Several Sierra Madre Middle School (SMMS) students are being recognized for their insect surveillance and research on mosquito-borne diseases. At a meeting of the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Board of Education on May 25, 2023, leaders from the San Gabriel Valley Vector Control District presented “Vector Inspector of the Year” (VIY) awards to 24 SMMS students, the most earned by any participating school.
The awards stem from months of work studying specimens found in the students’ own backyards as part of Operation Mosquito G.R.I.D. (Growth, Reduction & Increased Detection). The program also introduces students to potential career paths and allows them to use the same equipment and observational techniques as professional ecologists. In March, the district announced that science teacher, Ravishanth Dev Anandhan (Mr. Dev), became the first PUSD teacher to receive the Public Health Teacher of the Year Award 2022.
Congratulations to Mr. Dev and these VIY students from Sierra Madre Middle School:
1. Alyssa West
2. Guohua Ghiloni
3. Moira Heintz
4. Sebastian Aguilera
5. Danielle Choi
6. Declan Denison
7. Anya Gnanapragasam
8. Owen Ho
9. Michael Hudick
10. Alexander Klein
11. Madeline Korman
12. Megan Ly
13. Sienna Park
14. Emerald Green
15. Angelleen Sie To
16. Zoe Cox
17. Gabriel Gallego
18. Clement Chen
19. Micah Ching
20. Mason Del Rosario
21. Julietta Hutt
22. Connor Lam
23. Elliott Park
24. Ian To
Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD), 351 S. Hudson Avenue, Pasadena, (626) 396-3600 or visit www.pusd.us.