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SLHS Wins NIAA Award of Excellence and Welcomes New Principal

As back-to-school supplies start rolling out in stores, Sierra Lutheran High School’s administrative team is already gearing up for the school’s 16th school year. The school enthusiastically welcomes Dr. Tami Seddon, a Carson Valley native, as their new principal following the retirement of Reverend Juls Clausen. Dr. Seddon, a UC Davis and Stanford alumna, has been with the school since its inception as both a teacher and academic dean.

Founded in 2002 with 24 students in 9th and 10th grade, the school was begun by a group of parents seeking to provide a Christ-centered alternative to the public school system.

“We wanted our kids to be able to achieve academic greatness while also growing in their faith in Jesus Christ,” says founding parent and SLHS Board Director Julia Bonafede. “We wanted the students to be able to focus on their studies and not have to worry about all of the negative influences that increasingly encroach on childhood.”

Over the years, the school has grown into a full-fledged high school with over 120 students in four grades. At their first commencement ceremony in 2005, Sierra Lutheran graduated 6 students. The SLHS Class of 2017, at 30 students, had a collective 2.3 million dollars in scholarships with some attending colleges as far away as Wartburg in Wisconsin, and others choosing to stay closer to home at University of Nevada, Reno.

As the school has grown, so has the strength of both its academics and athletics. For the first time in school history, Sierra Lutheran won the NIAA Award of Excellence (Class 1A), an award that the NIAA considers to be “Nevada’s top overall sports competition” (NIAA.com). The NIAA, the non-profit governing body of high school athletics in the Silver State, began the Award program in 2001.

“The scoring system awards points to member schools based on their varsity teams’ performances in the classrooms, at the sport venues and in the Citizenship Through Sports initiative.

Each of the three major categories in high school activities – academics, athletics and sportsmanship – are weighted equally, and boys and girls programs are combined in the standings table” (NIAA.com). The Sierra Lutheran Falcons are now ranked 6th for all-time record points (since the start of the award program in 2001) in Class 1A. They also set the all-time fall seasonal record for Class 1A.

Just a few of the many highlights of the year included the Academic Olympic team (led by Dr. Seddon) winning the State Championship, the Girls Basketball team (led by League Coach of the Year Michael Nelson) winning the League Championship, the Girls Track & Field team (led by Robin Williams) taking the State Championship, and the baseball team advancing to Regionals for the first time.

In the arts department, Sierra Lutheran put on the first musical in the school’s history (Godspell), hosted two fine arts showcases, and added a dance class elective.

As the new school year approaches - the first day of school at SLHS is August 11th - keep in mind that Sierra’s motto is “Every Day at Sierra Lutheran is an open house.” Still open for enrollment, or just a tour if you’re curious, Sierra Lutheran’s office is open during the summer Monday-Thursday, 9am-2pm. The school is located at 3601 Romans Road, Carson City, NV 89705. Contact the office at (775) 267-1921 with inquiries.

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Mrs. Carson City America, Kassandra Tapia, is set to grace the stage of the Mrs. Nevada America Pageant, scheduled to take place on June 9, 2024, in Las Vegas. She is proudly representing the Capital City, and she aims to not only showcase her poise and grace but also advocate for her powerful platform, Cycle Breakers.

As part of Smokey Bear’s 80th birthday celebration, the Smokey Reading Challenge is underway. Launched this morning at the Nevada State Library, Archives and Public Records in Carson City, the program is designed to engage children across Nevada in an exciting reading journey to learn about wildfire prevention, forests, and careers in natural resources with Smokey Bear.

The Nevada Jeep Club held their first Washoe Valley Cleanup on Saturday, May 4 and collected more than 450 pounds of trash along Highway 395.

Partnership Carson City has launched “Rediscovering Your Mental Health Series,” a five-week program aimed at promoting mental wellness during Mental Health Awareness Month this May. Each week, participants will have the opportunity to learn new skills and techniques to enhance their mental well-being and foster a healthy community.

The Carson City Leisure Hour Club members continue celebrating the organization’s 127th year with a presentation on the upcoming Jazz and Beyond festival.

At the club’s dinner meeting on Thursday, May 16, Cherie Shipley, a member of the event planning committee, will talk about the annual Jazz and Beyond festival, how it formed, and the impact it has had on the community. Jazz and Beyond is scheduled for August 16 to August 25, 2024.

Here is the Carson City area road report for the week of May 6-12, 2024. Closures are expected at the following locations due to road and utility work:

Organized by Carol Park, the Elks held an open to the public, two-day indoor garage sale at the lodge in March as a fundraiser for Holiday with a Hero. Lodge members donated all items sold and assisted at the event which received excellent support from the community.

An 18-year-old Carson City man was arrested at a local diner after allegedly stealing a car from a used car lot two days prior to test drive it.

Friday May 10 at 7:30PM, Valhalla Tahoe kicks off their season with a living history presentation, “The Reno Cure,” at the Boathouse Theater. Reno has long been known as “The Biggest Little City.”

The Carson City Symphony Association will present a concert, "Pleasures of Music," on Friday, May 10, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. at Shepherd of the Sierra Lutheran Church, 3680 N. Hwy. 395, south of Best Buy, Carson City. The concert is a Mark Twain Days event. Admission is free, donations welcome,

Members of the Rotary Club of Carson City will learn how its annual Educational Grant has helped local students at the club’s next meeting. Carson School District K-12 Curriculum & Assessment Coordinator Brittany Witter received the club’s Carson City School District’s Professional Development Center Grant last year with the goal of funding the “Literacy and Love of Reading through Social Studies” project.

Western Nevada College hosted a ceremony to celebrate students succeeding in training to reestablish themselves in the workforce on Thursday.

Perfection in a fur coat is the best way to describe Cher, our cat of the week. Just 7 months old, she is a pretty little short-haired girl with a sweet and social personality.

Carson High School's Senior in the Spotlight this week is Parker Schmid, a remarkable young man whose sparkle radiates in every aspect of his life. From academics to extracurriculars, Parker's journey embodies excellence and compassion, traits that set him apart from his peers.

UPDATE 6 p.m.: Courtesy of the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office: On May 3, 2024 at approximately 1430 hours, Lyon County Sheriff’s Deputies responded along with Central Lyon County, Carson City and Storey County Fire personnel to the area of 34 Newman Ln. for a report of motorhome on fire. Upon arrival, it was discovered that the fire had spread and multiple other abandoned vehicles caught fire as well. No one was hurt or injured during the incident. The incident is currently under investigation, which is being conducted by the Nevada State Fire Marshall’s Division.

UPDATE 2:38 p.m.: Firefighters from Storey are also now responding.

UPDATE 2:33 p.m.: Multiple vehicles on the property are engulfed in flame.

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Around 2:15 p.m. a fire was reported at 34 Newman Lane in Mound House.

Firefighters from Carson City and Lyon County are enroute to the scene.

UPDATE 1:20 p.m.: According to Sheriff Ken Furlong, a student reported they saw a weapon. The incident was investigated and there was no weapon found. The lockdown has now been lifted and students are leaving the school.

UPDATE 1:15 p.m.: Update 05-03-24 at 1:15 p.m.
One student has reported an alleged weapon sighting. It has not been corroborated, but school officials and the sheriff’s office are investigating out an abundance of caution.

***

UPDATE 12:50 p.m.: The following update was provided by the district:

Carson High School was put on lockdown this afternoon around 12:15 p.m. No person was injured. There is an active situation being investigated in cooperation with the Carson City Sheriff’s Office. We will provide more information as it becomes known. The school is secure. Do not go to the school. No entrances will be permitted at time. The district will provide updates every 30 minutes. Expect the next update at 1:15 p.m.

***

Carson High School is currently on a lockdown as of 12:40 p.m. Friday, but there has been no incident reported according to Sheriff Ken Furlong.

Two School Resource Officers are on scene investigating why the alarm went off.

The Lyon County Board of County Commissioners heard a presentation from the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) on the current status of the Highway 50 Preservation Project in Dayton.

Kids ages 8-14: Join Skiing is Believing at Western Nevada college for our multidiscplinary sport & fitness camp! Every day of every week, Skiing is Believing staff will help provide a variety of sports for kids to develop their physical skills and promote emotional development through exercise and community service.

After months of thorough community engagement and meticulous deliberation, Douglas County has announced the completion of its new Strategic Plan. This document, which will guide the County's decisions and resource allocation for the next five years, is the result of extensive input from both internal and external stakeholders.

The unpredictability of spring this first weekend of May continues with the threat of snow showers in the Sierra on Saturday, along with gusty winds and rain down to the valley floors for Carson City and surrounding areas. The storm system should moved out by Sunday morning.

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Carson City’s former Board of Supervisor and business owner Stan Jones was posthumously awarded Thursday the Historic Preservation Award for his long time work for downtown Carson City.

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