Cyndi Loza

Future artists

Entries are being accepted for the fifth annual Future Artists Competition at Circus Circus Reno, 500 N. Sierra St.

The competition will be part of the 13th annual Artown festival in July. Designed to showcase local youth talent, the competition takes submissions from students from kindergarten through 12th grade who live within a 50-mile radius of Reno.

Submissions can range in size, and a variety of media are acceptable, including oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings, mixed media collage, photography, and pen, crayon, charcoal and pencil drawings.

A panel of artists and educators will judge entries by age groups, and cash awards totaling $4,500 will be given to the artists and their school’s art program.

Each entry must include a submission form with the student’s full name, grade level, phone number, address and school. Forms and contest rules are available in the lobby of Circus Circus and online at www.circusreno.com.

Submissions also can be mailed to the Circus Circus marketing department. The deadline is June 15. Details: 328-9486 or 328-9291.

People who have distinguished themselves recently in education:

National merit scholars named

High school seniors Elizabeth Ann Ferme and Daniel Sexton were named National Merit Scholar recipients. National Merit Scholarship winners are selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors. They are judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

National Merit Scholarship Corporation finances most of the single-payment $2,500 National Merit Scholarships with its own funds. Companies and businesses that sponsor awards through NMSC also help underwrite these scholarships with grants they provide in lieu of paying administrative fees.

In addition to being a Merit Scholar, Sexton, a senior at Damonte Ranch High School, also was chosen as a semifinalist for the Presidential Scholars program in Washington, D.C. Sexton has been accepted at the California Institute of Technology.

Ferme, a senior at Incline High School, plans to double major in math and science at the Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass., this fall.

Reno High seniors named as finalists

Reno High School senior Jillian Ouellette was named one of the finalists for the eighth annual Girls Going Places Teen Entrepreneurship Award Program on Monday.

Girls Going Places is a national program through The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America that recognizes and rewards teenage girls who demonstrate exceptional entrepreneurship and community service. The program has awarded more than $250,000 to teen entrepreneurs to be used for their business ventures or for college.

Ouellette was chosen from more than 5,000 nominations for her business venture, Bomber Dogs, a designer sneaker line. As a finalist she was presented $1,000.

For more details, visit www.girlsgoingplaces.com and www.bomberdogs.com.

AmeriCorps win service award

Nevada Volunteers, the governor’s commission for national and community service, commemorated Nevada National AmeriCorps Week last month by presenting a National Service Award to the outstanding AmeriCorps members, Vista persons and Senior Corps participants who have served within the state of Nevada. Among the seven Nevada individuals who were honored was Smith Valley High School student Rachel Wagner. She was given the Learn & Serve Student of the Year Award.

Wagner has volunteered with Smith Valley High School’s floral and nursery enterprises by teaching others about the floral industry and making various arrangements for events.

Wagner also has assisted in planning and executing many of the community education efforts, such as service-learning project that taught community members about soil and environmentally healthy practices.

Beyond her school, she volunteers through the local 4-H club serving as a mentor to the younger members and assisting with many of the club’s activities.