Senator Square: Carson High School Class of 2020 yearbook has arrived

Editor’s Note: Patt Quinn-Davis is adviser for the Carneta yearbook. She wrote this letter to CHS staff members to share the challenges she and her student staff faced in finishing this year’s carneta. Quinn-Davis also teaches Honors American Literature and English IV.

Before jumping into teaching, Quinn-Davis worked many years at The Nevada Appeal as city government reporter, columnist, and city editor. She was also editor of The Nevada Appeal and previously was editor of The Daily Democrat newspaper in Woodland, California.

It has been just a few weeks since we finished the 2020 Carneta yearbook. Since that time, I have wondered how I can explain to all of you what it took for these students, Sydney Lloyd, Desirea Fox, Lindsay Chowanski, Allison Gill, Bryce Alvarado, Aspen Carrillo, Julia Nolan, Anthony Alvarado, Justyce Quintana, and Veronica Burson, to make that deadline during these extraordinary times.

And you know what? I do not believe I can explain all of it. You really did have to be there. We are used to hearing all that is wrong with kids. But we know, in our own little teaching worlds, that the criticism is not always true. It certainly is not true of this yearbook staff. Yes, they had other classes. Yes, I was with my other classes.

Alyssa Smith, who had co-taught one of my publications’ classes, worked with both sections, plus all of her other classes. But the staff, Alyssa, and me, also thought about “Yearbook” and how we could finish it, on time, and tell our unique story about an event we, from our first-person perspective, would read and remember for days and months and years hence.

Materials from the classroom had to be collected and delivered to staff. Zoom was set up. And we met, between classes, during lag times in other classes, after class, and long into the evening. The stories I could tell. Two of the editors had picked up extra shifts at their jobs. One of them brought her laptop to her work and squeezed in writing and layout between pizza orders.

Another ran through the empty streets of Carson, shooting the closed casinos, the closed downtown, and, yes, the closed CHS for our local reaction section. Yet another ended up with his grandparents in South Lake Tahoe with fractured internet service. Some were helping with siblings and parents, others were more literally grounded, sitting on their beds, reading from notes I texted to them, deciphering, putting together, figuring it out. Some of it felt awful. Often there was despair.

Some of the materials could not be duplicated and had to be dropped from our plans for this 2020 Carneta. I felt like I had walked across this country by the time we had finished it. How do we get the books to the kids, our book is historic, and I think it is hard for some people to appreciate this. Spring sports disappeared, senior pages were not done, relying on kids not sitting in front of you to do the work, received pre-made pages from Walworth, but we did not use then, books should be signed by all of the editors, order through the Yearbookforever.com website, it was a challenge.

On the last night, April 10, I worried about stories that were still being written and making the Midnight deadline.

“QD,” said Lindsay Chowanski, executive editor, “we have almost five hours; we are fine.” For years, when I am wondering if I will get something done in time, I will remember her words...almost five hours...we are fine. I have had victorious books over the years. Nothing could top this one, however. Ironically, our theme for the 2020 Carneta is “Here and Now. Now and Then.” Definitely a theme to capture this weird, weird year, and I wanted all of you to know.

ORDER A 2020 CARNETA YEARBOOK ONLINE
The 2020 Carneta is here, so please do not miss out on this unforgettable record of the most unforgettable senior year in history. CHS adviser Patt Quinn-Davis and CHS Administrators are working out details on the best way to get yearbooks delivered to students, but ordering one online is simple. Quinn-Davis, and co-adviser Alyssa Smith-Ackerley, made a very quick how-to video for ordering. See the video here. Want to skip the video, no problem. Go straight to yearbookforever.com/.

COMO PEDIR EL LIBRE ANUARIO DEL 2020 CARNETA
Sí
El Carneta 2020 ya casi está aquí. La asesor de CHS Patt Quinn-Davis y los administradores de CHS están trabajando de la mejor manera posible para que los libros se entreguen a los estudiantes, pero pedir uno en línea. Instrucciones para hacerlo disponibles en YouTube: Quinn-Davis y la co-asesora Alyssa Smith-Ackerley han estado recibiendo correos electrónicos y preguntas sobre cómo los estudiantes y los padres pueden pedir anuarios, por lo que hicieron un video de cómo hacerlo muy rápido porque pensaron que los miembros del personal de CHS también podrían necesitar aclaraciones. Para las interesados pueden ir a yearbookforever.com. Un video instructivo está disponible aquí: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkeN1ImGaGU&feature=youtu.be

SAFE GRAD COMMITTEE PUTTING PLANS INTO MOTION
Here is the scoop on what is happening with Safe Grad. A meeting will be held after May 15 to determine if Safe Grad night can happen. Safe Grad is also sponsoring the Downtown Street Banner event, and all information may be found on the CHS class of 2020 parents on Facebook. Look for a picture of the CHS at school, and there are two groups: One for anyone and one just for CHS Class of 2020 Senior Parents.

A post from the group on Facebook says, “Permission to install banners up and down Carson Street and Fairview has been granted. There will be four pictures of the CHS Class of 2020 Seniors on each banner, two per side. The cost per senior is $28. However, we would like to fundraise to offset the cost for each student. Carson High Safe Grad has agreed to sponsor the project, and donations may be sent to: Carson High Safe Grad Booster, PO Box 486, Carson City, NV 89702. To donate online, go to the ‘Donate’ tab at carsonhighsafegrad@gmail.com. All donations are tax deductible. Please reference “Downtown Banners” on your donation.” Approximately $13,000 needs to be raised to do the Downtown Street Banner project to be able to offer it to all graduating CHS students. Please contact CHS Safe Grad Secretary, Wendy Yang at 720-6160, President Kyra Hinton at 434-760-0635, or go to carsonhighsafegrad@gmail.com.

GREATER NEVADA CREDIT UNION VIRTUAL LEARNING DAY
GNCU is bringing free virtual financial wellness May 20 using Zoom online meetings. They will facilitate two Bite of Reality simulations for students ages 13 to 22, regardless of whether or not they or their family are GNCU members. Bite of Reality is a hands-on based simulation that appeals to teens while giving them a taste of real-world financial realities. Teens are given a fictional occupation, salary, spouse and family, student loan debt, credit card debt, and medical insurance payments.

The teens will then "purchase" housing, transportation, food, clothing, household necessities, day care, and other needs. Fortunately, the game also includes a "credit union" to help with their financial needs. This interactive activity will teach teens how to make financial decisions and give them a better understanding of the challenges of living on a budget. Teens will have to deal with a pushy "car salesperson" and a commission-based "realtor," and weigh their wants versus their needs. There is even a "Fickle Finger of Fate" to give students unexpected "expenses" or "windfalls" just like in real life. To RSVP, go here, click the button below each session, and fill out the form.

CAREER CENTER OPEN TO HELP STUDENTS PREPARE FOR EMPLOYMENT
The CHS Career Center is open every day and ready to assist students with many tasks in preparation for their future careers. The center offers assistance with writing cover letters to employers, creating resumes, preparing for interviews, and provides information about current job openings with local businesses.

The center has helped many students get their first job, and students who are signed up for Work Experience through the Counseling office have their number of work hours kept track of by the Center, to earn credits for high school graduation. The Center also organizes the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery testing schedule for sophomores, juniors, and seniors interested in serving in the armed forces; the ASVAB is given twice per year, Fall and Spring, at no cost to students, and the results can assess which jobs students are most suited for based upon their scores” Darnell added.

Also organized by the Center is the setup of Senior Project Academies, which allows seniors to participate in educational job shadowing opportunities, which parallel their career interests such as the healthcare, law enforcement, and banking or finance. Students are able to have hands-on experiences by observing and attending sessions alongside professionals at Carson Tahoe Hospital, the Carson City Sheriff’s Department, and Wells Fargo. Throughout the school year, the Center hosts speakers from local businesses and has several trips to manufacturing, retail, or service businesses in the community.

The Center partners with University of Nevada, Reno to help juniors, those interested in exploring careers in science and health, to sign up for UNR’s Student Research Summer program, Community of Bilingual English-Spanish speakers. The Center also runs queries on grades and prepares spreadsheets for Career and Technical Education Level I teachers to keep them informed of the overall academic progress of their students in order to help them reach a B or better and succeed as a Completer in their CTE pathway. Center hours are Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.— Contributed by Jeannie Danell, CHS Career Center Senior Office Specialist.

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR STUDENTS THIS SUMMER
Get on the road with Western Nevada College’s fully online driver’s education class. Students pay $34.99 Meets Nevada Department of Motor Vehicle requirements. Call 775-445-4210 or email wnc.edu/driver-education for more information.

CHS STUDENT ELECTED NEVADA SKILLSUSA STATE OFFICER
Carson High junior, Olivia Syndergaard was elected to the Nevada SkillsUSA State Officer Team May 8. Nevada SkillsUSA is a student organization that works with the Career and Technical Programs to ensure high school students have the job skills needed to become strong employees in the community. As a state officer, Olivia will assist in developing initiatives and provide guidance on how the SkillsUSA organization may meet the challenges of creating a strong workforce.

She will be conduct leadership training for members during the annual leadership training. Olivia has been in student leadership since her freshman year. Next school year, she was also elected as Student Body President. Olivia will be a third year Culinary Arts student next year as well. She excels at culinary management tasks and enjoys the baking arts. In her free time, Olivia rock climbs and mountain bikes. Olivia has exemplified the qualities that make effective leaders. She loves to challenge herself and puts her heart into every endeavor. Olivia strives to be her best and to bring out the best in others. Congratulations, Olivia. — Contributed by CHS SkillsUSA adviser and Culinary Arts teacher Kasey Kemmet.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK
The CHS Student of the Week is Jane Read, a senior. According to her nominating teacher, CHS Language Department Chair Cheryl Macy, “Jane is quiet and unassuming, but she powers through her work.” Macy added, “She is ahead of the game on assignments, and last semester Jane did not have a single tardy or absence for any class. Jane will attend college to become a teacher, and she interned at Seeliger Elementary with Mrs. Reed, who thoroughly enjoyed having Jane in class." Congratulations to Jane Read as a positive standout even amidst this worldwide crisis.

— Senator Square columnist Phil Brady is an English teacher at Carson High School in Carson City, Nev.