CHANCELLOR’S LIST
Yasmin Vargas of Oceanside made the Chancellor’s List for the graduating class of 2026 at Lionel University in Carpinteria.
ACADEMIC MERIT
MiraCosta College announced the following students as recipients of the 2026 Medal of Academic Merit, the college’s highest academic honor: George Gorges, Joseph Johnson, Tyler Karg, Ricky Toxtle and Kristy Yam.
LEADING TEACHER
Escondido’s San Pasqual High School teacher Jennifer Franey was recently recognized by the three Northern Association of California School Administrators Region 18 charters as a “Leader Among Peers” for her leadership and lasting impact on campus. She has helped guide the campus through her leadership in Professional Learning Communities, project-based learning, equity in grading work, and teacher collaboration.
TRUECARE FUNDRAISER
TrueCare, a nonprofit community health center serving North San Diego and South Riverside counties, raised over $500,000 during its annual Illumination Gala on April 18 at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. The funds will directly support TrueCare’s ongoing efforts to expand access to care for individuals and families in underserved communities.
JUICE HOLLER
Family, friends and neighbors gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting for Juice Holler, a new Encinitas restaurant featuring cold-pressed juices, nutrient-packed smoothies, smoothie bowls, functional lattes, snacks and more — all made in-house with organic, local ingredients.
Resident Kelly Sergott founded the business, who named the business after the “hollers” of Kentucky where she grew up. The restaurant is located at 820 S. Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas and is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.
TROUT IN THE CLASSROOM
The Escondido Creek Conservancy has expanded its Trout in the Classroom program through a California Department of Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Restoration Grant. The program involves participating classrooms to raise trout from egg to fry.
The classrooms receive trout eggs, aquarium systems, and ongoing instructional support through the process. The grant money will help the conservancy to grow the program over the next four years.
WORLD’S SMALLEST DEER
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park recently welcomed a new, female pudu fawn. Native to South America, pudus are the world’s smallest species of deer. Safari Park visitors can now see the new fawn confidently exploring her habitat alongside her mom, Posey.
GROCERY JOBS
Barons Market is holding a job fair May 15-16 as it gets closer to opening in Carlsbad, the locally owned grocery store’s 10th California location. The job fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at their new store at 2800 Roosevelt St., Carlsbad, 92008.
Barons is looking to find 50 new employees to join its team before the store’s official opening this summer. Download an application at baronsmarket.com/careers or pick one up at the job fair.
ROBOTICS TEAM HONORED
Rep. Mike Levin honored the Crow Force Robotics Team, a group of 19 Sage Creek High School students and their teacher-advisor, Dr. Saied Moezzi, as his April 2026 Constituents of the Month for the 49th Congressional District.
Crow Force, Team #10809, is a FIRST Tech Challenge robotics team dedicated to inspiring the next generation of innovators through hands-on engineering and teamwork.
On March 7, Crow Force placed first at the San Diego FIRST Tech Challenge Championships, becoming the first Carlsbad Unified School District team to advance on placement to the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championships in Houston.
SDA ATHLETES OF YEAR
San Dieguito Academy announced a pair of seniors as its Athletes of the Year for the 2025-26 school year:
• Makena Howard is a three-sport athlete in flag football, soccer, and track & field. She will attend UC Santa Barbara.
• Tyler Shaw is a three-sport athlete in water polo, soccer and swim. He will attend UCLA.
