Senator Square: Carson High celebrates Governor Sandoval's 'Week of Respect' proclamation

Even though homecoming has now concluded, Carson High School is by no means finished with its current and upcoming events. Not only is the CHS National Honor Society Blood Drive coming up, Oct. 6 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the small gym, but Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval proclaimed Oct. 3-7 to be the “Week of Respect” throughout the state of Nevada.

The beauty of these events is just about anyone may participate; no one is left out. For instance, not only may students donate blood at the blood drive, but individuals from the community may come to CHS and give blood as well because the need for blood donors is great.

Donors must be at least 16-years-old to donate, and anyone under 18-years-old must have a signed parent consent form and a picture ID to participate. Talk about respect, it is beautiful to see a community of individuals coming together to make a difference. In other words, respect is not just a kind and compassionate word spoken, it is an action carried out individually and corporately. CHS is grateful to have internal support from administrators, staff, and students as well as external support from those who make the internal support possible, the community of Carson City.

CHS Week of Respect
Nevada Gov. Sandoval proclaimed October 3-7, 2016 as the “Week of Respect” throughout Nevada, and CHS will actively participate all week by engaging in activities promoting respect. Each day, CHS will honor one of the five Social Emotional Learning Standards recently adopted by the Carson City School District Board of Trustees and which are part of the district’s strategic plan, Empower Carson 2017.

On Monday, Self-Awareness will be honored with stations on campus like “Caught You Being Kind” to nominate peers for intentional acts of kindness with prizes awarded each day. On Tuesday, it will be Self-Management when students will Take 5 (minutes) in their classes to reflect and journal on positive topics. On Wednesday, Social Awareness will be highlighted with guest speaker Ala’a Basatneh, who will share her amazing story of how she used social media to advocate for human rights in Syria and abroad.

On Thursday, the focus is Relationship Skills, and, during lunch, students will engage in interactive board game stations. Finally, on Friday, Responsible Decision Making is the focus, and community service providers will interact with students in Senator Square to learn about opportunities for pro-social after-school, summer/winter break activity options. CHS is asking all students and staff to wear blue on Friday for a schoolwide “BLUE OUT” as a unifying gesture showing commitment to reducing bullying and promoting respect.

Guest Speaker
In conjunction with the CHS Week of Respect, students will get to meet Ala’a Basatneh of the Nobel Laureate Women’s Initiative. English teacher Shelly Bale has arranged for Ms. Basatneh to guest speak via Google Hangouts video conference on Oct. 5 in the CHS library from 10:00-10:55 a.m. Relating to non-fiction texts Ms. Bale’s junior English classes are reading, Ms. Basatneh will cover the dangers of stereotyping, consequences of wearing a headscarf in the U.S., understanding and respecting differences, and how she used Facebook, Twitter, and other social media to help people in Syria fight against their government. Though the above event is for CHS students only, anyone may view Basatneh’s Netflix documentary #chicagogirl.

CHS Debate
Carson High School speech and debate competed in its first league competition last weekend at Elko High School. Eleven CHS students competed, starting the season on a high note with both experienced and new competitors advancing into final rounds. The team claimed 22 top-three picks from the judges over the two-day event. Congress captain Sadie Share acted as presiding officer in her congressional chamber, teaching the new students from across the district how the event works and taking 2nd place in her chamber.

Captains, Sawyer Barnett and Shane Morton, took 1st place in senior duo interpretation, winning every preliminary round. Barnett also took 2nd place in senior Lincoln Douglas competition, winning every preliminary round and earning 4th place in speaker points.

Returning teammate Jesse Session placed 3rd in his congressional debate chamber and 2nd place in speaker points. First-time competitors Kieran Dazzo and Michael Rosenburg placed 9th and 6th in informative speaking. Dazzo spoke on the Mandella Effect and Rosenburg highlighted the harms of keeping orcas in captivity. Another new member of the team Rebecca Trejo took 7th overall in novice dramatic interpretation. The team will compete at Reno High in three weeks. Carson Debate will also be hosting the annual Zombie run Friday Oct. 21st at CHS.

CHS Mountain Bike Team
The Carson High School mountain bike team competed in the High Sierra Cup at Mammoth Lakes, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 25. The Senators are holding on to their 3rd place overall team standing. Four Senator Cyclists reached podium spots at this event: Mallory Otto, 3rd place JV Girls, Taylor Jenkins 3rd place Sophomore Girls, Conner McRae 4th place Varsity Boys, and Tobin McRae, 1st place Varsity Boys. McRae is also overall points’ leader individually still.

Career Explorations
Freshmen Students will visit Career and Technical Education classrooms and explore career opportunities Oct. 4 - 5 in manufacturing, welding, and engineering.

PSAT Signup

Sophomores and juniors need to sign up for the PSAT to be given Oct. 15, at 8:00 a.m. in the CHS Library. Cost is $20.00 and payable at the CHS finance office.

Athletes of the Week
Congratulations to the September Athletes of the Week: Jace Keema for CHS Football and Isabella (Bella) Wakeling for CHS Girls Soccer.

Student of the Week
Alissa Guerrero is a senior here at CHS. She is a major problem solver both academically and relationally and is involved in school on many levels through softball and helping out as a teacher’s aide. She is also a very friendly student and hard worker. CHS thanks Alissa for everything she has done and is doing for CHS. Way to go Alissa!

Senior Spotlight
This week’s Senior Spotlight is Ryan Tomita. Ryan, one of the kindest and most respectful students at CHS, is taking 4 Advanced Placement classes this year as well as Principles of Engineering, ceramics, and Calculus BC. Ryan has been involved in Key Club for the past 4 years as well as National Honor Society, Varsity Tennis and the Track and Field. He has served as the Key Club Treasurer and President and has been the National Honor Society Events Coordinator.

Ryan is a two-time Academic State Champion, has received his Career and Technical Education Certification for CAD, and has received 2nd place for the Parent Teacher’s Association Reflections Visual Arts Award. He has volunteered his time at the Empire Elementary School Haunted House, Bordewich Bray Book Fair, and Chili Bingo Night. He has also helped with Carson River Clean Up, Airport Day, PUSH America and the Salvation Army Food Boxing event. Ryan plans on attending UCLA or the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he will study architecture, architectural engineering or civil engineering. He plans on getting a Master’s Degree in Architecture. Thank you Ryan Tomita for making Carson High School a fantastic place to learn.

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