Students honored for serving others

<p>Ten Sonoma County high school seniors received honors Wednesday for volunteerism and leadership in their schools and communities.</p><p>Now in their 22nd year, the Community Youth Service Awards, sponsored by The Press Democrat, recognize students who promote the common good by serving others.</p><p>"This is a great program. Year after year, I'm unbelievably impressed with what these students do," Press Democrat Publisher Bruce Kyse said.</p><p>Kyse called the level of community service contributed by this year's crop of seniors "absolutely remarkable."</p><p>The awards were presented in ceremonies held Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts. The winners, who each receive $1,000, were selected by a panel of 28 judges from 141 nominees representing 19 Sonoma County high schools.</p><p>AGRICULTURAL/VOCATIONAL</p><p>Emilie Strand, El Molino</p><p>El Molino High School's Emilie Strand is steeped in agricultural activities.</p><p>She has held leadership offices with 4-H and FFA, and through those organizations has spent countless hours during her high school career promoting agriculture and teaching agricultural concepts to younger students and members of the community.</p><p>"Through the FFA, I have learned many public speaking skills, knowledge about the agriculture industry and leadership skills that will be foundational for my career in the agriculture industry," she said.</p><p>Strand is also a regular weekly volunteer at Cazadero Community Church, where she runs the PowerPoint program and live public address system every Sunday. She also volunteers at the Cotati Large Animal Veterinary Hospital and is involved in public service projects at El Molino.</p><p>"By making a difference in my school and</p><p>my community, I have been able to become a stronger leader, a more dependable teammate and an honest, hardworking, group member," she said.</p><p>ARTS</p><p>Elizabeth Mack, El Molino</p><p>For the past six years, Elizabeth "Liz" Mack has spent a portion of her week at Food for Thought, a nonprofit food bank for people with HIV/AIDS.</p><p>What began as performing simple tasks such as mailing letters and stocking shelves as an elementary school student has evolved into answering phones, dealing with clients and gaining a greater understanding of the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS in Sonoma County.</p><p>"My favorite job is talking with the clients, because it gives me more of an idea of what they are going through," she said. "I really enjoy what I do at Food for Thought and I am glad I have been given the chance to meet some really amazing people."</p><p>Mack hopes to pursue science or medicine in her future.</p><p>"She possesses an unwavering sense of personal responsibility, and I am confident that Liz will continue to work for the good of humanity throughout her life," said Colleen Pettis, a teacher at El Molino.</p><p>ATHLETICS</p><p>Camy Pearson, Montgomery</p><p>Montgomery High School senior Camy Pearson can't imagine being a kid cooped up in summertime day care, so she spent her summers getting those kids outside and active.</p><p>"I started to take the lead and spent most of my time organizing games for the kids to play, and then refereeing them," she said. "The kids seemed happiest when they could run, compete and just play, as kids should be able to."</p><p>Pearson, a standout student and member of Montgomery's soccer team, has spent time each summer organizing sporting activities for kids through two different programs.</p><p>First at The Playgrounds Program and then at the Boys and Girls Club, Pearson has worked to get kids moving.</p><p>"I think I also taught them life lessons, about being sportsmanlike and competitive, as well as teaching them teamwork and collaboration," she said. "These kids all had it in them, they just needed someone to pull it out of them."</p><p>Pearson plans on studying biomedical engineering or neuroscience in college.</p><p>COMMUNITY ACTION</p><p>Ben Nguyen, Elsie Allen</p><p>As co-president of Elsie Allen's award-winning Interact Club, Ben Nguyen is often volunteering for something: working with kids at Bayer Farm, doing Colgan Creek cleanup, collecting beach trash and whatever else he can find.</p><p>According to Nguyen, he had to fight for the right to volunteer.</p><p>"Throughout my time in high school, I could have easily opted to refrain from service and focus solely on academics -- as my parents had demanded of me," he said. "I believe that it is possible to excel at multiple passions, whether it is sports, academics or service, and still succeed. I proved my parents wrong."</p><p>Nguyen, who hopes to become a doctor, said community service has become the driving force in his life.</p><p>"I wish to create a movement to unify this generation of thinkers, workers and world-changers in taking on the challenges of this world and pulling others along with them, while being a medical practitioner," he said. "Philanthropy has become and will forever remain my passion as I live on this green earth to the end of my days."</p><p>ECOLOGY</p><p>Darek Bailey, Windsor</p><p>Windsor High's Darek Bailey isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.</p><p>Under his leadership, the school's Eco Club has doubled its membership since last year and Bailey is often seen picking up trash -- whether it's at the beach or on the sidewalk.</p><p>"One time I saw garbage in a person's bush, as I walked by and I picked it out, a person saw me. The person's facial expression was 'I should be doing that' and from then on I figured people would maybe change their opinion of litter and give a helping hand," he said.</p><p>For his senior project, Bailey is teaching fourth- and fifth-grade students at Brooks Elementary School composting skills.</p><p>"Working with adults, students and children has encouraged me to pursue a career in soil quality and water maintenance," he said. "The environment is the key to life, and each day I see how important it is in our daily lives."</p><p>ENGLISH/FOREIGN LANGUAGE</p><p>Jack Norman, Petaluma</p><p>Jack Norman of Petaluma High is described by his French teacher as a star of the school's tutoring program, helping French language students twice a week at lunch.</p><p>"I feel like I am good at being a tutor, especially in French, because I know how to keep my tutees organized," he said.</p><p>Norman also assists students in math and spent last summer building houses and latrines in the Dominican Republic. He tutors students at McNear Elementary School and has participated in the Relay for Life at Casa Grande High School to support cancer survivors.</p><p>But his strength, according to teachers, is his ability to connect with students through the hours he spends assisting with subjects from French to math.</p><p>Norman says it is a job that he enjoys.</p><p>"I love the way students see that they can actually raise their grade, that there is actually a unique way for everyone to (learn) things," he said. "They see that it isn't a matter of smart and dumb, but a skill of organization and motivation."</p><p>HEALTH SCIENCE</p><p>Ryan Powers, Healdsburg</p><p>Healdsburg High School student body president Ryan Powers is described by school officials as an excellent student, natural leader and curious intellectual.</p><p>Powers spent last summer in the prestigious Biomedical and Health Sciences Internship at the University of California at San Francisco. It was real work.</p><p>"For eight hours a day, I processed and sequenced the DNA of individuals with rare genetic illnesses, analyzing individual nucleotides for clues as to what caused patients' afflictions," he said.</p><p>Powers, who is also interested in sports medicine, established a Sports Science and Training Club on the Healdsburg campus, and is currently enrolled in an Emergency Medical Responders class at Santa Rosa Junior College in the hopes of working as an EMT through college.</p><p>Powers has also spent time as an intern at Alliance Medical Center in Healdsburg and sits on the Kaiser Teen Advisory Council.</p><p>"Ryan Powers is a rock-solid, multidimensional student who adjusts easily to change and welcomes challenges," said his counselor, Ever Flores. "I truly believe that Ryan epitomizes what a student and a person with integrity should be."</p><p>JOURNALISM</p><p>Brandon Larson, Piner</p><p>Brandon Larson has been active on Piner High School's award-winning yearbook for three years, spending time after school and on weekends finalizing pages and tweaking layouts.</p><p>"My volunteerism in yearbook has given me several qualities, such as time management, responsibility and leadership, that will help me when I go to college and major in communications," he said. "Yearbook has shown me how difficult and time-consuming my communication major will be, but being a part of the class has helped me develop my passion for design and communications."</p><p>Larson has also been active in Piner's Key Club, working on a string of weekly volunteer activities including spending time helping Redwood Empire Food Bank, e-waste recycling centers, Love is the Answer, Food for Thought, Hands Across the County, Relay for Life and Cotati Creek Critters.</p><p>On Piner's campus, Larson was instrumental in putting together the annual toy drive for Monroe Elementary School students. Santa Claus regularly attends the event and every Monroe student walks away from the event with a toy donated or purchased by a Piner student.</p><p>MATHEMATICS/TECHNICAL</p><p>Patrick Johnson, Montgomery</p><p>Montgomery senior Patrick Johnson is</p><p>president of the campus Interact Club and as such spends scores of hours doing community service projects while main-</p><p>taining a 4.6 grade-point average.</p><p>Among the recipients of the Interact club's time and fundraising efforts are Redwood Empire Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Handicapables and Pennies for Peace.</p><p>As a member of the school's Community Service Squad, Johnson worked on an annual book drive for Brook Hill Elementary School. He was also a counselor-in-training with the Santa Rosa Recreation and Parks Department and helped coordinate a campus service fair to introduce Montgomery students to a variety of ways they can serve, both locally and globally.</p><p>"Patrick is intelligent, hardworking and charismatic," said his counselor at Montgomery, Forest Arata. "He has taken our most challenging courses and has excelled."</p><p>Johnson also participates in his church, where he is active in the youth group.</p><p>"At my church I serve (a) slightly different function. I use my charisma and extroverted personality to rally the youth at my church, and show them that faith can be fun," he said.</p><p>MUSIC</p><p>Inanna Craig-Morse, Santa Rosa</p><p>For a full school year, Santa Rosa High School's Inanna Craig-Morse spent more than an hour a day at a local homeless shelter for women and children, singing songs, teaching music and connecting with the residents.</p><p>"Some days I just sang and played guitar while the women sat and listened, and sometimes we sang 'If You're Happy and You Know It' at the top of our lungs," she said. "Whether they taught me songs, or we wrote harmonies to Christmas carols, or simply talked, every day was a new step in my friendship with these women."</p><p>Singing with the children provided consistency and a fun break for the younger shelter residents, Craig-Morse said.</p><p>Her impact was deep, according to Caroline Bañuelos of The Living Room shelter.</p><p>"Inanna exemplifies what I believe a youth volunteer should be -- that is, she always conducts herself in a mature and calm manner," she said. "She never judges the participants, but only exhibits compassion for the women and children and their situation."</p><p>Craig-Morse said her goal is to spread community through music, whether it is at refugee camps, hospitals or shelters.</p><p>Staff writer Kerry Benefield writes an education blog at extracredit.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.</p><p>She can be reached at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com.</p>