Betty Carpenter presents Jan Marholin, Principal of San Cayetano Elementary School, with the Soroptimist Making a Difference for Women Award for the dedication, devotion and significant impact she has made on the lives of students, school and community.

The Soroptimist International of Fillmore honored Jan Marholin, Principal of San Cayetano Elementary School, with the Soroptimist Making a Difference for Women Award for the dedication, devotion and significant impact she has made on the lives of students, school and community.

The award acknowledges women who, through their personal or professional actitivies, are working to improve the lives of women and girls and is the most prestigious award given by the Soroptimist.

In her five years as principal, Ms. Marholin has modeled the character traits. She is an excellent female model. She works with the staff of 45 as a team and keeps moral high. She is positive, thoughtful, respectful and thinks "outside of the box". When her school needed new sod for the play areas, she teamed with Soroptimist and the Melodrama director and cast, sold tickets which paid for the sod. She works hard not only to provide excellent education for the youth, but to have the teaching occur in a clean, well maintained campus. At a time when monies are increasingly scarce, she has had to be resourceful.

She has focused on the importance of character by instituting Character Counts into the month school curriculum where she honors youth who are demonstrating responsibility, honesty and treating other fairly. Ms. Marholin has introduced programs into the school which give girls alternative goals and encouragement to be whatever they want to be. An example is becoming one of the few NASA Demonstration Schools in the USA. In the program minority and women astronauts come to speak to the youth. The youth and teachers study space, and the staff is able to attend NASA training facilities for workshops.

The award was presented to Ms. Marholin at the Soroptimist progam meeting on May 20th with many of her staff, friends and Mr. Sweeney attending.