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Show A-8 The Park Record Latinos in Action student honored with scholarship Wed/Thurs/Fri, March 14-16, 2018 Robominers are best in the West He was one of four seniors in the state selected for award CAROLYN WEBBER The Park Record When Angel Lopez set pen to paper to apply for the Latinos in Action senior scholarship a few months ago, he was hopeful that he would be selected. He did the paperwork and wrote the essays, then waited until the results were announced. A few weeks ago, his teacher told him. He was named a finalist and would receive a scholarship to use at the college of his choice. Lopez, a senior at Park City High School, said that he was shocked when he was selected as one of the four finalists for the statewide scholarship. He said even to be accepted into the national organization Latinos in Action is difficult and demanding. “I know the playing field is competitive and some schools have a really big section of Latinos in Action,” he said. “I didn’t see it coming. I’m really lucky to have been chosen.” Each of the four students won a scholarship, but one will “Knowing that I am receiving money from a program that I have dedicated my life to is an honor,” Angel Lopez, Latinos in Action receive a scholarship worth a greater amount. They will be named at the organization’s conference in April. Lopez said that he hopes to receive it, but he is happy to have been honored thus far. COURTESY OF LAURA MONTY The Robominers, Park City High School’s top robotics team, won the FIRST Tech Challenge West Super Regional Championship last weekend. The top 72 teams from 12 Western states competed in Spokane, Washington, said Laura Monty, co-coach of the robotics club. The Robominers were part of a three-team alliance that won the competition. The team will now advance to the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship in Houston, Texas, on April 18-21. The Park City High team also won the Think award, which recognizes the best engineering notebook, and an award for its video about what FIRST robotics means to them. They also won second place for the Inspire award, which is given to the team that demonstrates team work, enthusiasm and professionalism. The team is raising funds to help pay the expenses to go to the world championships. Those interested can donate at https://www.gofundme.com/park-city-robotics-trip-to-houston. CAROLYN WEBBER/PARK RECORD Angel Lopez, co-president of Latinos in Action at Park City High School, is one of four scholarship winners in the state. Lopez joined Latinos in Action, which is focused on preparing first generation bilingual and bicultural students for college, in seventh grade. His class was the first group in Park City that started in the organization at that grade. “From then on I really fell in love with the program and what it stood for,” he said. Being in a group of students with similar life experiences and interests helped him, he said. “We have a safe space to talk about issues that really matter to us,” he said. “As a class, we work together, debrief together and talk about what action we are going to take from our current situations. There is a lot that we have gone through as a class together.” Throughout all of his personal challenges, Lopez’s fellow students in Latinos in Action provided the support he LS N A E D P SHO needed, he said. As co-president of the PCHS Latinos in Action program this year and vice president last year, Lopez put a lot of work into maintaining the program and helping it thrive. Receiving a scholarship from the organization that has helped him apply to and be accepted into college in the first place encourages him. “Without this scholarship, it would be harder for me to get to college,” he said. “College is expensive. Knowing that I am receiving money from a program that I have dedicated my life to is an honor.” While he feels some pressure representing PCHS at the conference, he said that he is also proud and grateful for all of the support the organization has received from the community and the school. Lopez plans on attending the University of Utah in the fall. Men4Ed lays foundation of giving with initial grant Grant applications due April 17, to be announced in May CAROLYN WEBBER The Park Record A year and a half ago, a number of dads in Park City looked around and noticed plenty of women involved in nonprofits for education, but not a lot of men. From there, they took it upon themselves to start Men4Ed. Now, the group is planning on giving its very first grant. Men4Ed, which is a branch of the Park City Education Foun- dation made up entirely of men, has raised money the last few years as it gathered members. Each member pays $1,000 to join and there are currently 119 members. Jay Sheridan, one of the group’s members, said that given the amount they have raised so far, they felt it was time to start the grant program. “We have been at this for a while and felt like, while we haven’t reached the membership numbers that we really wanted to yet, it’s a great start,” he said. Men4Ed plans on giving $20,000 this year to help programs in the Park City School District. The money will be given to organizations and activities that are connected to the district but are held outside of regular school hours, he said. “We felt like that was the underserved niche market that we could focus on,” he said. Sheridan said that after- and before-school programs defined his learning experience when he was in grade school. He hopes to help create and maintain programs that have similar impacts on students in Park City. The application process is currently open and closes on April 17. The grants will be announced and awarded on May 1, he said. The grants will continue from year to year but the amount is subject to change. Grant applications can be found at http://www.pcef4kids.org/ how-you-can-help/men4ed. OW 40-50 30-50 OUTERWEAR Some Restrictions May Apply ALL SKIS & BINDINGS PARK CITY 1284 Lowell Ave. (PCMR Center) Park City, UT 84060 (435) 649 - 8430 DEER VALLEY The Chateaux at Silver Lake 7815 Royal Street East (435) 615-1134 |