News Archive2006-2007 Archive Articles:
Upper School Student Competes Nationally in Classical Singing Contest On May 25th, 2007, Daniella Sanchez competed in the semi-finals of the National Classical Singer Competition, one of 100 young singers up to the age of 19 selected from all over the country. Congratulations also to Layne Littlepage, Daniella's instructor, Donna Coletti, who accompanied her in local competitions, and to Katie Clare Mazzeo, who helped prepare her for this event. top of page Lower School Students Earn National Art Awards
top of page Upper School Student Wins California State History Day Upper School Senior Presidential Scholar Finalist SCS Earns Certificate of Merit for National Latin Exam 2007 Upper School Intro to Latin: The following seven students received the Certificate of Outstanding Achievement and the Ribbon: Natalie Kolber, Esteban Sanchez, Sarah Ruhnke, Kevin Tang, Sonja Kasky, Farah Abouzeid, Rita Mae Steger. Dr, Moses’ students earned the following awards: top of page SCS Designated as “Good Neighbor” by the Salvation Army Dr. Murphy, Head of Upper School, recently received notification from the Monterey Peninsula Corps of the Salvation Army that Santa Catalina School has been designated as one of 32 notable recipients of their 2006 Good Neighbor Award. Thanked specifically for “(their) exceptionally generous and compassionate help of people in need on the Monterey Peninsula,” SCS community service participants were invited to a special luncheon in honor of all the “Good Neighbors” on the peninsula. Attending the luncheon with Dr. Murphy were Laurel Nunga, Lisa Mulligan, Gigi Cleveland, Jenny Williams, Onnolee Keland, Taylor Pate, Alena Walker, and Stacey Rotta, Coordinator of Community Service and Religious Studies Instructor at SCS. top of page Students Place in State Thespian Competition  A group of Santa Catalina students made the trip to Southern California to compete in the annual state thespian conference. Junior Camila de la Llata (pictured left ) won 2nd place statewide for Solo Musical and earned a Superior rating in Solo Musical Theatre, while Jade Johnston earned a Superior rating for Musical Theatre Dance, Alex Heiskell earned a Superior rating for Pantomime, and Daniella Sanchez was cast in the All State Show. Congratulations on their fine achievements! Upper School Instructor Published Nationally In The Sewanee Review  English Department Instructor Simon Hunt has recently been published in The Sewanee Review (of The University of the South), America’s oldest continuously published literary quarterly. Three of Mr. Hunt’s sonnets (“Divorced,” “Geometry,” and “Mojave Science”) grouped together under the title “In Reckless Play,” were published in the Winter ‘07 edition of the magazine, which in the past has made accessible the works of writers such as Flannery O’Connor, Robert Penn Warren, Hart Crane, Anne Sexton, Cormac McCarthy, and James Dickey. Congratulations to Mr. Hunt in his literary endeavors.Upper School Mathletics Competition A special congratulations goes to Sarah Cosseboom for placing 3rd in the Math Analysis division, to Lucy O’Leary for placing 1st in the AP Calculus AB division, to Kathryn Balestreri for placing 2nd in the AP Calculus AB division, and to the Catalina AP Calculus AB team (Lucy O’Leary, Kathryn Balestreri, and Christine Woo) for placing 1st in the team competition. The awards for competition were as follows:
Catherine Lentini and Brennah Montague qualified for the IEA National Finals at Lake Erie College, April 27-29 in Ohio by winning a class at the Zone finals last weekend. Catherine will be competing in J/V Novice over fences; Brennah will be competing in J/V Novice on the flat. Lower School Monterey County Science Fair Results .jpg) Santa Catalina Lower School would like to congratulate this year’s participants at the 2007 Monterey County Science Fair. Our 1st place winners were Ryan Schumacher in the Environmental Engineering category, Alexandra Pollack in the Microbiology category, and Nico Jannasch in the Physical Sciences category. Claire Giffen and Leigh Vittetoe received Honorable Mentions in their divisions. Great job everyone!Upper School Monterey County Science Fair Results  On March 17 and 18, a number of Upper School students participated in the Monterey County Science Fair at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB). The fair encourages students to pursue in-depth study of natural phenomena through scientific research with an acknowledgment of their positive accomplishments. Each year, students throughout Monterey County develop projects for the Science Fair in research categories ranging from Applied Mechanics to Plant Biology.This year, freshmen students Kathryn Callander and Rachel O’Leary won 1st place for their project, “Electricity and Electronics for Circuits, Wires, Comparators, and Sensors: How to create a robot that follows lines.” Kathryn and Rachel are now eligible to participate in the California State Science Fair, which will be held May 21st and 22nd. We wish them well. Sophomores Lani May Centeno and Quyen Le won 2nd place in Chemistry with their project, “Does the storage temperature affect the amount of vitamin C in oranges?” Junior students Brighid Greene and Kristina Wasserman won 3rd place in Behavioral Sciences for their project, “Exercise, Adrenaline, and Problem Solving.” And finally, freshmen Dah Kyung Kim and Hannah Kim won 3rd place in Physics and Astronomy for their project, “Tic Tac Bouncing.” Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Science Fair! Well done! Jump Rope For Heart The Jump Rope for Heart community service was a huge success! Because of all of you who donated your time and money, Santa Catalina Lower School will be sending a check to the American Heart Association in the amount of $ 7,000. Once again, your generosity is overwhelming. Go Cougars!      Seaside Art Competitive Exhibit Congratulations to our Upper and Lower School winners in the Seaside Art Competitive Exhibit! From the Upper School: Jenny Williams, 1st Place Graphics; Amy Kim, 3rd Place Graphics; and Danielle DeMaria, Honorable Mention Photography. From the Lower School: Evan Etienne, 1st Place Painting; Alexis Kern, 3rd Place Painting; Jessica Davids, 1st Place Crafts; Natalie Kolber, 2nd Place Crafts; Alexandria Piccinini, 3rd Place Crafts; Natalie Simmons, 1st Place Sculpture; Lauren Bishop, 2nd Place Sculpture; Anna Viviani, Ryan Schumacher, and Simmony Baran, Honorable Mention Sculpture. Congratulations to all the students who participated in the art competition! Well done! Upper School Scores on the Monterey Herald All-County Girl's Soccer Team Congratulations to Upper School students Meredith Evans, Samantha Wai, Ryann Woolf, and Sarah Wright of the varsity soccer team, who were named on March 14 to the Monterey Herald All-County Girl's Soccer Team. Additionally, Rod Gilchrist was named the Monterey Herald All-County Girl's Soccer Team Coach. The complete Monterey County Herald article, with more details, is here. Two MTAL Championships: Soccer and Basketball! SOCCER: The varsity soccer team finished a very successful season, winning the Mission Trails Athletic League Championship. They advanced to the CIF/CCS playoffs and opened at home with a convincing victory over Eastside College Prep 11-0. They then played in the quarter-finals on February 17th, falling to Woodside Priory 3-0. Meredith Evans, Samantha Wai, Sarah Wright, and Ryann Woolf were named to the first team All League Team. Santa Catalina’s own Rod Gilchrist, in his first year at the varsity helm, was selected as MTAL Coach of the Year. Go Cougars!  BASKETBALL: This season the varsity basketball team earned their first ever Mission Trails Athletic League Championship, sharing the title with Stevenson School. In a post-season CIF/CCS playoff on February 21st, the Cougars defeated Half Moon Bay 40-37. This win sent them to the quarter-finals against Valley Christian of San Jose on February 24th, where they were unfortunately defeated, ending their post-season play. Congratulations, Cougars, on a great championship accomplishment!  Upper School Instructor Chosen as Fulbright Scholar  Jodie Hollander, of Santa Catalina’s English department, is one of fifteen high school and college instructors selected nationwide to take part in a Fulbright Scholars’ program this summer. Ms. Hollander will travel to South Africa to study student achievement and workforce development in disadvantaged populations. She will create an independent project which focuses specifically on how poetry is not only a means for independent expression, but also a powerful political tool capable of striking awarness and change. Ms. Hollander will visit schools as well as look at curriculum, and will integrate this experience into her teaching at Santa Catalina.Middle School Golf Team Member Honored at AT&T  During the recent AT&T tournament at Pebble Beach, Grade 8 student Annie Bowlsby received one of Pebble Beach AT&T Junior Golf Association’s most prestigious awards – this year’s most improved player. The award is given annually by the Board of Directors to one of the hundreds of children involved in the program throughout the Monterey Peninsula and surrounding communities. Annie received the award from Bill Sendell (pictured at left), the program director and Head Pro at Spyglass Hill Golf Course. The ceremony was held on February 7 during the Payne Stewart Youth Clinic at the Pebble Beach Driving Range. Upper School Students Chosen as Finalists in Naming Contest for New NOAA Vessel The Santa Catalina team selected their entry name, Refugia, to highlight the plight of vulnerable marine refuges and the role they play in protecting biodiversity. The contest winner will be announced in March. Congratulations and good luck to Christine Alves, Miki Fukushima, Emily Helbig, Ginny Lee, Suzy Quist, and Akaliza Shalita. To read their essay, click here. The youth have pledged to go without food for 24-30 hours to raise money for both World Vision and Catholic Relief Services, two of the largest Christian relief and development organizations in the world. These organizations are committed to serving the world's poor, regardless of a person's religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, six million children under the age of five die every year worldwide as a result of hunger. During the fast students participate in activities that focus on cultural awareness and mindfulness of food needs and waste. Students read about poverty, listen to ethnic music, and watch films that connect participants with other parts of the world where hunger is widespread. The event will end with all participants sharing a simple vegetarian meal. In the eight years that Santa Catalina School has held the Food Fast they have raised more than $47,000 to help end world hunger. This is the seventh year that they will be joining with youth from the First Presbyterian Church of Monterey. During the upcoming months, over 600,000 young people across the United States are expected to participate in similar events. If you are interested in sponsoring a Santa Catalina student in this effort, please contact , Upper School Religious Studies Instructor at 831.655.9300. Ashley Teal '01 Visits as Guest Lecturer  Ashley Teal (center) visited Spanish classes on February 9 as an invited guest lecturer. She spoke about her experiences living and working in Spain and studying at Saint Louis University, Madrid (Spain) Campus. A 2001 alumnae of Santa Catalina School, Teal graduated from SLU-Madrid and is currently an Admissions Counselor for the university. SLU-Madrid is the European campus of Saint Louis University and offers numerous four-year degree programs in Madrid, Spain. Teal graduated from the Madrid campus with a degree in Spanish Language and Literature and writes "As a high school student I remember dreaming of a university where I could study all four years in Spain and come away with an American degree." SLU-Madrid offers that possibility.Middle School First Semester Honor Roll and High Honor Roll Santa Catalina Middle School is pleased to announce the first semester Honor Roll and High Honor Roll achievements of our student body. Students are awarded Honor Roll if they achieve a grade average of 88.0 or above. Students are awarded High Honor Roll if they achieve a grade average of 92.0 or above. top of page High Honor Roll 41% of Grade 6 students 25% of Grade 7 students 31% of Grade 8 students Honor Roll 41% of Grade 6 students 50% of Grade 7 students 34% of Grade 8 students Upper School First Semester Honor Roll and Gold Cord Santa Catalina Upper School is pleased to announce the first semester Honor Roll and Gold Cord achievements of our student body. Students with a GPA of 3.30 through 3.79 are awarded Honor Roll, while students with a GPA of 3.80 and above are awarded Gold Cord. Highest in Class Seniors: Samantha Wai Juniors: Lucy O’Leary Sophomores: Lottie Dowson and Allegra Krasznekewicz Freshmen: Eliza Harbert, Alison Ruhnke, and Reisa Soedarsono Highest in the School: Samantha Wai Gold Cord GPA 3.80 and above GPA with no grade below C+ 40% of the Senior Class 19% of the Junior Class 30% of the Sophomore Class 23% of the Freshman Class Honor Roll GPA above 3.30 and below 3.80 with no grade below C+ 32% of the Senior Class 41% of the Junior Class 32% of the Sophomore Class 21% of the Freshman Class Courtesy Award Seniors: Danielle Sena-Young and Monika Yamuremye Juniors: Jessica Fletcher and Cece Stewart Sophomores: Shelby Carroll and Michele Jaeger Freshmen: Blair Evans and Devin Ryan top of page Upper School Student Plays Carnegie Hall  Upper School Senior Cindy Im was recently invited to perform at Carnegie Hall through the National Festival Orchestral Program. One of only 75 participants nationwide, Cindy, a violinist, auditioned via CD submission and traveled to New York city January 11. After intense day-long rehearsals Friday and Saturday, the group performed Tchaikovsky's Fifth to a sold-out Carnegie Hall audience on Sunday night. Cindy, who has been playing violin since the first grade, called this experience life-changing, and described the conductor, Benjamin Zander, as inspirational. "Mr. Zander made us feel the music, versus just playing the music," Cindy said. "It was great to perform with other musicians who were as passionate about the music as I am. What a truly amazing experience." Cindy plans to continue her musical studies in college. top of page UPDATE: Lower School Students Break Top 20 in Nationals Lower School students Lizzy Tardieu, 10, and Ryan Schumacher, 14, finished in the top 20 in their age classes at the USA Cross Country National Championships in Spokane, Washington on Saturday, December 9, 2006. Tardieu was 10th in the bantam girls 3K, running a 13:30. Schumacher, 14, was 17th in the youth 4K, finishing in 14:55.0. Lower School Students Qualify for US Track and Field National Junior Olympics Cross Country Championship  Congratulations to two Lower School students, Lizzy Tardieu and Ryan Schumacher. They are the only two youth that qualified for the US Track and Field National Junior Olympics Cross Country Championships from Monterey County. Lizzy will be competing in the Bantam Girls (9-10 year olds) and Ryan will be competing in the Youth Boys (13-14 year olds). Nationals will be held in Spokane, Washington, on Saturday, December 9. Both Lizzy and Ryan had to go through two rounds of qualifying this past November (Sectionals in San Francisco and Regionals in Fresno). The regional event was particularly competitive, with runners as far south as San Luis Obispo all the way up to the California/Oregon border, and east up to (and including) Reno, Nevada. It is fairly unusual for two children to qualify for this from the same school. Santa Catalina is so proud of both of you! top of page Lower School Students Named to CCS Honor Orchestra  The Central Coast Section of the California Music Educators Association has named this year’s Middle School Honor Orchestra. Tamsen Forrest, Gwen Humble, and Sophia Yu were carefully selected by audition and placed within our region. Sophia Yu will sit a most prestigious third chair in the first violin section. Tamsen Forrest will serve as section leader for the second violin section. Congratulations! top of page Santa Catalina Golf Team Fifth in State  The Santa Catalina golf team finished fifth in the California State Championship at the very difficult Red Hill Country Club in Rancho Cucamonga on November 14th. This was the second year in a row that the team has qualified for the tournament, and their five best scores of six total of 439 was thirteen shots better than last year's effort. Sophomore Ariana Patterson led the way with an 81, with senior co-captains Courtney Mazzei and Eleana Collins contibuting an 82 and an 85, respectively. Sophomores Ryan Tuttle and LaniMay Centeno added a 95 and a 96 to round out the scoring. Along with freshman, Cristina Bowery, the three sophomores will form a strong nucleus for next year's team. top of page Santa Catalina Upper School Golf Team Qualifies for State Tournament On Monday, November 6, the Upper School Golf team placed second in the NorCal Championship, securing a spot in next week's state championship at the Red Hills Country Club in Rancho Cucamonga. Catalina's second place score of 418 included Eleana Collins shooting a 12-over 84, Ariana Patterson carding a 77, Courtney Mazzei shooting an 80, Cristina Bowery carding an 87, and Ryan Tuttle shooting a 90. Read the Monterey County Herald story here.  top of page Santa Catalina Middle School Students Place in California Latin Competition Santa Catalina Middle School Students Kevin Tang, Christian Gutierrez, Natalie Kolber, Gwen Humble, Sonja Kasky, and Sarah Ruhnke of Grade 7, and Kristina Flathers and Natalie Simmons of Grade 8, attended the California Junior Classical League Pre-Convention Latin Day at Castilleja High School in Palo Alto on October 28. The competition, traditionally called Ludi Novembres, was originally a Roman festival of chariot races, theatre performances, and games. In current times, the event consists of written and verbal Latin contests (including a Jeopardy–like challenge) between competing schools.Santa Catalina Middle School students placed very well in some tough competitions: Sonja Kasky, Grade 7: Certamen 1st place, Derivatives 1st place, and Daily Life 2nd place. Natalie Kolber, Grade 7:Daily Life 1st place, Certamen 2nd place, Derivatives 3rd place. Kristina Flathers, Grade 8:Daily Life 2nd place. Natalie Simmons, Grade 8:Daily Life 3rd place. Congratulations to all the participants with their great achievements and thank you to our parent chaperone, Mr. Gutierrez, who led the trip. .jpg)
top of page Santa Catalina Upper School Golf Team Takes Consecutive CCS Titles  On Tuesday, October 31, the Santa Catalina Golf team won the 2006 Central Coast Section championship. The Cougars shot 312, just one stroke off the record score they shot last year. Next week, the team heads for the Northern California Championship, where they hope to place well enough to qualify for the California State Championship match. Read more about the team in the new Monterey Herald article.top of page Monterey Fire Department Visits Kindergarten Students On Wednesday, October 18, fire fighters from the Monterey Fire Department visited the Santa Catalina kindergarten. During this informative and entertaining event, fire fighter J.D. Sheldon introduced various pieces of fire fighting equipment (including goggles and air tanks) and taught students the actions they should take in case of a fire emergency. Kindergarten students were thrilled to be able to try on fire fighter hats and coats. The visit culminated with a trip outside to inspect the fire engine. (More photos will be available soon in the Santa Catalina School Photo Gallery.)      top of page Santa Catalina Upper School Students Place in National Spanish Exam 2006  The following Upper School students won awards for the National Spanish Exam (Northern California Chapter). Congratulations!Level 1: 2nd Place Brennah Montague Level 2: 1st Place Veronica Cortes Level 2: 2nd Place Carolyn McBride Level 3: 1st Place Yaneli Ruiz Level 3: 4th Place Daniella Sanchez Level 4: 3rd place Samantha Wai top of page Santa Catalina Upper School Golf Team wins Tri-County Championship  The Santa Catalina Upper School Golf Team capped their undefeated season by winning the Tri-County Athletic League Championship on Monday, October 23. All six team members also qualified for the Central Coast Championship taking place next Tuesday, October 31. Click here to read the story in the Monterey Herald.top of page Santa Catalina Upper School Native Plants Project: 2006-2007  In an ongoing plant project, Santa Catalina biology students are partnering with the Watershed Institute at CSUMB, Emily Smith (from the Return of the Natives), and Joey Dorrell-Canepa (from The Beach Garden Projects) to help propagate plants indigenous to California chaparral and coastal dunes. The seedlings of these plants, such as native species of needle grass, buckwheat, California lilac, lupine, and sages, will be “out-planted” by our students to restoration sites at Fort Ord, Carmel River, and designated local beaches during the rainy season. “Repropagating native plants is critical because development, erosion, pollution, and encroachment by nonnative plant species have reduced and threatened the numbers and types of plants and animals that live in our area,” said Michele Guido, Upper School biology teacher and Native Plants Project Coordinator. “The loss of diversity and related negative effects on soils and water affect our health, recreation, and in some cases, our livelihoods. Habitat restoration work slows the loss of these natural resources and manages them for long-term productivity and use.”  Project goals are to provide opportunities for students to learn about plant biology through direct involvement, to learn about the ecology of plant communities in the Monterey Peninsula, to gain greater awareness of the importance of habitats to local plant and animal communities, and to appreciate the contributions made by environmental care-takers for our community. Through these on-going projects, students become aware of the fragile balance of the natural community around them and what they can do to help maintain its quality and overall health. top of page Upper School Students Attend Annual CERAMARAMA  On September 10th, twenty-four art-minded students from Santa Catalina Upper School attended the annual celebration of the ceramic arts known as CERAMARAMA, hosted by the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center in Ben Lomond, California.  For one day every autumn, people from all over the Monterey Bay area gather to share and celebrate their interest in and knowledge of the ceramic arts. A wide variety of clay construction techniques, including hand building, wheel throwing, surface decorating, and Raku firing are demonstrated by seasoned professionals from the surrounding area. Santa Catalina students were given the opportunity to explore the potential of clay with art contests that challenged their architectural knowledge of engineering forms in clay. Both the “Who can build the tallest structure out of ten pounds of clay in only ten minutes?” and another popular contest, the “Handbuilt Sculpture in the Teenage Category,” was won by Santa Catalina’s own Gia Seo (below right, receiving her trophy).  In addition, the much-anticipated Raku firing demonstration produced many successful vessels glazed by our students. We are grateful to the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center for welcoming our students and providing such a rich and interactive learning experience for Santa Catalina School’s young artists.    top of page Back to School Night for Lower School Primary and Intermediate Students  Lower School parents joined faculty and staff Thursday (9/7) in a “standing room only” Back to School night for primary and intermediate students. Mrs. Linda Mutty, Division Head of Grades 5-8, stressed the value of teamwork across the spectrum. “Teamwork, team building, team player—as we all know, there is no ‘I’ in ‘team.’ While this is rather overused jargon, when you really examine the bottom line, without teamwork, we would not be the faculty you see before you.  And more importantly, you would not be the involved parents that you are. You are here tonight for many reasons: to meet your child’s teachers, to see the classrooms, to hear about the coming year, to reconnect with other parents, to sit in the seat that your child occupies for so many hours of the day, and to recall, perhaps, when you were this age. But most importantly, your presence tonight, your interest and enthusiasm, your support is what truly strengthens this team. We would not be able to dedicate ourselves to you and your children without the knowledge that you are but a phone call away and that you care. For your team participation, we thank you. We hope that you come away from this evening with enthusiasm and joy for this next year of your child’s lifelong journey.” Mrs. Christy Pollacci, Division Head of Pre-Kindergarten-Grade 4, and Director of Lower School Admission, was thrilled by the excitement of the new parents attending their first Back to School night at Santa Catalina School. “All of our parents, and especially our new parents, are energized and engaged. They are excited by our new faculty members, and ready for the year ahead. I have heard so many positive comments from all members of our parent community - most frequently how blessed they felt to be part of the Santa Catalina Family and how lucky we are to have such master teachers.”top of page |
