AUGUST 2018 ● Page 1 a Bi-Annual Publication for Parents, Alumni, & Friends
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Celebrating 120 Years POMONA CATHOLIC All girls’ college preparatory high school Co- educational middle school, Grades 6, 7, & 8 The Pace Setter Annual Report Carrying the light of faith for 120 years! Edition 2018 The school communities of St. Inside this issue: Joseph, St. Madeleine, and Pomona Catholic Middle and High Schools Principal’s Message 2 came together for a festive 120th Anniversary Mass at St. Joseph Church in Pomona on Wednesday, Graduations 8 August 29. AP Results 12 Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, was the Community Service/ 14 celebrant. Concelebrants were San Activities Gabriel Regional Bishop David O'Connell, St. Joseph pastor Father Steve Guitron, Our Lady of the Assumption pastor Father Charles Ramirez, who is a graduate of Athletics 20 Pomona Catholic Boys High School of La Verne, now known as Damien High School; and the associate pastors of St. Joseph, Father Louis Gonsalves and Alumni News 21 Father Rick Van Der Water. Four hundred twenty-five students from TK3 through grade 12 participated in Annual Report 22 the Mass, some serving as greeters, ushers, lector, cantors and choir. Also in attendance were representatives from the Archdiocesan Department of Catholic Schools, benefactors, alumni, parents, grandparents and friends as well as SM Therese Ann Parobek, SM Seraphine Moynier, S Julianna Francis Marie Vagnozzi and Treasurer General S Catalina Marie Batres. SM Therese Ann Parobek, SM Seraphine Moynier '57, S Catalina Marie Batres '90, and S Julianna Francis Marie Vagnozzi '74, during the barbecue following the Mass ANNUAL REPORT ● AUGUST 2018 ● Page 1 A Bi-Annual Publication for Parents, Alumni, & Friends. Page 2 Dear Parents and Guardians, It is with tremendous pride and enthusiasm I welcome you to Pomona Catholic’s 120th year of tradition and academic excellence. First, we thank God for his abundant blessings on our community. I extend my sincere gratitude for your partnership as we work together to accomplish a balanced academic and spiritual community for grades six through twelve. Pomona Catholic is introducing iPads into the classroom starting the 2018-2019 school year. In conjunction with introduction of the iPad program, we hope to also start a comprehensive professional development program. More information will be provided soon. Our Middle School will launch a Spanish Lab for the 6th and 7th grade students. This is a generous community that truly lives the Gospel and nurtures the next generation of service minded individuals. We look forward to discovering many new ways to partner with other community groups. We especially want to further nurture our relationship with Damien High School, our neighboring schools, parishes of St. Madeleine and St. Joseph, the City of Pomona and other local parishes and organizations. Our website is the best source for up-to-date changes occurring in the calendar. Celebrating, growing, and preparing our students to live a full and blessed life are our primary goals at Pomona Catholic. God bless you and our community as we journey forward on the path God has set before us. Please do not hesitate to contact me. I am honored to lead us forward into a new year filled with God’s many graces. Pray for me, partner with me in support of a positive and productive school year. Peace and Blessings, Rebecca Arteaga, Class of 1992 Principal WELCOME MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTOR , MR. E! Mr. Marcelo Eureste is a San Antonio, Texas native who is now calling Southern California home. He has over 16 years years of education experience which include 10 years within the Catholic school system. He served the Archdiocese of San Antonio for the previous 10 years before making his way to Pomona Catholic. The Pomona Catholic MS/HS model is no stranger to Mr. Eureste as he most recently served as the Assistant Principal (2015-2018) at Providence Catholic School (All girls, grades 6-12) in San Antonio, TX. Prior to that, he also served as an Associate Administrator/ Counselor (2008-2015) at Antonian College Preparatory High School. He is looking forward to his new journey at Pomona Catholic Middle School and fostering strong relationships with his students, families, and the community at large. Celebrating 120 Years A FAMILY OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN POMONA Moving into the 2018-2019 school year, Saint Joseph Pomona Catholic along with the surrounding Grades TK4 – 5 | Co-ed Catholic schools in Pomona have joined Dual Language Immersion together as a family. This family of Catholic schools includes St. Madeleine, St. Joseph, Pomona Catholic Middle School and High Pomona Catholic Middle School School; each school will have a primary Grades 6 – 8 | Co-ed focus in their curriculum. Spanish Makers Lab Saint Madeleine Grades TK3 - 5 | Co-ed Pomona Catholic High School Literacy, Family, and Faith Grades 9 – 12 | All Girls Faith, Scholarship, Tradition, and Empowerment OPEN ENROLLMENT! Contact each school to learn more about their programs. Tuition assistance available. ANNUAL REPORT ● AUGUST 2018 ● Page 3 A Bi-Annual Publication for Parents, Alumni, & Friends. A Brief History of Catholic Education in the Pomona Valley In 1886, a little frame church was erected on the corner what is now Park Avenue and Monterey Street. Rev. P. J. Fisher arrived to serve as resident pastor. Father Fisher considered seriously the plan for a Catholic school. He conducted a survey of the possible number of pupils available for such a school. This survey showed that thirty-seven Catholic children from Pomona were attending boarding schools in other cities. Academy of the Holy Names -- 1898 to 1948 Thursday, September 15, 1898, marked the opening of the Academy of the Holy Names for the enrollment of pupils. The teaching staff consisted of six Sisters from the Mother House in Oakland, who had arrived to assume charge of the school. The curriculum included all grades from first to tenth, inclusive, consisting of primary, grammar, and academic grades. A devastating fire destroyed much of the original building in 1927. The sisters moved the students and teachers to the Elks Club until the current building was erected in 1928. (Excerpted from A Half Century History of the Academy of the Holy Names 1898 to 1948 by Mrs. M. C. Kennedy.) The Academy was a boarding school for girls, conducted by the Sisters of the Holy Names. During World War II the sisters realized that they did not have enough sisters to staff all five of their schools. The last graduating class from the high school was 1943. The new pastor at that time, Rev. Thomas English, recognized the need for a Catholic high school for girls and boys in the Pomona area. The sisters told him that they did not have the personnel to open such a school. In fact, they were regretfully leaving Pomona. Fr. English asked to purchase the property for use as a high school. He asked the Felician Sisters to come from Chicago and staff both the Academy as well as the grade school. Saint Joseph High School--1948 to 1952 In order to relieve overcrowding at St. Joseph Elementary, the former academy was used by the junior high students for the first two years. As the academy building was converted from a dormitories to classrooms, a grade per year was added until the full complement of classes were established. In 1953, St. Joseph High School became Pomona Catholic High School. Celebrating 120 Years Pomona Catholic High School -- Pomona Catholic Girls High School With the post war boom in California, Pomona Catholic’s building soon became too small. By 1957, the enrollment reached 750 students. When the old Bonita High School building became available in 1959, the archdiocese bought the property and opened Pomona Catholic Boys High School of LaVerne (now Damien High School). Year by year the boys left Pomona Catholic until the last co-ed class graduated in 1962. The 1962-1963 school year saw a new era and another name change—Pomona Catholic Girls High School. Pomona Catholic Middle School Pomona Catholic again became co-ed in 2009 when the Pomona Catholic Middle School was opened. In the Spring of 2018, Pomona Catholic was named the middle school for the Pomona family of Catholic schools, which includes St. Joseph and St. Madeleine Schools. Today, Pomona Catholic is led by alumna Rebecca Arteaga. ’92 Saint Joseph Elementary-- 1898 to present St. Joseph School was opened in 1898 by the Sisters of the Holy Names at the behest of Rev. P. J. Fisher, Pastor of St. Joseph. Fifty years later, the Felician Sisters came to staff St. Joseph, living with the high school sisters until a convent was built for them. The original school was on Hamilton and William. It was later moved and expanded on Lewis and Holt. St. Joseph alumna Sister Catalina Marie Batres was the last Felician Sister teaching at St. Joseph. Today St. Joseph teaches TK4 through fifth grade in a dual language program. Sacred Heart School -- 1949 to 1998 Sacred Heart School was opened in 1949 to serve the southern parts of Pomona and also Chino. During the renovation of the former academy, some junior high students from St. Joseph were sent to Sacred Heart School while others were sent to the high school for classes. Sacred Heart School continued to serve until it closed its doors in 1998. Sacred Heart alumni still keep in contact with each other. Saint Madeleine School -- 1964 to present Serving the eastern edge of Pomona, Saint Madeline School opened its doors in 1964, only one year after the parish was established. The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Orange staffed the school until 1975. Today St. Madeleine teaches TK3 to fifth grade and is lead by a Pomona Catholic alumna, Ms.