Senior racks up recognition in science, art Senior racks up recognition in science, art (April 13, 2005)

Collin Cronkite-Ratcliff, a senior at Menlo-Atherton High School, has a record of honors, recognition and leadership that includes his participation in regional and state science fairs, the M-A Quiz Kids and the Math League, and as a volunteer at the Veterans Affairs medical center in Menlo Park.

Recently, he won a $1,000 Bank of America Achievement Award for an essay, written under time pressure in a regional contest, on the ethics of manipulation of digital photographs.

He has also won awards for his hand drawings. His ink drawings of the buildings at the VA hospital -- representing some 200 hours of work -- are on display at the hospital and are used in hospital promotions, said Collin's mother Ruth.

Both Rensselaer and Worcester polytechnic institutes have given him awards and he is a finalist for a National Merit Scholarship. He has won the Lawrence Berkeley Lab award and the Intel Science Fair award.

Collin has also been honored by the Rotary Club of Menlo Park, including with a $2,000 scholarship this year.

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