ACHIEVEMENTS.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Springfield High senior

receives King award

Jose Alberto Garcia Gutierrez, a senior at Springfield High School, was honored at an assembly Friday as the student who best represents the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in school and throughout the community. The school bestows such an honor each year.

Gutierrez received an overwhelming number of nominations, said social studies teacher James Mattiace, who heads the committee charged with identifying the recipient. He is known as a student who will do anything for others, including giving up his free time to translate for Spanish speaking students new to the school.

EEA earns national honor

for diversity efforts

The Eugene Education Association has been selected to receive the National Education Association's 2006 Rosena J. Willis Memorial Award, which recognizes contributions to the human and civil rights goals and aspirations of Americans across the nation. It is awarded to NEA affiliates that have the most effective or improved human relations programs. The award stems in part from the EEA's efforts to raise awareness of minority perspectives and diversity issues, including offering training sessions.

SHS student actor wins

Shakespeare competition

Andrew Watson, a junior at Springfield High School, won the State Shakespeare Competition held in Portland last month and will represent Oregon in the national competition at the end of April in New York. Watson portrayed the villain Iago in the school's recent production of "Othello."

Watson is the fourth Springfield High student in the last 10 years to win the state competition. He, along with fellow thespians Brandon Hudson and Jennifer Cunningham, will be featured in the April 24 edition of Scholastic SCOPE, a language arts magazine distributed to middle and high schools around the country.

Cheerleading coach

named coach of the year

Alisha Sullivan, cheerleading coach in Yoncalla/North Douglas, was one of 15 individuals honored by Northwest Ford Stores and the Portland Trail Blazers as Ford Coach of the Year. Sullivan successfully guided her team to a second-place finish at the state competition. She has spent numerous hours volunteering at the high school and has helped her students understand the importance of skills, dress, attitude and education. She will be awarded $500 for an activity fund of her choosing, and will be recognized at the April 1 Trail Blazers home game.

Teens take top honors

at chess championships

James Villareal of South Eugene High School and Rex Henzie of Marist High School each won individual titles during the recent 36-team Oregon High School Chess Team Association championships at Cottage Grove High School.

Wilson High of Portland captured the team championship in the A Division of high school teams. South Eugene finished fourth, Cottage Grove sixth, Willamette 12th, Marist 13th, Marshfield 14th, Pleasant Hill 15th, Junction City 16th and Springfield 17th.

Sunset High of Beaverton finished first in the B Division of combined high school and middle school players. Cottage Grove was fourth, Pleasant Hill sixth, Willamette seventh, Oakland eighth, Coquille 10th, Junction City 12th, Springfield B 13th, Marshfield 14th and Springfield C 15th.

Also earning all-state honors were Oleg Zaikov of South Eugene, Jon Shaw of Springfield, and Isaiah Dunn and Nick Glesmann of Cottage Grove. Wen Chang of Oakland won an award in the individual division.

Elks announce winners

of scholarship awards

The Eugene Elks Lodge has announced the Most Valuable Student Scholarship winners for 2006. The girl winners were Rebecca Stewart of Marist High School, who took the first place award of $750; and Rachelle Neal of Churchill High School, who earned a $500 second place award. The boys, who won scholarships for the same dollar amount, were Casey Tereault of Junction City High School in first place and Jeremy Schifberg of South Eugene High School in second.

Stewart also took first place in the District Scholarship Contest, earning a $1,600 scholarship.