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Touchdown!
Branson's 8-man football team traveled to Thacher in Ojai and left victorious.
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Calendar Additions/Changes
- Winter Sports Orientation has been moved from November 1 to October 23
- Branson's LGBTQ+ social has moved to October 17
- Branson's Photo Day will be September 27
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New Directory Additions/Changes
Maya King - ‘21
Delete email address for Laura King
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Amelia Browne '19 Named Girls Prep of the Week
Amelia Browne '19 was named Girls Prep of the Week by the
Marin IJ
for her performance at the Albany Tournament, where Branson went undefeated.
Congratulations, Amelia.
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Parents' Day Is Next Saturday, September 23
We are excited to host all our families at Parents’ Day on Saturday, September 23 beginning at 8:30 am. After a continental breakfast and an assembly, you’ll follow your child’s schedule and attend classes. This special event is a highlight of the school year. We regret that, because of space limitations, we cannot extend invitations to students or younger siblings. See you then!
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Amrit Baveja Receives Cheers of Gratitude For Scheduling App!
Freshman
Amrit Baveja
got a standing ovation at this week's assembly as he unveiled new features of an app he created to help translate the Branson schedule for individual calendars. His explanation:
"The app organizes and displays a student’s schedule in a easy, user-friendly manner. Basically, students enter their classes for each block (A Block=English, etc.) and the app automatically generates a 6-day schedule. I originally built this app because I have a slightly hard time keeping track of paper schedules and tend to lose them very easily. As I was coding the app, I realized that with a few simple tweaks, I could adapt it for any Branson student to use on a daily basis."
At assembly he showed how to use the app and sync it with your Google calendar. It is available at the app store, called Branson Schedule.
Amazing. We are all still cheering. Thank you, Amrit.
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SEPTEMBER 21 - Rosh Hashanah, No School
SEPTEMBER 23 - Parents' Day
8:30 start at The Commons
SEPTEMBER 25 - Families of Color Fall Event
6:30 - 8 pm, The Commons
SEPTEMBER 27 - Photo Day
SEPTEMBER 30 - Garden Workday
9 am - 1 pm, The Branson Garden
The dates listed above represent only the next two weeks.
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Garden Work Party
by Anne Wick
Do you like to get your hands in the dirt? Meet us on Saturday, September 30 from 9 am to 1 pm in the Branson Garden! We are inviting the whole Branson community to join us for a breakfast potluck work party in the garden on that Saturday. No experience is necessary - just a desire to pull some weeds, prepare some soil, get your hands dirty, and break a sweat! Bring your garden hand tools, pruners, shovels, and gloves and we'll provide a few extras to share or loan. Also, we'd love if people would bring a treat to share with the group. Questions? Contact parent
Anne Wick
,
415-846-6987
.
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STUDENT LIFE: A MESSAGE FROM MEREDITH
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A Message from Meredith Herrera
Dean of Student Life and Inclusion
From groups of students working together in the quad, to exciting events like JTS and fall sports, it’s hard to believe that we are only three weeks into a new school year! As we move through the year, I hope to keep you regularly updated on issues and information related to Student Life at Branson and particularly, our theme for the year - Creating a Culture of Care.
Being in the business of helping kids grow into curious, confident, and compassionate adults is definitely hard work. Below are two articles and one local event that speak to our themes for the year. I hope they make for interesting reading and fruitful conversation.
(While this article relates to educational settings, I think its principles have universal impact)
Get Savvy Part 1 - Reducing the Risk of Sexual Assault
Thu Sep 21, 7:00pm to 8:30pm |
Founders Room, Tiburon Library
Kathleen Buckstaff
Kathleen Buckstaff, Belvedere resident and author of Get Savvy: Letters to a Teenage Girl about Sex and Love, will share what she has learned about sexual predators’ traits, tactics and tricks and what we can do to exit early or intervene to reduce the risk of sexual assault.
Part One is appropriate for all high school students and above. Parents, educators, and school counselors are encouraged to attend to increase their ability to identify predatory behavior and steps they can take to intervene early.
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TutorCorps Grant Boost for KIP (Knowledge is Power)
by Adriana Golden '20
Last spring, I applied for a grant from the TutorCorps Foundation for Knowledge is Power. I was honored to receive a $200, which helped us purchase early reader chapter books to help children in the Canal District retain their reading skills over the summer. With the help of Branson student volunteers, we reached hundreds of children by helping their reading comprehension, reading stories, and distributing books at food banks throughout the Canal District.
As a side project, we donated some of the young adult and adult books that we have received at book drives to the Marin County Jail in the hopes of starting a lending library for the people in custody -–everyone has the right to read!
Many thanks to TutorCorps Foundation for their support and to the Branson students who volunteered to help me this summer! Keep an eye out for an assembly announcement and emails about how to get involved with KIP this year.
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First PA Meeting a Rousing Success
The first Parents' Association Meeting of the year was a rousing success! Over 100 parents joined in person and 21 people participated remotely through our new webcasting system!
After a warm welcome from President
Germana Fabbri
, Board Chair and parent
Claudia Lewis
introduced herself and the board's work, followed by
Head of School Chris Mazzola
, who shared her vision for the year. The next PA meeting will be Tuesday, October 10.
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Branson Spirit Wear
Come by our table on Parent's Day 9/23 and at the First Home Football Game 9/28 to check out the new tanks + hats or grab one of the popular favorites that quickly disappeared during the first two weeks of school. The inventory has been re-stocked - so now more choices and sizes!
And, don't forget, if we miss you at one of these events, all Spirit Wear is available for purchase via your student account in the Snack Shack.
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Branson Arts Council!
by Patty Moncada, Branson Arts Council Chair
The arts are alive and thriving at Branson! Our students’ extraordinary talents are on display whenever you attend any one of their year-round arts events.
The role of the Branson Arts Council is to support the faculty in managing the logistics of thirteen visual and performance arts events each school year. We offer a broad variety of opportunities for parent involvement, both big and small, depending on each individual’s interests and availability. Volunteering is a great way to make new friends and contribute in a meaningful way to the continued success of the arts program.
Please click below to choose a volunteer spot that suits your schedule. Thank you for volunteering your time. You are part of what makes this community so special!
With gratitude,
Patty
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Mark Your Calendars Now!
Thursday, September 21st-Rosh Hashanah-No School
Saturday, September 23rd- Parent's Day- (Please note this event is for parents only)
Location: Meet in front of The Commons to obtain your individual schedule for the day
Time: 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
Thursday, October 12th-Save The Date for the Freshman Parent Social/Dinner (formal invite to follow on/around 9/25)
Location: The Commons
Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
If you would like to volunteer to assist with this event please contact Liz Shalev Zweben directly at
lizshalevzweben@gmail.com
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Mark Your Calendars Now!
OCTOBER
* Senior Portraits: Keep a lookout for an online scheduling link from MugsyClicks
** We also need volunteers during portrait sessions. Easy work! SignUpGenius and more info to come
Tuesday, 10/10: Parent Hike #1, 10:30am -
departing from Branson immediately after PA meeting
Monday, 10/16: College Financial Aid Night, 7 pm
Wednesday, 10/25:
*
Senior Portraits Day #1
Friday, 10/27:
*
Senior Portraits Day #2
NOVEMBER
Friday, 11/3:
*
Senior Portraits Day #3 (last day!)
DECEMBER
Tuesday, 12/5: Parent Hike #2, 10:30 am -
departing from Branson immediately after PA meeting
JANUARY 2018
January 23 - Parent Luncheon, possibly at Harmony in Strawberry Village, TBD
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Graduation Announcement Ordering Information for Class of 2018
Jostens is the company that provides Branson families with official graduation announcements and graduation-related accessories. Packets that contain a catalog and ordering information were handed out at the Senior Parent/Student College Night on September 6.
A representative will be on campus, in The Commons on September 26 from 11-1 to take orders and answer any questions.
Orders can also be placed online at
http://www.shop.jostens.com
by first clicking on “Find My School’s Store” then enter Branson, Ross, CA.
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Arts Chair Eric Oldmixon, Athletic Director Tom Ryan & Associate Athletic Director Veronica Bosque
c
aught in the act of collaborating!
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Cross Country Connects Students, Alumni and Alumni Parents
A huge thank you to all of the students and parents of the Cross Country team who welcomed our alums with open arms last Saturday in the home of
Jim Harleen and Stephanie DiMarco,
parents of Anna '16.
Steve Reinertsen ‘82
was thrilled with the opportunity to bring all of his athletes together to train and learn from one another for the day. Once a runner, always a runner! For more information and pictures from the event, please contact
Rebecca Houser.
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Pacifics' Greg Mroz ’11 Meets with Branson Sports Broadcasting Network
Greg Mroz ‘11 Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations for the Pacifics San Rafael baseball team, joined Tommy Yates ‘18, Adam Ramirez ‘18, Brooks Hoffman’18, and Charlie Goldstein ‘20 for lunch. Ideas were exchanged, contacts were made, and food was enjoyed. This is the first lunch in our new series to bring alums back on campus to work directly with our students. If you have an alumnus you would like to suggest or student who has a special interest, email me,
Rebecca Houser.
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Maura Vaughn & Georgia Ortega Enriched Their Practices through Immersive Summer Workshops
Dance Director Georgia Ortega
attended a Somatic Dance Conference and Bill Evans Teachers Intensive in Geneva, New York. She also participated in a workshop for certified teachers in the Evans Method of modern dance technique, where she taught a class and gave a presentation on the Branson
Theater Director
Maura Vaughn
attended Broadway Teachers Workshop, a three-day intensive workshop that includes tickets to four shows with post show cast discussions and eight master classes with Broadway performers, writers, directors and designers.
"I took valuable lessons from each session. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I picked up the choreography from Hamilton and humbled by hard it was for me to dance on the counts and not the words. I was able to connect with almost a dozen alumni, a few who have just started their journey in the theatrical business and some who are in shows both on and off Broadway. I revisited exercises I have not done since college and learned new approaches to teaching some of the basics. The best thing of course was the impassioned conversation among the other theater educators about how essential arts education is to developing minds and how best to give our students all our craft has to offer."
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Help the School When Buying Books
Whether you shop for books online at Amazon, or locally at The Book Passage, you can help Branson!
Bookmark the link
http://smile.amazon.com
and select The Branson School as your organization. A portion of your spending will be sent to the school, which goes directly to support our Community Engagement program.
If you shop at Book Passage in Corte Madera, please mention that you are a member of the Branson community. Each quarter, the Library receives a gift certificate based on sales, which are used to purchase new books for the collection.
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Join the Chorus!
Faculty, parents, and alumni! Become a part of the Winter Concert this year! Join the Branson Chorus, Chamber Singers and Orchestra and sing Antonio Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’ at The Winter Concert on December 17 at 2 pm in Angelico Hall at Dominican University.
Have fun! First rehearsal: Tuesday, October 10 from 7 until 8:30 pm in Maxwell Music Hall. There will be six
rehearsals, broken down as follows: one evening per week until Thanksgiving break, one rehearsal after Thanksgiving, then two evenings per week for two weeks prior to the concert.
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How To Be an Ally: POCIS Talk at Urban
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NorCal POCIS (People of Color in Independent Schools) and Our Family Coalition are sponsoring a workshop on intersections between race and gender and being an ally. Deans
Jorge Rodriguez
and
Sabrina Wilson
are members of the POCIS board and Sabrina will be attending the event, which is at Urban High School in San Francisco from 11:30 to 3:00 pm, and lunch will be provided.
See more details by clicking on the flyer.
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Grace Dailey, Callie Jones Win Easily
With course record holder and current Stanford standout
Julia Maxwell ’14
looking on, senior
Grace Dailey
and junior
Callie Jones
crossed the line together in an intentional first-place tie, winning Wednesday September 13’s regular season opener v. Drake, Marin Catholic and Novato by over a minute. The girls’ strong performance, Branson’s second fastest effort ever on Drake’s three-mile Concrete Pipe course, helped the team defeat Novato; Drake and Marin Catholic were just too fast and too deep for the Bulls.
Thanks in part to top finisher
Alex Le
, who ran a smart, evenly paced race—5:38 first mile, 5:43 overall—the boys defeated Novato, while falling as the girls did to the very talented, dedicated Drake and Marin Catholic squads.
Forty-three Bulls competed in the race. Eighteen were running in their very first real three-mile high school cross country race ever, and by any measure, the afternoon was a rousing success. Rookies
Caitlin Evers
(freshman) and
Brigid Rasmussen
(junior) ran three and four for the girls, and a host of returners including
Sydney Hwang, Nye Day, Anna Weisel, Meghan O’Keefe, Jojo Huff,
and
Emma Nelson
all ran nearly as fast Wednesday as they did at any time in 2016 (conditions were favorable Wed, but nonetheless, mid-September is a long way from late October, when most set their season’s best last year…this augurs so well for the squad).
Senior
Adam Ramirez
, who ran four for the guys, pulled off a rarity, negative splitting the race, running the first mile in 6:16 while averaging 6:14 for the race as a whole. Did he—and
Tucker Sennett
, and
Sam Yolles
, among others--sandbag that first mile, or are maturity and restraint his new hallmarks? Time will tell; such are the wonderful questions a good opening race raises.
James Maxwell
and
Finn Zink
ran almost as fast as they ever have, and rookies
Kai Cunha, Oliver Freeman, Foster Lehman, Strat Tolmie, Oliver Zink, Lawrence Bancroft, Justin Forde
and
Mark Harmon
all turned in fine first efforts as well. Race number one in the books, momentum gained!
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Girls Golf Team Swings into Promising Season
The six members of the Branson Girls Golf team teed off their season opener on August 31st at Marin Country Club, battling record high temps but falling short by one stroke against the Novato Hornets (249 v 248). The team fought hard the following week on their home course at Peacock Gap, beating both the Drake Pirates and the Marin Catholic Wildcats by a margin of over 30 strokes, with leading scores posted by freshman
Sydney Park
(48) and senior
Nadine Lee
(50).
Freshman
Sydney Pearson
and senior, Captain
Kirra Peery
were lead scorers against a very talented Terra Linda team last Thursday at McInnis, but the Bulls were unable to top the Trojans. On Monday, the girls traveled to Napa to play Justin Siena at the Silverado Golf Course and overcame heat and rain to defeat the Braves (244 v 303).
Coming up, the girls will face San Marin at Indian Valley, followed by Redwood at the Meadow Club.
Representing the 2017 Girls Golf team are:
Nadine Lee, Kirry Peery, Stephanie Wong, Natasha Chandra, Sydney Park
and
Sydney Pearson.
The girls are coached by
Sara Yarmer.
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8-Man Football -- Branson 44 – Thacher 14
The Bulls travelled 380 miles to Ojai and emerged with a huge victory in their first football matchup, anticipated as one of the tougher games this season
.
Even Chris Mazzola came down to cheer, although not without conflict, as she had a son suited up for Thacher!
Niklas Koehne made a key fumble recovery early that led to Branson's first score. It was one of what would be four touchdown passes from Alec Ritch to Kwentyn Wiggins, including connections for 30 and 55 yards late in the game.
The game looked tight initially, but by the second quarter Branson began to figure out Thacher’s offensive scheme and the Bulls' fierce defense took over, with powerful hits by Brett Schneider and Charlie Goldstein helping turn the momentum of the game
.
Juice Jacobs dominated with at least five sacks. Nicholas Hariri booted multiple kickoffs into the end zone for no return and placed a punt inside the 10 yard line. In addition to some spectacular catches, sophomore Wiggins also completed his impressive football debut with an interception. All in, QB Ritch, with some great pass protection by the offensive line, threw five TD passes, including one to Aidan Demian, and ran in another two TDs.
An impressive start to Branson’s second football season ever!
Thank you to Branson Sports Broadcasting Network for making the trek and capturing the game for everyone: (Facebook Live link tk from Tommy Yates or Trigg)
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Branson Girls Break the Mustangs
There are times in MCAL competition when a team does not have to bring all its horses to the match. And so it was with the San Marin Mustangs on a balmy September evening on the edge of Novato. This was an excellent opportunity to tweak the lineup and see how the newer players performed on a big stage and in positions they haven’t experienced yet. And besides, sometimes you need a stress-free, enjoyable evening of tennis fun. And thanks to the friendly environs of San Marin HS…it was.
The #2 doubles duo of freshmen
Alana Talley & Sedona Ward
continued their competitive chemistry by dominating at 6-0, 6-1; while #3 dubs
Katie
Sayers & Stella Wong
took down their opponents 6-0, 6-0. Congratulations to these players for their first varsity wins!
#3 singles was represented by
Emily Wells
who took care of business with a 6-2, 6-1 victory.
Elli Diaz
at #4 singles sharpened her skills with a 6-3, 6-0 win.
Lillie Lippman
at #5 position gained singles experience with a 6-3, 6-0 margin, and
Caroline Ritter
showed her prowess with a 6-0, 6-1 result.
#1 doubles
Grace Herbst & Olivia Rosenlund
powered to a 6-0, 6-1 decision, while
Clia Ellwein,
at #2 singles, patiently dominated her opposite at 6-0, 6-1. Finishing off the match at #1singles,
Abby Ivancevich
took on a determined foe and pounded her way to a 6-1, 6-4 conclusion.
Nice to have a 9-0 match once in a while in a very competitive league.
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Branson Girls Dominate Justin-Siena Braves
A cool, unpredictable wind coupled with dark and threatening clouds…that was the stage set for Branson hosting the Braves at the Redwood HS tennis courts. The Justin-Siena tennis team is always competitive and a pleasure to play in the MCAL season.
Some new doubles combinations were featured as
Scarlett Bach & Caroline Ritter
fought the wind almost as much as their opponents in a 6-4, 6-4 win. #2 dubs
Olivia Rosenlund & Sedona Ward
hit the ball hard and often to score a 6-1, 6-0 victory, while #1
Lillie Lippman & Alana Talley
used their athleticism to roll to a 6-0, 6-0 decision. Clean sweep for the doubles teams.
Elli Diaz
at #6 singles ran around a lot…like the other singles players…because the swirling wind would sometimes simply stop the ball from completing its forward momentum. Lots of adjustments, but Elli made them at 6-2, 7-5. #2 singles
Chelsea Wong
showed she had no problem at that lofty slot in the roster by winning 6-4, 6-3. #3
Ella Ratliff
cruised through the first set 6-1 but then her foe dug in and tied the second set 6-6 forcing a tie-breaker which Ella finally won 7-2. No matter how hard Ella hit the ball it seemed like it just kept coming back. #1 singles
Emma Hirschkop
ran into a consistent buzz-saw and lost 1-6, 1-6. #4 singles
Clia Ellwein
methodically and patiently dissected her opponent’s game, while #5
Emily Wells,
whose strokes ran the gamut from lobs to lasers, powered her way to a decisive victory.
Branson wins 8-1 and gets ready for next week’s
three matches.
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Both the varsity and JV teams are in full league swing with two huge matches this week! Both teams traveled to Red Tail Hawk territory yesterday and will have the opportunity to have a strong #fridayfinish against the Giants of Redwood. The varsity game is the Game of the Week, so rock your Branson gear and bring the noise at 5:45 pm.
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Bulls Win Season Opener Against Drake 3-1
Led by senior
Amy Wentze
l and junior
Amelia Browne
, the varsity team got off to a solid start for the season, beating an up-and-coming Drake team three sets to one. The Bulls immediately went to work dismantling the Drake defense to take the first set 25-12. The 25-16 second set was more of the same, with solid kills by sophomores
Kelsey Polhemus
and
Maya Roberts-Burbank
, and great defensive work by senior
Eva Davis
and sophomore
Avery Arcuri
. The third set saw the Pirates finally able to right their ship for a brief moment, taking the third set 19-25.
However, the fourth set was a fine example of Branson Grit. The Bulls took the wind out of Drake’s sails as Amelia broadsided the hapless Drake back row with a fusillade of kills, assisted by sophomore
Mallory Harrington-Fei’s
shots down the line. Junior
Lauren Winters
and sophomore
Abby Stover
shut down the Drake offense with some amazing digs and serves, and freshman
Alexa Garay's
serving also kept the pressure on. Sophomore
Sophie Swett
elevated her game to a new level and pummeled the Pirates into submission, resulting in a commanding 25-15 fourth set victory and the win.
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Girls
Fall Short Against Marin Catholic 1-3
A raucous, standing-room-only crowd packed the Branson gym last Friday night as the student bodies from both Branson and Marin Catholic turned out in full force to cheer on their teams. Veteran seniors
Amy Wentzel
and
Eva Davis
, as well as juniors
Amelia Browne
and
Lauren Winters
, have been in this position before, but having graduated half of their starters from last year, this match would be a true test of the Bulls’ predominately sophomore team.
The Bulls got off to a fast start and led early, but lost the first set 14-25. The second set saw the Bulls lose a close one 24-26. However, unfazed by the setback, and under the guidance of coach
Michelle Brazil
and assistant coach
Meghan Wentzel
, the Bulls were able to roar back to take the third set 25-21 with solid offense by sophomores
Sophie Swett
and
Kelsey Polhemus
, and Amelia, who had a wonderful late set ace.
The fourth set, however, saw the Bulls lose the momentum and the match 9-25.
The silver lining is that the sophomores did step up. Sophie was the Bulls leading scorer for the night with 12 kills and 15 digs, followed by Amelia with 10 kills and 13 digs, and Kelsey with 9 kills and four blocks. Sophomore
Abby Stover
led the defense with 17 digs.
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Varsity Wins Cougar Challenge Championship
Less than 12 hours after their loss to Marin Catholic, the Bulls were on the road to the East Bay to compete in the 2017 Cougar Challenge Varsity Volleyball Challenge hosted by Albany High School. Branson Grit was in abundance as the Bulls played six matches over the span of 10 hours and went undefeated for the day, beating Albany (25-23, 25-10), Head-Royce (25-15, 25-20), Holy Names (25-15, 25-7), Marin Academy (25-21, 25-12), Lick-Wilmerding (21-25, 25-11, 15-8), and perennial powerhouse Campolindo in a tough championship match (21-25, 25-23, 16-14). Sophomores
Maya Roberts-Burbank
and
Avery Arcuri
, and freshman
Alexa Garay
turned in strong performances. Sophomore
Mallory Harrington-Fei
had the best showing of her Branson career to date, peppering the court with numerous kills.
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Post Office Box 887 Ross, California 94957
(415) 454-3612 • www.branson.org
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