STUDIO CITY TODDLER FEATURED IN DOWN SYNDROME VIDEO.

Byline: DIANA PEYTON Community Columnist 

Matthew VonDerAhe, at just 19 months old, was seen on the big screen in New York City last week for the kickoff of the National Down Syndrome Society campaign, ``A Celebration of Community.''

The Studio City child was featured on a screen above Times Square as part of a 30-minute video to coincide with the start of Down Syndrome Awareness month and the organization's New York City Buddy Walk fund-raiser.

His mother, Emmy VonDerAhe, said she submitted Matthew's photo for the contest to put a local face on Down syndrome.

``There is an old image of Down syndrome people. ... I know I thought that way, but today, things are so different,'' she said. ``Our little boy can do everything other kids can do, he's just doing it a little slower.''

``More than ever we need to value diversity, and we need to re-evaluate how we see differences,'' she added. ``If a parent gets a diagnosis of Down syndrome, it would be so great for them not to feel a sense of doom.''

Chosen from thousands of photos, Matthew appeared with a group of 200 from around the country.

The video donated by Panasonic was an effort to get the message of inclusion, success, hope and future for people with Down syndrome.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 14, the NDSS will sponsor a Buddy Walk at Crystal Springs Park in Griffith Park to raise money for research.

To pledge a donation or for Buddy Walk information, call [phone].

Compassion and patriotism are character qualities that students from Richard E. Byrd Middle School in Sun Valley are learning as part of a monthlong campaign developed by the school's leadership class.

Motivated by the recent attacks, the students are serious about changing their world, and they've started the Richard E. Byrd Middle School Sept. 11 Relief Drive.

``It's made our students much more aware of their responsibility as citizens,'' said Principal Jerry Horowitz.

Each morning during the campaign, a color guard raises the American flag on campus, and students rotate the privilege of singing ``The Star-Spangled Banner.''

Around campus, donations are being collected to meet the needs of victims in New York City and Washington, D.C. The students also are joining in instructional activities, such as doing random acts of kindness and the creation of a memorial booklet to be presented to New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Horowitz takes his job seriously, making himself available to parents and students by publishing his home phone number on printed materials from the school as a demonstration of his accessibility.

Under the direction of the vice principal and leadership class coordinator, Gregg Miller, the students who planned the campaign and put it in place are Diane Ranches Butay, Liliana Espinola, Jeannette Magana, Jessica Magana, Alexandra Martinez, Priscilla Medina, Stephanie Montoya, Merilyn Ochoa, Carlos Ramos Jr., Karissa Rangel, Angel Rodriguez, Louie Sandajan, Erwin Tinoco, Carla Vasquez, Vivian Velasquez, Jonathan Paredes, Stephanie Rocha and Lacy Greene.

Local students are finding that hard work has its rewards.

Several are on the semifinalists list in the 2002 Achievement Scholarship Competition.

They are Leroy Williams, Calabasas; Jamina Al Creason, La Canada; Kimberly Bass, Toni Carew and Mia Lee, North Hollywood; and Nahusenay Ghebremichael, Van Nuys.

Students found ways to express themselves with essays, poems, multimedia presentations and other creative projects in the Brainstorm USA ``Dare to Dream ... Expect to Succeed'' national scholarship program.

Eli Portales, a student at Vanalden Elementary School, won a $3,000 scholarship and a multimedia computer with more than $1,500 worth of educational software for the school for his project, a wooden-stick model of a home under construction and and an essay about how he hopes to accomplish his goals.

Brea Smith, also a student at Vanalden, won a computer and software for making a video of herself. She plans to be an actress.

The Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop has added three new students who have won scholarships to study music writing.

They are Greg Wannier of La Canada High, Shahak Ghaghian of Hoover High and Lizzie Wade of Crescenta Valley High. All are participants in the Verdugo School-to-Career Coalition.

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Matthew VonDerAhe was in a video aired at Times Square