LAKE COUNTY ? Five students gathered to be honored by school officials and to receive a check for high academic achievement at a Feb. 29 dinner at the Riviera Hills Country Club in Kelseyville. One of them went on to honored by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger among 144 high-achievers from around the state at a March 11 dinner in Sacramento.
One student was honored from each of Lake County”s five public high schools. Each took center stage in turn and listened with smiles as each respective principle touted each student”s good qualities, then had a chance to tell the audience what they wanted to do with their lives.
“I remember when as little girls we all said we wanted to be teachers when we grew up. Well, I never outgrew that,” Kelseyville High School student Victoria Frazier said. The audience showed its approval with applause and cheers.
Superintendent of Schools Dave Geck said the dinner came about through collaboration between the Lake County Office of Education and Umpqua Bank, which issued a $100 check to Daniella Cazares of Upper Lake High School, Zoe Everett of Middletown High School, Victoria Frazier of Kelseyville High School and Nicole Wells of Clear Lake High School. Kate Lyons, a senior at Lower Lake High School, took first place in the county for academic achievement, which earned her a $250 check.
The five students qualified by having a grade point average of 3.75 or greater ? excluding physical education grades ? completing honors or advanced placement courses, excellent college admissions test scores and noteworthy involvement in school or community activities, according to Superintendent of Schools Dave Geck.
Each student additionally wrote a 500-word essay about how the high school experience prepared each student for the next phase of life.
Lyons went on to join 143 of her California counterparts to see which 25 would be picked to be on the first-ever Governor”s Academic All-State Team.
While she was not selected, Lyons said she enjoyed her visit to Sacramento to receive the honor, which immediately followed the state level academic decathlon.
Her school was invited to participate alongside Upper Lake High School, whose team won the county-level competition.
“It was neat because I had just attended the academic decathlon competition, and all the kids who were at the academic decathlon competition were there, and I saw a whole bunch who I had just met,” Lyons said.
Lyons said that while it was an honor, the experience of shaking the governor”s hand and having her picture taken with him was a bit rushed. “He was kind of short; I was surprised ? and very tan,” Lyons said.
Lyons continued, “I didn”t expect to make it. A lot of kids were there from really prestigious schools, and I noticed that a lot of the kids worked in UC laboratories and that kind thing, so they had access to the kind of resources that are not available here and the kind of community service and academic work that is not avail here.”
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com
