Senator Square: Angel Tree donors help 105 families during holidays, plus Carson High celebrates Winterfest 2022

This past year’s holiday season was filled with challenging times and the impact of Covid on families within the Carson City School District, and those challenging times placed many of those same people in hardship once again.

Regardless of the adversity, our community donors brought a sigh of relief by coming together to ensure struggling families had a Christmas by donating to Angel Tree, and it was breathtaking to witness the joyful faces of both the donors and the families receiving gifts.

This past Christmas, with the help and support of generous community members who donated to Angel Tree, we were able to provide gifts and meals for 105 families. It is always amazing to witness how the community comes together to help support each other during difficult times with monetary donations or by adopting families during the Christmas season.

Support for Angel Tree is always needed, not just at Christmas. If you would like to join our efforts to support Angel Tree, please reach out to Margarita Portillo at Eagle Valley Middle School. Throughout the year, we collect donations to prepare for the following Christmas.

There are so many to thank for their contributions, and we apologize for not knowing all of them. We would like to thank our amazing donors from Lone Mountain Family Dentistry, Silver Strike Cross Fit, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Eagle Valley Children's Home, Benson's Feed and Tack, Carson City Hyundai, Dr. Weed, and the Carson Tahoe Hospital Medical Staff, CASA of Carson City, Carson City Orthodontics, Click Bond, Inc., Denny's, Carson High School ROTC, Carson City School District Staff, and Carson City community members — Contributed by Maggie Portillo-Hernandez.

CHS SENATORS IN WONDERLAND FOR WINTERFEST
Winterfest is here, and this year’s theme is Senators in Wonderland taken from Alice in Wonderland. Carson High School has the most amazing assembly Feb. 4, and the excitement was greater than it has been in a long time.

Next week is Disney character dress-up with Alice in Wonderland characters, a lunchtime musical theatre performance, and a nighttime Alice in Wonderland activity movie and game night in Senator Square from 6 to 8 p.m. with the concessions store open for business. Feb. 9 is Wacky Wednesday with mix and match dress-up, a lunchtime Alice in Wonderland trivia activity in Senator Square, and a nighttime Future Business Leaders of America bingo activity from 6:30 to 8:30 in the upstairs cafeteria with many prizes. Feb. 10 is Tweedle Dee Day with twin dress-up and a Simon Says and Name that Song lunchtime activity.

The nighttime activity will be a Tea Party with a Royal Court Crowning at McFadden Square and The Firkin from 6:30 to 8 with the underclassman crowing at 7:30. Feb. 11 is Mad Hatter Day with a crazy hat and Winterfest shirtdress-up: Crazy Hat and Winterfest Shirt Day, a pep rally lunchtime activity in Senator Square and a CHS verses Douglas High basketball game. Junior varsity boys play at 3:30, varsity girls at 5:15, and varsity boys are at 7 with, of course, the Winterfest King and Queen crowning at half-time. Feb. 12 is the Winterfest Dance. Senior Winterfest King candidates are Ben Heaton, Eric Hickson, Trey Thomas, Javier Arellano, Giovanni Arce-Garcia, Oscar Salazar, and senior Winterfest Queen candidates are Kiana Gallaher, Jennifer Acosta, Reese Mackenzie, Melody Melanaphy, Riley Gudmundson, and Christina Van Geel.

Junior Prince candidates are Brock Bensmiller, Cooper Eaton, Mackade Chambers, and junior Princess candidates are Delanee Betrue, Jocelyn Guttierrez, and Penelope Moniz-Gonzalez. Sophomore Prince candidates are AJ Marhevka, Todd Gosselin, and Robbey Heidt and Princess candidates are Katarina Klatt, Madeline Silsby, and Maritza Alvarez. Freshman Prince candidates are Andrew Ingersoll, Sawyer Macy, and Ethan Hendee, and Princess candidates are Jessica Barry, Ava Schofield, and Jocelyn Pedersen. Used especially in the phrase going down the rabbit hole or falling down the rabbit hole, a rabbit hole is a metaphor for something that transports someone into a wonderfully, or troublingly, surreal state or situation.

CHS LOOKING TO BORROW A YEARBOOK FROM THE CLASS OF 1958
As a follow-up to last week’s articles, “The Story of Carson High School” about the archival and collection project of the school’s yearbooks and high school newspapers: the coordinators of the project are looking for a 1958 Carneta yearbook they may borrow, so it can be scanned and be part of the archives. The book will be returned to the owner after the book is scanned. Please contact Ananda Campbell or Patt Quinn-Davis, if you can help. Their emails, respectively, are acampbell@carson.k12.nv.us or quinndavis.patt@gmail.com.

COMPREHENSIVE LIFE SKILLS STUDENTS ARE HELPED BY CHS STUDENTS
The students in CLS explored using a microscope Jan. 28. Some used slides, others used found objects from around the room. Their faces light up like the Fourth of July and they had fun. Their goal is to use the microscope to identify and classify cells based on the characteristic they observe using the scopes. They will also be diagraming and labeling parts of the cells they can find. These kids are really working hard and having a great time learning ~ Contributed by CHS Special Education teacher Michael DePolo

SENATOR PRIDE COMMITTEE RAISES MONEY FOR JOHN WILSON
The Senator Pride Committee is always looking to switch things up a bit. They are now doing two things to raise money for John Wilson, a CHS custodian facing some unexpected physical challenges. There will be a dessert auction Feb. 14th during the early release time with teachers, administrators, anyone wanting to participate bringing in something to auction on behalf of Wilson. There has been an ongoing competition among six teacher teams, and this is the next opportunity for them to earn a point for their teams for bringing an item and a point for their teams if they place the winning bid for an item. The administrators "Nailed It" competition features six administrators competing in the dessert creation “Nailed It” challenge Feb. 11 with their creations being displayed Feb.14, and teachers will be able to vote, with money, for the best one. Everyone will find out who "Nailed It" during the early release time. Teams earn points based on the amount of money given to their admin's creation. Senator Pride is grateful to participants for helping to support an awesome member of the Senator Family.

WESTERN NEVADA COLLEGE OFFERS FAFSA NIGHT AT CHS
Western Nevada College will be hosting another Free Application for Federal Student Aid, FAFSA, night at CHS at 6 p.m. in the CHS Library. FAFSA, as it is commonly known, is an application form used to apply for financial aid to pay for college. It is not the financial aid itself. Some of this money is free money, some must be earned through work, and some must be repaid. Parents and students will be able to complete the FAFSA for college. Please be sure to bring parents’ income tax records. For more information, call CHS Counselor Fawn Lewis at 283-1604, or set up a Digital Office appointment at http://bit.ly/flewisoffice.

STICK TOGETHER PROJECT REVEALED
CHS Seniors Alex Szanto, Vincent Dao, and Ace McDonald, artists who spend off periods in the library, and are thrilled to have completed their “Stick Together” project. The mystery art piece was set aside for the last year, so the unveiling has been long-awaited. The piece “The Scream by Munsch” is an ironically appropriate representation of the last two years.

NEW COLLABORATIVE LEARNING CENTER ARRIVES
Time to celebrate the long-awaited arrival of modular furniture for the transition of the High Tech Center Pods to a Collaborative Learning Center and extension of the main library at Carson High. Due to shipping delays, the grant-funded items were slow to arrive, but patience is its own reward. CHS seniors, Francisco Rosales, Robert Zambrano, Andrew Ruiz-Camacho, and Trey Thomas unboxed and set up the new seating. Funds for this project have been provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Nevada State Library, Archives and Public Records

STILL TIME FOR CHS PARENTS TO PURCHASE SENIOR ADS
Senior Ads are available until the reserved pages are full. What are senior ads? Senior Ads are designed by you, and they celebrate your senior's K-12 experience and graduation. Go to yearbookforever.com, search for Carson High School, click shop, and click on senior ads. There, you will find the sizes and the prices. Senior ads are a great graduation gift.

Oftentimes, parents surprise their senior with an ad and a dedication page. Attached, please find an example. Finally, you can also purchase a yearbook at yearbookforever.com. We added 40 additional pages this year for the same price as years' past. The book celebrates not only students being back together again, but it also celebrates the 150th year of CHS. FYI: We sold out last year.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
CHS Athletic Department’s Athletes of the Week are Thomas Callister for Varsity Boys Ski Team and Isabella Bertrand for Varsity Girls Ski Team. These athletes and all students who participate in school functions through leadership, clubs, and sports deserve a high level of recognition and congratulations.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK
Congratulations to freshman, Brooke Castillo on being nominated CHS Student of the Week. According to her CHS Honors English I teacher, “Brooke is mature, intelligent, reliable, hardworking and ‘smart’ working all at the same time.” Brooke’s other classes are Honors Biology, Honors Geometry, Health Science, Personal Fitness, and American Sign Language. “I have seen Brooke’s kindness and encouragement change the mood of the class.” Employees within Carson City School District nominate the CHS Student of the Week, and it is often the teachers who do the nominating, though anyone in the district may do so by sending an email to pbrady@carson.k12.nv.us. Congratulations to Brooke Castillo on being nominated CHS Student of the Week.

SENIOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT
This week’s Senior in the Spotlight shines on Ben Heaton. Ben is a dedicated, hard-working student who currently has a 4.8 overall GPA and is ranked seventh in a class of 473. In addition to his outstanding academics, Ben is a star athlete and a strong leader.

Throughout high school, Ben has challenged himself by taking rigorous courses; he is currently on track to earn his Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma. On the football field, Ben Heaton comes alive. It is a joy watching how excited he gets, pumping up his teammates before a game.

Playing both sides can be exhausting, but Ben gives it his all in every game he plays, pushing both himself and the rest of the team. Ben has been a team captain for the past two years and was recently named as a member of the senior leadership group for the football team.

Ben has grown into the best kind of leader, one who leads by example. Both on the field and in the classroom, Ben is a natural leader. Because of his strong social skills, he makes a connection with teammates and students. His classmates and teammates look up to him and work hard to live up to his level of performance and his expectations. Even through losing seasons, or difficult assignments, Ben continues to focus on the goal ahead and keeps a positive attitude.

Ben has applied and received nominations to both the Air Force and Naval Academies. He has also applied to Notre Dame and Vanderbilt Universities. He plans to study Aeronautical Engineering. Congratulations to Ben Heaton, and CHS wishes him the best of luck in his future. CHS is proud to call Ben Heaton one of its own.

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