Council recognizes character awards

Standout students across Huntington Beach were honored Monday June 7 make sure it happens at the City Council meeting for being inducted in the Youth Character Awards Wall of Fame.

The Huntington Beach Children’s Task Force recognized 68 students and inducted 20 of them into the Youth Character Award’s Wall of Fame on May 15 at the 10th annual awards event at Bella Terra.

The Children’s Task Force is a City Council-appointed committee that works to identify the needs of children and make recommendations to the City Council on how to address those needs. Its purpose is to be advocates for children, said Janeen Laudenback, superintendent of recreation, human and cultural services. Students in third to 12th grade were eligible for nomination from their school, church or after-school program. Inductees included:

There are opportunities for kids to be honored for good grades, academics and leadership, but the task force wanted to teach the kids that just being a good person can make a difference, Laudenback said.

“They wanted to recognize youths just for good character,” she said.

Smith Elementary School third-graders Lauren Cox and Bianca Maccabi, fourth-grader Sarah Grant, and fifth-graders Dominic Coffey, Riley Lynn Wester, Karina Lavancy and Michelle McLean; Hawes Elementary School fourth-grader Jordan Charity; Moffett Elementary School fifth-grader Kim Hutain; and Westmont Elementary School fifth-grader Rachel Desjardin.

Dwyer Middle School sixth-grader Briana Gonzalez, seventh-graders Chase Lumsdenand Michelle Theile; Vista View Middle School sixth-grader Jonathan Leon; Marine View Middle School eighth-grader Celene Chavez; and Huntington Christian School seventh-grader Emma Janai Olson.

Marina High School junior Sarah Branoffand senior Jonathan Maginot; Huntington Beach High School senior Chelsey Finamoreand Edison High School junior Kayli Morales.