Senator Square: Carson High School students, teachers and staff prepare for Monday return

He is a senior at Carson High School, and his last year is, to say the least, unconventional. Adults have had their say, so how about a chat with this popular young man as he sports a 1980s hairstyle called a mullet in which the hair is short on the sides and long at the front and back.

Earle, who wanted to play football but could not, enjoys hunting for elk, mule deer, duck, geese, and chukar locally and in Idaho with his family. He also rides dirt bikes, works on and builds cars, wants to become a firefighter, and is fearless in his desire to pursue his final year of high school amidst a pandemic.

“I am really excited to go back to school for my senior year, especially after being cooped up in the house for the past five months” he said, and “not really having the freedom to go to Lake Tahoe, without having to wear a mask, has been a real drag.”

Though the start of the Fall 2020 school year has been hindered by a pandemic, and Carson City School District officials said things will look a bit different, Earle said, “I know the Pandemic is a big deal, but it should not be considered more important than so many other, sometimes more serious diseases, going on around the world.”

Adding to life’s difficulties, Earle has had his own personal turmoil as he recently lost his aunt to cancer and his grandfather to Alzheimer's, so getting things back to normal would be awesome for him. Though Jaden knows he will only be on campus a mere two days per week, he misses his education and is still hopeful about becoming a Teacher’s Aide for CHS Algebra and Advanced Placement Statistics teacher Levi Grabo.

Earle has wanted to do this since his sophomore year, and he cannot imagine missing out on this opportunity. Speaking of missing out on opportunities, Earle added, “I miss not having a regular schedule, I miss the social interaction with my friends, and I miss my education being in person and not online; there are also a select group of people at the high school whom I have not seen, but have really missed, due to COVID.”

He was pleased, though, his parents allowed him to see his closest friends quite often, and he also said, with much satisfaction, he was able to see them and others at his job at Pizza Factory.

After high school, Earle said, “I am more street smart than book smart, so when it comes to school, what I find interesting is welding, building things with my friends, going hunting, of course, and finding a way to get myself involved in firefighting; I think of myself as being the kind of guy who is able to fix a blown out tire on the freeway.”

Though Earle has no plans to go to college after high school, he is no slacker and wants to jump straight into a season of woodland firefighting and then, when the fall semester comes around, into Emergency Medical Technician training courses at Truckee Meadows Community College or the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority so that he may later apply to be a structural firefighter at the stations around the area.

Earle said, “A motto I go by is life is too short not to be smiling, so live life to the fullest because things could be worse than they are; I am grateful for the things I have in life, but I also believe I have to work for them and not wait for a handout.” For details about school beginning Aug. 24, go to Carson City Schools.

TEACHERS, GOOGLE CLASSROOMS, AND FRESHMAN CHROMEBOOKS
Teachers have been working nonstop learning programs like Google Classroom, Screencastify, Zoom, Edpuzzle, Wevideo, Camtasia, Pear Deck, Khan Academy, Discovery Education, Art Hub, YouTube, Kahoot, Gimkit, Quizizz as well as what is called Hybrid Teaching, the Flipped Classroom, and the Blended Classroom Model, among many others, and they are so busy getting ready for Aug. 24, and, as Buzz Lightyear would say, “To infinity, and beyond.”

According to CHS Language Arts teacher Briggette Pugh, “The number one thing I learn every year at Back to School Professional Development days is how excruciatingly hard it is to sit still and attempt to absorb a geyser of information, ideas, and data…my brain does not work like that, and developing student brains for sure does not; most years it is three days of being hooked up to the Matrix, but this year it has been 1.5 weeks. Good grief!”

Moreover, CHS Blue Crew has been at work as well giving tours of the high school to freshman as well as handing out new Chromebooks to them this past week. Pictured are Katie Farnworth and her fellow classmates.

REMOTE LEARNING LIBRARY STYLE
CHS @SenatorsLibrary has become a Cyber-Library. Transitioning to remote learning has been an interesting endeavor, one which brings many lessons, and will create a paradigm shift in the way the school library functions both now and in the future. So much of the physical space is intertwined with the social emotional needs of staff and students.

It is a place of respite and calm, a place to relax, socialize, take a time-out, create, learn, or even nap...while wearing a mask of course and following the rules of social distancing. It is also a hive of activity with classes rotating through to check out materials, engage in lessons, or see presentations. The @SenatorsLibrary is a place to gather, and it is the daily personal connections which bring energy and focus to school days. Right now, providing the same supports and so much more, students will attend school and work from home in new and creative ways. It is an amazing transition, and the work happening District-wide from the CCSD Library Staff is amazing.

Check out these examples of Remote Learning, Library Style, happening across the District, information and media literacy instruction via remote learning. Check out the lesson here: bit.ly/CHSMediaBias;

Carson City students read here, there, and everywhere; celebrating elementary school readers and their creative reading styles: bit.ly/CCSDReaders;

beloved books and collaboration with the GATE teachers to highlight reading recommendations to Carson families: bit.ly/CarsonBooksWeLove;

collaborating with the Carson City and Nevada State Libraries to provide digital resources to students: silverstarcoop.overdrive.com/nevadalib-carson;

Updating library websites to provide literacy and digital information to students: carsoncityschools.com, Quick Links, Library; supporting classroom teachers, staff, and students by joining digital classroom discussions and read alouds, curating digital resources for teachers, collecting literacy resources for reading, research, and remote learning, tech support, Chromebook support, processing books, annual reporting, sharing community resources, educational technology coaching and staff support, managing student hotspots for home internet, and assisting with nutrition and social programs.

The CHS Cyber-Library is staying as busy as ever, and CHS is grateful to have the opportunity to continue to support the community virtually. Teachers hope everyone is safe, healthy, and able to tune out, turn off, and get lost in a great book. Ananda Campbell may be reached by email acampbell@carson.k12.nv.us.

OLD YEARBOOKS, NEW YEARBOOKS, NEWS MAGAZINE, DIGITAL MEDIA
The yearbook staff of CHS has a great number of past yearbooks available for a donation, and to order the 2020-2021 Carneta, students need to go to yearbookforever.com. And now is the time to do it in order to find the lowest prices of the year.

In addition to yearbooks, CHS is also in charge of publishing a news magazine. Well, given the state of the world and an actual global pandemic, they were unable to publish the news magazine last year; however, their editors decided it would be a great time to bring CHS Publications into the 21st century, so they created a blog: The Current Carneta.

The hope is they will be updating it at least weekly, and they want to share the link with students and parents via Google Classroom as well as have everyone check out some of the crazy, super talented student writers they have on staff. Visitors may access The Current Carneta by going to sites.google.com/carson.k12.nv.us/carneta/home.

The CHS yearbook is a completely self-sustaining program, and they do not receive any funding from outside their advertising and book sales. Digital Media is also a relatively new development at CHS as it began just last year. Digital Media does weekly video announcements and creates other videos covering events, activities, and news. Their website may be accessed by going to senatorsnow.org. Please email CHS Language Arts teacher and Yearbook Adviser Cynthia Mills at cmills@carson.k12.nv.us for more information.

TEACHERS TO MEET AND PRAY
CHS teachers Ty McMillen and Phil Brady were contacted by several CHS teachers over the past week regarding setting up an opportunity for teachers and staff to get together to pray about the school year and all that is going on these days. Prayer is defined as the act of praying to God; a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God. With that said, McMillen and Brady are committing to all who have any interest, to be available to pray every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 6:40 a.m. to 6:50 a.m. in Brady's room 137, near the North Foyer.

They will be in his room by 6:30 a.m., and anyone who is available and interested in joining will be welcome. Prayer will begin at 6:40 a.m. on the dot, and they will conclude the prayer right at 6:50 a.m. This will give teachers time to get to their posts for the day prior to contract hours. Meeting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is best because teachers will either be leading their Homeroom class in an SEL lesson, or they will be teaching Cohort 2 what was covered the day before.

They hope to see many attend prayer, as they are able, throughout the school year. If not able to attend, please let them know if there is anything specific to pray for as the school year progresses. They are so thankful to work with such a wonderful group of people.

CHS 2020-2021 SPORTS REGISTRATION AND SOCCER FACE MASKS
It is time for athletes to register for all sporting activities at registermyathlete.com. It is not too late to register for football, soccer, volleyball, tennis, cross country, and girl’s golf as well as the winter sports of basketball, wrestling, and ski team; registration will not close until Dec. 20, 2020 at 3:00 p.m.

All sports, including spring sports like baseball, softball, swim, track and field, and boys golf will not close until Feb. 16, 2021. Photo or cell phone pictures of physicals will be accepted if readable. Form B of the NIAA pre-participation form must be signed by both parent and athlete with both pages uploaded together.

Form D, physical history, must be uploaded separately from Form B. If no physical is needed, complete and submit top portion. Medical insurance is covered by Carson City School District for any school sponsored activity. If student already has medical insurance, CCSD will be a secondary insurance. Contact the Athletic Department at 283-1900, or go to senatorsnow.org, for more information. Also, CHS Boys Soccer team fundraiser is selling face masks with the soccer team logo on them for $10 each or five for $40. Head Coach, Frank Martinez, may be reached at 230-3280.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
Beginning Sept. 8, The Rotary Club of Carson City will recognize a senior student every Tuesday following their nomination as either the Carson High School or Pioneer High School Senior in the Spotlight. Students will be asked to join the meeting via Zoom beginning at Noon. In an effort to identify all types of students, the Club has implemented a couple of changes regarding the selection of students.

Two CHS students who have excelled academically will be selected twice per month, and one will be selected once per month who has overcome challenges and works hard academically. The same selection process occurs once per month for a PHS student. Meetings are held at the Brewery Arts Center beginning at Noon in the upstairs banquet room.

The club honors the student for his or her many accomplishments with lunch and a certificate. Questions about the selection process are to be directed to the CHS Guidance Office at 283-1910, or emailed to Counselor Nicole Hendee at nhendee@carson.k12.nv.us. Further information may be found by contacting Renae Cortez, the Executive Administrative Assistant for both Superintendent Richard Stokes and the Board of Trustees with Carson City School District, at 283-2100.

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