The RamPage

September 2, 2022

Labor Day - School Closed

September 5th

All-School Mass

Formal Dress Required

September 6th

Fall Play Auditions

September 7th

College Night

September 7th

Hall of Honor

September 8th

CSF Forms Due

September 9th

Holy Bowl Tailgate &

Night Rally

September 9th

Holy Bowl

September 10th

All-School Mass

Formal Dress Required

September 12th

Foodapoolooza

September 16th

All-School Mass

Formal Dress Required

September 20th

Club Day

September 22nd

Garces Family,

What a great start to the 2022-2023 school year in the admissions office with the 159 new students and families to Garces Memorial High School. We are excited to see what the year holds for our campus and your student(s).

You have entrusted Garces Memorial High School with providing education for your student(s) in all facets of their lives whether it be academically, spiritually, athletically or socially. We strive to do all of that and then some.

This year you may see a new face in the admissions office but not new to our campus. Trevor Horn has transitioned to be the Assistant Director of Admissions. Mr. Horn has already been be a wonderful addition to the admissions office in his short few weeks and he will aid in the building in relationships and connections with our current and incoming families.

This year we will continue to promote the wonderful traditions, high academic standards and what it means to be a Ram for our future students on campus. 

In the past few years, we have continued to grow our enrollment by providing meaningful Christ-centric education, small class sizes, individual support, high-level academics and well-rounded co-curriculars, all while watching our students grow spiritually as well as growing in all aspects of their young adult lives. We encourage you to reach out to your friends and family for Christ-centered education for the upcoming year.

The admissions team is excited for the upcoming year and what it holds, if you have a current 8th grader or transfer student, I encourage you to reach out to the admissions office so we can get all of your questions answered and provide you the information about what Garces can provide for your student academically, spiritually, athletically and socially. 

Eric Coleman

Director of Admissions

ecoleman@garces.org

We are excited to welcome Mrs. Krista Jensen as a new member of our teaching staff. Mrs. Jensen will be teaching Algebra I and Statistics. She holds a Masters Degree in Statistics and has over twenty years of teaching experience. Mrs. Jensen has been working closely with the math department and we are confident your students will continue to receive quality instruction.

Welcome to the Ram family Mrs. Jensen!

The calendar has moved to September, but the temperature and play of our Garces Athletics programs are still heating up.

Let’s check in.

Football 

The Rams bounced back in a big way last week with a 41-7 win on the road against Paraclete at Antelope Valley College. David Smith rushed for 154 yards and touchdown runs of 94 and 40 yards while quarterback Jordan Gallegoz ran for two scores and found Andrew Boyd for a passing touchdown. Cage Williams got into the scoring for the Rams with an interception returned for a touchdown. Tonight, the Rams are playing Bishop Diego at 7 p.m. at La Playa Stadium in Santa Barbara.

Last night, the JV football team took a tough loss to Buchanan at home.

Girls Golf 

The Rams opened up the season last week at the Lemoore Golf Tournament with a third place finish out of 19 programs. Malia Giumarra led the Rams with an overall score of 83. The Rams are back in action in Madera on Tuesday. Wednesday’s league opener has been postponed to a later date still to be determined.

Girls Tennis

The Rams secured another big win and remain undefeated after defeating Santa Barbara on the road 12-6 on Tuesday. The Rams (4-0) are once again on the road today, this time in a rematch of the 2021 Central Section Division I finals at San Luis Obispo at 3 p.m. The Rams defeated SLO for the school’s first D-I title in a decade.

Boys and Girls Water Polo

The varsity boys water polo team opened up the season last weekend with a 2-2 record at the prestigious AG Fall Classic in Arroyo Grande. The Rams ended the tournament with a win over Clovis West. Today, the girls water polo team is in Clovis for the two-day Central Valley Showdown hosted by Clovis West while the boys JV team is in Arroyo Grande for a two-day tournament.

Volleyball

It was a tough week at home for the Garces volleyball team with losses to Caruthers and Arroyo Grande. Both opponents have a combined record of 18-3. The Rams look to respond with road games at Porterville-Monache on Tuesday and at Kingsburg on Wednesday before the Holy Bowl next Saturday vs. San Joaquin Memorial.

Meet Clif Williamson

New Garces Head Varsity Baseball Coach

Garces Memorial High School is pleased to announce Clif Williamson as the new varsity baseball coach.

Williamson was introduced to the baseball players this morning in the Sanghera Family Collaborative Learning Center and replaces Bryan Haney, who resigned in August citing personal reasons to spend more time with his wife and young daughter after four years as the baseball head coach and teacher on campus.

This is the first high school varsity coaching position for Williamson, but he comes with great pedigree in the sport around Bakersfield.

“Clif will be an amazing addition to the Garces family,” Garces Memorial Athletic Director Gino Lacava said. “Aside from his extensive baseball coaching and playing background, his ‘whole person’ teaching and leadership development approach to working with kids will propel the Ram baseball program to new heights.”

The 2003 North High graduate played baseball at Bakersfield College and has spent a considerable amount of time as a personal hitting instructor while running a nationally-ranked youth baseball program.

“It really was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up,” Williamson said. “I really wanted to coach high school baseball, but figured I would wait until my son, who is currently in 7th grade, graduated from high school. But taking over the Garces Memorial program now is too good to pass up.”

Last season, the Rams advanced to the Central Section Division IV quarterfinals and will return seniors like Jason Smith, Bradley Horton, Griffin Garcia and Paul Pacheco with hopes of building off last season’s postseason run and building a new foundation at Garces under Williamson.

“I feel my coaching style is balanced with new-school techniques but still playing baseball the old-school way,” Williamson said. “We are not looking to have a rebuilding year. We want a ‘win-now’ presence. I think myself and my staff can turn this program into one that can compete every time we step between the lines.”

Click here to purchase your tickets online or call the Advancement Department at 661-327-2578 ext. 118.

Thank you to our wonderful Holy Smoke BBQ Sponsors!

There is still time to sponsor our Holy Smoke BBQ.  The deadline for sponsors is September 10th.  Promote your business and come have a great time as we kick off our school fundraising efforts with our Holy Smoke BBQ.  Click here for more information about sponsorships. A big thank you to those who have already stepped up as sponsors for this year's event.  

If you are interested in joining this generous group of sponsors, you can click on the link below, or you can contact Tonya Abbott at tabbott@garces.org or call 661-327-2578 ext. 118.  

We are honoring the 2012 CIF D-2 Valley Championship Football Team at halftime of the Holy Bowl on Saturday, September 10th. Legendary game announcer Mark Brown will be on hand to introduce the team and share some highlights. There will be a tailgate before the game courtesy of the HMC. There is no cost to the members of the team for admission to the game. If you are able to join us, please RSVP to Lou Ann Durrett. 

The great thing about winning a valley championship is all the friends you make along the way! We think this is the list of players who suited up for the game, but there may be some who were called up from the JV or Freshman teams that we missed. If so - please join us at the Holy Bowl. We want to honor every alumnus who was part of our last football valley championship! 

Brendon Acosta

Cruise Adams

Jack Anspach

Quintero Apolinar

Hunter Barnes

Braden Bautista

Angus Bellue

Gio Borba

Nico Borba

Connor Carlovsky

Sheldon Croney

Simran Dosanjh

Michael Duran

David Etcheverry

Mason Etcheverry

Emmanuel Flores

Dominic Frasch

David Grimm

Cameron Guirguis

Adam Hartwick

Chris Hernandez

Vinny Hudiburg

Tyler Hutchison

Michael Imbelloni

Ethan Kirkorian

Konrad Kuntz

Blake Logan

Jack Lundy

Mason Marotta

Bryan McCullar

Matt McNally

Fidencio Medina

Cameron Pacheco

Scott Packebush

Thomas Packebush

Jake Pavletich

Vincent Randolph

Reed Robertson

Patrick Sakowski

Chris Sakowski

Alex Salmeron

Matt Sanders

Christian Sanders Matt Strosnider

Jake Stuart

Jake Sweaney

Keoni Taylor

Conagher Villani

The Garces Memorial Alumni Board is pleased to announce the inductees for the 2022 Hall of Honor. They are Dr. Tom Berry, Mrs. Joan (Haller) Finch '87, Mr. Ed Hearn, and Mrs. Jenny (Maitia) Poncetta '70. The legacy family who will be presented the 2022 Alumni Award is the Kari & Steve Anderson Family. 

The inductees will be honored at the 13th annual Hall of Honor on Thursday, September 8th at Luigi's Warehouse. The evening kicks off with a no-host cocktail reception at 5:30, dinner at 6:30, followed by the awards presentation. Tickets are $100 per person and tables seat 8. For additional information please contact Lou Ann Durrett. 

The Kari and Steve Anderson Family have been part of Garces for almost 30 years. Between Kari and Steve, they have seven Garces graduates – Christopher Anderson ’97, Cody Anderson ’00, Brandon Grimm ‘00, Kellie (Grimm) Merriman ‘02, Brett Grimm ‘08, Chase Grimm ’11, and David Grimm ’14. While their children were at Garces, they were active and dedicated parents – supporting their children in all that they did. Beyond that, they supported the school through sponsorships and donations – although they have been generous, they have also been humble donors who do so quietly without fanfare. They believe in Garces and are happy to support the mission of the school. It is people like them who make Garces possible and for that we are grateful. 

In addition to supporting the school and being great ambassadors for Garces in the community, Steve’s company, SC Anderson, consulted on and built the Garces pool, tennis courts, and the music building. And each project came in on time and under budget – which is no small feat. But Steve’s commitment to Garces was evident in every meeting and in every discussion. He was determined to make sure the school was a priority with his team. Steve’s son Cody was the project manager on all three projects and between the two of them, Garces was in great hands. The results speak for themselves. All three locations on our campus are beautiful and the students, faculty, and alumni are proud of each space.

The Anderson and Grimm alumni also left their mark at Garces and have left a legacy at our school. Christopher was a member of the marching band and the concert band. Cody was active in the Art Club and the Key Club. Brandon played football and was on the track and field team for Garces. Kellie was a member of the girls tennis team. Brett played golf and football for Garces. Chase was a member of campus ministry and the football team. David played on the 2012 D-2 Valley Championship Football Team. They are all proud members of our Garces family and it is alumni and families like theirs that make us all proud to be Garces Rams.