Senator Square: Excitement grows as Carson High celebrates last month of school

The school year is winding down, which usually means the activities and excitement around Carson High amp up in direct proportion. There is also much nailbiting and desperate prayers as freshmen and sophomores take their End of Course exams, juniors and seniors finish taking their AP exams, and finals approach for all students.

Seniors too make their finishing preparations for graduation day, which will take place on Saturday, June 4 on the CHS football field. And without further ado:

Winner: National Credit Union Youth Month
How does the Greater Nevada Credit Union branch at Carson High School celebrate National Credit Union Youth Month? By giving away a $200 gift card! Congratulations to Ellen Cherpeski, whose name was drawn from all the entries.

Speech and Debate
CHS Speech and Debate remains busy as captain Shane Morton placed 6th in the online National 3P tournament. Sawyer Barnett, Sandro Figueroa, and Sadie Share are fundraising for their trip to the National Tournament in Salt Lake City, June 12-17. In addition to finding sponsors, the team is putting on several public events. Round Table Pizza, on Retail Drive, will host “Bling for Speaks” on May 14. Please stop by between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to browse and order jewelry from Premier Designs as 40 percent of proceeds will go to the team. May 18 will be “Debate n’ Sass” hosted by Sassafras on Hot Springs Road.

The team will put on a dinner theatre show of the team’s favorite speech pieces; tickets are $10. May 25, the team will host “Paint for Debate” at Mona Lisa and Wine; tickets are $40 and include a class and appetizers. Tickets can be applied to any Mona Lisa and Wine class through July. Contact coach Patrick Mobley to order tickets or request more information at: pmobley@carson.k12.nv.us.

CHS 2016-2017 Sports Signups
The CHS Athletic Department is holding only one informational meeting for the 2016-2017 school year on May 23 beginning at 6 p.m. in The Morse Burley Gymnasium. Important information regarding sign ups, eligibility requirements, random drug testing, concussion testing, and physicals will be discussed. Parents, guardians, and athletes should attend this meeting. Coaches will be available. Questions? Contact the Athletic Department at 283-1900.

EOC Exams

At CHS on May 12-13, all freshman and sophomore students will take End of Course examinations, a graduation requirement, and students will test in Math and English. Students must bring their fully charged Chromebooks and photo IDs as these tests are proctored using Chromebooks, so any student who has a broken or lost Chromebook must contact Mrs. Campbell immediately. May 12-13 are late starts for everyone else. Students taking the EOC exams will arrive before 7:40 a.m. and test until 10:20 a.m. They will then go to their regularly scheduled classes.

Safe Grad for Seniors
Greetings to all CHS parents! The Carson High School Safe Grad night is fast approaching, and Safe Grad is reaching out to the community for volunteers for the overnight event. Registration forms for the party and trip were mailed out April 4, and the registration deadline is May 15.

The Safe Grad Program has been a tradition in Carson City for 28 years and provides graduating seniors with a safe, fun and sober celebration on graduation night. The CHS Safe Grad Committee, Carson City Sheriff’s Office, Nevada Office of Traffic Safety, and local businesses and residents help sponsor the event. This night is a tremendous success since there has not been a graduate fatality on graduation night since the program’s inception in 1988. The event will be held June 4-5 at the Carson City Community Center.

Around 90 volunteers are needed to help with bag check, food, games and activities, door monitors, raffles, set-up, and clean-up. This event could not take place without generous volunteers who make it happen. The shifts are as follows and the greatest need is staffing the last two shifts: 8 p.m. to midnight June 4; 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. June 4-5; midnight to 3 a.m., June 5); and 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. June 5. Please email Julie Slocum, the 2016 Safe Grad Coordinator, at jslocum@gncu.net with name, phone number and shift preference. Thanks so much to those willing to volunteer.

CHS Orchestra, Honor and Jazz Band
The Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band will compete at the Music-in-the-Parks Festival May 6, and the Jazz Band will play May 14 at the Greenhouse Garden Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Student of the Week
The CHS student of the week is Tanner Styes. Tanner is currently a freshmen who is always respectful to his teachers and shows an eagerness to help others and learn. He is extremely active in classroom discussions and takes pride in his peers and education. CHS thanks Tanner for his positivity, help, and hard work.

Senior Spotlight
This week’s senior in the spotlight is Tristan Martel. Tristan maintains a 5.0 GPA while taking five AP courses. He is a four-year member of the CHS football team, earning two Varsity letters and two All-State Academic Team awards. Additionally, he participates in Track and National Honor Society.

As a member of NHS, he served as Public Relations Officer, Vice-President, and currently as Senior Class Representative. Other organizations in which he participates are: Nevada Boy’s State, Nevada National Guard Youth Advisory Council, and the Youth Program at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Community. Tristan gives his time to many organizations in order to benefit others. He served as a Junior Senator Volunteer, mentoring elementary students in the classroom, as well as mentoring young people through Pop Warner football.

He even volunteers with Make-A-Wish Foundation and Christmas celebrations for Nevada National Guard Airmen and their families. Serving his country is Tristan’s ultimate goal. In addition to his Naval and Air Force ROTC academic scholarships, he has an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. Furthermore, he was accepted to the University of Southern California, Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University. In the fall, Tristan committed to attending the University of Southern California via the 4-year Naval ROTC scholarship.

After obtaining his degree in Aerospace Engineering, Tristan will serve as an officer in the United States Navy aspiring to fly military aircraft. It has been a pleasure watching Tristan attain his goals these past four years. CHS and the community are grateful for his contributions, and cannot wait to see the mark he will make on the world.

— Senator Square columnist Phil Brady is an English teacher at CHS.