Welcome to the sixty-third edition of the

Panther Press,

a biweekly electronic newsletter sent to families and friends of 

San Joaquin Memorial High School.

Friendly Reminder: When opening this newsletter in your email please make sure you click on the "View entire message" link at the end of the email message!

THANK YOU everyone for Making Memorial's 45th Annual Auction a Success!

To view more photos from the 45th Annual Auction click here (Facebook photo album).

Thank you everyone who made our 45th Annual Dinner and Auction — Many Panthers... One Mission a total success. It was so great to see so many familiar faces and to meet new ones too. Each year this event offers an opportunity to celebrate the true gift that is San Joaquin Memorial High School, a community dedicated to developing each student’s God given gifts. The Dinner and Auction is one of the Central Valley’s longest running fundraisers, attracting thousands of guests and raising more than $5 million to support programs and services for our students.

As the community’s only Catholic high school, SJM has cultivated a loyal following of supporters who have contributed to the success of our school. We are humbled and grateful for these generous and dedicated individuals.

The Dinner and Auction involved a tremendous amount of energy,

imagination, and commitment on the part of many people. We are especially

grateful for the enthusiastic leadership of our auction committee and their chairs, Katie (Spencer) Farris `90 and Marybeth (McCann) Plemons `93. The auction committee worked tirelessly to organize a memorable evening.

Thank you to all of our parents, alumni, faculty, staff, students, event MC's and friends of San Joaquin Memorial who volunteered to make that evening a success. Special gratitude is extended to our Dinner and Auction sponsors for their generosity and finally, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us online for Silent Auction bidding.

NHS's Grateful-grams for Sale!

Do you have someone that you’re thankful for this November? Memorial’s National Honor Society is hoping to help you show them how grateful you are with our Grateful-grams! Starting next week, you can write a personalized message and send a friend a tootsie pop for a dollar. Orders can be placed at lunch in front of the cafeteria, and will be delivered on Monday, November 14 in homeroom. Parents you can also place your orders with Mrs. Cameron at lcameron@sjmhs.org! We’re already grateful for all of you and your support!

SJM Students Volunteer with the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation

Last month some of our SJM students volunteered at the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation in honor of Oliver Spain, son of Mark Spain (SJM Class of 2009). We are very grateful and proud of the service work that our students do in the community.

SJM Student's Honors All Souls Day / "Dia de Los Muertos"

To view more photos please click on the photo above

On Wednesday, November 2, 2022 several members of the Campus Ministry team and other SJM students led a prayer in honor of those who have passed away. The Spanish classes helped in setting up a beautiful "ofrenda" together in dedication to our ancestors.

Class of 2023 Important Graduation Information

Fill The Bus on 10/27/2022

Memorial had their 1st Fill the Bus event at the Pinedale Boys and Girls Club. The students played games  and collaborated in art activities with the children at the club.

NHHS Visits the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, CA

The National History Honor Society strives to connect our modern students with the long lasting legacy of academia and it is with great pride that the San Joaquin Memorial high School chapter of the NHHS went to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles on October 8th, 2022. From artwork inspired by classical antiquity to more modern interpretations of our diverse world, students from a variety of backgrounds, personalities, and groups were able to interact with one another and expose themselves to a world-renowned museum that showcased actual artifacts from our shared past.

The students enjoyed themselves and expressed the desire to continue on our quest towards making history come alive. Although learning about the past is an undeniable benefit to one's self development, actually seeing artwork, ideas, and concepts from that time period materialize in front of you allows one to more directly manifest that desired connection to our history. As the San Joaquin Memorial chapter of the National History Honor Society continues to strive towards our goal of making the past an actuality and inspiring our members to learn from that which comes before them, the emerging scholars that made up the cohort that went to the Getty Museum on October 8th, 2022, will long remember this fruitful experience and grow from the opportunity that we expose them to. It is with great hope and belief that moments in time such as this will serve as an inspiration for the students as they move forward to grander adventures and make history themselves.

Next up, a field trip in January to the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco!

Italian 1 and 2 Classes Have Fun Cooking Pizza

Memorial's Preview Days are a Success! 

Memorial Student Spotlights

Elle Assemi '26 Participates at the Fall Boutique Show in Fresno for the 5th Year!

Elle Assemi '26 has enjoyed showing and selling her artwork at the Fall Boutique show in Fresno for the past 5 years. She is a freshman this year at Memorial and art is something that she love's and cannot live without, a passion that is part of her. She does acrylic and watercolor painting, charcoal, and colored pencil. She enjoys painting on different materials and even at very large scales. She also has gotten into making small pieces to create stickers and wood tiles. She's always dreamed of being able to show her art and one day painting commissions for people. Now she's actually living that dream and it makes her very happy. Congratulations on all your success thus far Elle. Go Panthers!

Hayden Banjany-Stewart '24 was selected to participate in the FBI Teen Academy

Congratulations to our very own Hayden Banjany-Stewart '24 for being selected to the FBI Teen Academy which will be held in Sacramento on Friday, November 18, 2022. The FBI Teen Academy program allows high school students an opportunity to get a comprehensive look into today’s FBI. Generally, each course iteration is a minimum of eight hours. Students are provided with several presentations on topics including terrorism, cyber crime, public corruption, polygraph exams, evidence response, SWAT, and the day-to-day operations of a typical FBI office. Students also learn from special agents, intelligence analysts, language specialists, and professional staff about investigative tactics that include gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and assisting with cases. We are all very proud of you Hayden! Go Panthers!

November Prayer at the Fountain!

Service Deadlines!

Dec. 1 - Fall Semester Service Hour Deadline

· 50% of Required Service hours need to be verified and approved by this date in order to participate in Extracurricular Activities

· 9th grade: 7.5 hours

· 10-12th grade: 10 hours

Mar. 1 - Senior Deadline (100% complete)

· 20 hours

Apr. 1 - Frosh, Soph, Junior Deadline (100% complete)

· 9th grade: 15 hours

· 10th & 11th grade: 20 Hours

Save The Date!

77th Annual St. Patrick's Day Golf Tournament!

Angel Tree 2022 is Almost Here!

November 1st is an Important Admission Date!

The SJM 2023-2024 Application for incoming freshmen and spring transfers opened on Tuesday, November 1, 2022 on the SJM website. Help us spread the word by passing this information on to prospective parents and students! For assistance on the application process or to schedule a tour of the SJM Campus, contact Bianca Blanchette, Director of Admissions at (559) 268-9251 EXT 139 or bblanchette@sjmhs.org ! 

SJM Peer Tutoring

Students please scan the QR code above to sign up to get a tutor for any subject. This QR code will be necessary for students as well as parents to have access to the tutoring platform. Parents you can also create an account to check your students progress with tutoring. 

2022-2023 Yearbook 

Please click on the image below to read the Fall 2022 Counseling Newsletter

Sophomore Parent Meeting

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

All sophomore parents (Class of 2025) are invited to attend a College Planning Meeting on Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Please join us as SJM College Counselors discuss:

-What Your Sophomore Should be Doing Right Now

-College Admissions Requirements

-College Planning with Naviance

-College Application Process

Time: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Location: SJM's Mary Alice Diener Academic Center

Join SJM's Parent Guild! 

Why join the SJM Parent Guild?

One of the many reasons parents in the Central Valley choose to send their children to San Joaquin Memorial High School is the community of fantastic families and their quality of character.

Like-minded parents and staff that share in the moral development, catholic faith and ethical standards of children - THIS is what sets SJM apart from other schools in the area.

The best way to participate in and contribute to that community is to join the SJM Parent Guild because you'll:

•Get to know parents, staff, and students!

•Be “in the know” for all campus activities!

•Parent Guild brings the fun and it’s the best way to get your mandatory parent hours!

To learn more go here. 

Purchase your SJM Athletic Boosters Club Membership Card 

You can get your SJM Athletic Boosters Club Membership Card TODAY!

The mission of the San Joaquin Memorial High School Boosters Club is to provide fundraising support to the school’s athletic programs.

Funding for facility improvement projects and general athletics operations are the club’s main focus.

Become a member of the Boosters Club today! By joining the Boosters Club, you are helping to improve the quality of facilities and equipment for our student-athletes.

Club dues are $100 for two memberships or $50 for a single membership for the school year. Cards provide admittance to all home Panther athletic events (excluding playoffs) for the 2022-23 school year.(pass will be mailed to the address you provide – pass must be presented at home games at all times for free admittance).

Click here to purchase you membership card. 

 Click here to  Donate to SJM!