High-achieving students honored at Review-Journal’s Academic Excellence Awards

Thiriot Elementary School fourth grader Eleina Gemeda said her family taught her to value her education and respect others.

Born in Ethiopia, Gemeda moved to the United States when she was 2 and has been living out those values ever since. A strong student and classroom leader, she is a member of her school’s student council, contributes to the Little Library reading project, writes letters to people who are sick and older people, fundraises for an animal shelter and collects pop tabs to donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

But it wasn’t until her achievements were celebrated with a Las Vegas Review-Journal Academic Excellence Award on Wednesday evening that she realized how much her actions mean to others.

“I feel very proud because, when I was younger, I didn’t really think much about this,” Gemeda said. “But now, it really means a lot to me.”

Gemeda was one of 12 students to earn a Las Vegas Review-Journal Academic Excellence Award on Wednesday. At the eighth annual ceremony, presented at UNLV’s Thomas &Mack Center, one student in each grade from first through 12th was awarded a trophy and a $1,000 scholarship.

Another student — Clark High School senior Alyssa Huang — won the Gold Star Award presented by Kinross. The honor goes to a magnet school student with a GPA of 3.5 or higher who is working to better Nevada through science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“This is so much more than a dean’s list or an honor roll,” said Glenn Cook, executive editor of the Review-Journal. “We are recognizing outstanding students who, foremost, are outstanding people.”

Elementary school winners

Olivia Elliott, a first grader at Toland International Academy, is a member of the student ambassador council and a Girl Scout. At Toland, she is a broadcaster on the school’s newscast and a cheerleader. She was also recognized as a library scholar at her school and won a student of the month award.

Hunter Grace Coleman, a second grader at Mathis Elementary School, earned straight A’s this fall. She is a Girl Scout who sold the most cookies within her troop and, with her family, regularly delivers food to people in need.

Isla Riser, a third grader at Lamping Elementary School, consistently achieves A and A/B honor roll and is a class representative for her student council. She earned the Nevada Youth Volunteer of the Year Award, multiple math and reading growth awards and first-place awards for literature, photography and dance choreography at the school and state levels. Outside of class, she is a dedicated athlete who competes in soccer, swimming, karate, cheer and gymnastics.

Jaslenne Jimenez, a fifth grader at Heckethorn Elementary School, is a high academic achiever who helped coordinate a book drive at her school that received over 800 donated books. As a bilingual student, she helps translate between English and Spanish for a classmate.

Middle school winners

Ovee Deshpande, a sixth grader at Miller Middle School, is a mathlete who was named a MathCounts state qualifier and a MathCon national finalist. She earned high school credit in algebra while in sixth grade.

She led her school’s Future Cities competition team, helping earn the student choice award and the energy diversity award. She also competes in Science Olympiad events and is the team captain of her school’s speech and debate team, where she has earned multiple first-place finishes.

Outside of school, she studies dance and piano and serves on the Hope Squad, a group that supports her peers’ mental health.

Grant Buckley, a seventh grader at Canarelli Middle School, is on the A/B honor roll and was accepted into the Junior National Honor Society. He assists his school’s performing arts program with technical theater productions and special events. He also volunteers with the Just One Project and Hydrating the Homeless, two groups that help provide food and water to people in need.

Adriana Castro, an eighth grader at Somerset Academy’s Skye Pointe campus, maintains a 4.0 GPA, participates in her school’s dance program and is the vice president of her school’s leadership organization where she mentors peers.

She is also the co-founder of Creating a Giving Culture LV, a nonprofit that empowers students to help give back to the Southern Nevada community. Through her nonprofit, she has helped lead initiatives to support people experiencing homelessness, veterans and underserved children.

High school winners

Alexander Hickman, a freshman at Green Valley High School, maintains a 4.225 weighted GPA and takes advanced coursework such as AP Precalculus and AP Biology. He has completed multiple honors-level math courses early.

He launched his own dog walking business and founded a club at his school dedicated to serving senior citizens. In his spare time, he volunteers to support older people, children and people experiencing homelessness.

Kayla Woods, a sophomore at Coronado High School, is the founding organizer of her school’s Teen Maptivists Club, a group that uses maps to better address community challenges. She is the secretary of her school’s Foster Neuro Foundation Club, which hosts workshops to educate youth on brain health and neurological disease prevention, and is a five-year member of Hope Squad who directed an event that served over 100 participants.

She is also involved in marching band and participates in a competitive indoor percussion ensemble. Throughout her community service, she has maintained a 4.65 GPA.

Rachel Forni, a junior dance major at Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, has a weighted GPA of 4.95. Her extensive course load of AP and dual enrollment classes has earned her the honor of AP Scholar. She is the secretary of her school’s National Honor society.

She founded Las Vegas Academy’s speech and debate club and won third place at the Las Vegas Rotary Club’s 4 Way Speech Contest. At her school, she has helped organize a record-breaking blood drive and a clothing drive.

Celine Chang, a senior at Clark High School, has completed an extensive AP curriculum and is ranked first in her class with a 4.95 weighted GPA.

She is the CEO and co-founder of ReadUp Youth, a nonprofit that has expanded literary access for under-resourced children by facilitating the donation of over 42,000 books. Her nonprofit has grown across multiple states.

She also developed an AI-powered reading app that was recognized by the United States House of Representatives and co-drafted a Nevada Senate bill to advance conversations around AI in education.