Carson City School District

In a letter distributed to all students, families, employees and community members, Carson City School District Superintendent Richard Stokes announced that due to the emergency directives from the Office of the Governor, schools within the District cannot reopen in normal fashion to begin the 2020-2021 school year.

In honor of Father's Day 2020, Episode 5 of Carson City Symphony’s Project Euterpe presents music by Franz Joseph Haydn, known as “Papa Haydn, the father of the symphony and father of the string quartet."

The Carson City School District is making plans to re-open school this fall and is seeking parent and family feedback through an online 10-question survey. Given various school-related experiences caused by the pandemic, the school district is inviting families to take a few moments to share their thoughts, ideas and suggestions about returning to school. Participation is voluntary and responses are anonymous.

The Carson City School District is pleased to announce the launch of several Summer Learning Resources for parents and families. The goal of continuing summer learning is to help students stay fresh academically, build upon what they've already learned and prepare for the next school year and grade-level.

As a digital media teacher at Carson High School I asked my students if they wanted to do a year in review video. Nick Baggio, who is an editor for the announcements, and Gianna Johnson, who is an anchor on the daily announcements, jumped right on the project.

Artist and poet, Jaeda DeWalt wrote, “When we learn how to become resilient, we learn how to embrace the beautifully broad spectrum of the human experience.” If there is one word to describe Pioneer High School’s class of 2020, it would be “resilient.”

The Carson City School District wants to offer a big “Thank You” to all the men and women working in nutrition services. These dedicated individuals have been working non-stop to provide meals to the children in need of Carson City.

In recognition of the last day of school Wednesday, June 3, the Transportation Department with the Carson City School District hosted a school bus parade where drivers displayed banners to provide recognition for all the student efforts in completing Remote Learning school work and assignments.

Happy Last Day of School! The conclusion of this school year has not been what any of us expected, so let's take a moment to reflect on all of our experiences.

On Tuesday, the Carson City Greenhouse Project broke ground on a new outdoor classroom at the Carson High School site, which will allow the Greenhouse Project's dream of continuing agriculture education to students year round in the Carson City community.

Carson High School Athletics and the Carson City School District would like to recognize all the student athletes from Carson High School who signed and committed to compete in intercollegiate athletics this year after high school. Sixteen athletes will be moving on to compete at the next level.

Patt Quinn-Davis, Carson High School Language Arts teacher and adviser of the school newspaper and Carneta yearbook, is retiring. For Quinn-Davis, the publications staff became a part of her family every year and even more so when students stayed with the program throughout their high school careers.

The next Carson City School Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 26 beginning at 6 p.m. in the Sierra Room of the Community Center, located at 851 E. William Street.

Items on the agenda include the approval of a Nutrition Services Food Service Management Consultant, a revision to the Capital Improvement Plan, the final budget and more.

The Carson City School District is pleased to announce six high school seniors (four from Carson High School and two from Pioneer High School) who have shown exceptional academic prowess. The valedictorian and salutatorian honors represent the students who have earned the highest and second highest ranks, respectively, among their graduating class.

The Carson City School District is pleased to announce Ms. Christina Bourne and Ms. Jennifer Chandler have both been nominated and will have the opportunity to compete for “Nevada State Teacher of the Year.” The two were nominated because both have earned accreditations as National Board Certified Teachers. The winner and finalists of the state recognition will be announced later this summer in August.

This is a year unprecedented for Carson City students. High school seniors, and our local high schools are getting creative with the ways they seek to honor their graduating students.

Carson High School's Future Business Leaders of America claim five State Championships as well as 40 top 10 awards in spite of pandemic. CHS FBLA students just finished competing in the Nevada State Business Leadership Conference. Originally, the event was scheduled to be held in Reno, but had to be held digitally due to Covid-19.

The Carson City School District is pleased to announce Carson High School’s graduation ceremony plan for the Class of 2020.

Carson High School will hold a drive-through ceremony Saturday, June 6, with varying times throughout the day where graduating seniors and their families will stay in their single vehicle until it's time for the graduate to exit their car, have their name announced on the loudspeaker as they walk across a stage erected on the northwest lawn (near the blue and white concrete ‘CHS’ sign), collect their diploma, have their picture taken, return to their vehicle and then proceed to the exit.

Lisa Schuette, Ward 4 candidate for the Carson City Board of Supervisors, will be the featured speaker at Monday's virtual Democratic luncheon. A retired health teacher and probation officer, Schuette founded the non-profit Carson Animal Services Initiative (CASI), which helped raise money to build and equip the new animal shelter.

Ballots have been sent (or will be sent soon) to Carson City residents for the local upcoming elections. These are your candidates, who they are, and what they stand for.

If there ever were a silver lining amid a pandemic, many parents, forced into homeschooling their children via Remote Learning, may have discovered a new found appreciation for teachers. For National Teacher Appreciation Week in Carson City, principals, office managers and administrators alike have also found novel ways to recognize and celebrate educators.

The Carson City School District wishes to thank the William N. Pennington Foundation for their $25,000 grant to be used on a much-needed outdoor classroom and office expansion at The Greenhouse Project’s (TGP) main location at Carson High School.

Is this pandemic over with yet? Nope! Not to beat a dead horse, but what is everyone doing with all this time off? For some, time off would be a fantastic development in their busy lives, and for others, time off would be an awful development because they are not able to pay their bills if they cannot go to work.

The point here is clear: Those who need time off cannot have it, and those who have time off do not want it. This is where hope, attitude, and contentment come into play. It is time for a laugh.

The Carson City School District is pleased to announce the appointment of Nathan Brigham as the vice principal for Empire Elementary School for the 2020-2021 school year.

Editor’s Note: This week's guest writer is Bridget Gordon-Johnson. She is a counselor at Carson High School. This is her report.

Staying connected to students, virtually, is the biggest challenge every educator is facing right now. Teachers, paraprofessionals, school counselors, administrators, school secretaries, custodians, and everyone for that matter is missing the energy and life students bring to our worlds.

In response to Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak’s announcement to extend the “Distance Learning” directive through the remainder of the school year, the Carson City School District will fall in compliance and continue with Remote Learning for teachers and students through June 3, 2020.

The Carson City School District will transition all secondary students to a Pass/Fail grading system for the second semester of the 2019-2020 school year. The decision comes as principals, instructional leaders, district-level administrators and members of the teachers’ union have discussed the extension of school closures following spring break.

Editor’s Note: Bryant is a freshman Honors student at CHS, and the following is her response to the poem "A Builder or a Wrecker" by Charles Franklin Benvegar.

During this pandemic, I would love to think I am in fact a builder because I strive to see the best in this, because I have been helping those struggling immensely during these hard times, and because I am doing my best to help the medical professionals I know.

The Carson City School District would like to remind parents and families with fifth-graders, that registration information for sixth grade at Eagle Valley will be included in the educational packets their students will receive from their individual elementary schools Tuesday, April 21.

Editor’s Note: Richard Stokes is the Carson City School District Superintendent.
Dear Friends, I wanted to send my very best wishes to each of you for a peaceful and safe Spring Break. During the past three weeks, I have marveled at the professional services and selfless acts of kindness you have delivered during one of the most incredible events of my career.