Class of 1962 Celebrates 50 Years Since Graduation

Notre Dame ladies who graduated in 1962 joined the guys from St. Joseph High School from the same year to celebrate their 50-year reunion.They gathered at Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School on June 2 for their Golden Anniversary Celebration and Mass.

Nearly 50 classmates met on campus in the morning for a continental breakfast before Mass in the St. Joseph Basilica. The Rev. Fred Riccio officiated at the Mass, and Morris Soublet, Theresa Fenzel and Nina Coleman Freeman read and served as Eucharistic ministers during the Mass. Principal Simon Chiu announced the names of each member of the class in attendance, and they were given Golden Diplomas to commemorate the occasion. Class members who have passed away were also honored.

Nina Coleman Freeman and Sandra Young Baker

After the class posed for photographs, Principal Chiu led the group on a tour of the school, which sparked many memories of their time spent here on campus. The day finished with a gourmet catered lunch in Notre Dame Hall. 

Bob Jarrett, chair of the reunion committee, spoke during the lunch, as did the presidents of each class, Ron Scalise and Mary Bush Leoni. Alumni stayed late into the afternoon, catching up and reminiscing as they perused class photos and newspaper clippings. Several classmates reconvened for dinner that night.

John Kline, Mary Bush Leoni and Kathy Schultis Miranda

"Everybody I spoke with had a great time," said John McCahan. "The Mass, tour and lunch hosted by the school was real classy, an A-plus party." 

In recognition of their reunion, a number of class members made generous gifts to the school. Bob Jarrett said the class wanted their gifts to help pay tuition assistance for current SJND students.

"We're pleased," he said, "that we can help in some way."

Senior Moment: Graduates Reflect on Their Time at SJND 

The commencement ceremony on May 26 featured an annual tradition at SJND: a song written by a group of graduates and sung to the graduating Class of 2012.

"Say Good-Bye," an emotional tribute to the class, was written by graduates Imani Todd and Danielle McGuinness and sung by Danielle, Kate Lassalle-Klein, Harin Yoon, Amanda Khoo, Jaelin McCreary, Clara Castillo and Carmella Valderrama. You can  view the performance on the SJND Pilots YouTube channel.

The graduation also featured speeches by Valedictorian Jason Baskett, who is bound for Georgetown University, and by commencement speaker Meg Honey, formerly of the SJND faculty and now admissions director at the School of Education at St. Mary's College. SJND Principal Simon Chiu presented the school's major graduation awards to the following students:  

• Leadership Award: Fernando Barragan
• Spirit of Pilot Award: Nick Ratto
• Inspired by Christ Award: Nikko DeGrano
• Principal's Award: Ollie Cunningham
• Saint Joseph Notre Dame Award: Danielle McGuinness

Ninety-eight percent of the Class of 2012 is going on to college and two members are  joining the military service. The class has been offered $3.16 million in scholarships and awards, a 23 percent increase over the amount in scholarships offered to last year's class. Graduates were accepted to the Ivy League, the top universities in California and the best private colleges in the country.

"Graduates, the world is yours," said Ms. Honey. "And, remember, we are behind you every step of the way."

Regina Leo '02 Speaks to Seniors About Joining Alumni Ranks 

Regina Leo '02, who works as a high school counselor in Sacramento, visited the school during graduation week, and she shared some thoughts with the seniors about being a member of the SJND alumni.

Regina Leo, center, with faculty members and friends

"Coming back to this campus means remembering where I built relationships with friends who have become like family to me, where I learned the academic skills I needed to prepare me for the rigors of college and graduate school courses, and I learned how to balance my work and school priorities with fun and extracurricular activities," she said.

"To me, being an alumnus means more than just helping SJND by giving financial support through donations, it means looking back and not forgetting how the entire Saint Joseph Notre Dame community helped me to grow into the adult I am today," she said. "It means carrying out the leadership and student activities experiences I learned as a Campus Life Team member, Campus Ministry Executive Officer, and Filipino American Student Organization officer to my job as supervisor and counselor."

Photo in May e-Newsletter Spurs Memories from 1962

Mary (Guichard) Caron '63 saw the photo of the two girls sitting on the iconic stone wall outside the high school, and she knew who they were. It didn't matter that the photo was taken 50 years ago and popped up in her monthly SJND alumni e-newsletter.

"The students in the 1962 picture were exchange students: Maria Esperanza and Maria del Refugio," said Mary. "Maria Esperanza has the long hair. She was a junior at the time."

The girls were only at Notre Dame Academy for a short time, Mary recalls. At the time, Notre Dame accepted students from abroad.

"Maria Esperanza was in our class," she said. "I don't remember how long they stayed at Notre Dame, but it wasn't beyond the one year or even a few months. I remembered their last name for a long time, but it has now escaped me. I am amazed that I remembered both girls' names."

SJND's 2012 Yearbook Honors Alumni

The yearbook at SJND this year, entitled "Looking Through Time: Then and Now," pays homage to the past and includes retro and vintage photos of alumni through the years.

Student yearbook editors spent the school year combing through the school's archives and old yearbooks for photos and interesting items to include throughout the yearbook.

One of the most creative sections of the yearbook included "separated at birth" photos of past graduates paired with photos of current students. Some of the resemblances are uncanny.

"As we came up with our theme for this year, we had to look through old yearbooks," the student editors wrote. "We found some familiar looking people..."  

Alumni Career Day Shifts to the Fall

In an effort to better serve SJND's students, Alumni Career Day has been moved from the spring to the fall and will be hosted in October for seniors instead of juniors. While the underclassmen are taking PSATs and other tests, the seniors will spend the day learning about careers from some of the school's accomplished alumni.

Gregg DeHaan '92 at this year's Career Day

Alumni Career Day will feature panel discussions about careers in several fields, such as public safety, health care and business. The event will also include individual alumni speakers.

All who are interested in speaking should contact Suzanne Martin, director of alumni relations and annual fund, at 510-995-9456.

Bob Williams Honored with 2012 St. Julie Billiart Award

The St. Julie Billart Outstanding Teacher Award was created four years ago at SJND to recognize the teacher who has significantly made a difference in the lives of the seniors during their four years at SJND.

The outstanding teacher award takes its name from the founder of the Sisters of Notre Dame, for whom the girls' academy was named.

He possesses the characteristics that Julie Billiart also held. She holds a special place in the Catholic Church, not only as a saint but as a visionary woman who responded to the needs of the suffering world around her. She reached out to the poor and forgotten; she brought comfort and hope to those around her; she brought faith to the seeking and the lost, and more than anything else, she was a witness to the deep loving goodness of God.

These are the characteristics mirrored by the recipients of this award. They are witnesses to the power of teaching as a ministry of love and care.

SJND Monthly Alumni E-Newsletter