Season of winners

The rain appears to finally be over, the days are longer, and there's an air of restlessness in the air. Which can only mean one thing: school's almost over. With the waning days of schools, many scholarships and awards are announced, so I'll list some of the few who've come across our way in the last few days.

Kyle Pelot from North Salinas High won a $500 scholarship from the Local 234 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, located in Castroville. Kyle, who will be attending Hartnell in the fall, wrote an essay on the Employee Free Choice Act. Kyle's mother is a member of the California Teachers Association. Congrats, Kyle!

Moving south to Monterey... Santa Catalina High School senior Catherine Armanasco took the first place in the 7th annual Weston Scholarship Photography Competition. She will receive a $1,000 scholarship toward college from the Weston Scholarship program. Catherine's photos are also being featured in the "Cameras for Kids" charity photo auction at Santa Catalina School. The dollars raised from this event will go to a children's charity in India. For more information, press here.
Catherine is heading to New York in the fall to pursue her passion for photography. We look forward to seeing her pictures in Vogue in the not-so-distant future.

Moving down to Carmel Valley... Sophie Claudel has been accepted to attend the 2010 Vanderbilt Summer Academy, a program for gifted students in grades 8-12 hosted by Vanderbilt University's Programs for Talented Youth.
Students who attend VSA are among the brightest in the country, scoring in the top tier on academic achievement tests such as the SAT and ACT. Sophie is enrolled in the Med School 101 Program.

All this brilliance makes me wanna reach for my sunglasses...

Hijos del Sol

"Los Hijos del Sol," the talented bunch of young artists led by muralist José Ortíz, are putting up the finishing touches on a mural that will serve as the backdrop for the California Shakespeare Theater production of Steinbeck's "The Pastures of Heaven." Adapted by renowned playwright Octavio Solis, the play will open June 2 and Los Hijos del Sol are scheduled to be part of the inaugural festivities in Berkeley. As a long time, devoted fan of José, I can't help to be excited for him and for the amazing work his students are producing. You rock, hermano!

We continue to celebrate teacher's recognition week, and here's a shout out to the Salinas teachers who have been awarded the "Important to be Nice" prize by ARIEL Theatrical. Teachers from all over Monterey County were nominated and the three finalists are:

* Sharon Nelson, Laurel Wood Elementary School, nominated by Evan Liddle and will be honored on stage with an award presentation at the Saturday, May 8 matinee (2:00) performance of Miss Nelson Has a Field Day at The Wilson Children’s Theatre, located at 320 Main Street, the home of ARIEL Theatrical.

* Lisa Parker, Toro Park Elementary School, was nominated by Hailey Sjoblom and Cole Burk and will be honored at the Saturday, May 15 matinee.

* Jacqueline Bartlett, Buena Vista Middle School, was nominated by Mariah O'Grady and received her award at the May 1 performance.

A big cheer for teachers

May 4 is National Teacher Appreciation Day -- actually, the whole week is dedicated to teachers -- so make sure to give yours or your children's more than an apple. A hug would be nice, a thank you letter would certainly be welcome. Often when I'm out on assignments, I run into teachers who attend meetings hauling papers around to grade them when they have a tiny window of opportunity in their hectic schedule. It certainly reminds you of how demanding their work is, how crucial and how often it goes uncelebrated. So here's to you, maestr@s. You're shaping the future of thousands of youngsters out there, and for that, we thank you.

And speaking of adults looking out for children, the folks at the International School in Monterey are hosting Master of Wine Tim Hanni for a school fundraiser. The sommelier is in a quest to dismantle old ideas about consuming wine, focusing more on a "let it be" attitude, which is causing quite a buzz in wine connoisseur circles. If you want to know what's the buzz about, the event will take place May 15, and for more information, click here.