by William Reynolds

From the celebration on Bourbon Street in New Orleans to the Quad of St. John Bosco High School, the sold out first annual Mardi Gras Celebration comes to benefit all academics, athletics, the arts and extracurriculars.

The Parent Association in collaboration with St. John Bosco High School are inaugurating the Mardi Gras celebration this Saturday from 5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. in the quad. There will be many types of entertainment including the school’s very own band to start off the first hour.

After the first hour, the main jazz band, The Chico Band, will take over because after the school band leaves, the cocktail hour will start and the party will be closed off to anyone under the age of 21.

There will also be a raffle and silent auction that features some great prizes. This includes the opportunity for a student to be “Principal of the Day,” “Four First Row Seats to Graduation,” “A Ride in the Goodyear Blimp,” “VIP Parking for Graduation,” “VIP Student Parking for the 2023-2024 School Year” and a “Catered Presidential Suite at Panish Family Stadium for 10”, just to name a few.

The main organizer for this event is parent Mrs. Sherri McCovey who has done work with other events at Bosco. To Mrs. McCovey, the Mardi Gras Celebration is definitely one of her favorites, as it aims to fundraise for different areas of the school including academics, athletics, the arts and extracurriculars.

“I am proud to state that 100% of the proceeds will go directly back to the Bosco program that the guests designated when they bought tickets, so that will really help boost their program’s funds.  If a program donated an experience or an item to the silent auction, whatever money that item makes, they get to keep it. For some programs the money helps offset the cost of student fees to participate in the sport. It’s really a win-win for the program and the students in the programs that are participating,” said Mrs McCovey.

Even though the Mardi Gras event is currently sold out with over 350 families attending, Mrs. McCovey mentioned that she will start planning earlier for next year’s annual event to allow even more families to attend. Mrs. McCovey wants everyone to enjoy the love of the school within the Bosco community through celebration, music, dance and great food, helping to support the many wonderful programs St. John Bosco offers.

The celebration of Mardi Gras has been a part of cultures for centuries. It is French for “Fat Tuesday,” which falls the day before Lent begins.  

Fat Tuesday is known as the last day of eating rich and fatty foods. The origins of the holiday can be traced all the way back to medieval Europe. Although the festival season is celebrated in many cities, New Orleans, LA is the most well-known city in the United States for the Mardi Gras celebration.  

The most popular colors associated with Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold. These colors all have meaning as purple represents justice, green represents faith and gold represents power. Many people participate by wearing elaborate costumes and masks.  

by Brett Baligad, Senior Editor

Last Saturday, the Braves and Jesters community took a trip to the Wild West, as they celebrated Sadie Hawkins Dance. The longtime American tradition made its return to the St. John Bosco and St. Joseph’s community.

In order to get into the Valentine’s Day spirit, St. Joseph’s High School hosted a Sadie Hawkins Dance in the Flynn Center on Saturday, February 11th. Sadie Hawkins was inspired by a comic strip in 1937 written by cartoonist Al Capp and became popularized in America by the early 1940s. Traditionally, Sadie Hawkins tasks the girl with asking the boy to the dance, something not typically done in Homecoming, Winter Formal or Prom. 

St. John Bosco High School was very receptive to this dance idea, as the school saw this as an opportunity to further the already strong relationship with sister school, St. Joseph’s.

“We were excited to bring back another old tradition. After collaborating with St. Joseph’s to bring back the Senior Swap Day last semester, this was another great idea to bring back within the community,” said senior Ryan Gutierrez. “The preparation was very smooth, as both boards wanted this event to be such a success.

The preparation of this dance took weeks because this was an event St. Joseph’s brought back from the ground up. With no recent Sadies Hawkins Dances to reference, the planning committee was open to following old traditions along with ushering in new ideas.

“[The Executive Board] was able to encompass these traditional aspects in the overall theme of the dance but still kept a modern twist by allowing students to dress up in any type of group costume,” said St. Joseph’s Executive Board Member and senior Xochitl Moreno.

Leading up to the dance, many St. Joseph’s girls asked St. John Bosco boys to the Sadies Hawkins Dance. As mentioned, they followed the typical Sadie Hawkins tradition by empowering the girls to ask the boys, reversing gender stereotypes with the Jesters providing posters and flowers to their Brave brothers.

Hosted by the St. Joseph’s Executive Board, the event began at 8pm. Upon entering, students were greeted by a live DJ and colorful lights. Following the Sadie Hawkins traditions, many couples and groups showed up in matching outfits. Most notably, many students stuck to the western theme of the dance and dressed up in flannels, jeans and cowboy hats.

“My date and I dressed up as rappers and I had a dance battle with freshman Nels Nelson. Overall, being the first Sadie Hawkins, I was surprised that so many people came dressed up and matched with their dates,” said senior and Bosco ASB Co-President Tyler Baligad.

As the night went on, the DJ kept the night lively and the dance floor active. Students were offered free refreshments and snacks to keep the energy alive. Along with this, there was a western themed backdrop and photo booth providing photo opportunities for couples and groups.

“I really enjoyed the Sadies Hawkins Dance,” said junior Christian Salinas. “We have never had a dance like this in my three years at Bosco. It was a cool idea, and I enjoyed dressing up as a cowboy.”

The night concluded at 11:00 pm with a ton of positive reviews on the newest dance. With these types of new events being introduced into the Brave and Jester community, students should continue to get excited for the creativity of the Executive Boards.

With Valentine’s Day also in season, events like these serve to help the bond between the two schools. The Executive Boards of both Bosco and St. Joseph’s invite everyone to stay tuned for more school events in the near future. Seniors from both schools can look forward to Prom later in the Spring on Saturday, April 29th.

by Ed Crowe

Earlier this month, the St. John Bosco and St. Joseph’s High School Sophomore Board presented the annual Sophomore Lock-In for the Class of 2025.

St. John Bosco and St. Joseph’s High Schools’ sophomores were in luck as the schools hosted a casino night for the annual Sophomore Lock-In which included blackjack tables, roulette tables and a craps table. There was also a DJ and a dance floor that the sophomores enjoyed the night. Students were able to play these games to earn chips, which then can be used to buy tickets and in turn were put into a raffle to win prizes. 

In previous years, the annual Sophomore Lock-In did not have a theme, but as time went on, this event turned into an event where all sophomores from both schools, can have fun and meet one another. Mrs. Elizabeth Hunt, who has been the Sophomore Class Moderator for almost a decade in collaboration with the Sophomore Boards from both St. Joseph’s and St. John Bosco played a very huge role in planning the event and fundraising by selling pizza, donuts and much more to help finance the Casino Night Lock-In to make the night into a lucky jackpot. 

“More than anything this is a great opportunity to spend time with their fellow classmates, our boys have an opportunity to interact with the Saint Joseph girls and have fun because there are going to have a lot of other future events as well as formal dances coming up where they might find a future date,” said Mrs. Hunt.

However, the Sophomore Lock-In is more than just a meet and greet. For many sophomores, it may have been their first time attending a Braves-Jesters class event, as there have been many events within the last school year for all grade levels. The last event exclusive to the Class of 2025 was the Freshman BBQ in August of 2021. For many sophomores, it was an event where they shared quality time with one another and created new class memories for the years to come.

“The lock-in was an experience I won’t forget. This is an event that I recommend that future sophomore classes attend because you get to meet people who you may possibly know for the rest of your life,” said sophomore Andrew Ricaldai. 

As this year’s Sophomore Lock-In was a great success, many sophomores from both school’s cannot wait for the next class event, the Junior Picnic, and make new memories.

“This sophomore lock-in was a new experience for me and personally I thought that the theme for it was really cool. I got to make new friends from our sister school which was the best part,” said sophomore Johannes Austin. 

by William Reynolds

Throughout the Feast Day of St. John Bosco and in honor of Catholic School’s Week, St. John Bosco High School highlighted the four models of the Oratory.

Don Bosco, was born August 16, 1815 in the city of Turin, Italy, where he had a famous dream at the age of nine. He dreamt that he was near his home in a playing field where a crowd of young children were having fun, laughing and playing.  But unfortunately, many started to curse and when he tried to stop them, Jesus appeared and told Bosco that he will have to lead the boys with kindness instead of hate.

The result of this dream was Don Bosco having the ambition saving the souls of many young men and helping them grow in life to become good strong men through the power of faith and brotherhood that unites us all for life through the Oratory.

Don Bosco explains through the Oratory that the four pillars of Salesian education are home, school, church and playground. These are the same pillars on which St. John Bosco High School was founded.

Our school represents the home aspect of the oratory, as a second home where the Braves learn, worship, laugh and play, and throughout the week, St. John Bosco High School honored and reflected on the Oratory mission.

Last Tuesday the Brave community came together to honor the church aspect of the Oratory at St. Dominic Savio Parish and to celebrate the Feast Day of Don Bosco as well as his life and accomplishments. The community celebrated Mass with the honor of having the Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Bishop Marc Trudeau, perform the Feast Day Mass of our patron saint. In his homily he talked about the importance of family and how “we have a very special thing with our brothers here.”

The mission and message of St. John Bosco has influenced people all over the world, but has greatly affected our fellow students and faculty, such as Ricardo Rodriguez, a senior who has been a part of the Campus Ministry Team for all four years of his high school career, as well as the leader of the campus ministry team, Mr. Kris Tran.

“Taking the time out of my day to celebrate St. John Bosco’s history and his impact at this moment serves as an opportunity to gather together and remember. Remember who we are, remember that we are not alone, and remember the mission we are made for,” said Ricardo.

“I have always liked Don Bosco, he has been my inspiration when it comes to working with good young men. And in the month of January when we celebrate a lot of our Salesian saints and leaders, and it’s a good reminder of the spirits, work and life of the man who’s name we take for our school,” said Mr. Tran.

On Wednesday, the Brave community celebrated the school aspect of the Oratory, as students, faculty, staff and parents came together at St. Dominic Savio Parish to honor all students based on their academic achievements.

As the week of celebrating came to an end, on Friday, the Faith Families came together to reflect the playground aspect of Don Bosco and had a field day where students had the opportunity to win points for their Faith Families from games such as basketball, tug-o-war, ultimate frisbee, soccer, volleyball and football. This was one final hurrah in a week where the entire student body shared in laughter and fun, just like Don Bosco wanted. 

by Isaac Mays, Sports Editor

At St. John Bosco High School’s very own Thunderdome, St. Joseph’s Associated Student Body (ASB) revealed the Winter Formal Dance King, Phansidilang “King” Dina, who is the first ever international student elected King.

Anticipation arose leading up to Friday, January 20th, where the court and King was celebrated. During halftime of the Bosco Basketball Homecoming Game, all nominees lined up for the reveal. Much of the study body gathered to watch the Braves face off against the Servite Friars, as they also cheered on their classmates in the race for Formal King. 

One senior would be crowned as the King, while the others would serve on the Winter Formal Court. The 2023 senior nominees included Alex Palmer, Ryan Gutierrez and King (Phansidilang) Dina. Additionally, junior princes Max Abrahamson and Grant Hidalgo-Villanueva were given the opportunity to serve on the court after winning their respective elections.

During halftime, candidates were escorted by Saint Joseph’s ASB onto the gym floor. Senior Grace Maxwell crowned King Dina as the official 2023 Winter Formal King. The crowd erupted into applause as the King, King, would now be supported by Ryan, Alex, Max and Grant as his Formal Court.

“I feel like I belong somewhere. I am also representing Asian communities out there, not just Saint John Bosco or Saint Joseph’s,” King said.

King is an international student from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and is a member of the Bosco’s International Exchange Program. King has become the first exchange student to win the title of Formal King in school history. King participates in extracurricular activities, such as Kairos, and also maintains a job as a barista at a local boba shop.

“I just want to say thank you to Bosco and Joseph’s for voting me on as Formal King.” 

Spectators were also very impressed with the overall preparation that the Bosco administration had put into the event. All of the pairs walking up to the gym floor were dressed in formal attire as they processed in perfect fashion.

“I think [the court] all looked very good…I think [Bosco Student Life] did a really good job planning,” said senior Ryan Cirrincione.

King Dina would later go on to perform his duties as the Formal King, the most significant of which being leading the slow dance Saturday evening at the Winter Formal Dance. King and his St. Joseph’s dance partner, Emma Persi, danced to “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin.

King and the rest of the formal court saw themselves as the stars of the evening, as this election played a significant role in the course of the evening. Held at The MODERN in Long Beach, near the Long Beach Airport, Winter Formal was a smashing success.

After the festivities, the Bosco Braves executed a dominating victory against the Friars, 73-45, solidifying the night for the Bosco community.

By: Brett Baligad, Senior Editor

During Winter Homecoming week, the Braves hosted their second annual Intramural Basketball Tournament. The finals took place last Friday in St. John Bosco’s Thunderdome during the Winter Sports Rally.

Basketball is in full swing on St. John Bosco’s campus. Despite the excitement surrounding the Braves’ varsity basketball team’s eight-game winning streak, it seems that Bosco’s second annual intramural basketball tournament has garnered the focus of the entire student body, who were fixated about who would come out on top. Founded in 2022 as the proverbial successor to “Bosco NBA,” the inaugural tournament featured the teachers, “The L.B. Dawgs,” winning it all, as they knocked off “Wavy Navy” in the finals.

In order to join, teams registered their three person roster, an alternate and a team name. From there, the bracket and game schedule were created. Executive Board Co-President Tyler Baligad was a major contributor to organizing the rosters.

“I know the student body really well and I wanted to make sure there were exciting first round matchups. By doing so, it would attract a lot of viewership over the two weeks, and I believe that was achieved. I also [felt] like we [had] a pretty solid group of teams heading into the Final Four,” Tyler said.

The tournament has taken place over two weeks leading up to the finals this Friday. With four rounds, the finals will take place in front of the student body at the Winter Sports Rally. The games are single elimination with all baskets being worth one point up until the finals where three pointers are awarded two points. Lastly, games are played with a fifteen minute game clock.

The Final Four teams included “Chadwell (Linda),” “Top 2 Not 2,” “Fantastic 3” and “The Teachers.”

“There have been a lot of close matchups and upsets coming into the final days of the tournament,” Tyler said. “Gutta Ave. vs. Teachers was decided by a buzz beater.”

Chadwell (Linda), an all senior team, included Joaquin Ramirez, Anthony Rodriguez and Lanson DeGuia. Formerly known as “Smoothmobile,” the team entered in the inaugural tournament last year and made it to the Elite 8. Coached by varsity basketball senior Victor “Smooth” Murillo, Chadwell (Linda) lived and died shooting from behind the arc. Even with their relative lack in size going into the Final Four, the senior squad put on a show.

“I’m really excited that we went to the Final Four,” said senior Anthony Rodriguez of Chadwell (Linda). “My team was in the tournament last year, and I am happy we came back for another run.”

Top 2 Not 2 was another upperclassmen team in the Final Four. Featuring Bosco Football varsity quarterback Caleb Sanchez, as well as Dillon Rickenbacker and Jack Nyman, size was a huge advantage for the squad. Top 2 Not 2 came in hot with an impressive victory over “Only Wins” and would defeat Chadwell (Linda) in the Final Four on Thursday.

The Teachers, the third team in the Final Four, went on a notable but heartbreaking run. Coming into the tournament as the reigning champions, the Teachers had a lot of pressure to go back-to-back. The squad featured Dean of Students Mr. Jon-Paul Masciel, Entrepreneurship Pathway Coordinator Mr. Shane Beatty and Religion Teacher Mr. Juan-Pedro Garcia-Esparza.

The Teachers were battle tested coming into the Final Four after defeating the notorious “Gutta Ave.” with a buzzer beater on Wednesday. Unfortunately, they fell short to the red hot Fantastic 3 in the Final Four, which some attributed to the injury Mr. Masciel sustained in Wednesday’s game against Gutta Ave.

The Fantastic 3 was the final team that was in the Final Four. The team was not one to take lightly, as they produced convincing wins against the “Chess Club” and the “Robotic’s Drive Team” coming into the semifinals. Fronted by juniors Will Mckissick, Corey McFarland and Xzavion Elder, The Fantastic 3 went on a deep run, but ultimately they fell short in the finals against Top 2 Not 2 after defeating the Teachers in the Final Four on Thursday.

Friday’s game did not disappoint. With a dominating interior performance by Caleb Sanchez and Top 2 Not 2, they routed The Fantastic 3. With a 15-8 victory for the squad, Dillon Rickenbacker felt that the tournament was “too easy for him.”

With plenty of action and highlights, the Oratory’s playground was in full effect with the competitive spirit of the tournament bringing the Brave community together.

by Brett Baligad, Senior Editor

This past Sunday, Braves and their maternal figures celebrated Bosco’s annual Mother and Son Breakfast.

As the holidays are in full swing, members of the Bosco community are not shy about welcoming the Christmas cheer. To kick off the month, the Parent Association hosted their annual Mother and Son Breakfast. The event took place at Quiet Cannon in Montebello, as it invited all Bosco students to attend a morning mass, enjoy breakfast and hear from a guest speaker. Students were accompanied by mothers, aunts and grandmothers who have impacted their lives the most. Faculty were in attendance, too, as Principal Dr. Kris Anderson and President Dr. Brian Wickstrom were in attendance with their families.

Mass began at 9 a.m. on Sunday morning. Father Ted led mass while being accompanied by a choir and band consisting of Bosco students. Fr. Ted would dedicate his Homily to the mothers in attendance, as he recollected a story about a man who donated holiday goods to a Canadian family years ago.

“Fr. Ted had a very moving Homily. It resonated deeply with me since the story took place in Alberta, Canada and my in-laws are from there,” said Mrs. Janine Mays, mother of senior Isaac Mays. “It is brutally cold in the winter time, and I can only imagine how that single mother must have felt when the man showed up with food and toys. That was a miracle on its own, and when the child asked, ‘Is that Jesus?’ That gave me chills. ‘Yes, my child, he is our Jesus.’ Jesus lives in all of us all time, not just at Christmas.”

The Homily came with perfect timing, catering to all of the mothers that sacrifice for their children along with a sense of hope during Christmas time.

Following the Mass, a catered breakfast was open to guests. While breakfast was being served, there were raffles, silent auctions and vendors. Raffles included gift baskets from notable sports teams on campus including Football, Baseball, Basketball and Esports.

“I really enjoyed the raffles. There were plenty of options to choose from,” said senior Tyler Baligad. “I actually won a basket full of baseball gear. I am excited to wear them to school.”

The silent auction was also a big hit. The most notable prizes were tickets to a Clippers game against the Bucks and a pair of signed gloves from Oscar De La Hoya. Respectively, both winners belonged to seniors Anthony Rodriguez and Mauro Meraz.

The vendors lined the back of the event center and sold a wide variety of goods that served as perfect Christmas presents for the holiday season. This included bracelets, necklaces and St. John Bosco novelties. 

The event concluded with guest speaker and alumni, Dr. Fidencio Saldaña, Class of ‘91. After Dr. Saldaña graduated from St. John Bosco, he would go on to study at Stanford University. He is currently a Dean of Students at Harvard Medical School. 

“I really enjoyed his keynote speech. He emphasized passion, family and building an image for yourself,” said Ryan Gutierrez ‘23. “I had an opportunity to speak with Dr. Saldaña, and he said he was willing to help me build connections with his colleagues in the east coast.”

Overall, there was plenty to see and do at the Mother and Son Breakfast. Whether it was sharing mass with their mothers, grandmothers and aunts, having breakfast or shopping for Christmas presents, the Mother and Son Breakfast once again showed the importance of the Brave women in students’ lives.

by Marco Castro

The Brothers of Bosco strive to make an impact on the communities of Baja California, Mexico. With the help of Co-Presidents Tyler Baligad and Christopher Facio, the club hopes to continue to unite the Brave community through service.

As St. John Bosco Braves, students are called to be men of service, and one new club has certainly answered that call. The Brothers of Bosco, founded by seniors Brett and Tyler Baligad, is a new service club on campus that donates money and supplies to the communities of Ensenada, Mexico. 

“We started the club earlier this year because my brother Brett and I saw an opportunity to give back to our grandparents’ church,” said Tyler. “During Covid-19, our grandparents retired in Ensenada, Mexico. Working with their pastor, Fr. Rodolfo, we saw an opportunity to do good.”

After recognizing the chance to help, Brett and Tyler reached out to their friends in the Bosco community for assistance in providing to these people. One person who answered the call to help is the club’s other Co-President, senior Christopher Facio.

“When Brett and Tyler brought up the idea, I was really excited and honored that they wanted me to be part of the moment,” said Christopher.

After assembling a group of students to lead the club, they needed a teacher moderator to officially become a club on campus. Luckily for them, science teacher Mr. Ruben Solorza, Class of ’13, was more than willing to help.

“After I heard how it got started and saw their personal connection with it, I was on board to help them get it going,” Mr. Solorza said.

While the Brothers of Bosco is a brand new club, they have already raised over $1,000 worth of supplies for the community of Ensenada, and are currently hosting a drive collecting warm clothes for the elderly.

“We raised $500 in our first project, $300 at the Dia de Los Muertos celebration, and $300 at the Culture Fair. One hundred percent of our donations have gone back into buying donatable goods for the communities of Ensenada,” said Tyler.

After completing each drive, a few members of the club drive down to Iglesia María Auxiliadora in Ensenada. From there, the clothes and other goods get distributed by the church to the people in the community. 

This club has hit the ground running and hopes to continue that with its current warm goods drive. If you would like to donate, they will be collecting beanies, scarves, gloves, blankets and other warm clothing until December 15th in room 318.

The Brothers of Bosco are always looking for new members and will welcome anyone who wishes to join. They meet every Thursday in Mr. Solorza’s classroom, room 318.