Andrew Bingham, who graduated from Huntington Beach...

Andrew Bingham, who graduated from Huntington Beach High School in

2003, has been selected to attend the U.S. Naval Academy in

Annapolis, Maryland. He spent the past school year at the Hill

School, a Pennsylvania prep school. He was a competitive swimmer at

Huntington Beach High and Hill. His parents are Surf City residents

Dave and Sharman Bingham ... Huntington Beach Girl Scout Stephanie

Thompson, 16, earned the Girl Scouts’ Gold Award after completing a

community service project over the summer. Thompson spent 70 hours

planning and teaching two sewing classes for girls attending Oak View

Elementary School. At the end of the classes, each of Thompson’s

students had crafted a handmade draw-string bag, skirt and pillow ...

Edison High School teacher Pam Porter was named the winner of a grant

designed to teach energy conservation. The grants were offered to

California teachers by the oil company British Petroleum America.

More than 5,100 teachers applied for grants by submitting lesson

plans that combined instruction in core subjects like math, science

and reading with energy matters. Grants in $5,000 and $10,000

increments were awarded to 1,075 teachers and winners were chosen by

a 20-judge panel.

* NEIGHBORS is news about Huntington Beach people achieving and

doing good in the community. To submit information to this feature,

please send it to the Independent, Attn.: Neighbors, 18682 Beach

Blvd., Suite 160, Huntington Beach, CA 92648; fax it to (714)

965-7174; or e-mail it to hbindy@latimes.com.