half moon bay and pescadero graduation 2015

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Celebrating the Half Moon Bay

High School and Pescadero

High School 2015 Graduates

CABRILLO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

PROUDLY PRESENTS THE HALF MOON BAY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

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Congratulations Class of 2015. We are very proud of you!

Thank you parents and students for your help and support of our nonprofit organizations! Our missions are to serve the HMBHS community.

Your contributions have made a real difference to our school and students!

Please continue to support Half Moon Bay High School! GO COUGARS!

From Half Moon Bay High School Boosters Athletics Corp (BAC) and Half Moon Bay High School Foundation.

HMBHS Boosters AthleticsA nonprofit parent organization dedicated to supporting athletics at Half Moon Bay High School through volunteerism, community involvement, and fund raising efforts. All BAC proceeds go directly to funding sports programs, equipment purchases, and facility improvements at HMBHS for the continuing development of competitive teams, academically successful athletes, and school and community spirit.

Through membership fees, snack bar revenue and fundraising events, HMBHS Athletic Boosters supports all of the High School’s athletic teams. Here is a sampling of what Cougar Boosters has accomplished in this past year.

• Funded an athletic trainer position and facility for student athletes. • Provided funding for all sports teams at HMBHS.• Co-sponsored 2015 Nick of Time Foundation Youth Heart Screening• In partnership with HMBHS Foundation, provided after-school tutoring.

HMBHS FoundationA group of parents, teachers, staff, and students dedicated to the mission of supporting academic and enrichment programs at the school and to build a welcoming and supportive community through hospitality, recognition and campus beautification. All funds raised by the Foundation will be for the benefit of the students and teachers at HMBHS.

Parent and Community support through Foundation membership, eScrip and gift card sales have enabled us to support many academic and enrichment programs at HMBHS. Here is a sampling of what the Foundation has accomplished in this past year.

• 5 additional class sections: greater choice and smaller class size• School Loop for all students and their families• Naviance: college and career readiness program for all students

CABRILLO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PRESENTS THE HALF MOON BAY

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

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CLASS PHOTOGRAPHS

The graduating classes of 2015 from

Pescadero and Half Moon Bay high schools

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SIX STUDENTS WHO AIM HIGH

We highlight the achievements and goals

of a few talented students who are

emblematic of their class.

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STAR ATHLETES

Top athletes from Pescadero and

Half Moon Bay high schools

CABRILLO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PRESENTS THE HALF MOON BAY

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

Emma Grace Andreini we areproud and very happy for you.

We want to congratulate you andall of your classmates of 2015!

Best of Luck and Happiness!

119 MAIN STREET | 650.726.6696 | www.hmbbg.com

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOUto all of the dedicated teachers, staff, administrators, tutors, too many to name but you know who you are. Thank you for believing in our kids!

Class of

Graduation

Mollie Whipp Cooper High School

Minneapolis, MN

2015

c o l d w e l l b a n k e rColdwell Banker #1 In calIFornIa

jan (hill) grayShawnee-Mission High

School, Kansas City, KS

helen aragonibishop Ludden HS

Syracuse, NY

Marian (soUza) BennettMarin Catholic High School,

Kentfield, CA

BoB MCCahonPescadero High School,

Pescadero, CA

joyCe (horiKaWa) BeCKManCass High School,

Detroit, MI

diana planKCarlmont High School

belmont, CA

Molly (Martin) MCCahon

Council Rock High School Newtown, PA

half Moon Bay 650-726-1100 Montara 650-728-5544©2011 Coldwell banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Coldwell

banker Residential brokerage Office Is Owned And Operated by NRT LLC. DRE License # 00313415

donna lahUePacific Palisades HS Pacific Palisades, CA

Brian leeLodi High School

Lodi, CA

Margi MillerMilligan High School

Long beach, CA sUsan (rUsso) o’drisColl

Parsippany High School Parsippany, NJ

darlene CoWanSpringfield High School

Springfield, OR

deBorah (Marsh) CozzolinoHMbHS

sheran honneyManWesttown Friends School

Westtown, PA

Kathy (iliesCU) rainRoosevelt High School

Chicago, IL

lynda santini

Terra Nova High School Pacifica, CA

Marilyn (Mason) Koron San Carlos High School San Carlos, CA

grant WaltersHMbHS

ClaUde WindellLive Oak High School

Morgan Hill, CA

jUliette (lahood) KUlda

Trivium School Lancaster, MA

jaCKson roBertson Carlmont High School belmont, CA




Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA







Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA







Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA







Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA







Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA







Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA







Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA







Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA







Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA




BarBara laVeyHMbHS

Half Moon bay, CA

Vita hallHarbor High School

Santa Cruz, CA

Bonnie KehlSunnyvale High School

Sunnyvale, CA

lee engdahlCosta Mesa High School

Costa Mesa, CA




Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA




deVon pageFred C. beyer High School

Modesto, CA

Cheryl parra Loretto Academy

El Paso, TX

linda Crose-andersen Los Altos High School

Los Altos, CA congratulatIons to the class oF 2015 ———— from your Coldwell Banker Graduates — ———

daVid ClineCarlmont High School

belmont, CA




Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA







Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA




jan (hill) grayShawnee-Mission HS

Kansas City, KS




Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA




BoB McCahon Pescadero High School

Pescadero, CA




Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA




Molly (Martin) McCahon Council Rock High School

Newtown, PA




Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA




deBorah (Marsh) Cozzolino HMbHS

Half Moon bay, CA




Syracuse, NY


Kentfield, CA


Pescadero, CA


Detroit, MI


belmont, CA







Lodi, CA





Springfield, OR



Westtown, PA


Chicago, IL

lynda santini



grant WaltersHMbHS


Morgan Hill, CA




grant WaltersHMbHS

Half Moon bay, CA

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• H a l f M o o n B a y H i g h S c h o o l • p r e s e n t i n g t h e c l a s s o f 2 0 1 5

Angelica Acosta Mayra Acosta Odalys Acosta Samantha Acosta Shane Acton Emma Alaimo Angelica Alcantar Ethan Amour Emma Andreini

Vanessa Aquino-Sanchez Samantha Arnett Kennedy Arnold Marisol Avila-Lopez Adam Azizi Hannah Azizi Ian Barton Caelin Batstone Gabe Bauer

Jenna Baxter Jose Becerra Andrew Benson John Blick Elizabeth Boville Yuriana Cabanillas Noe Calixto-Cocolet Lizbeth Calixto Alexis Camacho

Gabriela Camarena Brandon Capers Fernando Capristo Maria Capristo Brenna Carroll James Cartwright Anyssia Chay Tessa Cleveland David Corona

Dulce Anai Cortes-Brena Jennifer Costa John Cozzalino Jackson Crane Brenda De jesus Acosta Gelareh Dehnad Abigail Drobnick Rosa Duenas Chavez Case DuFrane

James Cartwright:Somehow you managedto graduate!

:-) Cello CirimeleCONGRATS 2015 Cougars!

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Congratulations to the class of 2015!

CHOICE

2014

R E A D E R S

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HALF MOON BAY ⎮ 45 N. Cabrillo Highway 650.712.1199

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EXPLORE THE NEWapr.com Where people, homes and a bit of imagination intersect

HALF MOON BAY $1,00,000Ad copy ad copy ad copy ad copy ad copy ad copy ad copy ad copy ad copy. Ad copy ad copy ad copy.

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Alain Pinel Realtors | 425 North Cabrillo Highway | Half Moon Bay | 650.712.1199

Carolyn Stockman650-208-4206apr.com/[email protected]

Charles Floyd650-892-3464apr.com/charlesfl oydcfl [email protected]

CONGRATULATIONSTO THE CLASS OF 2015The real estate market is strong and it’s a great time to sell if you’re considering relocating. Please contact us if you would like to know

the current market value of your home at no cost or obligation.

We specialize in listing and marketing homes andassisting people to fi nd their dream home.

Summer Hours Sunday-Friday 11a-5p -Saturday 10a-6p

Closed Wednesdays

Congratulations Seniors Especially Elle & Shelly!

601 & 617 Main Street - oddyssea.com - 650-440-4555

You have reached a major milestone in your life with the completion of high school.

If you are thinking of a summer job,

please drop by and say hello.

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Pace Farbstein Farra Mae Fernandez Tania Garcia-coy Angelo Garcia Erik Garcia Brendan Garrison Madeline Gembalczyk Jacob Giusti Sean Glasson

Jennifer Godinez-jeronim Kelly Griffin Brandon Gutierrez Maddy Hagarty Lily Hall Fiona Handler Matthew Hann Lucas Hannon Grant Harman

Trevor Harman Angelica Haro Andrew Heinzman Anthony Hernandez Valde Alexis Hernandez Carlos Hernandez Elizabeth Huerta Riley Hummel Brandon Inglis

Elle Janoe Leticia Jarquin-Sanchez Morgan Jones Ian Kairos Garrett Kern Robert Ketchum Taylor King Benjamin Klee Anne Sofie Bund Kristensen

Nicholas Lasher Christopher Latter Chase Lawson Kallista Leonardos Toby Leonardos Julia Loegering Eloisa Lopez Esmeralda Lopez Joe Lourenco

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2015Drs. Johannes & Stephanie Knueppel

840 Main St, #A, Half Moon Bay • (650)726-6884 • coastsidedentistry.com

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542 Main St., Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

[email protected]

phone: 650.726.2546fax: 650.726.5243

Congratulations

to the class of 2015!

Providing a relaxed, personalized approach to help students find success at a college that best fits their

academic, social and financial goals.

Congratulations Jordan!and class of 2015

We are soproud of you!

From familyand friends at

Rice Trucking650-726-0100 650-726-4354

2119 Hwy. 1 South, Half Moon BayMon-Fri 7-5, Sat 7-4

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Alexia Lugo Beatriz Luis Jason Machado Erick Mariscal Julian Marquez Andrea Mata Lorna Mata Alec Mcgregor Tony Medina

David Mendez Erick Mendez Arturo Meza Nereida Miramontes Carina Miranda Samuel Mitchell Maya Montalvo Ana Morales-Galvan Mark Myren

Alaina Nashir Sabrina Nava-Catalan Lena Nguyen Shea Nolan Michelle Novelo Kiyomi O’Connell Kathleen O’Malley Andrew Olson Shelby Olson

Alex Ormeno-Manfredi Yuliza Orozco Alyson Osgood Gabrielle Pariseau Emily Payne Juan Penaloza Shane Penner Zachary Penner Sophia Perez

Stephanie Perez Christopher Pintarelli Joaquin Preciado Nick Pyle Tatiana Quintanilla Juan Ramirez Cinthia Rangel Ashley Anne Reynolds-Pond Tanner Rhodes

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“We hope your dreams take youto the corners of your smiles, to the highest

of your hopes, to the windows of youropportunities, and to the most special

places your heart has ever known”

Congratulationsto the Class of 2015!

Congratulations Morgan!

...and classof 2015

We are so proud of you!

116 NORTH CABR I L LO H IGHWAY | 726-6386

www.halfmoonbay.floorstogo.comlic# 611710

Ethan Robert Amour

“I couldnot imagine

having a better son”

~ Scott AmourFloors To Go

Half Moon Bay 650.712.5000

Congratulations!

Best wishes in your future endeavors!

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Heidi Rice Jordan Rice Johnatan Rico-Contreras Jasmin Rodriguez-Ruiz Christopher Rodriguez-Villa Priscila Rodriguez Marianne Rogers Rachael Rogers Estefhany Ruiz-Ortiz

Javier Ruiz Katherine Rupert Rubi Salazar-Colorad Gabriela Sanchez Marcos Sarabia Michelle Schabinger Claire Schuster Hector Segura Sebastian Segura

Julie Sorfleet Marcelline Springer Britta Stretch Sarah Stretch Kathryn Sullivan Julia Sulzinger Justin Sutton Lydia Tell Hailey Thorne

Morgan Tomberlin David Tuxworth-Grant Michael Tyler Nathaniel Tyler

Fabiola Villegas

Shea Ugalde

Nancy Virgen

Ashley Utz

Thatcher Warrick Hess

Lesley Valle

Alexander White

Margarita Vasquez-Contrer

Darragh White

Ana Vidrio-Vasquez

Connor WhittDavid Villafuerte-Con Estefania Villalobos Jesus Villasenor-Angu

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Carlos Alcantar

Sarah Applegate

Cynthia Carrillo

Christian Castaneda

Tiawna Corriveau

Julia Dexter

Marco Di Tullio

Carla Franco-Aguirre

Summer Haataja

Mary Hood

Haley James

Juan Miranda

Diego Padilla

Kevin Perez

Nina Piccolotti

Jordan Regan

Marcos Ronquillo

Pierre Salinas-Rodezno

Rachel Sewart

Austin Silva

Heather Theroff

Luis Vasquez-Morales

Jerry Watkins


Justin Winslow Jackson Wooliever Elaine Yang Anjyu Yee Manuel Zepeda-Meza

Not Pictured:

Congratulations to the graduating classes of 2015!— From the office of Dr. Robert E. Moody, D.M.D.

5 3 8 M a i n S t r e e t | H a l f M o o n B a y | 7 2 6 - 9 0 4 6

thank You!For supporting the Review's Newspapers in

Education program for this 2015-16 school year, providing newspapers to

66 classrooms around the coastside.

Half Moon Bay ReviewEncourage readingEncourage Community awareness

help us bring the paper to coastside students

for 2015/16 sponsorship opportunities, call 726-4424

Platinum LevelAlborzi

Orthodontics

Gold LevelNew Leaf Market

Silver levelHMB Veterinary Hospital

Brian McNamaraHMB Lion's Club

Bronze levelHalf Moon Bay Inn

OddysseaJohn C. Moon D.D.S.

Congratulations to the class of 2015.We wish you all the best!

650.726.6080270 S. Cabrillo Hwy.

Half Moon Bay

The Half Moon Bay Review congratulates all of the Half Moon Bay and Pescadero High School Students graduating in 2015.

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• P e s c a d e r o H i g h S c h o o l • p r e s e n t i n g t h e c l a s s o f 2 0 1 5

These businesses wish to congratulate the

Pescadero High School and Half Moon Bay High School class of 2015

Here’s to the future!Bamboo Hair + Body, Yasmin Caminiti

Cameron Palmer, Cameron's British Pub

Coastside Veterinary Clinic

Coastside Termite

Gymtowne Gymnastics

Steve Hyman, Century 21 Sunset Properties

Ink Spell Books

Morrissey-Compton Educational Center Inc.

The Paper Crane

Patricia Roma, Attorney at Law

Sheppard Family Dentistry

Spanishtown Mexican Restaurant

State Farm, Heidi Kuiper

Cristian Antonio

Jhonatan Diegues

Jesse Paris

Reid Arechiga

Danna Gonzales

Daisy Perez

Judith Arias

Zion Kanehailua

Ariana Salgado

Horacio Ayala

Francisco Lopez

Matthew Turner

Ellen Brancart

Fernando Macias

Laura Wilson

Carina Cain

Brenda Macias

Alexis Castro

Maria Guadalupe Marcelo

Roisin Costello

Jose Luis Martinez

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Every year the Half Moon Bay Review asks administrators at Half Moon Bay and Pes-cadero high schools for the names of a few

top students to feature in this annual section. And, every year, the students are a revelation.

This year is no different. Graduates of the two Coastside high schools are creative, athletic, fun-

ny and, above all, disciplined. Top students are among the busiest of their classmates. In fact, it seems the more things a student has going on, the more likely he or she will simply be good at more things.

We didn’t ask the schools for the students with the top grade-point averages, necessarily. We

were looking for qualities that can’t always be captured in a number. We were looking for stu-dents exactly like the six we profi le here.

Read on and feel better about our future.— Clay Lambert

Photos by Dean Coppola

Coastside’s best on the way to bright futures

Luis ready for sunny climes after graduationPlanning a career in criminal justice

Beatriz Luis has been on the Coastside her whole life, and now that she is graduating from Half Moon Bay High School, she is ready for a change.

“I’m actually not entirely sure what I’m going to do, but I think I will go to College of San Mateo and study criminal justice in some way,” she said. “Then I want to go to college in San Diego.”

Southern California, perhaps one of the bigger cities, is beckoning with sun-shine and more action.

“It just seems sunny and happy down there!” she said.Luis has worked exceptionally hard the last couple of years to have the kinds

of options she enjoys now. She did not work so hard from seventh grade through her sophomore year, and, as a result, she found herself at Pilarcitos High School and down 90 credits from where she should be as a junior.

Enter San Mateo County Sheriff’s deputy Shawn Chase.“He is the reason I’m here today. He really believed in me,” Luis said. “He

told me I was smart and that I could do it.” His encouragement has led her to consider a career in the criminal justice system.

Luis also wants readers to know that Pilarcitos is an encouraging place where education matters.

“When I fi rst went there, I had that same feeling that everyone has about it,” she said. “But it’s not like that. They do care about your education.”

— Clay Lambert

HMB

We’ve watched you grow up ...and we couldn’t be prouder of your achievements!

TOYS | HOBBIES |CYCLERY

445 South B Street Downtown San Mateo(650) 931-8100

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Valedictorian heads north to collegeConsidering political science, journalism

T he La Honda-Pescadero Unifi ed School Dis-trict board always keeps a seat on the dais for graduating Pescadero High School senior Cari-

na Cain, who serves as the student voice on the school board. That trust is not surprising when you realize she is used to considering weighty matters. In fact, her senior project was a presentation on the Israeli-Pales-tinian confl ict.

“I just wanted to educate myself on the topic,” the school valedictorian explained. “I wanted to be better informed.”

That quest for knowledge will continue to drive Cain as she leaves in the fall for Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore. She says she is undecided on a major but considering journalism or political science.

She already has a year of concurrent college-level studies and has taken classes over the hill in English, creative writing, psychology, anthropology and yoga. “That one was fun,” she says.

Cain will also be remembered for her service in the YMCA’s statewide Youth and Government gatherings. This year she served as a journalist, interviewing and writing about the assembly and candidates for orga-nizational offi ce. Her journalistic leanings are evident in her extracurricular reading. She says she regularly reads Time magazine and the New York Times.

When asked to pick a favorite teacher, Cain wouldn’t bite.

“They all mean so much to me,” she said. “They are all so invested in their students.”

— Clay Lambert

PHS

RYAN A. HENSPETTER, D.M.D.DIANA DIZIK, D.D.S.CHRISTOPHER JEN KIN, D.D.S.

669 CRESPI DR., SUITE F, PACIFICA, CA 94044(650) 359-1646 | PACIFICADENTIST.COM

You’ve got something to smile about!Congratulations to the Class of 2015!

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Mendez masters language, then schoolUSF is fall destination

T his is how far David Mendez has come in the years separating sixth from 12th grade in Cabrillo Unifi ed School District

schools: He went from not speaking any Eng-lish to getting A’s in advanced placement Eng-lish classes.

Mendez will graduate with his class at Half Moon Bay High School this year, and he plans to attend the University of San Francisco and take pre-law and computer science classes.

David’s dad was a citizen of the United States, but he and his sister and mother were not and left Mexico.

“We lived in a small town and we wanted to come to the land of opportunity,” he says.

Growing up in a new country was diffi cult; learning the language at the same time was re-ally hard.

“My dad helped me with my English a lot in middle school,” he says. “My pronunciation is still not great, but it’s always getting better.”

He said it was good enough to read “King Lear” in his AP class.

When Mendez leaves for college, he knows he will never really leave his Half Moon Bay ex-perience behind completely. His younger sis-ter is in the seventh grade at Cunha Intermedi-ate School and this will always be the place his family sought opportunity.

“School was hard, but I never expected it to be easy,” he said.

— Clay Lambert

HMB

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Brancart excelsat an early ageYoung scholar advanceswith college classes

Ellen Brancart is not wasting any time. Now a graduating senior at Pescadero High School, she was

such a strong student in middle school that she was encouraged to skip the eighth grade.

At 16, thanks to the high school’s con-current enrollment program, she has al-ready taken several college-level courses at Cañada College and the College of San Mateo.

“Skipping a grade can have its ups and downs,” she says matter-of-factly. She con-fesses she was a bit insecure as a 13-year-old high school freshman but quickly found her footing. Perhaps having older siblings helped her adapt to taking classes with older peers. And, she says, Pescade-ro High School was a nurturing environ-ment for a precocious young scholar.

“I was welcomed with open arms,” she said.

She made a name for herself in high school, serving as sophomore class presi-dent and, this year, as student body presi-dent. She hasn’t applied for college yet, but that day is coming. She plans to help out at her parents’ law fi rm next year and perhaps travel the world a bit.

“I’m only 16, so I’m going to use that as an excuse to stay in the nest a little bit lon-ger,” Brancart said.

— Clay Lambert

PHS

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Winslow plans career in medicineHMB senior prepares for Georgetown

When Justin Winslow announced to family and friends that he planned to be pre-med in college to prepare for a career in medicine, no one was surprised.

For one thing, he took to science courses, and he counts advanced placement biology among his favorites. For another, both of his parents work in health care.

“It runs in the family,” Winslow said. “I have a passion for science and I want to help people.”

Winslow will attend Georgetown in the fall. He says Washington, D.C., is his second fa-vorite city — behind San Francisco. But Half Moon Bay will always be home. Maybe that is because he and his two brothers will be grad-uates of Half Moon Bay High School or that his own Eagle Scout project was a recycling station for Pillar Point Harbor.

Winslow said that several teachers at the high school were integral to his success, in-cluding science teachers Ryan Stagg and Bar-bara Lohman (“Their passion for science kind of rubbed off on us.”) and English teacher Andrew Boysen (“He expects his students to achieve great things.”).

Winslow said that Half Moon Bay seems like a small place in ways that are both limit-ing and nurturing.

“It fosters this sense that allows you to feel like a big fi sh,” he said. “It gives you the confi -dence to do big things.”

— Clay Lambert

HMB

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Gonzalez becomes star in EnglishLearning language was rewarding

When Danna Gonzalez came to the United States from her home in Mexico at the age of 8, she

couldn’t speak English. Now the senior, grad-uating from Pescadero High School, calls English her favorite subject.

“Learning the language was diffi cult,” she said, adding that English wasn’t spoken in her home. “In the beginning I had a really hard time, but today I’m a top student.”

She likes reading and writing and was en-joying the class assignment to read “The Col-or Purple.”

Gonzalez is looking forward to the next chapter in her life. She says she intends to attend Cabrillo College in Aptos with an eye toward becoming a dental hygienist.

Two years ago, Gonzalez’s family moved from Pescadero to Santa Cruz, but she decid-ed to continue making the trek up Highway 1 to Pescadero High School.

“(My classmates) are all really close,” she explained. “I didn’t want to graduate with an-other graduating class.”

Gonzalez also credits her teachers in Pes-cadero with helping to make her a success.

“I really like Ms. (Jennifer) Freeman a lot, but all of the teachers are really supportive,” she said.

— Clay Lambert

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G r a d u a t i o n 2 0 1 5

Star athletesSTORIES BY SONIA MYERS AND CLAY LAMBERT

PHOTOS BY DEAN COPPOLA

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Sarabia pushed himself to be a

championHMB male athlete of the year achieves goals

When Marcos Sarabia started high school he didn’t think he would be where he is now. As a freshman, he went out for football and wrestling without ever having competed in those sports. His expectations were low

and Sarabia says he didn’t perform well that fi rst year.Coming back his sophomore year he decided to set goals. With help from his

brother and his cousin he worked harder. “I wanted to be as good as the seniors,” said Sarabia.In 2013, he was a Peninsula Athletic League champion and placed sixth at the Cen-

tral Coast Section playoffs in wrestling.Sarabia continued to work in the offseason by coming up to the mats and the foot-

ball fi eld with his family. His brother pushed him. He began learning the intricacies, which led to liking the sports even more.

In 2014, his junior year, he was a PAL champion and got sixth place again in CCS.But his senior year Sarabia revealed what he was truly capable of. Again he was a

PAL champion, but this time he took second place at CCS. It was at the semifi nals that he had his most memorable moment on the mat. If he lost that match he would have to win two more matches to get into the fi nals. By winning the semis, he elimi-nated the extra matches.

In football he was fi rst team all-league and was awarded Lineman of the Year.Sarabia will be going to Foothill College in the fall with no plans to play. He feels

satisfi ed with his accomplishments in sports and wants to start working. — Sonia Myers

Stretchstokes her

competitive fi resHMB female athlete of the year heads to NY

Sarah Stretch has been swimming since she was 7 years old. She looked up to Olympic swimmers. Both her parents swam when they were younger. It was only natural for her to take to the pool.

She came into Half Moon Bay High School with the goal of being the fastest in the 200 freestyle. She missed it by half a second. It never phased Stretch. She personally took it upon herself to get better. She set goals with coach Cindy Lee. She worked out of the water to build muscle and in the water on arm speed and underwater practice. Her work paid off. Though Stretch never made Central Coast Section her goal, she took the time standard as something to aim for throughout her high school career.

She broke the school record in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke. She took fi rst place in the Peninsula Athletic League in the 100 free and she was the fi rst individual girl to qualify for CCS for Half Moon Bay since 2007. In 2014 she was the Most Valu-able Player of her team and in 2015 she received the award for Outstanding Swim-mer.

In water polo she was a starter and helped bring her team to fi rst place for the fi rst time in Half Moon Bay High School history.

Water polo and swimming especially have allowed Stretch to be competitive.“It’s a lot more fun when you’re getting better,” she said.Stretch is planning to attend Webb Institute in New York and study engineering.

Though she will not swim for the school, there are plenty of opportunities to swim around the area so she won’t stay away from the water for too long.

— Sonia Myers

HMBHMB

Blooming in sophomore year

Kanehailua is 3-sport star

If Karly Kanehailua looks like a natural on the volleyball court that is because the Pescadero High School sophomore learned the game early, playing on the beaches of Kauai, Hawaii. It’s also because the school’s female Athlete of the

Year practices a lot.“This year particularly, my skills just blossomed,” she said with a characteristic

smile.Like most successful athletes, she can credit her own hard work and dedication

for the success she’s had playing volleyball, and on the soccer fi elds and basketball courts as well.

She says it is sometimes diffi cult playing the stiff competition the Vikings always face. Sometimes the school is matched against private schools on the bayside where students have been playing organized sports all their lives.

“We were middle-school champions and then we play some of the high school teams and they are really skilled,” Kanehailua said.

She has another thing in common with many successful athletes: a supportive family. Brother and Pescadero senior Zion Kanehailua was the school’s male athlete of the year last year. Her father played soccer in his younger days, and her mother ran track and swam. These days they do their best to attend all of their children’s events.

It’s a little early to be thinking about college, but Karly Kanehailua hopes to contin-ue her athletic career at that level.

“I certainly hope so,” she said.— Clay Lambert

Castro-Rodriguez fi elds life lessons

Athlete of the Year learned to play as newcomer

Jesus Castro-Rodriguez is an athlete now — earning the honors for Pescadero High School male Athlete of the Year — but that wasn’t always the case. He says he owes his prowess on sports fi elds to the opportunities he received in a

community that at fi rst seemed a bit limiting.He moved to La Honda from the relative metropolis of Morgan Hill when he was

in the fi fth grade. “Now this feels like home, but I felt like I moved into the woods,” Castro-Rodriguez said.

The Pescadero High junior plays soccer, basketball and baseball because, he says, local coaches asked him to give sports a try. He’s glad he did. He says he’s particu-larly glad he stuck with baseball, which he says was the hardest to master.

“I didn’t think I would make the team,” he said. “I couldn’t catch a ball. Anybody can play soccer and kick a ball, but hitting a ball that is going 80 mph or fi elding a grounder …”

Castro-Rodriguez did make the team, of course, and this season he was a pitcher for the Vikings. He’s learned to throw curveballs and sliders and mix them in with the heat. He has another year to mature on the fi eld and in the classroom, but he’s already thinking of playing at the collegiate level some day.

Castro-Rodriguez says sports have taught him lessons that extend beyond the playing fi elds. He says he’s learned a lot about commitment and discipline and thinks that will follow him in all his future endeavors.

— Clay Lambert

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PESCADERO High Schools

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