Carson High School senior Alexa Ponce Medina receives her bike from Supervisor Lisa Schuette as a congratulations for her attendance.
Photo by Jessica Garcia.
Mayor Lori Bagwell, Carson City School District officials and community sponsors celebrated 50 students for attending school consistently during a bike giveaway Thursday at the Casino Fandango.
More than 200 families attended the event at which 30 businesses delivered the bikes offered as raffle prizes in Bagwell’s “Attendance Hall of Fame” night.
Bagwell’s campaign has been a series of school assemblies, school tours and pizza parties or celebrations. She has involved sponsors to help students overcome chronic absenteeism and encourage them to keep going every day.
“I've been in all those schools quite a few times, and I'm telling you, I'm impressed,” Bagwell told families. “When I get to get in there and I see how much those principals and vice principals care about your children's success, it's really phenomenal because they care, and everything they do is aimed at making your children successful.”
Students on Thursday were excited, nervous and proud to have their helmets fitted and receive their bikes.
Anastasia Cesar, a first-grader from Fritsch Elementary School, said she was “shocked” to learn she was one of the winners. She said the announcement was made in front of her entire school.
“I love learning about things and it’s just really fun for me,” she said.
Since Bagwell launched her “Attendance Hall of Fame” in January 2024, more than 150 bikes have been provided from community partners. She said she has been happy to see the strategy motivating students.
School district attendance interventionist Joseph Madera, who specifically focuses on outreach to students and families to help them with chronic absence issues, said his approach is preventive care in bringing the youth back.
“We know there’s all kinds of reasons across the board that keep students away from the classroom or unmotivated,” she said. “Family support is what I aim at because if the family is not supportive of the student coming to school, then they’re not going to come to school.”
Working with partners, including juvenile probation officers, child services organizations such as the Division of Child and Family Services or the Boys and Girls Clubs, who can communicate with families directly also helps reassure children and families improving attendance is not about taking punitive measures, he said. It also takes the schools’ direct involvement, he said.
“(We’d tell them) we care so much for you that we want to see you succeeding,” he said. “The thing that works is just going out into the community itself, knocking on doors and asking the families how they're doing, if there's anything we can do to help them.”
Bagwell announced to families six of nine schools lowered their rates of absenteeism, and two of the six elementary schools have improved their rates since before the pandemic.
“We’re going to continue the program,” Bagwell said. “What we always assess: Are we doing the right gifts, the right products? You know, the objective, of course, is to get the kids to go to schools. So we may change it up a little bit for the high schoolers.”
Superintendent Andrew Feuling expressed appreciation for the continued help keeping students engaged.
“This has grown so much, it's incredible to me,” he said. “And this has created a buzz in the schools. Kids know about this now because the prizes are so amazing.”
Sponsors include 395 Motorsports, Bella Salon & Spa, Bill and Virgie Miller, BMO, Bob Fredlund – Nevada Style, Casey Gracie, Casino Fandango, Chick-fil-A, Dickson Realty, Duncan Golf, Grocery Outlet, Hop and Mae Adams Foundation, Knight Monsters, NFL Raiders, Safe Routes to School, Shelly Aldean, United Federal Credit Union, Walmart Store 1648, Walmart Store 3408 and Waste Management.
Charter sponsors include Carson City Toyota, Dana Whaley, Glen Eagles, Greater Nevada Credit Union, Kiwanis, Minuteman Press, Neil and Francene Crowley, Sherry McConnell and Widow’s Mite.