Grant K-8, San Diego High students to be featured at Cabrillo Festival

San Diego Unified will be well represented at the 2015 Cabrillo Festival.

Grant K-8 fourth grader Alexis Carey won the annual art contest and San Diego High School of International Studies junior Emese Maklary was named “Miss Cabrillo” and “Spirit of Cabrillo Award” winner for the 2015 Cabrillo Festival.

Carey’s 8 ½” x 11” piece of artwork was selected as the best portrayal of Cabrillo’s historic voyage along the coast of the Californias in 1542 and for its overall depiction of the festival’s theme: Where Cultures Come Together and History Comes Alive.

Carey’s winning artwork is displayed on the festival brochure and website. She and her teacher, Allison Wilson, were both awarded $100 and are invited to sail on the San Salvador September 27 to view the historical re-enactment of the landing of Cabrillo, his soldiers and the priest on Ballast Point.

Maklary was named Miss Cabrillo Festival 2015 at a pageant in March sponsored by the Cabrillo Civic Club No. 16 San Diego and Portuguese American Social and Civic Club. She was also named the “Spirit of Cabrillo” award winner. Maklary will represent the Cabrillo Festival at events in Ensenada and San Diego during Cabrillo Festival.

The 52nd annual Cabrillo Festival will take place September 26-27 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Ballast Point, Naval Base Point Loma, located at the south end of Rosecrans Street. Admission is free. Please visit the festival website for more details.

Holmes Elementary third graders win national science competition

The Toshiba/NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) ExploraVision National Contest challenges K-12 students from across the United States and Canada to work in groups to simulate a real research and development team. Student teams choose a technology of today and envision what it could be like 20 years from now.

This year, two teams of students from third-grade teacher Diana Celle's class at Holmes Elementary in Clairemont took second place and honorable mention in the competition. Read more on the school's website.

 

Point Loma teen wins Braille Challenge

IN THE NEWS: Cricket Bidleman has captured her fourth North American Braille Challenge victory — the first time in the varsity division — and she is already thinking about the next attempt.

“I have a title to uphold,” Bidleman said Tuesday, smiling as she corralled Nipi, her service dog, in the living room of her family’s Point Loma home.

Cricket, 16, competed against other blind teens in 10th to 12th grades from the United States and Canada. She was one of 60 finalists culled from more than 1,100 Braille students who had been picked to participate in the contest that tests speed, accuracy and comprehension.

Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune

Two students win Food Services recipe contest

IN THE NEWS: Two Point Loma cluster students have won a San Diego Unified School District recipe contest, and their concoctions will be on next year’s menu. Ocean Beach Elementary School fourth-grader Zarai Rosenzweig-Bullard took first place in the K-5 age group and won an amazon Kindle for her “Terrific Turkey Tacos.” Correia Middle School eighth-grader Ava Marie Bunn also claimed first place in the grades 6-12 category for her “AVAcado salad.”

Read more from SD News.com

Watch Zarai make her terrific tacos on the KUSI Morning News

Foster Elementary fourth-grader designs winning sunglasses

The future is so bright at Foster Elementary School that students all over campus are wearing shades. Cool, new shades called “Striker” designed by fellow classmate, Evan Bui.

Contest winner Evan Bui and family with Knockaround founder Adam Moyer.

Bui’s blue and orange creation with lightening bolts was selected from among more than 300 designs submitted by students at three elementary schools that participated in a design contest sponsored by ArtReach and Knockaround Sunglasses.

Knockaround Sunglasses brought Bui’s design to life and company founder Adam Moyer presented pairs to all fourth- and fifth-grade students at Foster Elementary at their June 10 awards ceremony. They also received a small magazine that included images and concepts with all the student’s designs.

The sunglasses are sold as the company’s Limited Edition Class Acts Sunglasses and available to the general public for purchase on Knockaround’s website. All proceeds from sales are donated to the participating elementary schools, and ArtReach, to help fund the program in schools next year.

The contest was made possible through ArtReach’s partnership with Knockaround Sunglasses, a local sunglasses manufacturer. Every year Knockaround visits local elementary schools to talk about the importance of art and give students the opportunity to design a pair of sunglasses.

ArtReach takes artists into schools throughout San Diego County to provide visual arts instruction. They provide free workshops that give sequential, standards-based art lessons to Title I schools that meet other need criteria.

For more information on Foster Elementary, contact Principal Karla Shiminski at 619-582-2728.

Photos courtesy of Brock Scott Photography

Video and broadcast journalism students earn accolades

Students in the district’s Career Technical Education (CTE) video and broadcast journalism programs are being recognized for their skills in video production, recently earning high honors from both the Waste No Water Film Contest, hosted by the City of San Diego, and the San Diego County Office of Education’s Innovative Video in Education or iVIE Awards.

Point Loma High’s Cinematic Arts program won first and third place in the Waste No Water Film Contest, which challenges high school and college students to create 30-second public service announcements that emphasize the importance of responsible water use.

Trevor Sykes and Austin Correia won for their film "Water Cops." It will play this summer before each movie shown at the AMC Mission Valley, AMC Bonita and Edwards Mira Mesa cinemas.

Tyler Pasela placed third for his film "Cat Possible."

The videos are available for viewing on the San Diegans Waste No Water Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SanDiegansWasteNoWater

At the iVIE Awards, students from Serra, Hoover and Mira Mesa high schools won in their respective categories. A total of 10 video productions were nominated from San Diego Unified CTE programs. All iVIE nominated videos are shown on ITV Cable 16 in a series called "The Best of iVIE" and are also available on Time Warner's On Demand channel.

9-12 STEM
Black Holes - Junipero Serra High - San Diego Unified

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9-12 News
The NEST. News, Entertainment, Student Television. 2-19-15 - Hoover High - San Diego Unified

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9-12 Documentary
The Man Behind the Machine - Mira Mesa High - San Diego Unified
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The Innovative Video in Education awards is a K-12 student video competition and festival held by the San Diego County Office of Education. iVIE was conceived to encourage and reward teachers who utilize video as a project-based learning tool in their classroom, and students who use film and visual literacy to demonstrate their understanding of classroom concepts. All videos submitted to iVIE integrate the California Common Core State Standards or Content Standards.

Each year, hundreds of video are submitted and involve the work of more than 3,000 students. Submitted videos are judged by media professionals and educators.

District seniors receive scholarships from retired teachers

Even after retirement, teachers are still helping students.

Members of the California Retired Teacher Association (CalRTA), Division 4, will be awarding 10 San Diego Unified high school seniors $1,500 scholarships at their senior awards assemblies.

High school seniors were judged on their academic achievement, school leadership, extra-curricular activities, community and volunteer service, work and home activities, and financial need.

The 2015 scholarship recipients in the district are:

• Feliz Avitia, Gompers High
• Vania Bailon-Casarrubias, Point Loma High
• Aurora Espinoza, Patrick Henry High
• Iman Farahani, La Jolla High
• Kien Nguyen, Hoover High
• Quynh Duy Nguyen, Crawford High
  
• Sankaran Ramanarayanan, Mira Mesa High
• Samantha Rizzuto, High Tech High
• Sarabi Rodriguez, Preuss High
• Aracely Zeferino, Kearny High School of International Business

The scholarship recipients have an average grade point of 4.64 and have been accepted at the following universities: Columbia University, Mills College, Loyola Marymount University, San Diego State University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, San Diego, University of San Francisco, Washington University, Whittier College and Yale University.

The students’ diverse areas of study include: behavioral neuroscience, biochemistry, business management and administration, computer communication, English literature – pre-med, journalism, linguistics, psychology, special education, speech language pathology and structural and aerospace engineering.

The Scholarship Foundation of CalRTA, Division 4 has awarded over $450,000 in scholarships to more than 300 seniors attending four-year universities since its establishment 30 years ago.

Scripps Ranch High String Orchestra earns top honors at National Orchestra Festival

The Scripps Ranch High School String Orchestra earned a Superior rating, the highest possible rating, at the American String Teachers Association National Orchestra Festival held at Abravanal Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah this March.

Their performance earned great acclaim from judges, parents, students and the chair of the event, Valerie Palimeri. This is the first time the 50-member orchestra has competed on a national stage, making its success even more impressive.

“Earning this puts us in the conversation as one of the best orchestra programs in the state, if not the country,” Director Russell Shedd said. “This is a huge honor for our kids, the program and the district.”

The National Orchestra Festival is an annual festival held in conjunction with the ASTA National Conference. In addition to receiving placement, ratings and comments based on their performance, each festival group receives personalized feedback and an educational clinic from leading clinicians and adjudicators in the industry.

Festival participants are also able to attend all 180 conference sessions and workshops at the ASTA National Conference, some of which are designed at a student level specifically for National Orchestra Festival attendees.

To qualify for the competition directors must submit recordings of their groups, as well as several years of programing, one year in advance of the festival. Only nine orchestras in the country were selected by ASTA to compete in this year’s competition.

The Scripps Ranch High School String Orchestra is part of the school’s music program and is open to students of all grade levels.

Mira Mesa High senior recognized for cybersecurity efforts

Senior Chloe Crisostomo is working hard to make sure that Mira Mesa High and her community are safe from cyberattacks.

Crisostomo with Business Journal Editor in Chief, Nels Jensen.

Crisostomo was recently recognized with individuals and companies from throughout San Diego by the San Diego Business Journal for her efforts to increase cybersecurity and reduce the likelihood of attacks. She was selected as an honoree in the “Millennial” category and was one of only five to be recognized as an award winner.

Crisostomo is a member of Mira Mesa High’s Cyber Patriot State and Western Regional award-winning team as well as a member of school’s Mayor's Cyber Cup that recently placed third in competition. She also interned last summer with a cybersecurity firm.

Not only does Crisostomo try to teach other millennials the importance of securing their digital activities and profiles, she also leads by example in other areas. She serves as Wing Commander for Mira Mesa’s Air Force JROTC and is a top scholar, maintaining a 4.35 GPA.

All honorees were recognized by the Business Journal at their annual awards banquet in December, and featured in the journal’s Cybersecurity Awards Supplement.

For more information about cybersecurity activities at Mira Mesa High, please contact ASB Advisor Stacy Seiders at 858-566-2262.

Standley Middle student wins USD essay contest

Character is hard to define for many, but seventh-grader Ashley Meader already has a firm grasp of its meaning and purpose.

Her essay entitled “Human” won first place in the University of San Diego School Of Leadership and Education Sciences’ Character Matters essay contest.

Responding to the essay theme “Why Character Matters,” her essay described the significance of the 10 Badges of Character and how they are an integral part of our lives. Those badges of character include respect, responsibility, gratitude, compassion, courage, citizenship, self-discipline, trust, honesty and perseverance.

“See, character is the basis of human nature. It is what drives us to help one another, to make the world better than it already is,” Ashley wrote in her essay. “Because character is what causes accomplishment. Accomplishment causes success. And success opens the door to making a bigger and better impact on the world.”

Ashley received a plaque from USD for her accomplishment, which was presented to her in class by a representative from the USD School of Leadership and Education Services.

“Ashley truly displayed character traits such as responsibility, courage, perseverance and self-discipline by taking on the challenge of the contest and reading her insightful and inspiring essay to her classmates,” said Ashley’s teacher, Judi Lattimore.

Each year, the Character Development Center at USD sponsors the essay contest. The Center works with educators and youth to promote the development of life skills necessary for a productive personal and social life.

Graduating seniors recognized by City Council Member Myrtle Cole

Twelve graduating seniors from Lincoln, Morse, SCPA and Gompers Prep that exhibited academic excellence and outstanding community engagement during their high school career have been immortalized in the Walls of Excellence.

Emmanuel Llanda

These walls, located in Lincoln Park, were established in 2000 to display the names of exemplary high school seniors that are graduates of the four high schools in the Fourth Council District.

This year’s honorees included:

Lincoln High School: Cydnee Chappell, Keraneicia Aaron and Seifone Vorarath
Morse High School: Ma Delta Caraulia, Emmanuel Llanda and Stormy Evans

San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts: Gillian Mooney, Michaela Valk and Martin Martiarena

Gompers Preparatory Academy: Julio Ramirez Miranda, Louisa Gutierrez and Zayra Chavez Montes  

These students have a minimum 3.0 grade point average, have a history of community involvement, have demonstrated significant improvement, and are proud residents of the Fourth Council District.

As honorees, the students participated in the induction ceremony June 7, which was attended by Council Member Myrtle Cole and San Diego Unified Board Vice President Marne Foster. They were also honored at the June 17 City Council meeting. Lincoln High also recognized its students at their senior awards night in June.

Photos courtesy of the Office of City Council Member Myrtle Cole.

Eight students in Class of 2014 divide $150,000 in Broad Prize scholarships

Eight students from seven schools in the Class of 2014 divided the $150,000 in scholarship money received by San Diego Unified as a result of its nomination for the 2013 Broad Prize for Urban Education.

The students are: Dustin Nguyen of Crawford High School; Jake Brooks and Linh Ngo of Madison High; Nathanael Maracle from Pt. Loma High; Kevin Sibaja Allec, SciTech at San Diego High; Gerardo Perez, School of Business and LEADS at San Diego High; Tyler Wallake, San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts; and Ari Krasner, University City High School.

The Broad Prize scholarship recipients attending four-year colleges or universities will receive up to a $20,000 award ($5,000 per year, paid out over four years). Students attending two-year colleges or vocational schools will receive up to a $5,000 award ($2,500 per year, paid out over two years). Awards are for undergraduate study only.

"Many excellent students applied and the program was extremely competitive this year. In a competitive scholarship program, not every student can receive an award," said Connie Baumgartner, Program Manager with Scholarship America Scholarship Management Services, which handled the selection process on behalf of the Broad Foundation.

The initial review and evaluation of applications was completed by Scholarship Management Services with careful consideration given to each student’s academic record and all other information including financial data provided on the application. An independent selection committee further reviewed application materials and selected recipients.

San Diego Unified was named by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation as one of the top for US school districts to demonstrate the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement, while at the same time reducing achievement gaps across ethnic groups and between low-income and non-low-income students.

The $1 million Broad Prize is the largest education award in the nation. It recognizes urban school districts that demonstrate the strongest student achievement and improvement while reducing achievement gaps among low-income students and students of color.

Houston Independent School District won the prize in 2013, receiving $550,000 in college scholarships for high school seniors who will graduate in 2014. San Diego Unified, along with Corona-Norco Unified School District in Riverside County, Calif., and Cumberland County Schools in North Carolina, will each receive $150,000 in college scholarships. There is no application process for the prize; the districts are selected by the Broad Prize committee and invited to participate.

When the announcement of the prize winner was made in September, 2013, Supt. Marten hailed the efforts of students and staff to create a climate of excellence in San Diego Unified.

"It was an honor to be recognized by The Broad Foundation," said Supt. Cindy Marten. "I am grateful to our team of employees who work every day in-and-out of the classrooms for our children. I'm excited for our students who will receive Broad scholarships."

Future chefs show culinary creativity, win prizes from Uncle Ben

Jacob Spears, a first grader at Hancock Elementary in Tierrasanta, and Isabella Genoso, a seventh grader at Challenger Middle School in Mira Mesa, have won Kindle Fire digital pads and a personal video for their culinary creations in the district's first Kids Create Recipe Contest.

Watch Videos

Jacob Spears» Isabella Genoso»

Both recipes were Asian themed and used whole grain brown rice and may find their way onto the cafeteria menu next fall. The contest was sponsored by Uncle Ben's Rice, which donated the Kindles and gift cards for the second- and third-place finishers. Students had to create recipes that used brown rice or whole-grain flour tortillas. More than 200 recipes were submitted.

Spears won first in the division for students in grades kindergarten through five for his Teriyaki Vegetable Rice. Katie Bohonak, Noah King, Carlos DeCastro grade four at Green Elementary School in San Carlos took second for their Fiesta Lettuce Wraps. Third place went to Annabelle Isaacson, first grade, Dailiard Elementary School in San Carlos, for her Mexican Pizzaz.

In the division for students in grades six-12, Genoso, a seventh grader, won for her Teriyaki Chicken with Asian Vegetables and Brown Rice. Second place went to fellow Challenger student Sarah Thach, an eighth grader, for her Wrapped Delight. Kyla Yu-Swanson, in grade six at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Scripps Ranch, took third place with Ma Po Dofu (Asian Brown Rice w/Turkey and Tofu).

Grand prize winners Spears and Genoso each starred in a video with Uncle Ben's Chef Evan Coben.

The Kids Create Recipe Contest invited students from across the district to try their culinary skills by creating a recipe that used either whole grain brown rice or whole grain flour tortillas and could be served on the school lunch menu. The increased use of whole grains in school meals prompted the contest because San Diego Unified's Food Services Department wanted to hear from the students how they would like to see these foods on their cafeteria menu.

After Isabella created her recipe for the video, Challenger students were invited to try the dish and gave rave reviews, according to Sam Esparza, Food Services Site Leader at Challenger. Same goes for Jacob, whose friends and classmates at Dailiard got to enjoy his creation.
The contest was supported by Uncle Ben’s Rice who donated Kindle Fires for the first place winners. The winners also won a starring role in their own cooking video side by side with a professional chef from Uncle Ben’s and had their recipe served to students at their school. The video was produced by Mary Tyranski, a Food Corps service member with the Food Services Department.

For more information about the Kids Create Recipe Contest, contact Joanne Tucker, Food Services Marketing Coordinator at jtucker@sandi.net

Tomorrow's technologists show projects to San Diego community

Students from Crawford and University City high schools, as well as Marshall Middle School, were champions at the seventh annual College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE) Showcase event at Liberty Station.

The event connects business partners with students and teachers to develop a strong foundation for the economic future for San Diego. More than 300 industry professionals volunteer each year as mentors, guest speakers, or advisers for student teams. The students exhibit products they produce and business problems they solve in collaboration with members of the local business community.

This year’s champion in the High School Team category was Crawford High School’s Urban Revolution project that educated students and community members about energy conservation and healthy living. The project provided opportunities for students to work with community members to learn about science, technology and math.

University City High School was named the champion in the High School Open category with a project partnering the Project Lead the Way Biomedical Innovations course grant proposal with Quench and Connect, a non-profit organization. The grant proposal seeks to provide funding for a secondary school in rural Uganda and implement funds for the school to maintain a marketable tilapia fish farm.

Marshall Middle School students examined multiple questions about zoos in the 21st century and which animals should have priority in the San Diego Zoo system in order to be chosen as the Middle School Champion. Student teams researched, designed and built a physical or digital zoo enclosure to best meet the needs of the zoo animal, employees and visitors.

Additional schools recognized for their projects included: Kearny Construction Tech Academy’s Energy Initiative 2020 with a focus on energy efficiency in an effort to cut emissions and reduce dependence on foreign fuel (High School Team category); Mira Mesa High School’s WAMPBAT, a machine that allows a person in a wheelchair to run the infield and outfield practice of a baseball team (High School Open category); and Innovation Middle School’s 3D printed wind turbine which highlights the technology and physics that are involved with the generation of electricity with wind turbines, as well as the creation of these turbines and uses that power an LED light.

For more information about the CCTE Showcase, please contact Ralph West, Interim Director CCTE, at rwest1@sandi.net.

Budding dessert chef sets sights on Cal Poly Pomona, hospitality career

Hannah Bowles, a graduating senior at Madison High, has been awarded Culinary Student of the Year by the San Diego County chapter of the California Restaurant association.

“She is the most talented and dedicated student I have taught in years," said Justin Halbert, her Madison culinary arts teacher. "She is our culinary team leader. As the dessert chef for a local, trendy restaurant, Hannah knows the standard of quality and professionalism it takes to be a successful employee and because of that, she is able to lead by example for her culinary team at Madison. Last year, even when Hannah wasn’t in my class, we collaborated on her recipes and planned a successful catering event for 250 people.”

A graduating senior, Hannah will be attending the Collins College of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona to pursue a career in hospitality. She also hopes to get awarded the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation scholarship, a highly competitive award in the industry. She was accepted to three other universities, finishing high school with a grade point average greater than 3.8.

The California Restaurant Association San Diego Chapter is a strong supporter of San Diego Unified's culinary arts programs. The 30th Annual Gold Medallion Awards recognize the achievements of both restaurant and service provider members whose commitment to excellence makes a significant difference in the industry and communities they serve.

For more information on culinary programs in the district, please contact Angela Croce, CCTE Program Specialist, at acroce@sandi.net. For more information on the California Restaurant Association San Diego Chapter, please visit http://www.calrest.org/.

Thine contest winner is Pacific Beach Middle School

Pacific Beach Middle International Baccalaureate World School won a trophy for best scene at the Shakespeare Festival in Balboa Park. Eight Pacific Beach Middle International Baccalaureate World School students — Sophie Adams, Vance Allan, Nicholas Archer, Ryleigh Maple, Whitney Marshall, Nina Morch, Sophie Reich and Emma Rodriguez — with the assistance of their history and art teacher Mrs. Liebke and Music teacher Mr. O’Donnell, performed a scene at the Shakespeare Festival in Balboa Park in May.

The scenes had to be 9-11 minutes long, could be interpreted openly, but had to stick to Shakespeare’s words. Nina put together a compilation of a scene from Hamlet and a scene from Macbeth that all students performed.

Benchley/Weinberger, Sherman elementary schools win video awards

The student produced videos "So You Want to Make an iVIE" received a "Grand Recognition" for Benchley/Weinberger Elementary and Sherman Elementary's "Food Fight" topped its category as San Diego County's student video competition "The Ivie Awards" handed out its 2014 trophies.


Benchley/Weinberger's video was awarded top honors in the competition, which is sponsored by the San Diego County Office of Education. "So You Want to Make an IVIE," was produced by students working with teacher Kathy Aufsesser and media lab instructor Kathy Bouman. The video gives a humorous yet factual and interesting look at how to create a video. Participating students were Ethan L., Ryan S., Josh B., Jacob C., Hunter H., Jasmine L., Gianna B.

“Aside from the obvious issue of creatively teaching to the standards I feel these videos reach kids with different learning strengths and styles,” Aufsesser told the San Diego County Office of Education at the program's awards ceremony on May 6. “Perhaps the largest benefit to the students is the tremendous boost in enthusiasm for learning they exhibit.”

Winner of the top award in the Grade 3-5 Language Arts -- History category was "Food Fight," Sherman Elementary students' take on nutrition. It starred students Edwin, Xihtlally, Stephanie, Kelly.

"It's a really good experience for the students, just being able to see all of their hard work pay off in the end," Lito De los Reyes told the San Diego County Office of Education. She's the teacher at Sherman Academy who has helped students prepare videos for the competition for the past four years. "It's really fun for them to dress up and go down the red carpet and answer questions about their video. It makes them feel more important and adds weight to what they did."

The Innovative Video in Education (iVIE) program is an annual k-12 student video competition that has drawn thousands of participating students from every grade level across San Diego County for more than a decade. Throughout the school year, teachers and students use video as a project-based learning tool in the classroom, ultimately creating videos that ignite imagination and inspire student confidence while integrating state content standards.

Since 2001, iVIE has grown into a major video competition with more than 300 videos submitted this year in categories ranging from math, science and language arts to documentary and public service announcement. Entries are judged by media professionals and educators. Judges select winners in each category at different grade levels, as well as three "Grand Recognition" winners. This year, there was also a "People's Choice" award picked by viewers at the iVIE Festival, where all of the nominees were shown in April.

iVIE is sponsored by the San Diego County Office of Education, San Diego County Credit Union, Sony, Unified Port of San Diego, San Diego Computer-Using Educators, and The City of San Diego's Environmental Services Department.

• Visit the IVIE website»
• "So You Want to Make an iVIE," Benchley/Weinberger Elementary»
• "Cowles Mountain," Benchley/Weinberger Elementary»
• "Food Fight," Sherman Elementary»
• "Sleep: It's the Right Thing to Do," Sherman Elementary»

Retired teachers help next generation with $1,500 scholarships

Retired teachers are still helping students, donating ten, $1,500 scholarships to members of the Class of 2014.

San Diego retired teachers -- members of the California Retired Teacher Association (CalRTA), Division 4 -- have presented the students with the scholarships at their schools' senior award assemblies.

The Scholarship Foundation of CalRTA Division 4 was established 30 years ago, with Division 4 over the years awarding more than $300,000 in scholarships to more than 300 seniors attending four-year universities.

The 2014 scholarship recipients are: Daniel Foster, Patrick Henry; Tiffany Fung, Pruess; Luis Gay, Point Loma; Analie Islas, Lincoln; Shayn Lozano, Serra;  Ashley Ly,  Hoover; Shatesha Morris, San Diego High School of Business and Leadership; Dustin Nguyen, Crawford; Vy Nguyen, Kearny High School of International Business; and Janelle Spikes, San Diego Metropolitan Regional and Technical.

High school seniors were judged on their academic achievement, school leadership, extra curricular activities, community/volunteer service, financial need, and work/home activities. The scholarship recipients have an average grade point of 3.92 and will be attending UC Berkeley, UCSD, SDSU, Tuskegee, Hampton University, and Brown. Their diverse areas of study include engineering, public health, environmental science, chemistry, Public policy, and criminal justice.CalRTA is proud of its scholarship program that recognizes deserving, hard-working, and intelligent young people.

Donations may be made to CalRTA Scholarship Foundation, Division 4 and mailed to Scholarship Foundation, Division 4, CalRTA, and P.O. Box 33421, San Diego, CA 92163-3421. For further information about CalRTA, contact Carol Patrick at carolclaytorpatrick@yahoo.com or http://div4.calrta.org.

Water conservation video awards go to SD High, e3Civic, Madison, Scripps Ranch, Pt. Loma, SCPA

Videographers and producers from Madison, Scripps Ranch, Pt. Loma, SCPA and San Diego high schools, as well as the charter e3 Civic High School, have placed in the City of San Diego's "San Diegans Waste No Water" film contest.

Winning filmmakers Ana Little-Sana and Mia Rollins from E3 Civic High School took home the grand prize for their film How to Reuse Greywater, which features great cinematography and includes three simple tips on how to waste no water at home. Second place went to a team from Southwestern College.

Third place went to Bobby Gregory and Tierra Delvey from San Diego High School for their film “Save the Drain” which emphasizes one easy way to save water when taking a bath or shower.

Other finalists from San Diego Unified schools

• Madison High: Water Conservation, Donte Grady, Jake Huckabone, Melanie Setterbrg and Elijah Varela.
• Pt. Loma High: Water is as Sweet as Candy, Brian Lithicum and Declan Robinson; Wasteland, Black Brubaker and Devon Knox; The Breakup, Kimberly Cole and Louise Johansen; Water Ninjas, Luis De La Torre and Airiana Perez.
• San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts: Waste No Water, Kyle Punzalan.
• Scripps Ranch High: Waste No Water, Viraj Mandania, Kyle Mullin, Matt Rudick and Brandon Vu.

All finalists are eligible for the Viewer’s Choice Award, with voting on the "San Diegans Waste No Water" Facebook page through June 5, World Environment Day.

The short films had their debuts at a May 21 event at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center's IMAX Theater in Balboa Park. San Diego City Council Member Marti Emerald hosted the event and praised the filmmakers.

“Our talented local youth are using their creativity in film to draw attention to the serious drought our city and state are in” said Emerald. “It is so great to see these students using their talent and imagination toward conserving one of our most precious resources. This year’s record 84 entries prove that the message to Waste No Water is being passed down to the next generation and that San Diegans have embraced as a way of life.”

All the videos are online.

Additional information about the film contest and the event details are available online at www.sandiego.gov/water/conservation. To request information about the contest or obtain copies of the finalists’ entries, please contact Destree Lazo Bascos at (619) 232-2112, ext. 108 or at Destree@collaborativeservices.biz.

Scripps Ranch High student wins National Merit scholarship

Shea Polansky, a Scripps Ranch High School senior, has received a National Merit University of New Mexico scholarship, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation has announced.

Polansky is one of approximately 2,500 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities. Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among the finalists in the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution.

These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.

Polansky is expected to enter the field of information technology. The University of New Mexico, located in Albuquerque, is a leading research university with renowned faculty and exceptional facilities for teaching and learning.

College-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners announced today are a part of the distinguished group of about 8,000 high school seniors who will receive National Merit Scholarships for college undergraduate study worth over $35 million. Earlier this spring, National Merit announced winners of corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards and National Merit $2,500 Scholarships.

About 1.5 million juniors in some 22,000 high schools entered the 2014 National Merit Scholarship competition when they took the 2012 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The highest-scoring program entrants in each state — more than 16,000 — represented less than one percent of the nation’s seniors.

Finalists had to submit a detailed scholarship application, which included writing an essay and providing information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions.To advance, they also had to have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and earn SAT® scores that confirmed the qualifying test performance.

Visit the National Merit Scholarship website to find out more.