Churchill County High School planning on graduation ceremony

High school students will get to walk across the stage in front of their family and friends unlike last year’s senior class.

A graduation ceremony – and possibly prom – will return this school year after Churchill County High School Principal Scott Winters presented to the Board of Trustees in last week’s school board meeting. The Class of 2020’s graduation was modified to a drive-through model due to the pandemic, but Winters said a plan has been created — and updated several times — to allow for a graduation ceremony like pre-pandemic school years.

“It will still be set up the same with kids down on the field and seating on the field plus in the stands,” Winters said.

More will be known after May 1 when the state gives jurisdiction to the county governments regarding COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines. Counties can fully reopen without social distancing as early as May 1, but the statewide mask mandate will remain.

Graduation will be June 4 at 7 p.m. on the football field at the Edward Arciniega Athletic Complex.

Winters indicated that after Churchill County releases its plan, the school will be able to figure out how many people to allow at the ceremony. Winters added that decisions need to be made on whether social distancing will need to be adhered and if sanitization centers will be necessary. Winters also said they asked the city to provide one more set of stands for the visitor side.

Lumped into the same discussions as graduation was prom.

Winters said he was approached by a student who presented preliminary ideas on how to conduct prom safely. ChurchillCSD Superintendent Summer Stephens also added that Athletics Director Brad Daum, who helps oversee the facilities, will be involved with discussions for both prom and graduation. Trustee Tricia Strasdin suggested a masquerade mask theme.

“We want to work together with what she has to say,” Winters said about his discussion with the high school student. “We want to make sure we do this safely and within the boundaries with some of the mandates still in place.”

In other school board matters, the principals submitted status reports on their schools, and CCHS staff presented information about their Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program).

With the state’s updated guidelines on distancing in schools coming on May 1, the district’s Friday release to the families said that “the leadership team will be reviewing all of our protocols and status of learning in the district and making a recommendation to the board later in the month regarding the remaining month of school and any potential changes that might come into play after May 1 through June 4. At this time, the face-covering mandate remains in effect, so please make sure all students and adults who enter the schools have their face coverings.”

The district’s tentative budget was also discussed and approved unanimously. Stephens said the budget doesn’t have any cuts and there’s a stakeholder survey to “identify some priorities and to work on the two stimulus budgets, CRRSA and ARPA,” in the next 90 days.

The district will not know until June 1, past the deadline for submitting a budget, regarding the state legislature’s impact.

Regarding the 2021-2022 school year, the board approved that school will start on Aug. 23 and end on June 3, 2022.

In sports, President Matt Hyde was nominated and approved as a trustee to the NIAA Board of Directors for Region 2, which represents Carson, Churchill and Douglas counties.

The district also released an update and reminder about the spring season and spectators for away contests. Each senior athlete will get two vouchers/tickets for away games. Tickets will be at the admission gate of the team hosting. No other tickets will be available for the other players on the team. There will be no admission to visiting parents/fans for JV contests, and swimming is not allowing any spectators. 

Spectator limits and restrictions could change on May 1.

The Board of Trustees will next meet on April 28 at 5:30 p.m.