by Dominic Ramirez

This year, St. John Bosco welcomes Mr. Tommy Johnson, an accomplished artist and athlete, to the Brave community.

Q. What classes do you teach?

A. I teach art classes and yearbook here at Bosco.

Q. What high school did you attend?

A. I went to Calvert Hall College High School, in Towson Maryland. I received the Princeton award for best high school artist in the country.

Q. Are you from California? If not, where are you from?

A. I am originally from Lutherville, Maryland. I had a fishing pond in my front yard, I miss that.

Q. What college did you attend?

A. I went to Loyola College in Maryland. The mascot is the Greyhounds.

Q. What was your major/minor in college?

A. I majored in arts and teaching. I was the captain of a national championship lacrosse team, and I played professional lacrosse for the Baltimore Thunder. I have been teaching art and coaching lacrosse since I graduated.

Q. Where did you teach before Bosco?

A. Most recently, I taught at Realm Academy.

Q. Why do you want to teach art at Bosco?

A. I love teaching art and it never gets old. I would like to take Bosco’s art program to the next level. I would like for art to not be just a one and done class. I want the students who love art, are passionate about it and have what it takes to put in the hours, time and dedication, to be able to continue into intermediate art onto advanced art programs.

Q. What is your favorite part of teaching art?

A. I tell the boys in my class that this is their class, and that they picked art, so if they waste time, if they don’t work, if they don’t get involved, then they will miss out on an amazing world of art. Art can stimulate, make a statement and inspire others, with no limits. My class offers a bit more freedom, and a place to express yourself, reflect, use your imagination, thoughts, emotions, beliefs, ideas, dreams and your skills, in a visual form.

Q. What is some advice that you have for freshmen who just started at Bosco?

A. I know it can be scary at first, but everyone here at Bosco is here for you, including all the faculty and all of your new brothers, so reach out, join sports, join clubs and get involved. Time goes by too fast, and before you know it you will be a senior and getting ready to start the process all over again, so enjoy every second of every day.

Q. What is some advice that you have for seniors who are leaving Bosco?

A. Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help, or to help others. Go for it, shoot for the stars, and if you land in the clouds or even the trees, its ok. Do what you love, take a leap of faith and follow your heart. Finally, never forget where you came from, because the most important thing in life is family and friends, so surround yourself with good people.

Q. How are you enjoying Bosco?

A. I really like the students, its a great class and group of young men.  I’m excited to join the community and to be part of the Brave Nation.

Q. Do you have any advice for any students trying to pursue a career in art?

A. It is not just paper and pencil with some paints, it’s expressing your ideas and your feelings, and creating a different view of the world.

Q. What kind of music do you listen to?

A. I enjoy classic rock, the Stones, U2, Floyd, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Beatles but not so much country. I like Tupac and Drake but not music that has a lot of nasty words, it makes it hard for me to get into. It really isn’t so much who I listen to, but the song itself. I also enjoy Michael Jackson, The WHO, Frank Sinatra and JB.

Q. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?

A. I would like to travel back home where most of my family is, or back to Ireland, a place with a lot of land.

Q. Who are some of your favorite artists?

A. My favorite artists include Warhol, Frankenthaler, Posada and Pollack. Also, I like Stan Lee’s imagination, and the true story behind Spiderman. Again, everything starts with pencil, paper and a simple idea.

Q. What do you do in your free time?

A. I spend time with family, watch sports, go fishing and watch movies.

Q. Do you follow any sports or sports teams?

A. Yes, I like the Baltimore Ravens.

Q. What is your favorite holiday?

A. My favorite holiday is Christmas because I believe in Santa. I also love doing the tree, with all the trimmings.

Q. What is your favorite color and why?

A. My favorite color is aqua blue. I’ve spent a lot of time on the ocean and love the water.

Q. Red Vines or Twizzlers?

A. I like Sweet-Tarts, Swedish Fish and gummy anything, hold the red vines and the Twizzlers.

Q. What is your zodiac sign?

A. My zodiac sign is Cancer, or the crab.

by Eric Torres, Editor-in-Chief

From St. John Bosco High School to the United States Air Force to the Middle East, nobody knows more than alumnus Bruce Horvat, ‘59, about what it means to be a Brave.

Mr. Horvat was born just prior to World War II in Ohio. Being the oldest child in a lower to middle-class family with four siblings, his family moved out to California due to the better opportunities that the war industry presented. Although his family settled down in Long Beach, Mr. Horvat did not go to school there. Like many students find today, public school just wasn’t the right fit, which is why he ended up at St. John Bosco. 

“Public school was extremely easy for me, and so I would get into trouble. For example, I would create my own hall passes,” said Mr. Horvat.

The St. John Bosco campus that Mr. Horvat attended is drastically different from what is known to the Braves’ students today. At that time, the only resemblance to today’s campus was the football field and the pool. 

At St. John Bosco, Mr. Horvat found people who were just like him. He fit in well to the Bosco community, as he played football, involved himself with the library and was even a member of the student newspaper. This allowed Mr. Horvat to take a lot away from his experience at St. John Bosco. 

“When I left, I didn’t realize how much I took away from Bosco. I was taking away getting over the fear of making mistakes, which took me some time to get over. Also, I had problems getting along with people originally, but at Bosco, everybody was my peer, and I didn’t have any problems,” said Mr. Horvat.

Following high school, Mr. Horvat did not go straight into the military. Rather, he wanted to get a degree in retail sales. However, Mr. Horvat found that the courses did not interest him and the college route was not for him. 

Following his dissatisfaction with college, Mr. Horvat enlisted in the military. With the knowledge that a draft was looming, Mr. Horvat decided that he wanted a larger say in his military involvement, so as to avoid being drafted into ground troops in the Army. 

Mr. Horvat finally found what he was looking for in the United States Air Force. The regimentation and focus demanded in the military is what Mr. Horvat needed. 

Although he went through the same required basic training as everyone else, due to his high test scores, he served in the IT department and worked with the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE), a project that was a turning point in the use of computers and IT for warfare and defense. He also obtained the opportunity to study at the IBM School in Kingston, New York. 

In his first assignment, Mr. Horvat worked in the Chicago Air Defense Sector, and he was stationed at Truax Field, on the edge of Madison, Wisconsin. Working with Air Defense Command, the primary purpose was the protection of Chicago and the surrounding areas. Within the military’s IT department, this meant tracking on some days over 350 aircraft at a time. 

Mr. Horvat’s service as a U.S. Air Force SAGE Digital Computer Repairman allowed him to work on many different projects. Of chief interest was his work repairing what is considered the first digital computer ever created, which was manufactured by IBM for the military. 

From Wisconsin, Mr. Horvat moved on to become an advisor for the Air Force’s SAGE department in Portland, Oregon. This was a similar working environment, this time with the Air Defense Command in Oregon. However, another twist of fate in Mr. Horvat’s life came as the Air Force closed down the SAGE project in 1968, causing him to leave the military for the rest of his life. 

“I am grateful for my time with the military. It made me a better person, and I came out with something positive. I recommend the military to all young men, because you learn to become self-sufficient,” said Mr. Horvat. 

The next chapter in Mr. Horvat’s life came in Pocatello, Idaho, as he worked in the computer center at Idaho State University as a Senior Program Developer. Due to his strong military background and education, Mr. Horvat found that although his work kept him busy, it was quite easy. 

As a result of his fluency in multiple computer programs, he was given “special projects.” He later served as Acting Computer Department Director at Idaho State University.

Following his time at Idaho State University, Mr. Horvat transitioned to being a Computer Manager for a State Auditor’s Office in Boise, Idaho. However, this would only last for a short while. 

At this point, Mr. Horvat made a pivotal decision, one that began his life in work abroad. After discovering that Lockheed Martin, an aircraft industry projects company in California, was working on a project in Iran, Mr. Horvat became a Systems Designer. At the time, Lockheed Martin was working on a maintenance facility for jumbo jets. 

Although his home base was located just outside of Ontario, California, Mr. Horvat spent a lot of time in Iran, foreshadowing future work in the Middle East, giving presentations. In what seemed to be destiny, Mr. Horvat also met his wife, Guity, in Iran. 

“When I went to Iran, it was lovely. The people were very nice; I tried to follow the customs as much as I could. I tried to learn as much as possible about their customs,” said Mr. Horvat.

However, Mr. Horvat’s time in Iran was short lived, as Lockheed Martin’s project was canceled in Iran due to the change in regimes, with Ayatollah Khomeini establishing an anti-Western Islamic republic in the country. 

The change in Iran’s government forced yet another transition of jobs for  Mr. Horvat. This time, for a short period, he worked as Computer Manager for a film development company. 

After receiving a job offer in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Horvat, who now had a family to take care of, came to the decision to move the family out to Saudi Arabia. He now had a son, Christopher, and a daughter, Dena.

Mr. Horvat cited valuable lessons he learned from Bosco that aided him during fatherhood.

“I learned to be honest with my kids, especially my son, and to always try to be understanding, but firm,” said Mr. Horvat.

Prior to the move abroad, Mr. Horvat worked with the local soccer association due to his son’s interest in playing soccer. However, with the move to Saudi Arabia, Mr. Horvat’s children went to an American school in Saudi Arabia.

In Saudi Arabia, Mr. Horvat again observed the customs and culture of the people, even drawing some insight into the Islamic world. 

“People, deep down inside, are mostly the same. Their customs may vary, but a lot of people have the same beliefs that we do. The religion of Islam worships the same God that Catholics and Christians do,” said Mr. Horvat. 

In Saudi Arabia, where he spent about the next 30 years of his life, Mr. Horvat again transitioned between a few jobs. He first worked as a Database Manager for a Saudi customs agency. His first  job was in the port city of Jeddah, as well as the capital city Riyadh, where he helped collect taxes on imports and made sure no undesired people entered the country. 

Mr. Horvat then went on to work at a Saudi bank, which was the last place that he worked. There, he served as a Software Business Analyst and Developer. Basically, he wrote programs to help the new machines to be as efficient as possible. At the same Saudi bank, he became the Project Manager. In this job, he had to convince management of the importance of security, which at the time was a relatively new idea. 

Finally, Mr. Horvat worked as the Head of Information Security for the Saudi bank up until his eventual retirement in 2011. Since then, he has gotten back into some old hobbies that he had as a child, such as building model airplanes, trains and boats.

But Mr. Horvat most enjoys traveling with his wife. They have a summer home on the Mediterranean coast in Turkey and have been lucky to travel all over the world. 

“Be polite and respectful, do not compare everything to the U.S. because it is not respectful. Try and speak the local language if you can, most people will be happy you tried, so do your best,” said Mr. Horvat.

Throughout his life, Mr. Horvat held many different memberships and was a part of many associations. Chief among those was the Certified Information Systems Security Professionals, which was the toughest one to obtain. In order to become a member, Mr. Horvat had to demonstrate a wide knowledge of the potential threats to a computer’s integrity.

Nowadays, Mr. Horvat resides in Arizona with his wife, and is actually writing about his experiences in the United States Air Force. Through his lessons, experiences and personality Mr. Horvat demonstrates the gold standard for all Bosco Braves.

by Ethan Gibbs

Being a competitor in an individual sport presents me with a unique experience. Win or lose, there is no one to blame but myself.

When I am climbing up the ladder to the diving board, my brain is racing a million miles per hour. I am thinking about all the possibilities, positive or negative. “Am I gonna smack,” “What if I lose my spot” and “If I squeeze my shoulders I could rip.” 

The second I take my first step on the board, my mind is clear. I am 100% focused on my dive and think about nothing else. It is as if every thought and emotion leaves my body.

After I hit the water, everything comes back to me, all the emotions and thoughts. I start thinking about how good my dive was, and if I am going to get good scores. 

My name is Ethan Gibbs, and I am a springboard diver for St. John Bosco and for my club team, Crown Valley Divers. I will continue to dive for Bosco my senior year, as I did my sophomore year.

When I am on the board, I appear completely calm to those watching me. It is like I don’t have a care in the world. All I am thinking about is doing the best dive I possibly can. I look like I am at peace, but in reality, that is not the case. I am doing my best to seem that way because diving is all about how you present yourself on the board, as well as off the board. 

There are little things divers do to try and increase their score. For example, smiling at the judges and looking prepared will sometimes increase your score by a point. A lot of divers will talk to the judges after a competition and be friendly toward them so that next time the judge sees them in competition, he could potentially favor them over another diver. 

My team and I practice tirelessly before I compete. In the practice session, there are divers on every single board, and they are diving left and right. However, when the time comes for the meet to start, everything changes. When it is my turn, I am alone. None of my teammates are with me. It is silent, and I have every single person’s eyes on me. Everything is on me, and I can’t rely on my teammates for anything. After I complete my dive, I get to be with my teammates and other divers until it is my turn again.

When I was six years old, I started diving at McCormick Divers in Long Beach at the Belmont Plaza Pool. I participated in a diving summer camp. One practice, while I was trying a new dive, I over-rotated and smacked on my back. It hurt a lot and I still can remember the pain from that incident. When I was six I became scared of diving and decided that I did not want to participate in the class any longer. A year later, my parents and I moved to Paris, France, where I started playing tennis. After staying in Paris for five years, we moved to Orlando, Florida, where I started diving again for a team called YCF Divers. This was the beginning of my diving career. 

When I was in sixth grade, my father had told me about a prestigious diving team close by and asked if I wanted to try out. Thus, I went to the evaluation practice and made the team. I started diving two days a week at with an Olympian coach.

I enjoyed diving again, as I could not wait for practice every day, waiting to get in the water and on the boards. I started on the lowest level and eventually worked my way up to the top. Fortunately, I dove with people who got a lot of full-ride scholarships. 

Training for diving involves a lot of conditioning and dryland. Dryland is a place where you work out and train, and it can also help you work on dives you are afraid of, or not ready for. Dryland is made up of springboards into foam pits and mats. There are also trampolines and boxes to do flips and handstands on.

Dryland helps me prepare for dives mentally that I would be too afraid to do in the water for fear of smacking. Smacking and hitting the diving board is what every diver is afraid of. Diving is different from team sports because everyone from all diving teams is experiencing the same fear, and it creates a bond between all divers.

In diving, there is no conflict between teams. Everyone is friendly to one another no matter what team they’re on. Everyone pushes each other to do better and accomplish their goals. In competition, after a diver has gone, people from all teams cheer. 

Diving is different from a “team sport” because in a competition divers are competing against their own teammates as well as other teams. Everyone has their own individual score, and they are judged only on their dive, not the team as a whole.

Judging in diving is extremely hard. The judges begin their assessment even when the diver is not on the board. They are looking at how the diver acts, how they present themselves and if they’re respectful to the other divers. All of that will affect how the judge scores the diver. Although the judge might only score a diver down half a point, half a point can determine first or second place.

Going up to do my eleven dives in competition is extremely stressful. When I’m doing my dive, I have everyone’s attention. The announcer states my name and dives for everyone to hear. Knowing that everyone is watching me doesn’t make it any easier to do my dive, but knowing that every diver has to go through the same brings me comfort.

In the end, hearing everyone cheer for me is worth it. Knowing that so many people were impressed by my dive makes all the stress go away. 

by Matthew Parsons

As the first female Vice Principal of St. John Bosco High School, Ms. Schnorr is paving the way for more diversity in the Bosco community.

Ms. Schnorr grew up in an active household in the South Bay. She is the oldest of four children, with two sisters and a brother. She and all of her siblings were involved in many sports and activities throughout their upbringing, which perhaps planted the seed for her to become a fun and dynamic leader.

Ms. Schnorr participated in an abundance of extracurriculars in her school years, including volleyball, basketball, soccer and softball at the varsity level in high school. She even participated in boy’s baseball her senior year. Not only was she a student-athlete, but she was also a member of her school’s ASB every year.

Ms. Schnorr attended St. Margaret Mary for elementary school, St. Anthony High School and then went on to attend college at California State University, East Bay for a year before transferring to UC Santa Barbara. She double majored in Global Studies and Spanish Literature.

After graduating from UC Santa Barbara, Ms. Schnorr joined the Peace Corps, and she travelled to Africa to live in Mozambique for three years. In Mozambique, she taught English, which was her introduction to teaching. When she returned to the United States, she pursued teaching further, being a substitute teacher at her high school alma mater, St. Anthony.

Being a teacher wasn’t Ms. Schnorr’s original intention in life. Even as her “dream job” changed over the years, it was never teaching. As a child she wanted to become a doctor, but as she grew into her high school years, she changed her pursuit to becoming an Athletic Trainer for the Los Angeles Lakers. Then, after college, Ms. Schnorr’s goal was to join an international non-governmental agency, which ultimately led her to the Peace Corps.

“I love traveling. I love the world, and I love learning about cultures and meeting new people,” said Ms. Schnorr.

After a period of teaching at St. Anthony High School, Ms. Schnorr heard about an open position for a Spanish teacher at Bosco from friends who worked here. Growing up in the Long Beach area, Ms. Schnorr already knew many people from St. John Bosco, so when she learned of the position, she already knew of the school.

“I had friends that went to Bosco. I actually knew Mr. Negro and Mr. Cordero. And when I heard that they had a Spanish position open, I was very excited. Mr. Salmingo and I had worked at a previous school together, and when he said there was an opening, I applied,” said Ms. Schnorr.

Since, Ms. Schnorr has been a mentor and role model to many of her students. She is a great teacher, and students at Bosco have nothing but praise for the job she does.

“She was really helpful as a teacher. She kept the work very practical and constantly related the Spanish that we were learning to reality and situations that we would be faced with in real life, rather than just teaching from the textbook,” said senior Michael Carbone.

In the very short time that Ms. Schnorr has been a member of the Bosco community, she has been allotted a lot of responsibilities. She has gone from the role of a Spanish teacher and Activities Director to Vice Principal of Student Affairs.

“I went from just teaching Spanish to taking over activities. And now, with the Vice Principal of Student Affairs, I’m in charge of leading the three main teams, all of ASB, campus ministry and Christian service,” said Ms. Schnorr. 

Along with everything that she has accomplished, Ms. Schnorr is the first female Vice Principal of Student Affairs, a historic landmark for the Bosco community. To Ms. Schnorr there’s a lot of honor that comes with the position and achievement of being the first woman to become it.

“I think that’s a big deal, to be the first female administrator at Bosco, and I’m honored and humbled. I think it’s good to have a diverse group in the administration to have everyone’s different inputs and perspectives on things,” said Ms. Schnorr.

Ms. Schnorr has done a great job with handling all of her responsibilities and new position. Even though it’s a much larger workload, she has not let up her efforts in the slightest.

“Ms. Schnorr is not only our Vice Principal of Student Affairs. She’s a teacher, a mentor, a friendly peer and a motherly` figure at Bosco. She’s always on the move serving students’ needs. Working alongside Ms. Schnorr is a privilege. I’ve learned to be a leader, public speaker and a better student from her. Any moment I’m with Ms. Schnorr, I know it will be filled with smiles and laughter,” said senior Kaimana Storch.

Ms. Schnorr loves the Bosco community and brotherhood. For her it’s been a great experience and an opportunity for her to learn many new things. When she first came to Bosco, she didn’t really know what she was getting herself into but it’s proven itself to be the right choice for her. 

“I didn’t really know what to expect when I started here because I had never been on the actual campus before,” said Ms. Schnorr.

Ms. Schnorr has worked at Bosco for four years now. She’s watched many students come and go and watched freshmen grow into becoming seniors. She loves watching the students grow up and become young men.

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly shifted the landscape of teaching and Ms. Schnorr’s job. For her, it was very challenging to teach and organize activities.

“It was challenging, not having any students to provide activities for, but when we returned to campus last March, we hit the ground running,” said Ms. Schnorr.

Ms. Schnorr, while only being part of the Bosco community for a short time, has become a key piece of the community. She looks forward to helping students and continuing to watch the community grow every day.

by Oscar Aranda

St. John Bosco’s very own Nathan Corkhill, class of 2009, returned to Bosco to give back to the place he calls home and educate the new generation of Braves.

Mr. Corkhill attended St. John Bosco from 2005 to 2009 and follows a family legacy not too many people are aware of. Mr. Corkhill’s former Bosco teacher, Mr. McMorrow, was his idol when it came to teaching. A combination of Mr. McMorrow’s impact and a time of self-reflection in Europe subsequently led Mr. Corkhill down his path of teaching. 

Mr. Corkhill started off as a volleyball coach at Bosco, and shortly after became an administrator due to a convenient job opening. 

“It was the circumstances that got me here (Bosco), but being back on campus kept me here. No place is like it here, it’s like you are coming home,” said Mr. Corkhill. 

Mr. Corkhill is the Computer Science Pathway Coordinator at Bosco, and before that was a part of the Science Department. While being a teacher in these various departments, he felt that the teaching environment has stayed the same in terms of teacher-student relationships. 

“Teachers are involved in students’ lives that are not seen in other high schools. My favorite math teacher came to all my volleyball games, they took interest in me outside of school which really pushed me to become a teacher,” said Mr. Corkhill.

Mr. Corkhill was also very involved in the Bosco community back in high school where he played football and volleyball. He played football for two years where he was the quarterback and earned his varsity letter by being the holder. Though, it was in his junior year that he decided to focus more on volleyball, where he made First Team All-Trinity League, and was named scholar-athlete for the CIF. 

Not only was he a super athlete, but he also earned valedictorian in his class. After Bosco, Mr. Corkhill attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

“I felt academically prepared, but really the social aspect was beneficial because Bosco really kept me focused,” said Mr. Corkhill.

Mr. Corkhill also felt that Bosco most definitely had more school spirit back in his time as a student, but has stayed the same when it comes to the oratory model. He knows that the core beliefs at Bosco have stayed true throughout the years and are still practiced at Bosco today. 

Mr. Corkhill was also taught by instructors who are still here on campus today, such as Mr. Wippler, Mrs. Hunt, Coach Negro and more. He was also involved in the Christian Service Club where Mr. Mestas worked as his instructor. 

Mr. Corkhill pointed out a big difference between Bosco back then and now through the variety of courses that are available to the students now. There were only 7 AP courses offered back then, compared to 17 now. In addition, there are new courses being introduced that are more suited to help a student find out what they truly enjoy, such as classes in computer science. 

“Try things that you are not good at. In high school, you have many opportunities to take classes you know nothing about. It will pay off to take that jump and take that class you know nothing about,” said Mr. Corkhill