Carla Vendeland Community Service Award
Carla Vendeland Community Service Award
Newport High School Parent, Carla Vendeland worked endlessly to fight world hunger, staying up late researching and writing letters in tireless campaigns against world hunger and for education. As part of her effort to encourage students to volunteer, she created the PTSA Knight Valor Program in 1989, recognizing Newport Students who make a difference in their community through their extraordinary volunteer efforts.
Mrs. Vendeland passed away in 1994 of cancer at the age of 52, and in her memory and in honor of her dedication to our community, the Carla B. Vendeland Community Service Award was established in 1996. The award is administered by the Bellevue Schools Foundation. To qualify for the award, students need to be a graduating senior and need to have earned the PTSA Knight Valor Award.
Newport High School Winners: 2022 - 2023
Ammana Karmali
My name is Ammana Karmali and I am planning on studying Cell and Molecular Biology at Columbia University in the fall. I am an avid athlete - I’ve captained the Newport varsity soccer team and played on the varsity basketball team. Having spent much of my youth volunteering in my Ismaili religious community, service to others is a large part of my identity. In my free time I love to mentor youth as a camp counselor, basketball coach, American Sign Language club President, and as an English teacher to youth overseas in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. I have found my calling in helping those that are struggling with illness. I have worked as a Nursing Assistant at an Assisted living and Memory Care facility, I have lead fundraising drives for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and I have volunteered at Swedish Hospital and Bloodworks Northwest. Mentoring youth and spending time with the elderly energize and inspire me. I hope to one day make a career out of my passions and become a clinical oncologist and educator.
Arohan Agate
My name is Arohan Agate and I plan on studying Computer Science, on a pre-law track, as part of the Interdisciplinary Honors Program at the University of Washington. In my free time, I enjoy debating, learning trivia, and playing basketball. As someone born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and currently lives in Bellevue, I've seen the impact of homelessness on our community. I started Nourish the Northwest in 2021 with the mission of donating home-cooked meals to local homeless shelters. Since then, we've donated over 500 meals while forming partnerships with some of the biggest shelters in the Greater Seattle area. Through my experiences, I've had the privilege of helping a core part of our community while also finding a place within.
2021 - 2022
Ethan Bai and Laren Chen
2020 - 2021
Jada Yamada and Kyle Pun
2019 - 2020
Alex Jabbour and Alicen (Chaewon) Han
2018 - 2019
Ethan Chaipatanapong and Yuka Kozakai
2017 - 2018
Garrick Luo & Neda Ali
2016 - 2017
Sharon Zhang & Matthew McCord
2015 - 2016
Dmytro Banin & Nina Reckinger
“Learning is not the product of teaching. Learning is the product of the activity of learners.”
-John Holt