Senator Square: Carson High School retro-homecoming a big capital city success

The Carson High School Retro-Homecoming and Respect Week went without a hitch, and the beauty of it was administrators, teachers, and staff had nothing whatsoever to do with making the decisions as the students chose both the candidates and the winners.

The queen candidates were Elysia Teruya, Sydney Lloyd, Veronica Burson, Emma Doty, Emma Hataway, and Karen Beglin, and the king candidates were Andrius Stankus, Matteas Klatt, Lucas Osborne, Chase Wixon, Walker MacKenzie, and Cristian Garcia.

Not only was the first ever Retro-Homecoming a success, the CHS Week of Respect was an added bonus. Every day, CHS Leadership Adviser and Physical Education teacher Ann Britt sent out a Week of Respect quote of the day in order to promote positivity. Sept. 28 was the "Golden Rule" found in Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 7:12, and Luke 6:31, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Sept. 29 was from Confucius, “Respect yourself and others will respect you.” Sept. 30 was “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” by Maya Angelou. Oct. 1 was “Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice.

Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely” by Roy T. Bennett, and the Oct. 2 quote of the day was, “I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university” by Albert Einstein. Though not the same as in the past, Homecoming is still here and will return again another day.

STUDENT CREATES NEW LOGO FOR CCSD’S TECH CAFÉ
Carson High School’s Graphic Design III class, taught by CHS teacher Patricia Ababio, was invited to create a new logo for the Carson City School District Professional Learning Café. Dr. LeAnn Morris, Instructional Technology Coordinator, explained, “Tech CAFE transitioned into Professional Learning CAFE for the 2020-2021 school year with a new CAFE meaning, so we needed a new logo.”

The letters in CAFÉ, an ongoing weekly professional learning opportunity for all teachers and staff, stand for Collaborate and Connect, Andragogy (Adult Learners), Facilitated Learning, and Exceptional Staff Engaging in Professional Learning Opportunities. Students were given the assignment to create 12 logo thumbnails as part of their Honor’s Summer assignment.

Two logos were chosen from those options and both students were asked to create a digital version of their logo. CHS student Collin Hutson’s logo was chosen to represent the Professional Learning Café. Collin is a third-year graphic design student who said, “I am very proud to have my logo displayed throughout the whole district; one challenge I had, though, was thinking of 12 different logo ideas.” — Contributed by CHS Career and Technical Education Graphic Design teacher Patricia Ababio.

BLUE THUNDER BAND FUNDRAISER
The Blue Thunder Band needs the support of Carson City community members, and because the Carson City community was, is, and always will be an amazingly supportive community, there is no doubt the necessary support will arrive at the exact time it is needed. So that the Blue Thunder Band receives 20 percent of every order, they need community members to visit the Pizza Factory Oct. 6 between 11:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. for either takeout or delivery. Pick up the pizza at 3120 Highway 50 East, or have them bring it to a house or apartment by calling 882-9800. No flyers are needed. The CHS Band Director and Capital City Community Band Director is Nick Jacques, and he may be reached by emailing njacques@carson.k12.nv.us.

ZOOM TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE SUMMER FOREIGN EXCHANGE PROGRAM
Seniors interested in participating in a foreign exchange next summer or school year are asked to Zoom Oct. 5 in order to receive all the details or simply to check it out. The link to application information may be found by going here. Next, students may sign up for the Zoom meeting by going here. After registering, an email invitation will be sent with the Zoom code and password.

FREE VIRTUAL BABYSITTING CLASS FOR TEENS
The Building Blocks of Babysitting, a free virtual babysitting class for teens, will take place every Tuesday in October from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Students, who are at home caring for their little brothers and sisters, are invited to increase their babysitter knowledge and skills. Babysitting is a great opportunity, but it is also a great responsibility. Tuesday, October 6 Welcome to 4H What makes a good Babysitter? Skills & what I should know. Tuesday, October Tuesday, October 20 Staying in Control Rules for Successful Babysitting Babysitting Fee Negotiations. Tuesday, October 27 Victual Party Participation Certificate. Topics covered will include age and stages of children, basic first aid, emergency procedures, activity ideas, healthy food, and more! 8th through 12th graders are welcome to attend. Contact Jim Barcellos, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension 775 887-2252 or Leticia Servin 283-1620.

ARMED SERVICES VOCATIONAL APTITUDE BATTERY TEST COMING TO CHS
Seniors, thinking about a career in the military, possibly? Interested in seeing where your career skills lie? After receiving a rad Career Ready Diploma but have not taken the Career and Technical Education pathway? If you answered yes to any of those questions, sign up now because CHS has an ASVAB test scheduled. For Cohort 1 the test day is Oct. 27 after school, and, for Cohort 2, the test day is Oct. 28 after school. Both are in the library and require seniors to bring a charged Chromebook. Questions, please see Mrs. Roman in the library career center. First, however, fill out this form by going to https://forms.gle/F3RPaHv943PVQmq57.

VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS AUDIO AND WRITING ESSAY COMPETITION
The Veterans of Foreign Wars, dedicated to promoting patriotism and investing in the future generation, encourages high school students interested in a $30,000 college scholarship, or middle school students interested in winning $5,000, to enter. The 2020-21 theme: Is This the Country the Founders Envisioned? Established in 1947, the “Voice of Democracy” audio-essay program provides high school students with the opportunity to express themselves in regards to a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay. The national first place winner receives a $30,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college, vocational, or technical school. Next is the VFW’s “Patriot's Pen” youth essay contest which offers middle school students a chance to win their share of more than $900,000 in state and national awards. The 2020-21 theme is: What is Patriotism to Me?

The essay contest encourages young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society, by drafting a 300 to 400-word-essay. Download the 2020-21 entry form application by going here. All student entries must be submitted to a sponsoring local VFW by Midnight, Oct. 31.

WESTERN NEVADA COLLEGE PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP
Seniors, interested in attending college free of tuition and class fees? The Nevada Promise Scholarship is a last-dollar scholarship established by the Nevada State Legislature in 2017, the NPS goals are to incorporate service learning and mentorship with academics, increase enrollment in higher education and improve overall student achievement, and eliminate financial barriers and allow students to place greater emphasis on their education. It provides coverage of tuition and other mandatory fees not met by federal or state aid for up to three years.

There are no income or high school GPA requirements, and it is open to all Nevada high school students graduating between August 1 and June 15 who begin classes at WNC in the fall immediately following graduation. First year recipients must be graduating high school students.

The deadline to apply for the NPS is Oct. 31 of a student’s final year of high school. To qualify for funding, applicants must be classified as a Nevada resident and must have earned a high school diploma from a private or public high school located in this state, or a public high school located in a county that borders this state and accepts pupils who are residents of this state. Students also qualify if they earn a general equivalency diploma prior to the age of 20. WNC is committed to helping applicants fulfill the requirements to maintain eligibility, so to make sure all paperwork required for this meeting is met, call WNC Financial Assistance at 445-3264, email finaid1@wnc.edu, or go to wnc.edu/financial or the Facebook page, then Federal School Code: 013896 WNC information night takes place Oct. 21 at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom: https://wnc-edu.zoom.us/j/91468896351 Meeting ID: 914 6889 6351, and Passcode: 912358.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK
Congratulations to Pedro Oropeza for being nominated as the CHS Student of the Week. AP Seminar, Honors US History, World History, Adult Education CHS teacher Benjamin K. Spence, M.Ed. said “Pedro balances work, family, sports, and is excellent in academics; he is a young man with high aspirations and a heart of gold.” Spence added, “He commits to excellence, challenges himself, and achieves; however, equally importantly, he takes failure as an opportunity to learn and grow.” As if this was not enough, Spence said, “He is kind to everyone around him, I could go on, he absolutely deserves this accolade, and more.” 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.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
Tenacity, hard work, and a penchant for mathematics are just a few reasons why Ashley Pacheco is this week’s Senior in the Spotlight. A member of the Jump Start Program, Ashley attends classes at Western Nevada College and will earn an Associate’s degree next spring. She has a cumulative GPA of 3.8, weighted is 4.8, and is currently ranked number 12 out of 455 Carson High seniors. When Ashley attended kindergarten, she did not speak any English.

She said it was difficult, but it also helped her develop an academic stamina which has served her well. She has always been more academically inclined and sheepishly admits she used to buy math books so she could practice for fun. These days she does not have much time for hobbies or pastimes. Most of her waking hours are spent in school, studying, or working at a restaurant bussing tables. The little free time she has, she likes to Face Time with friends to catch up and play games.

Ashley admits attending classes during a pandemic has been a bit more complicated, but she has adjusted. “I never expected to have to learn so much on my own,” she said. “I have had to learn to manage my time, but I have picked it up pretty quickly.” Ashley has not decided which college she will attend next year, nor what her major will be, but she would like to work with teens. Essentially, she wants to make her parents proud, and she wants to be proud of herself. These days she is proud of herself and can explain why she is doing so well in just four words: “I work for it.” — Contributed by CHS Counselor Michele Quintero.

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