Senator Square: Senior projects and new events ahead at Carson High

Community members from all over Carson City are getting ready to evaluate the Senior Project portfolios and speeches of Carson High School’s 2015-2016 soon to be graduating class, and it is an unforgettable highlight for everyone involved.

For the students who stepped out of their comfort zones to solicit the mentoring skills of professionals in the area, it is not only educationally rewarding, it is sometimes an opportunity which will lead to potential employment and future career possibilities. Additionally, for the community’s mentors, a sense of partnership and assisting a younger generation becomes well worth the volunteering effort given. The Senior Project would have never become a reality without the devoted effort of the Carson City community.

Senior Project Judges Needed
Seniors are finishing their Senior Projects; however, the Senior Project Committee is still in desperate need of community judges for April 18. Judges are needed for the 8 am and 10 am slots, but they are especially needed for the noon time slot. If interested in volunteering time to evaluate Senior Projects and speeches, please go to carsonhigh.com and click the “2015-2016 Senior Project Volunteer Panels RSVP Form” link, or contact the Senior Project Coordinator at 283-1640. The Senior Project Committee is beyond grateful for the support of the Carson City community.

Mountain Biking
Attention all students interested in joining the CHS 2016-2017 mountain biking team. This is a new sport to the school open to all CHS students, both male and female, and northern Nevada as it is a growing interscholastic sport across the country through the National Interscholastic Cycling Association. Please join Mr. Casselman Tues., Mar. 22, 7 pm, in the CHS Library for an informational meeting for students and parents.

Health Occupations, Students of America
In Las Vegas this week, CHS HOSA qualified 19 students to attend the International Conference held in Nashville in late June, and they earned 5 chapter awards, 2 scholarship recipients, and 1 elected State officer. The winners include: Alexia Ball, Alison Greene, Barbara James, Ana Valdenegro, Collin Gearlds, Gabriella Escobar, Hannah Golik, Helena Ashagrie, Italo DaSilva, Jayson Artz, Jenna Wong-Fortunato, Jiavanna Wong-Fortunato, Jonathan Ojo Ventura, Kara Berggren , Kimberly Reyes, Kyndra Holloway, Megan Tingle, Mia Brozovich, Paul PJ White, Rosidelia Bautista, Tanattida Phanthong, and Victoria Defillippi. Nevada HOSA Post-Secondary Vice President is Jonathan Ojo Ventura. A special thanks to chaperones and teachers Shana Wilkins and Angila Golik. Teachers, Frank Sakelarios and Kelly Gustafson, are proud to work with these young adults and future healthcare professionals representing CHS and the Carson City community.

Speech and Debate Winners
CHS continues its successful season with its most successful state tournament ever. 17 debaters traveled to Elko for the state tournament, which included 36 schools. Captain Sawyer Barnett took 3rd place in Senior Congressional Debate. Teammate Adam Lackey took 2nd in Novice Congressional Debate. Sadie Share claimed first place in Senior Congressional Debate. Alessandro Figueroa and Evan Cherpeski advanced to quarterfinals putting them in the top 8 teams in the state. Co-Captain Shane Morton took 2nd place overall in humorous interpretation. The team wraps up Speaking contests with the Rotary Club later this month and finishes season competition at the district tournament held at Reno High in April with hopes of qualifying several students to compete at the National Tournament this June in Salt Lake City.

Northern Nevada Reflections Winners
Congratulations to the Northern Nevada PTA Reflections winners! The all-state winners were announced at an awards ceremony at the Governor's Mansion last Thursday. For Literature: Kaylee Gordon, Darby Griffin, and Nick Rosen; for music: Chandler Blueberg, Ethan Lopes, and Carlos Montejano; for photography: Kathryn Liemandt, Sydnie Schuller; for visual arts: Annette Avila, Ryan Tomita, Sharline Villeda. Way to go CHS students!

New Student Body Officers
Congratulations to the newly-elected 2016-2017 Student Body Officers! Danny Dudley-Student Body President, Anya Woodbury-Student Body Vice President, Charley Lawlor-Student Body Secretary, Alek Henrickson-Student Body Treasurer, Makayla Holloway-Student Body Public Relations Officer, Bella Bruketta-Student Body School Board Representative, and Mia Brozovich-Student Body Historian

Student of the Week
This week's student of the week is Christian Caro. Christian works very hard in his classes and always tries his best. He always shows kindness and acceptance of others. Thank you for all your hard work and kindness at Carson High, Christian!

Senior Spotlight
This week’s senior in the Spotlight is Zach Simms. Zach maintains a 4.6 weighted GPA while taking many AP and Honors courses as well as completing the Career and Technical Pathway for Information and Media Technologies through four years of participation in Web Design. Zach is currently the state vice president for SkillsUSA, helping plan and lead a conference last fall, and he will do the same for the April conference. In SkillsUSA, Zach competes in Web Design, and will also compete in Chapter Design.

He won gold his sophomore year at the SkillsUSA competition for his Promotional Bulletin Board, and he advanced to the national level where he won fifth place. Throughout his years at CHS, Zach has been a member of National Honor Society, Link Crew, Rock Climbing Club, and tennis where he held the position of team captain during his senior year. In May, Zach plans to earn his Eagle Scout rank in Boy Scouts.

For his Eagle Scout project, he installed new playground equipment at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Carson City. During his free time, Zach enjoys camping, hiking, and graphic design. He is also learning to play the piano for his senior project. Next year, he plans to attend either Boise State, UNR, or Kent State, where he will major in journalism. Zach is a positive and productive leader for his contributions to CHS, to the community, and to his future endeavors.

— Senator Square columnist Phil Brady is an English teacher at Carson High School.