by Lucas Agatep

On September 13th and 14th, St. John Bosco held its annual club sign-ups out in the quad, where students explored the different clubs available to join on campus.

Mrs. Jen Schnorr, who organized the club day, viewed that the two days went well. For being a new staff member, the club day happened to be Mrs. Schnorr’s first time organizing a club sign-up at Bosco. 

Schnorr was able to do this years club day by taking her experiences from her prior school and building on them. Without any reference on what Bosco has done on past club sign-up days, she was able to successfully set up an informative and interactive club carnival.

Clubs ranging from culture to other curricular activities were available for students on Bosco’s campus to join. There seemed to be a club for every student’s likings and interests.

Right now, there are 38 active clubs at Bosco for students to join, either for self-entertainment or educational purposes. Though not all 38 clubs were present the two days, the ones that were presented offered interesting choices for students.

“The majority of students join clubs because clubs are something fun and something to participate in extracurricularly. Academic clubs are very important as well, so the students that are more academically minded and interested or thinking about college have options there as well,” said Schnorr.

From the amount of students that were at the club sign-ups, it is clear that the first club meet-ups will be an overall success. The only general issue for clubs are for the members to remain active and participate at all times throughout the school year.

“[The clubs] main goal right now is going to be to start off strong, maintain the students within the club, and have active meetings throughout the school year, because that is always the difficult challenge,” said Mrs. Schnorr.

Clubs are an intricate and important part of Bosco’s community and student life here on campus, and students participating and taking part in the meetings year-round is beneficial to both the students and leaders of the respective clubs.

New teacher Ms. Allegra Weinstein comes to Bosco with experience as a teacher and with people in general, bringing something unique and new to Bosco’s teaching staff and faculty.

Q: Where have you previously worked?

A: I have worked at St. Joseph’s Hospital in the ER and at CHOC in the cardiology ward. I was a medical scribe at both hospitals. I did research at UC Irvine at the Pediatric Exercise and Genomics Research Center. I worked on a NIH funded project looking at the effect of exercise training on children with asthma. I am currently the JV Women’s Basketball head coach at Esperanza High School. I will be starting my 8th season this year. I was a science teacher for 2 years at Halstrom Academy in Anaheim Hills.

Q: How long have you been teaching?

A: I have been teaching for 3 years.

Q: What college did you graduate from?

A: I graduated and received by BI from Claremont Graduate University.

Q: How did you come across St. John Bosco?

A: I came across Bosco by chance. I knew of Bosco’s reputation as both an elite academic and athletic school, and when there was a vacancy in the Math and Science Department, I knew I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity.

Q: What made you consider Bosco?

A: At UCI, most of my classes were in large lecture halls that held hundreds of students. While I certainly enjoyed my time there, in the classroom there were times I felt I was just another body, just a number in a large crowd. However, when I was to graduate school, my classes were much much smaller – I was on a first name basis with most of my professors! My cohort was maybe 20-30 students and I felt surprisingly at ease being in a more intimate setting. It truly made a difference in my educational experience.

This intimate, close-knit, family-like community was something that I truly appreciated. This is way I started my teaching career at Halstrom. It is a private high school which has embraced the philosophy of a 1-on-1 model. Teaching there gave me the opportunity to work with students from all walks of life, with varying learning styles and with varying disabilities. Because of the unique format at Halstrom, I developed equally unique relationships with my students.

I came to Bosco because I value its sense of comradery, love, sodality and spirit. It reminds me of my respective communities in graduate school and at Halstrom. “Brotherhood is the very price and condition of man’s survival.” – Carlos P. Romulo

 Q: What are your particular hobbies?

A: My hobbies are basketball, hiking, going to museums, and spending time with friends and family.

Q: Do you have any siblings?

A: I have one younger sister, Andrea.

Q: What is your personal taste in music and who is your favorite artist?

A: I love all types of music except heavy metal. The one artist that I can always listen to, regardless of what mood I’m in, is John Mayer.

Q: What sport do you like and what is your favorite team if you have any?

A: My favorite sport is basketball and my favorite teams are the Lakers, Duke, and now Bosco!

Q: Currently, what do you think of Bosco and your students?

A: I’m enjoying my time at Bosco. The faculty, particularly those in my department, have been so kind and generous with their time and help. I’m not sure what I could do without them. Everyone has made me feel very welcome into the Bosco community. My students have been great. While I may have to be disciplinarian in some classes more than others (cough, PERIOD 6, cough, cough), the students overall are good-hearted and make me feel blessed to be a Bosco Brave.

Q: Compared to your prior school, what is different and similar to Bosco?

A: One of the main differences between Bosco and Halstrom, where I previously taught, is the classroom setting – Halstrom has a 1-on-1 philosophy and Bosco is a more traditional setting. Bosco’s setting and schedule is what I am most familiar with, particularly as a student, and so it is nice to settle into a routine. However, one aspect that I truly love about each campus is their spirit, friendship, and connectivity.

Q: Did you participate in any sports or clubs in High School?

A: In high school, I played basketball for all 4 years and participated in PTSA. I also volunteered at St. Jude Hospital.