By Anthony Rodriguez, Communications Editorial Staff

(Watsonville, California) – Twenty-five years ago, St. Francis High School Salesian College Preparatory began writing its story. Among those who helped shape its earliest chapter was Kaleena Mornard, a member of the school’s first graduating class in 2005. This year, as St. Francis celebrates its 25th anniversary, Kaleena is still very much a part of that story as she is now serving as the school’s Admissions Coordinator and watching her own son, Colton, prepare to graduate as a member of the Class of 2026.

For Kaleena, the journey from student to alumna, parent, and staff member has given her a unique perspective on what makes St. Francis special. She has experienced the school from nearly every angle, and she has seen firsthand how its impact can extend far beyond four years of high school.

“St. Francis has been a part of my life in so many different ways, first as a student and now as a parent and staff member,” Kaleena said.

The theme of St. Francis’ 25th anniversary celebration, “Making a Difference, One Student at a Time,” is especially meaningful to her. She believes the phrase captures something fundamental about the school and its approach to education.

“We are a small school, and because of that, students have the opportunity to truly be known,” she explained. “Every student comes here with a different story, different strengths, and different challenges. Making a difference one student at a time means taking the time to know the individual student in front of you and helping them become the best version of themselves.”

That philosophy is something Kaleena experiences every day in her work in Admissions. She often meets students and families before they ever become Sharks. Some arrive confident and excited about the next chapter of their lives, while others are looking for a fresh start, a smaller environment, or simply a place where they feel they belong. One of the most rewarding parts of her work is seeing what happens after that first introduction and watching those students grow over four years and eventually walk across the stage at graduation.

“It is hard for me to choose just one student whose life has been changed by St. Francis because I have had the opportunity to see it happen in so many different ways,” she said.

Yet there is one student whose journey Kaleena has been able to witness more closely than any other: her own son, Colton.

“As his mom, I knew the young man who walked onto campus as a freshman, and now I get to see the young man preparing to walk across the stage as a senior,” she said.

During his years at St. Francis, Colton has grown in ways that extend well beyond the classroom. Athletics, leadership, friendships, faith, and relationships with teachers and coaches have all played a role in his development. He has been challenged and encouraged, celebrated and supported, through both the good moments and the difficult ones.

For Kaleena, perhaps the most meaningful part of that experience is that St. Francis has not tried to make Colton into someone else. Instead, the community has helped him discover who he is.

“He has grown in confidence, learned to advocate for himself, learned from his mistakes, taken on leadership roles, and developed relationships with adults who genuinely know and care about him,” she said.

“As a parent, you hope your child finds people outside of your own family who see something special in them and help bring it out. Colton has found those people at St. Francis.”

That experience has reinforced for Kaleena what she believes St. Francis is ultimately trying to accomplish: forming the whole person. Academic preparation remains important, but she believes a student’s education must go deeper.

“Of course, we want our students prepared for college and whatever comes next, but we also want them to leave St. Francis as good people,” she said. “We want them to have compassion, confidence, faith, resilience, and an understanding that they have a responsibility to use their gifts to serve others.”

She hopes that, long after students have forgotten a particular lesson or assignment, they remember the people who helped them along the way—the teacher who noticed when they were having a difficult day, the coach who pushed them to believe they were capable of more, or the staff member who simply took the time to listen.

“I hope our students remember that the people here genuinely cared about them,” Kaleena said.

Her own connection to St. Francis makes those words especially powerful. As a member of the first graduating class, Kaleena and her classmates helped establish the traditions and community that students experience today. Twenty-five years later, she is watching her son become part of that same legacy.

Colton will graduate this year as the first child of a St. Francis alumnus to attend and graduate from St. Francis, creating a remarkable connection between the school’s earliest years and its next generation.

“I don’t think I could have imagined then that one day my own son would walk these same halls,” Kaleena said.

There have even been moments when the two generations have crossed paths. Colton has had the opportunity to be taught by Ms. Alonzo, who also taught Kaleena when she was a student! Those connections between her experience and her son’s have made the 25th anniversary particularly meaningful.

“I am so proud and thankful that Colton has had the opportunity to be part of the same community that helped shape me into the woman, wife, mother, and professional I am today,” she said. “Twenty-five years ago, my classmates and I were helping pave the way and build the traditions and community that students like Colton get to experience today.”

Yet while Colton’s story may be the one closest to her heart, Kaleena recognizes that his experience is only one example of what happens at St. Francis every day.

“I have had the privilege of watching versions of that same story happen over and over again with students at St. Francis,” she said. “That, to me, is what ‘making a difference one student at a time’ really looks like.”

For Kaleena, that belief is also the reason she has remained part of the St. Francis community. She has seen the school grow from its earliest days, experienced it as a student, watched it shape her son, and now has the opportunity to help other families discover what the school can offer their children.

“It isn’t about having the biggest campus or the largest student body,” she said. “It is about relationships, community, and making sure students are known.”

And perhaps that is what makes the 25th anniversary of St. Francis so significant. A school’s legacy is not measured only in years, buildings, enrollment, championships, or college acceptances. It is measured in the lives of the young people who pass through its doors and in the people they become.

For Kaleena, St. Francis is more than a school she attended 25 years ago. It helped shape the woman she became, provided a community where her son could grow, and now allows her to help other students and families find their own place within that community.

“But more personally,” she said, “I have stayed because St. Francis is home.”

This year, Kaleena will watch her son walk across the stage as a St. Francis graduate. Twenty-five years earlier, she walked across that same stage as part of the school’s first graduating class.

Two generations. One school. One continuing legacy.

And a story that, after 25 years, remains centered on the same simple but powerful mission:

Making a difference, one student at a time.