Thank You, Chaminade Volunteers

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Established by President Obama through a proclamation, National Volunteer Week is April 15 to 21, 2012.  He encourages everyone to observe this week by volunteering.  While people across the nation join in the service movement, Chaminade College Preparatory wishes to salute the hundreds of volunteers who share their time and talent with the School.

From parents to alumni to faculty and staff, volunteers make it happen at Chaminade.  They work on large-scale projects such as the Spring Gala or Homecoming, but they also stuff envelopes for mailings, provide hospitality services at school events, run the Used Uniform Drive, support athletics, and much, much more.  Last school year, more than 500 volunteers reported more than 13,000 volunteer hours.  Simply amazing!

Tenebrae Convenes Community at Chaminade

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Chaminade College Preparatory gathered the community together for an early Tenebrae on the Tuesday of Holy Week with a live stage production of Hugh McElyea’s Tenebrae: The Passion of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  Held in the Tutor Family Center for the Performing Arts, the sold out performance featured students from Chaminade’s orchestra, Middle School and Upper School choirs, as well as alumni, parents, teachers, and friends of the School.

Audience members came from as far away from Santa Barbara to watch Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s compelling story.  As a German Lutheran pastor, Bonhoeffer courageously stood in opposition to Hitler, and sacrificed his life.  This important part of history as told through Tenebrae set a fitting tone for the final week of Lent.

Tenebrae began in the early church when monks gathered on the eve of Good Friday to remember the last days of Jesus.  Today, Tenebrae service is observed during the last three days of Holy Week.

Spring Sing

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By Nicky DeNocker ’12, Tara Montazeri ’12 and CJ Saquing ’12

Once a year, Harmony Chorus and Music Ministry combine to share their love for singing in a wonderful event known as “Spring Sing.” This fun-filled evening is held in the Media Center of the High School’s Condon Center. Harmony and Music Ministry each perform their favorite pieces of the year. The upperclassmen in Harmony Chorus are also given the opportunity to sing a solo by an artist or from a musical of their choice. They can either accompany themselves on guitar or piano, or have Matthew Park, Chaminade’s accompanist, play for them.

The various solos are spread throughout the night, alternating between various choral pieces. A few of the songs this year are sung by 841, a small ensemble of senior girls in Harmony Chorus, whose songs range from pop to classical genres. During the intermission, the audience is able to indulge in homemade baked goods made by the chorus members and parents. At the end of the program, the singers gather to take pictures and are congratulated for their performances. The Spring Sing is a great kick-off to the spring season and proves itself enjoyable for the entire Chaminade family.

Chaminade C-Notes Wins Top Honors at Heritage Festival

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The Chaminade C-Notes won three top honors at the Heritage Choral Festival in San Diego (March 23-25). This is a national adjudicated choral festival in which choirs are judged by experts in the choral field on many aspects of the music such as interpretation, tone, balance, dynamics, diction, blend, rhythm and intonation.

C-Notes won First Place Gold in the Concert Choir Division, and the Adjudicators Trophy for highest score in the Concert Choir Division.  Additionally, the C-Notes will perform in the National Festival of Gold National Youth Festival at Carnegie Hall on April 14, 2013!

Congratulations to Mrs. Kathy Rohrs and the C-Notes for all their hard work and dedication!

Eagle Engineering Competes in Long Beach

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By Lauren Klein ’14

Eagle Engineering Team 1138

Eagle Engineering (Team 1138) was one of 66 teams which competed at the Los Angeles Regional FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) held at the Long Beach Arena in mid-March.  Most teams came from the greater Los Angeles area, but the field also included two foreign teams – one from Chile and another from Brazil.  For 18 teams, this is their first year competing.

This year’s game (it changes every year) was a form of basketball, with four hoops in a diamond formation on each side, and three balancing teeter-totters in the center. During this competition, Eagle Engineering made it to the semifinals.

FIRST Robotics is a rapidly expanding program, with a current tally of more than 2,400 teams.  Eagle Engineering has a goal of mentoring new teams this year, as well as doing service in the community and around the world.  This year, Team 1138 is providing assistance to St. Francis throughout the entire process.