High school surf
Local surfers featured prominently on the leaderboard of the 26th High School State Championships at Oceanside Harbor Beach South Jetty, which wrapped up the Scholastic Surf Series.
San Dieguito Academy captured the men’s longboard in the team Coastal Section. SDA also finished second in the women’s longboard, second in the men’s shortboard, and third in women’s shortboard.
Carlsbad High School finished second in the coed bodyboard among the Coastal Section schools as well as third in the men’s shortboard, men’s longboard and women’s shortboard.
Sonny Witholt of Oceanside High School won the individual men’s longboard competition, while SDA’s Luca Sinopoli finished fifth. Hayden Suess of Coastal Academy finished second in the women’s shortboard, just ahead of Delilah Lewis and Mikayla Abadie of SDA, who finished third and fifth respectively.
OHS’s Kayla Luce finished second in women’s longboard ahead of SDA’s Riley Crescenzo. Santa Fe Christian’s Ethan Castagna won the coed bodyboard competition ahead of, in order, classmate Jonah Soderberg, OHS’s Tyler Knatz, SDA’s Tayden Fowler, Cathedral Catholicl’s Liam Koett and Pacific Ridge’s Jack Chase.
La Costa Canyon High School won the Sportsmanship Award, presented by Tom Gibbons, among schools in the Inland Section. LCC also won the women’s and men’s shortboard competitions in the Inland Section while finishing second to San Juan Hills (San Juan Capistrano) in both longboard competitions.
Bear cubs rehabilitated
Two black bear cubs from Monrovia will continue to receive specialized care at the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center. The humane society hopes to get the bears, who are brothers, ready for a return to the wild.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife euthanized their mother after DNA testing confirmed she had been involved in two separate incidents within the last year and was deemed a threat to public safety.
The brothers arrived at the Ramona facility on March 15. Cubs model behavior on mother bears, especially around finding food or shelter, so when that is commonly done around homes and neighborhoods the risk of future conflicts goes up.
“We don’t want them to associate with humans in any way if they are going to have a chance to survive in their natural habitat,” said Autumn Welch, Wildlife Operations Manager at SDHS.
Nonprofit leadership
Brother Benno’s – a nonprofit organization based in Oceanside that serves those experiencing homelessness and the working poor throughout the county – named Angela Kuhn to its board of directors. Kuhn earned the Meritorious Service and Navy-Marine Corps Achievement medals during her 15 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps as a communications officer and attorney who represented service members in courts-martial, among other responsibilities. She has volunteered extensively at Brother Benno’s thrift store.
“At the thrift store, I learned the importance of uplifting the dignity of all,” Kuhn said. “My goal is to build organizations that are not only profitable, but also purposeful.”
Local gymnast
Dylan Benitez of Oceanside Gymnastics qualified for the 12-member Level 8 SoCal State Team with her performance at the Southern California State Championships. Benitez finished second in her age division in the competition and seventh overall with an all-around score of 38.025.
Her coach, Charisma Davis, said the performance “speaks volumes about her abilities and dedication.”
Next she will compete at the Region 1 Regional Championships in Las Vegas from April 10 to 12 with the rest of the Level 8 SoCal State Team against gymnasts from Northern California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona.
Pup rescued
The Helen Woodward Animal Center took in Gertie, a 1-year-old boxer blend, two months ago with injuries that signaled she was being prepped for a life in the illegal world of dog fighting.
Rescuers originally thought she was dead when they found her on the side of the road in Central Valley with torn ears, a mutilated muzzle that had been bound shut, open wounds around her mouth and was severely emaciated.
Gertie responded to veterinary staff with trust, warmth and enthusiastic tail wags. After two months of rehabilitation, including significant dental work, she has become ready for adoption.
“Gertie is ready to find the forever family that will give her the beautiful life she deserves,” said Helen Woodward Animal Center Adoption Services Director Kendall Schulz. “Even though she is physically transformed, she is as gentle and sweet as she was the day we met her. It’s so important that we find a family that understands that she is still learning that she is finally safe and will never experience abuse again.”
Local inventors
The top 10 inventions dreamed up by fifth-graders at Ada Harris School will advance to a state competition. This marks the sixth Invention Convention at Ada Harris, with 112 students submitting 74 inventions.
The following 10 inventions and inventors or teams will advance to the California Invention Convention in April: Step-N-Shred by Kai Buck and Aspen Hawker; Session Savor by Quinn Gates; Electric Waves by Brooksley Robles and Sienna Brocchini; Mission Fire Safety by Caden Newsham and Kaden Lain; Smart Tail Light by Georgina Rocha; The Trip Dripper by Henry Levy; Flashy 2000 by Declan Bonilla and Conor Justus; Quick Fizz by Skylar Howard and Aarush Kunda; Good Night Booklight by Jade Lueck and Ivy Seerveld; and The Wedgie Guard by Van Wastell.
Dean’s list
Aurora University in Illinois named Taliah McKinnon of Escondido to its Dean’s List for the fall 2025 semester. McKinnon is majoring in Criminal Justice and Business Administration.
