Jolene Koester, president of California State University, Northridge, received the Pioneer Woman Award from the Los Angeles City Council and the city's Commission on the Status of Women as part of National Women's History Month.

Koester, one of 15 honorees, was cited for her exemplary record of commitment and significant number of contributions to the support and awareness of valuable accomplishments of women in the community.

City Councilman Greig Smith nominated her for the award.

"I am grateful to the commission and to council member Smith for their recognition of my work, which reflects the inspiration and support of the entire community of dedicated educators and staff at Cal State Northridge," Koester said.

Other honorees included CSUN alumna Tyree Wieder, president of Los Angeles Valley College, and former California first lady Sharon Davis. The Pacoima Middle School Panther Orchestra, Panther Band and Panther Jazz Band won top awards recently at the Heritage Music Festival in San Francisco.

The band and the jazz band won first place in their respective divisions while the orchestra received a silver rating, the best result of all its trips.

The groups were also awarded the Spirit of San Francisco -- Heritage Music Festival Award, which is given to groups that best represent their school, community and state. It is usually given to the school with the highest combined score of three groups at the festival. Youth Services America awarded $1,000 to Robyn Strumpf of Northridge, to be used by Project Books and Blankies, a literacy program founded by Robyn.

The money was used in partnership with Friends of the Family, a community outreach organization, for the Reading Circus literacy event held at Sylvan Park Elementary School in Van Nuys. Billy Dearth, a student at the Reseda High School Math Science Magnet, won three awards at the Los Angeles County Science Fair for a project he did on the Balboa Wetlands and Los Angeles River.

He was given an honorable mention in the Environmental Management category, a Science Fair Project award, and a special Certificate of Achievement from the Department of Water and Power. Kelsey Lancaster of Alice C. Stelle Middle School in Calabasas and her teacher Holly Noble were among six winners in an essay contest, titled "I Also Have a Dream," sponsored by Hold, Rinehart and Winston, an educational publishing company.

Winners were selected from essays they submitted in an online contest recognizing the value of diversity and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Students received $500 while their teachers received $1,000 to recognize their role in promoting student achievement. Ten local students won top prizes at an essay and poster contest for Sun Valley's inaugural Earth Day Expo held last week. They are:

Division 1 Essays (1st-6th Grade): Luisa Reyes, first place; Destiny Eddines, second place; and Janet Zaragoza, third place.

Division 1 Posters (1st-6th Grade): Melanie Nalbandyan, Misael Mendoza and Zaira Terones.

Division 2 Posters (7th-9th Grade): Ronald Menendez, Luis Medina and Narbeh Nazaryan.

Division 3 Posters (10th-12th Grade): Irma Nicole Corletto (Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley), first place. Katie Kaufman, 12, of Woodland Hills will host "Tapping Into a Cure," a benefit for the National Parkinson's Foundation as part of her Bat Mitzvah celebration on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The show will feature tap dancing, including the Jaza Tap Ensemble Caravan Project. Tickets are $35. For information, call (818) 710-1439.