Samo students receive Los Angeles County ROP awards

Logan Henderson (’13), David Leibman (’13), Max Myman (’13) and Ruhi Bhalla (’14) received Outstanding Regional Occupational Program (ROP) Student Recognitions for their work in their ROP classes.Every year, ROP teachers select one student per class that has shown an outstanding worth ethic and has exceeded expectations for nomination in a county-wide competition. Bhalla showed these skills in Film & Video Production, Henderson in Business Management-Project Echo, Leibman in IIT Essentials and Myman in Photography Level II. These students move on to a county competition, which involves interviews and work presentations.According to ROP counselor Sara Williams, out of the 43 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) students nominated for this award, only five students received these honors — the four Samo students and one Malibu High School student.Henderson resulted out of the county round with a prestigious gold medal and will attend an award ceremony.  Leibman, Myman and Bhalla earned bronze medals.“I’ve put a lot of work into this competition and I am pleased to have had such a great outcome,” Henderson said. “I definitely feel excited.”The students worked with their ROP teachers and classmates and attended workshops with Williams in order to best present their work.“We try to make them seem professional and top notch,” Williams said. “We train for interviews, which is what the competition is really about. These students partake in a mock interview with city officials and receive feedback and then go to the district interview.”Bhalla, a filmmaker, spent the whole year finessing her work with the consultation of her classmates.“I presented my work in front of [my] ROP class and I really appreciate the constructive criticism that my peers gave me since it helped in the long run,” Bhalla said.The ROP awards, Williams said, should only further students’ confidence and passion.“These students are amazing and I am so honored to work with them,” Williams said. “These students have put so much heart and have invested so much time and energy into their ROP class and are also students that have been changed by their ROP class. It’s cool for me as a counselor to see these students find their passions and see that these classes are making differences.”mytarr@thesamohi.com