Caitlyn Rose Fastenau, Girl Scouts Gold Award recipient and senior at Ventura High School, has been honored for her exemplary volunteer service with a President’s Volunteer Service Award.

The award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country, was granted by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program on behalf of President Barack Obama. Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast (GSCCC) nominated Caitlyn for national honors this fall in recognition of her volunteer service.

Following a long standing tradition, five local men’s golf clubs have once again presented six high school graduating seniors, who were school golf team members, with a $2000 or $1000 college scholarship. We can only imagine that they benefit from something similar to Ace Golf Netting – Golf Course Netting when practicing for their golf college scholarships.

Adam Franc, Adolfo Camarillo HS, and Niella McWeeney, Ventura HS, each received a $2000 Darrell Downey Memorial Scholarship from the Saticoy Senior Men’s Golf Club.

Jacob Johnson, Ventura HS, received a $1000 Scholarship from the Olivas Links Senior Men’s Golf Club.

Supreet Shah, Thousand Oaks HS, received a $1000 Scholarship from the River Ridge Senior Men’s Golf Club.

Karina Lopez Saldana, Carpinteria HS, received a $1000 Scholarship from the Olivas Links Men’s Golf Club.

Elizabeth Esquivel, Carpinteria HS, received a $1000 Scholarship from the Buenaventura Senior Men’s Golf Club.

On Sunday, May 31 fourteen members of Ventura High School’s Global Warming Action Team (GWAT) and three adult volunteers represented the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy (VHC) in a cheering competition hosted by the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon.  The GWAT members arrived at 5:30 a.m. and danced, sang and cheered for 6.5 hours straight!

Thanks to the hard-work and enthusiasm of the GWAT cheerers, VHC received the most votes from the runners and earned the top $3,000 prize!  To anyone who thinks that high schoolers’ are unmotivated, think again – GWAT is simply amazing!

From the “Ventura County Office of Education”

IrieAnn Harris – Buena High School-Unstable home life motivated her to build a better future

IrieAnn Harris had no choice but to grow up fast. Due to family problems, she says the responsibility of caring for her three youngest siblings fell primarily to her. “I would get up, go to school, come home right away, watch the kids until they went to bed and clean the house and make food and do homework,” she says. Then last summer, she says her mom moved away with the younger kids. She says it’s been years since she’s seen her dad.

She’s been living with friends and relatives, and despite the instability at home, she’s achieved great things as a student at Buena High School in Ventura. She has a near-perfect grade point average and earned a QuestBridge scholarship, which gives high-achieving low-income students a full ride to elite universities. She will attend USC in the fall and dreams of becoming a teacher. In January, Ventura Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Babb presented her with the “Most Inspirational” student award. She also finds time to volunteer at Casa Pacifica, which provides support services to families in crisis.

She credits her success to the positive role models in her life, including her half-sister’s father and her US history teacher Norma Saatjian. She also says the AVID program that helps underprivileged kids with the college application process was invaluable. “AVID taught me everything I didn’t learn at home and that would be too hard to figure out online,” she says. “It teaches you how to be a successful student.”

Instead of repeating mistakes made by some of the adults in her life, IrieAnn says she has learned from them. “Everything from life choices to mannerisms to how to raise a child. I learned what not to do and what I didn’t want my life to be like, so that really motivated me to go the other way.”

Ventura County Fusion offers dynamic soccer camps designed for youth players to have fun and develop their soccer skills. The focus is on the fundamentals of soccer with ball familiarity, unopposed activities progressing to small sided games. Fusion soccer camps empower each child to reach his or her maximum potential through customized, one-on-one instruction. Beyond skills, soccer camp participants also learn the value of good sportsmanship and friendly competition, while being able to meet new people and make friends from around the world in a fun atmosphere that fosters rewarding relationships, learning, and improvement.

Camps are for both girls and boys. Players will be challenged to consistently perform learned techniques in competitive game situations.

This year camps are available in Camarillo, Ventura, Oxnard and Santa Paula with cost ranging from $59 to $150. For more information email [email protected] or call 830-8026.

The Casitas Rowing Junior Team was honored to receive the Outstanding Sportsmanship Award at their Youth Regional Championships this month. US Rowing awarded these athletes at the regatta that had 39 teams from 6 states and over 1500 competitors. They are now signing up for summer classes 6th-12th grade www.casitasrowing.org.