Fallon student to share story of “Charlie”

Oasis Academy student Alexis Haggard, 11, is fairly new to town but she doesn’t shy away from showcasing her creativity with the community.

The Jacksonville, Fla. native loves drawing comics and writing story lines.

From her love, “Charlie,” an oblivious yet lovable dog was born.

“I love watching the old fashioned cartoons,” she said. “That was my inspiration.”

With a classic vibe of Hanna-Barbera and vintage Disney, Alexis’s comics of curious Charlie will soon be seen in the Lahontan Valley News, as she’s prepared comics for each season to read.

Although the idea of Charlie is new, Alexis has been practicing her artistry since she was a toddler. Before moving to Fallon, her art posters always placed top 3 in contests said her father, Josh Haggard.

“We all knew she had a talent for drawing,” he said. “Sometimes, I have to pull her back to focus on school work.”

The Haggard family moved from Jacksonville in July as Josh, an active member in the Navy, was stationed to Fallon’s Naval Air Station.

Transitioning from an environment with endless summers to a desert with four seasons, the Haggard family is enjoying the change of pace—especially since Alexis and her 9-year-old sister Riley, experienced snow for the first time.

“She threw her first snowball,” Josh said. “It aimed for her sister but it went through a window instead.”

“I like it here way better than the city,” Alexis said. “There’s more open space.”

With that, Alexis based many of Charlie’s stories about playing in the snow, such as sledding — even though she has never done it before.

“She comes up with the scenarios and expressions perfectly,” Josh said.

Since kindergarten, Haggard had aspirations of becoming an illustrator until she discovered another hobby and talent she’s really good at: debating.

Josh said Alexis wants to be a lawyer someday, as she can persuade people with her opinions.

But that won’t ever stop Alexis from building story lines for Charlie; she’s already considering another character to add and is teaching Riley to draw.

“My best advice is to keep practicing and get ideas from others,” Alexis said. “Use your imagination.”

After her interview with Lahontan Valley News, Alexis and her father headed to the Fallon Animal Shelter to adopt a dog.