Student Leadership Council applications being accepted | dailyrepublic.com

High school students living in the 4th Congressional District – which includes Vacaville, Dixon, Rio Vista and the surrounding areas – can apply to be part of their Student Leadership Council.

“Learning about the importance of government, responsible public service and leadership is vital to the education of our students,” U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, said in a statement. He represents the district, which also includes all of Yolo, Napa and Lake counties, and parts of Sonoma County.

“The Student Leadership Council is an incredible opportunity for students from our region to gain these skills and work with other outstanding student leaders in a collaborative setting to learn about government. I encourage all high school students in our area to apply now.”

Source: Student Leadership Council applications being accepted | News | dailyrepublic.com

Vacaville Rotary Club awarding scholarships for high school seniors – The Vacaville Reporter

The Vacaville Rotary Club is in search of deserving students seeking scholarships to use toward college education-related costs.

The Vacaville Rotary is looking for the next generation of leaders who want to honor those high-achieving students who go beyond their regular class work and have demonstrated a passion for service above self. 20 scholarships will be awarded in the amounts of $500 to $4,000 each totaling 28k.

High School Seniors in the Vacaville Unified and Travis Unified School Districts can pick up an application in their school counseling office or online at www.vacavillerotary.org.

Source: Vacaville Rotary Club awarding scholarships for high school seniors – The Vacaville Reporter

Dixon May Fair offering $25,000 in new ag scholarships – Daily Republic

Friends of the Dixon May Fair has increased its scholarships to $25,000 for 2023.

The nonprofit reorganized its agricultural-related college scholarship program, and renamed it the Donnie and Tootie Huffman Scholarship Program in honor of its founding president and treasurer.

“This year we will award nine scholarships to Solano County students majoring in agriculture in either a four-year California university or a two-year California community college,” scholarship chairwoman Carrie Hamel said in a statement.

Source: Dixon May Fair offering $25,000 in new ag scholarships

Travis Credit Union offers college scholarships to high school seniors – Daily Republic

College-bound high school graduates can apply for the Travis Credit Union 2023 Community Impact Scholarships.

Twenty scholarships totaling $40,000 will be awarded.

“We understand that paying for higher education can be a challenge for many families. Now more than ever we want to extend a hand to help support our local students and their families,” Travis Credit Union President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Miller said in a statement. “We look forward to honoring and supporting our worthy young members as they pursue their college dreams.”

Source: Travis Credit Union offers college scholarships to high school seniors

Schools are going green with money from the federal government : NPR

“In most school districts, the second-largest yearly expense after salaries is the energy bill.”

That’s a quote from Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking earlier this month at an elementary school in Washington, D.C.

She was announcing a new, multibillion-dollar federal push to renovate public schools in ways that are healthier both for children and the planet – and often, that save money too.

Source: Schools are going green with money from the federal government : NPR

Two Solano students honored by the Community College League of California – The Vacaville Reporter

Two Solano students have been named by the Community College League of California to the 2022 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) All-California Academic Team.

Solano Community College students Andrea Solis Olguin and Cherry Quitugua are among 114 students honored.

PTK recognizes the academic achievement of college students and provides opportunities for its members to grow as scholars and leaders. Established in 1918, Phi Theta Kappa has a presence on almost 1,300 community college campuses in 11 nations. Building on the success of the national All-USA Team Program, PTK launched the All-State Academic Team Program. The purpose of this program is to provide recognition at the state level for these top community college students.

Source: Two Solano students honored by the Community College League of California – The Vacaville Reporter

Road to her $220K scholarship paved with hard work, drive, love, and luck – The Vacaville Reporter

By Richard Bammer

The Army, in its own way, came calling.

Rodriguez High School senior Trisha Macagba answered and picked up a $220,000 college scholarship along the way.

How did it happen to this straight-A student, with a weighted GPA of 4.67, and student board member for the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District?

Work, work, work primarily, but also some old-fashioned luck that, in large part, Macagba, a native of Baguio, Philippines, made herself.

Source: Road to her $220K scholarship paved with hard work, drive, love, and luck – The Vacaville Reporter

Soroptimist honor young women with awards – The Vacaville Reporter

By Diane Barney

In keeping with Women’s History Month, Soroptimist International of Vacaville honoredfour young women for their dreams, dedication and determination via Zoom during its March 15 meeting, including one who was chosen to compete at the regional level.

Amada Madrigal not only earned a first-place award of $2,000 in the Live Your Dreamprogram through the Vacaville club, she will advance as the District II winner to the Founder Region level, where she could earn another $5,000. Should she continue on as a finalist in the Soroptimist International of the Americans competition, she could earn another $10,000.

The Vacaville club voted to send her to the Founder Region conference in Hawaii April 29-May 1, where she will be honored for her award.

Source: Soroptimist honor young women with awards – The Vacaville Reporter

Vacaville Garden Club offering scholarship – Daily Republic

Spring is the time for new growth and the Vacaville Garden Club is pleased to announce that for the first time the club will be offering a scholarship to a student interested in pursuing a career in a horticulture or an agricultural-related field at a two- or four-year college, university or technical school.

The opportunity to apply is open to all students graduating from high school in Vacaville and guidelines and applications are available at high school counseling offices.

Source: Vacaville Garden Club offering scholarship

Scholarships offered through Solano retired teachers chapter – Daily Republic

The California Retired Teachers Association, Division 24, Solano County, is offering scholarships to encourage college graduates who are local residents and planning to enter the teaching profession in Solano County but who need to complete work for a valid California Teaching Credential.

The group is offering scholarships of $1,000 or more to go toward expenses of earning a California Teaching Credential.

In 2021, $2,500 scholarships were awarded to eight recipients.

Source: Scholarships offered through Solano retired teachers chapter

Nearly half of money for high-needs students not getting to their schools, analysis finds – The Vacaville Reporter

By John Fensterwald, EdSource

Diverting funds intended for California’s high-needs students for other spending “dampens” the potential to significantly close the achievement gap between high-poverty and low-poverty students, new research from the Public Policy Institute of California has found.

School districts on average are directing only 55 cents of every dollar of extra funding from the Local Control Funding Formula to the schools that high-needs students who generate the money attend, research fellow Julien Lafortune concluded in a policy brief and full report.

Lafortune examined school-level financial data reported to the state for all districts with more than 250 students and with more than 10 schools. He was able to do the research using federally mandated school-level data available for the first time.

Source: Nearly half of money for high-needs students not getting to their schools, analysis finds – The Vacaville Reporter

Vaca chamber foundation announces scholarships – Daily Republic

The Vacaville Chamber Educational Foundation will award scholarships up to $2,500 to Vacaville students who are pursuing post-high school education.

The foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Its goal is to develop the local workforce through a variety of programs. The awards will range from $500 to $2,500 and be given to those students pursuing accredited education at state-approved vocational trade schools, community colleges and traditional colleges.

The scholarships may be used for various expenses, including tuition, books, training fees, industry-specific equipment and other career-related expenditures.

Source: Vaca chamber foundation announces scholarships

Solano County students earn State Fair scholarships – Daily Republic

Two Solano County residents are among those to share in $46,000 in scholarships to college students from the Friends of the California State Fair.

Keaton Stout of Vacaville and Alexandria LaRoche of Vallejo each received $1,000 scholarships.

Twenty-three cities were represented among the winners.

Source: Solano County students earn State Fair scholarships

California Retired Teachers Association hands out $20K in scholarships – Daily Republic

By Suzanne Carlson

The California Retired Teachers Association, Division 24, which covers all of Solano County, is proud to announce the winners of the C. Shirley Michele Scholarship Fund for 2021.

Each of the eight well-deserving recipients received a check for $2,500.

The recipients are:

• Jennifer Babas graduated from Fairfield High and then earned a degree from California State University Sacramento. She is receiving her teaching credential from University of California, Davis. Before deciding to become a teacher, she worked as a medical assistant with NorthBay Healthcare in Fairfield.

Source: California Retired Teachers Association hands out $20K in scholarships

Friends of the Dixon May Fair award seven scholarships – The Reporter

By Kimberly K. Fu

Seven Solano County scholars — six from Dixon and one from Vacaville–are sharing $12,000 in college agricultural scholarships awarded by the Friends of the Dixon May Fair.

The Friends, the service-oriented and fundraising arm of the fair, annually awards scholarships to Solano County residents enrolled in an agricultural-related field at either a four-year university or a two-year community college in California. The organization, headed by president Donnie Huffman of Vacaville, has awarded $222,750 in college scholarships since 2003.

Natalie Victorine of Dixon, a 2021 graduate of Dixon High School, received the $3000 Ester Armstrong Scholarship, the top award. She will major in agricultural communications this fall at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Source: Friends of the Dixon May Fair award seven scholarships – The Reporter

Travis Credit Union awards scholarships to 20 local high school students – The Reporter

Travis Credit Union recently awarded 20 local high school students the Mary Keith Duff Memorial Scholarship, one of the annual scholarships TCU awards to assist its young members with the increasing cost of higher education.

All of the winning students received a ‘Gala in a Box,’ which included the scholarship award announcement of $2,000 to help with college expenses, as well as a $200 gift card. TCU board members as well as executive leadership members coordinated live Zoom calls with the families to join with them virtually in opening the ‘special delivery’ box to celebrate their achievement.

For 17 years, TCU has been awarding 20 local, college-bound seniors with a $2,000 Mary Keith Duff Memorial Scholarship. To qualify, students must be high school seniors, have a GPA of at least 3.0, and submit a 500-word personal statement essay on their plans for the future.

Source: Travis Credit Union awards scholarships to 20 local high school students – The Reporter

May Fair scholarships awarded to 7 Solano County students – Daily Republic

Natalie Victorine, a 2021 Dixon High graduate, was awarded the top agriculture scholarship from the Friends of the Dixon May Fair.

Victorine, who will major in agricultural communications this fall at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, received the $3,000 Ester Armstrong Scholarship. The award is named after the industry veteran and 2006-09 interim chief executive officer of the Dixon May Fair, who died of cancer.

Six other Solano County students will share the remaining $9,000 in scholarships awarded, the Dixon May Fair group announced in a statement.

Source: May Fair scholarships awarded to 7 Solano County students

California school districts receive unprecedented windfall but lack teachers to help students catch up – The Reporter

By Diana Lambert, EdSource

California schools collectively have billions of state and federal dollars to spend on programs to help students catch up on the learning they lost while school campuses were closed. But many districts do not have enough fully qualified teachers to fill regular classrooms, let alone to launch new academic programs this fall.

The state’s schools have struggled with teacher shortages for years, especially in the areas of special education, math, science and bilingual education, but the problem has worsened since the pandemic began. Research by the Learning Policy Institute, which consisted of interviews with district leaders from eight of the largest and nine of the smallest school districts in the state, found that the number of teacher candidates earning credentials declined during the pandemic.

Source: California school districts receive unprecedented windfall but lack teachers to help students catch up – The Reporter

FSUSD receives $147K grant for homeless children, youth education – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District has received a $147,000 grant that, over three years, is expected to improve the district’s early identification, enrollment, attendance, and academic success of children who lack permanent shelter.

The Fairfield-based district, Solano County’s largest with more than 21,500 students across 30 campuses, is one of 73 districts statewide to receive the grant money, the district announced in a press statement earlier this week.

The grant will further support the district’s efforts to make sure students experiencing homelessness have equal access to the same educational opportunities given to all other students, district officials said in the prepared statement.

Source: FSUSD receives $147K grant for homeless children, youth education – The Reporter

$6 Billion in Reopening/Expanded Learning Funding – Year 2021 (CA Dept of Education)

The California Department of Education (CDE) today has posted estimated local education agency (LEA) allocations from the $6.6 billion made available as part of the Assembly Bill (AB) 86 External link opens in new window or tab. COVID-19 relief package. The funding provided by AB 86 will accelerate the safe return to in-person instruction across California and provide schools the resources to expand academic, mental health and social-emotional supports, including over the summer.

“As more school districts across California announce plans to bring students back into classrooms, we at the CDE are providing the technical support our schools need to access resources in a timely way so educators can focus on providing a safe return to in-person learning, accelerate learning, and begin recovering,” said State Superintendent Tony Thurmond.

A breakdown of how the $2 billion for In-Person Instruction (IPI) Grants and $4.6 billion for Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) Grants were determined for each LEA are available on the CDE IPI and ELO Grants Funding Results web page.

Source: $6 Billion in Reopening/Expanded Learning Funding – Year 2021 (CA Dept of Education)