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Schools

Student Recognition Project Showcases A Wide Variety of Talents

See hundreds of San Ramon entries on display 4-7 p.m. today at the Open House.

High school students often work late into the night finishing essays or homework assignments. Yet more than 1,000 students found the time and talent to participate in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District's  Student Recognition Project.

"The project has grown from 15 to 26 categories," said Terry Koehne, chair of the project. "It recognizes students for things not necessarily within the curriculum. They can be recognized without having a high GPA (grade point average)."

The categories are quite diverse, ranging from the performing arts to computer-aided drafting, robotics, architecture, fashion design, and photography -- to name a few. In the applied design category you'll see projects such as a beautiful handmade acoustic guitar, exquisitely beaded necklaces, a graffiti decorated brick, paper mache creations, and animals made from twigs.

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The Student Recognition Project started more than 20 years ago. Coordinated by the San Ramon Valley Business and Education Roundtable in partnership with Chevron, the project aims to promote educational excellence while preparing students for the business world.

"I think that the program survives and thrives on the support of our local business community," said Koehne. "Without it we couldn't fund the project and students couldn't get their projects judged by professionals."

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"We're very supportive of the program," said Uri Eliahu, President of ENGEO Corp. in San Ramon. "It's important to connect the students with the business world and give them insight into what it will be like. It's about creating a synergy between education and the business world. It's about helping the students be successful."

"Judges are business people from the community," said Kathy Moore, reading and writing coordinator for the school district. "I've coordinated the judges for the past five years. They do it because they want to encourage students in the areas where they have a passion."

Koehne said students enjoy getting feedback from professionals. "It gives students a chance to have their work judged by experts in the field, and it's one more thing the students can put on their resumes."

"There are so many talented students out there in a variety of fields," said Moore. "They're so gifted and creative. Despite all the stresses and constraints on their time, they still find the energy to put into things they're passionate about. They put hours and hours into these projects."

Eliahu added, "If we can connect them (students) to the business world and they can see what exciting projects we're working on, it gives them a purpose for what they're doing in school."

The Open House is today from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bishop Ranch 1, 6111 Bollinger Canyon Road, Suite 175, in San Ramon.

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