A half-dozen longtime volunteers, including two teachers, were honored with volunteer service awards on May 31 for years — and in some cases, decades — of service to the Point Loma High School community.
Two other young members of the teaching staff at the school were recognized for the positive impacts they have made on students.
All were honored at a luncheon in the campus media center, flanked by school staff and members of the Pointer Association, the school’s parent governing body.
Point Loma dentist Dave De Rosier served as master of ceremonies to introduce honorees from among those nominated by the school community and validated by a committee led by Pointer Association president Kevin O’Beirne.
The awards were presented by those who nominated the recipient.
Honored with pins, certificates and living plants were:
• Cathy Bolman, whose contributions since her children were in elementary school were summarized by presenter Andrea Justus.
• Marvin Estrin, an advocate of strong academic programs and member of the School Site Council, presented by Christy Scadden.
• Kerri De Rosier who, along with her emcee husband, has worked tirelessly to grow the band and orchestral programs at PLHS, presented by Jennifer Kim.
• Fred Fogerty, longtime volunteer coach of boys’ and girls’ golf at PLHS, who receives no stipend or school funding, yet has purchased clubs, brought in pro golfers and collegiate coaches to work with his players. Fogerty was presented by athletic director John Murphy, teacher Ron Moss and Peninsula Beacon writer Scott Hopkins.
• Band and orchestra teacher James Sepulvedo, who spends hundreds of volunteer hours a year grooming PLHS musicians into award winners, was presented by students Sara De Rosier and Nick Covarrubias.
• Teacher/head track and field coach Alex Van Heuven, whose efforts to build student physical fitness and strength made her standout, was presented by Catherine Wilkins.
• Retiring principal Bobbie Samilson presented the Wrennie Sponsel Award, established in 1985 to honor a teacher new to PLHS and with no more than three years’ total service. Recipients were Stephanie Brown, a special-education support instructor, and Crystal Frasca, physical education teacher and coordinator of OASIS, a program matching volunteer junior and senior mentors with “at-risk” students to provide daily encouragement and assistance.
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