By Jeremiah Martinez

A Vacaville teacher is being rewarded for his work with a multi-day vacation.

Ryan Price, who is a teacher at Buckingham Collegiate Charter Academy, is one of three grand prize winners for Norwegian Cruise Line’s fourth annual Giving Joy contest.

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The contest is an annual honor by the cruise line to highlight the “hard work and relentless dedication” of teachers across North America, according to a press release.

Source: Vacaville teacher Ryan Price named a grand prize winner in Norwegian Cruise Line contest

By Rebecca Wasik

When she was 4 years old, Santa Claus brought Molly Rose Hendricksen a plastic toy drum set for Christmas. When she was 9, she asked for a real drum set for her birthday.

Vacaville born and raised, Molly Rose has now made it all the way to the small screen. The professional drummer will be starring in “Banded: The Musician Competition,” set to air May 13 on AXS TV.

Once she received her real drum set, Molly Rose was determined to learn the rudiments of drumming.

“She would sit for hours at her First Acts drum set in front of a portable DVD player, wearing her dad’s military headset learning the rudiments,” said Althea Taschioglou Hendricksen, Molly Rose’s mother and “momager”. “It was amazing to watch her learn. She had no other guidance at that point, but a lot of dedication.”

Source: Vacaville drummer to star in new TV competition show – The Vacaville Reporter

By Nick Sestanovich

Just a few months after starting high school, Linda Hernandez is already set to have a busy 2023.

The Will C. Wood freshman was named the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club’s Youth of the Year for 2023, where she will serve as the club’s ambassador for the year and be entered into the National Youth of the Year competition.

Linda’s new title was announced in a ceremony held at the Opera House Wednesday evening, where the Boys & Girls Club kickoff the first major celebration of what will be the club’s 20th year of operation in Vacaville. The evening not only looked back at the past but also toward the future, which will see a much larger main campus on Brown Street.

Source: Will C. Wood freshman named 2023 Youth of the Year – The Vacaville Reporter

By Corey Kirk

During his days in Pop Warner, 9-year-old Carson Strong wanted to be under center, going back to pass and throwing the ball deep, aiming for the end zone. He dreamed and hoped that one day he would find himself in the NFL.

Fast forward over a decade later, a path of practicing hard and competing at the Division I level behind him, the 2018 Will C. Wood High, graduate now 22, stands on the doorstep of joining the league he had cherished his entire childhood.

What would 9-year-old Strong think now?

Source: Will C. Wood High grad Carson Strong has sights on NFL Draft – The Vacaville Reporter

By Corey Kirk

Decked out in crimson red, with some of her accolades laid out all around her, Vacaville High senior Kyla Jackson signed a letter of intent to compete in equestrian sports at Texas A&M.

Beaming with pride, her mother Maureen Jackson, sitting with her husband Mark, couldn’t have been any prouder of seeing their daughter accomplish a dream.

“When they made the offer it was absolutely fantastic,” Maureen Jackson said. “Kyla was the first western commit for A&M so that was just huge.”

Source: Vacaville High senior signs with Texas A&M for equestrian sports – The Vacaville Reporter

By Nick Sestanovich

Vacaville native Seychelles Mizel has landed her first big acting role — one that aims to spark conversations on how to navigate through tough conversations.

Mizel, a 2016 Will C. Wood High School graduate, plays teenage daughter Rosie on the YouTube series “Awkward Conversations,” a part scripted drama, part podcast-style discussion produced by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and Elks Lodge Drug Awareness Program aimed at providing an opportunity for parents to talk to their kids about drugs.

Each episode consists of short scenes of a family talking about drug-related issues, followed by a chat hosted by Jodie Sweetin of “Full House” fame and featuring licensed clinical social worker Amy McCarthy and a rotating series of celebrity guests talking about the issues presented in the episode and how the discussions could have gone better.

Source: Will C. Wood graduate lands first major role in PSA series – The Vacaville Reporter

By Nick Sestanovich

Mick Simpson is more than just Alamo Elementary School’s custodian.

In many ways, he has been a source of joy for the students during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, whether playing characters for the school’s morning announcements, painting murals of different cartoon characters, or taking the otherwise mundane task of disinfecting classrooms to a new level by imagining himself as a Ghostbuster, only working to keep the virus at bay rather than paranormal creatures.

It is this approach to Simpson’s job that has earned him a reputation not only across campus but beyond. He was featured on a local news broadcast back in April and more recently in the pages of Time magazine for a feature honoring school staff throughout the country.

Source: Alamo custodian brings joy during pandemic, gets national recognition – The Vacaville Reporter

By Jasmine Aguilera, Madeleine Carlisle and Katie Reilly

Mick Simpson noticed that kinder­gartners seemed a little scared when they returned to the school building in the spring and saw him walking around with a backpack of disinfectant, spraying everything down. So he got playful, decorating his gear with a Ghostbusters sticker and dubbing himself the “COVID Buster.”

“I try to keep it fun and exciting to come to school,” says Simpson, 50, a custodian at Alamo Elementary School in Vacaville, Calif.—a city of about 97,000 residents, roughly 55 miles northeast of San Francisco.

Source: Meet the Educators Who Saved A Pandemic School Year | Time