Capo Talk – More CUSD Olympians!

David Higgins, a recent graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, competed in Rio

The Rio Olympic Games are over, but stories of local Olympians are not. Last week’s CapoTalk included an article on “CUSD Olympic History”. It featured seven Olympians from District high schools: Aliso Niguel’s Kyla Ross, Capistrano Valley’s Don August, and San Clemente’s Kristin Caverly, Jim Doehring, Sue Enquist, Gabe Gardner, and Jeremy Laster. The article incorrectly listed Gardner’s sport as water polo; it should have shown Gabe Gardner on the men’s indoor volleyball team. Gardner played volleyball in Athens in 2004 and again in Beijing in 2008, winning a gold medal there.

Four years later, San Clemente’s Brian Thornton was on the men’s Olympic volleyball squad. A member of University of California, Irvine’s 2007 NCAA Championship team, Thornton was a setter for the U.S. Olympic team in London in 2012. Another San Clemente alumnus, David Higgins, was on the Olympic shooting team at this summer’s 2016 Rio Games. Higgins competed in the 50 meter prone rifle. A recent graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Higgins had the honor of being the first Air Force cadet to ever qualify for the Olympics. President Obama spoke at the Air Force Academy commencement ceremonies and personally wished David Higgins good luck.

Except for the 2000 Games in Sydney, CUSD athletes have appeared in every Olympics from 1984 to 2016. What a record of athletic success!

Board Meetings

The Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees encourages community members to attend and participate in its business meetings whenever possible.

Closed session board business is typically conducted at 5:30 p.m. followed by open session business typically beginning at 7 p.m. Meetings are held in the CUSD Board Room located at 33122 Valle Road, San Juan Capistrano.

Future Board meeting dates can be found here.