Tenika Garteiz

Chula Vista — Tenika Garteiz of High Tech High in Chula Vista is on a quest for gold, the Girl Scout’s Gold Award that is. Yet it’s really her school that will reap the reward, in terms of a brand new library. High Tech High moved into its own facilities on January 6, 2009, after being housed in Mater Dei High School, also in East Chula Vista, for over a year. But being a project-based school, High Tech High has no budget for a library. So Garteiz embarked on a plan to build the library herself. To acquire books, the sophomore wrote letters to community businesses, spoke at community organizations, wrapped presents at Barnes & Noble in December, put on a Family and Friends BBQ Book Drive, and recently organized a book fair at her school.

Teresa Garteiz, Tenika's mother, said that a final count of all the book donations is not yet available. But she estimated that, at the end of last weekend’s book fair, they may now have over 1000 books. She continued, “Tenika has a love for reading and wanted to make sure that her classmates had access to books.”

Out of the cash donations, the senior Girl Scout is planning to buy and build shelves herself. The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new library is slated in late February. The Gold Award Project is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, equivalent to the Boy Scout Eagle Award. To help Tenika grow the library and get her well-deserved award, contact Colleen Green at the school administration office: [email protected].