Last Wednesday we were blessed by an overdue steady soft rain. What we had not anticipated was that the drainage in the annex construction was not connected and that three-quarters of an inch of standing water would accumulate by the late afternoon. Some of that water seeped in under the north doors of the MPB and pooled all over the gym. It was not discovered until late in the afternoon.

With crisis often comes clarity. The skeleton crew in the office responded immediately with mops and squeegees. The janitors worked nonstop. Calls were made to Garick and a pump plus personnel were sent out. Sandbags and more supplies were delivered. Coaches and parents materialized. Without being summoned, Olivia Cabildo arrived and began to work. My visiting nieces and nephews were conscripted. By early evening, the disaster was averted.

What was clear was that we’re blessed with a generous spirit of community. Dress pants and shoes were quickly replaced with bare feet and shorts. Plans were cancelled. Everyone simply rolled up their sleeves and got to work. The Holy Spirit was certainly moving among us to inspire us to keep at it when the water seemed to never recede.

The work of consecrating Cathedral to God will be difficult but only possible through God’s grace and everyone’s effort. It may force us to put aside our plans to focus on the pressing task before us. The seeping values of our narcissistic culture have seeped into the hearts and minds of our students and we must sweep them out. Let us pray for one another that our hearts may generously respond to the emergency before us.

PRAYERS REQUESTED for:

• The repose of the soul of Mr. Stan Smith (grandfather of Daniel Smith ‘14) and the consolation of his family;
• New parents and those about to become parents; especially for Adrian Valenzuela ‘00, Stephen Vogelwede ‘03, and Patrick Candelaria ’82;
• God’s blessings on our admissions efforts;
• God’s blessings on the national gathering of Brothers in Chicago;
• Those struggling with their health; especially Mr. Stowe and Mr. Haggerty;
• Our constructions site; that everyone may be safe and in thanksgiving for our donors;
• The safety of our students and their families during summer break.

THANKS and KUDOS:

Many thanks to the cleanup crew which averted disaster: our custodians, our development team, Mrs. Cabildo, Coach Duran, Coach Uribe, Mr. Alvarez, the Garick Group team, and the Ramos/Soto clan.

The Custodial Staff has been working non-stop to clean classrooms thoroughly and do the floors in preparation for the school year. The old wing is done and the new wing is almost complete. We’re most blessed by their commitment.

Remediation Summer School closed last week. Thank you to Pat Vega for doing an amazing job of being very vigilant with all of our students. Kudos to the teachers:  Brisa Berma, James Jackson, Gabriel Saucedo, and Yirah Valverde.

Handbook revisions and updates are completed thanks to the diligent efforts of Aurora Lujan, Michael Woznicki, and James Jackson.

Kudos to TJ Buckley finishes up his summer coursework at Christian Brothers University this coming week. Mr. Buckley has been getting hours in religious studies in preparation for teaching Religion III this coming year. We’re pleased that he will return as a Lasallian Volunteer for a second final year.

NEWS and INFORMATION:

All staff members are cordially invited to the Third Annual Summer Social for the CHS and Loretto communities. The Lightbourn Family Fund is sponsoring the event which includes delicious barbeque from Smitty’s BBQ and an open bar. Families are welcome and the event is free.

• The event is on Saturday, 28 July, at the Loretto Academy cafeteria and pool area. The event begins at 6:00 PM.
• Please RSVP with Ray Macias ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).

The Finance Office is undergoing a transformation to electronic transactions through QuickBooks. While currently time consuming, it will facilitate a more efficient, transparent, and accurate system for our community. It involves the interface of our accounting system with I-Now and various spread sheets into one master database.

• The Bookstore will also adopt this system for the same reasons.
• Kudos to Mr. Estrada, Mrs. Meraz, and Mr. Cancellare for working so diligently on this transformative project.

A Cash-Free Lunch Program will be implemented for the coming school year. Our new finance director, Mrs. Meraz, and Mrs. Cabildo, owner of Basil Garden Catering, were seeking a way to more accurately document sales and speed up the lunch line while eliminating the need to have a staff member sell tickets.  After thorough study of various programs, CHS will partner with My School Bucks to enable parents to use the internet to put funds into a student’s account.

• Students will either swipe their ID cards or use their four digit code to pay for lunch.
• We’re very grateful to Mr. Estrada for doing much of the research needed and setting up meetings.
• We will be rolling the program out to parents in the coming weeks.

Mrs. Lujan, Assistant Principal, is back in the office and eager to assist you with any concern. The principal will be out but available via email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).

Alumni Annex Update: The interior walls are done and the exterior walls are also almost completed. Hoover Masonry has done a phenomenal job. They are true artisans. Materials for the roof are on site and ready to move into place this coming week. We are blessed by the generosity of our donors, our construction partners, and our alumni.              

The Faculty Lounge on the fourth floor will be more fully utilized this year since it’s the coolest room in the building. The mailboxes and time clock will be moved up there. To help recycle water, we’re putting in water dispenser and will be providing all staff with water bottles.

The Brothers Community will be in Lewis University in Romeoville, IL, all week for a national gathering of brothers. Over three hundred brothers, partners, and Lasallian Volunteers will attend. The theme of the convocation is Called to Be Brothers and will involve a number of speakers, regular opportunities for prayer, reflection, and recreation. You can learn more at http://fscdena.org/whoweare/brothers/called_to_be_brothers/index.php.

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