THE GEAR MONTHLY PARENT NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 46

APRIL 2015

CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2018—

FRESHMAN TIE CEREMONY (SEE PAGE 11)

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Bosco Tech Families and Friends,

There is, in a sense, only one thing that matters as we stand at the beginning of Holy

Week. Think of it as an invitation to a drama, painted for us by St. John’s gospel, a drama

of love and betrayal. I ask myself and invite you to do the same; “Shall I, this year, attend

this drama empty-handed?”

Pope Francis reminds us that God offers salvation in a thousand different ways, but too

often we become stubborn and want to have it ‘my way.’ Recall that in the Old Testament

Book of Numbers, during the departure of the Hebrew people from their oppressors in

Egypt, the Lord sent as punishment, for their grumbling and complaining, seraph serpents

which bit the Israelites and many of them died. The story continues with Moses advocat-

ing for his people to the Lord and mounting a serpent made of bronze onto a pole, giving

salvation to anyone who looked at it after being bitten. The drama we will embark upon during Holy Week is the

love story starring Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, who was mounted on a cross for the poison which is

sin. As we stand on Palm Sunday, singing Hosannas or “Way to go, Jesus, Son of David,” and on Friday, de-

manding His death, I share the words of Pope Francis reminding us that to not accept God’s gift in the way it is

offered is a sin. It poisons our soul and deprives it of joy. And Jesus, he said, “solved this problem by climbing

Mount Calvary.”

Make Holy Week special. Make it holy with your family by attending the ancient rituals commemorating

Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem, the Lord’s Supper, and His death and burial on Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

On Resurrection Sunday, celebrate our victory over the poison of sin and join me in being people of Easter joy.

On behalf of Bosco Tech’s faculty and staff, the Salesian brothers and fathers, and my fellow administrators, I

wish you and your family a Happy Easter.

Xavier Jimenez

Principal/President

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FROM THE SALESIAN DIRECTOR Hello Bosco Tech Family and Friends!

As I am writing to you, we are nearing the end of the Lenten season. It is a season that

prepares us for the celebration of Easter. “He saw and believed” John, 20:8.

What is the meaning of Easter and how do we follow through in daily living our faith?

How are we going to see signs of life amidst death, confusion and uncertainty—pain that

sometimes seems to surround us?

My purpose in writing this is not to give a definition to these questions. Even if I did,

my answers would not adequately define these issues in your life. You have to answer

these questions yourself and I know the exercise will not be easy. Therefore, I am going to

attempt to provide you with some helpful tips to rediscover Easter’s joy, peace, and free-

dom in the Risen Christ:

From the Gospel of John 20:1-9, the day began with darkness and fear. The tomb had

been desecrated. The body had been stolen. You see, the Resurrection is more subtle in this Gospel. Mary (not our

Blessed Mother) and Peter miss the sign. They remain locked in grief, still carrying the painful burden of Cal-

vary—exemplifying that Easter calls for faith! Those who have witnessed the long and painful death of a loved

one know too well the difficult search to find signs of life. There were shattered dreams and disappointments, bro-

ken relationships, broken hearts. We don’t experience a sudden glorious moment of life returned, but amidst all

these headaches and heartaches, there is a need for an individual’s openness to believe in God’s power to raise us

up just like Jesus on that Easter morning!

My final question is: Do you see to believe or believe to see? You must make your own choice! Peace is one of

the blessings for Easter so I say, in the name of God, peace be with you and yours.

Fr. Chinh Nguyen, SDB

Salesian Director

2015 SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS

Congratulations to the following students who worked extremely hard to earn the title “Scientific Researcher”

and have placed in this year’s Science Fair:

1st Place — The Effects of Colloidal Silver on Distinct Bacterial Cultures

Alexander Honegger Anthony Tichachati

2nd Place — Counting Your Caffeine at Tea Time

Joseph Garcia Lorenzo Zamora

3rd Place — The Effect of Deck Design on Speed and Acceleration

Reiley Akkari Adam Razo Andrew To

Honorable

Mention — Productive Solutions

Will Cosso Austin Davis Grayson Wade

The Maze Swimmers

Giovanni Samayoa Daniel Arteaga

Light ‘Em Up

Justin Bohol Josh Martinez

Wood Gasification vs. Propane

Trevor Johnson Alberto Chavez Students explain their scientific

findings to Mr. Richard Ronan

during experiment judging.

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CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE Bosco Tech’s 60th Anniversary Black & Gold Gala, the kickoff to our year of anniversary celebrations and fes-

tivities, was a tremendous success. The Gala, which featured dinner, dancing and both live and silent auctions

was held on March 28 at Montebello’s beautiful Quiet Cannon Country Club. All proceeds from the hugely popu-

lar event will go directly to the school’s financial aid program.

On display that evening were commendations and congratulatory letters from the following government and

church leaders:

-U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan -U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu

-Rector Major Angel Fernandez Artime, SDB -Most Reverend Jose H. Gomez

(Societa Di San Francesco Di Sales) (Archbishop of Los Angeles)

-California State Senator Edward Hernandez -Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors

-California State Assemblymember Ed Chau -Rosemead Mayor William Alarcon (EL ‘66)

The proclamations and letters are on display in the Administration Building lobby. See May’s issue of The Gear

for event photos.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION—2015 GRADUATION VIDEO

A DVD of the Class of 2015’s graduation ceremony, including scenes taken before

and after the ceremony, will soon be available. The DVD will include highlights of

the senior awards ceremony and luncheon, the senior class barbeque, and the bacca-

laureate Mass, as well as the complete conferral of diplomas.

This is an opportunity to have a record of your son at this important milestone and

for him to have a visual reminder of the many friends that have played an important

part in his life over the last four years.

On June 5, as a special bonus to those who purchase the video before graduation day, parents who are inter-

ested will be invited to videotape a brief message to their son to be included in the video. Before the

baccalaureate Mass, there will be two cameramen with microphones in front of the 600 classroom building. See

them if you wish to tape your congratulations to your son and the entire class of 2015.

The cost of each video is $34.07 (tax included). Send your order form and check to the Finance Office, making

checks are payable to Bosco Tech. For information about ordering, call the Finance Office at (626) 940-2018;

for information about the DVD, contact Mr. Brad Stolz at bstolz@boscotech.edu or (626) 940-2091.

(Please detach bottom portion and return to the Finance Office with your check.)

Your Name_______________________________ Your Son’s Name __________________________________

Address ________________________________________________ City ______________________________

Zip ___________________________ Phone Number (______) ______________________________________

Number of videos you’d like to purchase: 1 2 3 4

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MUSIC NEWS—

HERITAGE FESTIVAL & JAZZ NIGHT ON THE HORIZON —BY MR. RICHARD RANGEL, BAND BOOSTER

As we move into the last few months of the

2014-2015 school year, the members of the

DBTI music program are busier than ever. On

March 1, Bosco Tech hosted the Spring Open

House, and the marching band performed

throughout the day at various locations around

the campus. Between performances, the band

members were on hand to answer questions

from prospective students and parents. The ex-

cellent Tiger Cheer squad joined the marching

band once again for this event.

But Open House was just the beginning of a

busy month. The band performed again the following Sun-

day, March 8, at one of their regular venues: St. Peter’s

Italian Church in downtown Los Angeles. The boys pro-

vided the music as the congregation walked in a celebra-

tory procession around the block. Photos and a video clip

of this performance are posted on the DBTI Music Face-

book page. If you haven’t yet visited our page, find it at

Facebook.com/dbtimusic and give us a Like!

Hot on the heels of the St. Peter’s performance was the

Applebee’s Flapjack Fundraiser, which took place on

March 14 at the Montebello location. At last tally, the

Concert Band program had raised almost $500

from this event. Band members were on hand to

perform and to greet guests as they arrived, and

family and friends of the Bosco Tech music pro-

gram enjoyed a pancake breakfast. We are very

thankful to everyone who supported us through

this fundraiser, and we are grateful to our friends

at the Montebello Applebee’s who hosted the

event.

The Heritage Festival trip is almost here! The

Concert Band will be trekking to Colorado

Springs and back over the weekend of Friday,

April 10. Dozens of high schools from all over

the country participate in this annual festival. This will be the longest trip the band has taken in recent years, and

we are looking to bringing home another gold award.

Closing out the month will be the annual Jazz Night Out extravaganza. Mark your calendars for Friday, April

24 from 7 to 9 p.m. in Tech Hall. Jazz Night Out is one of the music program’s biggest fundraisers and is sure to

be a lot of fun. This year’s theme is Motown. We hope you will come and join us!

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SPORTS UPDATES —BY ASSISTANT TRACK AND FIELD COACH BRAD STOLZ & LACROSSE COACH KEVIN HOLT

Track & Field started their 2015 season at the large

Bishop Amat Relays at Citrus College. Our JV relay

team won second-place medals, and our varsity sprint-

ers took first in the 100 and 200 meter races.

Our first Camino Real League meet was against

Cantwell. We overpowered them 110 to 29 points. Our

JV and varsity relay teams won, as did many individual

team members: sophomore Hiram Acosta won the 200

meter sprint, as did senior David Fuentez in the 100

meter. Junior Everson Cruz took the high jump, and

senior Joseph Bustamante the long jump. Senior An-

tonio Gomez took first with a 10-foot pole vault. Dis-

tance runner and senior Mikey Gonzales won both the

varsity 800 and 1600 meter races. It was a good start for the beginning of our regular season, and hopefully a pre-

dictor of great things to come.

All league meets, both home and away, are played at St. Paul. Here is the league schedule for April. Come by to

cheer us on:

- April 1, St. Monica (3:15) - April 22, Salesian (3:15)

- April 29, league prelims (3:00) - May 5, league finals (4:00)

Our team consists of about 45 athletes. Besides diligently practicing six days a week, the team has been doing a

series of events to build camaraderie as well as raise funds, such as attending a taping of America's Funniest Vid-

eos, and hosting a pancake breakfast at Applebee's. While these fundraisers help, we still need about $20,000

worth of equipment ranging from a $275 set of batons to a $15,000 pole vault pit system. Partial donations for

any of these would be greatly appreciated.

Lacrosse is the fastest growing team sport in America. Native Americans were playing the game for generations

when French Jesuit missionaries first witnessed it in the 1600s. According to tradition, First Nations people be-

lieve the game was given to man by the Creator to be played for His amusement. Originally, the game could take

days to play and range for miles.

Today, lacrosse is played at over 60 Division I NCAA colleges and there are over 300 teams nationwide that

play at division II, III, NAIA, and MCLA. The game has seen phenomenal growth in Southern California in the

last decade, and now it has come to Bosco Tech.

As testimony to individual determination, one student, Jacob McKinney, was intent on sharing his love for the

sport he had been playing for nine years. He con-

vinced Coach Shockley that Lacrosse was the

right fit for Bosco Tech. Coach Kevin Holt, from

Jacob's old Pasadena teams, was recruited and 22

Tigers decided to give it a try.

Bosco Tech’s team plays in the Pacific La-

crosse League, consisting of twenty two teams in

both Northern and Southern California. The Ti-

gers play in the eastern conference of the south-

ern section along with Damien High School,

Norco, Santiago and Vista High School.

Tickets are $75/person. Order today at boscotech.edu/events.

ARCHDIOCESE CHRISTIAN SERVICE AWARD WINNER

On March 18, Archbishop Jose Gomez presented to local Catholic high

school seniors the 2015 Archdiocese of Los Angeles Christian Service Award

at a special Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

According to the Archdiocesan Department of Elementary and Secondary

Catholic Schools, “Through the Christian Service program at Archdiocesan

Catholic schools, students at all class levels are encouraged to give service –

beyond the school setting – in ways that further their faith, engender hope,

and witness love.”

The Bosco Tech recipient of this year’s prestigious award is senior

Anthony Navarro. Since his middle school years, and throughout his years at

Bosco Tech, Anthony has provided peer ministering support, participated in

high-profile fundraising events (such as the American Cancer Society’s Relay

for Life), tutored children at the Boyle Heights Salesian Boys & Girls Clubs,

and is prominently serving youth spiritually by running retreats and prayer

services. Anthony did all this while maintaining excellent grades in his classes.

The Bosco Tech community is extremely proud of Anthony’s generosity and ability to be a mentor and inspira-

tion to younger children. “I would like to recognize Anthony’s parents, also, for instilling a sense of selfless

service in their son,” said Principal Xavier Jimenez.

IDEA TEAM MAKES ITS MARK AT ROBOTICS COMPETITION

Bosco Tech’s IDEA Robotics team made an impressive showing in their first-ever competition in mid-March.

The team, comprised of juniors in IDEA’s Production and Transportation Design class, competed in the Los

Angeles Regional for the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC),

hosted by For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technol-

ogy (FIRST). The three-day competition was held at the Long Beach

Arena.

The rookie team took part in 10 fast-paced meets to achieve a

respectable ranking of 30 out of 66 high school teams. Many of the

competing teams are seasoned pros with several years experience;

some teams traveled from as far away as Hawaii, Chile and Colum-

bia. The IDEA team was the second-ranked rookie team at the com-

petition and the only one to be selected by a top eight-ranked team to

be a part of their alliance for the playoff matches. Their Cinderella

run ended in the quarterfinals.

“We’re really proud of our students and how they formed effective

alliances with other teams in the competitions,” said IDEA instructor

Rene Romero, who oversees the team with IDEA Chair Luis Garza.

“They really outdid themselves and are already planning for future

competitions.”

Boeing is the team’s official corporate sponsor and Jose Karam,

Boeing Subcontract Manager and Bosco Tech alumnus (EL ‘90), is

the advisor to the 22 person team. The school’s CSEE technology

also has a competitive team, the Gearheads, who participate in a

separate FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) competition circuit.

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BOSCO TECH SPONSORS Bosco Tech would like to thank the following businesses for their support.

We are grateful to our generous sponsors!

JUNIOR CLASS RETREAT AND CLASS RING CEREMONY

On March 20, the Class of 2016 and their families gathered for the school’s

traditional unity ceremony where juniors received their class rings. The event

consisted of a prayer service, the presentation of the rings, and a brief talk by

alumnus Michael Reynaga (MS ’97) who spoke on Salesian brother-

hood. Family portraits and a light reception followed the ceremony.

The event was the completion of a day-long junior class retreat held at St.

Joseph’s Retreat Center. Congratulations to our junior class!

SUMMER SPORTS CAMPS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS

Bosco Tech will host five youth sports camps for grades 6-8 starting on June 22. Participants can choose from

week-long camps on football, baseball, soccer, tennis and volleyball; choose one camp or join all five. The

camps will be held on the Bosco Tech campus.

Each camp runs approximately one and a half hours, mostly in the afternoon. The program is perfect for most

competitors, as the camps will consist of intermediate to advanced drills. Includes a camp shirt and a competitive

game/tournament to end the week. $125 per sport or $500 for all five. To register, visit www.boscotech.edu. For

more information, contact Athletic Director Chris Shockley at lshockley@boscotech.edu or (626) 940-2101.

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STUDENTS HELP NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS GROUP

The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers

(SHPE) wishes to thank several Bosco Tech students who

recently spent a Saturday assembling promotional materi-

als for the national association at their Los Angeles head-

quarters.

The volunteers were: Angel Ajanel, Jonathan

Alamilla, Jesus Alvarado, Rick Chavez, Jano Chen,

Norris Chen, Jesus Diaz, Justin Estrada, Edwin

Flores, Adrian Hurtado, Tony Lopez, Dante Mendez,

Alexis Ortiz, Devon Ponce, Emilio Torres, and Rene

Vega.

SHPE is currently establishing a student chapter on our campus, in conjunction with Cal Poly Pomona’s stu-

dent chapter. Last summer, SHPE provided internships to two Bosco Tech students, an invaluable opportunity

and resume enhancer.

GOING OVER & BEYOND: CHRISTIAN SERVICE HOURS —BY COORDINATOR OF YOUTH MINISTRY PAULINA GONZALES

Attention students—

The academic school year will soon end, and with that comes many deadlines. Many of you have already sub-

mitted your hours and reflections and some of you will soon turn in your forms. I am humbled by how many of

you continually choose to volunteer more than the required 25 hours. Some seniors will end their four years hav-

ing served over 300 Christian Service Hours.

To recognize those individuals, we are instituting the Christian Service Award Medal-

lion for Bosco Tech seniors who complete a minimum of 300 documented service hours.

As a small token of appreciation for their sacrifice, seniors will be awarded this medallion

during their upcoming senior awards.

I am pleased to announce that the Youth Ministry Team is growing by one more mem-

ber. Mr. Rudy Herrera, who is also the Freshmen Counselor, will assist Youth Ministry as

the Christian Service Hour Coordinator. Welcome back to the Youth Ministry Team,

Mr. Herrera!

CLASS OF 2018 PRESENTED WITH CLASS TIES

Congratulations to the

freshmen class on receiving

their class ties at the annual

tie ceremony, held during

the Mass prior to Spring

Open House on March 1.

Faculty and proud families

were in attendance as

alumni officially welcomed

the members of the class of

2018 into their ranks.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Parent-Teacher Conferences Wednesday, 4/15

Father & Son Breakfast Sunday, 4/19

Jazz Night Out Friday, 4/24

Mother-Son Dance Friday, 5/8

Prom Saturday, 5/16

GradNite for Seniors Tuesday, 6/2

Baccalaureate & Graduation Friday, 6/5

Golf Tournament Friday, 6/26

APRIL 2015 Please note that dates and events are subject to change. Check the school’s full calendar at www.boscotech.edu

(see the Upcoming Events box on the lower right side of the homepage) for the latest updates .

Wednesday 4/1 Locker cleanout—all students

Thurs.-Sun. 4/2-4/12 Easter break (classes resume on Monday, 4/13)

Thurs.-Mon. 4/2-4/6 School office closed

Friday 4/3 Good Friday

Sunday 4/5 Easter Sunday

Tues.-Thurs. 4/7-4/9 School office hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tuesday 4/7 Parent Council meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday 4/8 Alumni Association meeting at 6 p.m.

Friday 4/10 School office closed

Monday 4/13 School resumes (regular schedule)

Wednesday 4/15 Parent-Teacher conferences at 1:30-4:30 p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Thursday 4/16 Late start at 8:50 a.m.

Friday 4/17 International Day

Dance from 7 to 11:30 p.m.

Saturday 4/18 Gear Up #3 for incoming freshmen at 8 a.m.

ACT (off campus)

Sunday 4/19 Father & Son Breakfast at 10 a.m.

Mon.-Fri. 4/20-5/1 AP exam prep event black out

Wednesday 4/22 Holy Mass at 10:40 a.m. (formal dress)

Friday 4/24 Jazz Night Out at 7 p.m.

Friday 5/1 Progress Report # 7 report cards mailed out

Saturday 5/2 SAT (off campus)

Tuesday 5/5 National Teacher Appreciation Day

Tuesday 5/5 Parent Council meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Friday 5/8 Mother-Son Dinner Dance from 6 p.m. to 12 midnight at Quiet Cannon

Sunday 5/10 Mother’s Day