The Butler Family History at Regis
By Makenzie Schacher
Founded in 1963, Regis High School has taught kids what it means to be a Catholic adult. Living out God’s mission in school and throughout their daily lives is a central topic taught in every subject, from studying World History to Science. Regis has been essential to my family’s heritage throughout the last few decades. Not only has it been a critical part of my life over the previous year, but it also has been a central part of the last three generations of my family. Four of my family members, not including myself, have gone through the Regis program, including my mother, Julie Schacher (Butler); my aunt, Jeniffer Lawson (Butler), my uncle, Ryan Butler, and my grandmother, Pamela Butler (Zuber). Each one has their own experiences and memories throughout their high school career, and all of them have made a small chunk of the history of Regis.
My grandma was the first person in my family to go to Regis. She attended Regis High School six years after it was founded in 1964. Her first day was in September of 1970. Her home economics class was taught by a nun who had just recently begun the position at Regis. One day she was being taught how to sew and she got into an argument with her instructor. Grandma had been taught how to sew one way the day before, and another the next day. She and the nun argued about it for a while but then resolved the argument further down the road. In the years my grandma attended Regis, 1970-1974, girls’ sports was non-existent. Only boys had the option to participate in sports. They finally became able to participate in athletics around 1978. My grandma graduated in ‘74.
My aunt, Jeniffer Lawson, or Butler at the time, was the first of the second generation to attend Regis High School. She began attending Regis as a freshman in 1995. She was a successful student in academics and sporting events. As a senior, she gained a strong love for volleyball. Her team worked hard, and their effort and success were soon rewarded with a spot in the state tournament. They battled hard but ended up losing at the beginning of the tournament. Throughout her high school days, Jen participated in basketball and track routinely playing on the same team as my mom. She also competed in track. She threw discus and javelin and won many awards because of it. One of her funniest memories about high school was when she sprained her ankle multiple times. “My PE teacher, Mr. Luby, would make me put my foot in a bucket of ice during PE.” She graduated from Regis in June of 1999.
My mother, Julie Butler, the middle child in the family, began classes in 1996. She was one year younger than my aunt. She participated in many sports, including volleyball for a year, basketball, and track. She tried out for volleyball her freshman year, with coach Elaine Adams(Blish), but soon found out her passions may lie elsewhere. Instead, she tried to cross country and ended up doing it during her sophomore, junior, and senior year. Basketball was a highlight every year my mom went to Regis because her team went to the state tournament all four years. They never won it all, however.
Prom was another thing my mom looked forward to during her high school days. “I had been asked to prom but would always have fun going in groups!” As she showed me her things from her glory days, she pulled out many track ribbons. She had received ribbons from first place all the way to fourth. My mom also gave me a packet of paper with “Rampage” written on the front. It turns out the Rampage has been around for a lot longer than I thought. She graduated in 2000.
Finally, as the youngest of the three, my uncle, Ryan Butler, began attending Regis in 2000. Regis was a great place for him, not only for academics but furthermore his athletic career. He participated in many extracurricular activities, but his favorite sports were football, track, and basketball. In his junior year at Regis, the boy’s basketball team advanced from league playoffs to state playoffs. Just like the present, state playoffs were held in Pendleton, Oregon. The team battled it out to play in the championship game against Dayton High School. With their aggressive offense and tough defense, the team advanced on Dayton and beat them, winning the championship title. The following year, senior year, he and his team went to the state playoffs again, battling to play Santiam Christian in the championship game winning a second state title. Alongside sports, Ryan’s favorite highlight of his high school career was playing macho volleyball during Homecoming week. “I would probably say the biggest highlight was winning state back-to-back and beating the upperclassmen in Macho volleyball.” – Ryan Butler. After finishing successful sports seasons in his final year of high school, Ryan graduated in 2004.
Finally, there is me. I am the third generation of my family to attend Regis High School. My freshman year contained enjoyment, hardships, and struggles, but it also contained academic achievements and sports awards. In the fall, I was one of the two freshmen to be placed on the varsity volleyball team. Even though we did not have a winning season, it was fun to participate in because of my lack of experience. I had only one year of volleyball under my belt before my freshmen year. In the winter, I played varsity basketball. We had many good games and rough games. I loved the sport so I continued to try my hardest.
Softball was the last sport I did during my freshmen year. I was the starting pitcher and won an honorable mention award for the All-League award. Along with sports, I won an academic award for being the top student in honors physics. My grades have given me the drive to do better in school. I hope to have many great experiences in the future.
