Thirty community members were sworn in as Court Appointed Special Advocates for children in foster care in March and May, the organization announced.
The newly-appointed volunteer advocates completed 35 hours of training and will be advocating for children in the county’s dependency (foster care) court system. As officers of the court, they ensure that the children’s needs are recognized and their best interests are considered in the courtroom, school and in the community.
CASA of Santa Cruz County’s waitlist of children currently includes 24 children, 16 younger than the age of 3.
CASA will be holding upcoming Informational sessions:
• 6 p.m. Tuesday, at Live Oak Family Resource Center, 1740 17th Ave., Santa Cruz.
• 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at CASA, 813 Freedom Blvd., Watsonville.
• 2-3 p.m. Thursday at The Painted Cork Studio, 1129 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz.
• Noon Friday at California Coffee, 9105 Soquel Drive, Aptos.
For information on how to become a CASA volunteer advocate, call 831-761-2956, ext. 201, or visit casaofsantacruz.org.
Carmen Lustik earns internship
Carmen Lustik, a resident of Santa Cruz, and currently a student at New York University has been selected to participate in the Television Academy Foundation’s 2019 Internship Program.
Lustik, a music composition for film and multimedia major, will be an intern this summer at Emmy award-winning composer Bear McCreary’s Sparks & Shadows company in Los Angeles.
The Television Academy Foundation’s annual Internship Program provides 50 paid internships, at top Hollywood studios and production companies, to college students nationwide. The prestigious program gives both undergraduate and graduate students in-depth and hands-on professional experience in a variety of television careers during the eight-week internship.
SCPD promotes Joshua Trog
Detective Joshua Trog has been promoted to the rank of sergeant, the Santa Cruz Police Department announced.
Trog is an 11-year veteran of the department and he will be assigned to the operations division. “We are fortunate to have such a high level of candidates in the promotion process. Josh will shine as a leader and supervisor in our department,” Chief Andrew Mills said in a prepared release. “He will be a vital part of moving the department forward.”
Before his promotion, Trogg served in the Neighborhood Enforcement Team for three years and worked with Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Team.
Education
The following area students were honored for academic achievement:
• Pailin Demeo, of Santa Cruz, received a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology and health from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
• Elizabeth Torrez, of Scotts Valley, received a bachelor of science degree from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Torrez also was named to the dean’s list for the spring semester of the 2018-2019 academic year.
Lions honor veterans
The Cabrillo Lions Club placed flags at the Veterans of War Memorial on Freedom
Boulevard on Memorial Day. The Memorial was originally made possible by the Santa Cruz Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and was erected by a select group of Eagle Scouts in memory of the sons and daughters of Santa Cruz County who died in World War I.
Project celebrates local teens
Teams of local teen chefs competed at the Jr. Iron Chef SCC culinary competition on May 18 at Kaiser Permanente Arena. The seven teams of amateur chefs used original recipes to create healthy dishes that they hope will inspire their school meal programs to use locally farmed, healthy ingredients.
The teams cooked before a lively crowd of onlookers and judges, including famous local chefs. The top three teams were: Mission Hill Middle School Mavericks, What the Fork? from Aptos High School, and Up In Your Grill which included teens from Watsonville High, Ceiba and Aptos High School. Each winning chef was given a specially-engraved knife from Teen Kitchen Project.
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