The students came back from their summer break to a three day, all-school retreat put on by Youth 2000 in conjunction with our Campus Minister Brian Cobb, our student volunteers, and our faculty volunteers.  The retreat was a faith filled opportunity for all of our students to grow closer in their relationship to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. It also offered them the opportunity to grow closer as a student body and to individually reflect on God's loving plan for each of them. The students were asked to have faith in His plan, bring their worries to God in prayer, to understand the importance of Confession and the spiritual significance of Adoration. Over the three days, the students prayed the Rosary, celebrated Mass, spent time with our Lord in Adoration, sang with one voice, spent time in workshops discussing the challenges and temptations teenagers face, and got to know a wonderful group of priests who ran the retreat.  For all our students, it was an opportunity to grow in their faith.  It was a blessing on our campus and a wonderful reminder that we are all one in the body of Christ. 

When asked what the student's liked best about the retreat, we were happy to hear that there were several things that had special meaning for them.  Some of their comments were:

Thank you to the generous donors at the 2017 Gala who sponsored the retreat through the Fund a Need portion of the Gala Live Auction.  Without their support, we would not have been able to bring Youth 2000 to our campus for all of our students, faculty and staff. May God continue to bless them for their kindness. 

Tuesday, August 8th, Garces Rams Oliver Oxley and Andrew Hoffmann were celebrated at the Eagle Scout Court of Honor where they both received the rank of Eagle Scout.

Eagle Scout  is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Boy  Scouting program of the Boy Scouts  of America (BSA). The designation "Eagle Scout " was founded over one hundred years ago. Only four percent of Boy Scouts  are granted this rank after a lengthy review process.

Oliver's Eagle Scout project was to rid Beach Park of the dangerous gopher holes on the soccer fields.  It was quite an arduous process as he had to first obtain permission from the city and then he had to spend days at the park doing manual labor to improve the safety of the field.

Andrew spent time in the foster care system before being adopted into a loving family.  Andrew wanted to give back.  His Eagle Scout project was to help young foster children.  He collected clothing for young children who are brought into the Jamison's Childern Center, many who only have the clothing they are wearing when they arrive. 

We are very proud of these fine young men and their commitment to making our community a better place for all. 

Garces Ram Jack Tobias was named to the First Team for the Cal-Hi Preseason All-Central Section Football Team.

What an honor for Jack to be selected as someone to watch during the 2017 season.

Good luck Jack.  We hope you have a great senior year as a Ram! 

Some of our parents saw the condition of the boys coaches' room in the gym and decided that they needed to get involved as it was badly in need of a make over. They ripped out the carpet, tore down a wall, painted, put in a new floor, re-tiled the shower, put in new plumbing, installed a new toilet, and made the entire space something the boys and coaches will enjoy for years to come.  The space is used for coaches' office, meetings, pep talks, chalk talks, and for some of the kids to hang out in when they need a quiet space.  

What makes this even more special, is that the parents donated their time and treasure to make this happen without any expense to the school.  They would prefer to remain anonymous as they did this for the coaches and the boys who will use this space.  We are so grateful for their generosity that we want to publicly thank them for their good works. Garces is a special place because of people like them. Those who see a need and step in, quietly, and just make it happen. Over the years, Garces has been blessed with many angels who have earned jewels in their crowns in heaven for their kindness towards our school and our students.

Our thanks and a debt of gratitude to:

Justin Tobias '91

Courtney Tobias '92

Jeremy Tobias '84

John Etcheverry '88

Bob Demos

Covey Hebbard

Coach Cody Kekipi

Raji Sanghera '87

Jim McMurtrey

McMurtrey/Lince Construction

Joe Barnett

Check out the interviews with Coach Price about Garces Volleyball and Coach Gass about Garces Football and their upcoming seasons.  Go Rams! 

BVarsity Interviews

The Garces Parent Club and Garces Booster Club invite all of our parents, teachers, staff, and coaches to join them for a fun night by the pool.

There is a football scrimmage against Independence HS on Sam Tobias Field and the Social will begin following the scrimmage.  We want all of our parents and coaches to join in the fun.

There will be a taco stand and cold beverages including margarita machines - so ADULTS ONLY.

We will have the Student Store open for those parents who want to purchase some Garces gear.  We will also have a table to join the Booster's Club and the Parent Club.

We hope to see everyone there. 

In last week's newsletter, we had a couple of mix ups.  Our apologies.  Our cheer-leading squads for this year are: 

GIRLS WATER POLO

TEAM TRY-OUTS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12TH

10:00 AM - 12:00 NOON

LUNCH PROVIDED 

Garces principal, Ms. Myka Peck, invites all of our incoming freshmen parents and transfer student parents to join her for coffee on the first day of classes, Monday, August 14th.  There will be coffee and pastries in Monsignor Leddy Hall from 7:30 - 9:00 AM.  It's a wonderful opportunity for freshmen parents to meet each other and to meet with Ms. Peck, Mrs. Sakowski, Mr. Dees, leadership team members, counselors, and teachers.  

On Thursday, August 24th, the Hail Mary Club will host their Men-Only Kick-Off Dinner at Luigi's.  The ladies of the Garces Parent Club decided that the men didn't get to have all the fun and they organized The Marys' Dinner for Women-Only on the same night.

The Marys' Dinner will be just down the street from the HMC event at Wool Grower's Restaurant.  It will start at 6 PM with a No-Host Bar with dinner to follow. There will be an opportunity to win a week in Balboa along with some other fun raffle items.

Tickets are $100 and include a special dinner menu, wine, and dessert. Tickets are limited to 200 as we have limited seating. Proceeds will benefit Garces Memorial High School. 

If you are interested in purchasing a ticket and joining us for a fun girls night out, please email us using the link:   The Marys' Dinner

The Hail Mary Club will host its annual Kick-Off Dinner on Thursday, August 24th. This year's keynote speaker is former Fresno State Head Football Coach, Pat Hill. Before becoming the head coach of Fresno State's football program, Pat coached for both the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens.  He was the head coach at Fresno State from 1997-2011. 

Hail Mary Club Kick-Off Dinner

Thursday, August 24th

6:30 PM - Cocktails 

7:30 PM - Dinner

Luigi's Warehouse

725 E. 19th St.

Tickets: $250.00

Tickets are available at the front office from Ms. Sherry Hylton or from a Hail Mary Club Board Member. 

Be sure to join us for our annual Holy Smoke Garces BBQ on Thursday, September 28th!  You can purchase your tickets online by clicking on the image above, or stop by the Garces Memorial office.  If you are interested in helping on the planning committee, or donating a few hours for the event, please contact Director of Community Affairs, Tonya Abbott, or one of our BBQ Chairs, Suzanne Rogers or Jenny Waguespack.