina Veprinsky '23

Estella Guina '76 Maggipinto: Alumna

Val Mazzurca: Grandfather of Katherine Anderson '12

Loren P. Meissner: Grandfather of Rachael Meissner '08 and Sophia Meissner '25

Joseph Melehan: Father of Julia Melehan '03

Lakshmi Narayana Pamarthy: Grandfather of Sri Lasya

Pamarthy '24 and Sri Vidya Pamarthy '26

Alison Reynolds '83 Roskosz: Alumna

Marat Salistra: Great-grandfather of Emilia Salistra '26

Anrê Nguyen Huu Thanh: Grandfather of Destiny Nguyen '23

Manuel Villarreal: Grandfather of Sophia McSweeney '24

Tom Wheatley: Brother of Diana Wheatley '67 and Danielle Wheatley '80; Uncle of Adrienne DeFanti '96 and Julia Wheatley '08 Brooks; and Granduncle of Rebecca De Fanti ‘23, Lillian Whitney ‘24, and Zooey De Fanti ‘27

Robin Wibeto: Father of Brianna Wibeto '04

Donald Wolf: Grandfather of Jordan Wolf '07

Marian Golden Wulftange: Mother of Michal Wulftange '83, Laurie Wulftange '85 Hayden, and Danielle Wulftange '87 Martin; Grandmother of Grace Martin '21

Sisters of the Presentation: Sister Eileen Diggins (Former St. Christopher School Educator), Sister Virginia King (Former Educator), Sister Rosemary McKean (Former St. Christopher School Educator), Sister Michele O’Connell (Former St. Christopher School Educator), Sister M. Euphemia O’Connor (Former Educator), and Sister M. Kieran O’Connor (Former St. Christopher School Vice Principal)

Clara Bohórquez

Former Faculty Member

Maestra Bohórquez taught Spanish at Pres from 2001 to 2019, integrating music, tech and games into her lessons. She also worked specifically with students from Our Lady of Grace, pioneering a liaison program for Spanish-speaking families, and is remembered as “fierce and faithful.”

Alyssa (Russo) Dickey

Former Faculty Member

Ms. Dickey taught at Presentation from 2013 to 2021 in the Science department. She fought a courageous battle with cancer and is remembered for prioritizing student health and wellness, and working tirelessly to help her students, and making them feel valued.