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An adult in four years
By Patrick – Senior, Class of 2008

In 2004, a small, thin, immature little guy walked through the gates of Bishop High School for the first time as a freshman. He was scared, excited, and overwhelmed at what seemed like the biggest and most complex thing he had ever seen. There were other freshmen running around looking for their lockers, teachers barking out orders to older students misbehaving and upper classmen that looked like adults, ready and confident to face the world. What that little guy didn’t realize at the time was that someday he would be one of those upper classmen. He would be a senior!

As I look back now, I can laugh and say that seniors actually aren’t as confident about the future as I originally expected. I figured four years was a long time and at the end of those fours years, I would have become an adult in that time. Unfortunately, those four “long” years actually seemed more like a week. A blink of an eye and my high school years are almost over. I do know I have grown, and I do know I am ready to finally move on. I was thinking the other day how sad it will be to leave such a great place like Bishop, but I know I must eventually. But then I realized that I didn’t have to leave. I might cease from being a student at Bishop, but I don’t have to leave Bishop.

The great thing about Bishop High School (well actually there are several) is the alumni of Bishop. Just the other day while I was training for track, a woman driving by honked her horn and yelled “Go Bishop!” She had seen my running shorts with the classic cardinal logo on it. As she drove away she yelled she was an alumnus of the school. I gave her thumbs up and yelled “Go Bishop!” back. It was there, I decided that I would be an alumnus like her – enthusiastic and proud. I would come to all the football games, donate money to the school and maybe, possibly help coach the track team someday. But most importantly, I would try my hardest to have my own kids attend Bishop.

I will miss this school so much. I will miss the teachers, the long, hot summer football practices, the grueling track training, the dramatic play performances, the insane spirit week competitions, the beat Carp rallies, the celebration and tears after wins or losses, the great tuneful alma mater, Ms. Taylor’s voice announcing something over the intercom and the spirit of Bishop. This is the greatest high school in the world! Go Bishop!

My turn as a Cardinal
by Kaila

I had been waiting to be a Cardinal my whole life. I have a history of family members that went to Bishop, in fact both my parents graduated from Bishop. Going to Friday night football games has been a tradition in my family since I was born. My whole family would pack up their jackets, hot chocolate, and voices to cheer on our favorite football team, the Cardinals. From the stories my parents told me, to watching my older cousins play sports and being involved at Bishop while growing up, I couldn’t wait for the day to be a Cardinal! I remember my parents telling me about Welcome Week and how mom had to do a lip-sync. She didn’t know the words, so she mouthed “watermelon” to every word, giving her that nickname for the rest of high school. My twin uncles participated in a hot dog eating contest and my dad in tug of war. I would hear about embarrassing moments and memorable ones from my family.

I thought the day would not come soon enough, the day I would become a Cardinal and create my own memories. FAST forward 14 years and here it was, August 28, 2007, the first day of school. There I was, standing next to the Victory Bell thinking “I’m finally a Cardinal.” I was so nervous, yet so anxious! I remember seeing friends from my old school and seeing a lot of new people that I didn’t know but was so eager to meet. So many things were going on in my head. What is high school going to be like? Is it going to be like the old stories I had heard? Will I like it here? Welcome Week came and went and I had a blast. I was in a lip-sync and had to be the main person singing “Bop to the Top” from High School Musical, dressed up as a hippie. I went to the Welcome Week Dance. It was my first dance and it was so much fun! I met new people; I danced and just relished the moment. The moments that I heard so much about were now a reality, my reality that I loved and felt so much a part of.

I could not wait to start my freshman year and experience all the joy that my family had experienced. Looking around, I knew my years would be as memorable as theirs. They would be different but special, and one day I too would be able to share all the beautiful things that made me a Cardinal, with my children, nieces and nephews.

Cardinal spirit lives and is a part of you for life. Go Cardinals! - Kaila

Not lost in the crowd
By Megan, Senior Class of 2008

Throughout my experience at Bishop, I was encouraged to develop many character traits which I will undoubtedly be able to utilize throughout my lifetime. Because of the size of Bishop, I was able to develop a trait which I feel will be most beneficial to me in the long run. I have become more open, and exponentially more outgoing. Up until my years at Bishop, I had been a very shy and reserved girl who never went outside of her comfort zone. This high school gave me the opportunity to change that part of me for the better, and encouraged me to, mostly through participating in sports, in addition to the school spirit shown through cheering at sporting events.

Because I was the only freshman on the varsity softball team, I was forced to make friends with people who I did not know, as well as connect with the juniors and seniors on the team. This experience, without a doubt, had a huge impact on me and made it virtually impossible for me to be the quiet and reserved girl I once was, and forced me to become much more outgoing. At football, basketball, and volleyball games, there always is, and always has been, numerous students yelling, cheering, and showing school spirit. School sporting events have given the shy students an opportunity to become something more; they can be loud and nobody will say anything about it because everyone else is doing the same thing.

Sports are also a good way to develop leadership roles. As the catcher for the softball team, I was thrust into a leadership position because the catcher controls the entire field, and is basically the boss, at least besides the coach. I have also been a captain on the varsity softball team since sophomore year, which meant I had to be a leader, and be an example for the entire team, including those older than me.

This has had a part in not only making me more outgoing, but has allowed me to become more comfortable and confident in social settings, even in front of large crowds. This will make my life in the future much easier, especially in job situations. I will comfortably be able to speak with co-workers and superiors, as well as with friends and family.

I feel as though Bishop has truly shaped me as a person, and had I gone to any other high school, I would have gotten lost in the crowd, and thus would not have developed these traits necessary to a prosperous life.

I honestly don’t want to leave!
By Megan – Senior Class of 2008

Coming in as a freshman at Bishop, I didn’t have any close friends joining me, and being a shy person, I was pretty scared and thought I wasn’t going to make any new friends. I was greatly mistaken. Almost everyone was in my same position, so it was a breeze making new friends. Playing sports also allowed me to meet people who had the same interests I did, and I got to know people I probably wouldn’t have if I hadn’t played. I even got to be friends with a lot of the upperclassmen.

Participating in sports also gives you the opportunity to create and fine-tune leadership and teamwork skills which you can take with you and use the rest of your life. If you don’t like the idea of actually playing a sport, at the very least go and support the teams at their games. Everyone has so much school spirit that it’s hard not to get some of that spirit yourself. Bishop fans go all-out at games and cheer their hearts out, no matter what. In going to these games, you are able to connect with schoolmates, and support other ones, making it easier to connect with them outside of sporting events and school, too.

Bishop is a tight-knit community, and you will eventually come to recognize and know the names of virtually everyone in the school, both students and teachers alike. Because of this closeness, the classroom setting becomes very intimate. You are able to have a closeness with your teachers which allows them to encourage you to do your best and to do what you need in order to succeed. This success can open many doors, giving you opportunities to receive scholarships, awards, and even the opportunity to join some exclusive clubs on campus, such as NHS (National Honors Society), CSF (California Scholarship Federation), and Mu Alpha Theta (a math club). All these clubs are nationally recognized and require a minimum GPA, as well as other requirements.

Essentially, my advice is to get as involved in school as possible. Join as many clubs as you can, play a sport or two, go to games, be in the school play, join ASB (student government), anything you can. Being involved at Bishop will not only enrich your high school experience, but it will provide you with tools and traits that will help you to succeed throughout your life These are traits which you might not have had the opportunity to receive if you had gone to a larger school.

Looking back at my past four years at Bishop, I really have no regrets because I was involved in almost every aspect of school events and activities. I seriously had so much fun during my time at Bishop and I honestly don’t want to leave. I hope you enjoy your years at Bishop. Good luck next year!

Field Research Projects
By Julian

Our FRP’s (Field Research Projects) are really a fun experience. Freshman, sophomore and juniors go off campus for curriculum relevant field projects over a two day time span.

Upper class student toured the Getty Museum, China Town or Hearst Castle. The freshman class stayed locally in Santa Barbara visiting “The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Ty Warner Sea Center” and the “Santa Barbara Historical Museum.” On the first day we were divided into groups with assigned faculty leaders. At first, I wasn’t sure about FRP’s but I ended up with a good group and figured that regardless of what we did it would be a good time.

On the first day we met outside of the Sea Center, got organized, and went in. We toured all the different exhibits but my favorite easily was the shark petting. It was quite fun. We did water testing both inside the Sea Center and outside in the ocean. After the Sea Center we walked to up to the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. Although it was cool at the beach the walk got a little harder as the temperature rose. At the museum we learned about local Spanish artifacts and Santa Barbara's multicultural history. I thought the first day was a lot of fun and indicative of the next day’s trip.

On day two, groups went on different local hikes. My group got the Cold Springs Canyon Trail. I was happy because I had been on it before and enjoyed it. The hike was a really good way to bond with my classmates and we had a great time all the way up the trail, even during the brief periods when I got lost. Once at the end of the trail we ate our lunches in good company with a great view of Santa Barbara.

FRP’s are a great way to get closer to your classmates. Both days I had a lot of fun and I’m really looking forward to my sophomore FRP’s.

Athletics as a Cardinal
By Allison

It is almost the end of my freshman year (2008) at Bishop Garcia Diego High School and I feel like I have accomplished many things. One of the biggest accomplishments is my success in sports. At the end of the year, I knew I wanted to play basketball for my high school but I did not think that I was going to be able to participate in any other sport. However, this all change once school started.

I was the only girl from my old school to attend Bishop, so I didn’t really know very many people. I thought that making friends was going to be difficult and take a lot of time, but because of the school’s size I was almost immediately making numerous new friends. By branching out and meeting new people, I was introduced to new sports. Several of my friends were planning on playing volleyball and tried to make me join them. I was reluctant at first, but finally made the decision to play on the day of the volleyball tryouts and showed up wearing ratty old vans and a borrowed pair of basketball shorts. I looked out of place in my strange volleyball attire but that did not matter to anyone, not even the coaches. Well, I made the team and actually won the awards for the best hitter and best blocker on the frosh/soph team, despite the fact that I had never played the sport before.

The next sport season for me was basketball. During the summer I had practiced with both the junior varsity and varsity teams, but I did not expect to make varsity during the actual season. The season started out smoothly; our J.V. team was undefeated. But unfortunately for the varsity team, one of the strongest players broke her ankle. That was when I was asked to set up and play for varsity. It was like a dream come true. I had been hoping to play for varsity since the beginning of the summer but did not anticipate that I would actually get the chance. The rest of the season was fun and very successful, and I received the JV coaches’ award.

After basketball, I did not know what I was going to do with myself. There was still four months left of school and I did not have an after school program any more. Both of my parents were too busy to pick me up after school every day, so I would have to take the bus home from school. There was nothing wrong with that, but I just didn’t like the idea of sitting at home inactive every day, so I decided maybe to pick up a new sport. My decision ended up with me becoming part of the track team. Just like volleyball, I had never done any sort of track meets or events before, but I still wanted to give it a try. Plus, several of my friends were going to try it too. It turned out that track was a great decision. I stayed in shape for basketball and got to hang out with my friends after school.

All of the sports that I played at Bishop introduced me to new people that I never would have met otherwise. Some of the most important people in my life now, including most of my friends and even my confirmation sponsor, I met through these sports programs. If I had attended any other school in the area I probably would not have been given the same chance to play on these sports teams, let alone make the varsity basketball team. Bishop gave me the amazing chance to meet new people and try something new and I am extremely grateful for that.

Out of my comfort zone
By Cody

All my life I attended public school with the same group of people the whole way. Then, my parents told me I was going to go to Bishop, a different school from all of my friends. I was really nervous about leaving my friends and going to a Catholic school instead of a public school. Bishop was going to be a lot smaller than my old school and everyone would already know each other really well (I thought) and I would be the new kid.

I decided to go out for basketball and they had a summer athletics program, so I went. I was really scared no one would be nice to me because they didn’t know me, but when I walked on the court everyone greeted me like I had been there all along. That first practice I met a lot of people and made a couple of friends that I still have now and probably will for the rest of my life. After a few practices, I noticed that no one put me down if I missed a shot or made a mistake, and also I could be myself and no one disliked me for who I was.

After each of my basketball practices I saw the football team on the field and I asked the coach if I could come out and play football. He said I was also welcome to and told me to join in the stretching lines. I saw a few of my new friends from basketball playing football also and they introduced me to more new people. (At my old school, if you weren’t good enough to play a sport, you would be cut and asked not to come out again next year.) Also, the coaches at Bishop worked with me to find the best position for me.

After playing summer sports and making new friends I felt ok about going to school on the first day, but I still had some butterflies. When I got to school there were people at the entrances to greet everyone. I was also greeted by older students as I walked onto campus! This helped me out a lot and when I got to my locker I saw some of my friends from the summer… they introduced me to even more people. I enjoyed seeing new faces and meeting people I knew nothing about.

Bishop held Welcome Week during the first week of school and all freshmen got to participate in fun activities and games. At my old school I would have been a spectator, but not at Bishop! I was grouped with some new freshman and seniors for class competition lip-syncs. I was really nervous about getting up in front of the entire school so soon, but I started to have fun and saw my friend enjoying it too. I had a blast popping out of the trash can and being the “Genie in the Bottle” while I lip-synced the song. From then on I only had more fun and gained enough confidence to give a speech in front of the school where no one made fun of me if I made a mistake.

Overall, Bishop is full of many nice people and dedicated faculty members that do everything in their power to help students succeed now and in the future. Even though it was a large jump from my comfort zone, I am now extremely happy to be here.