13th Annual Encina Alumni Challenge

[ Pledges ][Game Photos]{Rollin Coxe 64 photos][ Alumni challenge pledge form ][Videos][Testimonials][Webcast][Wineland talk][Debbie Skalisky photos]

Score: Alumni 60, Varsity 53
Date: Friday, April 26, 2013

This year we raised over $44,000 for Encina!

Alumni and varsity teams

Varsity team
Front row: #0 Kimani Randolph, #15 Dajon Green, #3 Kevin Largo, #1 Aaron Johnson, #24 Tyvone Hunt
Back row: #12 Davawn Finney-Lomax, #10 Elias Orellana, #11 Vadim Golovey, #5 Da'Quan Bryant, #2 Nate Jefferson, #4 Datwon Bryant, #13 Ricky Gregor
Head coach: Freddie Bryant, Assistant coach: DeWayne Norris

Alumni team
Tony Smith '83, Andrey Koryaka '07, Daren Malone '06, Stephen Beasley '02, Jace Buenaflor '94, Bob Goosmann '74, Philip Johnson '06, Erickson Aquino '95

Message from Steve

Dear fellow Encina Alumni,

What a great night!   Alumni from Encina's first class of 1961 to last year's graduating class attended this year's Challenge to celebrate our alma mater.  The Class of 1963 thoughtfully planned their 50th reunion to coincide with the Challenge so their class was well represented this year.    We were honored to induct Nobel Laureate, Dr. David J. Wineland ('61) to Encina's Hall of Fame.

Thank you to all of Encina's staff and students, along with alumni, who worked so hard to make this a successful event.  Feel proud that what we do together, does make a difference!   Alumni have once again shown their school spirit by pledging more than $43,000 which supports a multitude of programs for all of Encina's students.  Thank you for your generosity!

Steve Palmer
Class of '74
Encina High School Booster Club Treasurer

Message from Bob

Another great event and game!  The Varsity went undefeated in league play this year, so I knew I had to put together a stellar Alumni squad.  The solution was to recruit some outstanding former Varsity players from the 2000s, and they did not disappoint.  We took it to the young whippersnappers, and were definitely inspired by the amazing enthusiasm of the large alumni crowd.  The only downside was a personal one--being 20 to 40 years older than all but one player on either side, I felt a bit like a turtle stuck in quicksand. :-(

We have now raised more than half a million dollars for Encina over the past 13 years.  Thanks to everyone who donated this year and in past years--your generosity is truly amazing.

Bob Goosmann '74

 

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Alumni Challenge BBQ and Game
Friday, April 26, 2013

BBQ Dinner, 5:30 - 7:15 pm

As always, a delicious free BBQ dinner will be served in Encina's cafeteria prior to the basketball game. Award-winning Texas West BBQ will serve chicken, ribs, salad and side dishes, drinks and dessert. Join us to share memories and favorite stories, meet old friends and make new ones! In addition, student body leaders will be on-hand to give campus tours.

Encina Hall of Fame Ceremony - Nobel Prize Laureate David Wineland

We're VERY excited to announce the 2013 Encina Hall of Fame inductee, Dr. David J. Wineland. Dave Wineland ('61) was recently awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics, winning with his colleague Serge Haroche of France. Dr. Wineland and Dr. Haroche were awarded "for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems." We're very pleased that Dr. Wineland will attend the Alumni Challenge dinner and game. He will be inducted at half-time.

David Wineland

Dr. David J. Wineland, Encina Class of 1961

 

Class of 1963 Golden Graduates

Join us to celebrate Encina's Class of 1963--with special remembrances, Class of 63 alumni, faculty, Class of 1963 memorabilia, special "50 Years" Birthday Cake and more!

Alumni Challenge Basketball Game, 7:30 - 9:00 pm

Dinner will be followed by the always-exciting basketball game between an Encina Alumni team and the current Boys Varsity team, which was undefeated in league play this season. This extremely competitive series currently stands at six wins each. Our professional announcer, Peter Boam (Class of '63) will call the game and be Master of Ceremonies for the event.

All Proceeds Help Encina and the Students

The Alumni Challenge is one of the most successful high school fundraisers in Sacramento history. Last year we raised nearly $40,000, and our goal this year is to top $45,000! This year we'll break $500,000 in total funds raised by alumni for our school!! THANK YOU!

Even if you cannot attend the event, please consider a donation on behalf of your graduating class. Your donation helps fund equipment and tournament fees for sports, academic programs, field trips, scholarships, college campus tours, and much more at Encina.

Here are some of the many things funded through the generosity of our donations JUST in the last 12 months:

Football uniforms, programmable microcontroller-based robots for physics, basketball tournament fees, tools and glazes for ceramics, soccer uniforms (championship teams can be hard on uniforms <g>), girls basketball uniforms and shooting shirts, girls softball uniforms, volleyball equipment, new wrestling mats (Encina can now host tournaments for the first time in MANY years), calculators for math classes, college scholarships, cooking club, health occupation students to HOSA state conference, Encina Safe All Nite Grad, and MORE.

Almost ALL of these programs and projects get no funding from the school district or other sources, but make a big impact on campus and students' lives. We have made, and continue to make, a positive impact on Encina!

We look forward to seeing everyone at this year's Alumni Challenge!

Steve Palmer            Bob Goosmann             Harlan Lau
Class of '74               Class of '74                     Class of '73

Alumni roster
Bob Goosmann '74: captain
Tony Smith '83
Jace Buenaflor '94
Erickson Aquino '95
Stephen Beasley '02
Philip Johnson '06
Daren Malone '06
Andrey Koryaka '07

Videographer: Robert Bataille and crew
Webcast: Kerry Shearer 72
M.C.: Peter Boam 63
Photographer: Rollin Coxe 64
National anthem:


What is the Alumni Challenge?

Here's an excerpt from the Encina "Bulldog Barks" parent newsletter describing the Alumni Challenge:

"If you have not yet attended an Alumni Challenge, you are in for a REAL treat.
"What is an Alumni Challenge?" you might ask.

It is a basketball game, where the current Encina varsity basketball team plays a full basketball game against the alumni from the class of 1961 (Encina had its first graduating class that year) to alumni as current as five years ago.

This extremely competitive series has the Varsity Team with six wins to the Alumni Team's five, so the Alumni Team will be extra motivated to bring home a victory this year. So, this is an event you don't want to miss. The evening starts off with a free dinner at 5:30 p.m., and admission to the game is free as well. The game starts at 7:30, and there is a rousing half time event scheduled.

Why would the alumni put themselves in such a position? This is a fund raiser they started to help the Encina Booster Club raise funds to support ALL the students and programs here at Encina High School. Over the years, the funds raised have supported our sports, reading, visual and performing arts, Encina Broadcast System (EBS), tutorials, just to name a few.

The fund raising component to the Alumni Challenge is the donations received through alumni class pledges. An example is an alumni will pledge dollars per point, or per three point baskets, or per the number of points a specific player makes, or perhaps a flat donation. Current students and families can pledge as well, as a way of cheering on the current varsity team.

This game is a very entertaining event and gives our students and families a chance to meet past Encina students. It has become a rivalry between the Apaches/Bulldogs (Encina changed its mascot to the Bulldogs in 1991) and the Bulldogs. Please come out, have dinner and enjoy a GREAT family fun night."

Who is eligible to play?

"CALL FOR PLAYERS: any alumni who graduated at least 5 years ago or earlier and played basketball for Encina is eligible to play on the Alumni team. Preference will be given first to those who have not played in a previous Alumni Challenge. All players must be available for Saturday practice (at Encina) during the weeks leading up to the event. They must also be in reasonable condition--the game is very competitive and we are competing against players half (and in some cases one-third) our age. If you are interested in playing, contact Bob Goosmann at [email protected]."

I understand we have some fairly recent grads who are interested in playing this year. If you are in contact with your basketball playing classmates, please let them know about the alumni challenge and encourage them to play. Several years ago the high scorer for the alumni team was Norm Siefkin from the class of 1963!

Every year we receive inquiries from female alumni who would like to play. Unfortunately, the alumni team is not co-ed. In order to field a women's team, we need someone like Bob to captain/coach/organize a women's team.

What are we raising money for?

Encina gets money for the traditional "core" classes such as math and reading . We (alumni) are providing assistance for many of the extracurricular programs, elective classes, clubs and other programs that help to enrich students' experience at Encina.

The money goes to the Encina Booster Club, who allocates the funds based on requests from students and faculty. While much of the money is allocated to sports as you would expect from a booster club, a lot of the money also goes to non-sports programs.

Here are some testimonials from recipients of the alumni challenge pledges.

Here are some of the projects funded by the Encina Booster club in the past year from Alumni Challenge monies:
Viet Nam Memorial
Alumni Website
All Sports (uniforms, tournament fees, bleachers, transportation, stipends, supplies, etc.).
Business Academy End of the Year Luncheon for Seniors
Cheer Camp
CAHSEE (California High School Exit Exam) tutoring and incentives
Wish Lists for staff (this is open to ALL staff to submit items that are not covered by district nor department funds). Some of the items purchased were box converter for VHS to DVD, supplies for counseling for welcome bags for new students,
Alumni Challenge expenses
Undergraduate Awards Program
Business Academy Mentor Meeting supplies
Friendship Day (Mix It Up) supplies (4 times per year)
STAR testing incentives
Scholarships
AVID T-Shirts
CSF Fieldtrip to UOP
Controllers for Interactive Education
Spanish games (verb conjugation, etc.)
Computer programs, guides and graphics for journalism, French and English
Prizes for Open Enrollment Parent Night
Gift cards for a drawing for Take Your Parent to School Day
Special Ed Students field trip to San Francisco
Incentives for PBS (Positive Behavior Systems)

Here is a list of some of the programs funded in the past:
New Student Welcome Program through Counselors
Encina Art Gallery (Art Opening Receptions)
Performing Arts (Students attending local plays)
Cheerleading
Freshman Feast (a Freshman event with Senior peers/guides)
Encina Broadcasting System (EBS) (equipment and supplies)
Football
Boy's Soccer
Girl's Soccer
Girl's Softball
Girl's Volleyball
Girl's Basketball
Boy's Basketball
Basketball Tournaments
Sports Banquets
Every 15 minutes (drug/alcohol intervention)
Alumni Challenge event
The encinahighschool.com Website
SAP (Student Assistance Program)
Reading Program
Student to Ashland to participate in Shakespeare Festival
After school tutoring
Backboard replacement
Drama department (students) trip to Ashland

FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT

Several alumni have asked whether there is any financial oversight for all the money donated to the Encina Booster Club. Whether there is anything which prevents the funds from being misused or even embezzled.

Steve Palmer 74 realized very early on, that the Encina Booster Club lacked such oversight and worked with Encina to implement sound financial practices. Here is Steve's description...

"I am happy to talk about Encina's Booster Club financial oversight. I sat on the Booster Club as "Auditor" for several years and have been Treasurer for the last three years and was re-elected for the 2011-12 school year. I attend most monthly meetings which are held at 5:30 pm on the second Tuesday of each month except July and August.

Funds that are collected by the Booster Club are deposited into a Bank of America account. Heddy Crowder, Encina's Community Liaison, records how much is received from whom (photocopies incoming checks, snackbar sales records, etc). She emails Harlan and me with Alumni donor name, date of receipt and amount. While Harlan does not usually see snackbar, t-shirt sales and such, I do. The majority of our funding is from Alumni Challenge pledges. As treasurer, I reconcile each month's bank statement with our Quickbooks records and provide a detailed transaction journal, spending vs budget and balance sheet at each monthly meeting. Treasurer's records are reviewed at each meeting at which time we also make disbursements for approved expenses. All personal who handle money are bonded. 

Each year, Principal (Dan Kenley) , Booster Club President (Angie Kerr), Encina Community Liaison (Heddy Crowder) and I build a proposed budget to be approved (with modification/changes) by the membership. We allocate funds to Encina programs based on department need with about 50% going to sports and 50% going to academic programs, scholarships, Alumni Challenge expenses, and such. Each semester we ask staff to submit requests for program and project funding. We fund those that are believed to provide the greatest positive impact to Encina students.

We hold about 15% in reserve from one year to the next and for "emergency" requests. For example, this year Encina fielded a Girls' Softball team for the first time in many years! The Booster Club (because of Alumni generosity) was able to purchase uniforms and equipment.

Please let me know if you'd like more detail or additional information.

Alumni, thank you for supporting Encina's students and future alumni!

Steve Palmer
Encina '74"

How do I pledge?

Send your check to:
Encina High School Booster Club
Encina High School
Attention: Heddy Crowder
1400 Bell Street
Sacramento,CA 95825
(please note your class year and whether you want pledge to be anonymous)

Or pay using PayPal or credit card: http://encinahighschool.com/homecoming/pledge_okay.htm

Is my contribution tax deductible?

Yes, your contribution is tax deductible. Please take advantage of your company's matching funds program if you have one to double your contribution as I do. Encina will send you a tax letter.

How effective is the Alumni Challenge?

In the past twelve years the alumni challenge has raised over $497,000 for Encina!

2012: $40,000
2011: $43,000
2010: $34,000
2009: $36,000
2008: $48,000
2007: $53,000
2006: $51,000
2005: $48,000
2004: $46,000
2003: $44,000
2002: $40,000
2001: $15,000

While this is due in no small part to the generosity of alumni benefactor Paul Bonderson 70, last year we had tremendous participation with almost 400 individual alumni pledges. These pledges ranged from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. No pledge is too small, nor too large <g>.

Alumni Challenge plaque

The alumni challenge plaque recognizes the five classes who:
1. pledge the most money
2. have the most pledges

Can I pledge anonymously?

Certainly. When you write, say your pledge is anonymous. However, please let me attribute your pledge to your class so they receive credit.

Why should I contribute?

Well, I can't speak for all alumni, but I give because it makes me feel good <g>. I enjoy supporting the next generation of Encina students, the interclass competition, the funny pledges (Tom Clark 70 gave $50 for a 3 pointer I made before the last game), the pride of supporting my classmates, and the feeling that we, as Encina alumni, are doing something special for our school and the community...

So do it for the kids! And do it because it makes you feel good...

Last updated: 09/08/2015

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