Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,
It's been an exciting week at Serra with all the hype surrounding our legendary Jungle Game, which is now in its fourth decade of annual camaraderie. Each year, the Serra Padres take on the St. Ignatius Wildcats in a varsity basketball game that draws crowds from all over.
While we had to reduce the amount of attendees this year, a livestream of the event made it possible for us all to see our Padres beat SI with a final score of 64 to 56.
An all-school rally on Monday brought our seniors to play in a student-faculty basketball match-up and a student free-throw match. The faculty beat the seniors 25 to 21, but not without a valiant effort by both teams. Great job to our faculty and our dedicated seniors who gave us all a great game to watch! A few snapshots of our rally are featured below. See the article near the sports section of this newsletter for an overview of the game itself.
Thank you to all of our community for coming together safely and patiently to celebrate our basketball seniors at the Jungle Game, which happened to also be senior appreciation night.
Sincerely,
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Charlie McGrath
Principal
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Virus Geeks Testing
Remains on Campus
Tuesday and Fridays
Please remember that Virus Geeks on on site Tuesdays and Fridays for COVID testing.
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Be sure to get a group together and join us on March 12 for Fund a Dream! This is a time for Serra friends and families to come together in the name of philanthropy. It is a time for us to toast this great program and raise the funds necessary to welcome a new group of qualified young Padres to Serra.
Come and hear a special introduction by Varsity Head Coach Patrick Walsh, who will introduce our keynote speaker Father Joe Bradley '73.
Now in its 18th year, the Fund A Dream event has raised nearly $6 million dollars -- every cent of which has gone directly to tuition assistance scholarships, shared amongst all qualified applicants who dream of becoming a Serra Padre, but cannot afford tuition. This event ensures that all potential Padres have the opportunity to attend our school. Purchase your tickets and tables today for Fund a Dream!
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Parking Issues At the Elks Club - Students, Please Take Note:
We have received a number of complaints regarding student parking practices. There are a number of students parking in the wrong areas, Elks without tags and or in front of neighborhood homes. Starting Thursday, February 24, students who are driving without permission from Serra or who are parked in a location that they were not assigned will receive three hours of detention and may forfeit their driving privileges for the remainder of the year.
In order to drive to Serra you must:
- Have a valid Serra-issued parking tag. Registration link here.
- Be a Junior or Senior (Freshman/Sophomores are not allowed to drive to school.)
Valid Parking Areas:
- 22nd Avenue - Reserved for assigned senior students. Students should only park on the school side of the street.
- Stratford Avenue- Reserved for assigned senior students. Students should only park on the school side of the street.
- 20th Avenue- Reserved for assigned senior students. Students should only park on the school side of the street directly in front of Serra High School.
- Structure - Reserved for faculty and assigned seniors.
- Mary’s Courtyard - Reserved for Serra faculty and assigned students w/ Tri-School classes
- Elks Parking - Available to juniors with a Serra issued parking tag. Individuals without a parking tag may be towed by the Elks.
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Parent Teacher Conferences Scheduled for Friday, February 25
Parent-teacher conferences for the spring semester are scheduled for Friday afternoon, February 25, from 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. over Zoom. As was the case for fall semester, these conferences are optional but strongly encouraged for classes in which your student is struggling. Signups will open on February 19 and will close the evening of February 24. Please sign up beforehand and look for additional information sent to parents by email on February 19.
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Famed Jungle Game Sees Serra Win Against St. Ignatius |
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Padres fans came out in force to support the Serra High School Varsity Team in this year’s Jungle Game. A four-decades-long tradition, the Jungle Game brings together a rivalry between the St. Ignatius Wildcats and the Serra Padres. The final game score was 64-56 Padres with some amazing performances by our student-athletes.
Notable performances include senior Miles Klapper, who had an amazing game, scoring 26 points. Brady Smith ‘22 scored 19 points. Sophomore stand-out Ryan Pettis scored six points. Junior Seamus Gilmartin scored four points. All players played with focus and intention and a roaring crowd enjoyed every minute of the game!
The cheer and dance teams from Notre Dame and Mercy livened the crowd with cheers and halftime performances. A national anthem kicked off the game just following our Senior Night celebration, a Serra tradition where we highlight our fantastic senior athletes and take a few minutes to thank them for the dedication and athletic focus they have shown at Serra High School. Hats off to our esteemed coaches, athletics staff and entire community of basketball supporters! Go Padres!
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Serra Sports and Recreation Camp Seeks Summer Camp Counselors |
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Are you looking for a paying job this summer where you can work outside and organize activities for children?
If so, please consider working for the Serra Sports and Recreation Camp! Work with other Serra, Mercy, and Notre Dame students for five weeks (with the week of July Fourth off). We are hiring both paid and service-hour positions. Please contact Mr. Hoyt for an application. More information can be found here. |
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Upperclassmen Invited to Join
the New Serraforward Club!
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The Serraforward Club is a group of upperclassmen guys who get together to destress and hang out.
A new members meeting will take place for this new club during the club time on February 18 in the administrative conference room.
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Freshman Madres Bowling Event on March 20 - Evite Below
Freshman Madres -- The Serra Freshman Madre Committee cordially invites you to join them on Sunday, March 20 for a fun night of bowling, tasty bites and beer! Here is the link to the Evite: We look forward to seeing you there!
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Student Internships Available for Kevin Mullin '88 for Congress Campaign |
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Serra High School Class of 1988 Alumni Kevin Mullin is running for Congress and has some internship opportunities available for interested Serra Padres. If you are interested in finding out more about this amazing opportunity, go to the Mullin for Congress internship page.
Mullin was first elected to the state Assembly in 2012 and has served as Assembly Speaker pro Tem since 2014. He has made election reform and strengthening our democracy top legislative priorities.
Mullin is running for Congress in California’s new 15th District, which covers parts of San Mateo and San Francisco counties. The district includes the cities in Mullin’s Assembly District 22 along with Daly City and a portion of San Francisco. In late November, Mullin declared candidacy for the primary scheduled on June 7, 2022.
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Reserve Your Spot on the Close Up Trip |
Experience history as it happens! During our six-day Election Week program beginning on November 6-11, students will meet new friends from across the country and experience the suspense of a presidential election in Washington, DC! As the upcoming election promises to shape politics and policy for the next several years, students will take part in activities, seminars, and visits to Washington’s most historic sites to help them understand what roles they, as citizens, can play in our democracy. Close Up’s
Election Week program provides students with the opportunity to meet face-to-face with their
Congressional delegation on Capitol Hill and with Washington insiders who play a key role in the
American political system.
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A Morning of Reflection for Sophomore Mothers and Sons |
A sunny Thursday brought more than 150 sophomore moms and sons to campus to enjoy the annual mother-son Mass, a class by class tradition that brings together mother and son for a morning of prayer.
An opening by Serra President Barry Thornton in the Carl Gellert Auditorium was followed by a full mass celebrated by Serra Chaplain Father Nick Case.
Moments of reflection coupled with readings by mother and son pairs made for a very quiet and touching experience, according to Kerry Roark, who along with son Cole Roark read the responsorial reading during Mass.
"It was amazing. I am so happy that we are able to participate in these types of activities with our sons. It was such a special mass and so fun to spend time with Cole, his friends and their moms -- Serra is such a special place and so happy we are a part of it," she said.
Sophomore mom Jennifer Pedrotti and son Michael Pedrotti attended Mass, and commented that the event highlights the strong Serra community.
"I love this tradition because it brings families together to feel more connected to the school and their faith," she said. "It was great to see the boys with their moms and I felt a strong sense of community with everyone there.
Sophomore student John Pilli said this was the first time he and his mom attended this Mass. He said it was a great way to meet other friends' moms.
"It was the first time for me. It was great to meet everyone else and it was a new experience to sit in Mass with only my mom."
Jaime Jones and son Carter Jones read the first reading in Mass, a Reading from the Book of Prophet Zechariah. She said that it was not only special to be a reader but also to have that time together with her son to experience Mass together and on campus.
"This is such a special tradition to look forward to," she said.
Sophomore Tommy Gooch attended mass with mom Sterrin Bird and said he enjoyed the time he had with his mom with only his classmates.
"It was so good to be back in church -- my mom and I bond over church so it was a great day," he said.
An outdoor breakfast in Mary's Courtyard was followed by today's Mass.
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Shop Padre Family Businesses! |
If you would like to add your Padre-family business to our list, email us here.
Thank you for your community support and remember to shop small, shop local and shop Padre!
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Download our free Serra App TODAY!
Select your mobile app store below and download directly to your device. Or, search for the app on your phone. Once you download the app, you can log in with your last name and email address.
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Wishing you all a wonderful week!
Aimee Lewis Strain
Director of Marketing and Communications
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Junipero Serra High School | 451 West 20th Avenue | San Mateo, CA 94403 | serrahs.com
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