Senator Square: Carson High School is dancing into spring

The support received from the community of Carson City is enough to make people from all over the country want to relocate.

Former students know there are no special funds available for high school clubs to organize a prom or enjoy interscholastic competitions, so when Carson High School Leadership, SkillsUSA, Photo, Culinary Arts, and Future Business Leaders of America organize an event or a fundraiser, members of the community jump at the opportunity to support their local high school students.

March was a beautiful and busy month for CHS as the high school hosted both the Prom and the Father-Daughter Dance. Fathers and daughters from around Carson City converged on the beautifully decorated gym and packed the house. All 800 tickets sold for this now popular event that piggybacks on the decorations for Prom, which follows the next evening every year. Princess Jasmine, Aladdin, and the Genie attended too, and took pictures with the guests.

Prom followed the next night with 400 in attendance, and Curtis Basa and Menen Ashagrie were crowned king and queen. CHS Culinary did a great job supplying all the food for both dances, and a special thanks goes to Silver State Audio Visual for DJing, Chateau Bliss for Decorations, Celadon Events for their help and decorations, Grandma Hattie’s for the Candidate Breakfast, Green House Garden Center for loaning a fountain, Makayla Mueller for Sharpie tattoos, administration for all the support, the PE department for giving up the gym for over a week, and finally, all the students who worked tirelessly to pull off such an extraordinary event.

Be careful, Carson City, people from around the country are likely to wonder why this city is having so much fun, and they may begin moving here in droves.

FROM Gov. BRIAN SANDOVAL

Congratulations to Brandon Basa and Sheldon Miller for being recognized by Gov. Sandoval for their Nevada State Championship in wrestling.

ROBOTICS TEAM

The CHS Robotics Team is presenting a Robotics Night at Fritsch Elementary Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Admission is free. First Tech Challenge Team No. 5687 will demonstrate its award-winning robot and various Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) activities including: robotic stations and demonstrations, a robot game, LEGO Robotics, CAD drawing demonstrations, and 3-D Printing. Food will be available to purchase, and there will also be a 50/50 raffle to help fund this season’s team expenses. The team captain is Allan Huntington, and its members are Henry Sturm, Nicholas Bowler, Zachary Freewert, Stuart McElheny, Nanami Duncan, Luke Bowler, Rylan Fancher and Casanova Segura, and the coaches are Scot Duncan and Michelle Bowler. The team is asking the public to join them for an evening of learning, play, and fun; students and parents of all ages are welcome to come and learn about Robotics.

CARSON SENATORS GO BLUE

In support of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month, CHS staff and students are going blue. Senators are wearing blue and posting their Go Blue Day pictures to #GoBlue NV on Facebook and Twitter. Ann Britt’s Leadership students constructed Pinwheels for Prevention and Shanell Cavener’s Link Crew arranged them on the front lawn of CHS. Pinwheels symbolize the great childhoods children deserve with their whimsical nature. For information on this call to action, visit www.preventchildabusenevada.org.

ACADEMIC AWARDS

Graduating seniors, the Academic Award Ceremony is at 6 p.m. April 26 in Senator Square. Please check Edmodo to see whether or not the correct award is listed with the correct name. A list will also be posted on the outside of the CHS Guidance Office. Please notify the guidance office if a mistake is seen.

GNCU CONTEST

In celebration of National Credit Union Youth Month, the Greater Nevada Credit Union branch at CHS is having a contest during the month of April and will be giving away two $100 Visa Gift Cards! The contest is open to all CHS students. In addition, GNCU will give out $10 Gift of Membership coupons, and students who make a deposit to their account will receive a free gift. Students should stop by between 7:15 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to get details and pick up an entry form. Entry deadline is 1 p.m. April 28.

CTE EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST

It is time to get a job and think like an Entrepreneur with “Entrepreneur Readiness Intensive.” Want help with a resume, portfolio, and job interview skills to help acquire employment? Then ERI is there with five workshops, countless connections, and new skills. Show prospective employers a certificate recognized by most of Carson City and signed by the mayor. Workshops are in room 163 from 2:45 to 4:30 p.m. starting April 19. To learn more and apply, email Alex at alex@newenetwork.com, or go to room 104 and see Mr. Graham for information.

POSITIONS STILL AVAILABLE FOR SENIOR PROJECT JUDGES

All CHS seniors must complete the senior project, and each student chooses to research an area of interest, develops a product or project, compiles a portfolio, and gives a formal presentation of their project to a panel of judges. CHS invites the Carson City community to partner with these students through volunteering to judge and serve on panels, each consisting of 3-5 students, for their senior project speeches. CHS relies on community volunteers to make this a success, and senior project presentations this year will be held April 24. If interested, please select one or more of the panel(s) time(s) below. While not necessary, attending one of the three offered training sessions is recommended; they happen Tuesday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Senior project presentation times on April 24 go from 8 to 9:40 a.m., 10 to 11:40 a.m., and noon to 1:40 p.m. Volunteering and partnering with CHS is a much appreciated sacrifice, so please support the youth of CHS, and become a panel judge. Want to know more? Go online to carsonhigh.com and find the “Senior Project” link.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

The CHS Student of the Week is Cassia Guistra. As a 10th-grader here at CHS, she is a very active performer in and out of school. Her heart is full of kindness for her peers, and she is a wonderful addition to the school. CHS and its students thank Cassia Guistra for being an amazing student and friend to others here at CHS.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

This week’s Senior Spotlight shines upon Juan Juarez, a student who has gone above and beyond at CHS and WNC. His cumulative grade-point average is 3.48, and his weighted grade-point average is 3.88. Juarez has some exciting plans for his future as seen in his current educational choices, his future professional goals, and his life. Juarez’s current course work is mainly in college preparation, taking his core classes through WNC and finishing his high school responsibilities with CHS’ Career and Technical Education courses. Juarez will be finished with such classes as English 101 and 102, Math 127 (Pre-Calculus), History 102, Sociology 101, Honors Humanity Pharmacy Practice, and Health Science II. Juarez is ready for graduation and is planning on becoming a physician, specializing in neurosurgery for reasons close to his heart. Upon finishing his Associates Degree at WNC in science, he will be applying to the UNR school of Medicine. Along will being part of the CHS and WNC Jump Start program, Juarez is also working part time. Juan Juarez is a successful example of what both CHS and WNC strive to achieve with the Jump Start program. Congratulations, Juan, and good luck! CHS is both proud and pleased to have students like Juan Juarez.

Phil Brady is an English teacher at CHS.