Valley teenager wins Youth of the Year honor

Kim Colagioia, director of program services for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson, recalls that Calvin Taylor believed he had a great chance to win the organization's state award for Youth of the Year.

His instincts were right.

In April, Calvin, 17, was named Nevada's Youth of the Year by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Calvin, who also won the Youth of the Year honor for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson, was one of seven nominees up for the state award.

"It felt great to win," said Calvin, a recent 2008 graduate of Basic High School. "I've been working so hard and I felt it finally paid off."

Calvin, who began attending the Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson's John Kish Unit when he was 14, volunteers 25 hours a week at the club as a part-time aide helping to organize activities for the club's members, which range in age from 5 to 18.

"Calvin is a straight-A student who has worked very hard," says Colagioia, who has worked with the Boys & Girls Clubs organization since 1996. "He does a lot of interacting with kids at the clubs through games and activities, and he is willing to help where and when needed. You can't ask for more than that."

Adds Colagioia, "It is a pleasure to have him on staff."

Youths nominated for the Youth of the Year honor are judged on character, leadership skills and work within the community. Each youth submits a packet to the judges including an essay describing what the organization means to him or her.

"The packet is their story, and despite difficulties they had in their lives they have gone on to do well and are really trying to give back to their community," says Colagioia.

Calvin will attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the fall and plans to major in engineering with a minor in business. Depending on how his first semester goes, Calvin says he would be interested in volunteering with the organization.

The Boys & Girls Clubs, says Calvin, "is a good place for kids to be."

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson currently has five units with three locations in Henderson, one in North Las Vegas and one in Pahrump. In addition, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas has nine locations.

In other youth news:

* Palo Verde High School senior Patrick Durkin and junior Josh McElroy won first place at the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition May 2 in Reno. Patrick and Josh won college scholarships, more than $1,000 in tools and advanced to the national finals June 22-24 in Dearborn, Mich. The students are advised by Palo Verde auto instructor Kim Een.

* Two Del Sol High School DECA students won awards at the International Career Development Conference in Atlanta April 25-30. Sophomore Omgema Mabior placed third in Hospitality and Recreation Marketing Research and received a cash award of $250 and the opportunity to accept a scholarship. More than 14,000 students from across the U.S. and abroad competed at the conference. In addition, senior Shane Patterson was awarded the National Honor Student Award for high level performance in DECA through the 2007-2008 school year.

* Fifth-grade home-schooled Las Vegas student Aria Rose Claspill was named the Nevada winner of the 2008 Arbor Day National Poster Contest sponsored by Toyota. Aria received $50, a state winner ribbon and copies of her winning poster. Among the three regional winners was Ahida Garrafa of Lynch Elementary School. Fifth-graders in 47 states and the District of Columbia participated in the national competition, which was won by Michelle Holiman of Stilwell, Okla.

If you know of a worthy candidate for this column, mail information to Youth Spotlight, Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125-0070, or send faxes to 383-4676.