Busy Days at Peralta Park

As the school year winds down to prom, graduation, and final exams, Saint Mary's High is busy with year-end sports, academics, AP Exams, and more.

Panther Men’s Golf and Tennis teams were named TCAL Champs for 2017 last week. Several spring sports teams are celebrating “Senior Days” as Class of 2017 athletes play their final home games at Peralta Park. Panther Track continues with tremendous success. Senior Tony Torres won the won the American Junior Golf Association tournament at Bing Maloney golf course in Sacramento in April. With an opening round of 68, 4 under par, Tony finished the tournament with a score of one under par for the victory.

Photos: Panther Men’s Golf and Tennis teams are 2017 TCAL Champs. Tony Torres, AJGA Champ, is in the center of the golf photo, holding the TCAL pennant.

Photo: The Panthers Varsity Baseball team won the 2017 Modesto Baseball Tournament Championship in April.

Campaigning by students wishing to serve as next year's student body officers took place around the campus Cross May 4, and elections followed on May 5.

The school’s annual Founder's Day celebration takes place May 12, honoring Saint John Baptist de La Salle. Following a school liturgy, the annual Lasallian Student and Educator of the Year awards will be given, as well as Years of Service mementos for faculty and staff marking increments of five years at Saint Mary's. The traditional game day and lunch will follow, along with distribution of the 91st edition of The Peraltan Yearbook. Saint Mary's was founded in 1863 in San Francisco and marks 90 years in Berkeley this August.

Athletic Director Greg Kelly has announced Mr. Rich Buckner as the new Panther Varsity Boys' Basketball Head Coach for the 2017-2018 season. Coach Buckner has led the Boys' Varsity Basketball program at Riordan High School in San Francisco since 2007. Welcome, Coach Buckner!

The final music and dance concerts of the school year are coming up, with dance on May 19 and music on May 25 and 26. All concerts begin at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium. Watch the school web site for details and ticket prices. www.saintmaryschs.org.

The ever-popular, colorful, and delicious Saint Mary's Diversity Fair will take place on May 11. Ethnic dress, food, displays, music, information, and more will highlight the annual event. This year's theme is, "The Faces of Saint Mary's: One Voice, One Family, One Table."

Senior Projects will be on display for parent and student body review next week. Congratulations to the seniors for their amazing work this year. Some of the project topics include: homeless women's resources, recycling sports equipment to teams in need, musical instrument distribution in schools, community gardens for senior citizens, how to manage extended school absences (due to injuries or illness), interior design for a local hospital, concussion studies, photo-journaling the Bay Area, and more. Each senior is required to complete a project for graduation and may work individually or in a team.

Photo: Ten members of the Saint Mary’s community joined the 3.1 mile Berkeley CROP Hunger Walk on April 30. The route began at Saint Mary Magdalen Church, continued out Shattuck to Durant, up to Cal, and back out Oxford Street to the church on Berryman.

Local history buffs visited the school's Peralta Park campus on April 29 to see the site of the Peralta Park Hotel (1888) in a neighborhood tour led by author Richard Schwartz, based on his new book, The Man Who Lit Lady Liberty, about actor M. B. Curtis.

Photo: The Peralta Park Hotel as Saint Joseph's Academy grammar school (1903-1959).

Photo: Also on April 29, Saint Mary's welcomed to campus the Class of 2021 for the annual Freshman Orientation.

Saint Mary's sends best wishes to all fellow graduating Seniors! Congratulations, Class of 2017!