Meet One of Kearny High's Finest
Plus: Learn about Microgreens, Upcoming Community Events, and LV Residents Offer their Opinions
It’s almost that time of year…graduation time! Accordingly, we decided to interview local high school valedictorians—those elite students who are recognized as the top academic students in their respective graduating classes. Valedictorians usually get the special honor of delivering a speech at the graduation ceremony. The first local valedictorian to be interviewed happened to be Ella Perry, who is the valedictorian for the School of College Connections at the Kearny High School Educational Complex. We are proud to report that Ella is no stranger to the Linda Vista Update. Back about a year ago we featured her in an article that explained how she won an essay contest sponsored by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. This week we asked her a series of questions so that our readers could find out more about the quality of students attending Kearny High. This is what she had to say:
—What is your GPA?
I have a 4.58 GPA
—What college/university will you be attending next year?
I am going to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where I will be majoring in mechanical engineering.
—What was your favorite subject at Kearny?
Engineering, and a Communications class I am currently taking that involves writing and speaking.
—What extracurricular activities did you participate in at Kearny?
I played varsity tennis for three years. My partner and I won the league championship for doubles, and we went to the CIF playoffs. I also was on the boys golf team for a year. And I was on the mechanical and design team for the Robotics Club.
—Do you have a favorite teacher you would like to recognize?
Yes, Ms. Stratton, my AVID and English teacher. During my senior year she taught us about the college admissions process. She often stayed as late as 7 o’clock to work with individual students. (Ed. note. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination; this program is an academic support program that prepares students for the rigors of college)
—What was your toughest class?
My freshman Biology class. Our teacher, Ms Horowitz, made us work hard and motivated us to push ourselves.
—What is your favorite high school memory?
My favorite memory involves going after school with my friends and talking with them while visiting the stores across the street at Mesa College Square. We went there to hang out while waiting for our parents to pick us up. My friends made my high school experience the best.
—What did you enjoy the most about Kearny High?
The teachers. They always gave 110% to the students. They always offered tutoring and office hours. I have teachers in Robotics Club that would stay till 10:00 pm to help. The teachers were always there for us.
—What did you think about online during the COVID restriction period?
I much prefer to be learning in person. Everyone tried to make online learning bearable. Teachers were always there to help, and were very understanding. Taking walks after school helped me to cope and center myself during that time.
—What is your favorite place to eat in the Linda Vista area?
K Sandwiches.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I’d like to have my own engineering firm, one that has loads of internships that will allow people to experience engineering at a shadowing level, instead of just jumping into the profession. I hope to be very happy.
***
The Linda Vista Update wishes to thank Ms Perry for taking the time to answer our questions, and we wish her good luck in college.
Trying Out Microgreens at LV Farmers Market
If you are looking for healthy food that also possesses great taste, one can always resort to eating a nice salad. A plate full of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions provides a beneficial and delicious source of food. However, if you are looking for something slightly different that still possesses the same nutritional and appetizing characteristics, then you might want to try the “Microgreen” option.
If you haven’t heard of microgreens, don’t be too surprised; I only became familiar with the concept as a result of attending last week’s inaugural Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market. It turns out that a visit to one of the Farmers Market vendors—Mostly Microgreens—can help you learn about this latest healthy food trend and allow you to leave with a container full of these young plants.
Microgreens are defined as seedlings or young plants of edible greens, vegetables, and herbs. Typical microgreens include kale, broccoli, cilantro, arugula, celery, and spinach. They are similar to sprouts, but unlike sprouts microgreens possess leaves. They range in size from 1 to 3 inches, including the stem and the leaves. The average growing time for microgreens is ten to fourteen days from seedling to harvest, though some can take up to twenty five days. According to Wikipedia, the harvesting of microgreens is conducted “with scissors cutting just above the soil surface, excluding any roots. Some growers sell them while still growing, rooted in the growing trays so that they may be cut later. Once removed from their growing environment, these trays of microgreens must be used quickly, or they will rapidly begin to elongate and lose color and flavor.”
So why have microgreens become so popular? There are basically two reasons. First, they possess a superior nutritional value. According to the Urban Cultivator web site, “Studies have shown that microgreens are loaded with nutrients, such as vitamins, C, E, and K, lutein, and beta-carotene, 40 (times more) than the mature leaves of the same plants.” Again, Wikipedia states that, “Among the 25 microgreens tested, red cabbage, cilantro, garnet amaranth, and green daikon radish had the highest concentrations of vitamin C, carotenoids, vitamin K, and vitamin E, respectively. In general, microgreens contained considerably higher levels of vitamins and carotenoids—about five times greater—than their mature plant counterparts.”
Second, they taste good. As explained by the Urban Cultivator, “Just like how they’re concentrated in nutrients, they’re also packed with intense flavors, featuring complex flavor profiles. Microgreens can also provide a nice textural contrast. Add a few microgreens to that dish, and your food can go a long way.” They are also high in anti-oxidants.
Finally, how are microgreens used? Though they have long been used by restaurants to garnish a meal, microgreens are now commonly incorporated into a variety of dishes, including sandwiches, wraps and salads. Steve Rice, the proprietor of Mostly Microgreens, provides customers with a long list of possible uses for microgreens, to include as a pizza topping, as an addition to tacos, as something to be blended into a smoothie, or just as a snack.
Next time you pay a visit to the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market, I suggest you stop by the Mostly Microgreens vendor booth. Tell Steve Rice you read about his Santee-based business in the Linda Vista Update, and then do yourself a healthy and flavorful favor by buying a container full of microgreens. He will break out his scissors and begin cutting you an order. You might ask him for his popular “Spicy Salad Mix” selection. By buying microgreens, you’ll be part of a growing trend, and more importantly, your body, and specifically your taste buds, will eventually appreciate it.
Upcoming Community Events
—Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market: The Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market will hold its second market today (Thursday, May 12) from 1:00pm to 6:00pm at the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center. More vendors have been added, including an ice cream trolley. The official opening of this Farmer’s Market will be held June 2.
—SD Loyal Soccer: The SD Loyal Soccer team plays its next home game against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks this Saturday May 14. The game, which begins at 7:00 pm, will be played at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium. You can find ticket info by clicking here.
—District 7 Town Hall Budget Meeting: On May 18 at 5:30pm, Councilmember Raul Campillo will hold an online Town Hall Meeting to discuss the City Budget. You can register to attend the meeting by clicking here. The Councilmember’s office would also like to have District 7 residents take a survey to obtain feedback from the community on how the FY Budget should be prioritized. You can complete the survey by clicking here.
—LV Town Council General Meeting: The Linda Vista Town Council will hold its May general meeting on the18th beginning at 6:00pm with a half-hour social time, followed by the formal part of the agenda starting at 6:30pm. The meeting will be held at the Linda Vista Presbyterian Church located at 2130 Ulric Street. The speaker will be Kevin Yaley, the Francis Parker Head of School. The public is invited to attend. Come to the meeting, enjoy the presentation, and make new community connections.
—College Baseball: On May 20 (Friday) and 21 (Saturday), the University of San Diego baseball team will play an important final regular season series of games against the conference leading/nationally ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs. The games will be played at beautiful Fowler Park on the USD campus.
—Fire Safe Your Place Event: The Coastal Canyon Fire Safe Council will be sponsoring a Community Safety Event on May 21. Check the below poster for details.
—Tickets for Play Available: The Linda Vista Theatre Arts Program will present the musical “Aladdin” at the Linda Vista Recreation Center from June 15-18. Tickets will be available at the LV Rec Center on a first come first serve basis beginning on May 16. See the below poster for details. Come out to this fun musical and watch some talented LV young people perform.
What are Linda Vista Residents Thinking?
This week we attempted to discern what was on the mind of Linda Vista residents. In order to find out we spent some time roaming around downtown Linda Vista asking LV residents the following question: What positive change would you like to see occur in Linda Vista during the next two years?
Here is what these residents had to say:
“A local homeless shelter with mental health and substance abuse services.” (Conner)
“Less duplexes going up. Less construction.” (Anna)
“I like the community as it is. It’s perfect.” (Anonymous)
“Finish the construction on Friars Road.” (Jeanne G.)
“Less trash. Less pollution.” (Malaya B.)
“Get rid of gangs.” (Emanuel)
“Better roads. Other than that, Linda Vista is looking up these days.” (Rachel K.)
“We need the rent prices to be lower” (Pedro)
“A grocery store.” (Anthony)
“Affordable housing.” (Jeff)
“Bring back Padre Gold, or at least the addition of some inn or restaurant where people can go to eat.” (Earl)
There it is, folks. There’s some good suggestions on that list of comments.
If you have suggestions of your own, let us know. Share your ideas. Get your fellow readers thinking. You never know what might spark some action in the community.
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The Linda Vista Update publishes informative, interesting and fun news about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities.