Interactive Alumni Career Day Features East Coast Scientist

From his office at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Cyrus Shahpar '92 M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A  gave a compelling presentation on his work with emergency global health issues to two dozen students sitting in a Smart Classroom at SJND in Alameda.

Alumni Career Day gives juniors at SJND the opportunity to hear from alumni speakers about areas such as health, business, engineering, international law, education and science.

Along with Dr. Shahpar, speakers included: Cathy Ordinario '94, a labor and delivery nurse at Kaiser and mother of Akaela '13; James Spence '65, a former member of the military, college professor and business owner; Rachel-Anne Palacios '92, an artist and business owner; Hollis Williams '94 MSW, a social worker; Cindy Lin '00 and her colleague Arlette Lee, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agents; Todd Walling, father of Kyle '11 and husband of Suzanne Ratto '74 Walling, lighting design and implementation; Maurice Quain '55, technology product development and sales; Matt Guichard '65, former prosecutor, international lawyer in Denmark and currently practices personal injury, immigration and patent law for a firm he started;  Darryl Glover '84 PharmD, M.B.A, biotech, author and entrepreneur; Niloy Gangopadhyay '96 M.Ed., urban education and school administration; John Dinga '63, teacher and coach; Kevin Nieland' 75, firefighter; Ed Braun, '91, probation officer; Gregg DeHaan '92, construction consultant; and, Sarah Lewis '02, PhD candidate working in environmental science using geospatial technologies.

Daughters of Alumni Lead the Pilots Basketball Team

Samantha Maritzen '12 grew up hearing her father's story about hitting a shot from the opposite free throw line, launching the basketball across three-quarters of the gym at SJND.

Desiree Harris, left, and Samantha Maritzen

"He played basketball here, and he played for Coach Lippi," she said, adding she was inspired by the stories of her father, Michael '83.

Today, Sam is a leader on the women's basketball team, which saw an exciting post-season playoff schedule. Her partner on the floor? Desiree Harris '13, daughter of Shirley Tucker '80. Desiree was chosen as Athlete of the Week by the Oakland Tribune this week. 

Both girls have made history, playing on last year's Pilots team, the first to make it to the NorCal championships in the school's history, and this year's squad, which made history by winning back-to-back North Coast Section championships.

The team has fought back in scrappy battles to stay alive in playoffs, making it to the NorCal semi-finals. Leading the effort have been Sam and Desiree, both guards.

"It's just a role we had to take," said Sam. "All of the other players look up to us, and we've become the leaders on the floor."

A third player, Akaela Ordinario '13, is the daughter of alums Catherine Magno Ordinario '94 and Ian Ordinario' 94. Sam's mother, Judy Maritzen, an alum of Encinal High School, is the women's JV coach at SJND.

The men's Pilots team, meanwhile, will return to Folsom High School on March 17 to battle with Pinewood for the NorCal championship at 3 p.m. The California Div. V state championship game is March 24 at Power Balance Arena in Sacramento. 

Go Pilots! 

Alumni Council Up and Running

The Alumni Council had its first meeting in February to discuss alumni events and the best ways to engage SJND alumni. The gathering was very enthusiastic, and the group is planning to develop an SJND Alumni Association for all alums.

"We are talking about a variety of events to draw alums back into the SJND community," said Kerry Plain '70, a member of the council. "Some suggestions include a comedy night, an annual all-class BBQ, a 'clean up the beach' or Habitat for Humanity day -- all things to draw people back."

The school is looking for an alumni representative from classes every two to four years. There was a good response from several classes, but there are still some that are not represented. If you are interested in serving on the SJND Alumni Council, please contact Suzanne Martin at smartin@sjnd.org.

The Alumni Council voted to meet again March 29 to define its next steps. The group will meet quarterly after that.

Student Art Exhibit at the Blue Dot

Stop by the Blue Dot Café on Encinal Avenue near SJND's campus in March and enjoy some art with your café latte.

The exhibit is on display through March 30 and will include art work from students in advanced art classes at SJND, including AP Studio Art. There are an amazing selection of drawings, paintings, photographs and prints.

Little Shop of Horrors Returns to SJND

The spring musical at SJND is Little Shop of Horrors, a comedy musical that tells the story of a nerdy florist who finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant that demands to be fed. The last time the musical was performed at SJND was in 1994. 

Susan Harris '94 Bunker, Mari Heller '97, Jen Dlugosh '97 and Jenn Costa '97

 Veteran cast and crew members are invited back to campus on March 30 at 6:30 p.m. for a musical reunion. A pre-show reception and viewing of their performance from 1994 will be aired in the Study Center on the SJND campus.

Andrew McGrath '97, who played the dentist, said, "This sounds amazing! Man, I really wish I could be there!" There are talks of Skyping people in who live out of town. Kerry Martin '97 will be checking in live from Hawaii.

In 1994, LSH was the first musical SJND had done in a long time and possibly the first since the two schools joined.

SJND Librarian and cast member Jen Duglosh '97 said, "The 1994 production was produced mostly by students: Directed, choreographed, accompanied, and I think costumed (or maybe Ms. Micheli made them). We still have one of the doo wop girls dresses in the costume closet."

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. March 23-24, March 30-31, with a matinee at 2 p.m. on March 25, and the show is being presented in the theater of St. Joseph Elementary School, adjacent to the SJND campus.

Tickets are: $12, adults; $9, students and seniors; and, $5 for children. For more information, contact Carol Karaguez, director of the musical, or Didi Kubicek. You can order tickets by calling 510-995-9551 or click here 

Vanessa Maholland '12 Wins Economics Competition

Here's a tip: If you give Vanessa Maholland $100,000 to invest in the stock market, you might just see a healthy return.

She wrote "A Beginner's Guide to Stock Market Investing," and explained how she would invest $100,000. The competition was rigorous, and Vanessa's essay was read, fact-checked and then picked by the judges. 

"As a novice investor with a long-term investment strategy of moderate risk," she wrote, "I would identify a half-dozen established companies and invest 30 percent of my portfolio in their stocks. I would invest an additional 50 percent in growth mutual funds that have a track record of above-average returns. I would hold the remaining 20 percent in tax-exempt bonds or certificates of deposit to mitigate some risk."

Her economics teacher, Seth Feldman, complimented Vanessa on her ability to explain investing. "It is very tough to do well," he said.

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