Senator Square: Great to be back at Carson High School

The excitement is tangible, the smiles are contagious, and students are going out of their way to assist others and their teachers. The Senator Pride Committee is giving perks to students when both they and other teachers see acts of respectfulness, responsibility, and safety happening around the campus. It truly is great to be back in school.

Going back to last week, the welcome-back-to-school staff party began with a 9-hole golf tournament, shotgun start at 3:00 p.m. Aug. 12, and was then followed immediately by a taco bar available to staff and a guest. CHS Principal Bob Chambers provided both food and non-alcoholic beverages at Silver Oak Golf Course. Chambers said, “It has been a crazy few days, but it has been with the greatest staff around.” 

The winners of the low score Golf and Taco Tourney team prize are CHS teachers Rodney Wade, Hal Wilkins, Jordan Glover, and Vice Principal Cody Farnworth, who will receive some Carson Gear. Chambers said to keep in mind it was a tie score with teachers Frank Sakelarios and Kelly Gustafson, who also shot a 32, but lost in a score card playoff.

Team Duffer with teachers Kristen Kellogg, Lance Hendee, Vice Principal Sue Moulden, and Sherri Kelley received Dutch Bros. gift cards, the Big Hitter men's team with Matt Morgan received prize passes to Silver Oak Golf, the Big Hitter women's team with Kelly Gustafson also received prize passes to Silver Oak Golf, the Closest to the Pin male was Frank Sakelarios, and the Closest to the Pin woman was Kasey Kemmet, who will also receive prize passes to Silver Oak Golf. Chambers said, “The staff turnout was awesome, and lots of team points and fun were had.”

Administrators, teachers, and staff love what they do, and they also love to hang out with one another. So, as can easily be seen, everyone is glad to be back in school. However, someone is missing. Yes, even parents are invited to come on in and check out CHS too. Open House is scheduled for Sept. 13 at 6:00 p.m. 

TEACHERS COMPETE IN SENATOR PRIDE INCLUSION TEAM CHALLENGE
Six teams have been formed, each with a CHS administrator as a leader, and the competition, as fierce as can be imagined, will continue for the entire school year.

Those teams with the most points at each quarter will receive prizes, and according to CHS Leadership adviser and Physical Education teacher Ann Britt, “Team blue may be winning right now, but team red has got them in their sights.” How were the teams formed? Over the summer, Senator Pride leaders came together to do a staff draft. It took a long time to lay the rules of the competition down.

Britt explains, “Senator Pride leaders first filled out a list of subjects before they could pick who they would choose; next, CHS administrators gathered in a circle and competitively began to choose their teams.” The motivation for this event began when administration determined to lead by example. Britt said, “They want students and staff to feel a part of something, get to know people on a different level,” and “at taco night last week, a teacher walked by my table, recognized I was on her team, keep in mind this is a brand new teacher, and she said to me ‘You are on my team,’ and I realized how a team event like this was needed.”

This event is not simply for administrators and teachers, Britt went on to say, cafeteria workers, custodians, and others on campus are all participating. “Kids will again be able to see it when their teachers show up to high school events, and this will create an atmosphere of fun, inclusion, and positive excitement” Britt added. How are points attained? Getting points is as easy as dressing up for spirit days, participating in door decoration, attending academic events, volunteering, and doing anything ‘extra’ above a job description.

LETTER FROM THE COACH
Hello everyone, and welcome back to another year. This year, CHS is celebrating its 150th year of existence, and we are very excited to be moving full steam ahead, navigating the challenges before us and working to provide our students at CHS the great extra-curricular and co-curricular experiences our school has to offer year in and year out.

Our home games are open to spectators, and we want to invite you to our school to watch our athletes compete and watch our students participate in all our various activities. As Athletic Director, I want to personally take this opportunity to thank all our coaches at CHS who dedicate their time to our kids on and off the playing field. Fall Sports kicked off with our first home football game this season Aug. 20 versus the Sparks Railroaders. Kick-off is always at 7:00 pm.

Please come out to support us this season on our brand new stadium turf. The stadium is first class, and the replacement turf project is complete. All our athletes and coaches at CHS have persevered through the past year and a half, and all our teams are ready to compete in a much more normal setting.

Please remember, though, that all events indoors will require a mask. All School District employees may gain free entry to any athletic contest at CHS with a district badge. It is good for you and a guest to any contest.

You can find our contests and schedules for all our sports and other events at CHS on our school website below, and you may watch CHS Sports live on the National Federation of State High School Associations Network.

Here is how to watch: Go to NFHSnetwork.com, enter Carson High in the search box, click "Follow" so you can stay up-to-date on all upcoming Senator broadcasted events. Also, to see the CHS calendar of events, go to carsonhigh.com. Thank you and have a great school year. Go Senators! — Contributed by CHS Athletic Director & Head Football Coach Blair Roman

FRESHMAN RECEIVE STUDENT PLANNERS PAID FOR BY CHS
Every Freshman received a planner in their Seminar Health class this year, and boy are those planners beautiful and helpful. Though the planners are for incoming freshman, students other than freshmen are able to receive a planner as well until they are all gone. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors will be able to pick up a planner for free in the student store during nutrition and lunch time.

BLUE CREW ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT TO HELP STUDENTS
Senators Blue Crew leaders are sporting their tie dyed Blue Crew T-shirts and are on the lookout for any students needing assistance finding classes.

Parents and teachers, please let CHS math teacher and Blue Crew adviser Shanell Cavener know of any students needing assistance finding their way around CHS, and also direct them to see one of the Blue Crew leaders to feel free to ask them to help. Contact CHS Math Teacher and Blue Crew Coordinator Shanell Cavener at scavener@carson.k12.nv.us for further details.

SENIOR SUNRISE IS NEXT FRIDAY
They will likely be wearing pajamas, be wrapped in blankets, and be carrying cups of Dutch Bros. or Starbucks as they gather to celebrate the beginning of their final year of secondary schooling. The Class of 2021-2022, now wearing optional masks and getting as close as they want to one another, will gather together at 6:00 a.m. Aug. 27 on the bleachers of the CHS football field to watch the sun rise; it is the beginning of their last year at CHS, and, for some of them, their last year as students who were raised in the Carson City School District. Fall is in the air, it is beginning to get a bit chilly, and the beginning of every school year at CHS offers the current class of seniors the opportunity to get together in the morning, have some baked goods, hot chocolate, and coffee, and make a few personal decisions.

TRAVEL AND SEE THE WORLD
Rotary, a one-year program, has been sending Carson High students through its foreign exchange program for a number of years. The student goes to high school, stays with a host family, learns about the culture, makes new life-long friends, and has a life changing experience while learning a new language. Valued at up to $25,000, the youth exchange scholarship is provided by a community rotary club and includes a rotary counselor, room, board, tuition, and a monthly stipend.

Applications are to be submitted in Aug., Sept., and early Oct. Anyone interested in becoming a rotary youth exchange student, or being a host family for a rotary exchange student, should go to rye1590.org or info@rye1590.org. For more information, contact Peter Fishburn at 232-2271, or email pfishburn@charter.net.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST SENATOR SCHOLARSHIP SCOOP
The latest Senator Scholarship Scoop is online at carsonhigh.com. Visitors simply need to click Academics, Counseling Department, and The Scoop. CHS and Pioneer High School seniors should begin looking for free money in the form of scholarships as soon as possible in order to pay for college.

The beauty of this, too, is scholarships may be applied for year-round and awarded to college students throughout their entire four years in college. There are many scholarships offered every year which end up being awarded to no one because no one applied.

Thousands of national scholarships are found at fastweb.com, and scholarships.com. The CHS Guidance Office is also always available to help students choose and apply for scholarships as well. Email counselor Bridget Gordon-Johnson at bgordon@carson.k12.nv.us to make an appointment.

Essays are also needed when applying. Also, seniors need to check the due-dates and where to turn in their essays to sponsors as well as check the title of their essays; it is never a good idea to turn in an essay for a scholarship which has a title for a different scholarship.

Head to the CHS Career Center to see Mrs. Roman for help with a letter and resume. CHS Seniors, please make sure to sign-in to a personal CHS Google Account for any of the PDF links to download these scholarships and edit them with the Kami App available via CHS Google.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK
Congratulations to Josue Buenrostro-Contreras, a senior, for being nominated as the CHS Student of the Week. Math teacher and Blue Crew Coordinator Shanell Cavener said “I am constantly impressed with Josue's work ethic and dedication to school; he always has a great attitude and is a pleasure to have in class.”

Employees within Carson City School District nominate the CHS Student of the Week, and it is often the students’ teachers who do the nominating though anyone in the district may do so by sending an email to pbrady@carson.k12.nv.us.

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