By Ari Howorth
Staff Writer
Mira Costa nominated seniors Noel Castellanos, Blake Reback, Eli Rivas, Michael DeVirgilio and Richard Wedeen on March 6 as candidates for the 2011-12 Mira Costa High School Student of the Year award.
To be eligible for nomination, the nominees had to have a GPA in the tenth percentile of the senior class. Certificated staff members vote to determine the five nominees. The 11 departments then vote to select the Student of the Year.
Last year, former La Vista Editor-in-Chief Leo Shaw won the award.
“I want the student of the year to be a quality student,” Principal Ben Dale said. “I also like to see someone who’s a good Mustang. I want them to be well-rounded, because to me, the Student of the Year embodies what a Costa student is.”
The nominees are all involved in a wide range of activities in and outside of school.
“It is an absolute honor to be nominated for Student of the Year at Mira Costa,” Castellanos said. “It truly means a lot to me.”
Social Science Department Chair Bill Fauver has led the Student of the Year selection process for the past two years. He makes sure teachers know what criteria to use when voting and conducts the final selection meeting.
“The Student of the Year should be the student who gets the most out of their high school experience,” Dale said.
The school will announce the winner at the All Awards Assembly, which the administration will hold at the end of the school year.
“My teachers and classmates have all helped shape me into the person I am today,” Reback said. “I seriously applaud Eli, Ricky, Michael and Noel for their body of work and wish them the very best of luck in the future.”
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