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

by Ethan Gibbs

This year, St. John Bosco High School welcomes Brother Kris Tran from Vietnam to the Brave community.

Q. Where did you grow up?

A. I grew up in Saigon, officially known as Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnam.

Q. What inspired you to become a Brother?

A. Don Bosco. The more I learn about the life, the work and the spirit of St. John Bosco, the more I want to be like him and dedicate my life to young people.

Q. What event in your life gave you the most impact on becoming a Brother?

A. It’s hard to pinpoint one singular event that impacted my decision to be a brother, because it’s a gradual process. So, I guess if you think about your whole life as one event, it is that event, as  God has kept working to change me for the better.

Q. What is something you wish more people knew about you?

A. I wish people knew that being a religious Brother is different from being a Brother in transition to become a priest. If God wills this vocation for me, I will be a Brother for life.

Q. Did you want to become a Brother when you were younger or was it something that was sprung on you?

A. When I was younger, I wasn’t even a good Catholic (haha). Thank God my faith slowly grew.

Q. What are the best and worst parts about your faith and the rules you have to follow?

A. The best part is that I can work with many different young people from all around the world. The worst part, probably, is waking up very early every morning. I’m not a morning person.

Q. What are some interesting rules most people don’t know about becoming a Brother?

A. Being a Brother, I can study what I like and discover how I can use what I learn to serve young people, instead of studying solely theology to become a priest.

Q. What are some difficulties about being a Brother, and has there ever been a time when you thought it would be too much?

A. Not being able to spend more time with your friends and family can be difficult sometimes. I never thought it would be too much, however, I do have doubts occasionally about my decision, but it’s all part of discernment process

Q. How have you overcome any challenges regarding what your faith requires of you?

A. Having a spiritual director helps me a lot. It’s like having a counselor, but on top of that, he is also a spiritual father who can guide me through difficult times

Q. What is the best thing about being a Brother?

A. I am automatically a brother to everybody.

Q. Has God ever reached out to you or contacted you in any way?

A. I believe that God speaks to me through other people and events that happen in my daily life. In my heart, I just have to be tuned in to listen.

Q. Did your parents support your decision about what you wanted to do with your life?

A. Yes, my parents have always been supportive of me. My father even said that if religious life doesn’t work out, then I can just come home anytime.

Q. Have you always believed in God?

A. I have always believed in God. However, I have not always had a personal relationship with God. When I was in high school in Vietnam, I believed that there is a God, but I didn’t really practice my faith as much.

Q. What does your day look like when you don’t go to school for work?

A. Nowadays, I usually do lesson planning for the following weeks or grade papers that the students turned in.

Q. How long do you pray a day and how often?

A. For us Salesians, we pray constantly. It’s called Contemplative In Action (CIA). It means that our conversation with God includes even the breaths that we take through the day. We don’t spend hours in the chapel to recite prayers, but our prayer is through our deeds, through meeting people, through working with kids, etc. Of course, there is time during the day when we need to sit down, calm down and center ourselves to meditate.

Q. Does it get hot in the robes you have to wear for mass everytime?

A. As Brothers, we don’t wear those garments in Mass. Only the priest, or one who’s becoming a priest, does.

Q. Have you ever thought about becoming a priest? And what would be the steps for you to do that?

A. I thought about that before deciding to be a Brother instead. Well, there are lots of steps to be a priest, including a lot of study in theology and philosophy.

Q. If you could have another job what would it be?

A. I would be a mental health counselor, and probably also a college professor.

Q. What is some interesting information about living on campus? What is it like? How many rooms? Is it one bed? Do you have a TV? And what do you and the other priests and Brothers do for fun?

A. As a community, we pray and go to Mass together every day. Once a month, we have a small retreat for a day. We each have our own rooms with our own bathrooms. However, it’s different from when we were in the previous stages. We have a room called the Community Room with a TV. For fun, we sometimes go out for food, drink some boba, go to the beach, go hiking, watch movies, play miniature golf, etc.

Q. Do you have a favorite sport or sports team?

A. My favorite sport is soccer, or what the whole world calls football. Liverpool from England is my favorite team.

Q. Do you think pineapple goes on pizza?

A. It should be illegal.

by Andrew Fierro, Managing Editor

From student to teacher to principal, alumnus Dr. Kris Anderson has gone through a long journey of being educated as well as educating, which has led him back home to become the new principal of St. John Bosco.

Dr. Anderson has filled the spot of Dr. Christian DeLarkin as the new principal of the school and could not be more thankful for the responsibility he now holds. Before coming to school at Bosco, Dr. Anderson already knew that it was the school he would attend. Dr. Anderson made up his mind pretty quickly on Bosco after seeing a role model of his enroll.

Though this role model is what got him initially interested in Bosco, it was Dr. Anderson’s continued research into the school that really solidified his enrollment. Since his enrollment, Dr. Anderson has had countless great memories of the school, though one of the standout memories was going undefeated in Serra league football his junior year.

“It was the best league in California, if not the whole country, and there was no way whatsoever any team would be able to go through this league undefeated, and in its first year of its existence we went undefeated in that league,” said Dr. Anderson.

Though he graduated from Bosco, Dr. Anderson knew that he would eventually be back, as he spent his student-teaching time back at St. John Bosco, and then inevitably returned to become the principal.

“It never really felt like a goodbye, more like until next time,” said Dr. Anderson.

As a student Dr. Anderson was able to build relationships with many of his teachers with one of the more prominent being current counselor Mr. Basil Totah. During Dr. Anderson’s time, Mr. Totah was his position coach for football, which led to a strong bond being formed between the two of them.

“When he first came to Bosco, you could tell he didn’t have a whole lot of experience playing tackle football, though what I noticed was how diligent he was about learning and how hardworking he was,” said Mr. Totah.

As a player, a student and as a faculty member, Dr. Anderson followed Mr. Totah’s example, always being a very diligent and hard worker, and it has not gone unnoticed by his coaches, teachers and now peers.

“Coach [Joe] Griffin and I had a nickname for him when he was a member of the football team. We called him “the sleeper” because he came in under the radar, but he worked and worked and worked and next thing you know he was the man on varsity, and that has not changed,” said Mr. Totah.

Dr. Anderson has proven to be extremely dedicated to his work, whether during his time as a student-athlete or in his career in education, and he will always strive to be the best that he can possibly be.

After graduating from college, Dr. Anderson needed to spend time as a student-teacher in order to get his teaching credentials and decided to spend this time at St. John Bosco. During this time, he was mentored by faculty member Coach Joe Griffin.

Coach Griffin coached Dr. Anderson with Mr. Totah, so there already was a relationship between the two. However, working alongside each other allowed for Dr. Anderson to have guidance as a new teacher. 

“[Dr. Anderson is the] same guy – humble, hardworking, intelligent and a guy you could believe in,” said Mr. Griffin.

Dr. Anderson believes in this school, and is working hard to make sure that it lives up to its capabilities. Through hard work and dedication from the students and faculty, he believes that St. John Bosco could be one of the best schools for young men across the state.

“My goal for this school is for it to be the number one Catholic school for young men in California,” said Dr. Anderson.

St. John Bosco provides students with an excellent opportunity to make more connections with their education and the paths in which they are interested. Dr. Anderson believes that the school’s Academic Pathways are what makes the school better than most schools around the state.

“There is so much opportunity for students to make connections, which is why I love our Academic Pathway program. The opportunity to have educational experiences that expand beyond just the classroom – the more frequently we are able to do that as an institution, the better of a school we are,” said Dr. Anderson.

Though Dr. Anderson is the new principal and does his best to bring in fresh new ideas for the students and the school as a whole, he also understands that every principal from the past has left their mark on the school.

“Every single principal, or administrator, leaves a little bit of imprint, going all the way back to one of my first memories of an administrator, Bill Goodman. You could tell that he was the leader of the school without having to scream at the students because of his steadiness,” said Dr. Anderson.

With Dr. Anderson now at the helm, the school wishes to remember the past while looking forward to the future. While the principals that came before all helped Bosco into becoming the best school it could be, the school now looks toward its future with Dr. Anderson, as he leads the way to continued and greater excellence for St. John Bosco.

By Oscar Aranda

Students are thrilled to be back at school, but for former St. John Bosco student Mr. Mario Cordero, class of 97’, he’s continued to return for the last 20 years to give back to the Bosco community as one of the campus’ most beloved teachers. 

Mr. Cordero, a social studies instructor here on campus, attended St. John Bosco from 1993 to 1997. Mr. Cordero had already came from a Catholic school environment before attending Bosco and was accompanied by half a dozen of his closest friends. This allowed him to make the easy transition into Bosco and get involved with the school pretty early. However, as a student, teaching wasn’t always the plan for Mr. Cordero.

“I wanted to be a shortstop for the Dodgers and then I realized that I shouldn’t put all my eggs in that basket. The next thing I would rather do is be a teacher, and I don’t want to do anything else,” said Mr. Cordero.

Mr. Cordero also noted that there are differences between campus from when he was a student and now. He noticed that the campus had more students while he was at Bosco and was a little more wild. For Cordero, campus now has less kids and is a much calmer environment than the Bosco that he attended. Another difference at Bosco was the rule that the students were only allowed to eat by the 400 buildings and were not allowed to use the basketball courts.

Mr. Cordero found a sense of a community while at Bosco and felt that he had found himself at home when he attended school. He found himself back at Bosco when he was hired by his former baseball coach Chris Jondell to help out at Bosco. The fond memories and his time at Bosco as a former student was what made him excited to come back to Bosco as a teacher. Mr. Cordero has been here for 20 years, but feels the persistent need to keep coming back.

“What makes me keep coming back to Bosco is the students and the coworkers for sure. The students we have are really exceptional students that are great young men,” said Mr. Cordero. 

Not only was Bosco a home to Mr. Cordero, but furthermore, an environment in which he felt he belonged. Mr. Cordero was involved in numerous activities here at Bosco including student government, soccer and baseball. Mr. Cordero was also taught by many teachers here on campus that are recognizable for students on campus now. He was taught by Mr. Linares, Mr. Mestas. Mrs. Machado and Mr. Antonelli who are still active teachers here on campus.

Mr. Cordero has also not been the only Cordero to attend Bosco. His two sons, Cruz Cordero, class of 2020, and Santos Cordero, who is currently a sophomore here at Bosco, have been a part of the Bosco experience. Mr. Cordero was adamant that he did not force his kids to come here and wanted to make sure that they knew they were not obligated to come just because he taught here. The decision to come to Bosco was entirely in the hands of Cruz and Santos.

Knowing how hard it is for freshman students, Mr. Cordero left some words of wisdom for current Braves that may be struggling to find themselves here at Bosco.

“There’s a place for you here at Bosco, and if for whatever reason you feel you can’t find your place here, reach out. There are always people here to help you find your place,” said Mr. Cordero.

By Aydn Morris

St. John Bosco welcomes new long-term sub and St. Joseph alumna Ms. Munoz, who specializes in biological sciences.

Q. What College did you attend and when did you graduate?

A. I attended Cal Poly Pomona and graduated in December 2020.

Q. What did you study in and why did you choose to study that?

A. I majored in Biological Sciences because I had always planned to be in the medical field or teach on the subject.

Q. What high school did you attend and did you grow up there?

A. I graduated from Saint Joseph High School and actually had to take the bus every morning because I lived in Los Angeles.

Q. What interested you about becoming a science teacher?

A. Science has always been something I have been passionate about. Being exposed to working with and mentoring kids from high school until I received my bachelor’s degree was a very rewarding experience, which made me want to pursue it.

Q. What made you interested in becoming a long-term sub here?

A. Being an alumna from Saint Joseph’s, I have a lot of good memories from Bosco and being able to teach here for the first time seems like a full circle moment.

Q. What is your favorite part of teaching?

A. My favorite part of teaching would be building a connection with the kids and seeing on their faces that they really do want to learn and succeed.

Q. Have you had another teaching job?

A. This is my first teaching job!

Q. Have you had a different job other than teaching? 

A. I have actually worked for the City of Norwalk’s Parks and Recreation Department, Starbucks and Disneyland.

Q. Was becoming a teacher your dream job, if not what is/was your dream job?

A. Growing up, I always wanted to be in the medical field, then more specifically a physician assistant.

Q. What is the hardest part of being a long-term substitute, instead of a teacher?

A. I think the hardest part is the possibility of teaching another subject other than Chemistry, because I really do enjoy teaching in this subject.

Q. Have you become immersed in the Bosco community yet? How do you like it so far?

A. I went to the Bosco vs Mater Dei football game, which was really cool considering I haven’t been to a football game here in a few years.

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

A. I was born and raised in California.

Q. What is one place you would love to travel to in the world?

A. I would love to travel to Greece. I have been a major Mamma Mia! fan since I was younger, so it would be amazing to go.

Q. What is your favorite type of food and favorite food?

A. My favorite food is pizza and more specifically, pineapple on pizza.

Q. What is your favorite genre of music and favorite artist?

A. I love more Latin-based music, so I am obsessed with Bad Bunny and Luis Fonsi.

Q.What is your favorite hobby?

A. My favorite hobby would be discovering new coffee shops. I love coffee so finding new spots is really cool.

Q.  Do you watch any sports, and if you do, what is your favorite sports team and player?

A. I only watch football for the sake of my stepdad, and he is a Denver Broncos fanatic.

Q. What is your favorite season of the year and why?

A. My favorite season would be Fall. I love it when its rainy weather and really dislike the heat.

Q. What is your favorite holiday?

A. My favorite holiday is Halloween because it is the perfect weather. I also love candy and scary movies.

Q. What is your favorite movie and TV show?

A. My favorite movie would be Star Wars and my favorite show would be Grey’s Anatomy.

Q. Do you have any pets? If so, what is your pet?

A. I have a purebred Blue Heeler named Dakota, and she is my best friend. She is all attitude but very obedient.

by Matthew Parsons

A guardian angel for all at St. John Bosco, Ms. Melody Mohebbi, known by many student-athletes simply as “Ms. Mel,” serves as both the Head Athletic Trainer as well as the Pathway Coordinator for Sports Medicine.

Born in Tehran, Iran, Ms. Mel and her family weren’t tethered to any single place, constantly moving across the country. She grew up in a relatively average sized household, and it was only her, her parents and brother. Like those she treats now, she was an athlete in her youth. Coming from an athletic family, she went down the path of being a gymnast and a swimmer as a child.  

“I grew up in an athletic family. My mom was actually a gold medalist in diving. And my dad was a basketball coach,” said Ms. Mel.

However, her athletic career was cut short after an injury to her arm. Although she had to give up her competitive career in sports, this injury actually gave her inspiration to later become an athletic trainer.

Since she was constantly moving across Iran, she wasn’t able to stay at a singular school. Somewhat similar to St. John Bosco, the schools in Iran are single-sex, rather than co-ed. She eventually went on to attend university after her high school years and studied geology. Although Ms. Mel never struggled with grades, she regrets that she did not try harder in school.

“I really didn’t care about grades, never did growing up. I wasn’t a bad student, but I wasn’t getting straight A’s. I’m being honest; I was a very procrastinating person. I would always, always – I’m not even kidding you when I say – I would study the night before,” said Ms. Mel.

She originally attended university in Iran, obtaining a degree in geology. She always wanted to work in the medical field, dating back to when she was just a child. Her dream profession was actually to be a doctor, but due to the harsh medical field in Iran, she opted for geology.

“I always wanted to do stuff in the medical field but in Iran, but it is very, very difficult to get into, so that’s why I went with the second best thing that I liked,” said Ms. Mel.

At the age of 24, Ms. Mel made the huge decision to leave her home country to the completely foreign place of England. She claimed asylum in England in order to escape the country, which opened up her horizons and gave her more opportunities for work. 

Working at St. John Bosco was not Ms. Mel’s first working experience. In England, she worked with the women’s Manchester City soccer team and the Manchester Sharks rugby team. She also owned two of her own training clinics over the course of two years.

However, this is the first and only job she has had in the United States, and getting the position of Head Athletic Trainer at Bosco was by chance. Before she was recommended to take the position, she had never even heard of the school. Being desperate for a full-time job for her work visa, she decided to take up the position, and by no means was it an easy road after that. Bosco was her first experience working with kids, as opposed to her other jobs with just adults and professionals.

Being the only athletic trainer at a school like St. John Bosco was extremely difficult for Ms. Mel. She was constantly working alone and, for many years, was under a huge amount of pressure to make sure things were always going well. She had to work to make sure that in each sport the athletes were safe and always getting the proper care and treatment that they needed.

It got to the point where she was dealing with a severe burnout, and she didn’t know if she would be able to continue working at Bosco. Thus, she requested an assistant, leading the way for Mr. Coreyon Edwards to join the athletic training staff. 

Through all of the trials and tribulations of being the head Athletic Trainer, Ms. Mel has still kept good relationships with the students at Bosco.

“She’s really nice and very easy to work with whenever you need help,” said senior Nate Burrell, a defensive end on the football team.

Funnily enough, Ms. Mel never imagined that she would end up as a teacher. She imagined that it wouldn’t be a good fit for her, even though both of her parents were professors. Yet, here at Bosco, she’s ended up teaching many Bosco students in the Sports Medicine Pathway. 

“I never, ever thought I would be a teacher. I never liked it, even though both of my parents are professors,” said Ms. Mel.

Despite not ever thinking that she would end up as a teacher, she has still done a great job.

“She really keeps the class engaged through her practical and hands-on teaching style,” said senior Michael Carbone, a member of the Sports Medicine pathway for all four of his years at Bosco.

Ms. Mel really does love the Bosco community, believing in the family-oriented mission of the school. And even though most Bosco students only know Ms. Mel as a teacher or an athletic trainer, she also enjoys spending time with her friends and has recently picked up the hobby of designing and handcrafts.

By Matthew Parsons

Head Coach of the E-sports program, General Manager of the soccer team and teacher at St. John Bosco, Coach Gabe Giangualano, has worked incredibly hard over the past few years at Bosco to provide the best opportunities for his students.

Despite not getting much recognition for his work around campus, he is still extremely passionate for what he does and is dedicated to all the boys who practice and work under him.

Before arriving on the Bosco campus as a teacher and coach, Coach Gabe was also, once upon a time, just another student who attended St. John Bosco. As he grew up in a family of nine in West Covina and Anaheim, all of his siblings took the private school route although he was the only one to attend Bosco. Coach Gabe has also had three of his sons attend Bosco, all of them active in the community and part of athletics programs. 

As a child, Coach Gabe fell in love with sports, more specifically soccer. He’s always had a love for gaming, but his strong passion for E-sports came much later in his life. His love for soccer was ignited as a child when he scored a game winning goal. 

After middle school, Coach Gabe was originally set to go to Servite, but fate had other plans when his father was given a promotion. Coach Gabe and his family were forced to move to Long Beach, leading him to attend Bosco.

When he attended Bosco, by his own admission, he was not an amazing student, but he poured himself into athletics. He dedicated himself to playing soccer at a high level and even won a league championship with his team. Though looking back, he somewhat regretted that he wasn’t so involved with his academics and grades, which is why he is a big supporter of the school’s Pathway Programs. His belief is that they allow a student to be much more engaged with their academics, helping them achieve more in school. 

“I think there were too many distractions, you know, that kind of pulled me away from being a full academic, but I would have loved to join a Pathway here. And I think that would’ve committed me a little bit more,” said Coach Gabe.

Once Coach Gabe graduated from Bosco, he attended Long Beach City College and Cal State Los Angeles, where he played soccer for both schools. After playing soccer in college, he decided to make the transition to playing soccer at a higher level. This led him to Europe for a period of time, before coming back to the United States and becoming a teacher.

“If I could go back in time, I probably would have stayed more committed to playing at Cal State LA and seeing where that was going,” said Coach Gabe.

Even though for a long while he pursued a career in soccer, E-sports became a new goal of Coach Gabe’s. Even in college, he knew that eventually he wanted to do something with it. This dream had stuck with him ever since 2009, when he played World of Warcraft and had his own guild, climbing the national leaderboard and gaining personal recognition for his in-game achievements. He’s a firm believer in all types of games and their importance on being well rounded. 

“I love games of all types: board games, video games. When you can sit down and compete on a different playing field and constantly compete and change the playing field, you create an ability to think outside the box and think for yourself,” said Coach Gabe.

Before his return to his alma mater, he taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District for six years at Huntington Park and Manual Arts High Schools before changing jobs to be a Staff Analyst, working on budgets for the L.A. County Office of Education, which he did for about seven years or so. He then transitioned into being a teacher at St. John Bosco, as he felt the desire to teach at a place where he believed the students actually wanted to be there and learn.

“I think, it was working at LAUSD when I realized every time I went to class, there were 90% of the kids that didn’t want to be there. And that constantly wears down on you too. And so I really wanted to be in a place where people want to be there,” Coach Gabe said.

Coach Gabe has always been personally interested in entrepreneurship and finance, and it was actually his plan out of college to work in entrepreneurship or have some sort of business somewhere. This has led him to teaching business and finance, computer applications, office practices and now, at Bosco, economics and third-year engineering. 

Coach Gabe feels a great sense of joy and satisfaction organizing and leading the Esports program, which has allowed him to mentor the young boys who join and instill life lessons in them. He is extremely passionate about the program, many people had to come together and work very hard for it to come to fruition. 

Six years ago he pitched the idea to the administration, and since the idea was not met with much support, it failed to start up. Two years later, he met with student Mauricio Contreras, who accumulated the support from several parents, and the matter was taken up with the principal, which gave them a chance to showcase E-sports potential. Several years later, they’ve become a winning program, getting a State Championship in Valorant last year and having garnered some standout partnerships, especially ones with Razer and HP Omen, which allowed them to create their new room E-sports room worth around $70,000.

Coach Gabe has only been a teacher and staff member at Bosco for a few years, but in that time, he’s been given a lot of responsibility. He is always dedicated to the Bosco community and feels a great sense of satisfaction watching it thrive.