by Ryan Tavera

St John Bosco’s Season of Benevolenza highlights the importance of giving from ourselves to others especially in the time of solidarity and confusion the event calls out to our Bosco Braves in order to contribute to our community. 

The Season of Benevolenza has always been a staple event in St John Bosco High School’s history, as it marks our time to give back to the larger community and make an impact in other’s lives. The specific drives that Bosco does annually are the Food Drive and Toy drive. 

“Giving is always important but recognizing that there are particular times of the year we should focus on these things and around Thanksgiving and Christmas it represents a good opportunity and recognizing that it’s really about giving. It’s giving of ourselves to other people like our family and to our larger community,” said Christian Service Coordinator John Weinandy. 

During these hard times, it is stressed as a student body and religious institute that we exercise compassion and a helping hand to others who are apart of our community, as the Season of Benevolenza acts as a beacon of strength and unity and to inspire others to help one another. 

More importantly, it is necessary that we recognize the gifts we are blessed with when considering giving to others, we should take these gifts and count our blessings in order to contribute to something bigger than ourselves.  

“I think it’s our way of reaching out to the larger community and give the gifts that we have to other people, there’s a lot of gifts that Bosco students have talent, a lot of abilities but being able to give of themselves and paying attention to other people,” said Mr.Weinandy 

Despite our unfortunate circumstances due to Covid-19 and the seemingly never-ending quarantine that students, parents, and faculty members alike have felt over the past several months, it has not discouraged our student body one bit, as it only pressures them to devise more creative ways for students to interact with the events. 

“It’s just calling us to be a little more creative in our outreach to get students involved. We still have drop boxes at school and in the lobby, in case students want to donate we know it’s tougher but were doing the best we can,” said Mr. Weinandy. 

The Season of Benevolenza signifies the sense of unity and brotherhood among the student body. Bosco has always been committed to this idea of togetherness and Covid-19 is our community’s biggest test. Donation boxes will still be available throughout the school so that students will still be able to make contributions that will impact the City of Bellflower 

“I really want the Bosco community to see the impact that they can have I want to make it more visible so that they can know the impact they’re having on others despite online learning,” said Mr. Weinandy. 

No matter the size of the contribution or what item you choose to give, all donations are equally important and have an impact on the City of Bellflower, all donations are greatly appreciated.

As a brotherhood and community, we must come together and give not because we are convinced to, rather because we believe in our school’s mission and perseverance as a whole. 

“We have realized that we are in the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other,” said Pope Francis.  

In the tough times 2020 has brought upon the world, those words ring true for many, and are words to reflect on as the Season of Benevolenza commences.

by Joaquin Medrano, Managing Editor

During recent months, several plans for a future reopening of the school have been thwarted by health guidelines keeping Los Angeles County in the state’s “purple tier,” as St. John Bosco High School waits to open its doors for in-person learning.

As cases in LA County remain high, the chance for the school to reopen in the near future gets further and further delayed. But that hasn’t been all negative, as it’s given Bosco time to prepare and create a safe environment.

“I think that COVID is something that could help us prepare for any type of challenge that comes in the future,” said Bosco CEO and President Dr. Brian Wickstrom. “We have implemented bipolar ionization, which actually helps viruses and bacteria in the air, which I think it’s a big positive in all student areas: classrooms, hallways, gathering spots. So I think our school is more prepared than most with all our agile space [on campus] for lunch and student gatherings.”

Dr. Wickstrom is one of the latest additions to the St. John Bosco community as the President and CEO of the school, and he and everyone inside the administration team and faculty have been working hard to make the overall experience during the pandemic better for all stakeholders and to ensure that we are prepared when we’re cleared to return. But in order to understand what the future of the school will look like, several factors, such as the tier system, need to be understood.

“We have been following the minimal requirements for a safe opening and more, but we are at the mercy of LA County Health. We need to pay attention to the tier system. We are currently at the purple stage,” said Vice Principal of Student Affairs Mr. Adan Jaramillo.

This means we can’t reopen. As the county stays in the purple tier, the only hope for a future reopening to occur is to hope for people’s cooperation with public health guidelines to reduce the risk of continued widespread cases, especially with flu season approaching and the holidays.

“Especially for [students] who live in multigenerational families, it is very important to take precautions and follow measurements when they are in school. When someone leaves Bosco, we don’t know what [their] practices are. Therefore, it is important for people to follow instructions – wear masks, stay six feet apart and take everything around us into consideration to take care of everyone,” said science teacher Ms. Allegra Weinstein, who has a master’s degree in Public Health.

For both students and teachers, challenges have come with a delay in reopening, as the school community continues to adapt to fast-paced online learning in the quarter system – a system which was developed in large part to reduce class sizes ahead of reopening in-person school. 

“Online learning has been very difficult with the quarter system. Trying to obtain the knowledge of a whole semester in a few weeks is very intense,” said senior Max Fernandez. “However, I feel that the school is trying their best in reaching out to families and allowing for the best method possible in these circumstances.”

The new system for remote learning also has affected the teaching styles, as teachers have had to adapt old lessons to new circumstances.

“The dynamics change [in online learning] as teachers,”  said Mr. Robert Linares, head of the Biomedical Pathway. “The relationship you have with students is less distracting when you’re face-to-face, which leads to more effective learning, I assume.”

Even despite challenges, the administration, faculty and students work hard every day to make sure that when all is done, actions prevail over promises. With hopes up and as teachers, staff and students miss the opportunity of seeing each other physically, a spirit of thankfulness is necessary to keep everyone’s morale high. Don’t give in to “COVID-19 fatigue.” The more diligent all our communities are outside of school, the sooner we all will be able to return inside of school.

by Miles Bondoc

Prior to state and local COVID-19 protocols and guidelines, Bingo served as a major fundraising event at St. John Bosco. Bosco Bingo temporarily shut down following the closure of the campus in March, but returned to campus in new form last month, bringing back the funds and the fun. 

Bingo returned amidst the COVID-19 chaos safely, introducing “car hop” bingo in partnership with BingoMeNow. Now, like back in the “old normal,” Bosco hosts bingo each week – albeit in the parking lot – from 5:00-8:00 PM. Participants can reserve their spots now via the Bosco website. 

The BingoMeNow app allows users to buy in and participate in car hop bingo. Bingo Manager Steve Waller oversaw the reopening process and wrote the school’s plan in accordance with state and local COVID-19 protocols and guidelines for similar events. Prior to the return of bingo at Bosco, other bingo programs reopened, but many of them promptly shut down due to their lack of sufficient precaution. 

After identifying the main issues that caused the closure of these events, Waller and the Bosco Bingo management created their own guidelines to prevent a shutdown of car hop bingo. COVID-19 precautions, such as health screening forms, are required in order to make bingo a safe event for all participants and volunteers.

“[Bingo] has been a hugely successful format and fundraiser for the school. With this change with COVID-19, we had to change everything to make sure that we’re safe,” Waller said.

The return of bingo means a lot for the Bosco community, especially in light of the recent pandemic and subsequent suspension of most school activities. Bosco bingo provides some more financial support for Bosco staff, students and community at-large. The return of bingo gives an opportunity for members of the Bosco family to support their school and community during the troubling times of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The closure of Bosco’s campus has resulted in a major loss of over $250,000 in fundraising money. Previously Bingo brought usually about 200-225 players together in the Bosco MPR and was one of the largest fundraising events at Bosco. Prior to the closure, these funds came primarily from Bosco’s weekly Bingo as well as the Braves Gala. Bingo’s return is certainly a huge help in light of the financial struggle that Bosco has undergone as a result of the campus’ closure and the effects of the virus on the Bosco community. 

The return of Bosco Bingo in a completely new way is certainly an uplifting development for the community and its members. 

Bingo’s return is not only a financial boost, but also is an indication of some return to normalcy at Bosco. After months of time physically distant from campus and the rest of the Bosco community, we now have an opportunity to be able to get back into the swing of things. Bingo provides an opportunity for parents, teachers and even students to reconnect with the Bosco campus and community in a safe and fun way.

by Diego Santizo, Sports Editor

St. John Bosco’s Spanish Honors Society and Key Club came to an agreement to unite for every single service project for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year, which can end up becoming an agreement for years to come. 

Spanish Honors Society. Key Club. Two totally different clubs, yet two clubs with the same ambitions, announced an unexpected partnership and the future looks bright!

Spanish Honor Society Executive Director Joaquin Medrano, Key Club President Hector Andrade, Key Club and Spanish Honor Society Vice President Diego Santizo and Club Ambassador Pedro Ochoa were the four brilliant minds behind the partnership and have nothing but amazing ideas planned for the current school year regarding these two clubs. 

None of this would be possible if it weren’t for Spanish instructor Ms. Aguilera. She will once again be taking the role of Key Club Moderator for another year, but will also be the new moderator for Spanish Honors Society (SHS), along with teaching seven periods of Spanish classes. 

“I think that it is a great initiative because we are combining two highly community active organizations which creates an opportunity for more to be done both at Bosco and around the city of Bellflower,” said the SHS Executive Director Joaquin Medrano. 

The partnership between the two clubs will allow each club to stay true to their brand and  have their own separate entities while collaborating on every service project taking place for the rest of the school year allowing for double the participation. 

This upcoming service project for SHS will be the first time in Bosco history in which they will be helping out several countries around the world, which has never been done before. 

SHS’s main service project for the year will be sending masks not only to the local community, but to the world, as they are looking to collaborate with a local hospital in the city of Coatepeque, Guatemala, a city to be determined in Spain, as well as a city to be determined in Mexico. 

SHS will also be active during the holiday season as they look to bring a smile to lots of faces at local hospitals around Bosco, as a video message and virtual cards are in the works to ensure that a message of hope and joy is sent to the patients so they’re aware that they aren’t in their fight alone and will be in our prayers as a community.

“I think that having both organizations under common leadership gives a brighter outlook for future years to come as it is easier to come to compromises,” said Key Club President Hector Andrade. 

Key Club will stay loyal to their brand, hoping to have a Dia De Los Muertos event, but will have to unfortunately miss the Rose Parade Float decoration event in December, as there will not be a Rose Parade in early 2021.

Both clubs are already “project heavy” as it is, but this partnership will not only allow them to look good respectively, but will also bolster Bosco’s image and brand beyond Southern California, as clubs within the school are not only making a difference locally, but globally as well.

by Aharon Colon, A+E Editor

This was originally supposed to be an article previewing the rest of the volleyball season, but instead it turned into a piece centered around the new pandemic and how it ended our Spring sport season. 

The spring sports had so much promise to them leading up into the Trinity League season, notably baseball and volleyball. This volleyball season was set to feature a new core of talent, such as newly minted captain junior Matthew Medina and 6’4” sophomore Maxwell Wootton, who both have great potential.

Seniors Alex Rotter, Ian Callahan and Elijah McCray have been the glue and backbone of this team since entering the program as freshman. But sadly, they won’t get to finish their seniors years as they might have envisioned.

“The season was going pretty great,” said junior captain Mathew Medina. “We were feeling confident of going to the playoffs and going pretty far into it. It is a bummer for all of us, but especially our seniors. They worked hard for four years, and for the first time, they had a chance at going to CIF and now it will not be able to happen.”

We also had our storied baseball program making some noise at their end. Unfortunately, the team has a core of seniors, 15 out of the 28 players on the roster, led by captains Coby Morales and UCLA-commit Jonathan Vaughns, Ty Collins, and Stanford-commit Albert Rios. Ending this current season with a record of 4-2, with wins over San Clemente and Capo Valley, you could tell that the players’ hopes for making it to the CIF playoffs were at an all time high.

“It was like a piece of me was torn away you know?” said senior captain Coby Morales. “You worked so hard in the summer, offseason, doing the conditioning in the heat and having to build the team from the ground up, to just have all of it taken away just hurts.”.

Our sports have not only been cancelled, but our arts as well. St. Joseph’s spring musical, Newsies, was set to premier last Friday but was cancelled. Never getting enough attention, the theater programs at both Bosco and St. Joseph’s have been making steady improvements, with more attendance for both high school’s productions than has been seen in recent years. The actors were excited to be a part of Newsies. Senior Cruz Cordero, a seasoned veteran of Bosco and St. Joseph’s theater, might have already acted in his last high school production.

“It’s pretty saddening that the show is cancelled, but if we still performed, the audiences every single night would be very small due to the fear of the virus, and we worked tirelessly for two months for the crowds to be only about 50 every night,” Cruz said.

Along with theater, the band was also devastated about the news. The band and drumline had a lot planned for the upcoming weeks leading up to Spring Break. With shows and competitions just around the corner, the band and drumline were revving to go.

“Our first competition was going to be last week, but now that they cancelled drumline and everything, we never had an opportunity to compete,” said senior James Roman. “Drumline took up my free time, but now I can’t do anything extracurricular related.”

This virus has had an impact on all our extracurriculars, but it impacts the seniors the most. Not knowing that these last couple games, performances or competitions might have been their last could leave lasting regrets and heartbreak. All the hard work and extra hours they have put in will be unfulfilled, as we are left only to think “what if?”

by Lucas Garrison, Sports Editor

As the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, continues to have pandemic ramifications, the Bosco community finds itself the most recent victim of the fast-spreading global disease, as school administrators opt to suspend on-campus classes through at least next Friday. School will continue online for students starting next Wednesday via Schoology.

The Bosco community received an emailed statement from Principal Dr. Christian De Larkin at 8:16 pm Thursday night stating that a member of our community is in the process of being screened for the novel coronavirus. In response, the Brave administration decided to cancel school tomorrow Friday, March 13th through Monday, March 16th for faculty and staff. Next Tuesday, faculty and staff will return to receive training for online-based learning for students, which will resume beginning next Wednesday.

“Further details will be communicated regarding online learning guidelines and expectations. We will reevaluate school operations for the week of March 23 and update all early next week,” said Principal De Larkin in his emailed statement to the community.

In addition, all Bosco athletic events, both on- and off-campus, have been canceled through the end of march, according to Athletic Director Monty McDermott. This includes not just games but also practices and team workouts.

In surrounding areas, several other schools have continued to close their doors and either switch to online-based learning or remain closed for the time being, most notably Harvard- Westlake and Loyola High Schools.

While parents, students, teachers and school administrators deal with the crisis on the ground, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (ADLA) releases updates via its website as news breaks. As of now, there has been no official statement on whether or not they will be shutting down all churches and/or schools that fall under the Diocese, but concerned faithful can check their website, lacatholics.org, for updates.

“We will provide updated liturgical guidelines and accommodations regarding the celebration of Mass tomorrow morning,” ADLA said in a brief statement posted last night at 7:00 pm.

Other notable school closers include, North Hollywood’s Oakwood School, Studio City’s Campell Hall, Mar Vista’s Windward School, Chatsworth’s Sierra Canyon and Bel Air’s Marymount School. UCLA and USC are the two most notable universities in the area to close and switch to online-based learning.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) continues to evaluate whether or not they will shut down schools for the time being, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times. LAUSD’s 860 campuses potential shut down can result in containment and prevention of the spreading of Coronavirus, but the large question remaining is whether LAUSD will switch over to an online-based learning system in the interim.

In a Tweet Thursday night, ABC 7 reported that the LAUSD board called an emergency meeting to discuss the district’s ongoing response to the virus.

With many schools and universities closing campus and moving classes online, the question for families now is not if we will suspend on-campus activities, but how long this response will persist as the novel coronavirus reaches pandemic levels. For now, all we can do as civilians is follow the basic measures of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other public health officials: wash your hands often and thoroughly (if you can’t, in any case, use hand sanitizer), avoid touching your face, stay away from high-populated areas and if you present symptoms, stay away from others and contact your doctor immediately for screening.

by Johnathan Gonzalez

On Friday, March 6th St. John Bosco hosted the junior picnic along with Saint Joseph’s for the class of 2021.

This year’s junior picnic held at St. John Bosco was brought together by the ASB board of Braves and Jesters, they brought the class of 2021 together through music, food, and games.

These games included cornhole, ping pong, a jumper, and musical chairs. These activities created a sense of competitiveness among students along with the fun atmosphere of the event. Furthermore, students were welcomed to warm pizza and cold sodas.

The junior picnic is a way for the Braves and Jesters to socialize within their class so that they can create more bonds with new students or even those who haven’t yet met. The ASB board of Bosco and Joseph’s came up with innovative ways to allow the students to interact with each other through music and games, this allowed students to have a good time and hangout.

“I think the Picnic was pretty cool. I haven’t gotten to see a lot of my friends at SJ because I’ve been busy with baseball”, said junior Aaron Pena.

The picnic allows for an excuse for those who don’t really get to go out due to their respective sports. The event being held shortly after school hours allows for students to stay at school and wait around as their friends from St. Joseph to arrive.

“It’s pretty convenient that I could come from Baseball practice and go to hang out with my friends from SJ and I can grub”, said junior Jesus Barretto.

The Bosco staff enclosed the quad so that way it’s strictly only junior students attending the event, this created a sense of communion among the juniors and made it easier to communicate.

“The event wasn’t what I was expecting, I thought it would be a flop instead I actually really enjoyed the whole thing. It was fun being able to destroy my homies in ping pong and talking to the females,” said junior Luca Pater.

Luca’s thought mostly sums up what most students thought the event would be, instead the general outcome was positive.

“When my friends asked me if I was going to go to the picnic I kinda cringed but they talked me into it, overall I’m actually glad I went. Musical chairs were somehow a blast to play,” said junior Adrianna Natividad.

The event was a very enjoyable experience for all involved, students were presented with the opportunity to interact with their friends and play games. Although the title may suggest it was just a picnic, it was much more than that, it was a hangout, a gathering of friends which allowed students to catch up and meet new faces.

by Ryan Tavera

Last Thursday, St. John Bosco students were given the chance to share their faith with thousands of different students from around the country at Youth Day 2020.

“Hopefully, the students who were involved left inspired and challenged to live as missionary disciples in their homes, schools, parishes, and communities,” said Brother Quang.

Twenty fortunate students went to Anaheim for the day, to see other kids their age who come from many different backgrounds all throughout the Archdiocese.

The staff and students were able to experience many unique workshops that focused on a certain aspect of life and how God can guide one through rough conditions. Bosco students found themselves in front of Bob Perron, an advocate of his faith and speaker. Perron’s workshop dealt with relationships and if they are really worth the risk many go through to maintain them.

“Let’s face it, relationships can be tough. To be a good friend requires our willingness to be vulnerable and let someone really see us as we are with our gifts, our talents, and our unique weirdness. Yet, in the end, friendship is worth it,” said Perron.

Perron talked to the youth for a little over an hour explaining the key details that make up a relationship and how God makes every one of us in his own way to have an impact on the relationships we construct throughout our lives.

As for Perron he was a man of emotion and displayed how he felt at all times while on stage. Perron spoke clearly and with perspicacity, all in all, the workshop was a very enjoyable experience for all involved.

After Perron’s workshop students were led to the main building where mass was being held. Students were greeted with sweet air conditioning, comfortable seats and beautiful art made by Bosco’s very own Mrs. Macrae. Other students rushed onto the stage and explained the theme for Youth Day  “Through God’s eyes,” which emphasized youth seeing themselves through God’s eyes, rather than through the shallow gaze of social media and other forms of peer pressure.

Shortly after Doug Tooke walked onto the stage where he shared his story to 7,000 young people. Tooke drove home the fact that “Holiness is hard,” in his 40-minute speech, Tooke continued to explain the problem between young people and their faith.

“There’s a generation of people who have no idea of what this mystery even is they don’t know the beauty they don’t know it’s about their story and the churches story they don’t know about surrounding to be a vessel for the eucharist because you and I don’t tell them,” said Tooke.

Following Tooke’s powerful speech, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, stepped onto the stage to begin mass. The mass was filled with music and bright lights, but the most important was the liturgy, which effectively invites us into prayer that deepens our relationship with Christ.

The mass ended with an explosion of music, lights, singing, and cheering. Youth day ended with Students feeling enlightened and open-minded.

by Johnathan Gonzalez, Kristopher Leal

The Feast Day of St. John Bosco is a day that brings the saint back to life and brings him with the children of his school. St. John Bosco’s sole purpose was to give new life and opportunities for disadvantaged youth and delinquents by giving them a home, a place to learn and opportunities that they would have never had.

His patron is of apprentices, editors and publishers, schoolchildren, magicians, and juvenile delinquents. On January 31, The Feast Day was a day dedicated to celebrating John Bosco.

The Feast Day is a very special occasion for St. John Bosco high school and allows for the students to truly understand what it means to be apart of the Bosco community. Mr. Avila, the director of student activities, recognizes the significance of the day and what it means for St. John Bosco and the Bosco community.

“It’s our Patron Saints Feast Day. It’s special because it’s sort of like a birthday and it’s a celebration of his life,” said Mr. Avila.

Following the student’s shortened classes, the day began with the Feast Day mass. This mass featured the new Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai from Hong Kong, which was very interesting for each of us that took part. He is a Roman Catholic archbishop and the nuncio of the Holy See to Greece. The Bishop spoke about many life stories that the Braves enjoyed. In the ending portion of the mass, a senior named Noah Quezada stepped on the stage and took one for the Braves and politely asked the Bishop for a school day off, the Bishop thought about what he said and he decided it was a great idea to give us Braves a day off (That day has been decided to be placed in the month of March).

“I’m from Taiwan and knowing a man from Asia is here representing the church is nice to know, not only I am the only one along with the other exchange students coming to Bosco in a Catholic manner,” said Leo Lung.

Following the mass, there were many activities for the students to enjoy. This year Mr. Avila found that going with popular activities was the best option for the Braves. Avila explained that after the mass there were going to be a lot of fun activities for the Braves to take part in such as inflatables, a velcro wall, human foosball which the freshman loved and a few other sports going on around on the field and even gaming in the Learning Commence room. Something new that happened was  Mr. Mestas hosting a flag football game for all grade levels to join in.

 “It was a cool thing all in all being the fact that it’s my last Saint John Bosco Feast Day as a high school student and being able to get away from school and hang out with my friends and just mess around was cool,” said Senior Luis Guiterrez.

After the Mass, the Braves were happy to be given free Porto’s pastries. We spoke to some students and they seemed to enjoy themselves after the Mass.