On Mar. 22, 2026, Millikan’s beloved campus cat, Canelo, sadly passed away. As news spread across campus, Canelo’s owners sent out a eulogy to let Millikan community members know just how loved they made Canelo feel.
Noah Otterson, senior in PEACE, shares how he felt when he found out Canelo had passed, “I just felt really down, I had no motivation to do anything.” Canelo has been a staple at the Millikan community for the past few years, gaining a second home on campus.
Canelo found himself especially at home in the office. COMPASS junior Eva Gonzalez first met Canelo her freshman year in 2023. “My favorite memory of Canelo is how I would always see him during announcements. When I would sit down he would always jump in my lap waiting to be pet,” Gonzalez described. Office assistant Danielle Ibasco shares that she also met Canelo in 2023, “My favorite part of my days with him was when he would take a nap in my lap.”
Canelo never failed to light up students and teachers days alike, by walking into classrooms and just strolling about campus. Dharma Naval, sophomore in COMPASS says, “[Canelo] would always come into fashion and he’d walk in and sit wherever he wanted.” Shawna Brief, senior in QUEST, shares her favorite memory with Canelo when he followed her to her car and jumped in when she opened her door. “I tried to grab Canelo and then he jumped in the backseat, and then into my trunk,” Brief shares.
Our Millikan community really came together by creating a memorial dedicated to Canelo at the tree on the corner of Snowden and Belen. The tree that Canelo would frequently nap under was covered with paper chains adorned with heartfelt messages for Canelo, flowers and cards showing just how loved he was.
Mrs. Tubbs, whose class was frequently visited by Canelo, wanted to help out with the paper chains first started by Fashion teacher Mrs. Palsgrove had her students help make paper chains for the tree in class. “The impact of Canelo goes much further, he wasn’t just the school’s cat,” Tubbs said, “All of the families that are at [Millikan] after hours, or before hours or on weekends that have seen and loved him.”
Now, a plaque has been placed in front of the tree for Canelo and on April 25, 2026, Millikan hosted a memorial service for him. Vanessa Reitano, sophomore in COMPASS and member of Stage Crew attended and helped set up the memorial. “The memorial consisted of the owners sharing memories of Canelo, then opening it up to the audience to share as well,” Reitano describes, “Hearing some of the stories that people shared during the memorial made me feeling sad, he clearly touched many people’s lives.”
Canelo truly was this whole community’s cat, from neighbors to teachers, Canelo touched the hearts of many.
Ethan Ferry • May 18, 2026 at 9:08 pm
On May 5, 2026, Aubrey Calderon wrote an article titled “Remembering Canelo.” In this article, she describes how students felt in response to the passing of Millikan’s unofficial cat mascot, Canelo. She shares multiple student quotes about their favorite memories with Canelo, and what many students and staff did to remember Canelo. Calderon does an excellent job at highlighting the impact that Canelo had on the students and staff of Millikan High School by describing how Canelo would venture around Millikan and the surrounding neighborhood and all the places he would go to bring joy into peoples day. She also provides good detail on how Canelo’s life was celebrated through decorations on his favorite tree, a memorial, and a headstone remembering his life. One thing I would add is describing in better detail the making of the paper chains for Canelo as I wanted to know more about what they symbolized. Additionally I would revise the flow of the paragraph that describes how Mrs. Tubbs and the Fashion teacher Mrs. Palgrove helped make the paper chains, as revising it would provide better clarity and flow.
Isabelle Ruvalcaba • May 18, 2026 at 8:04 pm
The article remembers the life of Canelo who would roam around the campus and brighten the day of both students and teachers. The topic that the author chose to write about is very sensitive because it was an event that just happened. Many people in the Millikan community were saddened to hear about the death of Canelo. The author uses quotes from students and teachers to share how they felt. One example from the article is when Mrs. Tubbs expresses, “The impact of Canelo goes much further, he wasn’t just the school’s cat,” Tubbs said, “All of the families that are at [Millikan] after hours, or before hours or on weekends that have seen and loved him.” This piece of perspective from the article allows the reader to feel an emotional connection with the article and they understand how significant animals are in the lives of humans.
The article explains the impacts of Canelo on the entire Millikan community and how Canelo was a light in everyone’s day. Many people were saddened by his passing that they decided to commemorate his life and hold a memorial service for him. The author highlights all of the people who made the service possible and the creation of paper chains designed by the students of Fashion teacher Mrs. Palsgrove. This article shows how people come together in times of grief to remember those who have passed.
The editor did an amazing job writing the article because she made sure to express all of the emotions about the topic. I think that the article really engages the readers and provides them with information about the commerce of Canelo. This article spreads positivity in a time of sadness.
Johan Monsivaiz • May 18, 2026 at 1:51 pm
This article does a very good job of showing Canelo’s legacy and his lasting impact on everyone around him. Calderon does a good job of pulling quotes from people who were close to the beloved cat. This article also does a great job of showcasing the new plaque that was installed to honor Canelo. The plaque really shows just how much Canelo meant to everyone and the effort put in to memorize him.
One thing that could make the article even better is including more pictures of Canelo, maybe some in the spots that the article mentions that he was frequently spotted at.
All in All, this was a very good article on Canelo’s Impact on the students of the school and did a great job of illustrating the effort that everyone put in, in order to make sure the memory of Canelo is preserved.
Sincerely,
Johan Monsivaiz