Spotlight on Learning: Santee Students Recognized by School Board

The room was filled with proud parents and families Tuesday night as some of Santee's most hard working students were honored by the .

This "Spotlight on Learning" meeting focused the evening's attention on students, teachers and others that deserve recognition for outstanding efforts.

The first group of students took part in the 2011 Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair at the end of March. They presented projects ranging from physics to medicine and even biochemistry. One student, Kevin Krick, won a first place award and will be moving onto the state competition. See the full list of honored students below.

The second honoree was Santee's representative in the County Spelling Bee, Hill Creek seventh grade student Kasey Stoudt. She won the Spelling Bee with the word entrepreneur!

Out of 2,600 students that entered essays in the San Diego County Outdoor Education Essay Contest, 15 winners were chosen, and two of them are Santee students! Joshua Long and Elizabeth Rodriguez Avalos, both fifth graders from Hill Creek School, will receive scholarships to the San Diego County Office of Education Outdoor School Program, otherwise known as "Sixth Grade Camp." School Board member Dustin Burns even promised the kids he'd get them extra desert at camp.

Students weren't the only ones honored at the meeting, their teachers played a big hand in all of this and got their due credit. Especially faculty, which won a Title One Academic Achievement Award from the California Distinguished Schools Program for their high standard of .

Volunteers with the effort were also recognized by the board for their at Pepper Drive School and around the old Santee School grounds that now houses the Pioneer Little League fields.

Santee Schools Superintendent said his first reaction was that Pepper Drive was "transformed" by the clean up. The group was applauded for getting deep into the nooks and crannies, doing chores that the school's crews don't have time to get to in their normal day's work. See a video of the volunteer work in the media box.

2011 Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair Awardees