Welcome to the eighth edition of 
Panther Press ,  
a biweekly electronic newsletter sent to families and friends of 
San Joaquin Memorial High School
Chanel Breton: "I felt God tugging at my heart"

After hearing her pastor at The Well Community Church introduce the various mission trips available to its members, Memorial freshman Chanel Breton felt God tugging at her heart. “He was telling me to go and serve, to go do something outside of my comfort zone.”

Chanel decided to take an eight day trip to Costa Rica in July as part of an Exposure Trip that her church opens up to everyone, no matter their age. “I chose Costa Rica because I knew they would be working with kids and my pastor was leading the trip.”
Noah Sandoval selected Heisman Scholarship school winner

Congratulations to senior Noah Sandoval for being selected by the 2019 Heisman High School Scholarship Program as the SJM School Winner. Seniors are reviewed and selected based on outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, and community service. All seniors were invited to apply, according to Lisa Cameron, Director of Guidance & Counseling.

The Heisman High School Scholarship program looks for all types of high-achieving seniors from more than 29,000 public and private high schools within the U.S. Eligibility begins with maintaining a weighted GPA of 3.0 (B average) or better. Applicants also must be proven leaders and role models within their school and community and must have participated in grades 9, 10, or 11 in at least one of the 48 school sponsored sports recognized by the International Olympic Committee in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games or the National Federation of State High School Associations .

Scholarships are then awarded to State Winners, National Finalists, and National Winners.

Thank you Noah for being our School Winner and representing SJM with honor!
SJM's Cross
Country Star

Sophomore Zoey Cardosa placed in the top ten finishers in the Division 5 Valley Championship race. Zoey ran her fastest time ever on the course and qualified for the prestigious California state cross country championship! In the championship, she shaved 40 seconds off of her best time. Congratulations Zoey!
Journalism is alive at SJM

San Joaquin Memorial has brought back journalism by offering it to students as a club activity. Alumnae, Olivia Luchini ‘15 has volunteered to be the club coordinator. Luchini recently graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor’s in English Literature and Creative Writing.

While a student at SJM, Luchini was a part of the school paper and says that’s what inspired her to come back and volunteer. Although students are still learning some of the same writing techniques from when Luchini was here, the way the club publishes the news is different. They now publish on the SJM website. “In order to give students a more accurate view of journalism, we have moved the newspaper to the school’s website under the News/Events tab,” said Luchini. “This offers a budget friendly option to continue allowing students to write, edit, and so forth.”

The club of ten meets once a week and is led by junior Emma Farris who is the editor-in-chief. The club as a whole likes that their timeline is more fluid, with the freedom to publish at any time or any day. Through this club, SJM hopes to better prepare its students for a world that is filled with media and to encourage them to have a voice through reporting.              
Fall Kairos 2019
Last week, 40 students from SJM's senior class attended the Fall Kairos retreat. The four day, three night experience hosted a number of activities and presentations that encourage students to grow personally, communally, and in their relationship with God. This retreat marks the 20th Kairos retreat hosted by SJM with690 SJM students attending the retreat since the Spring of 2010. Please keep the Fall Kairos group in your prayers for continued strength and encouragement in their faith journeys.
"Living Stones" Rock Wall

The Catholic Schools Week '19 school-wide project has been completed. Each student and staff member painted a rock to represent a gift they have given and received from their time at Memorial. All these gifts were assembled to create a piece of art inspired by 1 Peter 2:5, “...you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” The wall will be blessed at the kick off of Catholic Schools Week '20 this coming January.
Many traditions, One holiday

It’s that time of year when we gather as a community and celebrate Christmas. San Joaquin Memorial is a very dynamic and diverse community and all of our families have holiday traditions that represent their various cultures. Each traditional celebration is different, but they all remind us why we celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus. 

This year, two SJM programs will host celebrations that represent the cultures they learn about through their world language classes. The Spanish program will be hosting Las Posadas, a celebration that reenacts Joseph and Mary’s journey to the Nativity. This celebration will include Christmas carols, food, and live music. Las Posadas will take place on December 10, 2019 from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. The event starts in the SJM courtyard.  

The Italian program will be hosting Natale Italiano. Students from the Italian classes will perform a Christmas program by the Nativity scene in the Media Center. You can hear them sing Christmas carols in Italian while enjoying refreshments. This event will take place on December 5, 2019 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.        
Fall Sports Playoffs are wrapping up
Congratulations to all of our Fall sports teams on great seasons! SJM wishes all of its teams the best of luck in the post season. Here is where each team stands currently with their schedule.

Football (8-1) received the first round bye in the section playoffs. They played Stockdale in the second round and won. In the semi-finals they beat St. Joseph's from Santa Maria. They beat Tulare Western in the Valley Championship on Friday, November 29. They move on to the state semifinal against Serra, San Mateo. The game will be away on December 7, 2019 at 12 pm.

Girls Water Polo (11-7) received the first round bye in the section playoffs. They beat Central in the second round. They moved on to play Tulare Western on November 13, 2019 and won. They played Hanford West in the Valley Championship and won. They played Sonora in the first round of State playoffs and lost.

Boys Water Polo (17-5) received the first round bye in the section playoffs. They lost in the second round to Kingsburg.

Girls Volleyball (26-8) played in the Valley Championship and beat Righetti High (Santa Barbara). From there they moved on to the state playoffs and played Christopher High (Gilroy) and lost. Congratulations to our Valley Champs!

Girls Tennis (10-1-8) made it to the the second round of the section playoffs and lost to Atascadero.

Girls Golf T he Valley Champs are done as a team but Senior Meredith McDougal played on November 14, 2019 in the State tournament.
SJM earns CMAC Coach of the year and
Player MVP awards
Congratulations to Coach Gleason for being named CMAC Coach of the Year for Boys Water Polo.

“Coach Gleason has done an amazing job running our Boys Water Polo program,” said SJM Athletic Director JD Salles. “He led them to a perfect 10-0 record in the CMAC. He has done a great job of getting our program to a level in which we can compete with any school in the area.” 

"I am very proud that I was chosen as coach of the year but it is truly a reflection of the hard work the kids put in throughout the year," said Gleason. "We graduated many kids from last years team and I think the expectations from others around the league was that we would struggle. The kids worked hard on our system and impressed everyone." Gleason said that his team going undefeated is a testament to the kids toughness and ability to win many close games.

SJM’s Wesley Faust was named CMAC MVP for Boys Water Polo. " He was more than deserving of this accolade. He led our team in scoring. He was our sprinter and won nearly every sprint, which means we had the ball 4 times more than our opponents every game," said Gleason. Teams tried to game plan for Faust but none were successful in slowing him down. Faust is described as a quiet young man but that did not stop him from being nominated team captain by his teammates. " The expectation for Wes was very high and if you attended any of our games you would have known who he was in part because I yelled at him more than anyone else. The expectation of perfection is a tough mantle to bear but he handled it with poise and class. He will be a tough person to replace going forward," said Gleason.
 

Congratulations to our Girls Water Polo team for winning the Valley Championship
Celebrate Abilities Day 2019

SJM's fourth annual Celebrate Abilities Day was a great success. This year our students were able to serve five local agencies and 115 guests with special needs. Upperclassmen were paired with our guests to enjoy the activities of the day. Thank you to all who participated.
One Family - One Fight Recap

Students, staff and members of the SJM community came together in support of SJM staff member Mick Kingkham and his family as his daughter Kathryn underwent treatment for Thalassemia, a rare blood disease. Kathryn was hospitalized for over four months in southern California to receive treatment and we are happy to report that she is now back home and showing improvement daily. As a community, SJM raised over $10,000 for Mick and his family. Please keep Kathryn, Mick and his entire family in your prayers.
Study Abroad: Learn Advanced Engineering
from experts around the world

The Italian Consulate of San Francisco and the University of Motor Vehicles of Emilia Romagna, have created a program for a group of bright and motivated students who are interested in Advanced Engineering. The study abroad program will take place in the Summer of 2020 in Modena, Italy. The primary purpose of this two-week-long summer program is for the students to learn first hand about the world-famous automotive industry in Modena. The area is famous for companies like Lamborghini, Ducati, and Ferrari. Students will be able to participate in lectures and workshops presented by renowned professors at the university, as well as have firsthand experiences with the motorsport teams themselves. The education part of the summer experience will be offered in English, but there will also be cultural opportunities for students, during their free time, to enjoy some of the well-known cities in the area, like Parma, famous for its Parmigiano cheese; Bologna, home of the oldest university in the world; and Florence, the birth of the Renaissance. 

The program is aware that many students may refrain from applying due to their financial limitations. They believe that no student should be kept from this once-in-a-lifetime experience for lack of resources. 

For more information on the program and the scholarships available, please contact Emanuela De Rosa at ederosa@sjmhs.org
Italian Studies have blossomed at Memorial

The Italian Consul General’s Office in San Francisco, represented by Education Attaché Anna Zeppieri, has been extremely supportive of SJM' Italian studies program, sharing its success story statewide, nationally, and internationally.

During a recent visit to Memorial in October, she commented that SJM is the only high school within a two to three-hour drive from the Valley that offers such comprehensive, high quality Italian courses. Zeppieri also noted that SJM is the only program, to her knowledge, that enjoys a close partnership with a university (California State University, Fresno); the Italian Studies Interdisciplinary Minor Program; and Professor/Coordinator, Dr. Andrea Polegato.
SJM Scholarship Application process change!
Applications are now open.

Applications will be due January 15th.

For more information, click here .
Senior Yearbook Ads

Congratulations on nearly graduating your child! To commemorate the milestone, you may want to dedicate a yearbook page to your graduate. 

Deadline for guaranteed space is December 15, 2019. Ads submitted after that date increase in price, and although we always do our best to accommodate all senior ads, it is "first come, first served."

Any questions, see or email Ms. Hathaway at  jhathaway@sjmhs.org . 
Finals Schedule
Monday Dec. 16, 2019
Blocks 1 and 2

Tuesday Dec. 19, 2019
Blocks 3 and 4

Wednesday Dec. 20, 2019
Blocks 5 and 6

Thursday Dec. 21, 2019
Block 7
Upcoming Events
Wednesday Dec. 4, 2019
Prayer at the Fountain - 8:40 am

Thursday Dec. 5, 2019
Italian Christmas

Friday Dec. 6, 2019
Fall Play - 7:30 pm

Saturday Dec. 7 , 2019
Fall Play - 7:30 pm

Sunday Dec. 8 , 2019
Christmas Tea - 1:00 pm

Sunday Dec. 8 , 2019
Fall Play - 2:00 pm

Monday Dec. 9 , 2019
Boosters Meeting - 6:00 pm

Tuesday Dec. 10 , 2019
Guild Meeting - 12:00 pm
Tuesday Dec. 10 , 2019
Los Posadas- 6:00 pm

Wednesday Dec. 11 , 2019
Fill the bus - service project - 2:15pm

Wednesday Dec. 11 , 2019
Baseball Parent Meeting - 6:00 pm

Thursday Dec. 12 , 2019
Fall Play - 7:30 pm

Saturday Dec. 14 , 2019
Fall Play - 12:00 pm

Monday Dec. 16 , 2019
Finals begin
Boosters Club

Boosters members take pride in raising money for our student-athletes through fun-filled, casual fundraisers - Holy Bowling in the fall; Crab Feed in February - concession sales and memberships.  For volunteer  opportunities and information, email sjmboostersclub@gmail.com.
Join Us For the 75th Annual St. Patrick's Day Golf Tournament
For more info please contact Shirley Boujikian at (559) 475-5831 or sboujikian@sjmhs.org
Career Day
San Joaquin Memorial High School's Career Day will be taking place on  Friday, February 28, 2020 . If you are interested in sharing your career with our students, please fill out the participation form.
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 .

San Joaquin Memorial High School | sjmhs.org