Welcome, Chieftains, future Chieftains, and our Palma Community.
My name is Andy Steitz and I am your Student Body President. There are many opportunities to become involved at Palma. For example, I have been involved in
the Model United Nations, Investor’s and Interact clubs, ACTION Leadership Team, and Palma CORE. Another large part of Palma for me is being an athlete. I compete in water polo in the fall and volleyball in the spring. At Palma, you are encouraged to explore activities that help round you as an individual and involve you in the student body. You are challenged to be the best you can be, and, if you struggle, the teachers and older students will make themselves available to help you succeed. If, by chance, you do not find something that really interests you, you are able to get
together with friends and create a new club. Extra-curricular activities are what have made my high school career tremendous, and I encourage you to get involved in something you are passionate about. The opportunities are here, but it is up to you to take advantage of them.
In addition to the numerous things happening on campus, there are always events going outside and around Palma. From the Friday night football games, to the dances with our sister school, Notre Dame, there is never a dull moment. Our homecoming is one of our biggest events at Palma. The game night, dodge ball tournament, football game and finally the dance make the week so memorable.
Without a doubt, our school wouldn't be complete without what we do to give back to the others. Palma provides many service opportunities in our own community and even on an international level. Every spring break a group of nearly forty students, faculty, and chaperones go to Mexico to build homes for less fortunate families. In our own community, we help with Ag Against Hunger, gleaning, taking all left over raw produce from an already harvested field, and giving it to the less fortunate. We also make weekly trips to tutor young students in East Salinas at the Center for
Life. In my own experience, working with students in our area sheds the most light upon the value of the service we do at Palma.
My best advice to you is to make your time at Palma well worth it, get involved, get active and, most importantly, cherish the experience of being a Palma Chieftain; be proud, not everyone has this opportunity!
Andy Steitz
ASB President