Council recognizes character awards

Standout students across Huntington Beach were honored Monday 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 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. Inductees included:

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 Lumsden and 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 Branoff and senior Jonathan Maginot; Huntington Beach High School senior Chelsey Finamore and Edison High School junior Kayli Morales.

— Britney Barnes