Torreys Recognized 2024

WRITING 
YoungArts Awards

Among more than 9,000 applications to the YoungArts Awards, Victoria “Vicki” Huang ’25 was one of the 97 writing winners chosen for her non-fiction submission. Nearly 700 award winners were selected across 10 artistic disciplines, from music to dance to writing. The highly competitive award recognizes work that demonstrates exceptional technique; a strong sense of artistry; and a depth of thinking/performance that exceeds the level of peers at this career stage. ​​The winners, all 15–18 years old, are chosen for their caliber of artistic achievement by discipline-specific panels of artists through a rigorous blind adjudication process. In addition to cash prizes and a medallion, winners join a distinguished community of artists and receive a lifetime of creative and professional support from a robust network of peers and mentors. Previous notable winners include Amanda Gorman, Nicki Minaj, Timothee Chalamet, Kerry Washington and Andrew Rannells. 

 

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards 

At the regional level this year, 18 works from seven students in Grades 8, 9 and 11 were awarded Gold Keys (2), Silver Keys (7) and Honorable Mentions (9). The final numbers haven’t been released yet, but to show the magnitude of this contest, over 300,000 works of art and writing were entered from more than 100,000 Grade 7–12 students from U.S. territories, Canada, and all 50 states last year. The Gold Key recognitions from Isabel Finch ’28, “Growing Up” and Sophia Brotman Flores ’25, “Audentes Fortuna Iuvat” (Latin for “Fortune Favors the Bold”) advance to the national level. National winners are announced in June.

Congratulations to the winning writers!

 

LJCDS educators nominated two Grade 8 students (the maximum allowed) to enter the National Council of Teachers of English writing contest—and they won. Congratulations to Gavin Li ’28, who earned First Class and Anya Rosen-Ahmed ’28, who earned Superior designation out of the 177 eighth graders nominated. The 2024 prompt asked students to think about connection, disconnection and reconnection. National judges evaluated each piece for expression of ideas, language use, and unique perspective and voice. The writers were rated on the effectiveness of each piece for its intended audience and whether they exhibited the power to inform or move an audience through control of language.

 

Kudos to Oliver Cottrell ’30, who earned second place in the California Science and Engineering Fair Electronics and Electromagnetics junior division for inventing the Automatic Hockey Puck Passer Machine. After 11 Torreys were recognized during the 70th Annual Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair in March, Oliver, Jonathan Brough ’30 and Gavin Ni ’25 qualified to compete at the online state fair in April.

 

Upper School English and Humanities Educator (and Professor at USC) Amy Parish, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized primatologist and anthropologist. As one of the world’s experts on the social behavior of bonobos, she has appeared on NOVA, the Discovery Channel and National Geographic films. Just in time for LGBTQ+ Pride Month, she is featured in two documentaries about the diversity of animal sexuality. Queer Planet (TV-14), narrated by actor Andrew Rannells, debuted on June 6 on Peacock, NBC’s streaming network and Second Nature, narrated by actor Elliot Page, was screened at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and will be in theaters later this month.

 

Seniors Allison Casey and Carter Feinman found out a week before commencement, on college gear day, that their project won two awards in the international Jacobs Teen Innovation Challenge as winners were announced during the online ceremony being played by Director of Design & Innovation Dan Lenzen’s laptop. They tied for the top prize, Best Overall Social Innovation, and won the Photonics Innovation Award. They will receive $2,500 to donate to a charity of their choice. The competition was fierce, with more than 4,700 students from 32 countries participating in the fifth year of this annual event launched by the Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education at the University of San Diego.

Alison and Carter’s winning project, IlluminArt, was a multiyear collaboration with the Helen Bernardy Center at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. After user testing and feedback from the Center’s teachers, the final design is an interactive and adjustable product for students with severe mobility or cognitive impairments to have a visual and tactile experience. The product uses an adaptive switch to activate an LED light matrix in a fun and exciting way to stimulate and motivate the students. Watch the submission video.

 

In partnership with the San Diego Environmental Film Festival, Junobi Ree’s ’25 design project, Youth Speculative Design, was awarded $10,000 in funding from the World Design Capital 2024. He will use the grant to democratize urban design by using AI collaborators for youth to propose environmentally sustainable designs for the future of the San Diego-Tijuana Region. 

 

This fall, the designs from 100 youth will be showcased in libraries, schools and community organizations around the city. Junobi’s project was one of only 17 successful recipients awarded by the Community Driven Design Grants Program, a partnership of the City of San Diego and the World Design Capital 2024. Considered “the Olympics of design,” the World Design Capital / Capital Mundial del Diseño 2024 was awarded to San Diego-Tijuana, making San Diego the first U.S. city ever to receive the WDC designation and San Diego-Tijuana the first binational awardee. 

 

Matthew DuBois ’26 won a $3,000 first prize vision grant in the 10th annual Build a Bright Future Program, organized by Frigo® Cheese Heads® (a division of Saputo Foods) and Whatever It Takes (WIT). As one of the 35 winners, Matthew can attend a four-week entrepreneurial/leadership course to enhance his skills and knowledge. He also has a year of access to the WIT Community, a virtual membership-based entrepreneurial community with tweens and teens worldwide. Students aged 8–15 submitted their creative ideas and short video pitches for their businesses, nonprofits or side hustles, and applications were judged based on creativity, merit and purpose.

 

The United Nations Association of the USA and InnerView recognized LJCDS and 29 students in the 7th Annual Community Service Impact Awards, designed to connect student community service activities, skill development and commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (the UN Global Goals). Schools with a collective student impact above 2,000 hours of service, the equivalent of a full-time employee, are recognized with a School Impact Award. Upper School students invested more than 6,760 hours in community needs this school year, earning the Emerald Award. According to the LJCDS Community Service Impact Summary, Torreys had the most impact on these four global goals: quality education, good health and well-being, life below water and life on land. The Kroger Co. presented the fifth annual Zero Hero Awards to students for taking action to help create communities free of hunger and waste. 

Students had the option of creating a digital service resume to showcase their skills and interests. Based on hours of service this school year, awardees are listed below. Eight students are Ambassador Awardees for 100 hours, six students are Honor Awardees for 60 hours, and 14 students are Merit Awardees for 30 hours, plus three Zero Heroes.

Ambassador Awardees: Maya Bateman, Allison Casey, Ashirvad Chourasia, Maya Couey, Stella Horn, Ariana Ludwig, Talia Mackin, Sonali Pathria

Honor Awardees: Giovanni Cozic, Emily French, Isabelle Hinrichs, Soyoung Hong, Chloe Richardson, Yihan Yuan

Merit Awardees: Rose Brennan, Heather Crean, Jojo Criado, Brody Glazer, Juliet Harbach, Jack Levin, William Mirhashemi, Ally Needle, Anissa Patel, Sareena Perez, Madeline Toranto, Isabella Vazquez Gloria, Yunzhe Wang, Anqi Xie

Zero Hero Awardees: Wyatt Harris, Talia Mackin, William Mirhashemi

 

Bravo to the 16 Upper School students who earned a President’s Volunteer Service Award, a prestigious national honor offered in recognition of volunteer commitment. ​​The President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation founded the award in 2003 to recognize the critical role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. Led by AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light, the award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities nationwide and inspires those around them to take action.

Five students earned a Gold Award for more than 250 volunteer hours in a 12-month period, one earned a Silver Award for between 175 and 249 hours, and 10 earned a Bronze Award for between 100 and 174 hours. 

 

The residents of the Belmont Village La Jolla senior living facility put on their best attire to attend an intergenerational prom organized by LJCDS students. To connect and create community with our neighbors, students brainstormed themes and activities, recruited student musicians and performers, decorated the room and provided refreshments. The celebration included dancing, crowning a prom king and queen, sharing stories and life wisdom, and lots of smiles. Read more in the La Jolla Light article.