Mount Madonna School’s Top Students

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COMMUNITY NEWS Mount Madonna School’s Top Students

Mount Madonna School announces Kira Kaplan as the 2021 valedictorian, Sara Bautista as salutatorian and this year’s high school graduation ceremony to be held in person at the upper campus, for the graduates and their families at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, June 17.

“I am proud of both Kira and Sara for earning this distinction,” said Mount Madonna Director of Upper School Shannon Kelly. “They have worked hard throughout their time in high school, but more importantly, they are curious and engaged learners.”

Kaplan will attend Smith College.

“I am very excited to attend Smith, an all-women’s school in Northampton, Massachusetts,” said Kaplan. “There are many things drawing me to this school, and one of the most important is its supportive environment. Our society has a tendency to diminish the qualities and intelligence of women, and is more focused on the cultivation of the white male; Smith presents an environment specifically dedicated to crafting rounded, welleducated women. Kira Kaplan The lack of male presence at Smith creates a more collaborative and comfortable environment of women supporting women.

She added, “Unlike at other schools where males might be given first priority for research, classes, opportunities, etc, at Smith you are the first priority. I was accepted into the STRIDE program, which guarantees paid research with a faculty member for my first two years — pretty incredible! Currently I’m looking at a pre-med track with a major in biology or math. Nothing is set in stone, and I’d like to dive deeper into my interests before I make any concrete decisions.”

As for her teachers at Mount Madonna School, Kaplan said, “I’ve been impacted by every single teacher I’ve had the privilege to be taught by…SN Mailliard has an incredible and thoughtful mind and is truly an amazing Values teacher. I learned so much from him and was amazed at the depth of conversation we partook in his class. His wisdom inspires me. Nicole Silva is incredibly passionate about science, and astounds me with her depth of knowledge and hard work towards her career. I get excited about biology just by being around her. Her energy inspires me. Haley Campbell Sara Bautista is incredibly kind and caring towards her students.

“She takes the time to reach out and ensure that each and every one of us knows we are loved and valued. Her heart inspires me. Sampad Kachuck is a teacher among teachers. His style and flair for teaching is one of a kind and I find myself enraptured with whatever subject he’s teaching. His performance inspires me. Shannon Kelly is like a worker bee, constantly busy and constantly buzzing. She seems to know the answer to everything and is always helping us find solutions to our problems. Her dedication inspires me. Lastly, PK McDonald always brightens my day and makes me laugh. He is fascinated by the subjects he teaches and truly brings enjoyment and cheer to whichever classroom he enters. His attitude inspires me.”

Bautista, who plans to attend Occidental College, a smaller liberal arts school because of its location in Los Angeles and program offerings. “I like that Occidental has a larger art department than a lot of the other liberal arts schools I looked at,” said Bautista. “I also like the way the school culture is described and how I experienced it.” She said all of her Mount Madonna teachers are “really intelligent and caring. They have all put so much effort into adapting to this year’s COVID challenges. I admire them all.”

Mount Madonna School’s Class of 2021 includes nine other students:

“Top Students” page 19

Instead of sourcing produce from larger farms, this initiative sources food from and seeks to support small to mid-size farms, owned or operated by people of color and women, and farms that use organic, regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices.

Homeless Garden Project will serve as the primary food distribution site for Santa Cruz and provide outreach to assess community need and identify service organizations that could benefit from receiving produce boxes during the pilot program. Growing the Table adds to the Homeless Garden Project’s decade-long Feed Two Birds program, which provides shares of their farm’s harvest each week to 10 local organizations.

“Growing the Table will provide significantly more food to our community members in need,” said Darrie Ganzhorn, the Project’s executive director. “Food reaches every aspect of our lives; innovation in our food system can have powerful ripple effects.” n •••

More information is at https://homelessgardenproject.org/ and at https://www. growingthetable.org/

Photos: Organic produce is loaded and delivered, thanks to a new initiative, growing the Table, and a partnership with the Homeless Garden Project in Santa Cruz.

“Scholarships” from page 13

Judy Anton Woman of Valor/Lupita Loves to Read Project Scholarship: Itzel Gomez, Ceiba High School (Fresno State), and Marlize Velasco, Cypress High School (Cabrillo Honors Program)

R.H. Beel Memorial Scholarship: Lillian Henderson, Santa Cruz High School (Cabrillo)

Burton Scholarship: Gabriel Johnston, Aptos High School (UC Santa Cruz), Karina Bejar, Watsonville High School (UC Davis), Adrian Elizalde, Watsonville High School (Yale), Jennifer Hernandez, Pajaro Valley High School (Cabrillo), Cesar Rivera, Watsonville High School (UC Merced),

Angela Rockey, Watsonville High School (USC), Consuelo Vidal-Perez, Watsonville High School (USC), and Ava Adamsen, Soquel High School (UC San Diego).

Ernest V. Cowell Scholarship: Luis Rameno, Harbor High School (UC Santa Cruz)

Bob and Betsy Darrow Scholarship: Anjelica Medina Jenaro, Harbor High School (UC Merced)

Jack DeBord Memorial Scholarship: Angelo Reis, San Lorenzo Valley High School (Cal Poly)

Hank Garcia Jr. and Family Scholarship: Juliet Sweet, Aptos High School (UC Santa Barbara), Merrsy Aguilar-Garcia, Pajaro Valley High School (Chico State), Gemma de la Cruz, Watsonville High School (UC Davis) and Ashley Rubio, Pajaro Valley High School (UC San Diego)

Emmett and Elsie Geiser Scholarship: Holden Barker, Aptos High School (Chapman), Ladislao Silva, Pajaro Valley High School (San Jose State) and Dulce Ortiz-Herrera, Watsonville High School (Sacramento State).

Matt’s Climb Scholarship: Alana Smallman, Cypress High School

Bert and Carolyn Post Scholarship: Name withheld for privacy, Watsonville High School (UC Santa Cruz)

Louis J. and Mary Ellen Schultz Scholarship: Madelyn Mosely, Cabrillo College, and Christopher Ruiz, Watsonville High School (Hartnell)

Simunovich Family Agriculture Scholarship: Rigoberto Cruz-Lopez, Watsonville High School (Cal State Monterey Bay)

Barbara J. Thompson Scholarship: Madelynn Piona, Soquel High School (Johns Hopkins), Bobby Blaschke, Santa Cruz High School (Monmouth), Lena Noya, Santa Cruz High School (Brown) and Jacob Rivera, Harbor High School (UC Berkeley)

John L. Turner Scholarship: Jasmine Espinoza Verdugo, Watsonville High School (San Jose State)

For information on the Community Foundation’s scholarship program visit: https://www.cfscc.org/scholarships n •••

Kevin Heuer is director of engagement and impact at Community Foundation Santa Cruz County.

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