Each spring, The Times invites Orange County high schools to nominate members of their graduating class for outstanding achievement in the areas of leadership, academics and the arts.
The nominees form an incredible group. Before the names ever reach us, the schools--many of which have scores of truly outstanding students--have had to narrow down their picks to three. The newspaper then chooses one of the nominees to spotlight with a profile of each school and a list of members of the senior class in this section.
It isn't easy. But it sure is fun.
All the nominees are accomplished--and inspiring.
Here are this year's nominees, representing schools with senior classes of 25 or more, and in some cases graduating classes of nearly 700 students:
Aliso Niguel High
Leadership: Joshua K. Partington
Academics: Rick Zinke
Arts: Lauren Nicole Roth
Anaheim High
Leadership: Darlene Tu'ua
Academics: Omar Khalid
Arts: Victor Ramos
Bolsa Grande High
Leadership: Ebony H. Reed
Academics: Nga Ngoc Nguyen
Arts: Le My Duong
Brea Olinda High
Leadership: Tiffany Whitton
Academics: Michelle K. Allis
Arts: Brooke Nichols
Brethren Christian High
Academics: Alison Bergman
Buena Park High
Leadership: Miggy Fagins
Academics: John Y. Shen
Arts: Susannah Colleen Hicks
Calvary Chapel High
Leadership: Jeremy Ampe
Academics: Charles M. Eldridge
Arts: Esther Ivey
Canyon High
Leadership: Liza Clay
Academics: Elizabeth Smith
Arts: Monique Faye Crine
Capistrano Valley High
Leadership: Chandra King
Academics: Maulik Shah
Arts: Joey Hurley
Capistrano Valley Christian High
Leadership: Caleb Patrick Lund
Academics: Sarah Andrews
Arts: Kate Pierce
Century High
Leadership: Andrew C. Albers
Academics: Leakana Houth
Arts: Cesar R. Villa
Cornelia Connelly High
Leadership: Michelle Lynn Isaac
Academics: Annelise Marie Heinz
Arts: Lisa Cristina Perez
Corona del Mar High
Leadership: Siamak Shahmardi
Academics: Aaron Gruber
Arts: Emily Ludmir
Costa Mesa High
Leadership: Myra Dimson
Academics: Bruce Hancock
Arts: Arthur LeRoy Ross
Cypress High
Leadership: Natalia Martinez
Academics: Walter Dan Nguyen
Arts: Ryan O'Brey Bishop
