2020 Spirit Award Winners!

Congratulations to our outstanding 2020 Spirit Award winners. These students are scholars, school leaders, athletes, musicians, dancers, and community volunteers who have consistently given back to their school and community throughout their four years at Anaheim High. Congratulations to these 2020 graduates, who had their senior year cut short, but will go on to successful futures as they continue their higher educations.

2019 Spirit Award Winners Carrying Forward Colonist Pride & Tradition

Thanks to the generosity of Anaheim High’s alumni, 12 new 2019 graduates are the recipients of $12,000 in AHSAA Spirit Awards. These top scholars will be attending colleges throughout Southern California, including UCLA. Recipients include: Marcos Cardona – Paul Demaree Scholarship, Gisselle Estrada Diaz – Jan Domene Scholarship, Samantha Patlan – Alumni Breakfast Scholarship.  Others are: Melissa Herrera Vazquez, Marie Fernandez, Natalie Leticia Olivares, Marie Mata, , Melissa Dayana Contreras Monte, Griselle De La Cruz , Raymond Ordiano, Eric Reyes, Jesenia De Jesus Vargas-Sandoval.

Anaheim alumnus Principal Robert Saldivar ’96 welcomes Class of 2019 Colonist seniors to annual awards ceremony.

AHS Athletic Director Alfonso Rodriguez ’94 congratulates Marcos Cardona, winner of the AHS Principal Paul Demaree Scholarship.

AHSAA Board Member Barbara Vary presented Natalie Olivares with a Spirit Award Scholarship.

Melissa Herrera-Vazquez will be attending UCLA in Fall 2019.

Twelve Colonist seniors won $12,000 in AHSAA scholarships.

AHS Athletic Director Alfonso Rodriguez ’94 is a member of the AHSAA Board of Directors and teaches history classes at the Colony.

2019 Spirit Award winners on Cook Auditorium stage

An AHSAA Spirit Award will help Eric Reyes achieve his educational goals.

AHSAA President Janet Brown ’77 presented a scholarship to Jesenia Vargas-Sandoval.

Melissa Contreras Montes is a 2019 Spirit Award winner.

Geri McGuff ’64 served on the Scholarship Committee that selected Raymond Ordiano as a Spirit Award Winner.

Samantha Patlan was the winner of the Alumni Breakfast Club scholarship.

Gerri McGuff’ 64 with Giselle De La Cruz.

AHSAA Awards First Scholarship to 2009 Grads

In keeping with its mission “to promote and support opportunities and programs for the benefit of AHS students,” the Anaheim High School Alumni Association named senior Kimberly Alvarez as its first Colonist Spirit Award winner. Kimberly, who received a $1,000 scholarship toward her four-year degree, was selected from a field of 34 applicants for her well-rounded background in academics, extra-curricular activities and pride in being a Colonist.

Top six finalists of the first AHSAA Colonist Spirit Award were Irvin Rodriguez, Ana Montoya, Stephanie Ibarra, Reyna Hernandez and Kymberly Alvarez.

Two other Anaheim High graduates who benefited from alumni-funded scholarships were Luis Amaya and Melissa Mateos, male and female athletes of the year. These students were selected by their coaches to receive the Bud Fassel Memorial Scholarship. Each received $1,000 toward their educational expenses.

Luis Amaya, recipient of the Bud Fassel Memorial Scholarship, is congratulated by Jerry Woodward from class of ‘59. A star athlete in football and track, Jerry was mentored by the Bud, a ‘36 AHS grad who returned to his alma mater in 1956 as the first full-time equipment manager at the high school level. Bud’s son is ’67 AHS graduate Jim Fassel who went on to quarterback for the Chicago Bears and coach the New York Giants.

A 1936 grad, Fassel was the football team manager and basketball captain. He returned to his alma mater in 1956 as the first full-time equipment manager at the high school level and was an important member of Anaheim football program for the next 25 years. He greatly influenced the career of his son, ’67 graduate Jim Fassel, a Colonist football star who went on to quarterback for the Chicago Bears and coach the New York Giants. Both father and son are inductees of Anaheim High’s Hall of Fame.