TEEN THINKS SCHOOL NEEDS LIBRARY, SO HE CREATES ONE NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD GOES TO CHATSWORTH YOUTH.Byline: Lisa Friedman Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - In one of 14-year-old Chas Duff's favorite science-fiction novels, ``Ender's Game Ender's Game (1985) is the best-known novel by Orson Scott Card.[1] In a future where mankind has barely survived two invasions by the "buggers", an insectoid alien race. ,'' a young boy saves the world from destruction. The Chatsworth teen's own accomplishments are not quite as earth- shaking, but sponsors of the Prudential Spirit of Community Award said Chas showed the same innovation and determination as his fictional hero when he transformed a locker room into a library at a high school for juvenile offenders. The project won Chas one of the nation's highest awards for young volunteers. ``The overall thing that we're looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. are kids who show initiative. This was definitely one of them,'' said Prudential spokesman Lew Armistead after a ceremony Monday at the International Trade Center, where Chas and nine other teens were honored. Chas, an eighth-grader at Sierra Canyon High School Canyon High School can refer to:
``Just seeing how happy they were was really cool. It was just amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. to see how happy they were just owning their own crayons,'' he said. For his Eagle Scout Ea·gle Scout n. One who has achieved the highest rank in the Boy Scouts. Noun 1. Eagle Scout - a Boy Scout who has earned many merit badges Boy Scout - a boy who is a member of the Boy Scouts project this year, Chas, an avid reader, decided that he would help create a library at a school that didn't have one. ``When we asked him what he wanted to do, he already had a pretty good idea what he wanted. He likes to read, but what he really likes is working with kids,'' said his father, Charles Duff. With the help of officials of the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. , Chas pinpointed a school in Chatsworth that had no library, the William Tell Aggeler Opportunity High School for juvenile offenders. Then he set to work turning an old locker room into a place for contemplation and study. He solicited donations of money, building materials Building materials used in the construction industry to create . These categories of materials and products are used by and construction project managers to specify the materials and methods used for . and some labor from local businesses and unions. The rest of the work - fixing water-damaged walls, painting, installing bookshelves - fell to Chas and his friends. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , he said, the Aggeler Opportunity High has applied for a $50,000 grant to buy books. Boeing Co. donated $3,000 for reading materials, and a recent book fair at Sierra Canyon generated about 600 book donations. ``I just hope that it encourages other kids to build libraries and learn to read,'' Chas said. As part of the Prudential award, Chas will receive $5,000, and $25,000 worth of toys, clothing and other items will be donated in his name to needy children. The award was created eight years ago to reward young role models. The library is scheduled to open officially in June. |
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