Coming Up at Saint Mary's

National Merit Semifinalists: Saint Mary’s High seniors Seth Howell and Naama Weksler have been named semifinalists in the 62nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program. They are among six students named in three Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Oakland and about 16,000 students nationwide. Seth lives in El Cerrito and is a graduate of Berkeley’s School of the Madeleine, and is also the 2016 Student Body President. Naama also lives in El Cerrito and graduated from Fame Charter Independent homeschool.

Concerts: Saint Mary’s High Performing Arts will present two concerts, November 1 and 3 at 7:00 pm in the school auditorium. Tickets are $5.00. The school Chorus and Intermediate, Symphonic, and Jazz Bands will be featured under the direction of Mr. Elliott Nguyen (Saint Mary's ’08), Music Director, and Mr. Casey Filson (Saint Mary's ’85), Jazz Band Director. Included are highlights from Into the Woods, Overture for Band, Burt Bacharach and Hal David's What the World Needs Now, ‘60's favorite Apache, and student compositions. Parking on campus.

Admissions Open House: Saint Mary’s Annual Admissions Open House is Sunday, November 20 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Families with students in grades six through eight are invited. No RSVP is needed. Public transportation is encouraged. Shuttles to and from North Berkeley BART will run periodically (check the school web site for the schedule), and AC Transit Routes 25A and 25B stop two blocks from campus, near Monterey Market. Arrive before 2:00 p.m. to take full advantage of the event activities: www.saintmaryschs.org. Questions? Contact Saint Mary's Admissions Office at (510) 559-6240.

Go Panthers! The Panthers met up with St. Patrick-St. Vincent of Vallejo at last Saturday's Homecoming Game on the Brady Park field at Peralta Park. The game and homecoming dance on Saturday were preceded by a week of Disney-themed Homecoming activities and dress-up days. The big Spirit Rally on the field on Friday afternoon featured tricycle and shopping cart races, dance contests, and cheering competitions (photo).

In Bear Territory: Saint Mary's Sophomores explored the U.C. Berkeley campus during the school's Fall Term "Lasallian Days" in early October. They were welcomed by Peter Sekona (Saint Mary's Class of ’15) and other Saint Mary’s alumni now attending Cal, to learn about college choice and how best to prepare for college life. Photo: Cal Sophomore Peter Sekona (Saint Mary's ’15) spoke with Saint Mary’s sophomores who visited the Memorial Stadium Fitness Center at Cal on October 6. The group also got to meet 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Nathan Adrian who was working out at the Center.

Volunteers at Work: Saint Mary’s S.A.L.T. Service Club, Women’s Tennis Team members, and faculty moderators spent the Columbus Day holiday volunteering at the Alameda County Community Food Bank, sorting and bagging nearly 10,000 pounds of kiwis and pears (pictured). Volunteers also worked October 9 with the Prisons Literature Project in Berkeley. The school also collected thousands of hotel-sized toiletries during September, enough to fill five huge bins which were delivered to Oakland's St. Vincent de Paul Society for use by drop-in clients. Students and faculty also served lunch to clients during their visit to the site.

Mother-Son Night: Moms and sons enjoyed a Sixties-themed Dinner-Dance on campus on October 14 (pictured). Dad-Daughter Night was held in September.

Alumni Resource Center: Saint Mary's new Alumni Resource Center is now open on the Peralta Park campus. Yearbooks, alumni directories, and more are available to Panther Alumni. Contact Joanne Marchetti Howe, Advancement Assistant, at (510) 559-6227, for information.