Top seniors honored

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT BEACH -- These teenagers have it all -- brains, talent,

ambition, drive and the nerve to publicly suggest that Rep. Christopher

Cox (R-Newport Beach) deals in manure all day.

They are future graduates of Harvard, Stanford, Yale and Princeton

universities.

They will be litigators, scientists, musicians and politicians.

They are the future movers and shakers of whatever communities they

settle in.

They are the cream of the 2001 crop in Newport Beach.

The Newport Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce recognized the top 15 high

school seniors from each of the two high schools Wednesday morning at the

40th annual Scholarship Awards breakfast, sponsored by the Commodores

Club.

“It was really interesting hearing how many accomplishments people

had,” said Lauren Mirowitz, one of the top 15 from Corona del Mar. “I was

honored.”

One by one, each student stood before their parents, peers,

administrators and dignitaries from the city, school district and

legislature while their accomplishments were recited.

To keep things lively and fun, principals asked students to expound on

various aspects of their academic resumes.

It was something Newport Harbor principal Michael Vossen may have

momentarily regretted after asking student Tom Peter what it meant to be

an agricultural waste engineer.

“Basically I do the same thing Congressman Cox does -- move horse

manure around all day,” Peters responded, as he stood just feet from a

bemused Cox.

With the exception of Peters, whose classmates said nothing he does

really surprises them anymore, students were both amazed and delighted to

hear what their peers had been up to.

“I think it just shows how gifted some kids are,” said Ariel Jacobs, a

Newport Harbor recipient. “I was impressed with my classmates.”