Class Acts, Every One

We salute the nearly 80 Ventura County high school students graduating as valedictorians this year and offer a special thumbs-up to the winners of The Times’ annual high school journalism awards. With smart and passionate young leaders such as these, Ventura County can be confident of a bright future.

The best news, laid out in a report in today’s edition of The Times, is that most of this year’s valedictorians say they want to remain or return here after college. That’s great for Ventura County hospitals, law firms and engineering firms. Local valedictorians are already working on such projects as fighting disease, creating software and designing pacemakers. We are inspired by their resourcefulness and energy, and extend best wishes to them and to the entire class of 1999.

There are many ways for a student to go beyond the classroom aspect of high school. Athletics, academic competitions, music and arts groups, clubs and organizations--all add depth and breadth to one’s education. Each year we at The Times honor young practitioners of our own craft by presenting the Los Angeles Times Ventura County Edition High School Journalism Awards. From more than 100 entries, a panel of judges selected one campus newspaper and eight student journalists to receive the awards.

They are:

* The Lancer, the Thousand Oaks High School student newspaper, was honored for overall excellence among student papers in the county.

* Sarah Hernandez of Nordhoff High School won for her personal reflection on the slaying of 14-year-old Kali Manley, a piece in which she urged classmates to live life to the fullest but also to learn from it and “wake up.”

* Evann Gastaldo of Camarillo High School won for his hard news story about school bomb threats.

* Ashley Decker, also of Camarillo High School, won for a story about a female student who competes on wrestling and football teams.

* Roberto Serrato of Channel Islands High School was honored for writing a profile of a student who works in the fishing industry.

* Jose Sanchez, also of Channel Islands High School, won for his high-angle photo of a school’s popular benches.

* Travis Tom and Abdul Wahkil of Thousand Oaks High School won for their review of the movie “Rush Hour.”

* David Choi, also of Thousand Oaks High School, won for his cartoons about campus issues.