Loara Theatre Arts / MACY Awards

Fall Production of Antigone December 2012 Poster

Introduction: 

Loara Theatre Arts has a long tradition of performances, whether it's through choir or as a program itself Loara has always worked hard to make these performances to remember.  This year is no exception.  Following a successful run of Sophocles' Antigone

With Loara doing "Godspell" we were sure to raise eyebrows but our students took the song "We Beesech Thee" and truly made it their own, taking notice of the MACY's Awards program.

Promo Poster of Godspell May 2013

"Godspell"

"Godspell" is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival which played on Broadway from October 13, 2011 to June 24, 2012. Severalcast albums have been released over the years and one of its songs, "Day by Day" from the original cast album, reached #13 on the Billboard pop singles chart in the summer of 1972.

The structure of the musical is that of a series of parables, based on the Gospel of Matthew (though three of the parables featured are recorded only in the Gospel of Luke). These are then interspersed with a variety of modern music set primarily to lyrics from traditional hymns, with the passion of Christ treated briefly near the end of the performance. It started as a college project performed by students at Carnegie Mellon University and moved toLa MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in Greenwich Village. It was then re-scored for an off-Broadway production which became a long-running success. A junior one-act version with some songs removed has also been made under the title "Godspell Junior."
With all this, Loara took the musical to award winning fame.  The following is an email sent to the staff from the Theatre Arts teacher in regards to their performance on May 25, 2013 at Segerstrom Stage One:

"We did it!!!  We competed for our first time in the MACY's going against other Orange County Theatre programs such at Mission Viejo, Fullerton and OCHSA-which in case you don't know are considered a few of the best theatre schools in the OC. We were asked to perform at the MACY awards ceremony on the Segerstrom stage-one of only 20 schools to perform out of the 45 schools that competed. We also had Nick Fortinberry nominated for actor of the year.

Not only did Loara have an amazing performance but we brought home 4 achievement medals by Codey Foltz, Ian Villaescusa, Cynthia Espinoza and Laura Robbins.

4 outstanding achievement trophies by Matt Argame, Briana Frias, John Rushman and Desiree Nguyen.

2 highest achievement trophies by Nick Fortinberry and Charishma Marquez.

1 MACY scholarship ($500) awarded to Desiree Nguyen who will be attending UCI in the fall majoring in Theatre!

And THE Heart and Soul Award-awarded to the production with wonderful characters and voices with large heart and soul!-yep that's us!!!

Yep!  We received a production award our first year!  Pretty darn awesomely amazingly terrific if you ask me!

I must say this is one of the most memorable years I have had teaching Theatre and I owe it all to the amazingly talented, dedicated and hard-working students and their families, friends and teachers that support them!

Now I'm going to truly enjoy the rest of my weekend!  Congrats Loara for having such amazing kids!

Vanessa Montgomery"

A big congrats to cast and crew for an amazing run.  Below is the program for this award winning show.  Try to catch our shows next year.

Fall Production 2013 /December 5-7, 2013

Talent Showcase 2014 / February 21, 2014 

Spring Production 2014 / May 8-10, 2014

Girls Volleyball / Semi-finals CIF

Although our Girls Volleyball team didn't bring home a CIF title, their accomplishments are far reaching.  This is how Maxpreps sports has them listed:

Mascot: Saxons Team: Varsity 12-13 

Colors: Scarlet, Vegas Gold, White

Coach:Allison Somers 

Address:1765 W Cerritos Ave, Anaheim, CA 92804

Overall:27-1-1 

League: 10-0-0 

National Rank:2625

State (CA) Rank: 239

Their ranking just keeps grows and their individual stats are amazing.  They dominated their opponents throughout the season as you can see by stats by match.  So when they didn't pull off a win in the Semi Finals, this viewer didn't walk away with his head hung low, he walked away knowing these girls made Saxon History.  They are the best we've seen (so far) and their accomplishments are something that should be written about in a blog.

Going into the Semi Finals this is what the OC Register wrote about the game to come:

No. 2 Hemet (Mountain Pass League champ, 21-5) at No. 3 Loara (Golden West League champ, 27-0-1)

Outlook: The Saxons are in the midst of a magical run, entering the semifinals undefeated. Loara swept Connelly in the quarterfinals, 25-17, 25-21, 25-23. After a first-round bye, Loara defeated Big Bear in four and swept Connelly. The Saxons have only dropped eight sets all season. Hemet won the 4A title last season. The Bulldogs have won their last six matches, including a three-set sweep over Twentynine Palms and a four-set victory over Colony of Ontario.

Thank you ladies for a magical season, it's been a great ride.

Band Spectacular

 taken from the program November 7, 2012

A Bit of History

Excellence in music in the district began in the early 1920's when Joshua Williams came to Anaheim High School.  During the 30 years at that school he gave free lessons to his high school students as to make a complete orchestra, then he encouraged the elementary schools to develop music programs.  The next important champion in Anaheim was William (Bill) Cook, who came to Anaheim High School while he was still a senior at Redlands College.  With the retirement of Williams in 1950, Bill Cook spearheaded the development of music throughout the new schools that were being  built in the district.

Loara has been blessed with only 3 band directors in our 50 year history,

1. Rick Moreno
2. Bill Schroeder
3. Scott Domingues

The first Spectacular was held at La Palma Stadium in 1963.  The show moved to the newly opened Anaheim Stadium in 1967 and back to Glover Stadium in 1984.  During the enrollment high of the district, and prior to the high schools becoming four year institutions, the Spectacular drew crowds of over 25,000 and featured 26 AUHSD schools (17 junior high schools and 9 high schools).

The Band and Pageantry Spectacular was never intended to be a competition, but rather a "show." The basic rationale of the "show" was to show off the excellence of the Anaheim Union High School District music program and to help the progression of young musicians from the junior high school programs through the high school band programs.

The All District Junior High School Band is composed of 120 musicians represent the eight junior high schools in the Anaheim Union High School District.  The members are selected by their directors to join in this opportunity to introduce them to the high school band program.  The goals of this group are to promote high expectations, outstanding achievement, motivation, and involve junior high school students in the large scope of music education.

The All District High School Band is also chose by the band directors.  They chose an equal amount of students so the band is a overall representation of the best of the best when it comes to High School music.  Over the years some of the best musicians in the nation played in the all district band.

Since the early 90's Loara's ASB has agreed to attend each and every band spectacular and since then other ASB's have been seen there supporting their bands ... of course Loara High School is always the loudest.

Once a Saxon, Always a Saxon.

3rd National Title: Hot Rodders @ Loara

Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) 

Auto Show 2012

Aileen Melendez, Josh Coman, Andrew Romero, Chris Shamtiz, Steven Brown, Coach Russ Baccerala
(not pictured alternate Robert Loera)

THE EVENT

The event itself resembles the tear down between rounds at a drag race. The engines are identically prepared small block Chevy's complete with all the goodies, Edelbrock air cleaners - carbs – aluminum manifolds - heads - water pumps and valve covers, MSD distributors - wires, K&N oil filters, Hedman ceramic headers, TD timing chain covers, Moroso oil pans, ARP head bolts, Fel-Pro/Speed Pro gaskets and components, Melling oil pumps and Royal Purple lubricants. As you can see, we have many companies already involved with this event that show case their products. We have numerous manufactures supporting this program that do not build engine products. These Manufactures show support by sponsoring teams at each event. Students must properly disassemble the engine down to just crank, cam, and block using hand tools only with proper detorque and disassembly procedure. The team then returns behind their work bench, and when approved by the judges, teams begin working to reassemble once again with correct assembly procedure and torque specs, all while being viewed by judges and spectators. Time added penalties are assessed for dropped components, improper disassembly/assembly, poor sportsmanship, etc. All procedural penalties are in the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow rule book provided to the High Schools at the start of the school year. The team with the fastest time including penalty minutes wins.

HOT RODDERS OF TOMORROW NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

Las Vegas NV. - "Showdown at SEMA" is the title of the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge National Championship at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas. This year 13 High School Auto Tech teams competed Oct 29 through Nov. 1, 2012 in the engine teardown and rebuild contest in front of thousands of spectators at the entrance of the SEMA show.

Loara High School Wins Their Third Straight National Championship Title

Team MOTIVE GEAR - Loara High School from Anaheim CA. won the 4th Annual "Showdown at SEMA" their third straight, with the average time of 21:24 minutes. The top three teams were so competitive that they all ended up less than a minute apart! All thirteen teams competing this year did fantastically well with the 13th placed team average being only 33:46!

Event Winners and Wildcard Teams Compete 

The thirteen teams earned their way to the "Showdown at SEMA" national championship. Eight teams by winning their events straight out and five additional teams that had the next best qualifying times in the Nation were invited to compete.

Time Averaged Playoff Format 

During the normal event competitions through the year, all teams compete once. The best time wins the event and that team has the opportunity to compete at SEMA. But during the national championship "Showdown at SEMA" all the teams competed a total of 4 times during the SEMA show starting Monday. At the end of the fourth day each team's highest time was thrown out and the remaining three times were averaged.


The National Champion for 2012 - Team MOTIVE GEAR (Loara High School from Anaheim CA.) was determined the winner with the best average time of 21:24. Trophies and scholarships were given out on Friday morning at the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow award presentation.

Second Place - Team ENERGY SUSPENSION - Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Ctr., Choctaw, OK. - Average Time - 21:54

Third Place - Team MR. GASKET - East Ridge High School from Chattanooga, TN. - Average Time - 22:19

Fourth Place - Team AEROMOTIVE – Burton Center for Arts & Technology, Salem, VA.- Average Time - 24:46

Fifth Place - Team MAGNAFLOW - North Orange County ROP, Anaheim, CA. - Average Time - 25:35

Sixth Place - Team ROYAL PURPLE - Elkhart Area Career Center #1 - Average Time - 25:50

Seventh Place - Team ARP- Elkhart Area Career Center #2- Average Time - 25:53

Eighth Place - Team PROFORM - Peach County High School Fort Valley, GA.- Average Time - 26:14

Ninth Place - Team THERMO-TEC –Thomas County Central High School, Thomasville, GA.- Average Time - 27:40

Tenth Place - Team EDELBROCK - Fremd High School, Palatine, IL.- Average Time - 28:50

Eleventh Place - Team HEDMAN HEDDERS - Belvidere North High School, Belvidere, IL - Average Time - 31:04

Twelfth Place - Team MSD - Joliet Central High School, Joliet, IL.- Average Time - 32:31

Thirteenth Place - Team PAINLESS PERFORMANCE - Sequoyah High School, Soddy Daisy, TN.- Average Time - 33:46


1.2 MILLION DOLLARS Awarded to the participants in scholarship money

Three Auto Technological Colleges: 

Ohio Technical College (OTC), 

University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) and 

School of Automotive Machinists (SAM) 

are presenting all the High School students participating scholarship money.

Each College is awarding the following:

$10,000 to each first place team member,

$9,000 to each second place team member,

$8,000 to each third place team member,

$7,000 to each fourth place team member,

$6,000 to each fifth place team member and

$5,000 to each sixth thru thirteenth place team member.

50th Anniversary / Birthday Rally 11.1.12

On November 1, 2012 Loara High School celebrated their 50th year in existence.  Covered in an earlier blog, Loara Beginnings - 80's you'll remember the school opened on November 1, 1962.  We have been planning this day for quite some time but with the help of David Sporn (class of 1990) Chuck McCance (class of 1974), Susan Nicholas (class of 1965) and alumni teachers Gary and Jeanette Cleaveland we were able to pull this off in full Saxon fashion.  Of course the main players were in place, asb, the band, the choir, jrotc, the cheerleaders and the color guard ready to perform to put on a great show.  We also had help from the PTSA bringing in over 2000 cupcakes for our kids, our new Principal John Briquelet as our emcee, the Superintendent Elizabeth Novack as our guest speaker and several alumni, alumni teachers and staff along with board members and other district officials.  It was an afternoon to remember.

50th Anniversary Celebration

Other Loara Dignitaries were;

1. Alden Esping (Health and Activities Director / Also at Ball Jr. High 30 years)
2. Carol Cook 
3. Dr. Jan Billings (taught in AUHSD and former Superintendent)
4. Shirley Miller (Ball Junior High's Cafeteria)
5. Dr. Agnes Meck (AP)
6. Mike Greenwood and his wife (Math)
7. Don Budd (Math)
8. Dave Hurlburt (taught Drivers Ed and Math - the longest at Loara)
9. Luis Ruiz (one of the first teachers at Loara)
10. Beverly Nicholas (school nurse)
11. Dave Strauht (custodian in the 60's and 70's)
12. Chuck Darrington
13. Bob Gardener (Principal at Clara Barton)

I can't explain the feeling of the campus by students and teachers alike, they were more complimentary than I've ever seen them in recent memory.

That morning during the video announcements, Gwen Stefani wished the Saxons a Happy 50th Anniversary (a video we also showed those in attendance of the Homecoming Assembly.)

Gwen Stefani's Congrats

"Back on November 1st, 1962, Loara High School first opened its doors to the public. Over the intervening 50 years, it has been an outstanding public high school, one with a rich history of academic and athletic successes and one that is still cherished by its students, staff, alumni, and the local community. Because this Thursday marks the actual 50th Anniversary of the Saxons, we will be celebrating with a pep-rally and ribbon-cutting ceremony during our students’ lunch period. In addition to our own students and staff, dignitaries from AUHSD, and Loara’s storied past have been invited to attend. We are looking forward to a wonderful event that will help all of us memorialize this important date."

Mr. John Briquelet - Principal 2012

November 1, 2012 Saxon Shield

The Saxon Shield is back, after a few lean budget years and a year where they didn't know the name was the Saxon Shield, the Shield prints it's first issue in years and does so on the 50th anniversary of the school opening.  On November 1, 2012 the following shield went out.

Just a disclaimer, this is not done as a class any longer and the kids do this by their self .  Yes there is an adviser but for the most part it is a true student publication so any typos or not knowing formatting of newspapers needs to be forgiven.  At least for now, it's their first one.  

click here to see issue one November 1, 1962

LaPalma Park / Glover Stadium and DeeFee Field

La Palma / Las Palmas / Glover Stadium / Dee Fee Field

History of Glover Stadium

As I was looking about to find the History of Glover Stadium, as is usual lately on Facebook, either the Loara High School site or the Loara 50th Anniversary site there is a vibrant discussion of everything Loara.  From the tree in front of the school to when did it go from La Palma Park to Glover Stadium.  So ask no more, thanks to JoAn Burdick Gottlieb (Class of xx) and Richard MacLeod (Class of 72) my answers are clear.

JoAn offered this ... La Palma Park and La Palma Stadium was original name. Anaheim High Coach Glover (pronounced as a "glove" with er ) was honored after he passed away. In the beginning Dee Fee a 6 ft. 3' Anaheim Park Maintenance Superintendent for La Palma Park, had the baseball field named after him and it is Dee Fee Field if you enter from the West entrance look up and see the name Dee Fee Field. In those years I taught my baton twirling groups at La Palma Park on Saturday mornings. I had the Pre-School and young ones, then had the Junior group, followed by the Seniors -- Jr. High and High School. Then I drove to Hollywood to do two shows a night for the Frank Sennes Mouline Rouge Dinner Theater. Saturdays were always hard, as I didn't get to sleep until about 3 am after I drove home from the last show and getting a bite to eat. Couldn't have that much "steam " these days .

LA Times

And then Richard found this from 1989 ...

GOLDEN YEARS : Anaheim's Glover Stadium Celebrates 50 Years of Treasured Sports Memories
June 23, 1989|STEVE KRESAL | LA Times Staff Writer


Joe DiMaggio played there with the Santa Ana Air Base team during World War II.
Connie Mack brought his Philadelphia Athletics there for spring training in 1940.  Mack later told The Sporting News it was the best spring training site he had used in 50 years in baseball.

Joe DiMaggio

The St. Louis Browns trained there in 1946. Many of the stars of the Pacific Coast League in the late 1930s and '40s played there during spring training, including Johnny Vander Meer, who pitched consecutive no-hitters for the Cincinnati Reds in 1938.

The baseball and football stadium at La Palma Park in Anaheim is not unlike a museum: It doesn't look special from the outside, but it's filled with history--50 years of it, to be exact. La Palma Park celebrates its golden anniversary this year. The stadium--best known today as Glover Stadium--opened in March of 1939, and the rest of the park in August.

Many of the best high school baseball players in Orange County have played on La Palma's field, including Mike Witt of the Angels, Gary Carter of the Mets and Royals' minor leaguer Bob Hamelin. The stadium has played host to the Orange County high school all-star baseball game the past 22 years.

"The place just has a mystique about it," Cypress College baseball Coach Scott Pickler said. Pickler, who grew up in Anaheim, played American Legion games at La Palma and later coached his Loara High School teams there.

"I remember when we would host the Loara tournament and we would play the first game of the season there," Pickler said. "The field looked perfect. It was like we were the first ones to ever play on it."

The stadium, one of the few multipurpose stadiums for non-professional teams, is maintained by the city of Anaheim's parks department.

In 1937, area merchants decided some vacant land in north-central Anaheim would be a perfect place for an automobile junk yard. After all, about all that happened there were some Valencia Orange Growers' Assn. shows and an occasional flood.

The city council, however, thought a rusty pile of cars and scrap parts would be an ugly border for the city, so it decided to ask the federal government for money to build a park. The Works Progress Administration program provided the funds, plus 63 workers.

Construction began Dec. 16, 1937. There were a few early delays, one to remove nearly 1,000 feet of irrigation pipe that had been unexpectedly unearthed. About a fourth of the work was completed by March of 1938, only to have a fierce storm hit.

The project resumed in early April and grass was planted in June. In July, the Anaheim Chapter of the Lions' Club held a picnic and grass-cutting party at the park.

The stands and the locker rooms below the stands--which are still in place today--were completed in early 1939. By March of 1939, the baseball field was ready for the opening ceremonies.

***

The Glory of Baseball Blogspot

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson

In 1950 Jackie Robinson starred in a movie about his life, called "The Jackie Robinson Story." The picture was filmed in part at Las Palmas Park in Anaheim, also known as Glover Stadium/Dee Fee Field. In the photo to the left, Jackie is pictured at bat at Las Palmas with the wood stands behind him.

This park has a long history with professional baseball. It was originally built in 1939 and has been used as a spring training home for the former American League team the St. Louis Browns.

First used by the California League in 1941, (pictured above) it was an active professional ballpark until 1948 when the Sunset League last made this their home for 2 years. The Sunset League was famous for being the first "official American minor league" system to utilize Mexican ballparks as part of the league. The Sunset League later spawned the Tex Mex League and the AZ Mex League. These 3 leagues combined, used over half a dozen Mexican ballparks. Many of which still are standing today and are again part of the new Arizona-Mexican league which started 2003.

Amazingly, this little piece of baseball history is still standing in Anaheim. It's not often you find a former professional ballpark.. not used in so many years... that hasn't been demolished, especially in a large urban environment  Even more astounding, is that it's almost in 1941 game day condition, as shown below.

***

And now you know.

What were some of your favorite memories of La Palma Park / Glover Stadium or DeeFee Field.  (besides the bums that sleep there today)

Homecoming Dances

Seaxe 1966 / Loara's First Homecoming Dance, Gym 11.19.1965

High school dances have changed in the last 50 years.  If you read the Saxon Shield and Yearbooks of old you will see that the Homecoming Dances were true Homecomings.  The alumni were invited back for free and the cost of the dance was $1.00.  But the decor was not extravegant but it worked for the time.  Most of the time there was a Dj spinning records in the corner and everyone had a great time.

Loara High School Gym 10.20.2012 / taken at the same angle as the 1965 Homecoming Photo

Surprisingly the cost hasn't shot up that much in 50 years.  A ticket is $15.00 today, surly that doesn't match the cost of living increases.  Loara works hard to make the dances as affordable as possible for all to attend.  Nothing worse than a dance with no one there.  In a 1990's yearbook they reported they were over 400 attendees, today we get about 800 in attendance in good years but we generally hit the 700 mark.  Sadly that's about 1/3 of the school, many have to work, baby sit or are not interested in dances.  

In 2013 terms Dj is a name that has morphed Vj (Video Jockey), Digital Dj's and more have entered the scene.  Oddly enough many have turned back to vinyl to mix their music but most do so on a Digital turntable not playing records or cd's at all but digital remixes that are further remixed at the dance itself.  Video has entered the dj scene that allows Dj's to play music videos of the songs they are tracking at the same time.

Homecoming Halftimes / Games

Courtesy of 2012 Seaxe / Kelly Low Queen

There have been several ways we have found to crown a Queen and King.  Since 1965 (First Homecoming) The Queen was announced in a halftime ceremony and by 1988 (First Kings) we began crowning Kings at the dance.

We've brought them out in corvettes, chariots, walked them out, paraded them, carried them and the likes.

No matter how we have done it the winners have felt that stars, like they are the only one in the room at that moment and to them and the school, for that one moment, they are a Queen of a King.

All this while there is a football game going on in between crownings or even a dance when it comes to  the King.

Courtesy of 2012 Seaxe / Nolan Sanchez King

For the 50th we spared no expense, we had corvettes representing each year, we had confetti cannons that went off when the queen was announced, we brought the band out of 1/2 time retirement to play a soft song in the back ground while the queens were announced and we had 2 emcee's describing the girls and boys and they came driving by.  For 2012, we had a show.  In the past 24 years that I've been involved in the crowning, i'm always amazed we make it in time because our 1/2 times often go long.  The shortest I believe was about 4 minutes and the longest was this year and we used all 20 minutes given with only about 50 seconds left on the clock.

Happy 50th Anniversary Loara High School, Happy Anniversary.

Queens of 1965 - 1987 video

Queens and Kings of 1988 - 2012 video

As to the football games, often times the game we chose is the big rival. Either Katella High School or Anaheim High School which will rile up the crowd.  As leagues shift  and we are now in the Golden West League we no longer can battle these teams in our Homecoming game.  We have only been in 3 Leagues, Empire, Sunset and now Golden West.

Homecoming Game / Halftime / Post Game slide show courtesy of Bill Norris

What are some of your memories of Homecoming Game and Halftime?

Homecoming Assemblies

1962 - 1970

Traditional Assemblies were held and the alumni returned to support their team, their school and their community.  It was a true Homecoming where the alumni were allowed to come to the dance for free and helped performed in the Assemblies.

1970 - 1985

Boom Boom (John Dahlem) 1983 HC

Bubbles (Rick Martens) 1985 HC

The Legend of Boom Boom (John Dahlem) was well known at Loara High School during the 1970 - 1985 school years.  Boom Boom performed at all Homecoming Assemblies (until Homecoming 1984) and helped the faculty start the annual tradition of entertaining the Loara community.  Although "political correctness" would not support Boom Boom today, many Saxons fondly remember her dances and cheers for the football team.  For awhile Boom Boom's little sister Bubbles the Ballerina (Rick Martens, class of 75) came to perform but was short lived (1984 - 1987) as the Loara community changed.  Bubbles was initiated in 1985 and it was also the year they began the teachers Lip Sync, which is the tradition that is carried on today.

Seaxe 1985 Farewell to Boom Boom

1985 to the present

The all teacher lip sync came out of need.  Boom Boom retired her wig to become a Principal at Ball Junior High School, Loara's feeder school.  There was a concern to what came next after Boom Boom but with numbers like LMFAO and Psy and the teachers willingness to participate, we really solidified the next era of Homecoming Assemblies.  Our audience this year was filled with alumni and they were treated to a spectacle of cheers and spirit.  Along with the all teacher lip sync we have a 35 minute student assembly with performances from Cheer, Color Guard and Student Groups ... Loara's assemblies are legendary.

Assembly Slide Show Video Shown to the Students (Click Here)

Ribbons & Memories

How many people in Saxonland remember these things?  Those ribbons you'd buy every football game at Loara to support your team and your school?

ON this blog please list any other memory you have of Loara High School whether it be a spirit pin, a favorite place to eat, your favorite class or anything else that comes to mind ... we would love to hear your story.

David Lappin, SS CIF Champion for Character

CIF Victory with Honor Award

On Monday, October 1, 2012 at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, Mr. David Lappin (class of 83) received the Jim Staunton "Champions for Character" Ninth Annual Award by the Southern Section CIF.  The award was set up to "honor the student-athletes, coaches, administrators and member schools who represent excellent sportsmanship and outstanding character."

In the official CIF program for this event, it states Mr. Lappin was awarded this honor because:

• His peers recognize him as one of the most respected coaches in the CIF Southern Section.
• Always puts students first, considers himself a servant to his players and checks their grades on a regular basis.
• never uses gamesmanship, does not accept disrespect for officials, which makes him popular with umpires.
• Dependable, on time, on task and conducts himself with the utmost professionalism at all times.
• Sets very high standards for his program and believes that those standards are more important than wins.

Dave and his wife Anne Williams Lappin (class of 83)

Mr. Lappin has been the head coach since the early 90's.  After graduating from Berkeley he came back to Loara to teach in the Social Science Department and more importantly to coach Baseball.  In an email to the staff, Principal John Briquelet stated "I just wanted to again express my appreciation and respect for David Lappin, our CIF Champion For Character. He definitely embodies the qualities we desire most in our teachers and coaches, and he is truly dedicated to the pursuit of victory with honor. We are proud of you, Dave!"  This feeling echoes the feeling of the staff and colleagues here at Loara.  David is a Saxon through and through, during his days as a student in the early 80's, his Baseball team coached by Scott Pickler (currently coaching at Cypress College) won a CIF title. CIF couldn't have picked a more deserving person.  The Lappin clan has left a permanent mark at Loara High School.  His mother Kathy Lappin was on of the best (in my humble opinion) principal's secretaries, his brother Dean Lappin is the head football coach and his sister Georgia Lappin is the records clerk.  Not to mention his relatives, in law's, nieces, nephews and children all have been a positive influence in the Saxon Spirit on campus.

On a side note, David was in the last class of 9th Graders ever to attend Ball Junior High.  When he came over to Loara in 1980 as a 10th Grader, the 9th graders followed giving Loara 4 classes.  David was also the ASB President at Ball Junior High in 1979-80.

Congratulations Coach David Lappin, we are proud of you.

Coach Lappin receiving a banner for the gym

Alumni / Alumni Marriages

Once a Saxon, Always a Saxon ... Til Death Do Us Part

Who says love doesn't blossom in High School? Some of these relationships occurred and maintained themselves in High School and others made their connections after High School such as my own, no matter where and when this relationship bloomed they had a common thread that they'd never be able to take away, they were Saxons.

When typing this list the fear is always do I have the right graduation year, did I spell their name right OR are they still married.  Regardless, I find it interesting to note the amount of couples that came out of our three or four years of high school.  If I missed you, add a comment below and let us know your story.  I began with what Doug Hunt (class of 69) has on his site Loara High School's Alumni Connection, The Seaxe Archive and then went to Facebook asking who is married to who from Loara and this is where we start:

John B. Turanitza (65) and Chris Walk (65)
Mike Meadows (65) and Cathy Arnold (65)
Tim Buckley (65) and Mary Guibert (66)
Dara Bruney (65) and Bob Whitmore (65)
Dale Pakarek (65) and Karen Lavine (66)
Marty Gushwa (65) and Connie Proper (65)
Denise Walp (65) and Walter Oliphant (65)

Bill Glaser (66) and Linda Parabok (66)
Earl Schweitzer (66) and Sharon Yeardley (66)
Dave Welty (66) and Debbie Mielke (66)
Joan Possemato (66) and Steve Watt (67)
Pat Calhoun (66) and Cathy Wheaton Calhoun (67)
Fred Crystal (66) and Kathy Wallace (67)
John Mooney (66) and Ellen Landes (67)
Jon Christenson (66) and Linda Perret (67)
Jim Proctor (66) and Dorothy Tatting (67)
Michael Webb (66) and Kathy Foster (67)
Dave Wright (66) and Jeanne Tenhagen (66)

Jim Proctor (66)  and Karolyn Finch (78)

Craig Peringer (67) and Sharon Mathers (67)
Terry Hodge (67) and Martha (Missy) Slocum (68)
Roger Baalke (67) and Theresa Goddard (67)

Greg Eckes (68) and Jeanne Michalson (68)
Don Swanson (68) and Wendy Gutierrez (77)
Gail Blythe (68) and Blaze Bruney (68)
Michael Carr (68) and Sheryl Kaminsky (74)
Manny Valdez (68) and Helen Lappin (69)
Lynda Sardella (68) and John Roemer (68)
Bill King (68) and Kartha Perkins (68)

Tom Eckes (69) and Lynn Hughes (69)
Mike Mendez (69) and Linda Farrell (69)
Ken (Buck) Kimball (69) and Mary Freeman (72)
Stephen Bristol (69) and Ellen Spire (70)
Don Kindred (69) and Cindy Wickham (69)
Steve Jones (69) and Karen Johnson (77)

Pete Hodge (70) and Nancy Dedrick (71)
Dave Ely (70) and Claudia Maslak (71)
Mike Tober (70) and Nancy Saltzman (72)

Tim Elder (71) and Peggy Ingram (71)
Tim Kelly (71) and Maggie Crowe (78)
Fred Meyers (71) and Doreen Tober (72)

Tim De Turk (72) and June DuDash (72)
John Lee (72) and Cathy Trears (73)
Earlene Dierberger (72) and Doug Nelson (72)
Bruce Edwards (72) and Joan Roluffs (72)
Phil Jones (72) & Mindy Meadows (72)

Dave Davidson (73) and Amy Daly (76)
Ken Baker (73) and Anna Bencivengo (73)
Jay Badgly (73) & Nancy Christiansen (73)

Scott Hostetler (74) and Pam Taras (74)
Rick Sweeney (74) to Laura Midialdea (75)
Evette Kreutzer (74) and Lance Nichols (76)

Tim Neumann (xx) and April Maske (80)

Nona Trautman (75) Curtis Ryffel (75)
Mark Kowalski (75) and Cathy Weismann (77)
Brad Gorrie (75) and Mildred Braunfeld (80)
Kim Sauvey (75) and Don Burch (76)
John Bonafacio (75) & Kim Peter (75)
Greg Burdick (75) & Terry Renken (75)
Kelley Carman (75) & Chris Wason (76)
Keith Gann(75) & Tammy Leaver (75)
Tim Knoch (75) & Michelle Shackleford (75)
Kerry Rutherford (75) & Denise Vargo (75)
Anthony Santilli (75) & Juanita Loya (75)
Albert Schardt (75) & Debbie Pitman (75) (divorced)
Mark Thomas (75) & Diane Langner (75) (divorced)
John Kurt Wagner (75) & Janet Obrecht (75)

Mark Twogood (76) and Patti Eyer (76)
Rick Fishel (76) and Jennifer Carbone(76)
Lori Salazar (76) and Greg Conk (78)
Tom Sundberg (76) and Debbie DeShong (77)
Chuck Marshall (76) and Brenda Glidewell (76)
Jim Cost (76) and Cynthia Sanchez (78)
Rick San Filippo (76) and Debra Kuehl (78)
Len Corneto (76 ) and Leah Faber (78)

Jayson Beck (76) and Nancy Kuehl (79)
Mark Carlton (76) and Bess Townsend (76)

Randy Graf (77) and Cathy Tatting (77)
Mickey Walker (77) and Mary Barbour (77)
John Clark (77) and Jeanna Otteson (76)
Janet Giglio (77) and Joe Klein (77)
Judy Grindell (77) and John Frazier (77)
Lyle Higger (77) and Bridgitt Stillson (78)

Michelle Saehlenou (77) and Matt Simpson (79) (divorced)

Vickie Pipes (78) and Scott Gordon (78)
Pat Fortinberry (78) and Jenny Hoy (80)
Bernie Glasser (78) and Andrea Goldenberg (79)
Robin Joyner (78) and Tamie Morris (79)

Scott Burch (79) and Jill Murray (79)
Diane Stephens (79) and Keith Olsen (79)
Peggy Price (79) and Doug Talbert (80)
Daniel Heysham (79) and Shawn Rock (79)

Darold Buskirk (80) and Patty Martens (80)
Jimmy Falk (80) and Nancy Swanson (80)

Todd Lee (81) and Laura Hallock (85)
Cynthe Blythe (81) and David Renfrew (81)
Carrie Bell (81) and Darrell Henson (81)

Joe Springer (82) and Debbie Walker (82)
Jeff Ranallo (82) and Renee Kyger (83)
Chris Fincher (82) and Sheryl Boulanger (83)

Tommy Martindale (82) and Tracy Steinbauer (97)

Linda Hunter (82) and Ralph Molineaux (82)

Marc Hults (82) and Stephanie Flippen (82)
Paul Chylinski (82) and Pamela Martens (85)
Galynn Mercer (82) and Terry Barnes (83)
Troy Gabaldon (82) and Lori Waelde (84)
Lisa Spoon (82) & John Shaff (84)

Curt Poulin (83) and Danielle Knarr (85)
Todd Rolph (83) and Julie Spaeter (83)
Dolly Munn (83) and Ronald Dean (84)
David Lappin (83) and Anne Williams (83)
Jeff Tober (83) and Joanne Francisco (83)

Kathleen Evans (84) and Aaron Little (83)
Shelly Castleberry (84) and Keith Potts (84)
John Barbour (84) and Robin Chun (85)
Symphonie Bibler (84) and John Ross (84)

Gail O'dougherty (85) and Jim Quickle (86)
Dawn Payn (85) and Tray Green (85)
Carrie Johnson (85) and Dan Bass (86)

Steve Reese (86) and Paula Alduenda (86)
Dan Reed (86) and Donna Borkman(87)
Matt James (86) and Nydia Luna (87)
Carolyn Ezerski (86) and Andy Russell (87)
Sean Rodriguez (86) and Kathy Rodrigues (87)
Shamus Fallon (86) and Diane Demelio (87)
Martin Hoesli (86) and Tina Howard (90)

Michelle Crucil (86) and Steve Guest (87)

Derek Speerstra (87) and Wendy Bergman (87)
Gary Mercer (87) and Jessica Rapaport (87)
Carlos Vargas (87) and Lanelle Quiring (87)
Shae Askew (87) and Lisa Brancatti (89)
Scot Thiesmeyer (87) and Julie Bass (88)
Jason LaComb (87) and Annette Hoesli (89)

Julie Snethen (88) and Adam Dove (88)
Curt Frazier (88) and Nikki DeDio (88)
Eric Adair (88) and Michelle Tober (90)
Robert "Bobby" Ingram (88) and Stephanie Wright (91)

William Lackey (89) and Andrea Waters (90)
Andy Medlin (89) and Christy Rowe (92)
Dan Woodman (89) and Amilyn Lamkins (91)

Maureen McMahon (90) and John Wilke (90)
Brent Bird (90) and Britten Bollenbacher (92)

Jason Woodward (91) and Monica Cooper (92)
Brent Bird (91) and Britten Bollenbacher (94)
Lisa Bengochea (91) and John Werner (91)
Brian Lagman (91) and Stephani Weber (92)
Josh Gilchrist (91) and Katie (XXXX) (91)

Dong Kim (92) and Dana Keene (92)
Heather Kuhn (92) and Mike Neal (92)
Frank Bueno (92) & Angela Hamling (94)

Roberto Rodriguez (93) and Jessica Velasco (99)
Thomas Price (93) and Jeriann Austin (94)

Michael Boomsma (94) and Elana Fox (94)

Lauriann Bodily (95) and David Ferguson (95)

Maria Santamaria (95) and Bobby Phillips (96)

McCollum (96) and Jason Bowman (96)
Jim Kirkland (96) and Maureen Bergeron (96)
Bernie Contraras (96) and Shannon Chasteen (97?)

Chris Dorame (96) and Erica Fushion (95?)

Michelle Fabich (97) and Trevor Long (97)
Lido Flores (97) and Suzanne Putzier (99)
Jennifer Huitt (97) and Jorge Alverado (98)
Archie Lappin (97) and Traci Hoshaw (98)

Levi Beyler (98) & Maria Mahal Burr (98)

Jason Geyer (99) and Cinthia Bryhl (99)
Josh Gilbert (99) and Shiela Soldivillo (99)

 Scott Haselton (01) and Erin Craton (02)
Armando Cervantes (01) & Auria Neri (04)

Stephanie Gee (02) & Danny Gomez (02)
Tracey Hall (02) & Chris Kent (02)

Ashley Perez (04) & David Hernandez (04)

Nicole Fortinberry (08) and Josh Carpenter (10)
Corrine Nuuhiwa-Ferguson (08) and Elmer Lopez (09)

grad year not know during typing:

Terry Clemens and Tony Diersing
Christy Clemens and Chris Sideris
Ryan Ramstack and Ruthie









Faculty Marriages:

Audrey Runge, (Home Ec) and Ed "Doc" Brown (Athletic Trainer)
They were on the Newlywed Game in 1980!
Gary Cleaveland (photo) and Jeanette Barnett (English/PE)
Travis Heath (Math) and Danielle Bries (Math)

Academic Rally

Part of the 400 students that were honored

 In the 2011 -2012 school year we realized that we were missing out on recognizing an entire group of students for their talents and gifts in education.  These kids have high academic achievement and great attendance records and nothing was done to recognize them.  Being the Activities Director for the school for 23 years I knew better but I was so overwhelmed by everything else that it was hard to do yet another thing. I remember when I was a student that we received certificates when we hit high academic honors, and that alone was pretty cool to receive.  But why not recognize them in the same manner as the athletes?  The idea isn't a new one, many schools have begun to change cultures and create a positive spin on getting great grades.  A company called Jostens started a Renaissance Program that showed schools how to put on great rallies and how to recognize students differently.  This program is nationwide, and should be applauded for it's efforts.  Many schools have Renaissance Classes and Officers that work just in the academic part of the schools inner workings.

Color Guard before Assembly

At Loara we have taken that idea and made it our own.  For many years Loara has had an Educations Officer in Student Government and that role has morphed into a Renaissance type role.  We do student of the month, read birthdays on announcements and some other minor things but we never hit them all at once in a public setting. On September 28, 2012 we held an assembly to change the culture, and stepped up what we have been talking about ... recognizing high achievers in all they do.  The assembly is very similar to a spirit assembly.

Sammy pumping up the crowd

The kids with 3.5 and higher walk through the sports tunnel as the band and drum-line play them in, the cheerleaders cheer, the color-guard twirls and the band plays the Alma Mater.  The only difference is, we have keynote speakers, the Principal speaks about education and an Honors Teacher talks about how proud they are of all the hard work and accomplishments put in by these students.  The video we show doesn't show how we did at a football game but shows images of the students working toward education and the clubs they are involved in.  Watch the video "What makes you beautiful" 

(spoiler alert) there is one grammar error in the video, I left it there on purpose to see if people were truly watching, I recall hearing that  Disney does things like this so in Disney n  style they always put in some kind of thing just for the people that made the film.

Morning Announcements go Live Video

Jazlyn Lewis and Matt Argame during our test run

For the last 50 years our morning announcements have gone through some changes but none so big as today, September 26, 2012 at 8:54 am.  This mornings announcements were done as a live video broadcast.

The Broadcast Media Production Class led by Danny Klatzker (class of 90) has been working tirelessly for many years to make this a reality, and this year using ASB and others as anchors, his classes have finally gone live.  In an email to the staff on September 25, 2012 Mr. Klatzker adds:

"Tomorrow my Broadcast Media Production class and ASB are going to do the daily announcements live via a video feed and over the PA system. They have worked very hard over the last few weeks to put together a working television studio and coordinating with ASB to bring you our first Saxon TV news broadcast."

As we begin the next 50 years it seems only fitting to make some big changes in how we do things.

Our live editing crew

In the years past we have been using the telecom system built into the school all those many years ago.  As I wasn't at Loara until 1979, I can't be sure what all the Principals read on the bulletin but I do know that Tommy Thomason would read key Saxon news of the day, I also know that Tom Kenally in the early 80's didn't get on the announcements much, but in the late 80's Dr. Jerry Glenn used to have tidbits he read over the all call, in the early 90's Dr. Barry Escoe used to have his word of the day, Dr. John Dahlem in the 90's would do facts and alliterations like have a Marvelous Monday, Mrs. Pam Krey in the 00's always ended with "smile often" but now in the 2010's we have gone mobile.  Mr. John Briquelet, our newest principal, will be the first principal seen on video discussing hot topics of the day, and key educational and testing ideas.  However his first broadcast was just an introduction of himself and the goals this coming school year.

Along with the Principals I know that Alden Esping and myself have been on those announcements nearly every single day, helping ASB learn how to use their voices, project and make those announcements short, sweet and to the point.  As they are incorporated into the school day they do not take away from the academic minutes of a class.  By the early 90's I found a song by Oscar Brown Jr. called the "Friday song" we can not find it on iTunes and the likes so my dad had to listen to a local jazz station on Friday and record the morning show to get it so we can play it every Friday since.

How are video announcements set up?  Just like real news, we have our anchors, our beat reporters and closing remarks by yours truly.  When the school was modernized in 2006 and beyond, the classroom for the most part were equipped with a cable feed. Most teachers have the cable feed running into their classrooms, they just turn to channel 24 for the news.  If there isn't a video feed then they will only hear the announcements as read for the video over the loud speakers.   Here is a typical lineup:

Camera Two

1. Opening
2. Greeting
3. Pledge
4. Bulletin
5. Sports
6. Clubs
7. Other bulletin
8. Video Interviews (if any)
9. Joke of the Day
10. Birthdays
11. Closing

I'm proud to be a part of this process and these kids are to be commended for all their hard work.  It is great to be a part of sweeping, positive change that is happening on Loara's campus.