Tracy High senior given scholarship

Tracy High School graduating senior Manjot Bagri is this year’s recipient of the $2,000 Timothy Mason Memorial Scholarship.

The scholarship is given annually by the Rudy Mason family in memory of their son, Timothy, who was killed in 1999 at the age of 21 in a convenience store robbery.

Bagri, who is among the top 10 graduates of Tracy High this year, will use the money to help pay her expenses at UCLA, where she will enroll as a freshman in the fall to pursue a double major in biology and kinesiology. She aims to attend medical school.

At Tracy High, the daughter of Satwinderjeet and Soman Bagri earned Block T awards for academics, music and community service and was the top prosecutor for the Tracy High mock trial team. She played basketball and tennis and performed on the clarinet in the school concert and marching bands.

Bagri chaired the Tracy Youth Advisory Commission and created and conducted the Amazing Race Summer Camp. She was president and choreographer of the Desi Club Indian cultural dance team.

Bulldog graduates from UOP with great praise

Tracy High 2006 alumnus Gerald D. “Gerry” Latasa Jr. graduated magna cum laude from University of the Pacific in Stockton on May 15.

He was in the Pacific Honors program and majored in social science, earning four minors in civic leadership, classical studies, history and pre-law studies.

In August, Latasa will begin classes at University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento.

Public safety awards announced

The Tracy Afternoon Rotary presented Public Safety Awards earlier this month honoring those individuals who made a positive impact on their organizations and their community. According to Division Chief Germane Friends of the Tracy Fire Department, this is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an individual.

• California Highway Patrol officer Juan Cruz has dedicated his career to special assignments, such as drug recognition, accident review and the Explorer program. Cruz is also a 22-year member of the U.S. Air Force Reserves and has served in Iraq, Kuwait and South America.

• San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Sheriff Jeremy Davis patrols Mountain House. Davis has made several drug arrests and has been a positive role model for his organization.

• Deuel Vocational Institution Correctional Officer Mark Del Barba has played a vital role in gang suppression. He is Deuel’s terrorism liaison officer and monitors the activities of inmate radicalization groups. Del Barba has been with DVI since 2001 and has served on a number of special assignments, from in-house training officer to shooting range safety officer.

• Defense Distribution Depot Assistant Chief Darrell Burton has been described as the instrumental piece in developing the training program for the Depot Fire Department. Burton has secured State Fire Marshall instructor certification for his department and has streamlined the training procedures.

• William Bonnat Jr. and Christopher Parker of the Defense Depot Police Department were named Officers of the Year for their department. Both were credited with saving the life of a victim of a traffic accident. A vehicle leaving the Depot struck an eastbound pickup, which rolled and landed upside down on Union Pacific tracks. Parker and Bonnat Jr. saved the driver of the pickup moments before the morning Altamont Commuter Express train struck the overturned truck. Both officers received the Defense Logistics Agency Meritorious Civilian Service Awards.

• Tracy Police Detective Tim Bauer helped solve the Sandra Cantu murder case. Bauer spearheaded local authorities in collective evidence and directed agencies during the investigation.

• Tracy firefighter Antonio Perez, the president of Local 3355, has played a vital role in the positive relationship between labor and management. Perez saved the life of a victim who was in full cardiac arrest in a car parked on MacArthur Drive.

Bethany School Academic Pentathlon winners

Bethany School in Mountain House competed in the Academic Pentathlon, which took place May 1 at East Union High School in Manteca for seventh- and eighth-grade students and May 8 at Manteca High School for sixth-grade students. Bethany’s seventh- and eighth-grade team received 12 medals, and the sixth-grade team received 15 medals and a team award for third place in Division A.

• Sixth-grade essay — Emily Castronuevo (fifth place), Medha Kothari (third place), Jephina Philip (first place)

• Sixth-grade science — Emily Castronuevo (fifth place), Ganesh Vurimi (third place).

• Sixth-grade math — Aniketa Sinha (fourth place), Medha Kothari (fourth place), Jack Li (third place), Emily Castronuevo (second place).

• Sixth-grade literature — Aniketa Sinha (third place).

• Sixth-grade history — Clara Guerra (fifth place), Jephina Philip (fifth place), Nikhil Pothuru (fifth place), Ganesh Vurimi (first place).

• Sixth-grade overall — Medha Kothari (ninth place), team (third place, Division A)

• Seventh- and eighth-grade literature — Abhisek Singh (fourth place), Alexander Xu (third place), Zain Munad (second place).

• Seventh- and eighth-grade math — Ajay Chilikuri (fifth place), Snigda Sharma (fourth place), Alexander Xu (second place), Abhisek Singh (first place).

• Seventh- and eighth-grade science — Zain Munad (fourth place), Abhisek Singh (third place), Ajay Chilikuri (third place), Alexander Xu (third place).

• Seventh- and eighth-grade essay — Abhisek Singh (first place).