Contest Recognizes Student Talents

Award-winning art, photography, writing, and other work done by local students were on display Thursday at the open house for the annual San Ramon Valley Student Recognition Project, an annual program designed to reward students for their talents and educational excellence.

Students from the four district high schools were given the chance to enter any of the Student Recognition Project’s 26 categories, ranging from robotics to instrumental music to culinary arts. Entries were submitted and judged at the beginning of March, with the winners of each category announced during the open house.

In addition to recognizing students’ abilities, the project — organized by the SRV Business/Education Roundtable and sponsored, in part, by Chevron — also brings together the community, said district spokesman Terry Koehne.

“It’s a true business and education partnership,” he said. “It engages people in our community, particularly in the business community, in some of the great work our high school students are involved in.”

This business-education partnership was evident at the open house, held in a space provided by Bishop Ranch, where administrators, teachers, students, and local businesspeople mingled as they surveyed the multitude of student work.

Koehne said that one of the ways local businesses aided in the project was by providing judges who are professionals in the categories they evaluated. From the more than 700 projects entered into the competition, these judges chose only a few from each category as winners.

But for all the students who entered, the Recognition Project provided a unique opportunity to submit work they had done both in and out of school.

“The program supports curriculum in the classroom but, outside of that, it allows students to show off their other talents that they don’t necessarily use in the school-setting,” said Denise Hibbard, Dougherty Valley High Principal.

Many of the teachers at Dougherty and other high schools encouraged their students to enter their work into a category, no matter their grade level, said Hibbard.

Mia Parco, a freshman at San Ramon Valley High, entered into the vocal music category but, being an underclassman, she did not expect to do well. Though Parco was not named a winner, she nevertheless gained much from the experience.

“This gave me the chance to try out (singing) on my own, and it gave me strength and a desire to continue,” she said. “(The Project) lets students come out more and show off, and it makes them feel confident.”

Koehne said that in the last few years, participation in the program has risen dramatically. This year, over one thousand online project applications were submitted by students, and Koehne hopes that in future years even more teens will sign up and turn in projects.

The first place entries from the Student Recognition Project will be displayed again on March 25 at the Business/Education Roundtable’s Gala Breakfast where the winning students will be awarded a gift certificate and a letter of recognition from local legislators, including Rep. Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo.

To see the full list of winners, visit www.srvusd.k12.ca.us/srp