Bravo! to tennis champion, woman of the year, Lego architect (original) (raw)

Winner, winner: In January, Orange teen Carson Branstine, with partner Bianca Andreescu, won the doubles championship at the Australian Open Junior Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

A competitive tennis player since turning 7, Branstine plans on playing in this summer’s Rogers Cup in Montreal. She’s previously competed in other Junior Grand Slam tennis events.

To accommodate her schedule, Branstine, who practices on the court for four hours a day and trains in the gym for another two, is enrolled in an online, tuition-free, K-12 school.

Branstine is the cousin of El Modena High alum and Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman. An older sister, Constance, played tennis for Villa Park High.

Recognized: In March, the California State Assembly named Fullerton School District board member and 4th District PTA President Beverly Berryman the 65th Assembly District Woman of the Year.

Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva lauded Berryman’s commitment to children and “leadership in making sure that students have every opportunity to succeed and achieve their educational goals,” she said in a release.

Berryman has a background in human resources and finance, and 20 years worth of volunteer experience.

“I represent a community of caring and engaged people that truly care about the children of this state,” she said in a release.

Cheers: Earlier this year, Anaheim Hills fourth-grader Tristen Leo used Legos to build a replica of Mission San Luis Obispo. The school project included a report on the 18th-century mission, which Leo and his family visited late last year.

“Mission San Luis Obispo was one of the most beautiful ‘L-shaped’ missions built in Northern California,” said Leo, a Lego enthusiast who’s built several other structures in years past.

Leo attends St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School in Yorba Linda. …

• Elementary school teachers at Olive Street and Betsy Ross in Anaheim received grants from City National Bank for their literacy programs.

Cynthia Slay’s “Good Characters for Good Character” and Eric Slay’s “Let’s Give Them Something to Read About” were two of 121 grant recipients nationwide. City National found the programs to be creative and engaging, and capable of having a tangible effect on student achievement.

City National’s “Reading is The way up” program seeks to enhance literacy in schools. …

• St. Catherine’s Academy’s drill team was honored at February’s Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States conference in Washington, D.C.

Around for 127 years, the Anaheim K-8 school is the oldest in Orange County and one of the few in the country with a military tradition. The drill team received praise for its performance at a national competition rife with high school teams.

“We are extremely proud of our cadets for their abilities, professionalism and dedication to our Academy’s Military tradition,” Col. Barry Bizzell, c

Anaheim Hills gradeschooler Tristen Leo recently built a Lego replica of Mission San Luis Obispo for a school project. (Courtesy of the Leo Family)

St. Catherine’s Academy’s drill team was recently honored for its performance at a national competition. (Courtesy of St. Catherine’s Academy)

Fullerton School District board member Beverly Berryman, center, was recognized by the California State Assembly as her district’s woman of the year. (Courtesy of the California State Assembly)

ommandant of St. Catherine’s Academy, said in a release.

Originally Published: April 10, 2017 at 9:42 AM PST