SBUSD Honors Distinguished Scholar Students

 Armea Dilan, a sixth grader at , joined other students at the school board's meeting May 19 to be honored as a Distinguished Scholar.

Sixth graders from each of the district's 10 elementary schools were honored, as well as a student from the Visual and Performing Arts and GATE programs as well as the Nestor Language Academy.

Dilan came to the United States from the Philippines last fall, and her teacher Ben Swearingen said she fit in right away in his classroom's unique culture "like a hand in a glove."

"She has performed exceptionally on all her benchmark tests but most importantly she is an active learner, always engaged in the learning and the lessons and is conciliatory to her peers," Swearingen said of the sixth grader.

"One of my favorite quotes about her is when asked one time why she finishes her work and pulls out a work and starts reading, her response was, 'Why don't you?'"

Other IB students recognized for their passion for learning include:

• Ramon Sanchez of
• Florence Bansag of
• Michael Wilson of