![The cross country team poses for the camera after finishing the district meet. The varsity boys, JV boys and JV girls all placed third and the varsity girls placed fourth. “Coach put in the right training for us for this season, so I think we will be peaking this week and the next couple of weeks,” varsity runner and junior Nathan Kukla said. “The chances of making it to state are very high, but we don’t settle for the lowest and there is always going to be that chance, so [we] race for the best.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Heidi-831-1200x900.jpg)
![Smiling at the camera, Author Ehigbor Okosun, members of Page Turners, and other students reflect on the author's visit. “I thought the visit was great,” Senior Amia De Leon said. “It was interesting talking to her and [getting to know] her process and her thoughts and books in general. But I think the reason it went well [was that] people got to ask questions. I'm glad that she said so much in response to the questions and it wasn't just one and done. [The author’s responses] felt very articulate.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Sebastian-5-1200x800.jpg)
![Standing in front of the field at a freshman football game, cheerleader freshman Jacob Gaudreau along with teammate freshman Bella Gibson pose for a photo during halftime of game. “[Cheer has] definitely given me a much more outgoing personality,” Gaudreau said. “I used to be very introverted, so it's definitely made me more extroverted towards people.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Ingrid-204-1200x800.jpg)
![Holding a wooden pizza toy, senior Taylor Peterson plays with small children in Bucaramanga, Colombia. During the summer, Peterson traveled to Colombia to help build an elementary school that only had two classrooms but five or six grades with one teacher. “We add[ed] two more classrooms,” Peterson said. “It’s kind of hard when you have two or three grades in one classroom and you only have one teacher. It’s very hard to actually get some beneficial learning. [The extra classrooms will give the students] a better quality of education because they’ll actually have a place specific for their learning.” Photo by Taylor Peterson](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Taylor-P.png)
![Swinging with his arm extended, senior Nolan Park hits the ball smoothly over the net and to the opponent’s side. Park is one of four varsity tennis captains and helped the team win district championships. “Winning district champs was a pretty awesome feeling,” Park said. “We had lost to Liberty Hill a couple of weeks before, but when we played them [again], we came out and really took care of business. We took them out and it was just a really awesome night.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kassidy-419.jpg)
![Standing proud, varsity senior athletes Rafael Escobar, Griffin Jacobs, Jakob Martin, and juniors Jackson Springer and Jack Morris pose with their newly earned medals. The varsity team finished third out of 14 teams on Sept. 25. “The team's primary goal is to win the district championship,” head coach Cody Price said. "We're confident that with our action plan in place, we can accomplish this mission. [For the next tournament], our preparation involves assessing our strengths and weaknesses, celebrating milestones and creating individual development plans." Photo courtesy of Cody Price](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/golf.jpg)
![Smiling at the camera, the Varsity Tennis team celebrates winning districts. They played against Liberty Hill on Tuesday night and won with a final score of 10- 5. “We improved a lot even from the last game,” senior Blake Hillis said. “We lost against them the last time we played [Liberty Hill], but it was really close. It was just really important for us to win this match since it was the district finals. [When we won I felt] overwhelmingly happy, especially being there with my teammates and it being my senior year. It was just really great. It [felt] like a community.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tennis-Districts-e1728060882260.png)
CP graduate completes Marine boot camp
2015 CP graduate and Marine, Kerry Maresca, stands with another Veteran during the Nov. 11 Veteran’s Day Memorial Service. CPHS’s French teacher Tammy Nettles taught Maresca during his time at CPHS. “Kerry Maresca came to French as a senior with the desire to use it to help in the military,” Nettles said. “From the beginning he had the determination of a Marine. It has been inspiring to watch him grow into one. I loved seeing him in his Dress Blues for the Veteran’s Celebration.”
November 11, 2015
2015 graduate, Kerry Maresca, recently completed Marine boot camp. Maresca joined the Marines after hearing about the debt program and how it would help pay for a college of his choice. He was not only fueled by tuition, but also by the want to help his country and to become a strong leader. Maresca realized one way to become a good, strong leader while helping others and paying for college is to join the Marines.
“Deciding what to join wasn’t an easy task,” Maresca said. “After I talked to all the branches, it came down to what I wanted to be, and I wanted to be a Marine.”
Maresca said not everyone in his family was supportive at first. However, after some time was spent considering the benefits of becoming a Marine, Maresca received encouragement.
“At first my dad wasn’t supportive,” Maresca said. “But when he saw the debt program, he warmed up to [the idea of] it. My sister was very supportive, she was my lifeline for support. Both my sister and my dad wrote letters to me while I was at boot camp showing their support.”
Maresca said he has become a new person through Marine boot camp, and has had the help and support of a friend who went through the same process.
“I’ve developed quite a bit and become a new person,” Maresca said. “I knew a few people who joined [the Marines], and I went through bootcamp with my friend Private Cortez, who helped me out a lot by giving me a lot of motivation. Cortez wasn’t as outgoing [before joining the Marines], but now he is. He takes more leadership roles, he helps people organize and he is a more positive person.”
As far as being a Marine goes, Maresca said he doesn’t have any dislikes. Maresca has been enjoying the many benefits that come with being a Marine.
“There’s not much to dislike about being a Marine,” Maresca said. “I love seeing the benefits in my life, such as allowing me to go to the college of my choice. The Marines give us transition classes before college [to help us prepare].”
Maresca began high school at a private school, but transferred to CPHS because he was unhappy.
“I originally went to a private school where I wasn’t happy,” Maresca said. “[CPHS] had a very positive attitude, so [during boot camp] I thought, ‘I can’t wait to go back to CP so they can see how I’ve matured.’”
Maresca misses a few things about CPHS, including football games and the staff.
“I really miss CP football games, the student section is even louder than it used to be,” Maresca said. “Mrs. Moore was very helpful and was like a mentor to me, all the staff was great. A lot that we learned here was gone over in boot camp. I miss everything, like the drug free week, because I got to dress up for it.”
Maresca offered some advice to his fellow CPHS students.
“My advice to students is to spend time with family and build your relationship [with them],” Maresca said. “Make the right decisions because you represent CP, just like I now represent the Marines. Be proud of who you are and where you’re from.”
