Arts: Jazz Choir (Second Soprano). I am so grateful to Mr. Wells for the wonderful experiences we were able to have under his leadership. We trained and practiced very hard for our success in the Santa Cruz and Redding Jazz Music Festivals and I have fond memories of our teamwork and the feeling of pride and excitement to see all that hard work come to fruition in our performances. Our Jazz Choir participated in many community events such as the opening of the Sonora Bypass, Community Christmas Caroling and performances for our school at special events such as Homecoming and Graduation. In addition to the Jazz Choir, I practiced with my classmates for our competitions in Show Choir which involved choreographed dance routines in addition to vocals. It is because of Mr. Wells and his gift of music that I auditioned and acquired a spot in the Dominican College Choir in my first year of college. I want to thank him for his care and guidance in my young life. He always made us feel like a part of his family and I still feel that way today!
Academics: I always worked hard to make the Honor Roll and took pride in my good grades. I knew I wanted to go to college and I appreciated the courses I took at Summerville High. Mr. Shaw, one of my favorite teachers, once gave me a phrase that I have used many times in my life during stressful times. He said, “Just show up! It’s not that hard to show up!” He knew, of course, that I would do the work of studying and would do my best to be prepared (as I have tried to do throughout my life) but that simple phrase really helped reduce any anxiety I had. It’s a phrase that has helped me so many times in my life when I have faced challenges or have felt overwhelmed, I just think to myself, “Do the work and let it go. Just show up! It’s not that hard to show up.” More often than not, the things I am nervous about seem to work out just fine and if they don’t, at least I gave it my best shot and showed up! Thank you Mr. Shaw.
Athletics: I played on the Volleyball team (outside hitter), I was a Basketball Cheerleader and also played on the Tennis Team (Singles player). My experience playing sports at Summerville High School helped shape who I am today. I was fortunate to attend volleyball camps at UOP and Stanford University and am forever grateful to my teacher and coach Debbie Mager who remains a close friend today. She taught us to stretch ourselves in ways we couldn’t imagine and she shared everything she had with us. She gave us her time, her heart and her dedication. She set the bar for work ethic and high expectations and I have a tremendous amount of respect and love for her. She took my young goals and dreams seriously and spent time training me over the summers which helped me earn an athletic scholarship to Dominican College in San Rafael where I played volleyball for two successful seasons (earning MVP at the Southern California Coastal Conference in 1990). I’d also like to thank and remember our athletic director and teacher, Mr. Ronten. He always made the time to talk and was such an encouraging person in my life. He certainly was an example of what it means to make a difference in the lives of students. We remained pen pals for many years after I graduated and I am grateful for the time spent with him. His life was well lived and he left a legacy of love with all of us who were honored to know him.
Clubs and Offices: I belonged to the Spanish Club and Student Council (Andrea Fox and I were Rally Commissioners our Senior Year). When I was a member of the Spanish Club, I had the opportunity to tutor young English Learners in Elementary School and this experience was powerful. It helped me discover the joy of helping young children and placed me on the path to what I do today! I would like to thank Mr. Urquhart, our school counselor for his great advice to broaden the activities that I participated in. It was through his guidance over the four years at Summerville that I ended up finding what I would like to do as a career.
Awards/Recognition at SHS: I was voted “Best All Around” in the Senior Class along with Ed Garcia. I was awarded the Summerville High Service Award for 1989 and named to the Superintendent’s List (3.49-4.0 GPA). I was selected as the Union Democrat’s Athlete of the Week and received MLL All-Fall Squad Honors in Volleyball. Our Jazz Choir and our Show Choir placed 1st in the Small Schools Division and did very well in our various competitions under the direction of Mr. Wells.
Memories and Advice for Students Today: The experiences I had at Summerville High School helped me to understand what it feels like to be a part of something bigger than myself. It was there that I learned how to work as a team with others, how to handle success with good sportsmanship and how to handle failure with a determination to learn from my mistakes and do better the next time. I learned these things (and am still a work in progress) in great part because of the support system I had at Summerville. This includes the friends and teammates I had, many of whom are still close friends today. My memories of being a Rally Commissioner with my best friend Andrea Fox still make me smile. We get together as often as we can and have remained a big part of each other’s lives. I am so thrilled that we both were selected to receive this honor because it just wouldn’t have felt quite right without each other! We had so much fun leading and unifying our school at rallies and did our best to keep our Bears’ Spirits high. This was easy to do because we were a fun crowd! In fact, our class is STILL a fun crowd and we had a great time celebrating our 30th High School Reunion a few years ago. The connections we made with each other and our teachers as a school family went beyond the four years on campus and I’m sure that will also be true for the students who are currently attending Summerville High School today. If I could give any advice to students today, it would be to get involved in all that you can, to “show up” for your life and participate with an open mind and heart!
What I’m Doing Today: I graduated from Stanislaus State University with a BA in Liberal Studies and a Concentration in Child Development. I went on to get my Teaching Credential and focused my efforts on supporting young children. While working with the Preschool Program for Merced City Schools in 2006, I was honored to receive the award for Outstanding Dedication to the Early Childhood Education Field by the Merced County Week of the Young Child Committee. In my last year of working with the Preschool Program in 2008, I was selected as one of the Merced County Teacher of the Year Nominees. After working with the Preschool Program, I worked for 8 years teaching 1st grade and in most recent years, I have been teaching TK (Transitional Kindergarten) which is where I hope to stay until I retire! I am proud to work at Gracey Elementary School in Merced where my Principal Jose Munoz (a fellow Class of 89er!) and all of my colleagues put students first each and every day. In fact, Gracey reminds me quite a bit of Summerville because we are a family. We work together as a team with honesty and a sense of humor and we are committed to loving and supporting our students the best we can. I believe our students feel that from us just as I felt that from my teachers. I find it very rewarding when I come across my former students (some of whom have now graduated from college), or when I hear from their parents about their success stories. I feel so proud of them! At the end of the day, if I have been a positive influence in any way or have helped to create a sense of love and care in a child’s life, then it is all worth it. To me, that is what it’s really all about, taking all the good that was given to me as a student and paying it forward to the next generation.
My Family: I am married to my husband Robert and love spending time with my family (Our son Steffan, our daughter Macey, our daughter-in-law Chelsie and our Grandkids Peyton and Noah). I appreciate the beautiful family God has given me. I want to thank my brother (Robert Garrison) for always loving me and being a supportive friend my whole life. I am incredibly thankful for my parents and I want to thank my Mom Patricia and my Dad Paul Garrison for giving me all their love and encouragement throughout my life. They never missed a sporting event or performance and they were always there rooting for us all! My dad passed away many years ago but I know he would have absolutely loved this Hall of Fame honor and I can almost hear him shouting from Heaven, “Goooo Pumpkin!” So, this is for you Dad.
A heartfelt thank you to the Summerville High School Foundation Hall of Fame Committee for considering and selecting me for this honor among so many wonderful people, I truly appreciate it!