Peoria Times
22 YOUTH
June 10, 2021
For more youth visit peoriatimes.com PeoriaTimes.com
/PeoriaTimes
Peoria’s Suhani Patel is a U.S. Presidential Scholar
BY LAUREN SERRATO Peoria Times Staff Writer
Peoria student Suhani Patel was one of three Arizona students named to the 57th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars. The 2021 Mountain Ridge High School graduate is among the 161 high school seniors selected by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. The choices are based on academic success, artistic and technical excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as community service, leadership and demonstrated commitment to high ideals. Patel, a Peoria resident, was awarded the Presidential Scholar in career and technical education. “I’m in shock, and it hasn’t really settled in yet,” Patel said. “I don’t think it has fully planted in my brain that I got it, but I’m just in shock and I’m really grateful to have this opportunity.” Following her passion for computer science and coding, Patel will attend
Suhani Patel, a Mountain Ridge High School graduate, will attend Cornell University in the fall after being named a U.S. Presidential Scholar. (Photo courtesy of Suhani Patel)
Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, in the fall to study computer science and economics. As an Arizona native, Patel said she is looking forward to experiencing winters and having the opportunity to receive an Ivy League education. “I’m excited to learn more about computer science,” she explained. “There aren’t that many resources for younger kids to learn computer science outside of university that goes really in depth and helps you learn those skills. I’m also excited to start a new life and meet new people, make new friends, make new connections, discover my passion and learn more about myself, all the things that come with college.” With an impressive 4.81 weighted grade-point average, Patel graduated from Mountain Ridge in the top 1% of her class. Over 3.5 million students graduated from high school this year. Of those students, more than 6,000 candidates qualified for the 2021 awards determined by
their performance on the College Board SAT or ACT exams or through nominations. Patel scored nearly perfect on her exams, finishing with a 1520 on the SAT and a 35 on the ACT. To determine the final 161 students, as directed by presidential executive order, the 2021 U.S. Presidential Scholars are composed of one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. “The 2021 Presidential Scholars represent extraordinary achievements for our extraordinary times,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a statement to the press. “I am delighted to join President Biden in saluting these outstanding young people for their achievements, service, character and continued pursuit of excellence. Their examples make me proud and hopeful about the future. Honoring them can remind us all of the great potential in each new generation SEE SCHOLAR PAGE 24
Librarian shares love of reading through ‘Madame Patchouli’ BY ALEX GALLAGHER Peoria Times Staff Writer
Sunrise Mountain Public Library has resumed in-person events, including its popular storytime “Crazy Times with Madame Patchouli.” Kathie Jackson, who plays Madame Patchouli, is Sunrise Mountain Public Library’s lead librarian and has been with the library since 2002. “At the time I started, we had a tiny room off on the corner and we had about three kids attending storytimes,” Jackson said. “Then, within about a year and a half, we grew to about 40 kids and outgrew that room.” As for the unique name of her character, Jackson is the first to tell people the
Kathie Jackson has played Madame Patchouli at Sunrise Mountain Public Library for 20 years to educate and entertain Peoria youth. (Photo by Pablo Robles)
name was not her idea. “When I started, my boss at the time invented the name and I would wear a costume,” Jackson said. As the character developed, Jackson added performances for kids ages 3 to 5 in the Sunrise Mountain Public Library. “All of my stories will have some sort of literacy component, but all of my shows start off with some songs to get the kids settled in, then we’ll read a couple of books,” Jackson said. During her 20 years as Madame Patchouli, Jackson has given her shows themes. The most recent was Memorial Day. Because Memorial Day can be a tough topic for kids that age to grasp, Jackson SEE JACKSON PAGE 23
