Arcadia’s Best blogger and Arcadia High School freshman Emily Zheng has been chosen by The Young Democrats of America as one of only 48 students in the country to attend a High School Leadership Academy in Washington D.C. this summer.

Emily Zheng

The third annual four-day summer camp July 8 – 11 will focus on developing the next generation of Democratic Party leaders. YDA has been the official youth arm of the Democratic Party for 80 years.

Zheng was notified on May 11 by YDA chief of staff Heather Brown. In her e-mail, Brown told Zheng this year’s Academy will focus on preparing her to manage various aspects of a political campaign.

Zheng was also recently accepted as an intern for the campaign of local State Assembly candidate Edwin Chau, and was recognized May 11 as a Finalist in Congressman David Drier’s Youth Volunteer Awards during a ceremony at the Arcadia Community Center.

Emily Zheng, in light black jacket and black slacks, holding the fourth certificate from the left.

This YDA Leadership Academy is designed for high school students who are interested in getting an inside view of elections, the media, campaign finance, grassroots organizing, interest groups, the legislative process and careers in politics.
Students will participate in leadership workshops and policy panels and will be introduced to the nation’s top Democratic elected officials and Party leaders.

Attendees will stay at the historic Phoenix Park Hotel on Capitol Hill and the trip will also include a guided tour of the Washington Monument, among other sites.

National chemistry champion Timothy Man Hay Lee, a senor at Arcadia High School, has qualified to compete for one of four spots on the U.S. team bound for the 44th annual International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO).
For the first time since 1992, the U.S. will host the Olympiad on July 21-30, at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Hay is one of only 20 students nation-wide invited to a two-week intensive study camp at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. Timothy attended the study camp in 2010 and 2011; this fall, he will attend Stanford University, pursuing a degree in one of the sciences.

“Timothy Lee is one of the brightest chemistry students I had in my teaching career. He loves chemistry, likes working as part of a team, and enjoys the thrill of competition,” said Cherryl Mynster, his AP Chemistry teacher and Science Bowl coach. “This is the 9th time since 2003 that Arcadia High School has a student qualifying for the study camp and it has been seven years since Arcadia High School had a student represent the U.S. in the International Chemistry Olympiad. I’m excited about Timothy’s chances of being part of the U.S. Chemistry Olympiad Team!”

“The students who compete in the IChO are the brightest minds in chemistry,” said ACS president Bassam Shakhashiri. “These young people are the ones who will make the discoveries that shape our future by curing disease, addressing climate change, feeding our rapidly expanding population and much more.”

The competition, to be part of the international event, is fierce, beginning with a three-part exam taken by 12,000 high school students in the U.S. Timothy’s performance on this exam resulted in the opportunity to take the National Chemistry Olympiad test. Out of more than 1,000 of the nation’s brightest chemistry students who took the national test, he advanced to the top 20 and next he will be heading to the study camp being held June 5-20.

During the camp, Timothy will receive college-level training, with an emphasis on organic chemistry, through a series of lectures, problem-solving exercises, lab work, and testing. At the camp’s conclusion, four students will be chosen to represent the U.S. at the International Chemistry Olympiad where they will compete with their peers from more than 70 nations for gold, silver and bronze medals.

The American Chemical Society (ACS),  a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and the  world’s largest scientific society with more than 164,000 members, is the the official organizer, and The Dow Chemical Company is the official sponsor of the overall international event.

“At Dow, with more than 100 years of investment in STEM education programs, we know that innovation begins not only in the classroom but also in personal imagination,” said Bo Miller, Global Director for Corporate Citizenship for The Dow Chemical Company and President and Executive Director of The Dow Chemical Company Foundation. “We are excited to use the 44th International Chemistry Olympiad as an opportunity to engage and inspire bright young scientists from across the globe to pursue careers in chemistry as a means of creating solutions to challenges that affect our planet, our communities and improve the human condition.”

Congratulations to Arcadia High School senior Eric Fornaciari, the winner of this year’s Arcadia Rotary Club George R. Hensel Ethics Essay Contest.

“As Rotarians, we believe that ethics is, and should be, a part of our everyday lives,” said Dr. Brad Miller, Arcadia Rotary Club president.

Eric Fornaciari

With the contest’s overall theme of “ethics in general,” Fornaciari’s essay titled “Integrity or Friendship,” “describes a situation where a strong friendship is weakened due to a temporary lapse in judgment by another.”
“It goes on to describe how eventually I had to back off the friendship in order to maintain my integrity,” said Fornaciari.
Fornaciari is an Eagle Scout and has been active in water polo and soccer for the past three years. He is Publicity Commissioner of the school’s Senior Men and Women leadership and service group and served as the 2011 Relay for Life team captain. Future plans include attending UCLA this September to study computer science.
“Eric is a wonderful student ready to graduate from Arcadia High School,” said Assistant Principal Catherine Merel. “Thank you for giving our students an opportunity to express their opinions in such a meaningful way.”
Fornaciari will continue to represent the club as the contest continues and had advanced to the third level of the competition at the time of publication. The overall winning essay will be presented at Rotary’s district conference this June where the winning contestant will be awarded a $3,000 scholarship.

The contest, founded and fully funded by late Montebello club member George Hensel, was designed to challenge high school students to analyze ethical issues and concerns confronting them in today’s complex world. The purpose of the contest, in its twelfth year, is to promote the importance of ethics among today’s youth, to encourage them to express their views, and to fulfill Rotary’s commitment to vocational service.
Open to all high school students in Rotary District 5300, the contest serves as an opportunity for students to win scholarships as well as a venue for youth to express their views on ethics. It is hoped the contest will promote healthy dialog between adults and youth in this area.
“Other Rotary district contests attract musicians and public speakers, the so-called performers of the world,” said a district spokesperson. “This is a contest for those whose talents are not usually displayed in public, those who can write well.”
The essay must be between 500 and 1,000 words and must be an original, unpublished work of the student. Essays are judged on composition, content, and creativity.

– by Anne Donofrio-Holter

A “Celebration of Life” will be held for the founder of the Los Angeles BMW Club Leif Seth Anderberg from 12 noon – 5 p.m. Sunday, April 29, on the infield of Santa Anita Park.
Anderberg and his late wife Fia, who founded the BMW Club in Los Angeles in April 1970,  were honored as “Friends of the Marque” by BMW AG and the international association of BMW clubs.

Anderberg’s daughter Tina has invited owners of vintage and other interesting BMW to come and park on the green.

Anderberg died on January 24. He was born October 26, 1940 in Stockholm and soon emigrated to the United States, where he met and married Fia, also a Swedish expatriate. Eventually they moved to Southern California, where Anderberg worked for a well-known global marketing and advertising research company.

In 1969, Anderberg and Fia, who died in 1997, bought their first BMW, a white 2002. That same year he joined a BMW Car Club of Boston. Shortly thereafter, in April 1970, the Anderbergs joined about three dozen other Los Angeles BMW fans to form the BMW Automobile Club of America (BMW ACA). He became an avid BMW model car collector, a CCA National Technical Service Advisor, and a columnist in the LA Club newsletter. The couple organized hundreds of other events—autocrosses, picnics, tours, barbecues, Christmas parties, beer tastings, hill climbs, beach parties, tech sessions, and camping trips.

Anderberg succumbed to an apparent heart attack in January. He was preceded in death by his wife, Fia, in 1997. Anderberg is survived by his daughter Tina, his grandson Seth and a soon-to-be-born grandchild.

– By Scott Hettrick

We’re very proud of local author Cliff Shiepe, who is the subject of one of the featured stories in this month’s April edition of Guideposts magazine.
He was also invited to speak about the ability to redeem lost lives to a very appreciative audience of 500 at the Betty Ford Center‘s Annenberg Theater on March 24, and was interviewed March 21 by Colleen Williams on KNBC TV-4 about the challenges for child stars.

Cliff Shiepe photo in April issue of Guideposts

Shiepe’s book Cliff Falls was the subject of Arcadia’s Best Foundation’s annual One Community, One Book event last October, where more than 100 attendees were enthralled with Shiepe’s personal anecdotes and those of students, clergy and readers who were touched and inspired by his book.

Since then, the San Marino resident has made many public speaking appearances and book signings at regional churches, schools, and organizations, including a recent presentation at the Arcadia Rotary Club‘s weekly lunch program.
A theater group at the Betty Ford Center is currently working on a dramatic interpretation of his book, a follow-up to the first theatrical production of selected scenes by the Arcadia High School theater department at last year’s One Community, One Book program. Shiepe returned to Arcadia High’s Little Theatre last Saturday to watch some of those same students perform in the closing night of the musical “Oklahoma,” a production in which Shiepe played the role of the peddler man Ali Hakim in eighth grade.

Shiepe’s personal revelation of his own redemption is the call-out story spotlighted with a big photo in the index of this month’s Guideposts, featuring Joel Osteen on the cover. Shiepe’s own story of hope covers three pages, and the magazine devotes another separate article to his Cliff Falls book, which is available to purchase at ShopGuideposts.org, from which a portion of sales will be donated to Guideposts military outreach.

– By Scott Hettrick