BOYS' BLANKETS WARM HEARTS DIANA PEYTON COMMUNITY COLUMNIST.

Two Sylmar boys, Steven Ramirez, 10, and Cody Moore, 9, have been wheeling their red wagons around the neighborhood for a project they call Animal Blankets.

Old blankets and towels are being collected for dogs and cats at local animal shelters, an idea that came about from Steven's compassion for the animals he saw on a holiday visit with his mother, Sandra Siepak, to the West Valley Animal Shelter in Chatsworth.

``We do it because we don't like to see the dogs shivering,'' Steven said. ``I like to see a lot of blankets so they're comfortable.''

Mary Bernard is a neighbor and a clerk typist at the East Valley Shelter. ``I was overwhelmed to think that they would do something so unselfish, something like this for the animals. I take my hat off to them,'' she said.

The boys, escorted by a parent and sans wagons, have been going door to door asking for old blankets and towels. ``People have been so receptive to the boys,'' said Siepak, who also washes, folds and helps deliver them to the shelters.

And at the shelter, the boys seem to have made some canine friends. ``When they see me, they hardly bark at me,'' Cody said.

Both boys attend Knollwood Elementary School in Granada Hills.

Children from local schools have been given monetary awards for playing in The Stock Market Game, sponsored by the Securities Industry Foundation for Economic Education in conjunction with the Daily News' Newspapers in Education program.

An eight-week contest yielded winners who hypothetically invested $100,000 in a portfolio of common stocks on the three main stock exchanges.

First place, $100 winners include:

Elementary-level winners from Dearborn Elementary School Diana Martinez, Kaila Rios and Reyka Jayasinghe.

Middle school winners from Viewpoint School Griffin Sandefur, Andrew Steele, Ashkahn Zomorrodi and teacher Alan Meyer, who is also the instructor for the school's third-place team.

High school winners from John Burroughs High School Jeff Barrett, Sean Garrett, David Huezo, Drake Johnson, David Montero and teacher Yvette Wright.

Second-place teams, winning $75 are:

Welby Way Elementary's Aysha Madison, Lillian Ma, Daniel Chang, Jonathan Smith and teacher Suzanne Silvertein.

Porter Middle School's Dimitry Karas, Jesse Castillo, Joey Loya and Hector Torres.

Third-place winners, receiving $50 include:

Viewpoint Middle School students Kim Kern and Ashley Lax.. San Jose Highly Gifted Magnet winners Sarah Plat, Tara Sulur and teacher Dana Caruso.

The contest offers students instruction on the stock market, the American economic system and the global economy.

On Jan. 23, Los Angeles Unified's Channel KLCS program ``In Focus'' featured students Jessica Rostran, Jillian Ceedhumrug and teacher Susan Convirs from Dearborn Elementary School, and Raul Puga and teacher Steve Worland from Porter Middle School. Also appearing on the program were Robert Strong, executive director for SIFEE, and Joni Roan, Daily News education services manager.

Ryan C. Wells was recognized Jan. 26 in a National Eagle Court of Honor ceremony at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church.

His Scouting accomplishments include serving as a representative of the Verdugo Hills Council of Boy Scouts at two National Order of the Arrow Conferences.

Ryan received the 1999 Spirit of Achievement National Founder's Award from the Order of the Arrow.

At John Burroughs High School he is on the Academic Decathlon team, and is also a member of the track and field teams and a section leader in the marching band.

Jason Lindgren of Oak Park and Shivani Shodhan of Canoga Park return today from a National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C.

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Photo:

Steven Ramirez left, and Cody Moore collect spare blankets.