JUNIPERO SERRA HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI NEWSLETTER 
The Padre Whisper

March, 2018 - Vol 5, Issue 3
Bob Greene '85
Director of Alumni Relations
In This Issue
Events
Fund a Dream
Fall Appeal
Alumni Updates
West Side Story
4.0
Luke Bottari
Debate
Winter Sports
Serra Social Media
Upcoming Events
March 6
Alumni Board Meeting at Windy City Pizza (6 p.m.)

March 31
Alumni Volleyball

April 7
Alumni Baseball Game & BBQ
(1 p.m. warmups/3 p.m. game time)

April 28
Fashion Show

June 18
Golf Tournament

October 19 and 20, 2018
Homecoming and Reunion
Alumni Board Members
Mike Klobuchar '90 (President)
Hanna Malak '08
Tushar Zalpuri '11
Kris McAlavey '03
Joel Caceres '87
Marty McCormick '57
Tony Gay '82
Sean McMillan '11
Adam Stoye '08
Mike Hannon '90
Ray Baldonado '07
Brian Earley '85
Justin Perry '99
Bob Greene '85
Jonathan Allen '01
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Alumni News
Upcoming Alumni Events
We have a busy spring ahead with plenty of alumni events on tap. Please join us for the following:
- An alumni board meeting on March 6
- Alumni volleyball on March 31
- Alumni baseball and BBQ on April 7
- Our annual golf tournament on June 18
Fund a Dream 2018
Fund a Dream 2018 was a great success! Thank you to everyone who came to Serra last month  to celebrate our school and support our financial aid program. We exceeded our goal and raised more than $430,000 for our Padres. 

This year's keynote speaker, Assistant San Mateo County Manager Mike Callagy '80, spoke about the importance of public service, philanthropy and how Serra is shaping the community leaders of tomorrow.

Special guests included  Serra Music Director Jay Jordan  and  Academic Resource Director Gayle Rosenberg . Both were honored for establishing thriving programs at Serra - the Visual and Performing Arts Program and the Academic Resource Center (ARC).  Gayle's academic resource program is a model for other programs throughout California, and Jay's outstanding music program has received numerous Unanimous Superior ratings over many years. 

CLICK HERE to view video tributes to Gayle and Jay. There is an option to make a donation to our financial aid program in their honor.
Spring Alumni Appeal
Our spring appeal, directed toward alumni and parents of alumni, has been sent in the mail. Thank you to all those who have already made gifts to Serra, especially during our recent phonathon.  

Our focus is participation. We are grateful for each and every gift which seeks to inspire, transform and innovate here at Serra. Please consider sending back the return envelope, or making an online gift at the link below. We are committed to reaching our goal of 750 alumni donors by June 30 in honor of Serra's upcoming 75th anniversary. 

What have you been up to?
What have you been up to?  We'd like to know.

If you've recently earned a degree, started a new job, married, celebrated the birth of a new baby, retired, or just have something you'd like to share, we'd like to hear about it.  Simply click on the link below and submit your alumni update. We will feature your news in the Class Notes section of our next issue of Traditions.

Remember to upload a photo with your submission, too! 

Around the Halls
West Side Story
Tri-School Productions is proud to present West Side Story this spring! Relive the epic tale of two members of the Jets and the Sharks entwined in a whirlwind romance

"The opportunity to play a lead role in my senior year of high school is amazing," said Holden Boger. "The role of Tony is emotionally intense, and will require much hard work and contemplation of character choices and motivations. It is a challenge I am thrilled to take on!" 

There will be five performances in total - March 16, 17, 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. and March 18 at 2 p.m. See you at Gellert Auditorium for West Side Story! CLICK HERE for tickets.
4.0 Padres
Forty-six Padres earned unweighted 4.0 grade point averages last semester. These students had straight-A's in all classes, with no A-minuses. 





Luke Bottari
Serra junior Luke Bottari was honored by the San Mateo Chamber of Commerce on February 22 during the 23rd annual Business Awards Dinner at the Marriott Hotel. The varsity football quarterback is the founder and leader of a nonprofit foundation, Play4Prevention. 

He received the Community Service Award from the Chamber and the City of San Mateo for his dedication to increasing awareness about teen suicide.  Play4Prevention is dedicated to finding positive avenues to educate the public about teen suicide prevention. After losing a close friend to suicide last year, Luke decided to start a foundation in her honor to help other teenagers. His primary goal is to serve a broad community of teens and young adults who are struggling with the stigmas attached to mental illness. During the past year, Luke has spoken at many sporting events throughout the Bay Area.

"I believe there are numerous ways in which Play4Prevention will impact others," he said. "As more students become educated and feel free to talk about mental health struggles-stigma free-we will all win a huge battle to save those who are close to us. I hope that I am setting a good example for other students with the connections that my foundation is making in the mental health field. Beyond the personal connections and blessings that have come my way, I am reminded of the importance of what there is yet to accomplish every time I step on a court or up to a podium to speak in front of a group. There are so many teens who need to hear our message."
Debate Team
After competing in two of the top speech and debate tournaments nationwide last month, Serra seniors Jun Park and Sean O'Brien will advance to the Tournament of Champions for Speech and Debate. 

Jun, Sean and the Serra debate team participated in the 32nd Annual Stanford Invitational and the 45th Cal High School Speech and Debate Tournament hosted by UC Berkeley, each held last month.

Jun and Sean placed 16th out of 227 pairings. At each tournament, the pair received  Gold Bids for the prestigious Tournament of Champions National Debate Tournament hosted by the University of Kentucky in April.
Winter Sports Wrap-Up
Winter sports are close to wrapping up, with only basketball having its season extended by the upcoming NorCal championship. The varsity hoops team finished fourth in the league and advanced to the CCS Open Division Tournament, where the team fell to Bellarmine. Four Padres were named All-WCAL. 

Wrestling boasted three WCAL champions (Charles Matthews, Marcellus Eison and Jack Woods). Eison finished fourth in CCS as just a sophomore. 

Soccer finished fifth in league and reached the CCS quarterfinals. The team was led by forwards Colin O'Donoghue and Iver Lyche as well as midfielder Adam Joss. 
Follow Serra on Social Media
Remember th at you can keep up with what's happening at Serra through social media.  Serra's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Link edIn accounts are updated regularly with school and alumni news.  





Once a Padre, Always a Padre!