Ladies can sing! And make movies!!

The Santa Catalina School Choir brought home two trophies after participating in the "Music in the Parks" competition last weekend at Milpitas High School. They nabbed place in the women's choir division and the "finest overall choir," a great achievement considering the small size of their choir.
And they had the chance to spent the day at Great America. What a weekend!!!

And speaking of accomplished females, Rachel Asendorf, a junior in the Teledramatic Arts and Technology Department of CSUMB was selected as the 2010 recipient of the $1,000 prize in the Monterey County Film Commission Film Student Scholarship and Awards Program.
Rachel is putting herself through college, currently working as a news intern in the office of strategic communications at CSUMB, learning how to merge news and technology. She is also a production assistant for the Monterey Teen Film Festival, helping manage media and marketing. Rachel had her own political talk radio show, “Raving Raven,” focusing on issues such as media influence, and next semester she’ll be hosting the radio show, “Cult Pop.”
In other words, the lady rocks!!!

Here come the seniors!!!!

I will admit I was taken for a loop when I saw the Boys & Girls Club announcement for its 13th annual senior prom. Is this for all "high school" seniors or just for a particular school? Is it for low-income kids who can't participate in their schools' celebration?
Silly me. The free, fun-filled event is for real "seniors" -- the AARP kind. It's Boys & Girls way to give back to the community, and this year's them is the '50s. The dinner will be followed by Bingo (that should have been a major clue right there) and the crowning of the prom's royalty.
Arrive early because the event fills up quickly: from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club in Seaside, 1332 La Salle Ave.

And speaking of seniors -- the other kind -- CSUMB is inviting everyone to attend Capstone presentations on Thursday and Friday.
At CSUMB, all students must complete a capstone project in their final year, publicly presenting and defending the project or portfolio of work that demonstrates what they have learned. They do this each spring at the Capstone Festival, which is organized by academic departments. Capstone projects include research presentations, original poetry, oral histories, installation art, photography, performances, tabletop exhibits, films and videos, multimedia works, computer visualizations, and more.
Presentations will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on May 20 and from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on May 21 at various locations around campus. A complete schedule is available here.

They're not quite seniors yet, but judging by their achievements, they probably should be graduating ASAP.
Four Monterey County students have been given major awards at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), held last week in San Jose at the San Jose Convention Center. The Intel ISEF is the world’s largest pre-college science competition.
The Monterey County students competed against over 1600 students from 59 countries.
Junior Dylan Freedman of Carmel High got an $8,000 tuition package in a Special Award by the Office of Naval Research on behalf of the Navy and Marines. The IEEE Computer Society also presented him with a second-place award of $500.
Frances Atkins, also a junior at Carmel High, received a $24,000 per year, full tuition scholarship by the Sierra Nevada College.
What do they give these kids in Carmel, may I ask? I'd like some.
In the Categorical Awards, the team of brothers Michael and Jimmy Lin, junior and sophomore at Stevenson School, placed second in the environmental management category. They were given a $1,500 award, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), through the CERES Program, is naming a newly discovered asteroid after the brothers.
An asteroid!!! Way, way cool.

Of bikes and hoops...

Not only is good for the health, it's good for the environment, and to celebrate Bike to School Week, all students in Soledad are being encouraged to get their two-wheeled vehicles out of the garage and pedal their way to school
Thursday is Bike to School Day and Frank Ledesma Elementary school will celebrate it by hosting a bike train, a group of students and parents who ride together. The bike train will meet at the Soledad Library Parking lot at 7:15 am and leave for Frank Ledesma promptly at 7:25 am. At the school students will receive a free light breakfast and an incentive gift.

And since we're on the topic of exercise, it's time again for the 3-on-3 basketball tournament at Closter Park in Salinas. Organized by the Cesar Chavez Parent-teacher's Association, the Gil Basketball Academy and the City of Salinas, the tournament is a way to "take back the park," which is sometimes frequented by unsavory individuals. It's also a way to unify the community. So put on your shorts and join in the fun. Team check in begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, and games at 9 a.m. Cost- $40.00 per team, and there are 5 divisions. For more information, contact Jose Gil at 710-1499.