MISSION NEWS Volume 1, Issue 1
December 2018
Contributors Ms. Raquel Cagigas ‘ 96
SGMHS Welcomes Ms. Raquel Cagigas, M.A. ‘ 96
Ms. Eva Clarke Ms. Belinda Resendez
Editor/Contributor Ms. Jo Anne Disney ‘ 71
We are pleased to announce the new Principal for San Gabriel Mission High School is Ms. Raquel Cagigas, an alum of Mission from the Class of 1996.
Come as Strangers, Leave as Sisters
Ms. Cagigas is not a new face on campus as she has been with Mission since 2001. In that time she has served as a teacher in the Religion Department, IB Programme, and Advanced Placement in Psychology. She has held administrative positions as Christian Service Director, Associate Campus Minister, Campus Minister, Dean of Discipline, and most recently as Assistant Principal of Student Life and Institutional Advancement. Raquel was born and raised in San Gabriel. After graduating from San Gabriel Mis-
sion High School, she attended St. Mary’s College of California in Moraga. There she received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Religious Studies. She received her Master of Arts for a Multicultural Church from the Franciscan School of Theology at the Graduate Theological Union, in Berkeley. In addition, she is a Master Catechist for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. At Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles Raquel received her Master of Arts in Catholic School Administration.
SGMHS Welcomes 5 New Faculty Members to our Mission Family Ms. Samantha Padilla ‘ 04 Vice Principal & Dean
Ms. Savannah Garcia ‘ 10 Front Office Attendance/ Registrar & Dance Instructor
Mr. Kim Chan Science Instructor
Ms. Katy Ramsey English Instructor & Performing Arts Coordinator
Ms. Christine Dennis Campus Minister & Religion Instructor
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MISSION NEWS
Interview with Royalty - Jennifer Del Rio & Danielle Morales It is with great pride that SGMHS announces two of the three royal members of this year’s Mission Fiesta are from Mission High!
Jennifer Del Rio
Princess Jennifer Del Rio and Danielle Morales are seniors and here’s what she had to say when we interviewed them after the big announcement!
Jennifer Del Rio
Danielle Morales
Are you a parishioner of San Gabriel Mission? Yes, I attend the 9:30am Spanish Mass.
Are you a parishioner of San Gabriel Mission? Yes, I usually attend the 5pm Mass.
Why did you apply for the Royal Court? My mom pushed me out of my shell and encouraged me to try out. After I submitted the application I got excited and really wanted to meet the challenge.
Why did you apply for the Royal Court? My friend encouraged me to do it, so we did it together.
Danielle Morales
Mission High School Brings Coding to Elementary Schools San Gabriel Mission High
Ms. Meyer teaching Coding
School’s Ms. Randi Meyer and students taking her Advanced Computer Science Class will be involved in giving coding lessons to students at six elementary schools. They will be at St. Mary’s, St. Bernard’s, Resurrection, Dolores Mission, All Saints, and St. Anthony’s, during National Computer Science Week, which takes
place December 3rd to 9th. According to Ms. Meyer, “Students will see the fundamentals of coding and it demystifies what is usually thought of as a very esoteric, difficult area of study. The idea behind it is ‘everyone’ can do it as it involves creativity and problem-solving skills that all students possess.”
In talking with students who have taken this class, they expressed only enthusiasm. Madeline Acosta said the class “was a great way to discover a new way of learning and it challenged me to think outside typical answers. This class has given me a base to pursue further into my knowledge of computer programming in the future.”
SGMHS Offers Enrichment Robotics Class San Gabriel Mission High School has introduced an Enrichment Robotics Class taught by science teacher Mr. Kim Chan. The students have learned to code with Blockly, a visual programming language, and have assembled their Parallax
Robotics Class
ActivityBot 360 robots. Recently Mr. Chan said that “the students are writing and downloading coded instructions to their robots to make them move through a maze.” This has included installing sonic, infrared sensors, and light
sensors to their robots to help them navigate the room. According to Mr. Chan, by the end of the term the students will have their robots act semi-autonomously while roaming the room.
Volume 1, Issue 1
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CIF State Division 5 Southern CA Regional Soccer Champions San Gabriel Mission High School’s Soccer Team made history on March 10, 2018 by winning the CIF State Division 5 Southern California Regional Championship. This was the first regional title in school history, defeating Fillmore 2-1. Coach Francisco Lopez is so proud of his team. He said, “Seeing the pictures and the emotions of the girls just makes it a reality of how much heart they put into
this and how much pride they played with for Mission. I’m so proud of how they represented the school and themselves. This is what Mission is all about; women of faith, education and family.” The Director of Athletics, Ms. Alma Stone said, “I think this is a very exciting time not only for our soccer team and athletic program but for our school
community as a whole. This group of young ladies and their coaches and managers have put in tremendous dedication and hard work to get where they are today. When there are people as committed as they are, the sky is the limit for them and they proved that this season. I am so proud of all of them.”
CA State Champions
AOF Film Festival in Las Vegas Screened 3 Mission High Films On August 18th San Gabriel Mission High School film students had 3 films being screened at the AOF Film Festival. This year the festival took place in Las Vegas at the Brenden Theatre at the Palms Hotel. According to Mr. Chris Landinguin, Mission’s Film Instructor, “This is our third year submitting films to the AOF film festival. “Lumos” is a narrative that follows the life of a young adult as she begins a journey of self-discovery, opening new doors as she attempts to save a young ghost girl from whatever fate awaits her. This film was written, edited and directed by Jocelyn Reynoso. The cinematography was by Katelyn Barela and it stars Katie Reynoso and Jackie Reynoso. “Lumos” was nominated for Best Student Film and received 2nd Place in
the Best Student Category. Their film was one of 6 finalists from a pool of short films from all over the globe. “Rubi” is a film about reaching your goals. If you put your whole heart into it you will succeed. This film was written and directed by Magaly Sanchez. The cinematography was by Magaly Sanchez and Jennifer DelRio and it stars Ariel Guzman. “Penny” is a dark, twisted, psychological drama about a young girl suffering from a multiple personality disorder that is mainstreamed in a small girl’s school, where she soon realizes that her biggest enemy comes from within. This film is written and edited by Mr. Landinguin and directed by Jocelyn Reynoso. The cinematography is by Katelyn Barela and it stars Ariel Guzman.
Mission's Film Program is designed to teach the history of film as well as the techniques of good screenwriting and film production. Students get hands on experience in the process of making a film, from pre to post production. Students also get the opportunity to have their work critiqued and awarded at the Mission Film Festival. A select few films are chosen by Mr. Landinguin to have their work screened at international film festivals, like AOF. The students get the opportunity to walk the red carpet and participate in a post screening question and answer session as well as network with fellow filmmakers from around the world. All students participating in the festival will receive an IMDB credit, with some students earning multiple credits.
Jocelyn Reynoso and Katelyn Barela
“I aimed for a story that was a mixture of dark and light fantasy” -Mr. Chris Landinguin
Come as Strangers, Leave as Sisters
Alumni Corner
Mission Statement
We are a collegepreparatory Catholic high school located on the historic grounds of the San Gabriel Mission. Our faith-driven community provides a safe environment for young women to grow as spiritual, intellectual, creative, and athletic leaders. Our financially accessible opportunities serve a diverse and inclusive student body of local, commuter, and international students in the Greater Los Angeles area.
Every Thursday is Alumni Day. Come back and visit your Pioneer Home! Come visit our Mission Archive Room located next to our music room when planning your next class reunion. The development office has a complete set of Yearbooks Volunteer in our Development and Alumni Office Volunteer on our Alumni Board Volunteer for our Scholarship Benefit Luncheon Volunteer and/or join us for our 70th Anniversary Celebrations Bring a fellow Mission Pioneer with you when you visit
Alumni Spotlight: Alumna Realizes Her Dream at Mission High Yolanda credits her art teacher at Mission, Mrs. Dixie Bowman with jumpstarting her career as an artist. Mrs. Bowman entered one of Yolanda’s paintings into a competition and she won. That was the beginning of her phenomenal artistic journey. According to Yolanda Gonzalez, “Mission High School nurtured my creative talent. It gave me an outlet to express myself like I had never experienced previously. My life completely transformed once I started attending San Gabriel Mission High.” She graduated in 1982.
Yolanda was born into a family whose artistic heritage dates back to 1877. She has had exhibitions in Russia, Japan, Scotland, France, Spain, Alaska and the U.S. Her work has been exhibited in Musee d’Aquitaine, San Diego Contemporary Museum, Armand
Hammer Museum, Museum, Diego Rivera Museum, Latino Snite Museum of Art and the Museo Carrillo Gil, just to name a few. When talking about Mission High School, Yolanda becomes emotional. She explains, “I feel San Gabriel Mission High School offers a complete education along with personal guidance.” She ends by saying, “Thank you Mission High for guiding me towards a future that has been a dream. God bless you all!”
UPCOMING EVENTS Please make plans to join us! CONTACT INFORMATION 254 S. Santa Anita St. San Gabriel, CA 91776
Phone: 626-282-3181 Fax: 626-282-4209 Www.sgmhs.org
December 8 - Student Christmas Talent Show SGMHS Auditorium January 30 - Catholic Schools Week & SGMHS 70th Anniversary Liturgy & Family & Alumni Picnic 10:30 am
February 8 - Founder’s Day Prayer Service & Festival 9 am -1 pm April 5 & 6 - Spring Sing Student Performing Arts SGMHS Auditorium May 18 - Scholarship Benefit Luncheon 11am - 2 pm SGMHS Auditorium May 22 - Class Day 1:30 pm May 29 - Senior Awards Assembly 1:20 pm May 29 - Baccalaureate Liturgy 5 pm Chapel of the Annunciation May 30 - Graduation 5 pm Mission Playhouse