On Sunday, January 27, Chaminade kicked off Marianist Heritage/Catholic Schools Week with a Family Mass and lunch, held on its West Hills campus. Students, parents, faculty, and staff gathered to celebrate the gift of a Catholic Marianist education and to give honor to Blessed William Joseph Chaminade and his charism to be formed by Mary for the mission of Christ. Catholic Schools Week is an annual celebration held across the nation and focuses on the value Catholic education provides to young people, as well as its contributions to churches, communities, and the country.

Chaminade’s West Hills and Chatsworth campuses are celebrating Catholic Schools Week with faith-filled events that highlight the five characteristics of a Marianist education and celebrate the school’s Marianist heritage.

Click here for a schedule of events on the Chatsworth campus.
Click here for a schedule of events on the West Hills campus.

Chaminade College Preparatory is deeply saddened to announce Bro. LeRoy Viera, S.M. died at the age of 92 on January 20, 2019, in Cupertino, California.

Born in a farming, grape growing area of Antioch, California, Bro. LeRoy Viera developed mechanical skills in construction related to utilities, carpentry, and plumbing.  After a stint in the Coast Guard, Bro. LeRoy worked at a chemical company by day and learned carpentry by night, which helped him get a carpenter’s job at a paper mill. At age 26, he joined the Marianist order in Santa Cruz and served in Honolulu, Rome, Walla Walla, and Gardena.  He was a fixture at Chaminade, West Hills, from 1992 until his retirement in 2015.

While at Chaminade, Bro. LeRoy worked in the physical plant department keeping the high school campus beautiful and in working order. He built cabinets, fixed locks, and repaired drywall, among other functional needs. He also demonstrated great artistic talent through the creation of the ceramic Blessed Virgin Mary statues, found in all middle school and high school classrooms and offices. Bro. LeRoy was also heavily involved with the Chaminade Players in helping them construct sets for all high school theater productions and teaching students how to wield power tools with confidence. He was known to say “YES” to any request and always displayed a warm and friendly demeanor.

In 2013, Bro. LeRoy celebrated his 60 Year Jubilee as a Marianist. In conjunction with this milestone, he was honored at the annual Founders Day Mass, which recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to Chaminade.

A vigil and funeral Mass will take place next week in Cupertino at 22683 Alcalde Road, Cupertino, California 95014. The vigil is on Sunday, January 27 at 4:30 p.m., and the funeral Mass is on Monday, January 28 at 10:00 a.m. with the burial and a luncheon to follow.

Plans are in the works for a local memorial service, details to come.

The Chaminade Debate team participated in the Peninsula Invitational over the weekend of January 12 at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. The Peninsula Invitational is one of the fastest growing tournaments on the West Coast, with 87 schools, 669 individuals, and five states represented.

This year, two teams from Chaminade competed in the varsity policy debate division, widely considered to be the tournament’s most competitive. Two Chaminade teams consisting of Dhruv Ahuja ’21 and Dylan Barsoumian ’21 (Chaminade AB) and Azadeh Hormozdiari ’21 and Ellya Kim ’22 (Chaminade HK) finished the tournament as co-champions. Such an accomplishment has not been achieved by Chaminade Debate in any division at any tournament since 2011.

The judges awarded all four Chaminade students “best speaker awards” for excellence in debating and research: Azadeh (2^nd), Dhruv (7^th), Ellya (12^th), and Dylan (18^th).

This year the team has been researching the merits of United States immigration policy. They have been debating the topic, “Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reduce its restrictions on legal immigration to the United States.” 

Next, the team heads to the UNLV Golden Desert Debate Tournament, February 2-4, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Emerald Isle is March 2, 2019, at the Warner Center Marriott Woodland Hills. All are welcome to attend. Guests will enjoy an evening filled with auctions, dinner, dancing and a special performance by the senior class.

Gala chairs Karen Valentine P ’92 ’95 and Carrin Torres P ’11 have strong ties to the Chaminade community and are excited about this annual event.

Karen retiredin 2014 after 35 years on the faculty. For 11 of those years, she was directorof guidance and counseling. Karen is a member of the Chaminade board of directors and serves on the planning and policycommittee. She continues to serve and philanthropically support Chaminade becauseshe believes in its mission. She says, “my favorite thing aboutChaminade is the family spirit and the way people open their hearts.” Honored as a founder in 2004, Karenis also a member of Les Dames de Chaminade.She and her husband Gary have two sons, Scott ’92 and Rick ’95.

Carrin worked at Chaminade for 11 years, most recently in the office of advancement.As director of parent giving, Carrin focused on relationship building andensuring the gala’s impact as a meaningful and cherished event. Carrin looksforward to co-chairing the gala because “it’s rewarding tosee our community rally together and make a collective impact that our students can benefit from immediately.” Carrin isalso a Les Dames de Chaminade. She has five children: JD, Nikoll, Olivia, Sophia ’11 and Carmen.

All proceeds raised through the Chaminade gala provide resources for middle school and high school programs. Past gala events have raised funds for classroom equipment, performing arts and athletic programs, as well as special initiatives such as the Bro. Skip Matthews Apostolic Works Endowment Fund, campus ministry facility enhancements, and the creation of a student wellness program.

For more information regarding ticket sales and sponsorship and volunteer opportunities, please contact Suzanne Dumas at sdumas@chaminade.orgor call 818.360.0615.