For the past several months, sophomores have been using the design thinking process to devise sustainable solutions for a selected community and need. Students collaborated on ten social action projects, working in roles such as project management, research, engineering and marketing. On Thursday, April 28th, each project team presented to the school community and a panel of judges. Congratulations to all the public-spirited entrepreneurs in the sophomore class on their impressive work. The winning groups, Creative Confidence, Guegovelda, Language Links, and Project H.Y.P.E. were offered grants to move forward with the following projects:

Creative Confidence: Help build confidence in adolescents though a series of bi-weekly lesson plans designed to inspire self-worth and encourage a sense of empathy among peers. 

Guegovelda: Improve the quality of education for underprivileged students in Guegovelda, Mexico by creating a sustainable method for delivering needed school supplies. 

Language Links: Create an app to allow more convenient communication and scheduling between the Carlsbad Library Learning Center's volunteer tutors and their students. 

Project H.Y.P.E. (Homeless Youth Prevention & Education): Launch a social media campaign to promote awareness of local teen homelessness. 

On Wednesday, April 27th, Pacific Ridge sophomore Sierra Enge captained a U-16 U.S. Women's National Soccer game that made headlines and history! The team's game against Iran during the 1st International Women's Tournament of Gradisca (Monfalcone, Italy) marks the first time a U.S. Women's National Team at any level has faced a team from the Middle East. In a post-match interview, Sierra spoke to the importance of the game, for the world of women's soccer and for the world. "It was an incredible way to see how soccer can bring people and countries together," she said. "It also showed how soccer can help with the empowering of women across the world, and we were humbled to be a part of that."