Senator Square: Carson High School students become published authors

According to Teen Health and Wellness, Rosen Publishing, “Sharing stories is a powerful way to connect with other people. By sharing your own story, you can connect with other teens who are dealing with similar experiences. Your words can provide hope and comfort, or empower them to face their own challenges.”

Carson High School teacher Erin Been’s Freshman Seminar and Health class took up this challenge and completed a unit on appreciation, gratitude, and informational storytelling as part of their PSA and vision board projects and had the opportunity to share a personal story for submission to the database. After critical review by the editorial board of Rosen Publishing, 18 student stories were chosen to be featured in the digital database in the next few weeks. CHS@Senators Library provides multiple research and information databases to CHS students.

Teen Health and Wellness, teenhealthandwellness.com, focuses on health related topics with informational resources, support hotlines, and interactive topics. The following students accepted the offer of publication and will be presented with certificates signed by Roger Rosen, President and CEO of Rosen Publishing, and Miriam Gilbert, Vice President. The stories will be published at the end of January. Browse the Teen Health and Wellness website to view the stories. Congratulations to CHS Student published authors Emely Aguirre Rodriguez, Anna Turner, Caydence Mohr, Zack Lopez, Yuliana Renteria, Trina Hoffer, Shawna Seigmann, Riley Petersen, Nathan Petereson, Morgan Saindon, Mia Colonna, Jocelyn Orozco, and Estreya Cisneros Baumgardner. For more information about this event and the students who published their stories, email CHS Library Media Specialist and Carson City School District Library Coordinator Ananda Campbell at acampbell@carson.k12.nv.us.

MIRACLE MINUTE AND CHARITYMILES RIDE FOR JACQUELINE
CHS Leadership students conducted a Miracle Minute during school Jan. 12 and 13 to raise money for Jacqueline Milagros Acosta-Bruno who recently passed away due to both cancer and Covid. Students took a silent moment at the beginning of their A3 classes to collect over $1,700 to help the family with expenses. A CHS Senior, Emma Doty, is putting on an additional fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of Jacqueline.

Emma is looking for people to sponsor her as she rides her bike with CharityMiles. Pledge any amount per mile, and it all goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The fundraiser ends Feb. 14, so give now here and tell a friend. Working together may help end blood cancer.

SPEECH AND DEBATE MEMBER WINS UNOPPOSED
Carson High debater Ryan Soulier competed in the American Legion speaker contest Jan. 6. This competition includes two rounds, the first of which he was to give a prepared oration on the topic “What are the duties and obligations of an American Citizen”. For the second round, a section of the US Constitution was drawn, and he was given five minutes to prepare a five-minute speech on this section. Ryan placed 1st and would normally have advanced to the next round of competition, which is normally held at Western Nevada College Jan. 16, but CHS teacher and speech and debate adviser Patrick Mobley said, “I was informed late last night the upcoming round of the competition has been cancelled because Ryan is the only contestant, so his next round is the department level Feb 20.”

CHS SENIOR ABBY GOLIK THANKS THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS
I wanted to thank the many friends, family, and the many anonymous individuals who donated money or items to my sock, gloves, and diaper drive. The Carson City community and beyond really rallied behind the drive and helped me collect $2,263.90 worth of items. These items were given to the Ron Wood Family Resource Center and Friends in Service Helping. Both organizations were so incredibly thankful and told me the donations will help hundreds of people in the community.

I want to personally thank the following donors: Jill Skidmore, Lisa Condon, Mark Magnaca, Sadie Share, Andie Wilson, Brad Bonkowski, Chris Vondeuring, Kim Graham, Sarah Lobsinger, Kristin Kellogg, Tom Goedde, Jackie Page, Lynette Gardner, Curtis Kortemeier, Joe Laub, Colleen McCoy, Tracy Wixon, Gretchen Higgins, Jan Anderson, John Burroughs, Kari Pryor, Michelle Goode, Douglas Carlton, Lily Roman, Elayna Cooper, Lee Conley, James McDougall of the Pay it Forward Foundation, the managers, James and Blake of both Carson City Walmarts, my mom and dad, my grandparents, and my sister for helping me get this drive up and going and for inspiring me to be a better person. Also, thank you to all of you who dropped off donations anonymously to Carson High School. Times are hard in our community, but you just made things a little easier for so many people. Thank you sincerely. — Abby Golik, CHS Class of 2021.

CHS 2021 TALENT SHOW, COVID STYLE, TAKING PLACE VIRTUALLY
That is correct, Future Business Leaders of America is still putting on the annual CHS talent show; however, because of the restrictions of size gatherings, the talent show will occur virtually. Prizes to be won: Bragging rights and, perhaps, a ticket to Hollywood in the future. How is it going down? Students will record a video of themselves performing their talents.

The video length must be 3½ minutes or less in length, and this video is not only the audition, it is a talent show entry. Videos must be emailed to CHS Government teacher Angila Golik at agolik@carson.k12.nv.us by Jan. 26. Emails must include each student’s name, grade, and video URL link. All videos will be judged by a panel of student judges, and the top 10 videos will be chosen to move on the final round of the competition. The TOP 10 videos will be compiled into one video and will premiere Feb. 3 at 7:00 p.m. on YouTube.

CHS students will have access to the view videos at that time and vote via a Google ballot. Judging and voting will be complete by Feb. 4, and winners will be announced via Google Classroom and CHS Announcements. Grand Prize Winner and 1st place winning videos will be shown to the student body via daily announcements. Prizes to be awarded: A CHS T-shirt to every talent show entry, a Grand Prize of $150 cash, a 1st place singing prize of $75, a 2nd place singing prize of $75, a 1st place non-singing prize of $75, and a 2nd place non-singing prize of $75. Talent is not defined simply by singing. Talent may be juggling, silks, musical instruments, stand-up comedy, dancing, and more. Talent videos may be a group of people or one individual.

CARSON CITY BUSINESS OWNERS MAY ADVERTISE IN THE CHS YEARBOOK
Carson City business owners may purchase an advertisement section in the yearbook, multiple sizes available, to help support the CHS program. It is super easy; business owners simply need to go to yearbookforever.com, search for Carson High School, select shop, and select business ad. They may then upload a predesigned ad, or they may design their own ad online. They may purchase a full page, ½-page, or ¼-page section. Please, businesses of Carson City, use this type of advertising to support the physical publication of the CHS Senators’ yearbook. Also, parents, students, and others may also purchase a section of the yearbook as well and use photos to capture and immortalize an unforgettable memory of time spent in the Carson City School District and beyond. Have a look at the possibilities by going to senatorsnow.org/. All purchases need to be made by Feb. 26. For more information about the CHS yearbook, email CHS teacher and yearbook adviser Cynthia Mills at cmills@carson.k12.nv.us.

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA RENO FREE PRE-MED ZOOM SESSION
Seniors, welcome to the final countdown to graduation. Rad, right? Seniors, those who need free money, should be checking the CHS scholarship website weekly as tons of scholarships are coming out and are waiting to be applied for. Also, headed to UNR? Want to study Pre-Med?

Then attend the Zoom link below as UNR is hosting a free 45-minute information session for students, parents, and educators interested in learning about Pre-Med on Jan. 17 at 2:00 p.m. This program allows guests to meet with Pre-Med advisers, and to learn about courses, activities, and majors to best prepare students for medical school. Guests will also hear from a current medical school student who completed Pre-Med at the university and have an opportunity to ask questions in a question and answer session. Join this Zoom meeting by going to the following link here on Jan. 17 at 2:00 p.m. The meeting ID is 825 7510 8324, and the passcode is 002439.

ATHLETE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
CHS Athlete in the Spotlight is Nayzeth Alvarez, a senior. “When I was younger, I started to play multiple sports and tried different activities until I realized basketball was my favorite; the competitiveness and passion I had for the game allowed me to stick with it” Nayzeth said about what inspired her to choose this particular sport. “In middle school, I played basketball, volleyball, and track and field, and in high school I wanted to focus my attention on my main sport, basketball, even though I also play softball too” she added.

Currently, Nayzeth maintains a 3.9 unweighted and 4.5 weighted GPA. During school, Nayzeth said, regarding basketball and the Covid pandemic, she hopes she will be allowed to play against CHS rivals and get her final season in, but for academics, she would like to graduate with honors, a 4.0 GPA, and then, “My goal is to play college basketball while pursuing a career as a Certified Forensic Analyst and forensic psychologist.” Nayzeth’s motivational quote comes from Wilma Glodean Rudolph, 1940 to 1994, an American sprinter born in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee, who became a world-record-holding Olympic champion and international sports icon in track and field following her successes in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games who said, “The potential for greatness lives within each of us.”

In speaking with younger athletes, Nayzeth said, “I would say to them it is important to put in the work; if a player is really passionate about the sport she plays, then going to practice every day, or working to get better, is seen as enjoyable rather than work, and it is important to stay confident and take criticism as ways to improve rather than to let it get them down.” Congratulations to Nayzeth Alvarez on being nominated CHS Athlete in the Spotlight.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK
Congratulations to Max Figueroa on being nominated by CHS Speech and Language Pathologist Carol Hellwinkel as Student of the Week. According to Hellwinkel, “Max is exceptional and has a fantastic mathematical mind.” Hellwinkel went on to say, “He is a part of my Social Club at CHS, and he is a great friend to everyone as he thinks of others, even me.”

For example, Hellwinkel said, “Max often plans the menu for Social Club lunches because he is concerned about the cost and making sure I do not spend too much money, yet he allows everyone to get something fun to eat since I pay for it out of my own pocket.” Max is the organizer of the club as well and helps the other students with problems they may be having. “Max loves to cook and is quite the gourmet chef at home, too, and he works very hard to keep his grades up and is doing fantastic this year” Hellwinkel added. “Max is a great role model for his peers” Hellwinkel said. Congratulations to Max Figueroa on his nomination as CHS Student of the Week.

SENIOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Staying focused ‘JumpStarts’ a career. David Kimball, a Jump Start senior from Pioneer High School attending Western Nevada College, described the experience of taking his welding certification exam as the greatest obstacle for him to overcome. “Once the test began, I cleared my mind and started it head on; I focused extremely hard on each weld bead and made sure each one was better than the last” David said.

While the exam results are still pending, David considers this achievement an important step closer to his goal of becoming a certified welder and beginning a welding career either in the mining industry or military. David, who spends his spare time in the gym learning how to box, recently earned honors by being placed on WNC’s fall semester Dean's List. He credits his success to his teachers at PHS and WNC who encouraged him to stay focused and develop his skills. He thanks his Chemistry teacher Mrs. Steinkraus and Math teacher Mr. Corbitt for making classes relevant to his interests in welding, and “…helping me feel confident to follow directions and getting stuff done.”

He also appreciated the mentorship with WNC instructor Randy Naylor, who taught him what it takes to be a tradesman, and his boss Jim, who taught him about developing a strong work ethic and giving great customer service. When asked what advice he would pass on to others trying to discover where they are headed, David encouraged them to seize the opportunity, when the chance is given, and put out the effort to get what they want.

He said this is exactly what he did when he was offered the opportunity to participate in the WNC Jump Start program at PHS. Congratulations to David Kimball on his success. Pioneer is proud of his hard work. —Contributed by Pioneer High School counselor Cary Jordan.

— Senator Square is a weekly column written by Phil Brady, who is an English teacher at Carson High School in Carson City, Nev.