Russian-born Eugene Ugorski received his first violin at the age of three. At age four he astounded his musician parents by playing his violin in perfect accompaniment to the classical music he heard. He began studying the violin with Professor Vesna Gruppman at the age of six after his family immigrated to the San Diego area. In 1998, at the age of eight, Mr. Ugorski made his orchestral debut with the San Diego symphony. Since then he has performed throughout the world. At 16 years of age, he has performed with orchestras in Western Europe, Russia, Canada, the United States, and South America, and has worked with conductors such as Valery Gregor, Andrey Boreyko, Keith Lockhart, and Roberto Minsk. Since 2005, Eugene has performed the very difficult Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in Russia, Canada, and the United States. See other details at: http://www.intermusica.co.uk/ugorski  

Becca Robison

Teen Volunteer /  Science Educator

Created science camps for girls ages 4-10

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When his best friend died of a rare form of bone cancer in 2005, Frederick Scarf decided to do what he could to help others with the same disease. “At the age of 15, I founded and (became) executive director of a non-profit organization called The Shiri Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for the cancer that killed my best friend.” The foundation’s goal is to cure osteosarcoma. When he went as Santa to the hospital where Shiri died to share Christmas with some of the patients, he says he was reminded that small actions can go a long way. Frederick is a junior at Birmingham High School and lives in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

A student with a dedication to learning and achieving great success in life:

Achievements: Academically, Sprunger has earned honors with distinction each of her four years at North Side. As a sophomore, she was the English “Reflections” Award winner for her school. She also received the Outstanding Student Director Award her sophomore and junior years.

Activities: Sprunger’s many extracurricular activities include Fort Wayne Community Schools Superintendent Wendy Robinson’s Student Advisory Council, marching band, jazz band, French Club and theater. She also has volunteered at Parkview Health, Fort Wayne Youtheatre and, in all four years of high school, with the Kids Surviving Cancer Christmas drive and party.

Comments: “I have worked with many students, and I would have to say that Lindsay is one of the most gifted students I have ever had the opportunity to teach,” said North Side teacher Susan Boesch. “She carries her writing book with her and is constantly filling the pages with thoughts, ideas and poetry.”

Said Sterling Sentinel judge Zachary Benedict, “Her passion for writing was not only evident, but inspiring.”

Future plans: Sprunger plans to attend Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne this fall to major in English literature and minor in journalism or creative writing. She wants to become a college professor or journalist.

Jacob Komar
Computer
Service

Jacob Komar started “Computers for Communities” when he was nine. Now 14 years old, he has restored and upgraded hundreds of outdated personal computers and installed them in the homes of families that are unable to afford to buy one. He recently received a $1,000,000 NSF Grant to create a program that serves 200 inner-city minority Hartford students. The purpose is to give these students information technology skills for three years through their high school program. For more information see:

Iqbal Masih

Freedom
for
Children

Iqbal Masih believed that all children should be free and in school. He was a child in Pakistan, a bonded laborer in a carpet factory, equivalent to a slave. He was sold by his desperately poor parents to a carpet maker in return for a small loan. He was freed with the help of the Bonded Labor Liberation Front (BLLF) (http://www.swamiagnivesh.com/).

While a slave, he heard of the BALL and ran away to a BLLF freedom rally in his town.. After that rally, he never returned to bondage. A BLLF lawyer gave him a “freedom letter” and Iqbal returned to his employer to present the letter to him. His goal was to be like Abraham Lincoln and free all children from indentured servitude. He also dreamed of starting a school for former child slaves. Iqbal began school at the BLLF Freedom Campus in Lahore, Pakistan. Iqbal was a natural leader and a good speaker. He traveled with the BLLF volunteers in Pakistan holding demonstrations. He visited factories where children were working and brought the message of freedom. He was interviewed by foreign journalists who visited the Freedom Campus.

In 1994, at age 12, he was awarded the Reebok Human Rights Award (http://www.hri.ca/hraward/index.html) in recognition of his significant contributions to the fight for human rights. In 1995, he was murdered in Pakistan, shot by a poor laborer named Ashraf. Ashraf has changed his story of the events of that day several times, and there is suspicion that the carpet industry was behind the murder. The truth is obscured by controversy, and we may never know what really happened and why.

To learn more about Iqbal, you can read Iqbal Masih and the Crusaders against Child Slavery by Susan Kuklin, and visit http://www.childrensworld.org/page.html?pid=53
Iqbal Masih won the Reebok Human Rights Award at the age of 12. He was murdered about 5 months later. The students of Broadmeadow Middle School are working to realize Iqbals' dream of a school for former child laborers in Pakistan.

Ryan Hreljac

 Water
for
Africa

In January 1998, 6-year-old Canadian Ryan Hreljac listened intently when his grade one teacher talked about the plight of people in Africa who had to walk many kilometers every day just to fetch water, the most basic element for human survival. Ryan was shocked and decided he needed to build a well for a village in Africa. He ran home from school and begged his parents for $70 - the amount he thought was needed to drill a well. They eventually agreed to let him do extra chores to earn the money. Four months later, Ryan had completed the task, but that was just the beginning of the journey.

Ryan has become a compelling voice for water-poor people in the developing world. His story has inspired many to take responsibility for the woes of the world, whether in their own communities, or like Ryan, in far away places. He has helped raise over $1 million and supported more than 230 water and sanitation projects in eight developing countries, seven of which are in Africa.

Since he began his mission, Ryan's touching commitment to Africa, at such a young age and from so far away, has received a great deal of media attention. Ryan's partners and supporters include government agencies, various technical organizations in the field, private sector companies and individual philanthropists. Ryan has spoken to small classrooms and to thousands of people at a time at schools, service clubs, universities, and conferences, always with the message that people everywhere deserve the convenience of something to which most of us give no conscious thought: clean water.

For more, please visit Ryan's Well Foundation at http://www.ryanswell.ca/index.php.

Merlin Tuttle

 Bat Conservationist

As a high school teenager in 1959, Merlin Tuttle noticed that the Gray Bat seemed to enhabit a cave near his farm only several times a year. His curiosity led him to discover a life-long mission to save the Gray Bat. Read his fascinating story at:http://www.batcon.org/batsmag/v20n2-02.html Then wonder just what you could do that would be just as important. You can also read about Bat Conservation International at:http://www.batcon.org/home/default.asp

Dan Mittler is a senior at St. Augustine's Prep High School in Buena Vista Township, Pennsylvania.  As a junior he received a perfect score on the SAT - a total of 2400 points.  Each year over 1.5 million high school students take the SAT and approximately 1050 out of that number receive perfect scores in the math and reading sections, a total of 1600 point (Action News, 2006), but only a minute few receive perfect scores in all three areas: math, reading, and the essay sections.  Mittler started taking the test in the seventh grade and took it a few times earning better and better scores with each try.  In January 2006 Mittler received a perfect score.  I am sure he will not have any difficulties finding a college to attend next semester.    

Brenda Tejeda Baez

English
Learner

 By Lisa Wangsness and April Simpson, Globe Staff  |  March 16, 2007

Brenda Tejeda Baez has endured a lot of chaos in her short life.By the time she was in third grade, she had lived in five different friends' apartments and two homeless shelters. Her mother is unemployed, and she rarely sees her father, who lives in the Dominican Republic.When she started kindergarten, she knew only Spanish.Yet, the 9-year-old girl, now a third grader, has refused to budge on the one constant in her life: attending the Louis Agassiz Elementary School in Jamaica Plain. Even when her family had to live for three months in a homeless shelter in Worcester, Brenda, her mother, and her little brother traveled more than an hour each way on public transportation from Worcester to Jamaica Plain to get to the Agassiz. "In her mind, she started at this school, and in her mind, she needed to finish here," said her 27-year-old mother, Dolores Baez. In her four years at the school, Brenda's determination has earned her top grades, second place in her school spelling bee and, yesterday, the first-ever Boston public schools "Absolutely Incredible Kid" prize. Mayor Thomas M. Menino and school officials surprised the third-grader with the award, which honors students with unusual personal success stories. Nearly 100 students were nominated by Boston teachers, parents, and community leaders for the award, which was part of a national event sponsored by Camp Fire USA.

"She deserves so much for what she faces every day," her third-grade teacher, Barbara Feeney , wrote in her award nomination for Brenda. Brenda, wearing a bright pink shirt and blue jeans, was characteristically composed as she accepted the honor in a school assembly, posed for pictures with the mayor, and received a gift bag of prizes, including a $200 gift card . Her mother greeted her daughter as she stepped onto the stage. As others made speeches about her, Brenda sat between the mayor and the School Committee chairwoman, crossed her ankles, and swung her legs back and forth. "I'm really proud of the fact that despite the obstacles she's had to overcome, she's here. She's here every day and, from what I hear, a good student," said Michael G. Contompasis , superintendent of schools. Speaking directly to Brenda, Contompasis said, "We're expecting big things out of you."

 Daniella Vineyard,

Christmas
for
Teens

Brittany Bergquist
and
Robbie
Bergquist

The Cell Phones for Soldiers program was started in April of 2004 by 13-year-old Brittany Bergquist and her 12-year-old brother Robbie of Norwell, Massachusetts.After hearing a news report about a local soldier who ran up a massive phone bill calling home from Iraq, they decided they wanted to do something to help. Brittany and Robbie donated their piggy bank money, collected snack money from their friends at school, and with $21.00 they went to the bank to open an account. The South Shore Savings Bank of Hanover, Massachusetts donated $500.00 to help them get started.
Their goal is to help our soldiers serving overseas call home. They hope to provide as many soldiers as possible, for now, with prepaid calling cards with an ultimate goal of providing banks of satellite phones, video phones and VOIP communications. Through generous donations and the recycling of used cell phones from drop-off sites across the country, they have already distributed thousands of calling cards to soldiers in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Jim Kelly, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback of the Buffalo Bills, is a proud sponsor of Cell Phones for Soldiers. With Jim's help, not only will you be helping soldiers call home, you will be saving money at the same time. http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/

Johnny Wilson

Swim
for
Katrina

Tuhin Roy, 15

Founder of a school library in India

Thor Vest, 11

Donated 141 books to his school library

Craig Kielburger

Founder of Free the Children and child activist

Brian
Hausburg

Courageous
Athlete 

Brian Hausburg, a senior at Modesto High School in Modesto, California with a 3.4 GPA in college prep classes, loves sports.  Born with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder, he has little leg and hip strength and an unsteady gait for which he uses crutches, but he does have a desire to compete.  A friend convinced him to try out for the wrestling team his freshman year.  Despite never having won a match, he has competed all four years.  His perseverance, drive, and determination have served as an inspiration to others.   At the last wrestling meet of his career, his hand was raised in victory for the first time when, in recognition of his courage and positive attitude, the Northern California Officials Association awarded him their sportsmanship award, an honor for wrestlers that has only been awarded three times in nine years.  To read more of Brian’s story, go to  

http://www.modbee.com/sports/highschools/story/13300343p-13928996c.html. 

   Thomas Mihara
      Geography
         Wiz

The Kids Hall of Fame

This website highlights the talents and achievements of hundreds of kids from toddlers to age 19.  Read about six-year-old diabetes fundraiser Ryan Fordinani, nine-year-old film director Ben Foster, and eleven-year-old published poet Brittney Grimes:  http://www.thekidshalloffame.com/

Kyle Alderson

Kyle (16 years old) created Project READ (Reading Encourages All Dreams), a reading mentorship program based in his town's public library. Kyle started the project after learning that less than half of the members in his community had graduated from high school. READ pairs high school students with elementary students who are struggling academically. Over 150 students are involved in the program that has seen students' reading grades improve as much as two letter grades. "I found that one person truly can make a difference in the community,” says Kyle.

LA Youth

A nonprofit newspaper written by and for teens, based in Los Angeles: http://www.layouth.com/index.php 

"When Los Angeles teens read L.A. Youth, the newspaper by and about teens, they say, "I relate to it." That has been our greatest accomplishment since we started publishing student journalism in 1988. We have helped thousands of teachers make their classrooms more relevant, interesting places to learn by publishing the first-hand accounts of teens' experiences with college stress, racial identity, homophobia, censorship, broken families and many more topics. We have investigated serious problems in our community such as teen pregnancy, teen prostitution, drug addiction and dilapidated schools.

Along the way, our coverage has earned honors and scholarships for many of our writers, artists and photographers, helping them with college admission and future job prospects. They have gone on to careers in journalism and other fields, and often stay in touch with us as they continue through life.

We have grown from a small, upstart publication produced at a kitchen table to an established non-profit with five full-time adult staff and more than 80 teen staff members. A long list of funders and individual donors have supported our coverage of such tough issues as juvenile justice, foster care and sexuality. In addition to bringing these important topics to an audience of 400,000 youth in Los Angeles County through our newspaper and Web site L.A. Youth has been written up and had articles reprinted in other media from the Los Angeles Times to National Public Radio."

Jorge Alcantar

Making it to the Ivy League

At the age of 12, Jorge Alcantar’s parents had him work in the farm fields with relative in hopes he’d learn how hard field labor was. Being farm  workers themselves they wanted their son to choose a different path. He has far exceeded their expectations; Jorge has to make the decision very soon to attend, Harvard, Princeton, Standford, or one of the many other major universities that have accepted him. Currently he has a 4.67 and is expected to be either the valedictorian or the salutatorian of his graduating class at Arroyo Grande High School. Both his parents, who stopped their schooling in the sixth grade to work the fields in order to help their families in Mexico, are overjoyed and very proud of their eldest son.http://www.sanluisobispo.com/183/story/23551.html

 Marla Olmstead

Child Artist

Christopher Paolini

Author

Rachel and John-Henry Lambin

Helping Kids with Asthma

Rachel and John-Henry Lambin are siblings who have been quite dedicated to helping other youth.  Both Rachel and John-Henry suffer from asthma.  Rachel founded Kids Helping Kids with Asthma, http://www.kidshelpingkids-r.us/ a program that helps educated kids about living with asthma.  She has traveled to Washington, DC to promote legislation affecting asthmatic children, has met with senators and congressional leaders, and has even had an appearance on C-SPAN.  She also serves as a youth ambassador for the American Lung Association, organizing "Blow the Whistle on Asthma" walks.  Her bother, John-Henry, founded Kids Extreme http://kids-extreme.com/ to help students with disabilities, such as the dyslexia and asthma that he struggled with.  Rachel and John-Henry host Camp Easy Breezy, a day camp for kids with asthma.

Adora Svitak

Writer, Poet, & Humanitarian

At age seven, Adora published her first book entitled, Flying Fingers.  Co-authored by her mother, Flying Fingers is a compilation of Adora's stories and teaching strategies on writing for parents and educators.  Adora has written over 300 short stories.  Her favorite book is The Century for Young People given to her by its author, Peter Jennings.  Diane Sawyer from Good Morning America called her "The Tiny Literary Giant."  She travels around the world to inspire other students to become better readers and writers.  Adora's greatest ambition is to win the Nobel Prize in both Literature and Peace.  Visit www.adorasvitak.com/ to learn more about Adora.

Beginning ELD Class.

The beginning ELD class at SCHS recently completed PowerPoint presentations on their hometown and their new life in the United States. The ELD teacher and the librarian worked together to design a project that included writing, speaking, and technology. Students used Flickr to find images of their hometowns/states/countries, and then created a PowerPoint presentation that included general information about their hometown, images, and two stories: one about life in their hometown and one about their life in the United States. The entire class showed their love for their home countries (mostly Mexico) and their excitement and trepidation about their new life in the United States. FOr many, this was the first PowerPoint presentation and the first time they used Flickr. A few students made their presentations a second and third time for teachers at the school and to the Latino Parent Group.

MacKinzie Kline

LPGA Tour Entrant 

Despite a congenital heart defect, a missing right ventricle, MacKinzie "Mac" Kline has been playing golf since she was 5-1/2.  At ages 10 and 11 she won the 2002 and 2003 California State Junior Girls' Championships (14-and-under division). Last year (April 2006) at age 14 she was the top ranked 14-year-old golfer in the world.  Now (May 2007), at age 15, she is playing in qualifying tournaments for the U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links.  From here she'll move on to compete on the LPGA tour, the top level of women's golf.  Though she requires additional oxygen, her portable tank doesn't always make it the entire 18 holes. She has also been granted an exemption to use a cart on the course where other competitors may not.  Her heart surgeon, John Lamberti of Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego, says she is the first single-ventricle patient to play competitive sports into her teens.  But Kline says she doesn't "want to be known (only) as 'The Heart Girl ... I would love to play golf like everyone else plays golf. That would make me so happy, but that's not the way it is. I want to be recognized for my talent and my hard work."  In addition to playing golf, Kline is also a motivational speaker and a national spokeswoman for the Children's Heart Foundation.  When she was 8 she co-wrote a book with her first nanny, Marjorie McNamara, called Mac's Secret Weapon.

Source: May 8, 2007 edition of USA Today; available on-line at http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2007-05-08-kline-cover_N.htm.

Bethany Hamilton

Competitive
Surfer

Bethany Hamilton's parents put her on a surfboard as a toddler. By age eight she was surfing in contests. In 2003 she placed second in the Open Women's Division of the National Scholastic Surfing Association National Championship and was well on her way to a professional surfing career. Then, on October 1, 2003, she was attacked by a fourteen-foot tiger shark. She lost 60% of her blood, and was left with a severed left arm. Less than a month later, she was back in the water learning to surf with one arm. She returned to competitive surfing in January 2004. In August 2004, refusing special treatment, Bethany took first place in the Open Women's Division. In the 2005 Explorer's Division of the NSSA.

Bethany has received the Gene Autry Courage Award, was honored with a special Courage Award at the Teen Choice Awards, and has been given awards by the United States Sports Academy, USA today, and other associations.  

    Hannah Taylor

Founder of Ladybug foundation

 When she was five, Hannah Taylor saw a man eating out of a garbage bin. Her mom explained why. “That made me feel sad and strange, because if I deserved to have a home, so did he,” Taylor said in an interview Wednesday from her home in Winnipeg. “I thought about that man for almost a year.”
When she was starting Grade 1, she saw a woman pushing a grocery cart with all her worldly possessions in it. “Now my heart is too sad, so I have to do something,” Taylor said. She asked her teacher if she could speak with the class, and fundraising drives began. From there, she says the initiative gained a life of its own. Two years ago, she began the Ladybug Foundation, and has raised $500,000 nationally for homelessness programs since she started on her mission. Source: Canadian Home Builders Association British Colombia www.chbabc.org her organization at http://www.ladybugfoundation.ca/ She  was also the recipient of  he BR!CK award from the DO SOMETHING ORGANIZATION! http://www.dosomething.org/brick View

Taylor Francis, 15,

Environmental Activist 

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, a town with a long literary history.  Amelia's teacher, a literary agent, read a manuscript by Amelia, and in 1999 Demons of the Night was published on her 14th birthday. Amelia went on to write Demons of the Night (2000), Shattered Mirror (2001), Midnight Predator (2002), and Hawksong (2003).

Sondra was 8 years old when she wrote her first book. Her mother has written eight books and Sondra decided she wanted to write one, too.

"My mom said I had to write about something I knew about," Sondra said. "I've always loved arts and crafts so I decided to write a book about that."

Sondra wrote her first book, "Craft Fun with Sondra-Over 55 Arts and Crafts Projects," in about 2 months. She wrote two pages a day over her winter break and then one page a week after that. She wrote her second book, "Wearable Art with Sondra," when she was 9 years old.

"My family and I have never watched much TV. Instead, I would just do crafts. I've been using a hot glue gun since I was 3 years old!

"My advice for girls my age is to set goals and keep them," Sondra said. "A lot of people set goals and forget about them. It's important to pick a goal that you really want and then stay focused."

Sondra published three more books subsequently after the first two. The titles of the books are: "You've got what it takes", "You can change your world" and "Cool careers in Parks and recreation".

 More information can be found at: http://www.sondraclark.com/

 Added by Wanhsiang Kao for LIBR 262 class (08/03/2007)

Akiane Kramarik

Child prodigy artist and poet

Zlata Filipovic:

Writer and Promoter of Peace

As a young girl, Zlata Filipovic wrote and published her accounts of living in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War.  It is translated into nearly twenty languages and serves as testimony of growing up in war.  She has gone on world tours promoting peace and received the Special Child of Courage Award by the Simon Wiesenthal Centre.

Patrick Henry Hughes

overcame extreme disabilities

Abby

Genius

Marc

Symphonist

Talia Lyman

Philanthropist

CEO of a nonprofit organization called RandomKid

Kian Faizi, David Mao, and Cameryn Cousar

2007 ExploraVision National Champions

photo by Jean-Michel Casanova

Tiffany Hensley, aka "Crash"

Speed Climbing 2nd Place, UIAA World Youth Championship 2006

Jenessa Largent

Philanthropist

Harmsway4kids
founder

Taylor Hernandez

Toy Creator

Magic Sponge Blocks

Elizabeth Richter

Terra Mikalson

Luke D. Zalava

Chris Miller

The Children's Holocaust Memorial

Whitwell Middle School 8th Grade 

Whitwell, TN

Initiated & Maintain the Paper Clip Project