If you’re a current student or alum, or a community member interested in learning more about the interests and accomplishments of our students and alumni, you’ve come to the right page! We update this page regularly to highlight some of our students' notable achievements.
Class of 2011
On August 29, 2009, Xenia Rangaswami successfully completed the 7th Annual Alcatraz Classic, sponsored by Water World Swim. Swimmers in this challenging open water swim began at Alcatraz and swam a 1.5 mile course ending at Aquatic Park. At age twelve, Xenia was the youngest participant in the event.
Class of 2010
"My Favorite Story on the Spokane Indian Reservation," a short story by Asher Gutherz, was published in the August 2009 issue of The 826 Quarterly, a collection of Bay Area student writing published by 826 Valencia, a nonprofit organization founded by author Dave Eggers and educator Nínive Calegari.
Denis Ivanov and Vikram Nigam were 2009 prize winners in the “Schools at the Festival” student essay contest sponsored by the San Francisco Film Society. They attended the film New Muslim Cool as part of the San Francisco International Film Festival and submitted essays in response to the film. Both were runner-ups in the middle school category and received cash prizes.
Class of 2009
Ethan Haslam was a 2009 grand prize winner in the “Looking for Your Lincoln Hero” national essay contest sponsored by the My Hero Project, a nonprofit educational organization whose mission is to inspire people of all ages with an internet archive of hero stories from around the world. As a grand prize winner and author of an essay about Martin Luther King, Jr., Ethan joined 3 other winners during the summer of 2009 for a tour of Chicago and the Lincoln historic sites of Springfield, Illinois.
Anoli Motawala was chosen to attend the 2010 Leadership Summit sponsored by People to People, a nonprofit organization founded by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956. This week-long summit includes a series of workshops about building leadership skills, learning to set goals and identifying and developing a leadership style, as well as an inside look at the college admission process.
Class of 2008
“Always Have Onions,” a short story by Cash Askew, appeared in the 2007 The 826 Quarterly, a collection of Bay Area student writing published by 826 Valencia.
Maria Paschal was awarded the Roberts Leadership Scholarship to attend Culver Academy, a boarding school in Indiana. This full scholarship recognizes academic, citizenship and character excellence.
Class of 2007
Wesley Sparagon was a national winner in the Boys & Girls Club of America 2008 Image Makers National Photography Contest. Wesley credits a photography class at CDS as the initial inspiration for his interest in photography.
Class of 2006
The 2009-10 school year is an exciting time for CDS’ first graduating class, the Class of 2006, as they navigate the college admission process. We wish them every success as they continue along their paths of life-long learning!
During the summer of 2009, Taja Conley, Christian Hipolito and Erick Reyna participated in Summer Search, a national leadership development program for high school students. Erick also spent part of the summer in Mississippi doing community service with VISIONS, an international community service program for high school students that blends ambitious service, cultural immersion and exploration.
Teija Corse participated in a 10-day medical program that was part of the National Youth Leadership Forum. This program introduces outstanding high school students to the world of medicine, and provides opportunities to meet and work with professionals from top medical centers and medical schools. Teija also spent time shadowing an ER doctor at St. Luke’s Hospital and volunteered as a medic for the National Motorcycle Patrol, a nonprofit organization that provides on-course first aid at motorcycle racing events.