Education

This week's Senator Square features guest writers Ananda Campbell and Bridget Gordon-Johnson who explain Monday homeroom academic strategies. Campbell is a CHS Library Media Specialist and Carson City School District Library Coordinator. Gordon is a CHS counselor. This is their report:

During a special session last night, the Carson City School District School Board of Trustees voted unanimously to offer in-person, on-campus instruction for third to sixth graders, four days a week, Tuesdays through Fridays. The first official day of this more traditional education model will begin Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. The district previously announced a return to 4-days-per-week, in-person learning for Pre-K to second grade students Oct. 20, 2020.

The Carson City School District is celebrating two new National Board Certified Teachers from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. The teachers to be recognized earning certification are Patricia Ababio, Graphic Arts teacher in the Career and Technical Education program at Carson High School, and Rhonda Holloway, English teacher at Carson Middle School.

Youth Theatre Carson City is thrilled to announce its upcoming production of Macy’s "Yes Virginia: The Movie Musical," which will be available to view On-Demand from Dec. 18-31.

The first of its kind Lake Tahoe Commemorative Coin was minted this month on historic Carson City Mint Press No. 1 and less than 300 of the limited-edition coins are still available for the public, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, said Tuesday.

Distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine is underway within the state of Nevada, including our local communities in the north. Those who are first up to receive the vaccine include health care personnel and long term care facilities as a part of the first phase of Tier 1 distribution.

The first batch of initial COVID-19 vaccines has reached Carson City, and was received by Carson Tahoe Health Tuesday morning.

The Carson City School District will hold a special school board meeting Thursday, Dec. 17 in order to discuss reopening schools for third through fifth grade students at the elementary school level, as well as sixth grade students at the middle school level.

Winter session classes at Western Nevada College are filling up fast so don’t wait to register for the 5-week short-term classes that start on Dec. 21 and the 3-week courses that begin on Jan. 4.

Senior Shania West decided early that she wanted to graduate as a Pioneer Panther, and chose to attend Pioneer High School for all four years. She thought that it would be a good fit for her and she has no regrets. And, now with those years nearly behind her, Shania is looking forward to achieving her goal of going to college.

On Friday, the Greenhouse Project held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new outdoor classroom which will be used to host both students from Carson High School as well as community classes on gardening and agriculture.

In our region, as well as in many areas across the country, there have been massive spikes in COVID-19 transmissions over the past few months. Even as restaurants and bars were reopened, daily positive cases were generally staying within single digits inside the Quad-County region.

However, between October and December, both test positivity rates as well as overall cases — and deaths — have seen a massive increase. Local health organizations are now not only fighting against the disease, but against misinformation campaigns as well.

Do you know of a woman in our Carson City community who is dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls and should be recognized for her efforts? Soroptimist International of Carson City is accepting sponsorship submissions for our 2021 “Women Helping Women” honorees.

Many in Carson City do everything they can to help the less fortunate, and those opportunities never cease being opportunities. With this in mind, the holidays are here, the semester at Carson High School is almost over, Christmas vacation, also known as winter break, begins Dec. 19, and there is another opportunity to be generous for those who have plenty.

Carson High School (CHS) is pleased to celebrate Senior Brandon Engels’ commitment to bowl for Hastings College, one of the top college bowling teams in the country.

Nevada Indian Commission Commissioner Lori Pasqua will be honored with a posthumous Bachelor of Arts degree by the University of Nevada-Reno at its winter commencement on Saturday. Her family will accept this honorary degree on her behalf.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Putting gratitude into action by helping others is an authentic way to express an attitude of thanksgiving. Students at Pioneer High School (PHS) “lost themselves” in service by assembling Thanksgiving dinner baskets for those in need.

The school districts of Nevada have long-faced critically thin budgets, but the impact of the pandemic has further increased those stresses. Locally, three school districts received extra funds today to help ease that stress, courtesy of Carson City Toyota.

Gov. Steve Sisolak is urging Nevadans to have hope but continue to follow coronavirus health and safety protocols with the state’s first allocation of the COVID-19 vaccine set to arrive as early as the middle of December.

Fred Lokken, political science professor at Truckee Meadows Community College, will be the featured speaker at Monday's Democratic tele-luncheon. He will extend the post-election review of the local, state and national political scenes begun when he spoke at the November 16 tele-luncheon. As always, Prof. Lokken can be counted on to highlight key facts and in-depth analysis that can be found nowhere else.

Western Nevada College and greenUP! announced Monday the formation of the Nevada Green Business Network, part of a statewide effort to generate a green business certification program.

The Nevada State Museum, Carson City, will reopen Wednesday; visitors will be able to learn about pine trees during the Curator’s Corner presentations from 1 to 3 p.m. Additionally, the museum this Saturday will resume its weekly demonstrations of historic Coin Press No. 1, minting a special medallion honoring Nevada’s health care heroes.

Pastor Tim Plummer, Fellowship of Christian Athletes Missionary Area Director, has once again brought Christmas trees to Carson City to support FCA. Christmas is fast approaching, and most agree it is the best time of the year. The holidays can be a difficult time for many, but it does not have to be this way.

Traditional Thanksgiving gatherings with family and friends are fun but can increase the chances of being exposed to or spreading COVID-19, or even the flu. Protect yourself and your loved ones by gathering only with members of your household and connecting with friends and family outside of your home in a non-contact setting, such as through video chat or phone.

The Carson City Chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby is a community organization affiliated with Citizens’ Climate Lobby and Citizens’ Climate Education. Our purpose is to develop and implement activities to provide accurate information about climate change and what can be down to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Greater Nevada Credit Union, a Carson City-based credit union serving northern Nevada, contributes $25,000 as the first corporate sponsor and financial institution to the Audacity Fund Reno, which provides funding, education and support to local business owners from underserved populations.

Gov. Steve Sisolak announced on Sunday that he is lowering occupancy limits and once again reducing the size of allowed gatherings as COVID-19 continues to spread like wildfire across the state, setting records day after day for new reported cases.

So, who knows it all? Western Nevada College aims to find out Thursday, Dec. 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Virtual Team Trivia Night — a special no-brainer holiday-themed challenge that can be entered from the comfort of your own living room.

Carson High School's NJROTC Drill and Color Guard team competed in their first ever ‘virtual’ drill competition hosted by University of North Carolina ROTC program. The various teams’ performances were captured on video and sent to the University for judging.

Dear Friends:

I'm not sure what got me thinking about cranberries. After all, cranberries are not a food item you purchase and use regularly.

The Carson City Senior Center and Meals on Wheels Carson City is proud to announce that it will be participating in the 2020 Subaru Share the Love Event as a member of Meals on Wheels America — one of four national Share the Love charitable partners supported through the campaign.