Class notes

The San Mateo Union High School District Board of Trustees honored 18 students who advanced as Merit Finalists in the National Merit scholarship program on March 30. Each year, the National Merit Scholarship Program provides an academic competition for recognition and scholarships for some 1.3 million students who take the preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. These students will now advance in the competition for Merit Scholar standing to be judged on their abilities, skills and accomplishments.

These students include Timothy Duncheon, Lauren Hoffman, Kaitlyn Severais and Grant Conour from Aragon High; Jackson Clowes, O’Brian Murphy and Dinah Shender from Burlingame High; Celeste Pichel and Paul Parent from Hillsdale High; Michelle Chiu and Rebecca Olson from Mills High and Benjamin Lui, Laura Bufford, Max Housman, Victoria Wolffe, Morgan Mallory, Hayden Tsang and Ya’el Seid-Green from San Mateo High.

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Washington Elementary School in Burlingame kicked offf its 90th birthday celebration with a special founder’s day luncheon on March 30.

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The Sequoia Union High School District will be holding open house events at Carlmont High, Menlo-Atherton High and Woodside High on April 6. The Sequoia High open house will be held on April 20. Check individual schools for time and programs.

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Cañada College will hold a topping out ceremony on Thursday, April 6 for the largest construction project on campus since its opening in 1968. The 15-minute ceremony will feature brief comments from a few speakers and the placement of the final piece of steel on the new library and student resource center. The ceremony will be held on the Frisbee lawn between Buildings 3 and 13. Cañada College is at 4200 Farm Hill Blvd., Redwood City.

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Skyline College will commemorate the 1906 earthquake and fire with the installation of a plaque in recognition of the educational significance of the quake’s centennial anniversary. The dedication event will be at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, April 6 at the Vista Point overlooking the ocean at Skyline College, 3300 College Drive, San Bruno.

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In celebration of National Library Week, the Skyline College Library presents a talk by Dr. Kevin Starr called, "California’s Greatest Moments: A Historian’s Journey Through History.” The event, funded by the President’s Innovation Fund, will be held from 11 a.m. to noon on Friday, April 7 in Skyline’s Main Theatre, 3300 College Drive, San Bruno.

Class notes is a weekly column dedicated to school news. It is compiled by education reporter Heather Murtagh. You can contact her at (650) 344-5200, ext. 105 or at heather@smdailyjournal.com.

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