11 Dec Steve Allen “Excellence in Education” Award recognized Valley Schools, Educators and Students at Board of Governors Meeting
San Fernando Valley schools, educators and students, who have recently received national awards were recognized during The Valley Economic Alliance’s (TVEA) Board of Governors meeting on May 21st during a special annual education awards program at California State University Northridge College of Extended Learning.
The “Steve Allen Excellence in Education” award was named after Valley resident and legendary entertainer Steve Allen, and salutes nationally recognized achievements in the education field. The awards were presented by Bill Allen; Steve Allen’s son, TVEA Executive Boardmember and President of Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.
Recipients of the 2019 Steve Allen “Excellence in Education” Awards were:
Granada Hills Charter High School, United States Academic Decathlon winning team reclaimed the title for the 7th time by scoring a total of 53,108.5 points out of a possible 60,000. The Academic Decathlon is a 10 day event competition that revolved around a central topic in 7 subject areas which are science, literature, art, music, social science, economics and math. This year’s topic was – “The 1960’s: A Transformational Decade.”
More than a dozen of this year’s prestigious National Merit $2,500 scholarship winners were from San Fernando Valley schools – from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists. The winners are deemed to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies. Honorees included students from Harvard Westlake School, Van Nuys High School, Oakwood School, Granada Hills Charter High School and the sole finalist from Calabasas High School.
Student creators from Oakwood School produced the Academy Award winning documentary, “Period. End of Sentence.” which focuses on the struggle of Indian women fighting the stigma surrounding menstruation and their efforts to develop awareness and education around the issue in a rural Indian town. “Period. End of Sentence.” is currently being aired on Netflix.
“Champion of Education” Award went to Linda Del Cueto, Local District Northeast Superintendent for Los Angeles Unified School District. Linda has devoted her career to meeting the needs of students, advocating for education and bringing people together in support of one common goal – care and commitment to student success. This award recognizes individuals who have dedicated their lives to improving education.
The “Innovation in Education” Award went to two recipients this year: an innovative leader and an innovative program. This year’s recipients were California State University Northridge’s SIMPACT Immersive Learning Program; a mixed reality simulation system that provides a highly realistic virtual platform for practice in social work, counseling, teaching, conflict resolution, and many other interpersonal interactions. Steven Baxter, theater teacher at Local District Northeast, Los Angeles Unified School District, who applies his passion, positive energy and creativity in connecting theater to real-world applications as well as teaching students through social and emotional learning. The award recognizes outstanding educational leaders for their innovative use of the arts in the classroom and community.
Event sponsors were Weingart Foundation, Cal State University Northridge and ProHealth Medical Group.
