BY KELLI GILE

Walnut — The Walnut Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees paid tribute to outstanding students and parent volunteers during the January 15 meeting.

Michelle Xu, winner of the 2013 WVUSD Holiday Card Contest.

Evergreen Elementary 5th grader, Michelle Xu, won the 2013 Holiday Greeting Card Art Contest. The talented young artist was recognized with a certificate and framed copy of her original artwork by Board President, Cindy Ruiz. She also received a gift certificate to Chick-fil-A restaurant, courtesy of owners Bob and Michelle Sun.

Andrew Zambrano won the Super Star Student Award

Walnut Elementary School 5th grader, Andrew Zambrano, was honored as a Super Star Student.“Since kindergarten, he has taken advantage of several opportunities to become involved in school. He plays saxophone in our school band, sings in the Showcase Choir, won awards in chess and is an assembly greeter, which highlights his terrific interpersonal skills,” Principal Green said. Andrew has been able to do all this with the loving support of his parents who make sure he is enrolled in after-school wrestling, jujitsu and basketball.

Walnut Elementary parent volunteer, Ceping Chao (shown with Board President, Cindy Ruiz), was honored with the Partner in Education Award. (photo courtesy: Kelli Gile)

Walnut Elementary parent volunteer, Ceping Chao, was introduced as the school’s Partner in Education. “She is a founding parent of our Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Mandarin program and her two daughters are currently in DLI Kindergarten and Grade 2,” said Principal Green.

“Ceping volunteers her time in the classrooms and the teachers say that she is always ready to lend a helping hand. They love her because she is so patient with students. She attends parent education meetings and convinces more parents to become involved. She has even taken on the task of revamping and revising our school website – I believe there were five pages of changes to be made!” said Green.
Diamond Bar High School junior, Josh DeSoto-Rivera, was honored with the Super Star Student Award.

Josh DeSoto-Rivera (shown with Board President, Cindy Ruiz) was honored as a Super Star Student

“I want to recognize Josh for the growth he has shown through the past years. He really didn’t have any goals and didn’t see the intrinsic reward of a good education. As a sophomore, he entered the Pathways Communications Academy,” she said.

“It is a great program, now 17 years old that offers our kids a school within a school opportunity. It incorporates concepts of multiple intelligences, career guidance, interactive instruction and applied learning – all while focusing on interpersonal relationships,” Real explained.

The curriculum includes a broad spectrum of college prep and career tech electives as well as a steering committee of local businessmen and educational institutions who work closely with students. “The program offers an opportunity for real life experiences and it makes students aware and competitive in today’s job force. Because of this program, I think Josh saw the light,” Real explained.

George Ganesh (shown with Board President, Cindy Ruiz and Principal, Catherine Real), was recognized with the Partner in Education Award

“This summer, he took on registration for the Boosters Club. Mr. Ganesh’s job was to organize and get the Booster parents enthusiastic to work at the booth during four weeks of registration appointments,” Real explained.

“And of course, the process went a lot like him: it was organized, it was pleasant and it was productive. I can’t say enough about the contributions that he made because at the end of registration, the Boosters had reached a new level of unity, sign-ups and participation,” Real said.

“When I think about Mr. Ganesh, I also think of his children, Namesha and Niraj. They are a lot like him. They are equally enthusiastic, well-rounded, intelligent, kind, compassionate and humble. I think it’s true what they say about apple not falling very far from the tree!” Real said.