Four-Star St. John Bosco Football cornerback Marcelles Williams recounts his encounter with NFL star Jalen Ramsey.
Photo by Jessie Christensen
On Tuesday, October 18th, Bosco Football welcomed Jalen Ramsey, a member of the Los Angeles Rams, Super Bowl Champion, three-time First Team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler, who met with all of the varsity defensive backs, including me, for around an hour and a half. He left me awestruck as he stood before me. Not only does he play for my favorite team, he happens to be my favorite player in the NFL.
I was sort of star-struck and couldn’t believe that I was able to meet and talk with arguably the best player in the world at my position. Ramsey’s where I strive to be someday and to hear how he got there inspired my Bosco Brothers and me. He gave some strong and influential messages during his time on campus. He talked about a lot of things that related to us, like college recruitment, watching film and the things he did at a young age to set himself up for success in the future. I feel that I will be able to use his words and advice to help guide me throughout my athletic journey.
When things go wrong, Jalen does not let it get to him and that can really help me in life by not letting my emotions get the best of me.
“Stay steady. Let me not get too mad, too down, too angry at myself, I just need to stay steady,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey is not your average NFL defensive back. What I believe separates him from the others is his mentality and all the extra work he puts in. Ramsey’s mantra is: “Be The Best. Simple.” He proves he is year in and year out. All the extra work he puts in contributes to that.
“There’s nothing that they can do that I haven’t seen in practice or stressed myself in practice that’s going to throw me off my pivot,” said Ramsey.
One thing I always liked about Jalen is how enthusiastic he is on the field. When he makes a play, you can count on the fact that he’s going to yell, scream and celebrate. That’s all a part of his “mind game,” as he calls it. Even though it may not seem like it, he actually has boundaries when it comes to talking to the opposing team.
“Other than family, I’m a go at you,” Ramsey said.
This isn’t the first time Bosco Football has had the opportunity to meet a celebrity or professional athlete on campus. Quavo, the Migos rapper, came to our practice my freshman year and played quarterback. In addition, Justin Herbert, the starting quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers, stopped by campus to shoot a Nike Commercial.
The experiences I get being a Bosco Brave are second to none. I truly cherish my time here and the memories I have made, especially getting to share this experience with my Bosco Brothers.
St. John Bosco High School welcomes Mrs. Cathy Roohan, a former Bosco parent, to the counseling staff as a Learning Specialist and STEP Counselor, working to serve all students with their academic needs.
Photo By Christian Angel, Managing Editor
Q. Where did you grow up?
A. As an immigrant family, I moved to where my father’s job took us. After we arrived in the United States, we lived in Eagle Rock and Koreatown. I also lived in Costa Mesa, Garden Grove and Huntington Beach. When people ask where I am from, I say Huntington Beach because I spent my high school years in HB, and it is the city where I spent the most years growing up as a teenager.
Q. What school did you attend for high school?
A. For high school, I attended a very small religious-based school, Liberty Christian School, in Huntington Beach. This is significant because it formed the foundation for my spirituality and Catholic-Christian worldview.
Q. What school did you attend for university?
A. I attended Boston College, just outside of Boston, Massachusetts for my undergraduate years. At this Jesuit college, I re-discovered my Catholic-Christian identity, which reshaped or redefined my worldview.
Q. What was your major/minor in college?
A. Philosophy and History double major. Many of my classes were in my pursuit of understanding my Korean/Asian American history, culture and identity. I was also interested in world religions in my pursuit to better understand my Catholic-Christian faith. I received my Master’s of Arts at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles in Special Education.
Q. Do you have any pets?
A. I have had a series of cats and dogs over my youth and adulthood. Our last family dog, MacDougal, passed away in 2021. He was very special to my family… a big loss.
Q. What do you like to do as a hobby?
A. I love to eat yummy food and cook! I spend a lot of my free time volunteering at my children’s clubs and organizations.
Q. What’s your outside interest?
A. Hiking and walking.
Q. Do you like or play any sports?
A. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I picked up jogging. I have completed a few half marathons and a 10K in the past few years. Also, I do 5Ks regularly for fundraisers or just to get out there.
Q. What is your role at Bosco?
A. At Bosco, I am the Learning Specialist and Counselor. I coordinate the STEP program for students.
Q. What made you decide to come to work at Bosco?
A. I came to work at Bosco through Mr. Salmingo, but I first learned about Bosco through my son, who graduated a few years back, Class of 2020.
Q. What specifically drew you to Bosco?
A. The best part of Bosco is that everyone is excited about their roles and people are fun and nice to work with. As a volunteer, I found that the staff and faculty were welcoming and grateful to the parents who volunteered. As a parent, over the years, I got involved in more activities because there was such a positive energy here. When considering working at Bosco, the positive, grateful and fun energy attributed to my wanting to accept the job!
Q. Where did you first become inspired to get into counseling?
A. I became interested in counseling in recent years because, in my previous job, I noticed that I effectively guided parents and students along their school and parenting journey.
Q. How are you acclimating to the all-boy environment?
A. Slowly but surely. This would be the newest aspect of my job here.
Q. Which event are you most excited about here at Bosco?
A. As I mentioned, I love community events or events where I can share my enthusiasm for SJB with others. I look forward to Open House, too.
Q. How has your time been at Bosco so far?
A. So far, I have been busy trying to learn and assimilate new information. Busy, but fun! I love meeting with students one-on-one to talk about how they feel about their learning and to offer different learning strategies, tricks or perspectives.
Q. What are your most exciting experiences this school year?
A. I enjoy the community activities; the latest one was Spirit Week for Homecoming. I dressed up for Twin Day and Adam Sandler Day and had a lot of fun! I also loved going to a high school fair representing SJB.
Q. What’s your favorite memory so far at Bosco?
A. I have many favorite memories as a parent: Mother-Son Mass & Brunch, Margherita’s Guild hospitality events–Salesian Dinner, baking pumpkin loaves for the staff and faculty, the football [CIF] championship game in 2019. I have fond memories of organizing the Lunar New Year Celebration. Lastly, I loved the Dia de Los Muertos celebration!
Q. Do you have any advice for any students that wish to become counselors?
A. To have empathy but to develop self-preservation techniques.
Q. What are your favorite types of food?
A. I love Indian, Italian, Vietnamese, Thai, Hawaiian, Sushi and, of course, Korean BBQ (Kalbi). I love fresh baked pastries and bread, fruit, boba, coffee and tea.
Q. What’s your favorite type of music to listen to?
A. It is difficult to use music category names as it has different meanings throughout time! I feel nostalgic and giggle when I hear 80s music and see its popularity with young people these days. These are a few of my favorite vocal artists or bands: Adele, Elton John, Sarah Brightman, Queen, Eurythmics, Sting, The Beatles, Blonde and Coldplay. And I enjoy Saturday Night Live.
Q. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be and why?
A. I would love to go back to Korea to see my relatives. My family and I were planning to go to Korea in Summer 2020, as a graduation celebration for my son. But with the pandemic, those plans got deferred. Secondly, I would love to return to Peru, as I was an exchange student there as a high school student and haven’t had the opportunity to return.
The Braves are in hot pursuit of another victory against their next Trinity League opponent, the Santa Margarita Eagles, in their last game of the 22-23 regular season before heading into the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs, where they will likely meet familiar foes such as The Mater Dei Monarchs. However, the 8-1 Braves have preserved their lethal and hardworking mindset for the 6-3 Eagles, and plan to make a statement against the Eagles prior to beginning the post season.
Photo By Alex Diaz, Photo Editor
Within the history of the Bosco Braves vs Santa Margarita Eagles, the Braves have been the perennial favorite, usually coming out on top, often in dominant fashion. The Eagles have always played with house money, using relentlessness and trickery to try and shock the Braves – but in recent years, that has yielded lopsided loses and dominant wins for the Braves. Both teams have faced nothing less than the toughest competition, but with the hard work Bosco Football has put in this season, there is no doubt the Braves will come out on top.
“It’s the preparation, every week the team comes out ready to play and the coaches come out ready with a great game plan. We prepare all week by putting in the work and it is going to show on Friday night so I just feel like it’s just gonna be one of those nights which it has been for the last times we have played them,” said Senior Quarterback Pierce Clarkson. “The thing that has been different was that our energy has been higher as a team and I really feel like it is going to elevate our play tomorrow night.”
The last contest held between both teams ended in a 41-16 win for the Braves, but both teams have upgraded their game since then. As the 22-23 season concludes, the stats both teams have put up this season are proof of the advances made in offense and defense.
Some of the most impressive stats from the Braves this season are 110 passes completed, 54 touchdowns, 748 tackles and seven interceptions. The Eagles currently have completed 193 passes, scored 40 touchdowns and recorded 561 tackles and four interceptions. The stats both the Braves and the Eagles have produced are some of the best in the country which hopefully will lead to a competitive match-up this Friday.
Although the Braves have been able to dominate almost any team put in front of them, they still treat any team with the respect and energy that they would treat their biggest rivals with. One of keys to the dominance of the Braves is not just the brotherhood but as well as the ability to not underestimate their opponent, which will be one of the reasons the Braves will not disappoint this Friday.
“We worry about everybody, that is when things go wrong, you start overlooking people by looking ahead, but we try taking it one game at a time. We will treat Santa Margarita just like how we treat every other opponent, by preparing and practicing as hard as we can so we can come out victorious” said Coach Lacy.
As the regular season closes, Bosco Football made sure to put up a show last Friday against the Orange Lutheran Lancers. Hundreds of seats were filled at the Panish Family Stadium to watch the Braves dominate the Lancers, and the game ended in a 48-7 blowout victory for the Braves, who recorded the lopsided stat line of eleven completed passes, seven touchdowns, 41 tackles, and a single interception.
It was truly a magical night for the Braves and they are ready to put on another magic show up this Friday against the Santa Margarita Eagles, inside of Panish Family Stadium at 7:00 p.m.
St. John Bosco High School welcomes new athletic trainer and sports medicine teacher, Mr. Christian Knighten, as he works his hardest to give the best possible experience, treatment, and wisdom to the athletes and students on and off the field.
Photo by Alex Diaz, Photo Editor
Q. Where were you born?
A. I was born at Torrance Memorial Hospital.
Q. Where did you grow up?
A. From the age of three, I was raised in Mariposa California. So while I was born in Los Angeles, I consider my hometown to be Mariposa, a small little mountain town at the base of Yosemite National Park.
Q. Where did you go to college and what did you study?
A. I studied at Long Beach State university, with my major being Athletic Training.
Q. What was your dream job growing up as a kid?
A. As a kid my dream jobs changed from wanting to be a movie director or screenwriter to working in physical therapy.
Q. What made you want to work as an athletic trainer?
A. When I tore my ACL in high school, I learned about sports medicine through my physical therapy / rehab process. I wanted to do something involving medicine in my life, but also wanted to stay connected with sports. Finding athletic training was the perfect balance between those two ideals.
Q. What is your favorite part of being an athletic trainer?
A. My favorite part of athletic training is the people you meet. In the sports world, there are tons of unique individuals that can really leave an impact on your life.
Q. Where have you worked previously?
A. Bosco is my first athletic training job, I was hired right after graduating from Cal State Long Beach. But I did internships at Upland High School, Bosco, and Long Beach State during my time as a student.
Q. How long have you worked as a Certified Athletic Trainer?
A. I have been a Certified Athletic Trainer for about four months now since June.
Q. What made you choose to come back to St. John Bosco and what excites you the most about it?
A. I had interned at Bosco the previous year, and really enjoyed my time there as a student and the environment that exists at Bosco. While it can be hectic with the little time and small space we have to work with the athletes during lunch, those times are also fun and exciting.
Q. How has your time at St. John Bosco been so far?
A. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Bosco so far – everyone has been super helpful with helping me get accommodated with teaching and putting myself out into the professional world.
Q. What is a typical day like for you as an Athletic Trainer at Bosco?
A. I wake up around six in the morning, make breakfast, get ready for the day and usually leave my apartment to get to school around 7:20-7:30 am most days. Then depending if I have class or not, I either get caught up on grading or getting my next lesson plan ready for my classes. Then at lunch, we give treatment for athletes or either help setup for games or practice. Usually the day ends with football practice in which we leave around 6-6:30 pm and on game days we leave around 11pm-12am.
Q. What are your hobbies?
A. I mostly play video games in my free time.
Q. What is your favorite food?
A. Steak and mashed potatoes.
Q. What is your favorite fast food and what is your typical order?
A. In-N-Out 4×4 with Animal Fries and strawberry milkshake
Q. What is your favorite movie?
A. My favorite movie is the Shawshank Redemption.
Q. What is your favorite sport and what team is your favorite?
A. My favorite sport is Basketball, and my favorite team is the Warriors.
Q. Do you have a favorite athlete?
A. Steph Curry, he is just so inspirational!
Q. Did you play any sports in high school, and if so, what did you play?
A. I played basketball all throughout high school, hence my torn ACL sophomore year.
Q. What type of music do you enjoy?
A. I bounce around a lot between the music I listen to, but it’s usually different forms of Rock. Whether it is Classic Rock, Metal, Grunge, Punk Rock, Alternative, Emo, etc. But I do also dabble in some Country as it does remind me of my hometown a bit.
Q. Morning or Night person and why?
A. Morning person, I always wake up around 6-7 am everyday even on the weekends. And I usually go to bed around 11 pm no matter what. I am more productive in the morning than at night.
Q. What is one place you would like to travel around the world?
A. If I could travel anywhere in the world, I would say Japan.
In the wake of Homecoming Week, alumni faculty reflect on the influence St. John Bosco High School had on their own academic career. With many alumni returning to teach at Bosco, the brotherhood continues to grow stronger within the Brave community.
Photo by Robert Visty III, Photo Editor
Since St. John Bosco was established in 1940, the school has been constructed around four core values. These include the ideals of St. John Bosco being a home, school, church and playground. Homecoming made the students feel the pillar of home more than ever with all of the fun activities. This is especially true for the alumni faculty, as Bosco is much more than just a job.
Many great alumni teachers, such as Mr. Walter Wippler ’83, Mr. Joe Griffin ’75 and Mr. Derrick Fernando ’00, have found their way back to Bosco. All these teachers have truly been a major part of the Bosco community over the years as students, athletes, coaches and teachers. These experiences that they have attained from all these years is now shared to the community, which brings a sense of unity. Although the reasoning for returning differs amongst teachers, the concept of the second home is viable in each of their stories.
Mr. Wippler ’83 has been in the Bosco community for over 30 years. He is currently the head of the Engineering pathway as well as a physics instructor. Outside the classroom, he is the faculty moderator for Bosco’s Robotics Team 4123.
“I worked part-time for the youth program here at Bosco when I was in college and I really enjoyed teaching. And so Jim Cross, one of the English teachers at the time, and Brother Nold, one of the Salesians during this time, said, ‘Hey we have an opening in the science department.’ So I applied and both Brother Nold and Jim Cross were very happy that I took on this position,” said Mr. Wippler.
However, there is still a reasoning behind why Mr. Wippler came back to his home at Bosco specifically and why he has stayed for all these years.
“I came back because of the welcomeness of the Bosco home and I thought to myself, if I’m going to work anywhere I would want it to be here,” said Mr. Wippler.
As a student, he immediately picked soccer, which he enjoyed and played for a long time. Ultimately, he found his love for music, which prompted him to join the marching band. In his years in the marching band, they went on to have over 50 members. One of his favorite memories was being apart of the band when Bosco defeated the “Team in Red.” As a student, Bosco truly was a second home for Mr. Wippler.
“ I see the brotherhood of Bosco is the students that I have taught,” Mr. Wippler said. “For example, not too long ago, a student of mine graduated in 2017, who was in the first Engineering [Pathway] cohort, came back to visit to catch up on what has been going on in this student’s life, letting me know that he is finishing up a double master’s in Business and Systems Engineering”.
Mr. Griffin of the class of ’75 is another one of the profound alumni teachers Bosco has had. Mr. Griffin has been part of the Salesian family for over 40 years. As of now, Mr. Griffin is a religion teacher as well as the freshmen football offensive line coach. When it comes to a classroom or on the field, Mr. Griffin is a teacher of experience.
Much like Mr. Wippler, Mr. Griffin has a backstory as to why he became a teacher.
“If you would have told me I was going to be a teacher when I was here, I would’ve told you that you were crazy. But I started to think about becoming a teacher when I started taking school seriously in my senior year of college,” said Mr. Griffin. “After ten years of teaching, I came back because there was a greater opportunity at Bosco for me as a teacher to be here and this is going to be my 33rd year here, coming in with Mr. [Bob] Linares and Mr. [Ernie] Antonelli.”
The brotherhood that has impacted all of us has impacted Mr. Griffin the most.
Many students have received great advice from Mr. Griffin given his many years of experience. One of his most notable quotes: “To work like a champion, not play like a champion.”
Mr. Griffin also believes that students should not wait until the end of their academic career to take their studies seriously. It is teachers like Mr. Griffin that contain a lot of wisdom that can be shared to newer generations. This is a key reason why having alumni teachers is crucial for the Bosco community.
Mr. Fernando of the class of ’00 also has been an integral part of the community. Although Mr. Fernando has not been teaching as long as Mr. Wippler and Mr. Griffin, he still attains the wisdom that is beneficial for many students of Bosco. Today, Mr. Fernando teaches American Literature for juniors and British Literature for seniors.
Like his alumni colleagues, there is a story as to why he decided to come home to Bosco.
“The short answer is I was just good at it. But a couple of my professors from LMU made mention of a graduate degree and a teaching fellowship that would help pay for it. And while my grandmother and aunt were both teachers, I never considered being a teacher until that point in time,” said Mr. Fernando.
Bosco also includes great younger alumni teachers that are just as important to the home of Bosco as the more veteran ones. By having young and old alumni teachers, the community is brought closer together in the younger and older generations.
Some other notable alumni teachers include Mr. Garcia-Esparza ’16, Mr. Nold ’08 and Mr. Solarza ’13. Even though these teachers have not been around as long as Mr. Wippler, Mr. Griffin and Mr. Fernando, they still have a tremendous impact with the younger students and making them good young men.
Mr. Garcia-Esparza, has had an impact on the classroom and on the court since he graduated in ’16. When he was a student, he was the head football and basketball manager. Along with this, he was a student council member, student ambassador and played rugby.
“I started looking into this path when I started coaching football and basketball at St. Raymond Catholic. I was very much into sports, the sports world and sports careers,” said Mr. Garcia-Esparza. “I worked for the Clippers and the Rams, but when I took that experience, I saw the little things. Then I got the call here that we needed somebody to fill in the role of a Spanish teacher and felt that I was well prepared for our Spanish courses. Great teachers like Mrs. Rayas and Mrs. Hunt helped me get through my college classes, and I was more than happy to answer the call back home.”
Another young alumni teacher is Mr. Nold ’08. Although he did not participate in as many extracurriculars as Mr. Garcia-Esparza, he found himself in the film and media world. In college, he took a film and media class and found his love in the visual arts. Later in college, he found calling in animation and soon after decided he would like to share his skills to other aspiring animators.
These skills he has attained were all self-taught, which shows his true passion behind the visual arts. As of now, Mr. Nold teaches Animation one, two, and three. Mr. Nold also has a major role in the production Brave Vision.
Mr. Solorza ’13 is another example of a great young alumni teacher. He was in cross country as well as track in his time as a student. He also published a few articles for the Brave News. Mr. Solorza is now in his second year teaching Environmental Science, AP Environmental Science and Astronomy.
“I started coaching back in 2017 and realized how much I enjoyed it. Andd I love being around the guys, which ultimately led me into teaching, and fortunately I got to teach what I learned in college, which was pretty cool, and now be with the guys on and off the field,” said Mr. Solorza.
From all these teachers, older and younger generations, there is one clear idea about their so-called second home, which is the idea that the Salesian family spirit will never die. It is vital that more alumni come back to Bosco because their experiences are too valuable to not be shared with future generations of Braves.
The Braves pulled off an impressive 31-0 win against JeSerra to move to 2-1 in Trinity League play, and look to put on another show for the fans tonight against the Orange Lutheran Lancers.
Photo by Alex Diaz, Photo Editor
Last Friday, the Braves added a seventh win to their collection in the Homecoming game against the JSerra Lions. This imposing win places the Braves second in the Trinity League, second in California and fourth in the nation, with their only loss coming to the “Team in Red.”
Entering the contest, the Braves were confident considering all of the work that went into this match up. Defensively, the Braves were dominant with 84 tackles in total, and senior defensive back Jshawn Frausto-Ramos secured two interceptions – one he returned for a touchdown.
“Heading into game day I was very confident because it was our Homecoming game,” said Jshawn. “The reason our defense was so on point was because of our defensive coordinators getting us ready for the game.”
Despite the lopsided final score, the first quarter of the game was very competitive with a score of 3-0, the only points being scored by junior kicker Marcus Lee.
Going into the second quarter the game’s score was 10-0, with a promising start for the Braves. Within the first minute of the second quarter, senior quarterback Pierce Clarkson completed a four-yard passing touchdown to junior wide receiver Tommy Maher.
The third quarter began with the Braves ahead 17-0. Two minutes into the quarter, senior defensive back Jshawn Frausto-Ramos caught one of his two interceptions. In the last two minutes senior quarterback Pierce Clarkson completed a 22-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Israel Polk.
In the last quarter, the Braves sealed the deal with junior running back Cameron Jones completing a 13-yard rushing touchdown ending the game with a 31-0 win for the Braves
“It was a really productive week at practice. Coming off the loss to the “Team in Red,” we were energetic and excited to get back. We’re not where we want to be yet just because we do not want to peak that early. You know, we got playoffs coming up, so that is when we’re going to be at our best”, Israel said.
The Braves look sharper than ever heading into their match-up against Orange Lutheran. The game plan remains the same: go out and dominate.
“It’s going be the same thing as last week, like I said, we always go day in and day out and give it our all in practice, so it should be the same outcome. We don’t go into games underestimating anybody, but we do aim for blowouts and big wins,” said Israel.
The Braves are riding a 7-1 record while the Lancers are sporting a 6-2 record, which will be another competitive treat for the fans. This contest will take place at 7:00 pm at Bosco’s Panish Family Stadium.
Following a blowout victory during Friday night’s Homecoming Game against Orange Lutheran High School, the Homecoming Dance took place on Sunday afternoon, as the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County hosted St. John Bosco and St. Joseph’s to provide a unique and exciting Homecoming experience.
Photo by St. John Bosco Student Life
Bosco’s administration chose this venue because it allowed exhibits to be open and accessible, setting a Jurrassic age tone for the dance. Complete fossil structures and life sized dinosaurs were large centerpieces for the evening, and right as the doors opened, they were made clearly visible.
Throughout the dance floor many prehistoric animal enclosures depicted and showcased many animals in their natural environment. The area known as “Mammal Hall” helped the students feel surrounded by the prehistoric setting. The venue played a major part in the awe-inspiring evening, with many feeling as if they traveled back in time.
“The theme was ‘Back to the Ages,’ so being in the Natural History Museum it kind of set the theme for itself,” said freshmen Associated Student Body (ASB) member and commissioner Kai Maldonado.
The Homecoming Dance Planning Committee more than did their part, providing food and refreshments for the evening. Ample drinks, such as punch, lemonade and refreshing water, were available throughout the entire night, while cheese displayed elegantly on charcuterie boards was readily available.
“The Homecoming Planning Committee really went above and beyond this evening,” said senior and ASB Co-President Ryan Gutierrez. “I helped choose this venue, and it really stood out to me. I hope it made a really positive impact and a memorable experience on all the guests in attendance.”
Students felt that the dance also provided an experience that they could be proud of. Many Bosco Braves and St. Joseph’s Jesters alike brought dates from other schools. It allowed many new faces to have a great impression of our community.
“I thought the whole night was really cool,” said senior Pierce Watt. “I brought a date from a large public school in my area, and she told me how great the evening was.”
The music was able to accomplish the difficult task of living up the teenagers’ expectations. The DJ for the evening clearly did their best to appeal to the crowd, as the students felt they exceeded their hopes for the evening. The music seemed to be in touch with the listening habits of everyone in the audience.
Students look forward to the next formal dance of the year: Winter Formal hosted by St. Joseph’s. Seniors and their dates will also be able to attend Prom later in April of this year.
Last weekend, the St. John Bosco Theater Company presented their first play of the year. With many new faces on opening night, there is a lot to look forward to for the theater department.
Directed by Mr. Martin Lang, this year’s fall production, Peter and the Starcatcher, is an origin story to the iconic 1953 Disney film, Peter Pan. The production follows the orphan boy in green played by senior Alex Palmer along with the infamous Black Stache played by senior Connor Sheehan.
The play is filled with plenty of British accents, pirates and magic to keep all ages on the edge of their seat. Although the play is not considered a musical, there is still an enjoyable amount of choreography and live singing. Throughout the production, the cast was complimented by a live percussionist and pianist.
What made the play’s opening weekend stand out the most were all of the new faces in the cast. This production saw six new male cast members to join the St. John Bosco Theater Company, leaving only lead roles Alex Palmer and Connor Sheehan with prior experience. However, these actors did not fall short in talent nor chemistry.
One headline actor was freshmen Kai Maldonado. Kai has years of experience acting, and it showed. As a freshman, Kai still had to acclimate to the acting culture at Bosco leading up to opening night.
“I’ve had a lot of fun getting to know the rest of the cast. The upperclassmen really helped me get to know what theater is all about here at Bosco,” said Kai.
New faces came in all ages, as there were a few new upperclassmen additions as well. Most notably, senior Jack Scalas as well as juniors Daniel Cedillo and Grant Hildalgo-Villanueva made their high school theater debuts this past weekend.
“I used to do theater in middle school. I have always liked doing it,” said Grant. “Since COVID-19, I kind of strayed away from it. However, I am thankful for Alex [Palmer] and Mr. Lang, as they were a big part in why I came back to performing in theater.”
Saint Joseph High School has and will continue to be a large part in Bosco’s biannual productions. The lead female role, Molly, is played by senior Eva Sadler. With Peter and the Starcatcher being her sixth production between St. John Bosco and St. Joseph, Eva is no stranger to Bosco’s crowd. However, there are always learning curves to new roles and personas played by the cast.
“My biggest challenge was learning the lines in which I am speaking “Norse Code” [a fictional nautical language]. Those difficult words really messed with my head,” Eva said.
Even with many new faces, the cast had an exciting and successful opening weekend for their performance of Peter and The Starcatcher. The cast will finish shows this weekend with productions tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30pm and a closing Sunday show at 2:30pm.
The Bosco Theater Company will then take a much deserved break and pick it back up in the Spring. The Company invites you to get involved in the arts and try out next show.
“Try it out! Theater has been my absolute favorite experience throughout all of high school, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t also the hardest,” said Eva. “The work and dedication you put into a show will reward you on opening night. There’s no feeling like being on stage, especially when you adore the role you’re playing.”
Mr. Geoff McArthur arrives at St. John Bosco High School seeing his younger self in many of the Brave student body and with the hope to teach the Braves about how perspective as well as respect can better the world.
Photo By Robert Visty III, Photo Editor
Mr. McArthur grew up in South Central Los Angeles and went to Palisades High School, where he was coached by Steve Clarkson, father of current Braves quarterback Pierce Clarkson. He attributes finding out about the opening at Bosco to Coach Clarkson.
Mr. McArthur holds the record for most receiving yards at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was recruited after having the most receiving yards in the country during his senior year at Palisades. He was Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ primary target during their shared time at Cal – and was a projected second round draft pick prior to his decision to walk away from playing football. Educationally, he received a Bachelor’s in Social Welfare from UC-Berkeley and went on to receive a Master’s in Education from Lindenwood University.
Prior to coming to Bosco, McArthur started Canada Prep Academy to provide Canadian student-athletes with the opportunity to achieve a football scholarship from American colleges. There, he was the head football coach and a philosophy teacher. McArthur served as the wide receivers coach at El Camino College from 2018 to 2019 and the head coach at St. Monica High School from July 2020 to January 2022.
Coming from another Catholic school, McArthur is no stranger to the impact that the presence of God and the Church at a school provides.
“It’s something I’m familiar with, especially coaching and teaching at St. Monica Catholic High School,” said Mr. McArthur. “I enjoy being Catholic. I enjoy trying to emulate people like St. John Bosco. Being Catholic really matters to me.”
After going to the doctor in the Spring of 2022 because he was feeling lethargic and sickly, Mr. McArthur was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin diffuse large b-cell lymphoma. He thought his exhaustion was due to his commute that encompassed over a hundred miles and multiple hours each day, as he was coaching Spring ball at Bosco and continuing to teach at St. Monica’s. Mr. McArthur received his last chemotherapy treatment this October.
“Anytime you have your life on the line, you start to reflect – I can get kind of emotional about it – because it’s one of those things where you don’t know where your time is meant to end, and when you have something looming over your head, you look back at your life and then decide how to move forward,” said Mr. McArthur. “The first thing I decided to do was to stay active and involved. I was definitely worn out.”
A true “Brave,” he continued to coach and teach throughout his treatment. He improved his diet, and now drinks a cup of tea every morning, which he sees as a testament to the lifestyle changes he made to attack his disease with as much strength as possible. In addition to personal changes, Mr. McArthur attributes a lot of the successes in his fight against cancer to the intangibles, rooted in the support and love of the Bosco community.
“I don’t think I would have done as well if I didn’t have the Bosco family. They have been super supportive throughout the entire process. At times, I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it. I thought I would be too weak, but Dr. Anderson and Coach Negro really came in and gave me the support I needed to go even harder,” Mr. McArthur said.
“Bosco has kept me proud and happy and purposeful, and I’m forever grateful for being here during that time.”
Coach Negro hired Mr. McArthur in early 2022, and the success of the move is already clear. On the field, the Braves receiving room has produced 1386 total receiving yards on 76 total receptions.
His wide receivers, the Bosco Football and students at Bosco on the whole are people he looks at with awe and admiration for their work ethic and brotherhood.
“Watching them mature and develop is really fun to watch. Our guys are bonding – went to Oregon and Texas, and the team bonding has been fulfilling to see,” said Mr. McArthur.
His happiness for the 6-1 Braves is palpable, but he admits that the more exciting thing is what the Braves have yet to accomplish.
“We’re playing at a really high level, but there’s room to improve,” Mr. McArthur said. “We haven’t peaked yet, and it’s like, ‘Oh my god! We can be better than we are right now?’”
There’s no doubt that Mr. McArthur will be instrumental in that improvement, helping not just Bosco Football but our entire community reach their peaks.
The “Brave For a Day” shadow program is one of Bosco’s top admissions resources. With a successful start to the application season, more prospective students are learning about Bosco’s Brotherhood.
Photo by Bosco Admissions
St. John Bosco hosted its first group of “shadows” on September 7th and have been going strong ever since. The school has hosted around 150 shadows so far and that number is going to grow with more future Braves shadowing over the upcoming months. There is expected to be over 500 shadows by the end of the application season. The shadow program is essential for our admissions as over 50% of shadows end up attending Bosco and joining the Brotherhood.
When students shadow, the parents of those prospective students are able to take a tour around campus. Spearheaded by Ms. Patty Lazcano, parents get to learn about the Bosco experience and the programs the school has to offer.
“We start in the 200 building, go over to the 300/400 buildings, then we crossover to the athletic side and show them the weight room and talk about the garden, then talk about our other soccer and lacrosse fields, then we come back with a Q and A at the end,” said Ms. Lazcano.
Ms. Lazcano as the Shadow Program Coordinator has a big role in the school’s admissions and getting new students into the Bosco Brotherhood. When asked how parents feel about shadowing at Bosco, she replied, “Really really good. The kids are no different, either; they always say they had a great day.”
Shadow Luca Liren is an eighth grader and hockey player from Long Beach. He shadowed Patrick Cech and enjoyed his time learning about the day-to-day life and programs on campus.
“[My experience has] actually been pretty good. The sports team, the people and the teachers are nice,” said Luca.
Luca enjoyed his time at Bosco and would is strongly considering coming back as a student next year. This is because he believes it would help prepare him for college and sports. If he attends, he will play hockey for the Braves and could be seen being a key contributor in a few years for the school’s team.
These kinds of experiences are a testament to what the Bosco community is all about. The Bosco Family welcomes anyone from anywhere from any background.
A lot of our current Braves were once shadows, and now, the roles are reversed, as they become role models by showing the next generation how to be a Brave. This is the case for Ignacio Fonseca. He shadowed as an 8th grader and loved his experience, ultimately driving him to enroll at Bosco.
“It was different for me because I really looked up to this school. I’ve been wanting to come here as a kid and the shadow day really solidified that for me,” said Ignacio, Class of ’24.
The Brave News 