! VOLUME 1 NUMBER 3

! PAGE 1

SHARK BYTESThe Quarterly Newsletter of the St. Francis Central Coast Catholic High School Alumni Association

St. Francis shares Christmas spirit! Whether i t ’s collecting toys to brighten Chr i s tma s for loca l children, packing barrels w i th food for needy families in Santa Cruz County, or ensuring that the winter i s a l i t t le warmer for those who cannot afford a decent coat, St. Francis students p i tched in to spread Christmas cheer this season.! St. Francis again participated in Second Har vest Food Bank ’s “Grind Out Hunger.”! When the fi nal count was tal l ied and announced dur ing an

Junior Joe Flynn poses with some of approximately 200 coats and sweaters he collected.

Watsonville firefighters accept new toys from students as part of KSBW’s Share Your Holidays campaign.

assembly in the BAC, some 9,400 pounds of food had been col lected. That’s the equivalent of nearly 44 pounds of food per student. As impressive as that is, it fell short of last year’s effort, when students shattered a goal of collecting 10,000 pounds of food.! Students also filled bins on campus with new toys in time for Watsonville firefighters to pack their 1946 fire engine for delivery to Cal Giant, where KSBW received the gift during a live broadcast Dec. 9.! Junior Joe Flynn coordinated a campaign of his own. “One Warm Coat” netted about 200 gently used warm garments for St. Vincent de Paul and local homeless shelters.

Test User Wednesday, January 4, 2012 10:50:05 AM PT

! VOLUME 1 NUMBER 3

! PAGE 2

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

! In the most unlikely of partnerships, a St. Francis Central Coast Catholic High School senior used newfound skills to bring comfort to the victims of the tsunami that devastated parts of Japan last March.! Throughout fall, Jason Lumicao used spare moments in his Computer Design, Graphics and Yearbook class to retouch photos damaged in the tsunami so they can be returned to their owners in as-new condition.! Lumicao, 17, is working with All Hands Volunteers, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization working in tsunami cleanup. The photo retouching project grew out of the efforts of Becci Manson, a volunteer with All Hands.! Manson ordinarily works in New York , re touch ing ima ges for ma jor magazines and national catalogs. When she began encountering mountains of damaged photos in the tsunami-ravaged coastal area of Japan, she saw a way to bring her professional skills into play. She used her own network of associates to begin employing the time and skills of other retouchers who volunteer their time in places as far-flung as Sydney, Australia to Spain.! It was when Manson’s effort got the attention of National Public Radio that the project reached Watsonville and Lumicao.! “I actually heard the broadcast on my way home,” sa id Heid i A lonzo , Lumicao’s teacher and St. Francis yearbook advisor. She was immediately intrigued, and recognized the effort as an opportunity to tap into Lumicao’s enthusiasm for graphic arts. “I had to pull over to be sure to get it all down,” she said. She wrote to Manson, seeking to get the school involved in the project. Alonzo said the NPR broadcast moved more than 350 other volunteers to join the photo project.

! For Lumicao, it’s a natural fit. Talking as he carefully manipulated a digital image taken from a battered photo depicting a woman in a formal kimono, Lumicao’s deft hands zoomed in and out of the picture, removing bits of damage almost indiscernible to the casual viewer using Adobe Photoshop.! “I like learning new processes,” he said. “But getting involved in a project like this is pretty huge.”! The importance of what he’s doing is not lost on Lumicao. “I don’t even know her name, or if she’s still alive, but even though I’m not sure if this person will ever see [the restored photo], if the family’s still around to see it, that’s good enough. I feel honored.”! Lumicao, the son of John and Cecilia Lumicao of Watsonville, hopes to continue to study graphic arts in college. He plans to attend either University of California at Santa Cruz or the Academy of Art in San Francisco.! Alonzo, who also teaches art classes at St. Francis, said Lumicao is well suited to his volunteer work.! “Of all the students I've ever taught, he's one of the most focused," she said. "He shows great follow-through and he's got a great eye. He really takes his work to a higher level than anyone else.”

St. Francis senior Jason Lumicao

Test User Wednesday, January 4, 2012 10:50:05 AM PT

! VOLUME 1 NUMBER 3

! PAGE 3

STUDENT AND ALUMNI ADVENTURES

Claire Kreeft, St. Francis

class of 2008, gets

acquainted with a lion

while visiting a reserve in

South Africa. Claire is due

to gradate from Boston College next

spring.

Members of the senior class were treated to pizza and bowling in Santa Cruz for 100 percent participation in the annual magazine drive. At left, Will Burkett accepts the winner’s crown and the coveted high-scoring bowler trophy. Above, the Holy Rollers: (from left) John Marheineke, Keith Mathews, Jen Watson and Ken Nakagawa pose before getting to business.

Test User Wednesday, January 4, 2012 10:50:05 AM PT

! VOLUME 1 NUMBER 3

! PAGE 4

OLYMPIAN PAYS A VISIT TO ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL

! Shark Bytes is published quarterly by the St. Francis Central Coast Catholic High School Development Office. We want to keep in touch with you, so please be sure to let us know if you plan a move so we can keep our records current.! Shark Bytes is a great way to stay in touch with your fellow St. Francis alumni. If you have news to share about accomplishments at school, in your career, or milestones in your life, why not let us know? Wishing you all the best in the new year,

Lauren Zachmeier, alumni coordinator831.588.3569

zachmeier@stfrancishigh.netMark Paxton,

director of developmentpaxton@stfrancishigh.net

Keith B. Mathews, president and principal

mathews@stfrancishigh.net

! Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Kerri Walsh made an appearance on campus during November. ! “Dream big. Work hard,” was the message she gave the student body and visitors gathered in the BAC.! The most accomplished athlete in the history of women’s volleyball, Walsh is training for the 2012 London Olympic Games with aspirations to a third gold medal.! Walsh has a connection to St. Francis. When she was a student at Archbishop Mitty High in San Jose, St. Francis President and Principal Keith B. Mathews served as athletic director there.! After her remarks, Walsh, 33, posed with students and signed autographs until she had to leave for her next engagement -- induction into the Stanford University Hall of Fame.

Kerri Walsh holds her medal from the 2008 Beijing

Olympics.

From left: Joel Valdivia, Alex Chapman, Remy Potkin, Wes Hobbs and Chris O'Neill posing with Kerri Walsh.

Test User Wednesday, January 4, 2012 10:50:05 AM PT

! VOLUME 1 NUMBER 3

! PAGE 5

NEW FACULTY ON CAMPUS

! Jolene Brancatelli joined the faculty at St. Francis this year, teaching American Government and World History.! Traces of an accent may give her roots away. The daughter of a New York City firefighter, Brancatelli grew up on Staten Island, NY.! She earned her under-graduate degree from Montclair State University in New Jersey, her teach ing c redent ia l f rom California State University, San Jose, and a master’s degree in educat ion f rom Santa Clara University.! She comes to St. Francis from Cupertino High School, where she taught literature.! In her spare moments, she is learning filmmaking techniques at Santa Cruz County’s public access station, and hopes to use her newly acquired skills as an instructional tool at St. Francis.

! Nicholas Hart joined the mathematics faculty at St. Francis High this year.! A native of Great Britain, Hart received the equivalent of a bachelor ’s degree at London Univer s i ty, and the Br i t i sh equ iva lent o f a ma ster ’s a t Cambridge University. His first teaching position was in the Alpine resort of Gstaad, where he also worked as a ski instructor.! More recently, he taught for 18 years at The York School in Monterey.! Teaching still excites him. “It’s the best job in the world, really,” he said. “No two days are the same, and you get to see the fruits of your labor almost right away.”! St. Francis has revealed at least one pleasant surprise, Hart said. “The nicest thing about it is it lives up to its mission. It doesn’t just purport to be a Salesian school.”

! The newest member of the theology faculty at St. Francis High is Shannon McLeod, who joins the staff after teaching most recent l y a t Good Shepherd Catholic School in Santa Cruz.! She continues to serve as confirmation coordinator at Resurrection Catholic Parish in Aptos.! McLeod studied urban-ization, social movements and ind igenous l i f e s ty le s a t the University of San Buenaventura in Bogota, Columbia, before earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Hamline Univesity in St. Paul, Minnesota. She did graduate work in pastoral theology at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College and most recently received an early childhood education certificate from the University of California, Santa Cruz.! “I love teaching because it stretches me to keep growing and I love watching young minds grow,” she said.

Test User Wednesday, January 4, 2012 10:50:05 AM PT

! VOLUME 1 NUMBER 3

! PAGE 6

Ben Harmon, class of 2009, sent an email to Academic Vice Principal Vic Suarez earlier this year to

provide an update of his experiences as a student at the California Maritime Academy. His primary

focuses are Global Studies and Maritime Affairs, and in this update he shares his traveling

experiences. If you have a story to share, please share it with us for a future edition of Shark Bytes

by dropping a line to zachmeier@stfrancishigh.net.

UPDATE FROM AN ALUMNUS

Hi Mr. Saurez!

Talofa is the traditional Samoan greeting. about twenty minutes ago theTraining Ship Golden Bear docked in Pago Pago, American Samoa. I had myMom send me your email, because email is a$ I have available while on mytraining cruise, and I thought I'd send you an update of how things havebeen so far.

On the first of the month we departed Va$ejo at 0800 in the morning, andby ten we were going under the Golden Gate bridge and heading out into theopen Pacific. The next morning we arrived in Long Beach and spent the daythere taking on thousands of ga$ons of fuel and oil for the voyage, whichis actua$y going to be one of the longest cruises we've done in years.Then we spent two days off of Catalina Island doing boat maneuvers anddri$s, and fina$y le& for international waters. At 10 this morning wearrived in Pago Pago, a$ dressed out in our dress uniform lining therails as we pu$ed into port. I'$ have liberty in a few minutes and planon hiking up into the mountains and relaxing on the beach. Our other portsfor this training cruise are We$ington, New Zealand and Sydney Australia.Then we go to Lahaina, Hawaii, and finish in Honolulu. Our visits to NewZealand and Australia are being sponsored by the US Consulates andEmbassies there, so as Global Studies Majors we wi$ be visiting them andrepresenting the first US federal vessel to dock in those ports in over adecade.

My day work group was just relieved for liberty, so I'm going to cut thisemail short and put my feet on land for the first time in eighteen days. Ihope you are doing we$!

Ben

Test User Wednesday, January 4, 2012 10:50:05 AM PT