Newport Harbor High School student, Baylee Bakkila, daughter of longtime Costa Mesa Police Lt. Victor Bakkila, was recently honored at the Newport-Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) student award ceremony.
On June 7, more than 200 guests attended the awards ceremony at the Corona Del Mar High School Performing Arts Center where among the 1,669 seniors graduating later this month, a few standout students were recognized. The areas of recognition included:
- Perfect ACT/SAT scores
- Simon Scholar designation
- Seals of Excellence
Bakkila was one of five students honored at the ceremony for a perfect ACT/SAT. Also recognized were:
- Shane Gooding of Corona Del Mar High School, Perfect score on ACT
- Matthew Paragas of Corona Del Mar High School, Perfect score on ACT
- Abigal Peterson of Corona Del Mar High School (class of 2017), Perfect score on ACT
- Hikaru Masuda of Corona Del Mar, Perfect score on SAT
In addition 17 students were recognized as part of the Simon Scholars Program and 12 students received the Seal of Excellence.
Simon Scholars allows students facing difficult life and economic circumstances to graduate from high school with enhanced self-esteem and self-confidence. Simon Scholars is a unique six-year program that begins during a student’s junior year in high school and continues through four years of college.
Seal of Excellence honors students who took the most rigorous academic path. Qualifying students are designated as “AP Scholars”, which is achieved when a student passes three or more Advanced Placement tests with a score of three or better.
These students will be honored with a special seal on their diploma, notation on their transcript and highlighted in the graduation program.
