The Elks National Foundation has announced that Daniel D. Slate of Los Altos is a finalist in its Most Valuable Student competition. The 500 national finalists will compete for the top six scholarships. Two four-year scholarships will be awarded in each of the following amounts: $15,000, $10,000 and $5,000 annually. The winners will be announced by May 15.

Eleanor Birrell, a graduating senior at Los Altos High School, has been named one of 550 semifinalists in the 2005 Presidential Scholars Program. Semifinalists were selected on the basis of superior achievements, leadership qualities, personal character and involvement in community and school activities.

Lisa Battle, a sophomore theater major at Whitman College, played a sea creature and a schoolchild in the college production of the dance, “Pinocchio,” April 8-9. She is the daughter of William and Anne Battle of Los Altos and a graduate of Los Altos High School.

Local students have been named to the University of California, Santa Barbara, winter quarter dean’s honors list. They attained the qualifying grade-point average of 3.75 on a program of 12 or more graded units in the College of Letters and Science or 3.50 in the College of Engineering.

The students are Kenta Kathleen Tully of Los Altos Hills; Ross T. Fischer, Jennifer Gilbert, Christopher Dylan Irwin, Mark Hyungi Kim, Ria Karen Ludemann, John Juergen Panfil, Benjamin John Rancatore, Scott Mitchell Rooker, Jessica Sarah Starr, Maksim F. Vangeli and Michelle Stephanie Wohler of Los Altos; and Kristen Jeanne Meier, Kristen Luann Mulenburg, Kerry Kay Quistad and Jeffrey David Silverman of Mountain View.