Damien Spartan News - November

NOV 2021 DAMIEN HIGH SCHOOL SPARTAN NEWS HELLO SPARTANS AND FRIENDS OF DAMIEN HIGH SCHOOL, INVEST IN THE DAMIEN DIFFERENCE. What an exciting time of the year. The holiday season is right in front of us MORE BANG FOR and I hope you all are looking forward to spending some quality time with YOUR CHARITABLE your loved ones. BUCK! I hope you enjoy reading through this quarterly update as we have so much With just two months to to fill you in on. A big shout out and thank you to everyone who attended our complete any gift planning for Alumni Homecoming event. It was a successful event that celebrates this taxable calendar year, it’s a YOU and was a perfect occasion to reconnect with fellow Brothers and reminder that you have options Tri-School Sisters to reminisce and see some of the improvements the to not just avoid paying taxes, school has made. but also to make a lasting difference. Call us to get more If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read our Annual Impact Report. information about getting the The continued success of Damien and the impact the school is making in most out of your giving. the lives of our students is only possible because of our engaged alumni, faculty, families, and community partners. Finally, I’m happy to announce the Damien Online Shop. You can visit shopdamien.com on the go, get yourself some Damien gear and support your Alma Mater wherever you are. Additional items will be added in the near future. Stay tuned throughout the coming weeks for more announcements and ways to get involved. Thank you for your continued support. Sincerely, FREDERIK “FREDDY” WILKENS DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

HELLO SPARTANS, SERVICE | SCHOLARSHIP | FAITH This past quarter has been filled with excitement as students returned to school and our athletics and co-curricular programs ramped up and began to compete, an exciting time for our students to be sure, but for our school community as well. Some highlights: Our fall sports are playing and competing, for those of you that enjoyed attending football in the spring, as we did last year, I apologize, but it is nice to return to a normal schedule. Additionally, Robotics is moving full steam ahead and held an onsite tournament this past month; Debate is competing and held an on campus tournament this past week. Homecoming this year was reported to have the largest student attendance recorded for a homecoming dance – over 1000 students. Our pregame Alumni event was a great time for the over 300 alumni from our tri-school community who enjoyed the company of past friends while eating freshly prepared tacos and listening to a live band play in the quad. New Baseball Coach: We have hired a new Head Baseball Coach, Coach AJ LaMonda, to lead our baseball program. Coach LaMonda comes to Damien with a wealth of experience as a player and coach. His resume includes coaching at Servite High School (4 seasons), Orange Lutheran (6 seasons), USA Baseball, and as a General Manager for the Peninsula Oilers of the collegiate summer baseball program in Alaska. Coach AJ is joining Damien High School as both Head Baseball Coach and Science Teacher. Having attended an All Boys Catholic School, Coach AJ has a deep understanding of what All Boys Education embodies and is fitting in well with our Damien Spartan Culture and Traditions. When you have a chance, reach out and welcome Coach AJ to our Spartan community. Looking forward: Damien High School is currently engaging in a financial audit, to be completed prior to the end of the calendar year. The audit will lead into the development of a new strategic plan for our school and allow us to seek out new grants that only work with nonprofits that can provide audited forms. Speaking of the strategic plan, we will be seeking input and participation from members of the Damien Community; I hope you will consider participating in this process. Open House is scheduled for Dec. 5th and will be followed that evening with our annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Advent Candle Display. Plan to attend and show your Spartan Spirit. Save the Date: The passing of Frs. Bill Moore and Peter Dennis (PD) have affected many of us that knew them as teachers here at Damien, mentors after our shared experience on campus, and during each of their times as Pastor or Associate Pastor serving at Holy Name of Mary. Damien High School will be holding a Memorial Mass and gathering on January 29, 2022. Stay tuned to start time and campus location. I ask each of you to continue to pray for our students, faculty and our Damien community; your prayers lift us up each day and are the needed fuel to move us forward in living the faith-filled lives that we strive for each day. May God Continue to Bless Each of You Each Day! ST. DAMIEN PRAY FOR US! DR. JOE SIEGMUND ’86 PRESIDENT

WE ARE HONORED TO PRESENT THE DAMIEN HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT. AS A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY, YOU ARE MAKING A REAL AND LASTING DIFFERENCE. 2021 ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT CLICK TO VIEW

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS We know that legends are made not born. We are highlighting some of MIKE KELLY ’90 our very own Damien Legends who walked through our school doors over the years. Damien High School is part of their family and we are Seattle Prep coach Mike Kelly ’90 is announced by so proud of our Spartans who are making a difference in the world. A the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches designated website will be launched soon. Stay tuned. Association as an inductee into the Hall of Fame class for 2022. What a great accomplishment by a If you would like to nominate a Damien Legend, fellow Spartan making an impact in the world! please contact [email protected]. TRISTAN VISCAINO ’14 MARC MAURY, ’55 Tristan Viscaino ’14 was announced as the Kicker Deciding to go to Pomona Catholic High School (before it was called for the Los Angeles Chargers. Prior to this incredible Damien) was the best decision I ever made for many reasons. achievement, Tristan signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2019 following his college The kids were friendly, I was well received, beautiful girls with football career with the Washington Huskies. The great personalities, fell in love several times. I also made lifelong Damien community is proud of you! Keep up the friends and some have been “Brothers” and Sisters and have great work. been close throughout my life. Many are gone now, and many others I occasionally meet for lunch. Several could be considered legends in their own right and have been very successful in their careers and as parents raising good productive families. On top of meeting a wonderful group of people, I actually learned something from the group of dedicated Nun’s and teachers who put up with our shenanigans. They were tough, but at the same time fair and objective. PCHS and my classmates also provided me the opportunity to return to my religion and helped me develop a productive work ethic. With this background I was able to help my dad and older brother start a successful electronics business ‘Maury Microwave’ in 1957 that has grown and prospered for 64 years and continues today in Ontario, CA. I am grateful that both of my sons, Marc and Greg, also had the opportunity to graduate from Damien in 1979. Here are some Words of Wisdom; Value your education at Damien and the people you meet, they will both be instrumental in your success going forward and you will make lifelong friendships! And oh yeah, live by the 10 commandments, you can’t go wrong. GREG ‘79 (LEFT), CHRIS ‘79 (CENTER) AND MARC ‘55 (RIGHT)

MICHAEL TURNER (‘72) JAMES RABE (‘12) Retired Panasonic Electronics- Mechanical Engineer I became the kind of person my mom could be proud of. Thanks to BS and MS in mechanical engineering from UC-Riverside. Damien and all the other positive influences in my life. (Graduated in 2016 and 2017). Married Presley Greenwald and moved to Northern Nevada (Reno-Sparks). Employed by LIAM WINTROATH (‘13) Panasonic Electronics at the Tesla Gigafactory. Mother Caroline Academy & Education Center-Social Studies DANIEL CARR-CRAWFORD (‘10) Teacher & Student Life Coordinator Google- Programmatic Strategy After graduating from Damien in 2013, I went on to do my undergraduate experience at Saint Mary’s University of Currently working in Google’s ad sales in Los Angeles on one of Minnesota. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Social Studies their largest clients in the Americas region. Focused on strategy, Education in 2017. After graduating my college I went on to revenue growth and retention. Been living in LA for 11 years now join the Lasallian Volunteers service program where I lived in and I am having a great time! community and taught at San Miguel School Chicago on the southside of the city for 2 years. In the spring of 2019 I was JULIO LOPEZ (‘69) accepted into Boston College’s Lynch School of Education where I was a part of the Urban Catholic Teacher Corps program. For Retired 2 years I taught full time at Mother Caroline Academy, lived in community with 20+ teachers and I earned my Masters in Have moved back down from northern Calif. looking forward Education in May 2021. Now that I’ve graduated with my to spending time with the family. I am also in need of a kidney Masters, I’m continuing my journey as an educator and donor. If you ever considered donating an organ to save a administrator at Mother Caroline Academy. human life let me know if you are willing to help a fellow Spartan. God bless you all. JASON CHECHITELLI (‘92) Mercer Island Beach Club- Swimming Coach I coach swimming at the Mercer Island Beach Club. My wife works for AWS at Amazon and I have three kids. STEPHEN OU (‘98) Physician Married with two children. Working as an emergency physician. MARTIN REID (‘71) Retired My wife and I will celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary in July. Retired from DuPont Crop Protection after 36 years in April of 2017. After 21 years residing in Yuma, Arizona, we have relocated to Henderson, Nevada. The staff, students and alumni of Damien High School are in my prayers each day. MARK EMERY (‘77) Retired Worked as an Account Manager for 35 years in the cosmetic packaging industry. Raised two children (boy and girl), married to my wife since 1985. Activities at current age; snow skiing, golfing, hiking, biking, grandparenting, and traveling. JONATHAN RABE (‘08) Sky High Car Audio - Owner Started Sky High Car Audio while in college at the University Of Nevada-Reno. After graduation I continued building and fine tuning the Sky High business plan. Today, 8 years later, I have 25 of the greatest employees and together we are becoming a force in the online audio industry.

INTRODUCING THE DAMIEN SHOP SHOPDAMIEN.COM



SPOTLIGHT DAMIEN’S UNDEBATABLE LEADERS FOR LIFE CLUBS EXCELLENCE Members of the Leaders for Life clubs of Pomona Catholic One of the oldest programs at Damien is back again. The Damien Debate and Damien along with the Spartan Adventure club asked team is back with Mr. Lewis as its new coach. Many people have the those who attended last Friday’s football game to pledge idea that debate consists of someone yelling at their opponents in to donate blood at their local community centers as the a chaotic and unprofessional manner. Instead, an actual structured Respect for Life month came to a close. Thank you to the debate you must be calm, persuasive, unbiased, and focused on your 80+ individuals who said yes to the call and the many topic. This year’s debate team exemplified those skills during the more who consider giving this gift of life. recent Georgetown Day Tournament in Washington D.C., with Omar Darwish and Stephen Lewis’ masterclass of a victory against a legion SPARTAN AMBASSADORS of well-coached teams. ON THE ROAD Darwish and Lewis artfully maneuvered through the preliminary rounds, Our Ambassadors doing an amazing job ending with a notable but somewhat rocky record of four wins and two sharing the Damien experience with losses. Consequently, they entered the octofinals as the twelfth seeded prospective families! team. Nevertheless, they persevered, and, in an impressive turnaround, Damien’s underdogs managed to garner a stellar 3-0 record during the elimination rounds, beating teams from all over the nation, including Calvert Hall College High School and the Bronx School of Science. Both school’s pairs of debaters entered the elimination rounds with higher seeds. The tournament concluded with the reveal of a new Damien affir- mative case during the semifinals, which helped seal the deal and sweeten the win against Mahyoub Yatak and Michael Greenburg of Pine Crest School. According to Darwish, the novel argument centered around “[P] alestinian diasporic politics, and how certain symbols of the homeland remind those stuck in the US, and how our perception of politics is a Palestinian one, not an [A]merican one.” By emerging victorious against the first seed in the semifinals, Darwish and Lewis have clinched a bid to the highly prestigious Tournament of Champions next year. The stars have aligned and the signs are crystal clear: the Damien debate team, with new Coach Tim Lewis at the helm, is sure to be a dominant force in the years yet unwritten. Co-authored by students Caleb Adams and Dominic Vitz

ATHLETICS UPDATE DAMIEN HIGH SCHOOL NAMED AJ LAMONDA HEAD BASEBALL COACH “We are thrilled to welcome Coach LaMonda to Damien as our next head baseball coach,” said Damien Athletic Director Jeff Grant. “Damien Baseball has a proud history of excellence and Coach LaMonda is the perfect fit to maintain that tradition. AJ’s extensive baseball knowledge and background will be a tremendous asset to ourprogram. We are confident that Damien Baseball is positioned for continued success under Coach LaMonda’s leadership.” Coach LaMonda began his coaching career as part of the staff at Servite High School, where he served as an assistant for four seasons. AJ then spent six seasons as the hitting coach at Orange Lutheran High School. During that time, Coach LaMonda also served as a coach with USA Baseball, developing and scouting players to represent the USA. Most recently, he has served as an assistant coach at St. John Bosco High School as well as the general manager of the Peninsula Oilers of the collegiate summer baseball program in Alaska. “I am extremely excited to take over a program with the history and tradition of Damien Baseball,” said LaMonda. “The opportunity to work with the young men in this program on and off the field as they develop into student-athletes of service, scholarship, and faith is the reason I coach. I am looking forward to continuing the proud tradition of Spartan Baseball as we embark on this new era,” added LaMonda. SERVICE | SCHOLARSHIP | FAITH

ALUMNI HOMECOMING HIGHLIGHTS ON 9/11 IT WAS GREAT TO WELCOME SO MANY OF OUR ALUMNI BACK HOME AND CELEBRATE HOMECOMING.THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CAME AND MADE THIS EVENT A GREAT SUCCESS CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR GALLERY

MASS FOR HEROES AND CEREMONY FOR LIVES LOST ON 9/11 DAMIEN IN THE COMMUNITY: ANNUAL PRAYER BREAKFAST On Tuesday September 23, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles resumed their Annual Prayer Breakfast at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Of the more than 1000 participants composed of students, teachers, administrators, and guests from all over the diocese, there were 29 Spartans that made the journey to downtown LA for the event composed of 23 students, Mr. Hoffman, Mr. Geiger, Mr. Magallon, Mrs. Pertusa- ti, Mrs. Sinclair, and Dr. Siegmund. The day started early, with a 5:30 AM departure for the Spartans. Arriving to the grounds mid-rosary, the Spartans settled into their seats joining the community in prayer. For many students, including Junior Ben (Ziheng) Tang, this was their first time visiting the Modern Cathedral. “When I first got into the church, I was amazed by the powerful and magnificent feeling inside the church. You can feel that it was filled with faith. It was a good environment for people to practice, learn and study Catholi- cism”. The 3,000 capacity sanctuary felt full as the Mass began with music and singing reverberating off the stones and tapes- tries, filling the cavernous space. The Gospel reading recalling Christ’s calling of the tax collector Matthew with the words “Follow Me” provided Archbishop Jose Gomez’s homily the context for reminding the community that Christ calls every one of us, out of love, to follow and serve him. After mass, the community shifted to the grand public plaza for the breakfast portion of the event.

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