Education Buzz for Sunday, June 19

Buchanan team second in National History Day contest

A team of five Buchanan High School students won second place at the National History Day contest held at the University of Maryland on June 12-16.

Matthew Clark, Austin Cozzi, Kelsey Ewing, Sydney Fox and Allison Hodge were some of the 500,000 students worldwide to participate in the annual history contest, and one of only several thousand to get to present their project to the judges.

The group placed second in the Senior Group Performance category. The 2016 theme was Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History.

The students traveled to the Washington, D.C., area after completing their project and taking part in qualifier contests beginning at the local level.

Ruiz 4 Kids awards $220,000 in scholarships

Nonprofit Ruiz 4 Kids awarded $220,000 to 220 central San Joaquin Valley high school and college students – an 11 percent increase over last year and the most in the 25-year history of the program.

Each student received $1,000.

Ruiz 4 Kids was founded in 1990 when employees of Ruiz Food Products approached founder Fred Ruiz asking him to help them explore ways to assist families with children in need.

Today, Ruiz 4 Kids works to fund two children/education programs – scholarships to high school seniors and the Mini-Grants for Teachers program – in the Valley and also in Texas and South Carolina where Ruiz Foods has plants.

Table Grape Commission gives $50,500 in scholarships

Six graduating seniors from around the central San Joaquin Valley won scholarships from the California Table Grape Commission ranging from $3,500 to $20,000.

Winning a $20,000 field worker scholarship for a four-year college is Andrea Marin-Contreras of Riverdale High, who plans to attend UC San Diego.

Winning $20,000 agriculture scholarships for four-year colleges are Jacob Willhite, Sierra Pacific in Hanford, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; and Lauren Barlow, Hanford High, Fresno State.

Winning $3,500 field worker scholarships for community colleges are Angel Acevedo, Harmony Magnet Academy in Strathmore, Porterville College; Cindy Cisneros, Reedley High, Reedley College; and Fabiola Porras, Sanger High, Fresno City College.

Saint Agnes awards $13,000 in scholarships

Ten high school students from Clovis North, Clovis West and Clovis High received a total of $13,000 in scholarships from Saint Agnes Medical Center at an annual awards banquet on May 25.

The Saint Agnes Junior Volunteer program awarded three $2,000 scholarships and seven $1,000 scholarships to the teens for volunteering at least 60 hours a year while maintaining a 3.0 GPA. The program gives teens “the opportunity to support staff, physicians and visitors in a health care setting,” according to the hospital, and there are around 220 active junior volunteers.

The funds, Saint Agnes said, come from the center, the Saint Agnes Service Guild, the Saladino Family Foundation and junior volunteer fundraising efforts.

Westlands gives $6,000 in scholarships

Six graduating seniors from communities on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley have each received $1,000 scholarships to be used for college from the Westlands Water District.

The district said the recipients are Kristina Raulino, Lemoore; Jonathan Sanchez, Riverdale; Delaney Walker, Coalinga; Jonathan Guzman, Tranquillity; Savannah Rodriguez, Mendota; and Fatima Gamino, Firebaugh.

Each winner submitted an essay on an agricultural-related topic and was judged based on their academic performance, school activities and community leadership.

Registration extended for Fresno County CHIPS

The Fresno County Office of Education’s Character, Honor, Integrity, Perseverance and Service program is accepting applications from students through July 8.

The two-week, non-residential program is from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. July 18-29 at Fresno State for students entering grades 9 through 11.

It focuses on emotional intelligence growth, as well as physical and recreational activities designed to increase leadership skills, gain confidence and promote self-efficacy.

For more information, call 559-497-3876. Space is limited.

Kit Carson Elementary wins boardgaming championship

Kit Carson Elementary in Hanford won the Central Valley Boardgaming Championships at Fresno State on June 4, scoring 94 points. Runner-up Fresno High had 40 points.

The championship was presented by the Youth Boardgaming League and students from Merced, Kings and Tulare counties competed in 12 different tabletop games.

Individual winners: Angel Nimo, Tehipite Middle; Laycie Piper and Jon Worstein, Washington Union High; Eryca Underwood and Elmer Medina, Fresno High; Connor Graham, Roosevelt Middle; and Ontarion Harley, Crystal Rodriguez and Israel Rodriguez, Kit Carson Elementary.

Fort Washington students honored in statewide art contest

Four students from Fort Washington Elementary, a Clovis Unified school in northeast Fresno, placed in a statewide art contest organized by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“The Invader Files” received submissions of original artwork from 49 students across the state.

Participants were asked to submit artwork depicting an invasive species that causes harm to the environment in California. Judges from the California Invasive Species Advisory Committee picked the top three in each of the three grade divisions.

Fort Washington swept the category for grades 2-4: Emily Thornton, 10, first; Rylynn Shackelford, 9, second; and Addison Galaviz, 10, third. For grades 5-8, Andre Russell, 11, took second place.

Summer time for back-to-school vaccinations

Summer is a good time to make sure children are up-to-date on immunizations for school, says the Fresno County Department of Public Health.

California child care centers, preschools, public schools, and private schools are required by law to check immunization records. The checkpoints are for all new students, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten and seventh-graders.

Children who had a valid personal belief exemption filed before 2016 and are going to be entering the new grade span of transitional kindergarten, kindergarten and seventh grade will have to meet age-appropriate immunization requirements for admission into primary or secondary school. A written statement from a doctor is required to exempt a child due to medical reasons.

Failure to complete the required documentation or keep immunizations up-to-date could prevent a child from attending school on time.

For more information call your health care provider, visit the Shots for School website, the Fresno County health department website or call the health department at 559-600-3550.

This story was originally published June 19, 2016 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Education Buzz for Sunday, June 19."