9<:(+,9 Vol. 3 No. 1 * 655,*;065 * A publicationbl dedicatedd d d to theh Marian/MaterM /M DeiD CatholicC h l HighH h SchoolS h l CommunityC 4HYPH+\UOHT9VILY[Zº General Counsel/Director of Civil Affairs Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego 05:0+,;/0:0::<, 3 Message from the President 4 The Board of Directors 8 Mater Dei Choir 9 Fall Drama Production 10 Sister Servants of the Blessed Sacrament 12-13 Crusader Life Photos 14 First Honors 15 Alumni in the Spotlight, (Maria Dunham) Roberts, ‘81 16 Scott Wright, Class of 2012 17 Frances Lopez, Class of 2011 18 Fall Sports Wrap-up 20 Alumni News 24 Food for the Poor 25 Advancement 26 School Calendar *644<50;@ The 2009 Homecoming Queen, Daniela Aguilar and her father. (4,::(., -964;/,79,:0+,5; Dear Crusader Families and Friends, 4H[LY+LP+YP]L Returning to school after the Christmas break is usually a time of reentry when we *O\SH=PZ[H*( catch up with our students, families and colleagues on all the many ways that we WO! were blessed during the recent holiday. Thisyear was no exception as Monday Janu- ^^^TH[LYKLPJH[OVSPJVYN ary 4th dawned with the excitement of telling our holiday stories and the hope of a New Year with intentions and resolutions that were meant to lift us up by creating reachable and sometimes unreachable goals to achieve. We were quickly shocked and saddened that very evening by the senseless and tragic killing of one of our brothers in Christ, Jose Labastida Fimbres, a junior stu- )6(9+6- dent here at Mater Dei. Jose held great promise as both a student and as an athlete and will be deeply missed by all of his friends and classmates. This year has been a +09,*;69: difficult one for our community as Jose is now the third student we’ve lost in the first semester. Geraldine Bloch, another junior, passed away from a sudden illness Rev. Peter McGuine (Chair) in October and freshman, Mahala Saylor was killed in a car crash with her parents two days before the start of school. In the midst of these tragedies, the witness of Rev. Peter Escalante our students’ faith and how they comfort each other is always a window into God’s Sr. Maria Paz Uribe love, mercy and healing power. As adults, we appreciate how mature our students can be even though their years of age are still so few. Jose, Geraldine and Mahala Mr. Steven Boudreau, Esq. will always be remembered fondly by their classmates and by the Crusader com- Ms. Linda Bugelli munity and they and their families will have our prayers as we ask God to comfort them in this time of great sorrow. Mr. Gordon Day ‘74 While I have started this edition of the Crusader Connection on a somber note, Mr. Tom Finch ‘82 I hope you will appreciate the many successes and the outstanding contributions made by our students, parents, alumni and staff that are witnessed in the stories that Mr. Wade McKnight follow on these pages. We hope you will take your time and linger over the many Mr. Rene Olivo ways that Crusaders are achieving and making a difference in the community and in the world. Most of all, I want you to know that you are prayed for daily as are all Mr. Edward Spriggs the patrons of Mater Dei Catholic High School. Bishop Brom has recently asked Mr. Thomas Clayton Beecher, Ex-Officio our school community to pray the Memorare on a daily basis for all our supporters. This was Dr. Estelle Kassebaum’s, our former President’s, favorite prayer and one Mr. George Milke, Ex-Officio that we would like you to use as well. We have reprinted it on page 10 for you to pray with us as a school community. The Crusader Connection is published two times per year by Mater Dei Catholic High School. Ev- ery effort has been made to ensure the accuracy God Bless you all during this New Year. and completeness of this publication. Please ac- Mary Mother of God, Lead Us to your Son Jesus. cept our apologies for any errors or omissions and report them to John Rey at (619) 621-5705 or Yours in Christ, [email protected]. Director of Publications: John Rey Graphic Design/Photography: Nicole Limoges Printer: Kings Printing Thomas Clayton Beecher A special thank you to those who took the extra time President to write/proof the articles. )6(9+6-+09,*;69: 4(;,9+,0*(;/630*/0./:*/663 ;/,4(;,9+,0*(;/630*/0./:*/663 )6(9+6-+09,*;69: The following article is provided to educate our Crusader community regarding the role of the Board of Directors and its relationship to the school and the Diocese. The purpose of the Mater Dei Catholic High come from many walks of life: pastors, Catholic leadership, School Board of Directors (Board) is to assist the Diocese business owners and entrepreneurs, attorneys, CPA’s, gov- of San Diego in governing the school. The Board is consti- ernment employees, university administrator and corporate tuted by the Bishop of the Diocese of San Diego, Bishop management. Together, they offer a broad tapestry of opin- Robert Brom, and it exercises its responsibility by advising ions and expertise which aids the school in planning and the school administration on matters of finance, advance- guidance. ment, mission effectiveness, facilities, admissions, public Currently there are two parents who also serve relations & marketing. Their chief annual duty is to adopt on the Board and according to the Board by-laws; parent and monitor a balanced budget which includes setting tu- membership is not to exceed half of the total membership. ition & fees along with any salary inducements for faculty The main reason for this restriction is to assure a much more and staff. long range vision for the governance of the school while at The Board is composed of pastors, women reli- the same time acknowledging the importance of the view- gious, lay men and lay women from throughout the diocese. point of current families in the Board’s deliberations. Board All members receive their initial appointment to the Board members are appointed to three year terms and can be reap- by Bishop Brom. There are currently ten voting members pointed to an additional term by Bishop Brom. on the Board and four ex-officio non-voting members The by-laws call for at least four Board meetings (President, Principal, Alumni Association Chair and Par- annually although by practice the Board has met between ent Association Chair). The maximum number of voting six and eight times during each of the past three school Board members is not to exceed 15 in order to allow for years. ease of dialogue and debate. All Board members must dem- We hope you find this information informative and onstrate a keen interest in promoting the Catholic values of helpful as you consider how the school is governed and the the school, and the Board strives to represent a diversity of ties we have in the community through the Board mem- experiences, backgrounds and expertise. The current mem- bership. Please enjoy the brief bio’s on each of the Board bership reflects this desired diversity since the members members that are provided with this article. *9<:(+,9*655,*;065 ;/, )6(9+4,4),9: -(;/,97,;,94*.<05, Father Peter McGuine currently serves as the Pastor of Santa Sophia Church in Spring Valley. A priest of the Diocese of San Diego for almost 20 years, he has held a variety of positions at both the diocesan and parish levels through the years. In addition, he served for four years as the Vice Rector for Seminary Life and Director of Human Formation for the Pontifical North American College seminary in Rome. Father McGuine is also a Chaplain, Lieutenant Colonel, in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and is attached to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs for periodic duty. “I was invited to serve on the Mater Dei Board of Directors by Bishop Brom last year. Without a doubt, nothing comes close to a good, solid period of Catholic formation and education during one’s high school years. I pray my own experiences with Catholic schools and universities can help guide the administration of Mater Dei in support of its mission.” :0:;,94(90(7(A Sister Maria Paz is a teacher and enjoys ministering to stu- -(;/,97,;,9,:*(3(5;, dents in all grades. She has served as principal in St. Mary School, El Centro, on two different occasions and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School in San Ysidro. Sister Maria Paz has served her congregation, the Sister Servants of the Blessed Father Peter Escalante has been a priest in the Diocese of Sacrament, as Viceprovincial and General Councilor. She is San Diego for over 31 years. He is currently Pastor of St. currently the Provincial of our newly erected Province of the Joseph Cathedral and is actively involved in raising money Immaculate Conception since 2006. for the Catholic Grammar schools in the Cathedral cluster. “I have a profound belief in Catholic Education which enticed “I agreed to serve on the Mater Dei Catholic Board of Di- me to serve on the board of Mater Dei. Mater Dei Catholic rectors because of my strong conviction about the need for High School prepares students to be witnesses to faith in a Catholic education. Not only is Mater Dei a fine school world of conflict, while striving to recognize each student as a and environment to learn and develop one’s faith, but with unique person created by God and fostering the development the need that we have for Vocations in the Catholic Church, of his/her potentials.