Civil War Days

Students from San Martin/Gwinn Elementary School, under the leadership of fifth grade teacher Tim Downer, participated in Civil War Days School Program at Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton May 20. The group was awarded for outstanding participation in "School of the Soldier." This award is given to the class that demonstrates knowledge of the Civil War, exhibits outstanding behavior and respect and shows notable enthusiasm. The class prepared for this field trip by studying the history of the Civil War, marching and singing songs like "Battle Cry of Freedom."

Joseph Salyer

Navy Seaman Recruit Joseph T. Salyer, son of Nanci Salyer Woodrow W. Salyer, both of Morgan Hill, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.

During the eight-week program, Salyer completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness.

The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations." This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet.

Salyer is a 2007 graduate of Ann Sobrato High School.

Shelby McClelland

Shelby McClelland, a student from Gilroy, was recently honored at a statewide awards ceremony for gifted children held by The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY).

Shelby was invited to this awards ceremony based on an exceptional performance on a rigorous, above-grade-level test given to second through eighth grade Talent Search participants. Seventh- and eighth-graders took the SAT or ACT - the same tests used for college admissions. Second- through sixth-graders took the SCAT, an above-level test scaled for younger students.

Shelby, who attends Ascension Solorsano Middle School, was individually honored by Johns Hopkins for her academic performance and promise.

Nancie Barker

Nancie Barker of Morgan Hill is the most recent member of the Gold Standard Barbershop Chorus of Santa Cruz. With some experience singing gospel and bluegrass, Nancie attended a rehearsal of the barbershop chorus and found that she fit right in. She enjoyed holding her notes in a pickup quartet.

Morgan Celaya

DePaul University student Morgan Celaya of Morgan Hill has been named to the Dean's List for the 2009 Winter quarter. To receive Dean's List commendation, full-time students must earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or above on a four-point scale.

Christopher England

Christopher England of Morgan Hill recently graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans

Tulane's Unified Commencement was held May 16 in the Louisiana Superdome. The ceremony featured keynote speaker Ellen DeGeneres, honorary degree recipients Harry Connick Jr., HIV co-discoverer and Nobel Prize winner Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, health care advocate Jessie Gruman and architect William McDonough.

Catherine Conner

Ann Sobrato High School senior Catherine Connor was officially presented with an engraved bronze medallion from the 2009 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program during the school's senior awards night on May 26.

Connor was honored for creating www.wheelgirl.org to promote beauty, independence and respect for paraplegic and quadriplegic young women. The site grew out of a brochure Connor produced in 2006 to encourage wheelchair users to go to college and includes information on topics such as contacting colleges, furnishing a dorm room and altering clothes. It also features profiles of young wheelchair users, and provides a forum for "wheelgirls" to showcase their artistic and literary talents.

Elementary, middle school students honored for essays

Barrett Elementary School sixth grader Molly Cooper won the grand prize for the best essay out of more than 1,500 participants in a regional contest.

The contest, sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the San Francisco Giants, is a way of helping children learn that there are positive alternatives to gang activity. Students chose to write about one of two topics, "Making My Community a G.R.E.A.T. Place" or "Why Violence and/or Gangs Are Not a Good Life Choice."

More than 1,500 Bay Area sixth graders participated, including more than 200 sixth graders from Morgan Hill submitted essays. Eleven Morgan Hill students were selected as winners. The other 10 are: Mikey Williams and Kristi Kisso, of Nordstrom Elementary School; Joey Quintana and Chad McDermott of Barrett; Asa Jacob, Savannah Hatfield, Jessica Reed, Tyler Washington and Jordan Westall of El Toro Elementary School; and Morgan Maretinelli of Burnett. Each winner received free tickets to a baseball game courtesy of the San Francisco Giants. Cooper was honored at home plate on May 15 during a pre-game ceremony with the other winners.

Scholarships awarded to students by Rotary Club

Twenty-three local high school seniors were awarded college scholarships by the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill at ceremonies on May 14.

The $2,000 Ralph and Rose Fitzsimmons Agricultural Scholarship for outstanding achievement and commitment to agricultural studies was awarded to Nicolas Alvarado of Sobrato High School.

The $1,000 William Stables Music Scholarship for outstanding achievement in music studies was awarded to Trang Bui of Live Oak High School.

Recipients of $1,000 scholarships for outstanding academic achievement went to Live Oak students Marissa Campi, Kalea Cleeton, Morgan Coleman, Kourtney Kientzy, Jessica Liang, Alex Mandel, Deborah Parks, Aaron Persing, Steven Rick and Andrew Stratton.

Sobrato students receiving the $1,000 academic achievement scholarships were Jonathan Baio, Jessica Bondi, Joseph Edgar, Kelly Henderson, Hallie Kiernan, Amber Masoni, Sam Peveza and Erin Vance.

The Club's Scholarship Committee is headed by co-chairs David de la Cuesta and Mike Johnson, with committee members Tracy Newquist and Mayor Steve Tate. Dr. Dan Gregg guided the selection of the Rose and Ralph Fitzsimmons Scholarship recipient.

At the same ceremonies, George Guglielmo of Guglielmo Winery and Ken Manas of Sycamore Creek Winery presented a $1,000 scholarship to Emma Croft of Live Oak High School on behalf of the Santa Clara Valley Winegrowers Association.

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