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The Spectrum . Redwood City's Monthly Magazine
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strict dancing rules placed on the students, they were also asked to adhere to normal
school policy rules. Of course, no one was to be under the influence of drugs
or alcohol at the dance and, to ensure that, some rather unconventional methods
were used. As students entered the dance and were checked in according to their
ticket numbers, they were asked to breathe into the principal’s face as a form of
Breathalyzer. Students were pulled to the side for further investigation if they had
sweet breath or dilated pupils. This method may have caught those guilty of breaking
the school rules, but it also penalized the innocent, causing many upset students.
A question that lingers in many minds (both of students who attended and
parents) is why the Sequoia administration didn’t choose to use an actual
Breathalyzer. Maybe next time.
These were very reasonable and necessary rules for the dance attendees to follow,
and all Sequoia students were very aware of what would be asked of them at this
dance. Schoolwide announcements were made daily with the newly enforced
“freak dancing” rules. And the week before prom, the Police Department, in coordination
with the activity directors at Sequoia, held an assembly called “Safe and
Sober Prom.” Officer Todd Hurst, the school resource officer, worked with several
students to put on this assembly, which featured a car crash, medical and police
assistance at the scene of the accident, and a memorial for a classmate who died
as a result of the accident. In this simulation, several students were involved in a
drunk-driving accident on their way home from a prom afterparty, leaving two students
in critical condition, one student dead and another in jail. After watching
medics and firefighters remove the students from the totaled cars, with one student
removed by coroners, the gathering made its way into Sequoia’s Carrington
Hall for a “memorial service” for senior Ashley Wyrick, who was “killed” in the
simulation. This moving service featured speeches by classmates who didn’t stand
up to those who were going to drive drunk from the party and by Ashley’s grandfather,
grieving the loss of his beloved grandchild. While this assembly dampened
the mood at Sequoia for the remainder of the day, it sent a very strong and moving
message to the students attending prom. Seeing something so devastating
brought to life with their own classmates made many students much more prepared
to care for their safety and the safety of others at that weekend’s prom. After
this assembly, a lot of the students planning on attending prom made arrangements
for forms of transportation such as limos, buses or even designated-parent
chauffeurs. Not only was this type of transportation encouraged for safety, but,
due to the location of the prom, parking was very scarce and expensive.
While the homemade “Breathalyzer” system enraged many students and parents,
the beautiful location and decorations and fabulous DJ made up for it, and the
night will be fondly remembered by those who attended. The majority had the
“time of their lives” and can’t wait to see what Sequoia leadership has in store for
next year’s prom. And as for the seniors, it was a good way to say goodbye to
Sequoia.
As for me, this is my last article. Having graduated from Sequoia, I will be attending
UCSC in the fall, with hopes of majoring in journalism or business. It has been
my pleasure to write for The Spectrum the past two years. I have enjoyed bringing
Sequoia High School news to Redwood City, and I look forward to being able
to find out the happenings at my old school through this news magazine in the
years to come.
Girl, Abandoned as Newborn,
Ready to Graduate
Agirl who was wrapped in a towel, stuffed in a brown
paper bag and abandoned as a newborn on the side
of a road 18 years ago is now ready to graduate from
high school. On Dec. 30, 1987, it was 45 degrees and dropping
when Steve Gibbons, a California Highway Patrol officer,
pulled off Interstate 280 to stop and stretch his legs. He
heard the infant crying and took her to Sequoia Hospital,
where she became known as “Miraculous Mary.”
Ashley Wyrick, 18, graduated on June 9 from Sequoia High
School, just four miles from where she was dumped when
she was just a few hours old. “It makes me feel like I’m here
for a reason. I’m here to do something with my life,” said Wyrick, who will attend
the University of Arizona in the fall on a scholarship. “I’m not here to sit around
and cry and waste my time thinking about what happened to me.”
sent to live with Leo and Kathy Wyrick, who named her Ashley. “The chance of
her being found in that area at that hour of the night was nothing short of a miracle,”
said Sheryl Greenspan, one of the nurses who tended to the abandoned
baby. Greenspan thought she never would see Miraculous Mary again and the
baby might never know what had happened, so she crafted two albums filled with
every photograph and newspaper article written about her. A social worker kept
her promise and delivered one of the albums to the baby’s new family. Greenspan
kept the other one for herself.
A few years later, the Wyricks divorced, and Leo Wyrick got custody of the girl.
Those who knew them said the father and daughter were inseparable. Wyrick was
8 when her father was diagnosed with a brain tumor and given just two months to
live. He died a year later. Serene Herrmann, Leo Wyrick’s grown daughter from
another marriage, became her legal guardian and mother.
Wyrick learned about her abandonment when she was 10. And she held onto her
scrapbook. Recently, she met Greenspan, the nurse who made it for her. “I had
been hoping it would stay with her,” Greenspan said. “It was important that Baby
Mary had some idea who she was and what her beginnings are like.” It turned out
that Greenspan’s daughters also attend Sequoia, and she had previously met
Wyrick but hadn’t known who she was.
In August, Wyrick will head off to the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she
plans to major in psychology and English. She said she may one day write a book
about her story.
Succeeding Despite Obstacles
As far back as Jose Garcia can remember, he has lived in the United States.
Legally, however, he was born in Mexico and has yet to be able to acquire
his citizenship. The 18-year-old Sequoia senior is hopeful it will come
through in approximately six months. In the meantime, he’s just happy his soccer
skills are giving him the opportunity to go to college.
Garcia moved to Redwood City when he was 2 years old. It’s the only place he
remembers living. At an early age, the athletic young man began playing soccer.
When he was 11, he began playing competitively. “Soccer has brought me a lot of
good things,” he said. Through soccer he was able to play for a state champion
team, which is heading to Idaho for regionals this summer, and he made the
national team. While he was really happy to make such a prestigious team, there
was a problem. The team planned to travel to Europe, and without citizenship
Garcia wasn’t sure he’d be allowed back in the country.
Not being a citizen definitely proved to be challenging for the young athlete. He
can’t get his driver’s license. The only summer job he could get is one in which he
works for a family member. And when it came to college, forget applying for a loan.
“Not having your citizenship and trying to succeed makes you try harder. It’s like
you’re not supposed to succeed,” he said.
Thankfully for Garcia, through the support of his family, friends, coaches and
administrators he was able to find opportunities by working hard. Not too long
ago he decided to go to a soccer camp, where he had a lucky break. He had applied
to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo but hadn’t talked to the soccer coaches, who just happened
to watch Garcia play at this camp. He was offered a scholarship if he played
for the tech school, an offer he couldn’t turn down.
“In my 10 years as an administrator I’ve never seen a student who has accomplished
so much in the face of so much adversity,” said Sequoia Principal Morgan
Marchbanks.
The accomplished soccer player is also successful academically. He attends highlevel
classes and maintains a high GPA. Although he was able to achieve high
marks, the task was still challenging, since many times he couldn’t ask his parents
for help. “I go from school, where I speak 99 percent English, to home, where it’s
100 percent Spanish. It’s like living in two different worlds,” he said.
The hard work paid off, and now Garcia has plans to study business administration
at Cal Poly. He admits the degree is a safeguard in case a professional soccer
career doesn’t pan out.
Editor’s note: This article appeared first in the Daily Journal newspaper.
Dozens of families had expressed interest in adopting the baby girl, but she was
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