The RamPage

September 23, 2022

Weekly Newsletter for Garces Families, Students, Alumni, & Friends.
Important Dates

Little Ram Cheerleaders

September 23rd


All-School Mass

Formal Dress Required

September 26th

Holy Smoke BBQ

September 28th 


End of 1st Quarter

October 6th

Faculty In-Service

No School

October 7th


October 10th - 15th

Homecoming Week

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Garces Memorial 75th Anniversary

Good Luck Mrs. Meek - We Will Miss You!

Garces chemistry teacher and Garces Booster Club President, Mrs. Becky Meek, has announced that her last day at Garces will be Friday, October 21st. The Meek family is moving to Magnolia, Texas - just outside of Houston. Mrs. Meek came to Garces in the fall of 2017 and immediately became one of the favorite teachers on campus. When she came to Garces, her son Aidan was a freshman. Her classroom door was always open to Aidan, his friends, and any other students who needed a place to sit and study, a soft spot to land, or something to eat - a policy she has continued with her other sons who are at Garces - Garrett '23 and Will '25. She has been the football team mom, the basketball team mom, and the baseball team mom. She has been voted Teacher of the Year, Most Memorable Teacher, and School Mom of Garces. Last summer, she organized and ran the Summer Camps and welcomed so many future Rams to campus. She will be greatly missed and we wish her, her husband Justin, and their boys the best of luck in Magnolia. Our loss is Magnolia's gain.


Science Department Chair Mrs. Kloock said "Becky has been an amazing asset to Garces in so many ways. As a teacher, she holds students to high standards and always has encouraging words. As a team mom, she always has snacks and drinks for the kids. As a faculty member, she has been a friend and confidant to many. Mrs. Meek was voted multiple times as someone the students admire and has been given accolades by her fellow faculty members and received the “Rising Star” award. Her presence has been a blessing to the community. Becky lives the mission of the school and raises others around her to the same standards. While we are sad to be losing her, we wish her only the best. I will miss her personally more than she will ever know." 


Garces is in the process of hiring a chemistry teacher. If you are interested or know anyone who is interested, please have them email Mrs. Denise Limi at dlimi@garces.org. 

Message from Garces President, Mr. Kent Hickey

Mr. Hickey Visits FFA at the KC Fair!

Mr. Hickey with FFA Student Jordan Van Skike

Mr. Hickey with FFA Student Maddy Baeza

By now, our parents should have received a letter in the mail asking for support of our Annual Fund. This year, we are reaching out to our parents first as the Annual Fund is critical to the operating success of Garces. We are hoping for 100% participation from our current families. We are asking for our parents who can afford it to prayerfully consider making a donation at the Bridge the Gap level or higher - the difference between the actual cost to educate Garces students versus the amount of tuition charged per family. The gap is $2,800 per student. That amount is partially covered by fundraising efforts through our special events and the Annual Fund. Our first special event is the Holy Smoke BBQ on Wednesday night. I hope to see all of you there as I hear it is one of the premier events in Bakersfield and the proceeds will go to good use in support of our beautiful little school on the hill. Please come up and say “hi” as I am looking forward to getting to know the Garces community. 

 

Next month, we will increase our Annual Fund reach with a broader appeal to our alumni and friends of Garces, asking for their support. Our hope is to significantly grow our Annual Fund contributions this year as Garces Memorial has a lot of needs. One of our priorities this year is to increase campus security levels for our students. We are hoping, through the generosity of our extended Garces family, to make essential upgrades to increase the level of safety provided for our students, faculty, and staff. Over the next couple of months, you will hear a lot about our Annual Fund as it is a top priority for us. 

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Holy Smoke BBQ. If you have any questions, my door is always open.


Blessings,


Kent Hickey

Presdient

Admissions

Class of 2027 Dates

We are gearing up to welcome future rams in the Class of 2027 and are planning all kinds of fun and engaging activities. Look for more details over the next month. Please mark your calendars.:


Shadow Days - October 4th - November 30

Registration is open on our website for future Rams to sign up for a Shadow Day to experience a "Day in the Life" as a Garces Ram. Future Rams are paired up with a current student who shares similar interests. Future Rams are also able to request whom they would like to shadow for the day. 


Ram for a Day - Wednesday, November 16th

All 8th graders who are interested in attending Garces next year are invited to come to our Ram for a Day. It is an opportunity to meet future Rams from other schools who are also looking at Garces for their high school experience. 

Class of 2022 Highlight Video

Before our seniors graduated last year, several of them took a moment to talk about what made their Garces experience special. They talked about Garces being a family and teachers who were invested in their success not only as students but as people. They discussed how they were able to navigate through COVID because of their relationships at Garces. And they talked about being prepared to move onto their next stage in life, college. We are so proud of the Class of 2022. We hope you enjoy the video. We hope the video will help us share with future families why Garces is a great choice for high school, if not the only choice for many who desire a faith-filled, family-like atmosphere with high academic standards for all levels of learning. 


Click on the video below:

Garces Class of 2022

Student News

Club Day


On Thursday, Garces held its annual Club Day. We had tables set out in the quad during lunch with different clubs at each table to answer questions and allow for students to sign up. This year, we have 35 clubs with a wide array of interests for students to pick from. We encourage every student to join at least one club. There is a link below listing the clubs and moderators. If you have an interest in joining a club - it's not too late. Reach out to the moderator or attend their next meeting. 


List of 2022-2023 Clubs

CSF Spring Semester 2021-2022

Congratulations to our Garces Rams who met the qualifications to be members of CSF for the Spring Semester. Founded in 1921, the California Scholarship Federation is the oldest scholastic scholarship institution in the state of California. Membership in CSF is by semester in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades and is based upon academic standing and service to school and/or community. In order to become a member, students must submit an application each semester.

English Test Prep


On Wednesday, Mrs. Zasoski took her English class to the Sanghera Family Collaborative Learning Center. She had them work on group projects for their unit on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories. And then she set up a Jeopardy-style review for their upcoming test. What a fun way to review and prepare!

Science Labs


Mrs. Kloock has her students busy conducting labs in her Honors Chemistry class and her AP Biology class. In Honors Chemistry, the students had an eight-station lab to test the differences between chemical and physical changes. In AP Biology, students were divided into teams and competed to see which team could find the macromolecules and identify them first. 

Fall Play Cast


Congratulations to the Garces students selected to be in the cast of the upcoming Fall Play, " I Love the 80's Revue".

  • Aneliese Arredondo
  • Kelsey Buena
  • Gabby Camou
  • Sophia Camou
  • Erin Castillo
  • Ryan Chandler
  • Suahn Cho
  • Cohen Clark
  • Colby Hughes
  • Nolan Lopez
  • Yovanni Nguyen
  • Bayleigh Ochoa
  • Malorie Thorn

Homecoming Royalty

Congratulations to the students voted to the Homecoming Court! The Homecoming King and Queen will be announced at halftime of the homecoming game on Friday, October 14th.

  • Freshmen Prince & Princess: Jagger Renteria & Tysen Huff
  • Sophomore Prince & Princess: Luke Napier & Emma Machado
  • Junior Prince & Princess: Johnny Starr & Emme Roberts
  • Senior Princes: Paul Pacheco, Josh Braun, Jack Gerow, & Julian Smith
  • Senior Princesses: Avi Borba, Shalom Shittu, Evie McCarthy, & Kylee Limpias

Garces Athletics

Sports Update provided by Trevor Horn, Sports Information Director

The Rams are in full swing, with most teams in league play. Garces Memorial is in a new league beginning this season. It’s a slight change from the Southwest Yosemite League to the new-look River League. Bakersfield High has been dropped to the new Valley League. Our league opponents are Centennial, Frontier, Liberty, and Stockdale. And to round out the full schedule, our cross-league rival this year is Bakersfield Christian.

 

Here is this week in Garces Athletics

 

Cross Country

Wednesday was the first meet for the Rams in Kern County this season in the Del Oro Rising Sun Invitational at Hart Park. Sofia Moody led the way for the Rams, who will be in the first River League meet at the Kern County Soccer Park on Wednesday.

 

Football

The final non-league game of the season is tonight at 7 p.m. against Lincoln of San Diego. The Rams (1-3) are looking to get back in the win column against the Hornets, ranked No. 25 in the state by CalPreps.com. Garces has played the toughest non-league schedule in the Central Section and is Top 25 in the state. The Rams will open league play next Thursday against Liberty with JV at 5 p.m. and varsity at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 30.

 

Girls Golf

Girls golf was victorious this week in the second league meet on Tuesday at Buena Vista Golf Course. Malia Giumarra led the way with a 41 on the 9-hole course, while Hailey Shaw and Bella Burks both shot 42.

 

Girls Tennis

The Rams remain undefeated in league play with 9-0 victories over Bakersfield Christian and Centennial this week. Currently, the team is at home today in Lynch Cup competition, with the finals set for Saturday at 1 p.m. at Stockdale. Garces (15-2, 3-0) is ranked No. 1 in the Central Section and is 7-0 so far against Top 10 competition.

 

Volleyball

It was a tough start to league play for volleyball this week. The Rams played competitively but lost in three sets to Liberty, which is ranked No. 16 in the state by MaxPreps.com. Then on the road Thursday, the Rams lost in four sets to Frontier. Garces is home Tuesday against BCHS and on the road next Thursday at Centennial.

 

Water Polo

The varsity girls water polo team is in Roseville, just north of Sacramento, at the Woodcreek Invitational today and tomorrow. All four levels for the Rams will begin league play on Monday against Liberty. After years in the East Yosemite League, this will be the first season in the River League with other Bakersfield programs. 

Parent News

Student Community Service Hours

We are reevaluating our service program as part of our upcoming accreditation process. Currently, students are not required to submit community service hours to the school.


Student Drop Off

A friendly reminder that the parking lots on the west side of the campus are student parking lots and event parking lots. Student drop-off and pick-up should be done in the front parking lot near the Administration Office off Loma Linda Drive. Thank you for your cooperation.


Garces Parent Volunteers

Thank you so much to those of you who have joined our outstanding group of volunteers at Garces. It’s because of generous people like you that we can provide such positive, uplifting experiences for our students! Diocesan requirements mandate that every employee and volunteer complete the class, "Protecting the Children in the 21st Century". The 3 lessons in the course are 1) Child Abuse, 2) Internet Safety, and 3) Bullying. 


https://safeandsacred-fresno.org/login/index.php 


When you visit the website, you will be asked to create an account and then from your account, you will have access to the course. When you complete the course, please print out a certificate and return it to Kristy Walker or email the copy to kwalker@garces.org.

Holy Smokes BBQ

The Holy Smoke BBQ is just around the corner! We are encouraging everyone to purchase their tickets in advance. There will be a limited number of tickets available at the door. 


Tickets will be available at tonight's football game! Stop by The Shed on your way into the game and buy your tickets.

SIP, SNACK & SHOP AT BELLA AND HOUSE OF MOSELEY 

November 15th - Garces Gala Party

A night of shopping with friends at

Bella & House of Moseley 


What a fun way to do some of your holiday shopping and get 20% off your purchases! We have some spots available for the Bella and House of Moseley Sip, Snack & Shop Party. If you've been before, you know how much fun it is. If you have never gone, join us as it's a fun night - shopping after hours with a cocktail in hand. Grab a few friends and join us on November 15th! 


If you are interested contact Tonya Abbott.

Garces Alumni News

In Our Prayers


Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. Amen.


Mike Chapman '65

Maureen Shearson '81

2022 Hall of Honor Highlight Video

2022 Hall of Honor Highlights

On Thursday, September 8th, the Garces Memorial Alumni Board held its 14th annual Hall of Honor Awards Banquet recognizing four outstanding individuals and one extraordinary family. Thank you to everyone who helped to make it a wonderful evening. 

To read about each inductee, please click on the button below: 

Hall of Honor Program with Bio's on the Inductees

Class Reunions