The Ram Page

September 1, 2023

Bi-Weekly Newsletter for Garces Families, Students, Alumni & Friends

Freshman Retreat

Sept. 7

Sophomore Retreat

Sept. 19-20

Homecoming Week

Oct. 2-6

Homecoming Game vs Frontier

Oct. 6

Homecoming Dance

Oct. 7

Holy Smoke Fall BBQ

Oct. 12

Follow us on our social media sites to stay up to date on the latest updates from Garces Memorial

Dear Parents,

I hope that your students have successfully settled into the new school year. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the families who attended our Back to School Night. It was truly amazing to see so many of you on campus showing your commitment to your student’s education. The strong partnership between our school and parents is a vital component of our students' success.

I am excited to share some important academic updates and highlights with you as we embark on a new school year.

As part of our ongoing efforts to keep parents informed, you should now be receiving weekly progress reports for your students. These reports provide valuable insights into your student’s performance in their classes. We encourage you to review them regularly and use them as a tool to engage in meaningful conversations about your student's academic progress.

To support students who may be struggling, teachers will be requiring those who fall below a 70 percent to attend one enrichment period during the week. Enrichment is a dedicated time for students to receive personalized help in a small group or one-on-one setting, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to excel after school daily. 

We are thrilled to offer four new classes this year in AP Precalculus, AP Physics 2, Choir and Robotics I.

Choir has been approved to satisfy the Visual and Performing Arts requirement through the UC and CSU systems and meets during zero period.

Robotics I, also offered during zero period, is in the process of being approved and, if successful, will count as a college-preparatory/science elective.

We believe these additions will further enrich your student’s educational experience and provide valuable opportunities for personal and academic growth.

Thank you for entrusting us with your student's education. Together, we will make this year filled with growth, engagement and achievement.

Should you have any questions, suggestions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. I look forward to working together with you to make this school year a memorable and successful one.

Many Blessings,

Denise Limi

Assistant Principal of Academic Affairs 

The school year began with the first all-school rally in the gym last Thursday, Aug. 24, before the home opener for the football team that evening against Lancaster-Paraclete. A wonderful way for our students to get together and enjoy each other's company and meet new friends at the rally and the Aloha Dance last Saturday night.

Throughout the month of September, the counseling office will have more than a dozen colleges to visit with our upperclassmen as they begin to make decisions of their school of choice.

Colleges on campus this month include Sonoma State, Oregon State, University of Redlands, University of the Pacific, Syracuse, Hawaii Pacific, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Cal Lutheran, Occidental College and University of San Francisco.

Please email your counselor for more information.

From all walks of life and backgrounds, the FFA Officers are the heart of our chapter. Together through servant leadership, agriculture education and our faith we strive to make our members, chapter and community the best it can be. We celebrate the diversity the agriculture industry offers and promise to uphold Gods beautiful creation.



Check out the video link here or head over to the Garces FFA YouTube page.

Introducing your 2023-2024 Officer Team!

President- Luke Zunino

Vice President- Laurel Magar

Secretary- Sophia Camou

Treasurer- Jilliana Borba

Reporter- Kennedy Olney

Sentinel- Ivy Lince

Chaplain- Andy Valdez

Historian- Melanie Haught

Committee Chair- Rosita Menta

Alumni Relations- Emma Lane

This week in Garces Athletics

The Garces Memorial fall sports are in full-swing after a busy couple of weeks ending the month of August. Let's dive right in.

Cross County

The Rams began the season at Woodward Park in Fresno last weekend at the Highlander Invitational. Freshman Michelle Antongiovanni led the Rams with a sixth-place finish in the varsity race in a time of 22 minutes, 16.6 seconds. That was also the top time for a freshman in the meet.

Football

Luke Taylor recovered a fumble with four minutes left in regulation before sophomore Rickey Johnson scored a game-tying touchdown with 2:11 left in regulation before visiting Lancaster-Paraclete defeated the Rams 21-14 in the home opener on Aug. 24. The Rams (0-2) are at home tonight against Moorpark and will finish up a three-game home stand on Saturday, Sept. 9 against Thousand Oaks.

Girls Golf

The Rams had two tournament this week in town and in Lemoore. On Monday at Liberty's T-6 at Stockdale Country Club where Garces finished third overall and Ashlee Kresha finished second as an individual. On Thursday at Lemoore's tournament, the Rams finished fourth out of 20 team in competition.

Girls Tennis

After opening the season at Westlake in San Fernando Valley, the Rams proved to be a powerhouse in the Central Section during the TRAC vs. SYRL Challenge last weekend. The Rams defeated Clovis West 8-1, Clovis North 7-2 and swept Clovis-Buchanan 9-0 to go undefeated in tournament play. The two-time defending Central Section champions will be in action Sept. 6 against Chatsworth-Sierra Canyon at Cal State Northridge.

Volleyball

It's been an exciting start to the season for the varsity volleyball team. The Rams head into Tuesday's home opener against Bakersfield High with a 9-1 record after beating Tehachapi on the road Tuesday night in straight sets.

The Rams won the South High Tournament last Friday and Saturday, winning seven matches, including a 25-16, 25-9 sweep over Independence in the championships.

Water Polo

The Rams opened the season at the AG Fall Classic on the Central Coast last weekend. Garces went 3-1 overall with wins over San Jose-Leland (14-12), San Luis Obispo (12-10) and Paso Robles (17-8). The lone loss came against Clovis in a 10-6 deficit.

The JV boys are at the AG Classic this weekend in Arroyo Grande while the girls varsity team is at Clovis West in the Central Valley Showdown this weekend.

Be sure to follow Garces Athletics on social media @GarcesAthletics for updated information and scores.

SAVE THE DATE - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12

The Holy Smoke Garces Fall BBQ Committee is hard at work planning a great night on our campus! Our co-chairs are Bill Potter and Joe Etcheverry. Committee members include Lexi Clerou, Jeff Etcheverry, Santos Gutierrez, Dan Hoekstra, Jared Lane, Tom McCarthy, Philip McDermott, Molly Antongiovanni, Jenny Asaro and Lou Ann Durrett.

NEW THIS YEAR

OPEN BAR & SPONSOR VIP SECTION

Thank you to everyone who has already agreed to be sponsors of the BBQ. They are listed below. If you haven't done so already, we hope you will consider being a sponsor. We have several levels available. We will have a VIP area at the BBQ for our sponsors that will include special appetizers and we will have runners who will bring our VIPs their dinners so they do not have to wait in line. For more information about being a sponsor, you can visit our website at garces.org or email Lou Ann Durrett at ldurrett@garces.org or Jenny Asaro at jasaro@garces.org.

BBQ TICKETS

The BBQ is on Thursday, Oct. 12, in the Garces quad. Tickets include an open bar and a NY steak dinner. There will also be dancing to a live band, Valley Fever. Tickets are $75 for one, $125 for two and each additional ticket is $60. You can also sponsor a Garces teacher BBQ ticket for $40. You can purchase your tickets on-line or at the Business Office. We hope to see all of you there!

Since our last newsletter, the following have generously agreed to sponsor the Garces Holy Smoke Fall BBQ. Thank you so much to everyone helping us underwrite a great night on our campus to support our mission. Sponsorships are still available, and our sponsors will enjoy the VIP section!

Garces will kick off a student contest later this month and for every BBQ ticket sold, students will have the choice between a "free-dress" pass or a $5 Rambuck to spend at the Student Store. If you want to get your ticket early, or if you want to sponsor the BBQ, go to our website and when you place your order, there is a designated box for you to list your student's name so they will get credit. More details to come in the next newsletter!

2023 Hall of Honor

Thursday, November 16th

Luigi's Warehouse

Save the date for the 2023 Hall of Honor. This year's inductees are:

• Damon Culbertson
• Steve Lewis '64
• Rich Romo '70
• Jeremy Tobias '84

The Alumni Award recipient is the Mike & Laura Etcheverry Family.

The Garces Alumni Board is hard at work to make it a memorable evening. Members of the Alumni Board are Chairman Gregg Gunner '66; Cindy (Duncan) Lynch '68, Mary (Loken) Cornett '68, Tom Swertfager '69, Jim Sakowski '70, Melissa Fortune '72, Carolyn Antongiovanni '72, Mike Georgino '75, George Clerou '76, Katie (Anspach) Whittington '77, Bernadette (Eyherabide) Root '78, Raji Sanghera '87, Maria (Bernal) Toretta '88, Courtney (Kirschenmann) Tobias '92, Lexi (Antongiovanni) Clerou '06, and John Moore III '07.