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The Ram Page
November 22, 2024
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Bi-Monthly Newsletter for Garces Families, Students, Alumni & Friends | |
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November 25th - 29th
Thanksgiving Break
December 1st
"Early Commitment" Applications Due
Presidential Scholarship for Class of 2029 Due
December 2nd
Mass Day
December 3rd
Shadow Day
December 6th
Mass & Tree Lighting Ceremony
December 9th - 13th
Christmas on Campus
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December 10th
Shadow Day
December 16th
Mass Day
December 17th-20th
Final Exams
December 23rd-January 3rd
Christmas Break
January 6th
Mass Day
January 8th
Foodapalooza
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Follow us on our social media sites to stay up to date on the latest updates from Garces Memorial | |
Message from the Office of the President |
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Dear Garces family,
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the entire Garces community for your commitment to Garces Memorial High School. Every one of you plays an important role in the success of our school and students..
For over 75 years, our school has been blessed with families, benefactors, alumni, and businesses willing to help where needed. We have faculty, staff, coaches and moderators who go above and beyond their job titles and wear various hats to ensure our students can experience the best faith based high school education, in and out of the classroom.
Our school is blessed with the most amazing students. They are eager to take advantage of everything Garces has to offer. Willing to represent their alma mater in the community while serving others. They are proud to wear the Garces uniform when supporting their teammates on the playing field. Inspired to use their God-given talents on the stage, in the music room, and of course in the classroom. Working hard to prepare themselves for their future beyond high school – spiritually, academically and socially.
Again, I want to give thanks to all of you for giving tirelessly of your time, talents, and resources to help us keep Garces Memorial a valued asset to our community. Founded on Faith, Rooted in Tradition, and Growing in Excellence.
Wishing you a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving,
Steven Antongiovanni ‘76
President
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This month has been full of exciting events and meaningful experiences for our Garces community!
Our Veterans Day Ceremony was a special moment of reflection and gratitude. The entire school participated in an act of solidarity and remembrance. On the field, we marked a large cross, symbolizing faith, sacrifice, and unity. During the assembly, all of our students came together to fill in the cross as a symbolic gesture—an expression of our collective gratitude for the values our veterans have fought to protect and to honor their sacrifices. The overhead image we captured stands as a powerful reminder of our community’s unity and deep appreciation for those who have served and continue to serve.
Our Faith Formation Group recently attended the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC), where they had the opportunity to deepen their faith, connect with other Catholic youth, and experience powerful moments of prayer and reflection. Check out a photo from their inspiring trip!
Looking ahead, we are excited to announce our Blood Drive on December 5th! If you’re 16 or older and want to make a difference, follow this link to sign up and be part of this life-saving event. Your donation can help save lives and make a big impact on our community.
And don’t forget, the Sadie Hawkins Dance is coming up on December 7th! Get ready for a magical night at our Candyland-themed dance at the Snowdome from 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM. Outside guests are permitted with approval of the Guest Permission Form, which is due to Mr. Olson by December 4th. Check out the infographic for all the details, and if you want to attend for free, be sure to submit your Sadie’s proposal for a chance to win two free tickets!
Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, thank you for being an active part of our school community!
Best Regards,
Mrs. Thompson
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Company G Performance Tonight at 7pm!
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Cocoa & Cram for Freshmen
Freshmen families, mark your calendars! Link Crew will be hosting Cocoa and Cram on Thursday, December 12th, at 1:45 PM in Monsignor Leddy Hall. This event is a wonderful opportunity for our 9th-grade students to prepare for final exams with the support of their teachers, who will be reviewing study guides and answering questions. Hot cocoa and treats will be provided. We encourage all freshmen to attend!
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Dress Code Reminders During Cooler Weather
- All outerwear (sweatshirts, jackets, vests, etc) must be Garces. The only exception is Seniors may wear college sweatshirts.
- No hooded sweatshirts on formal dress days, ie Mass days.
- Girls may wear solid black tights under their skirts, No sweats, flared leggings or yoga pants allowed.
- Ugg boots are allowed during cold weather, ugg style slippers are never permitted.
- All hats, including beanies must be Garces and must be removed in classrooms.
- All hoods must be removed in classrooms.
- Spirit Dress Fridays include the standard uniform or blue or black jeans with a Garces shirt/sweatshirt. Garces sweats purchased in the student store are allowed.
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Light up the start of Advent at our GMHS Christmas Tree Lighting Party!
Join us on St. Nicholas Day (Dec 6th) for a night of faith, fun, and festivity:
• Mass at 6 PM
• Tree lighting ceremony
• Christmas music and singing
• Hot cocoa & tamales 🫔☕
Don't forget your most festive Christmas sweater! 🎅
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FFA UPDATE
From Sienna Surgener, Garces FFA Chapter Reporter
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Friendsgiving
On November 20th our chapter had our Friendsgiving meeting for the month of November. We are so grateful for all the amazing memories and friendships we’ve built through FFA. Our meeting was filled with laughter, love, and so much fun! From delicious food to heartfelt conversations, it was a night to remember. So thankful for this incredible community and the bonds we share.
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AG Plates
Our chapter is excited to support California FFA by participating in the CalAg License Plate campaign, which directly benefits our students and their agricultural education opportunities. Funds raised through this initiative help provide financial support for leadership conferences, career development events, and scholarships for our members. It is also a bit of a competition I believe our small but mighty school can conquer. Garces Memorial FFA members will receive 1 FFA point per plate registered in conjunction with them.
We need your help to make this campaign a success! Registering for a CalAg license plate is a simple way to contribute to this effort. By choosing this plate, you’ll not only show pride in California agriculture but also make a lasting impact on our students’ futures.
If you're interested in registering, or would like to learn more about the campaign, please let me know or visit https://www.calaged.org/support/ffa-foundation/calag-license-plate Please make sure to mention Garces Memorial FFA in the name of chapter to receive credit portion.
Your support will go a long way in ensuring our students have access to resources that shape their leadership and career paths.
Upcoming FFA Competitions and Events to start thinking about:
- 12/5- join us for the Christmas parade
- 12/4- Ag Banking & Water Quality
- 1/17/25 Kern Inyo Speaking: Creed (Freshman), Job Interview (any grade), Impromptu (sophomores), Prepared (any grade), Extemporaneous (any grade), Spanish Creed (any grade)
SAVE THE DATE
On February 1, 2025 we will have our annual Jeans and Jewels event. This is an event you do not want to miss! Join us for a memorable night supporting our FFA program. Tables and tickets are for sale! Get yours before we sell out!!
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Student Service Opportunity Coming in December
When we return to school, there will be a homeroom competition for Kern Autism Network's Sensory Santa Toy Drive. The homeroom that collects the most gifts will get free dress for the entirety of finals week!
Click here to download more information.
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College Planning Meetings for Junior Parents
Junior parents are invited to schedule individual college planning meetings with their student's counselor. These meetings will cover important topics such as Naviance, college admissions requirements, financial aid, and more.
To schedule an appointment, please email your student's counselor:
We look forward to partnering with you as we guide your student through the college planning process!
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Parent Club News
Parent Club is here to provide a forum for voicing the concerns of parents regarding their child's education. Support the spiritual and academic experience, as well as the overall well-being of students at Garces Memorial high school. In addition, creating a network of supportive parents to meet and establish a community and instill school spirit and pride within our children and families.
Please join the Parent Club Band App using the QR code below to stay up to date on Parent Club activities, meetings, and an open forum for any questions you have. Highly recommended for new incoming parents to help navigate the transition to Garces High School. When joining, please include your child's first name and year they will graduate to help us identify parents with students in like years.
| Parent Club Social Coming December 18th! | |
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Thank You for Your Help
On behalf of the Garces Admissions team, we want to thank our students, parents, faculty, staff and coaches who helped make both Ram for a Day and our Open House successful admissions events. We have received numerous compliments on how friendly, knowledgeable and helpful everyone was during the events. A special thank you to the families and students who came on campus last Saturday for our campus clean-up day. We heard numerous positive comments from the Open House attendees about how beautiful the campus looked.
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Presidential Scholarship Available for the Class of 2029
This year Garces Memorial is offering incoming freshman who submit their application for admission by the December 1st early commitment deadline the opportunity to apply for the Presidential Scholarship. We will award three (3) $3,500 merit based scholarships to deserving students from the Class of 2029. The scholarship will be applied to their 2025-26 Garces tuition, and will be awarded for all four years while attending Garces Memorial. The deadline for the scholarship application is December 1st. Recipients of the award will be announced December 15th. Remember you must have your student's application for admission submitted by the December 1st deadline to be considered for the Presidential Scholarship.
Click on the link below to complete the application.
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The Garces Alumni Board held the 2024 Hall of Honor on Thursday, November 16th, at Luigi's Warehouse. It was another memorable evening full of wonderful speeches about how much our little school on the hill means to so many in the community. It is remarkable to hear about the support of our school through the kindness and generosity of others. It is also heartwarming to hear how Garces, through the daily practice of our Catholic faith and sharing of our Catholic values, impacted the lives of our inductees and their families.
Four years ago, we introduced the "Dessert Dash," we are thrilled to share that this year, we raised over $28,000 for the Alumni Scholarship Fund to help the children of Garces alumni afford Garces tuition.
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Hall of Honor Video Highlights | |
Read all about our inductees in the 2024 Hall of Honor Program. | |
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Don Lucas
Garces School Board Member, Garces parent, and long-time supporter of Garces Memorial.
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Janie (Clerou) Reiland '66
Garces parent, grandparent, alumna, and teacher at Garces for 28 years.
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Mary Trichell
Garces parent, grandparent, and a long-time supporter of Garces Memorial.
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Andrew Zaninovich
Garces parent, and brought Lacrosse and the FFA Viticulture program to Garces.
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The Edith & Domenick "Cookie" Bianco Family
The Bianco Family has been supporters and ambassadors of our school for over 50 years.
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Inductee Sponsor Level
Steve & Kari Anderson
A+ Shredding/Joe Antongiovanni ‘89
Melissa Fortune ‘72 & Bruce Beretta
Gene Bonas ‘57
Chain Cohn Clark/Chris Hagan
Jane & Bruce Haupt ‘75
Terri & Steve Haupt ‘77
Diane Lake in honor of Edith & Cookie Bianco
Marianne Laxague ‘58
Luigi’s Restaurant & Delicatessen
Mission Bank
David & Jenny (Maitia) Poncetta ‘70
Sangera Automotive Group
Courtney Tobias ‘92 & Justin Tobias ‘91
Awards Sponsor Level
In memory of Shirley Durrett ‘53
Shelley & Michael Georgino ‘75
Vince & Meggan (Sill) Phillips ‘75
Tom Werdel ‘53
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Program Sponsor Level
Tom Anchordoquy ‘66
Sandy & George Clerou ‘76
Terri Collins ‘72
Joe Colombo ‘68
Joan Garibaldi
Germaine Jacobs ‘74 & Chris Jacobs ‘74
Arnold Cattani ‘64
Fran & Gregg Gunner ‘66
McMurtrey Lince, Inc.
Debra & Jim Sakowski ‘70
Barbara & Al Sandrini ‘57
Susan Swertfager ‘71 & Tom Swertfager ‘69
Jan Tozzi in honor of Edith & Cookie Bianco
Ted & Kati (Anspach) Whittington ‘77
Avon Wonderly ‘60 & Bill Wonderly ‘58 in honor of Edith & Cookie Bianco
Wine Sponsor
Andrew Zaninovich/Sunview Vineyards
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This Week in Garces Athletics | |
Congratulations to our Student Athletes! | |
Congratulations Emma Machado - All Star Selection for Volleyball | |
Congratulations Malia Giumarra - All League Selection for Girls Golf | |
Congratulations Eden Coughran (Offensive Player of the Year), Katie McCarthy, Sara Santa Cruz, Myley Mendiburu, Oliva Galanski, Sofia Alderete, Viviana Garcia - All League Selection for Girls Water Polo | |
Congratulations Jett Kalmikovs(Offensive Player of the Year), Nick Garcia (Defensive Player of the Year), Jace Wimbish, Ben King, Colby Tenter, Clay Selvidge, Logan Miller - All League Selection for Boys Water Polo | |
Congratulations Gino LaFever, Lorence Wallace, Cooper Boyd, Jack Froehlich & AM Beebe - All League Selection for Football | |
Congratulations Emma Machado, Reagan Launer, Olivia Silicz, Karra D'amato - All League Selection for Volleyball | |
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Attention Parents We Need Announcers!
Athletics has added a few parent volunteer opportunities to Mobile Serve. We are in need of announcers for both boys and girls basketball home games.
Bring out your inner ESPN announcer talents and sign up to help!
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All-American Flag Football will be organizing our annual youth flag football league at Garces Memorial High School beginning this January. The league has divisions for grades Kinder-7th grade. This league has been a big hit and great experience for our community. If you could please put this message out to your students and their parents via social media, e-mail, etc. it will help ensure that your students get registered before the rosters are full. Registration is open and can be completed via the link found below.
https://leagues.bluesombrero.com/allamericanflag
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Michele Acosta McCreary '75
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
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