Rosemead High School Blood Drive Will Help Save Hundreds of Lives

Rosemead High School American Red Cross Club blood drive on Oct. 13, 2017, got 81 pints of blood donated from students and staff and a few people from the local community, which equates to about 200 lives being saved, said the club Advisor Amanda Gendron.

Rosemead High School annually gets the most blood donated from local high schools in the San Gabriel and Pomona valleys, according to American Red Cross. This was the first of three blood drives planned this school year with the other two blood drives later in the school year usually with each drive getting between 95-110 donors, said Gendron.

Gendron said, “The blood donated is for the local community first before any remaining supplies are sent to other areas. Rosemead’s club the past three years has earned $2,500 in scholarship money for its members by conducting the blood drives in conjunction with American Red Cross staff.”

The Rosemead club is a model program for the area, announced Gendron. She stated that Arcadia, Don Bosco Tech and Temple City are scheduled to participate in an upcoming Zombie Apocalypse disaster training course on Rosemead’s campus. The course includes students learning disaster preparedness and then using the knowledge to go to stations around the campus to give correct answers to stay away from the Zombies. Some students, including some from Rosemead High School’s Drama Club, get dressed in costume to scare the participants while following safety rules.

Celine Guzman is president of the Rosemead club’s six-member cabinet and said the Rosemead club also conducts first aid and CPR classes. She is proud of the club’s Home Fire Campaign, where members under supervision of trained staff, install smoke detectors for free in local low income homes.

Guzman emphasized donating blood is how people can help at no cost and they have an unlimited supply that is replenished. “Donating blood is very simple,” said Guzman. “People are counting on you to save their life.”

Other cabinet members and their comments include:

*Diana Truong, vice president, “this gives me exposure to the medical field and I help people;”

*Micaela Chavarin, secretary, “blood donating doesn’t discriminate, it helps all people in need. I truly believe in it;”

*Wendy Chau, treasurer, “this provides community service that alleviates human suffering. It’s important to donate for good will;”

*Khue-Dang Doan, historian, “I love helping people to get more active in donating blood. I learned the positive help it gives people and I like taking pictures for our club;”

*and Marcus Aguirre, membership chair, “I believe in what Red Cross does and it makes a positive impression on others.”

The Rosemead club cabinet members have to be a club member and be First Aid and CPR certified, said Gendron, who has donated 19 pints of blood over the past 12 years.

The Rosemead club has more than 125 members, stated Guzman.

Rosemead High School, a California Gold Ribbon School, is located at 9063 E. Mission Dr. (at Rosemead Boulevard), Rosemead, CA 91770.

Rosemead Volleyball Finishes Second in MVL

Rosemead won three close sets in girls high school varsity volleyball Mission Valley League (MVL) action against visiting South El Monte on Oct. 24, 2017.
Rosemead finished in second place in MVL with an 8-4 record and also has a 15-4 overall record. South El Monte finished MVL with a 5-7 record and has a 7-10 overall record. Gabrielino was 12-0 to win the league.
On Oct. 24, scores were 25-21, 25-20, and 25-21 as Rosemead won all three sets for a final score of 3-0.
Rosemead Head Coach Nancy Lopez said, “we did an 180 from last year and improved a lot. The players are working to get better and we are performing much better as a team this season.”  Rosemead was ranked ninth in the latest California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIFSS) Div. 8 poll.
In the game against South El Monte, Rosemead’s leaders were Arlene Perez with 6 blocks, Emily Reagan with 9 kills, and Ariana Lazo with 7 serve aces.