Welcome to the thirty-fifth edition of
Panther Press,
a biweekly electronic newsletter sent to families and friends of
San Joaquin Memorial High School
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The end of the school year is in sight and we are excited! Here is an update on student activities guidelines, student success, and more! |
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Graduation and Graduate Events Information
Here is our tentative schedule:
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May 3rd – Senior Parent Graduation Meeting - 6:00p.m. via Zoom
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May 18th – Baccalaureate Mass held at Holy Spirit Church, Fresno - 7:00pm
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May 20th – Senior Farewell Drive – Thru event - 7:00p.m.
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May 21st – Senior Luau & Sober Grad celebration
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May 22nd – Graduation Ceremony - 9:00a.m. in the SJM Stadium
Singing Practice Schedule - All students (attendance is very important)
Major items handed out, ceremonial processes reviewed/practiced, learning the class song, etc.
- May 7: Red Day At 1:15-2:15p.m.
- May 11: Red Day At 1:15-2:15p.m.
- May 14: Red Day At 1:15-2:15p.m.
- May 17: Senior Finals P.2 & P.1 After finals at 12:00-2:00p.m. (Baccalaureate Practice on campus)
- May 19: Senior Finals P.4 & P.3 After finals 12:00-2:00p.m.
- May 20: Grad Practice At 10:00-11:30a.m.
- May 21: Mandatory Grad Practice At 9:30-11:30a.m. (in the stadium)
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San Joaquin Memorial High School Names New Interim Principal |
As San Joaquin Memorial High School transitions from a Head of School model of administration to a President/Principal model of administration, a new interim principal has been named: Mr. Anthony Goston.
Mr. Goston has a long history at Memorial, including currently serving as Assistant Head of School for Student Affairs. He is also the current Head Football Coach. Previously, he served as a World Cultures and AP European History teacher, Athletic Director and Physical Education teacher, a career of service stretching back to 1998. Goston is also a Memorial alumni, having graduated in 1994.
“I’m very passionate about this place,” Goston said. “I have a great sense of pride in what we do and what we represent as a school to our community and I’m thankful and honored by the opportunity to continue to give back.”
A search for a Principal was launched in February and recently concluded without producing a candidate seen as a long-term fit. Goston was asked to step in as interim principal.
"While we are disappointed that the search process did not produce a candidate who could lead us into the future, I am extremely excited to have a person like Mr. Goston to step up and assume this leadership role,” said Michael Burke, SJM Head of School, who will be transitioning to President in the coming months. “I know that even as an interim Principal, Mr. Goston will put the needs of our students first. Having a student-centered environment is what makes Memorial such a great place.”
Goston will step in as Interim Principal officially on July 1. He said his primary goal is to lead a return to normalcy post-COVID.
“My goal is to bring some clarity to our administrative structure and make sure everything we do is student-centered,” he said. “And especially post-COVID, I want to bring some normalcy back to campus.”
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Congratulations to Faith Moultrie, who signed with Southern Oregon University to play softball. |
Brothers Kyle & Ryan Kashian and Mikey & Charlie Bell are committed to working together to make a wish come true for 4-year-old Robert, diagnosed with leukemia in 2018. The four young men are currently in the midst of a Make a Wish campaign for Robert. Good job! Learn more at http://site.wish.org/goto/AWishForRobert
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Michael Moreno, Memorial sophomore, is going viral for all the right reasons. Michael was featured in the Fresno Bee after a video of him buying a meal for a homeless man and sharing a conversation with him went viral. Good job, Michael! Read more at http://ow.ly/ybh550EA9Cb
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Competitive Spirit, Academic Prowess |
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Congrats to the Math Club and this year’s Fresno State Math Field Day participants!
Selina Li - 2nd place - Individual Competition - Mad Hatter 11-12
Anna Rioux and Amelia Wiseman - 3rd place - Pairs Competition - Leap Frog 11-12
Charlotte Burks and Giovanni Provenzano - 3rd place - Pairs Competition - Leap Frog 9-10
1st place - Team Award - Small School Division
"Students completed in either an individual competition or a pairs competition. The individual competition, Mad Hatter, involves questions being shown for 90 seconds to students and then a new question is shown. It is very fast paced and students need to know almost instantly what strategy to use to solve the problems. The partner competition, Leap Frog, has students work separately on 10 different questions (20 total) in the first session, then in the second session they work together to check their answers and solve any unsolved problems. Team scores are calculated by taking the top scorer for each team in each competition at each level (9/10 and 11/12). I am so glad that the seniors were able to compete one more time before they graduate. I am very proud of this year's participants for all they have achieved. This is a very challenging competition against the Valley's brightest math students. "
-Article by Amanda Wilson, SJM Math Teacher, Math Club Moderator
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Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.
– Anthony J. D’Angelo
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Pictured above: AP student Amelia Wiseman
Harvard bound Akhnoor Sidhu is among the 20 students in the AP Research class who are currently putting the final touches and edits on the 4000-5000 word academic research paper before submission to the College Board.
During the last week of April and the first week of May, Akhnoor and her fellow classmates are also in the final stages of preparing a 20 minute presentation to be submitted to the College Board. Based on original research of a topic of his/her own choosing and 6 months of preparation, each student presents their respective findings, results and/or conclusions.
Akhnoor chose to conduct her research on the mental and emotional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health professionals, especially nurses, at St. Agnes Hospital. Conducting surveys and interviews with nurses at St. Agnes Hospital and mental health professionals, Akhnoor was able to arrive at some preliminary conclusions regarding the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nursing staff.
Among some of the research projects conducted by members of the class include a study by senior Daniel Flores regarding the depression of senior high school football players caused by the pandemic in the Fresno area. Junior Nicole Smittcamp conducted a number of interviews of
women business entrepreneurs and examined their use of social media to create personal branding of their business ventures, while senior Cate van Garsse conducted a study of the detection of autism disorders among adult women. Two juniors—Nathalie Medrano and Alastair Teixeira--concentrated their efforts on political attitudes and voting patterns among adolescents, while senior Catherine Gleason and junior Jazmine Cortez concentrated their efforts on leadership portrayals of female leads in Barbie and Disney animations and the objectification of women in Chris Brown videos respectively.
For baseball fans, Jack Sampson
conducted a study of the 2017 World Series to determine if the sign-stealing scandal impacted the outcome of the series. Other papers ranged from the use CBD in the healing process of the elderly to perceptions of disabilities in Percy Jackson films to asexuality. Because there is no set curriculum or AP exam, AP Research is among the most unique AP courses of the College Board’s 38 AP courses. The criteria for selecting a topic is simply based
on subjects for which students have an intense interest and passion AND have the self- discipline to work the entire school year on a single topic. Akhnoor will join former AP Capstone student and 2020 graduate, Margaret Smith, at Harvard next year--and current AP Research student Ellie Luchini earned an early acceptance to Stanford.
-Article by Instructor Edward Borges
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On Wednesday, April 28th, SJM hosted its own version of the national Poetry Out Loud competition. In years past, SJM has participated in this annual event, in which students memorize two poems and are evaluated on their performance at the school, local, state, and national level. Having missed this year's opportunity, junior Spencer Douangphouxay took initiative to orchestrate our own Zoom event! He tirelessly organized and communicated with all involved, even securing prizes for the winners. 7 dedicated students, Alyssa Askins, Charlotte Burks, Spencer Douangphouxay, Mary-Ellison Hage, Megan McCraw, Sam Mendes, and Samantha Villalvazo all participated, and Mr. Bamber, Miss Frye, Ms. Holden, Mr. Olivares, and Mrs. Robbins judged their deliveries and accuracy. First prize, well-deservedly, went to Spencer, with Charlotte winning second and Samantha garnering third. The teachers enthusiastically commend the students for a superior experience celebrating the delights and power of poetry!
-Article by Carlie Frye, English and Religion Instructor
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The SJM Yearbook staff celebrated their annual "Done-dee” awards. They submitted the finished yearbook to the printer and then were honored for their contributions with a small "Oscar" and cake with the yearbook cover on it. Good job, Yearbook Staff! |
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Looking for an American Host Family!
A message from International Admissions at SJM
My name is Haeyoung Jung. I am a Fresno area Korean Study Abroad Agency Coordinator. I have been doing this job for over 14 years. I introduce Korean students to private schools and public high schools. They attend different schools such as Fresno Adventist Academy, San Joaquin Memorial High School, Clovis West, Clovis North, Clovis East and Buchanan high schools. I am looking for an American Christian host families that are loving and active. I love to place my students into a home they will enjoy and connect well with.
It is ideal when it works out for a Korean girl in high school to stay with a family who has a girl high school student. I like to place my Korean high school boys in a family who has a boy in high school as well. This makes the students fit into their school quicker and making friends tends to be easier this way. They adjust to the American education culture well.
Host Family Requirement:
1. One bedroom
2. 3 meals a day
3. Transportation to school and activities
The host family will receive a monthly stipend. If you or someone that you know would enjoy this opportunity, please connect with me soon.
Needing Soon:
Presently looking for a host family for a Korean girl in 11th grade. She'll stay 2 years of high school. She will arrive in the beginning of August 2021. This girl is transferring from a school in Maine. She is very sweet and a great student!
I look forward to talking to you!
Haeyoung Jung
(559) 970-5540
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Want access to the latest pictures of student activities, sports and more? Or the latest updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or check out our website!
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Please note that the SJM Panther Den Store is only open 7am to 1pm |
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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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