HIGH LIFE : El Toro Teen-Ager Is Named Finalist for Magazine Award

Kelly Thomson, 14, of El Toro, will appear in the December issue of ‘TEEN magazine as one of 24 finalists in the Sportsgirl of the Year program. The El Toro High School freshman will be eligible to compete for a $10,000 college scholarship.

In its first year, ‘TEEN’s Sportsgirl of the Year program is searching for outstanding all-around athletes--girls who have excellent skills in sports and demonstrate leadership and good sportsmanship.

The selection process is very competitive, but Thomson’s excellence in soccer--a sport she has played since she was 5--made her stand out from the nearly 10,000 entries. Eight girls were chosen each month (for four months) from six geographical regions as regional semifinalists. That’s 48 girls per month for a total of 192 semifinalists.

Thomson is now eligible to be one of the 12 super finalists who will be featured in the January, 1990, issue of ‘TEEN. The winner and runner-up will appear in the magazine’s February issue.

“I am excited and honored,” Thomson said. “To get to the final 24, we had to write a 200-word essay. I think the essay helped me.”

‘TEEN will visit the school of the winner for a special presentation of the $10,000 scholarship, donated by Bonnie Bell. The runner-up will receive a $3,000 college scholarship donated by L.A. Gear.

Only 5.8% of high school sophomores surveyed recently said they were interested in teaching as a career, reports the October issue of NEA Today, the newspaper of the National Education Assn.

Four times that many would have to become teachers to meet the nation’s growing need. Children of teachers apparently felt little attraction to their parents’ calling: Only 4% said they would choose teaching. Many said their parents discouraged them.

“My parents put a live teddy bear in my crib.”

--Woody Allen