4 Temecula Students Named Among County's 10 Brightest

Four Temecula students have earned a spot on the 10-member All-County Academic Team, it was announced.

The students were recognized Wednesday evening by Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Kenneth M. Young during the Eighth Annual Riverside County Student Academic Awards Dinner held at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

More than 500 people were in attendance as Young, along with representatives from 18 local school districts, honored 136 students, according to a news release.

"Each high school in the county was asked to select between one and three students, based on their enrollments, students’ GPAs, college entrance exams, class rank and extracurricular activities," stated Rick Peoples, spokesman for the Riverside County Office of Education.

In a highlight of the ceremony, Young named members of the All-County Academic Team, selected by a county panel from the larger group as the top 10 outstanding academic achievers, according to Peoples.

The members of the All-County Academic Team are:

Nitin Kuppanda, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco Unified School District, grade point average of 4.86 and an SAT score of 2190.

Janardan Sivapalan, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco Unified School District, grade point average of 4.82 and an SAT score of 2240.

Mindy Huynh, Santiago High School, Corona-Norco Unified School District, grade point average of 4.74 and an SAT score of 2290.

Alison Long, Great Oak High School, Temecula Valley Unified School District, grade point average of 4.74 and an SAT score 2300.

Ariel Chu, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Corona-Norco Unified School District, grade point average 4.71 and an SAT of 2320.

Marianne Dang, Great Oak High School, Temecula Valley Unified School District, grade point average of 4.77 and an SAT score of 2320.

Yuzhu (Emma) Mei, Chaparral High School, Temecula Valley Unified School District , grade point average of 4.67 and an SAT score of 2330.

Vanessa Liu, Santiago High School, Corona-Norco Unified School District, grade point average of 4.69 and an SAT score of 2340.

Jennifer Bu, John W. North High School, Riverside Unified School District, grade point average of 4.72 and an SAT score of 2380.

Jae Shin, Great Oak High School, Temecula Valley Unified School District, grade point average of 4.75 and an SAT score of 2380.

The complete list of students honored during the banquet, their districts, superintendents and principals, included:

Alvord Unified School District

Dr. Nicolas Ferguson, Superintendent

La Sierra High School
Mr. Will Mynster, Principal
Zayre Fisher
Monika Gracian
Kartik Nakrani

Norte Vista High School
Ms. Susan Boyd, Principal
Samuel Jacobo
Mariah Macias
Dania Patron

Banning Unified School District
Mr. Bryan Astrachan, Interim Superintendent

Banning High School
Mr. Douglas Newton, Principal
Alana Prak
Carlos Sanchez

Beaumont Unified School District
Dr. Maureen Latham, Superintendent

Beaumont High School
Ms. Marilyn Saucedo, Principal
Stephen Cao
Rachel Flores
Jose Ramos

Coachella Valley Unified School District
Dr. Darryl Adams, Superintendent

Coachella Valley High School
Ms. Mary Velasco, Principal
Samuel Cabrera
Jelena Martinez
Christopher Muratalla

Desert Mirage High School
Dr. Marrio Walker, Principal
Stephanie Serrato
Lin Wang

West Shores High School
Principal Mr. Rudy Wilson
Carla Cabrera

Corona-Norco Unified School District
Dr. Michael Lin, Superintendent

Centennial High School
Mr. Ben Roberts, Principal
Nitin Kuppanda
Julian Robles
Janardan Sivapalan

Corona High School
Dr. Danny Kim, Principal
Jessica Davis
Salvador Perez
Kristen Wilson

Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Mr. Mark Lenoir, Principal
Ariel Chu
Tiffany Le
McKayla Stevens

Norco High School
Dr. Lisa Simon, Principal
Marika Diepenbroek
Lauren Kupis
Evan Mackie

Santiago High School
Mr. Reginald Thompkins, Principal
Mindy Huynh
Vanessa Liu
Grace Noh

Desert Sands Unified School District
Dr. Gary Rutherford, Superintendent

Indio High School
Mr. Rudy Ramirez, Principal
Paola Badilla
Crysten Dean

La Quinta High School
Ms. Donna Salazar, Principal
Michael Finch
Kristy Kim
Kathryn Nguyen

Palm Desert High School
Mr. Robert Hicks, Principal
Howard Berkowitz
Devin Tang

Shadow Hills High School
Mr. Marcus Wood, Principal
Gerardo Quintana Jr.
Nikkohl Santa Maria

Hemet Unified School District
Dr. Barry Kayrell, Superintendent

Hamilton High School
Mr. James Allured, Principal
Mary-Rose McGowan

Hemet High School
Dr. Emily Shaw, Principal
Amit Aggarwal
Corey Huxell
Matthew Malone

Tahquitz High School
Dr. Michael Roe, Principal
Jonathan Carrillo
Kevin Pagdayunan

West Valley High School
Mr. Alex Ballard, Principal
Chad Fontes
April Riddle

Jurupa Unified School District
Mr. Elliott Duchon, Superintendent

Jurupa Valley High School
Mr. Michael West, Principal
Keila Escalante
Taylor Wray

Patriot High School
Ms. Roberta Pace, Principal
Jean Choi
Adam Moore
Brean Prefontaine

Rubidoux High School
Mr. Trenton Hansen, Principal
Jennifer Diaz
Alexis Martinez

Lake Elsinore Unified School District
Dr. Douglas Kimberly, Superintendent

Elsinore High School
Mr. Jon Hurst, Principal
Sasha Conaway
Moira Desphy
Gabriel Vega

Lakeside High School
Dr. Peter Hopping, Principal
Daniel Renouf
Sierra Rupnow

Temescal Canyon High School
Dr. Whitney D’Amico, Principal
Trevor Biddle
Dante Eisele
Chase Patton

Moreno Valley Unified School District
Dr. Judy White, Superintendent

Canyon Springs High School
Dr. Tammy Guzzetta, Principal
Jenna McMane
Sean Moheit
Zachary Rosa

Moreno Valley High School
Mr. Robert Brough, Principal
Francisco Hernandez
Rafael Hernandez
Leanna Lapid

Valley View High School
Ms. Kristen Hunter, Principal
Alejandro Rodriguez
Armando Rodriguez
Bethelehem Teshome

Vista Del Lago High School
Ms. Patricia Bazanos, Principal
Miles Bertumen
Sabrina Estrella
Jonathan Hellon

Murrieta Valley Unified School District
Mr. Patrick Kelley, Superintendent

Murrieta Mesa High School
Ms. Mary Walters, Principal
Kathia Gonzalez-Gallo
Joanie Rutherford
Jacob Schuler

Murrieta Valley High School
Ms. Renate Jefferson, Principal
Noah Ekstrom
Jordan Niell
Eli Talbert

Vista Murrieta High School
Mr. Darren Daniel, Principal
Spencer Nelson
Alexander Ni
Erin Paulson

Palm Springs Unified School District
Dr. Christine Anderson, Superintendent

Cathedral City High School
Mr. Guillermo Chavez, Principal
Amanda Barone
Hope Ibarra
Alma Perez

Desert Hot Springs High School
Dr. Anne Kalisek, Principal
Edgar Garcia
Matthew Meyer

Palm Springs High School
Mr. Ricky Wright, Principal
Emelyn Aviña
Jacob Harvey
Jacob Rees

Palo Verde Unified School District
Mr. Bob Bilek, Superintendent

Palo Verde High School
Ms. Brandy Cox, Acting Principal
Ariana Tribby

Perris Union High School District
Dr. Jonathan Greenberg, Superintendent

Heritage High School
Ms. Julie Zierold, Principal
Jerynne Noble
Caitlyn Roark
Vince Vanterpool

Paloma Valley High School
Mr. Brian Morris, Principal
Nikkie Ella
Jackie Kim
Adam Villegas

Perris High School
Dr. Lynne Sheffield, Principal
Alejandro Contreras
Jesus Partida
Sandy Thai

Riverside Unified School District
Dr. Richard Miller, Superintendent

Arlington High School
Mr. Antonio Garcia, Principal
Mary Jo De Silva
Monica Gonzales
Tyler Williams

John W. North High School
Mr. Trevor Painton, Principal
Jennifer Bu
Jennie Fan
Jonathan Gan

Martin Luther King High School
Mr. Darel Hansen, Principal
Robert Sanchez
Christina Gerges
Rachael Smith

Polytechnic High School
Mr. Wade Coe, Principal
Emma Cunningham
Natalie Ethell
Arnav Mishra

Ramona High School
Ms. Jamie Angulo, Principal
Ariel Camacho
Jonathan Ochoa
Hannah-Marie Valenzuela

San Jacinto Unified School District
Dr. Shari Fox, Superintendent

San Jacinto High School
Mr. Garry Packham, Principal
Hannah Hernandez
Bernadette Kenna
Jacob Merle

Temecula Valley Unified School District
Mr. Tim Ritter, Superintendent

Chaparral High School
Mr. Gil Compton and Ms. Penny Kubly, Co-Principals
Kevin Casasola
You Na Han
Emma Mei

Great Oak High School
Mr. Keith Moore, Principal
Marianne Dang
Alison Long
Jae Shin

Temecula Valley High School
Dr. Richard Lawrence, Principal
Nicholas Axline
Dylan Pereira
Grace Whang

Val Verde Unified School District
Mr. Juan Lopez, Superintendent

Citrus Hill High School
Mr. Juan Cabral, Principal
Cathryn DeLaCruz
Zachariah Remland
Eden Saravia

Rancho Verde High School
Mr. Olivier Wong Ah Sun, Principal
Raul Ramirez
Reinere Ruiz
Vanessa Somchith