Senator Square: Three teachers who light up Carson High School

Every year, Ormsby County Education Association and the Carson City School District sponsor “The Light of Education” awards, and this year’s CHS winners are Ann Britt, Johanna Davis, and first year teacher Monica Chavez who said, “I felt very shocked, honored, and blessed about winning the award.”

To win this award is no easy task either, as teachers must both nominate a fellow educator and then complete an extensive application detailing all the reasons why the teacher should receive the award.

Sure the award comes with a million dollar bonus, a brand new vehicle of the winning educator’s choice, and a vacation package to Tahiti. No, it does not; however, it is definitely an honor to be celebrated.

Ann Britt is both a physical education teacher and Leadership class advisor at CHS, and she is also the one who makes the prom happen.

Johanna Davis works with Special Education students, a position which requires her to interact regularly and directly with students, parents, and administrators, all at the same time, and Monica Chavez occupies one of the most difficult to fill positions at any school in the country; she teaches mathematics.

These teachers work really hard, and do really deserve a vacation package, but a dinner, a certificate, and a trophy are still pretty cool.

Health Occupations Students of America
The community of Carson City and beyond are invited to the HOSA fundraising day at Chili's May 16, 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Mention support of CHS HOSA, and the group will receive 20 percent of the event day sales. These funds will help to send 29 national qualifying students to the HOSA International Leadership Conference and Competition in Florida in June to represent Nevada and CHS. The cost per student is over $1,500 so every little bit helps. Please enjoy a meal at Chili's, and give support to students at the same time. Please call teacher and advisor Kelly Gustafson at 775-283-1710, or email her, kgustafson@carson.k12.nv.us, for information.

Celebrate with Graduation Leis
How about symbolically, seasonally, and poetically reward a senior who has worked hard over the course of the 2016-2017 school year? Order Graduation Leis for them. Order a Single Purple Orchid Lei or a Single White Orchid Lei for $23, or order a Single Tuberose and Orchid Lei (fragrant) for $25. Make payments to CHS; orders must be placed by Wed., May 17. An order form is needed, so please acquire one from the Main Office, the Student Store, or call Leadership Advisor and teacher Ann Britt at 775-283-1789, or email her, abritt@carson.k12.nv.us.

Salute to Scholars Night
CHS seniors and their families are invited to “Salute to Scholars Night” May 18, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., in Senator Square. Call CHS Scholarship Coordinator and counselor Fawn Lewis at 775-283-1915, or email her, flewis@carson.k12.nv.us, with questions.

Sounds of the Silver State
CHS’ Sounds of the Silver State concert is scheduled for May 18, 7:00 p.m., at the Carson Community Center. The concert will feature the award winning Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Wind Ensemble with a special appearance by the Clarinet Choir. Admission is free. Please call Bill Zabelsky at 775-283-1779, or email him, bzabelski@carson.k12.nv.us, with questions.

Kiss a Senior Goodbye

It is a once-a-year opportunity to kiss a senior goodbye. Student Council is offering students a way to send a small gift to a graduating senior. The gift, a $5 bag, includes ChapStick, a note card, and a small carnation. Make purchases at the Student Store until May 19.

Missing a Yearbook?
Due to the growing interest in getting those missing yearbooks, the yearbook/news magazine staff has extended its fundraiser, offering books from between the years 2007 and 2015 for a minimum $10 donation. This fundraiser will provide support for the publications program at CHS. To get a yearbook, call 775-283-1782 or visit Mrs. Quinn-Davis', room 136, at CHS.

Speech and Debate
CHS Speech and Debate has qualified six students to compete at the national tournament in Birmingham this June. Sawyer Barnett will compete in Congressional Debate, Shaylin Segura and Alek Henricksen in World Schools debate, Sophia Peterson in International Extemporaneous Speaking, and Jocelyn Manzano and Adam Lackey in Duo Interpretation. The cost, $11,000, is needed to cover transportation, lodging, and entry fees for the week long tournament. The team will host a barbecue, performance and raffle at Mills Park May 20, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be bought at the door.

CHIP Incentive Program
CHS is proud to announce the following Perfect Attendance Award winners for April, 2017. The ten randomly selected winners for April are: Jennifer Artz: grade 10; Constance Chan: grade 11; LIndsay Showanski: grade 10; Justin Kattenhorn: grade 9; not pictured are: Isabella Bruketta: grade 11; Kelly Barr: grade 9; Brandon Gagnon: grade 12; Katie Hernandez: grade 9, and Maria Juarez: grade 9. Each student was awarded a certificate and a gift card for the Student Store at CHS.

Athletes of the Week
The CHS Athletes of the Week are Brett Kolb and Nicole Van Geel for Boys and Girls Swim.

Student of the Week
Josh Ingram is the Student of the Week. After transferring to CHS in the middle of the first quarter, he worked his hardest to catch up to the class, and he was successful. He continues to strive hard to succeed in all that he does. His characteristics show that his future will be full of success. CHS is grateful to have Josh Ingram as one of its own.


Senior Spotlight
This week’s Senior Spotlight shines on Kaylee Gordon. Kaylee is a strong student having taken many challenging AP and honors courses throughout the years.

She currently carries a 4.37 GPA and has received academic letters the past 3 years participating in cross country and tennis; she is also active in National Honor Society. She volunteers her time for Safe Grad and has manned the Snack Shack for the past 3 years during football season.

She also tutors students in math, which is a particular interest of hers, as Kaylee would eventually like to become a math teacher. Her part-time job at Dutch Bros in Carson City also keeps her hopping. Kaylee and her team earned first place in State as part of National History Day as a sophomore. As a result, she was able to go to Nationals in Maryland and perform a skit with two others on how the moon landing helped advance technology.

She also won a trip to New Orleans for an essay she wrote and had the opportunity to participate in the opening of the World War II museum there. Kaylee is well on her way to a successful career in education. She was able to incorporate her love of teaching this year when she taught sophomores three different lessons: The French Revolution, how to write an essay, and how to annotate an article. Kaylee will be attending UNR next year, majoring in education with a minor in math. Her desire is to be a high school math teacher. Who knows, maybe she will take a position at CHS four to five years down the road. CHS is very proud of Kaylee’s accomplishments and wishes her the best of luck.

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