Welcome to the twenty-fifth edition of
Panther Press,
a biweekly electronic newsletter sent to families and friends of
San Joaquin Memorial High School
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We're back! Many of our students are back on campus as we head toward the end of our Fall semester and the holiday season. This week, we take a look at student clubs, campus updates, and important information about counseling services. We're excited to be back in our classrooms with students and to see clubs, sports and more back on campus! Pictured above: shots from our first weeks in-person.
"It has been great to see students back on campus throughout the day," said Athletics Director Stephen Ferdinandi. "Most of our teams have also been practicing in preparation for the Spring season. Athletics always requires the ability to adapt to the current situation, and this year is putting that skill set to the test. The student-athletes and coaches have done well with adapting to the guidelines and still competitively preparing for the seasons just around the corner."
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November 9th Schedule
Please be aware of the schedule change for the week of November 9th. This week we observe Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11th, which means we will not attend school this day.
We will follow the following schedule on the week of November 9th:
Monday, November 9 - Red Day (L-Z)
Tuesday, November 10 - Blue Day (A-K)
Wednesday, November 11 - Veterans Day Observed (No School)
Thursday, November 12 - Blue Day (L-Z)
Friday, November 13 - Red Day (A-K)
This schedule will eliminate all Zoom Monday for the week because of Veterans Day being observed on Wednesday, so please be aware of the change and which day your student will be on campus during that week.
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Counseling Update-Fall 2020
Our counseling department has been hard at work facing an uncertain school year. We strive to provide the best service possible to all students, but we know there are questions. The document below answers questions including:
- Who is my counselor?
- What do I do if I have a question?
- What resources are available?
Miss our freshman or senior parents night online? Download the PDFs below.
Still have questions? Contact Director of Guidance and Counseling Lisa Cameron at [email protected]
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Student Groups Hard at Work Giving Back, Fostering School Spirit
San Joaquin Memorial students are hard at work raising school spirit and giving back to the community.
SJM's S Club participated in two activities: As a service project, they made and decorated 596 Halloween trick-or-treat bags for the children and families of the Marjaree Mason Center.
"They were filled with candy and goodies and a note with words of encouragement or kindness, wishing them a Happy Halloween," said S Club member Spencer Douangphouxay.
The group also continued their annual tradition of participating in the Fresno Chaffee Zoo's Zoo Boo event (pictured above), dressing in costume and handing out candy to visiting families. 13 S Club members participated.
SJM student government has also been hard at work, focusing on keeping school spirits high. The group put on a virtual Spirit rally, all via a video they painstakingly planned and edited (watch the video above left). The video featured alumni including Quincy Pondexter and Robin Lopez as well as some fun vignettes.
"It was important to do this video because our job as ASB is to always provide fun and necessary content for the student body," said student government's Tanner Sagouspe."We enjoy what we do and had to take matters into our own hands in order to produce an exciting rally for SJM."
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Many Dreams, One Mission: Support our 43rd Annual Auction
Help SJM celebrate our 75th anniversary with our 43rd annual auction! The auction will be held completely online on November 7 at 6:30 p.m. Join us for a fun time, including a special performance! Watch it live at sjmhs.maestroweb.com.
Our silent auction is now live! Bid on dozens of great items by texting SJMHS to 71760. You can also choose to donate to our Moving the Mission projects, a renovation of Holy Cross Chapel and technological improvements to the Diener Academic Center by texting D1 to 71760.
You can begin bidding on live auction items ranging from a basketball camp to exclusive dinner events starting Thursday, November 5. Bid by texting SJMHS to 71760.
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The Red and Blue Student Newspaper Now Available
The newest issue of the student newspaper, The Red and Blue, is now available online. You can read stories on school happenings, the 75th anniversary of SJM and more online at https://www.theredandbluenews.com/
A message from The Red and Blue staff:
Seventy five years ago, San Joaquin Memorial High School opened its doors and students began attending classes - many of which are still offered today. The longstanding tradition of SJM has always included a strong journalism program; although the journalism of seventy five years ago looked a lot different than it does now that same spirit drives us today.
Thanks to the guidance of Maria Lorenzo ('01), and her daring journalism students, The Red and Blue became an integral part of SJM's campus environment. For two years The Red and Blue staff printed quality news content that spread knowledge of school, community and world events that our students and staff cared about.
In 2020, we are blessed to be able to take part in the journalism class once again - with a few exciting changes. For the first time ever, The Red and Blue will be completely digital. Our brand new digital publication will deliver both informative and creative content in a multitude of new ways. While The Red and Blue will always remain a quality journalistic organization, the staff is more than eager to explore the possibilities of our digital platform.
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SJM Student Artists Express Themselves and Support Others
Art instructors Denise Zanutto and Joanie Hathaway have kept their students thinking about the wider world and their own inner worlds this semester with creative art projects.
Zanutto's students participated again this year in The Memory Project, a non-profit dedicated to fostering understanding and kindness between school-aged students across the world. The class drew Syrian refugees this semester (above top images). The images will be delivered to the children by the organization. The class also donated $15 per portrait to the organization.
Joanie Hathaway's senior art class also tackled an important project: concept art (above lower images). The class made masks of their faces and then turned to the task of decorating the masks as a representation of where they are in their lives right now. The result was poignant and representative of a time of great transition in many high school student's lives.
"I always have them do this project as seniors," said Hathaway. "This is a period of their lives when they are coming up against big changes: leaving family and places they've been living their entire lives. These are some of the biggest changes they will face in their lives. I want them to freeze the moment in art."
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The SJM 2021-2022 Application for NEW incoming freshmen and fall transfers is now open on the SJM website. The application fee will be waived during the priority application period, October 1-31. Help us spread the word by passing this information on to prospective parents and students! For assistance in the application process or to schedule a private, socially distanced tour of the SJM Campus, contact Rainey Lewis at (559) 475-5837 or [email protected].
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Alumni Contact Update
Panther Alums, even though your time here at Memorial has passed, this is still your home! Please stay connected with us so that you can be part of our exciting engagement opportunities such as our sporting event tailgates, alumni mixers and so much more! To stay connected please fill out this form.
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Join our Parent Guild or Booster’s Club!
Interested in getting involved at SJM and supporting the school? Join our Parent Guild or Booster’s Club! Contact Shirley Boujikian for more information regarding the Parent Guild at [email protected], (559) 475-5831 and [email protected] for more information on the Booster’s Club.
Click here for the application forms:
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