Send Us Your Feedback on Alumni Engagement at SJND

Last week, a broad range of SJND alumni were contacted by email and asked to participate in a survey asking them to reflect on how the school connects with its alumni. The survey was sent to all alumni who have provided their email addresses to the alumni office at SJND.

We asked alumni to tell us what they think of events, communications and their general engagement with SJND. Some of the responses we have received so far include:  

• "It's nice that not all the new events are fundraisers."
• "Let's get more alums involved, including me," and
• "Thank you for reaching out to us!"

Alumni were given the opportunity to leave their name if they want to talk further about alumni relations. Those people who gave their names will be contacted in the next month. 

It's not too late to tell us how we're doing. The survey has been posted to Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School's Facebook page or you can take it here. 

The survey deadline will be extended for one week, so please tell your friends and classmates to contact Suzanne Martin, Director of Alumni Relations, if they would like a copy emailed to them.

Exciting College Admissions News at SJND

SJND is proud to report that 100 percent of the Class of 2012 will attend college or join the military service, and graduates were offered more than $3.01 million in scholarships and awards. The graduates finalized their college choices from among the Ivy League, California's top universities and the nation's best private universities. Here are some of the highlights:  

• Nnala Amuzie was accepted to Cornell University, as well as Georgetown University, UC Berkeley and Emory University. She decided to attend UCLA, where her sister, Adaure Amuzie '10, is a student.
• Jason Baskett was offered a $36,000 annual scholarship to Santa Clara. He chose to attend Georgetown, in Washington, D.C., although he was also accepted to UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis, USC, Boston College and University of Virginia.
• Many of the soon-to-be graduates were offered generous annual scholarships from the colleges and universities, including four students who will be heading to Santa Clara University: Amanda Khoo, $28,000; Kate Lassalle-Klein, $10,000; Jaelin McCreary, $40,000; and, Leigh Pond, $28,000.
• Two students, John McCord and Letitia Blacksher, received scholarship and award offers of more than $150,000 each. The Class of 2012 as a whole received 12 percent more in scholarship and award offers than last year's graduating class.
• About 40 percent of SJND seniors were accepted to the University of California system, in a year when it is more competitive than ever to gain admittance because of an increase in out-of-state students being admitted to the UCs.
• Some of the private schools and out-of-state schools that offered admission to the Class of 2012 students include: University of Michigan, University of Southern California, Boston College, University of Virginia, Boston University, Holy Names University, Emory University, Howard University, University of Massachusetts -Amherst, Gonzaga University, Morehouse College, Fordham University and Xavier University.  

Congratulations to the Class of 2012!  We wish you the very best!

Summer Reunion Season!

Summer is a great time to hold a class reunion, and several classes will be holding their celebrations on the SJND campus this summer.

Notre Dame students in 1962

The Class of 1962 is having their Golden Anniversary celebration on Saturday, June 2, with a Mass and luncheon hosted by the school. The class will continue the revelry with a dinner dance that evening. Contact Bob Jarrett  at 925-846-8385,  Mary Bush Leoni at 925-828-5834 or Nina Coleman Freeman at 707-648-3179 to find out more.

Meanwhile, the Class of 2002 is planning a 10-year reunion on campus with dinner, drinks and dancing on Saturday, July 21. Angelica Cunningham is planning the soiree and says "it will be really great to get everybody back to campus, see all the changes and have a lot of fun."

And, the Class of 1947 is planning a luncheon in August, followed by a visit to the school. Contact Al Weinberger at 510-895-9900 for more information.

Silvia Ortiz-Rosales Named National Scholar

Silvia Ortiz-Rosales '12 was awarded a prestigious $10,000 college scholarship and named the 2012 Anne Ford Scholar by the National Center for Learning Disabilities after she wrote a stirring essay about how she will not let dyslexia hold her back from academic and personal success.

The organization flew Silvia and her family to New York City in April to receive the award. Silvia, who wants to be a journalist, was featured in the New York Times.  

"I plan to continue my studies, fueled by my desire to prove dyslexia isn't a limitation, it is merely an obstacle designed to keep you motivated," said Silvia. "I know college will be difficult, but I embrace the new opportunities that college life will bring me." Read more 

An Update on the SJND Annual Fund

As the 2011-12 school year winds down, the Annual Fund is on track to meet SJND's goal to raise $340,000 for the school.  

Thankfully, we have a very supportive community that gives generously to provide the outstanding education that SJND offers. Tuition covers about 85 percent of the cost of an SJND education. If tuition alone paid for school, we would have ended classes in April. Some highlights of this year's Annual Fund:  

• Eighty-one percent of entering families made four-year pledges to the Annual Fund at Registration Day in March.
• Every member of the Board of Trustees and 93 percent of the faculty and staff have given in support of our students.
• Twenty-two alumni have made their first gift this year, and to date we have raised over $320,000.  

To our generous community, we say thank you. With less than $20,000 left to raise, two months to go and many families still to give year-end gifts, we are optimistic that we will meet our goal.

The 2011-12 Annual Fund will close on June 30, so if you haven't yet made a gift, there's still time. No amount is too small - every gift is welcome and appreciated. You can make a gift online by clicking here. Thank you!

The Oakland Bay Area Chapter of The Links, a national African American women's group that promotes education and community services, honored 10 students from the Bay Area with scholarships in recognition of their outstanding academics and leadership. Four of the students are from SJND.

The scholarships were awarded to: Vanessa Maholland, Jaelin McCreary, Jordan Rausse-Amedee and Erewa Uku. The girls and their families attended the ceremony at the 21st Annual Celebration of Excellence hosted by The Links in Oakland, and each student was awarded a $500 scholarship to assist with book purchases in college.

Bob Williams, English teacher and poet, retires

His plan is to be able to read, relax and travel more, and he'll be heading to Europe this summer with one of his sons, Michael Williams '02, before Michael heads to New York University School of Law in the fall.

"Bob is a shining example of what it means to be a Catholic school educator," said Principal Simon Chiu. "A professional in every way, Bob's mastery of his subject matter and his deep love and care for his students are the qualities I will most remember about him."

Students recalled Mr. Williams reading poetry to them in class, especially his poem "Sons," about his two sons.

"He's just such a wonderful person," said Regina Hurley '12.

"He's always there for you," added Hailalani Enos '12. "He's such a great teacher."

Record Season for the Track and Field Team

The team is sending a record number of athletes onto the North Coast Section championships. Some highlights from the BSAL trials: 

•  Nick Ratto '12 is the first BSAL athlete to sweep the distance Triple Crown, winning the 800, 1600 and 3200. He won the 1600 (mile) in a fast time of 4:23. He then won the 800, and after a short rest, won the 3200 (2 mile) race coming from behind the last 200 meters to win in 10:05. Immediately after, he helped his 4 x 400 relay place third in a very competitive race.  His teammates Quentin Caruso, Louis Rodriguez and Chris Melendez helped Nick set a SJND relay record at 3:34.  
• Desiree Harris '13, daughter of Shirley Tucker '80, qualified in four events in the NCS, the maximum for any athlete. She qualified in high jump, the low hurdles and the 4x100 relay.  
• Clinton Noble '13, cousin of Don Noble '04 and Skyler Noble '10, qualified for three events, including shot put, triple jump and high hurdles.

SJND Monthly Alumni E-Newsletter