Senator Square: Former Carson High School student earns spot on USA Cheer Team

Editor’s Note: Sheila Story is Chief Nurse of Carson City School District as well as Nurse and Cheer Coach at Carson High School. This is her report.

Every so often a student emerges from the shadows by challenging himself to ever increasing levels of accomplishment. One such student is CHS 2018 graduate Hayden Story. Hayden began training for gymnastics at three-years-old and was competing from age six through middle school.

As a CHS student, Hayden was consistently active in CHS’ Capital Future Farmers of America Program where he served as an officer at the Chapter and Zone levels as well as competing nationally in soils and livestock. He was a member of the football team all four years, and swimming for three years, lettering in both. After school commitments, Hayden kept up his gymnastic skills by competing on competitive coed cheer and stunt teams, and, after graduating from CHS, continued his education at UNR as an officer in the State FFA Program, all while still competing in cheer and stunt.

At the end of 2018, Hayden was scouted by, and offered a tryout, for the prestigious University of Kentucky Coed Cheer Team. The UK Coed Cheer Team has consistently been the top large D1 collegiate coed team with 24 national titles. In 2019 Hayden accepted this challenge head-on and was offered a position and scholarship on the UK team, while working towards a degree in Agricultural Economics. This past summer, Hayden was selected for a position on the USA Cheer, 2022 Premier Coed Team.

The team will represent the United States in international competitions such as the Pan-American Championships in South America, the International University Sports Federation Games in Greece, and the International Cheer Union Championships in Florida. Competitive cheerleading has recently been approved by the IOC as an Olympic sport, and future USA Teams will begin competing in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles with exhibitions starting at the 2024 Olympics.

Please help in congratulating Hayden Story for making it onto the USA Cheer 2022 Premier Coed Team. Story also intends to represent the United States in the 2024 Olympics. His family and friends wish him the best of luck and will be cheering him on at United Cheer Association (UCA) College Nationals with the UK Coed Cheer Team Jan. 12-14 and with USA Cheer 2022 in April at the International Cheer Union Championships.

CHEER TEAM ADOPTS FAMILY AND WINS COMPETITION
Carson High JV and Varsity Cheer adopted a family from the Angel Tree for Christmas as a community service to give back and help a family in need. According to Cheer Team Coach Sheila Story, “We delivered 34 presents to the family Dec. 18th, and Carson High Cheer Competition Team competed in a USA Spirit Regional Virtual Competition Dec. 11, 2021 in the Varsity Show Cheer Non-Tumbling Advanced Stunt Division. The CHS Competition Team came in second place with a score of 91.222. They have been invited to compete at the national level with USA Spirit in February 2022.

CHEER COMPETITION FUNDRAISER AT PIZZA FACTORY
Come Support Carson High Cheer Competition Team by Dining in or Taking out Pizza from Pizza Factory on US Highway 50 all day Jan. 12. A full 20% of the proceeds will be donated to the CHS Cheer Competition Team to help cover cost for the team to travel to USA Spirit Nations in February 2022.

SKI TEAM’S FIRST RACE OF THE SEASON
Senator Ski Team made a strong showing at the season's first race. Alpine Meadows hosted the race Jan. 6th, and leading the charge for the girls was Bella Bertrand finishing eighth overall. Ella Wick, Sierra Frame, Anika Bryant, and Sidney Ingram also lit up the slopes as top finishers for the Senators. On the boy's side, Thomas Callister turned in a stellar performance, finishing seventh overall. Great job skiers. — Contributed by Ski Team Coach Kelly Hogan.

SENIOR BABY PICS AND SENIOR ADS 
Parents and guardians of seniors, due to the reality that Covid is still impacting our lives, I have extended the due date for senior baby pictures to Jan. 16. However, this will be your last chance to submit your senior baby picture because I have a hard deadline coming up.

Please submit it on the senior Google Classroom, and, seniors, please help your parents with this as they do not have access. Do not email it to me. I cannot guarantee an emailed picture to me will in fact get into the yearbook. This is why it is on your senior Google Classroom.

Make sure it is a Jpeg or PNG. It cannot be submitted on a word document or a PDF. Senior ads are still due Feb. 28, or, if I run out of space, I will have to cut them off earlier. It is a first come, first served situation. Go to yearbookforever.com, search for Carson High School, make sure it says Carson City, Nevada, click shop, and then click on senior ads. From there, you will see the sizes available and the prices. You design the ad online. Space is limited, so if you are planning on purchasing one, please do so ASAP. You can also buy a yearbook online if you have not purchased one already. Prices go up March 1. — Contributed by Yearbook and Digital Media Adviser Cynthia Mills.

SCHOLARSHIP FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS TO CONSIDER
The Taco Bell Foundation Scholarship, with over $7,000,000 is scholarships available to passionate students nationwide, is available for consideration and is due Jan. 11. According to their website, “It’s a different kind of scholarship.”

Applicants are to submit a video, between 30 seconds to two minutes, which addresses the questions: What is your passion, and how are you currently pursuing it, how do you plan to use your passion to uniquely make a positive change in your community or the world, and how will your education help enable you to pursue your passion and make a change. Please keep in mind, many scholarships go unapplied for, so free money is never claimed. Fill out a scholarship, and go to college for free. For more information about this scholarship, go here.

UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS
CHS JV Boys, Girls Varsity, and Boys Varsity Basketball will take place Jan. 11 at McQueen High School in Reno at 3:30, 5:15, and 7:00. There is also a Ski Team race Jan. 12 at Kirkwood as well as JV and Varsity Wrestling matches at Reed High School at 4:00. Finally, Freshman Girls and Boys will compete Jan. 13 at 5:00 and 6:15 at Douglas High School.

SUPPORT CHS BY PURCHASING SENATOR WEAR
Some have expressed interest in Senator Wear. Here is an opportunity to get some items that have not been offered before. Please visit the link below to see what we have. You can put my name where it asks for athlete name or any track athlete that comes to talk to you. All items will be shipped directly to you. Go here for information.

ENGLISH LEARNER ADVISORY TEAM TO MEET AT EMPIRE ELEMENTARY
The ELA Team, comprised of a multifaceted team of stakeholders who provide input regarding effective ways to support English Learners and former ELs in fully participating in all school activities, will focus on exploring avenues for celebrating students’ bilingualism and promoting approaches aimed at capitalizing on ELs linguistic funds. This team is comprised of a broad base of school community stakeholders including EL specialists, paraprofessionals, teachers, district leaders, students, and parents.

Team meetings are being held in a high-flex format, and they hope others will join them Jan. 12, March 9, and May 4, from 3:45 to 5:00 at Empire Elementary School, 1260 Monte Rosa Drive in Carson City. Participation in this endeavor is greatly appreciated on behalf of Assistant Director of Equity and EL Programming with the Carson City School District, Dr. Tanya Scott and the students served by the CCSD EL Program.

Please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Scott with questions, or let her know you are planning to attend. Those wishing to join the team virtually, however, may obtain information for joining the meeting via Zoom upon request. For more information, or to R.S.V.P., please contact Dr. Tanya Scott at tscott@carson.k12.nv.us. or 283-1507.

ALLIANCE FOR YOUNG ARTISTS AND WRITERS SCHOLASTIC AWARDS
In the Dec. 4 issue of Senator Square, the artwork of Brandon Thompson and Elena Brugger, CHS Graphic Design and SkillsUSA students in adviser Patricia Ababio’s classes were shown, and in the Jan. 1 issue, the artwork of Yanizia Herrara and Emma Lobsien were shown, so in this issue, the works of CHS students Nadia Hill with her Scholastic Art and Writing Competition entry “wendigo” and Tierney Frost with “oh no it’s exploding” are being shown.

The following students from Ababio’s classes are competing in the The Scholastic Art and Writing competition: Yanizia Herarra, Nadia Hill, Emma Lobsien, Charlotte Albin, Aiden Grime, Noah Sa, Tierney Frost, Brandon Thompson, and Elena Brugger. The SAW Awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent, and present their remarkable work to the world. The Awards give students opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships. The art awards exhibition is Feb. 5 through 25, 2022. Gold Key Art will be on view at Sheppard Contemporary gallery at the University of Nevada, Reno located in the Church Fine Arts building. American Visions Nominated Art will be on view at Nevada Museum of Art, and the Award Ceremony will take place Feb. 10, 2022 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
CHS Athletic Department’s Athletes of the Week are Parsa Hadjighasemi for CHS Boys Varsity Basketball and Reese Mackenzie for CHS Girls Varsity Basketball. These athletes, and all students who participate in school functions through leadership, clubs, and sports, deserve a high level of recognition and congratulations.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK
Congratulations to CHS Freshman, Aurora Giurlani on being nominated Student of the Week. According to her CHS Algebra teacher Jessica Rhea, “Aurora completes all assignments thoroughly and on time, and she participates during class time.”

As if this was not enough, Rhea also said, "Aurora is very bright and talented in her math class, and she has remained a responsible student throughout the whole year; she deserves recognition for her hard work and knowledge!" Employees within Carson City School District nominate the CHS Student of the Week, and it is often the teachers who do the nominating, though anyone in the district may do so by sending an email to pbrady@carson.k12.nv.us. Congratulations to Aurora Giurlani on being nominated CHS Student of the Week.

SENIOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Wesley Dunkin transferred to CHS as a sophomore when Dayton High School announced they had to cancel their football program. Wes’s enthusiasm, not just CHS football, but also CHS Academics, was evident from day one. His positive attitude and commitment to hard work are incredibly impressive. With a GPA of 4.3, Wes is a high achieving Advanced Placement and Career and Technical Education Engineering student.

He has been accepted at Texas A&M and is waiting to hear back from the University of Texas. Beyond school and athletics, Wesley also works a nearly full time job at Tires Plus. His ability to balance so many things is inspiring and an amazing example of what CHS Senators can achieve.

Coach Roman wrote, “Wesley Dunkin was a starting outside linebacker for the football team this year; he led our team by example in the weight room and on the field.” Roman added, “His hard work this off-season is a great example of setting goals, working hard to achieve them, and when preparation meets opportunity, performing at a high level on the football field.” Most importantly, Wesley takes his academics very seriously, works hard to be a complete student-athlete, and has a great future in whatever he chooses to do after high school. Please join CHS in congratulating this fine young man. — Contributed by CHS Counselor Bridget Gordon-Johnson.

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