San Rafael High School (SRHS), the SRHS Alumni Association and WeAreSR! parent organization are pleased to announce the 2024 Hall of Honor (HOH) inductees: Nando Llacuna and Sean Castle (Posthumously) and the Golden Bulldog Award recipient, Gregory Leonard Szot who will be honored on Monday, September 30, at 6:00 PM in the Hayes Theater at SRHS.
The Hall of Honor was established in 2009 to pay tribute to individuals who have made noteworthy contributions to San Rafael High School.
The Golden Bulldog Award, established in 2023, is given to an individual who has provided above and beyond with volunteer time and support for SRHS.
Criteria for both awards include:
- Contributed time and energy to the betterment of San Rafael High School
- Made a positive impact on students
- Improved the quality of San Rafael High School
- Been a positive reflection on San Rafael High School
A reception will immediately follow the ceremony. San Rafael alumni, students, teachers, community members and friends are invited to attend this special annual event. Open to the public.
Nando Llacuna: Principal
Years of Service: 1986 – 1999
Nanco Llacuna was born and raised in San Francisco, coming from a family of fourteen, seven boys and seven girls. Upon graduating from Polytechnic High School, he enlisted in the Marines and served for three years. After the Marines he received an AA from City College of San Francisco, a BA from SF State and in 1986 an MA from St. Mary’s. He taught US History, Government at Concord HS in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District from 1967 to 1986. While there he coached both the boys’ and girls’ Varsity Tennis teams, served as Department Chair and Director of Student Activities. He took leave in 1980 thru 1982 and served as an administrator at the International School of Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He also taught at Sonoma Community College.
Nando has been active his entire life and when not working one might find him on the tennis courts or pursuing his other favorite activities including water skiing, martial arts and snow skiing. He recently told me he now plays golf and has just started play pickleball.
Nando served as principal of San Rafael High School from 1986 to 1999. During that time, he led the way toward the 21st Century. He wanted to create a school climate where teachers felt supported, students were safe, and parents were heard. He had a very positive can-do attitude, and the determination to make things happen.
Nando was honored as the 1992 Secondary Administrator of the year, through the Marin County Secondary Administrator Association;1995 Educator of the year through the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce Award for Excellence in Education; 1999 Golden Bell Marin County Educator of the Year, MCOE Superintendent Education Leadership Award; and Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) Service Award to Student Athletes. Served as MCAL Chair for 2 years at the county principal and athletic director meetings.
“Nando who exemplified the spirit of the Bulldog had a great rapport with both staff, students and parents. He was readily accessible and always tried to create the win/win scenario when dealing with complicated situations. He ensured the campus was safe and orderly”, stated Judy Colton. I know this firsthand as I had the privilege of working closely with him in different capacities throughout his tenure at SRHS. First as a teacher and department chair, and later as one of his vice principals. To this day Nando continues to be an avid supporter of SRHS and is frequently seen at many a special venue or sports events.
Bob Vasser, retired Davidson Middle School Principal and friend, shares, “Students loved him, Nando was really special, like a hero to the kids. He made San Rafael a safe school. He was fair, consistent and had high expectations.”
Hall of Honor Inductee:
Sean Castle: Alumus, Music Teacher & Mentor
(Posthumously) SRHS Years of Service: 2001 – 2021
Sean Castle grew up in San Rafael, graduated from San Rafael High School and was accepted to his school of choice, UCLA. There he majored in music with a minor in business. His passion was music, and his dream was to someday teach at SRHS. The stars aligned for Sean as the year he graduated from UCLA, SRHS just happened to have an opening in the music department. He applied, was hired and the rest is history.
His father, Kent Castle, shared what Sean told him when discussing what he might do upon graduation from UCLA. Sean told him that, “Teaching is what I want. Money is not the issue. And more importantly I want to teach at SRHS.” Judy Colton shares, “Sean Castle was one of my first hires as principal and from day one he proved to be an asset. A year later he stepped up to department chair upon the departure of Mark Peabody. His energy, passion and musical talent were always at the forefront of what he did.”
What stands out most about Sean was his ability to mentor and connect with his students. From early morning classes, to after school rehearsals, to evening performances, and competitions, Sean was always at the “top of his game.” He loved what he did and simply never quit. His colleague, Anne Lerner-Wright shared, “What was most powerful and beautiful to witness as his close colleague was how much his students loved him in return. He could not enter a room without being regaled with shouts of “Castle!” Also, he would cry at every end of the year Music Awards night as he talked about his graduating seniors. Every single year.”
Sean’s musical talent excelled in all areas and was as diverse as his program. He was an accomplished saxophone player and pianist. His strength was jazz, but his outreach in the world of music was unlimited. He helped create and then ran the school’s jazz band and a wind ensemble programs along with organizing the school’s jazz choir and a percussion class called Steel Pans. Sean was also a key figure on the Creative Arts Committee, which annually put together a program of musical and dramatic performances for both the school and community. Sean and his students traveled to many musical competitions where his program received awards. This included festivals in Hawaii, Reno, Folsom, Santa Cruz and CMEA Jazz Festivals. As principal I had the honor of joining Sean and his students in center field at the Giants game and another time at a Raiders game as they performed the “Star Spangled Banner”. They also played, one evening behind home plate at a Giants game when I just happened to be in attendance.
Fellow music teacher, Anne Lerner-Wright humbly shares, “The list is long regarding Sean’s accomplishments, and I know there are others who could further elaborate on all he did. His ego was not the driving force in what he did: it was the school, the music program, and the kids. He was a wonderful and supportive colleague. He was never competitive and was always respectful of what were my unique strengths, as I was of his. We truly had a great team!”
Judy Colton adds, “What I know for sure is that Sean’s passion for music will live on as will his memory. I am grateful to have known Sean, to have worked with Sean and I am very proud to be able to share in his induction, albeit posthumously, to the SRHS Hall of Honor.”
Golden Bulldog Award
Gregory Leonard Szot: Athletic Volunteer
SRHS Years of Service: 2011 – 2016
Greg was born and raised in the Chicago area and he attended college at Illinois State University where he received both his B.S. and M.S. in Immunology. He’s worked at Harvard University, as well as the University of Chicago and University of California San Francisco. His inspiration to volunteer may have stemmed from seeing his mother involved with the PTA and his father serving on the school board while he was in elementary school.
This may be why he started, what he said, is one of his best accomplishments, founding and running the Coleman elementary School’s “Fathers Group” in San Rafael. Greg’s passion for volunteering began with the Coleman Dads who worked closely with the PTA and School Principal Ruth Reynolds to complete many fun projects and fundraising events to help better the community and learning experience of all students. The Dad’s group were autonomous and would meet off-campus (for a cold beer) to plan and orchestrate their next event (movie night, Tiger Fun Run, pancake breakfast, ect.). “Greg has an ability to bring people together; All the friends he’s made in his community is a testament to his friendly personality and his ability to successfully motivate the troops to pull off a successful fun event.”
His early involvement in his son’s elementary school and middle school lead to a successful tenure at San Rafael High School. He became a member of the San Rafael High School Athletic Boosters in 2011 and the next year he was voted Athletic Booster (AB) President where he served until 2016, staying one extra year after his son had graduated. During his five years as an Athletic Booster, the booster’s had many accomplishments including: Increasing AB donations and fundraising from $25,000 in 2012-13 fiscal year to between $65,000-$78,000 over the following 2 fiscal years; Completely revamped the football and basketball snack shacks resulting in sales and profit increases by three times: Sanded, primed and painted the softball/soccer snack shacks; Established Bocce Tournament; Represents BA at other school meetings and Board of Education as appropriate; Helped coordinate and purchase the new ice machine on campus to support hydration of athletes; Initiated AB funding of concussion testing and helped to establish the new full-time Athletic Trainer position, which was the first at any public high school in Marin County; and helped establish the AB funded Academic Support Program, which helps student athletes maintain grade point averages needed to participate in athletics, and which gives them support to succeed academically and, in their sport(s).
Greg owes his success to the help and involvement from many parents, teachers, administrators, and coaches. His dedication and support for the AB continued after his son’s graduation. Lynn Gilles and Rob Tooker stated, “Greg has improved the quality of SRHS and has had a positive impact on student athletes in many ways with his innovative, creative, and global thinking on their behalf.” “He has contributed a great deal of personal time, energy, and funds for the betterment of SRHS, sacrificing time at his job and with his family to do so.”
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