The Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber of Commerce Student of the Month program, honoring students who make a difference in their schools and communities, held its first luncheon celebration of the 2026-2027 school year at the Lakeside High School Lancer Round Table Café on Sept. 8. Lunch was prepared and served by members of the Lakeside Culinary Academy.
Lakeside High School Principal Jason Eldridge emceed the event that has been recognizing Lake Elsinore Unified School District students since 1996. The nonprofit program’s mission is to acknowledge and honor college- or trade-school-bound seniors for their character, love of learning, and commitment to academics, in addition to participation in athletics, school activities, and community service. It also commends those who have persevered through challenging life circumstances, all in a setting that honors God, country, family, community, and free enterprise.
Large tote bags filled with gifts, certificates of recognition, and much more donated by the program’s sponsors were given to the award recipients. Each student was invited to the podium to share their personal story, past challenges, and future goals with a room full of supporters that included principals, teachers, peers and family members, as well as community and school district dignitaries.
September’s students of the month are Elsinore High School’s Logan Morales and Trinity Wheelock, Keith McCarthy Academy’s Enrique “Ricky” Benedict Perez, Lakeside High School’s Max Sims and Allie McEvilly, Ortega High School’s Chelsea “Valeria” Cardenas, and Temescal Canyon High School’s Josue Romero Umana and Logan Hernandez.
Elsinore High School
Logan Morales was described by Principal Pauline Leavitt as well-liked, kind, and energetic. “He represents everything that our school represents. Being strong, having a hard work ethic, critical thinking, a great teammate, an outstanding person. He’s tenth out of 392 students with a 4.474 GPA.” Logan said, “I’ve always been moving forward, moving ahead. I just love learning, and that’s why I’m here right now. It’s because I love what I do. I love reading and exploring everything in class. It’s very important to love what you do, to love what you do going forward.” Logan is an active community volunteer and hopes to attend Caltech in the future. His freshman AP Environmental Science teacher, Ryan Klopp, said Logan earned A-plus grades both semesters and was impressed with his work ethic and ability to think through complex issues. “Then I had the privilege of getting Logan in his sophomore year in my honors chemistry class. That was exciting for me to see him continue his path of growth, especially in the sciences. Once again, in a class like chemistry, there are a lot of difficult concepts, and he just crushed it. I’ve always been really impressed with Logan and his natural abilities.” Logan is also a member of the California Scholarship Federation and a multisport athlete. “I just think what really sets him apart is just the way he
represents high school with the utmost integrity, character, and tenacity,” Klopp said.
Trinity Wheelock was introduced by Principal Leavitt as someone others describe as sweet, kind, with a little bit of spunk. “They say she’s motivated in all areas of her life. She works hard to create her own success. She does not wait around to have something done. She makes it happen.” She is currently ranked number one out of 392 seniors with a 4.69 GPA. Trinity has plans to attend Point Loma Nazarene University to study kinesiology with a goal of becoming an athletic trainer. “I want to help athletes perform at their very best because that’s really important to me as an athlete myself,” she said. Trinity is also involved with National Honor Society, president of CSF, and captain of the girls’ golf and swim teams. “However, the roles that have been most meaningful to me are serving as the sports medicine president and president of the HOSA Elsinore chapter. Those are so important to me because they give me direction for the rest of my life,” Trinity said. Her AP psychology teacher, Azucena de la Cruz, said, “She’s one of the most exceptional students I’ve encountered in my 20 years as an educator. She represents the rare combination of academic excellence, leadership, and character that truly distinguishes a student at her age. Her accolades and accomplishments are many and can fill entire books.” She said Trinity possesses character traits that even some adults lack. “She is genuine, kind, has integrity, a big heart, and a strong moral compass,” de la Cruz said. “I’m a better person and teacher for having had her as a student.”
Keith McCarthy Academy singled out Enrique “Ricky” Benedict Perez as September’s honoree. Social Studies teacher Raul Kohl introduced Enrique on behalf of Principal Peter Hopping. “Ricky works in my classroom from 8 to 2, three days a week. Over three years, that comes out to nearly 2,000 hours, or more than 80 straight days of my life I have spent with Ricky. And I consider myself incredibly fortunate for every single one of them because during those thousands of hours, I have watched Ricky become the thoughtful, respectful, courteous, and socially conscious young man standing before you today,” Kohl said. Addressing him directly, Kohl said, “Ricky, in all honesty, if I do this job for another 30 years, I know you’ll still be one of the students I remember. I will remember watching you grow. I hope you keep reading, keep learning, keep questioning what you think you know, and keep becoming more understanding of the people around you. I hope you build a life doing something you love, surrounded by people you love, while making life a little better for those who have been given less than you because, Ricky, you truly deserve a wonderful life.” Kohl then read Enrique’s speech for him, which began, “Firstly, I offer my acknowledgement and eternal thankfulness to Jesus Christ, who has permitted me to continue journeying within passageways never imagined. These gatherings are crucial to bringing unity and acknowledging talent, especially in times of uncertainty and distress within society. We are the future, and together we will generate prosperity and concepts never before seen or heard.”
Lakeside High School
Max Sims was introduced by Principal Jason Eldridge as someone he recalled meeting at freshman orientation when he began his tenure at Lakeside. With a 4.46 GPA, he said Max has turned every opportunity that Lakeside has provided for him into something that he can grow and use as a springboard into his next phase. Max stressed the importance of how others impact your future. “First, that starts with family,” he said. “For me, family, they taught me everything there is to know about how to live in this world.” Max said he used to think friends were a distraction and that he could be a “one-man army” until he discovered that is not the true way to do things. “I realized that building communities and building stronger relationships with those around me led me to do things like establish the men’s life group here on campus as well as be the president of the CyberPatriot (team) here,” he said. Max learned to be a great leader because giving orders and commands is not the way to truly do things; rather, he works with his crew and is with them every step of the journey. Nominating teacher Robert Stare said Max is well respected by his peers and an excellent communicator. “He is someone who can think deeply and express ideas clearly, and his ability to think critically and communicate those thoughts makes him truly stand out and makes him deserving of being Student of the Month,” Stare said.
Allie McEvilly was described by Principal Eldridge as a student who is blazing her own path, following her older brother who was a Student of the Month and Student of the Year. She is ranked third in the class, with a 4.53 GPA. Allie said when she started at Lakeside, she felt she had a reputation to uphold. “Not only was my brother the valedictorian the year before I arrived, and my sister a salutatorian two years before that, but my dad was also a former teacher and head coach here. I came in freshman year with the idea that I had a legacy and a path that was already built for me,” she said. But she realized that the school gave her freedom and opportunity to carve her own path. “I’ve been able to cater and build programs to what my peers and I are passionate about. I’ve gotten to discover camps, clubs, and research that not even my family had discovered yet, which was saying a lot,” Allie said. “Lakeside is not just a place where I’ve been able to accomplish big things, but also where I’ve been encouraged to discover what I’m capable of.” She plans to pursue a career in public health. Teacher Sarah Anderson said Allie has been part of her sports medicine program since day one. “Beyond her academic talents, what truly sets Allie apart is who she is as a person,” Anderson said. “She is remarkably sweet, kind, and generous with her energy. She elevates our classroom culture simply by being in it, treating her peers and teammates with steady support and genuine warmth.”
Ortega High School chose to recognize Chelsea “Valeria” Cardenas this month. She was introduced by Principal Lee Alfred, who said the outstanding student is set to graduate in October. In nominating her, teachers added comments such as “she’s amazing, she’s always on time, smiling face, doing great in her classes, all As, she is doing an amazing job” and more. Chelsea said Ortega had a great impact on her education. She said despite having very loving parents, grandparents, and brothers, she felt helpless, stressed, and unsupported in school. “Feeling discouraged, I was making questionable choices, and before I knew it, I was being told if I wanted to graduate, I would have to transfer to Ortega,” she said. What she saw there changed her perspective on school. “I saw teachers helping students find the confidence to stand up for themselves and pass all of their classes instead of feeling helpless. I saw staff go out of their way to make us feel safe, and slowly I felt the pressure go away,” Chelsea said. “Ortega helped me believe in myself and reach for my dreams that I didn’t think would be possible. Ortega gave me a second chance.” English teacher Lucia Ruvalcaba said, “Her writing and her work is especially moving to me because Valeria is the type of student whose work embodies who she is and her passions. Everything she did, she embodies the type of student that embraces learning.” She said Chelsea is not only a thoughtful writer, but she’s also a talented artist and an entrepreneur with her own baking business.
Temescal Canyon High School
Josue Romero Umana was described by Temescal Canyon Principal Josh Hill as a member of the school’s cross country and track teams. “He’s also a member of our gaming club where he serves as the treasurer and is helping to get our esports team off the ground and running,” Hill said. Josue admits he always struggled with trying to figure out how to be as successful as possible. “It’s been an issue for most of my life. But since before going to high school, I decided to think about my future fully and decide to try to do the best I can to succeed in life,” he said. He never imagined he would be chosen as Student of the Month and thanked his coach for nominating him and his family for supporting him. He plans to attend Mt. San Jacinto College to study computer networking and the arts. “The biggest life lesson that I learned from my surroundings that I’ll take with me to college and life is to always ask for help,” he said. Science teacher and cross-country coach Alan Pearce said Josue received nominations from several teachers who all praised his perseverance. “As I got to know more of the obstacles of his life, I got to see the excellence in his behavior, in his attitude, in his achievements,” Pearce said. “The other students also noticed that his presence on the cross-country team has changed the culture.”
Logan Hernandez was introduced by Principal Hill as a member of the varsity dance team for four years and is co-captain this year. She is a member of ASB and serves as the director of the Link Crew. She also participates in studio dance. Logan plans to study elementary education to become a teacher. “I want to become a teacher because I believe teachers play a very pivotal role in shaping the younger and upcoming generations into good people,” she said. “A big life lesson that I’ve learned is to always treat people with kindness and never judge someone until you get to know them. Some of the nicest or most important people I’ve met in my life are people you would assume I have no similarities to or no common interests with. You truly never know who you need in your life. So, always remember to carry a smile and a kind heart with you wherever you plan to go because you never know what friendships it will create.” Titan Dance Team Coach Colleen Stevens said, “Being her coach for all four years, I have watched her grow into an incredibly talented artist and confident young woman. She is an exceptional dancer who consistently challenges herself and strives to be the very best. She regularly places in the top 10 at dance competitions against hundreds of dancers, which is an incredible accomplishment. Her talent is obvious, but what I admire most is the artistry and passion she brings to her dancing.”
For more information on the program, please contact Kim Joseph Cousins at 951-245-8848 or Donna Romo at Donnajromo@aol.com.
