Senator Square: Fellowship of Christian Athletes Christmas trees available in Carson City, Reno

FCA Area Director, Pastor Timothy Plummer, has once again brought Christmas trees to Carson City. Christmas is fast approaching, and most agree it is the best time of the year, so Timothy has once again brought to the Carson City community an outreach project called the FCA Lift Christmas Tree Lot.

This outreach, the selling of Christmas trees, is a light to the community through service and loving all people. Proceeds from Christmas tree sales are used to provide clothing and Christmas gifts for local kids and families in need. FCA and Lift also provide free Christmas Trees to the Marine Corp Mountain Warfare Training Center in Coleville, Calif.

Plummer and FCA are grateful to everyone for their interest and partnerships. Every partnership and every donation is impactful and greatly appreciated. The holidays can be a difficult time for many, but it does not have to be this way. Be different, and purchase a Lift Christmas Tree for someone.

Find the trees at two locations. One is across the street from the Ormsby House in downtown Carson City, the corner of Carson Street and 6th Street, and the other is in South Reno, 9495 South Virginia Street on the corner of Holcomb Ranch Lane.

Christmas trees are available through Dec. 23, Sunday through Thursday, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tree varieties available are the Noble, Nordmann, and Douglas, Oregon’s best fresh cut trees. The goal of FCA every year is to foster unity and support through serving one another, sharing Christ with others through word and deed, and encouraging others to share him as well. So come purchase a tree for Christmas, and support FCA student members at the same time.

Timothy Plummer has been on staff with FCA since 2018 but has been serving in youth ministry since 2004. He is married to Gena, and they have four kids: Anthony, Glory, Grace, and Asher. Timothy loves Jesus, Youth, Sports, Coaching, and his Community. He meets with students and teachers during lunch throughout each school year on many of the local Carson and Douglas campuses.

Lives are being changed by engaging, equipping, and empowering students, teachers, and coaches to grow in their relationships with Christ and to share this with others. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or for more information about local, national, and international FCA ministries. Email Timothy Plummer at tplummer@fca.org, call him at 720-9158, or go here.

BIGGEST HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR YET
The Carson High Holiday Craft Fair was the biggest one yet with over 160 booths and 150 vendors. More than $4,300 was raised from admissions and raffles, and student groups with booths included Web Design, Cheerleaders, Critical Life Skills, Band, Fine Arts – Ceramics, Welding, Future Farmers of America, Choir, SafeGrad, and Photography. CHS Physical Education classes helped vendors unload Nov. 19 and reload at the end of the day Nov. 20.

Also collected was four barrels of food for Advocates Against Domestic Violence. Kirk Davis provided the use of a free ATM, and three food trucks, Tacos Los Trios, King of Kings, and Bus Boys showed up to provide food outside. Over 100 vendors have already preregistered for the Nov. 18 and 19, 2022 Carson High Holiday Craft Fair. Delta Kappa Gamma and The American Association of University Women were also selling and offering scholarships to CHS students. A comment heard throughout the event was, “Your CHS student and adult volunteers are the best.” — Contributed by director Cathy Barbie.

FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES BASKETBALL KNOCKOUT
Fellowship of Christian Athletes hosted basketball knockout for any and all students wanting to participate from 11:00 to 11:30 Nov. 16 in the CHS Big Gym.

CARSON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTNERS WITH CLASSY SECONDS
Carson City School District staff, I am excited to let you know of a new partnership I have made with Classy Seconds, which features 10,000 clean, well-priced, lightly used items operated by Advocates to End Domestic Violence in Carson City.

Through this partnership, we will be able to provide local McKinney-Vento and Foster Care students and families with vouchers to Classy Seconds where they may pick out items in which they are most in need. I am providing this information with the hopes that as you are cleaning out your closets and homes, you would consider donating to Classy Seconds, located at 3590 Gordon Street in Carson City, knowing the items will stay in the Carson City area and go back to students and families.

Classy Seconds has the space available to keep many great items on hand and is a sustainable option to keep up with the ever-changing needs of the students and community. Please never hesitate to reach out if you have a student with whom you are concerned about or may be in need of services. Thank you. Contributed by Carson City School District Special Projects Coordinator and McKinney-Vento and Foster Care Liaison Christie Perkins. For more information, please call 283-1537, or email cperkins@carson.k12.nv.us.

WANT TO GO TO SPAIN OR PERU THIS SUMMER
Ever wanted to see the pyramids of Egypt, Zip Line down a volcano, whitewater raft down a jungle river, or eat a guinea pig? Come with Advanced Placement Seminar, Honors US History, World History, and Adult Education CHS teacher Benjamin K. Spence, M.Ed. on one of three exciting trips beginning this summer to Costa Rica, Peru, and Egypt. Ride camels, navigate the Nile, and experience life with a new perspective; it is more affordable than people think. See Mr. Spence in room 247, or email him at bspence@carson.k12.nv.us for details.

UPCOMING CHS SPORTING EVENTS AND MORE
On Nov. 29, at 6:00, Freshman Boys Basketball will compete against Bishop Manogue Catholic High School at 110 Bishop Manogue Drive in Reno. On Nov. 30, at 3:30 and 7:00, CHS JV and Varsity Boys Basketball will compete against Bishop Manogue at Manogue, and Varsity Girls will compete at 5:15.

The Senator Snack Shack is again up and running. Special education students and Critical Life Skills students want to thank all of the CHS teachers who are ordering coffee, tea or hot coco on Tuesdays throughout the month of November. It is the first time in a long time, and it went very smooth. CLS students are offering free coffee, tea, or hot coco until the end of November to get CLS students ready to re-open their coffee shop.

CONSIDER BECOMING A MEMBER OF CHS PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION
Becoming a member of the CHS PTA comes with so many benefits. Receive discounted entry to CHS events, games, concerts, etc., and student members, those who are seniors, may apply for college scholarships from the PTA.

Programs needing oversight are the Reflections Art and Literature Contest, College Life Interview Panel, Senior Projects, Staff Appreciation, support for CHS departments, teachers, and clubs, grants for teachers, and scholarships for students. The best part of this is there are no requirements to become a member. Having a child, who is a student within the Carson City School District, is not even necessary.

To submit a membership form, go to carsonhighschoolpta.weebly.com. The cost is only $6 per member per school year, so for less than the price of a single fancy coffee drink, become a part of making CHS better for all students.

2021 ENERGYSMART EDUCATION INFOGRAHIC PSA STUDENT CONTEST
Middle and High School educators, EnergySmart Education is hosting a Public Service Announcement contest open to all Nevada students in grades six through 12. Students are challenged to create a digital 8 ½ x 14 inch infographic which focuses on saving energy here in Nevada. The contest encourages students to research energy usage statistics, and create graphics to share the information.

Students will need two things in order to complete the infographic contest. The first is a copy of the infographic template. Go here for the copy. They will also need a copy of the release form, which needs to be signed by a parent or guardian if they are under 18. Go here for the form. To submit their release waiver, they will need to upload a pdf or jpeg copy within the Google form submission when turning in their final infographic for the contest.

Please let them know their infographic will not be eligible for judging if they do not submit the release waiver. support.google.com/drive/answer/6283888 was designed with all the information needed to know about the contest. Feel free to use it when sharing the contest information with students.

The students also have their own PowerPoint to reference when creating their infographic here.

They also have a checklist here to help them meet all required points for the contest. All of these items are found in this Google folder.

There are great prizes for not just the winners, but for the educators as well. Go here for information. For more information, and to have questions answered, feel free to contact Desert Research Institute STEM Programs Manager Shawna Witt at shawna.witt@dri.edu.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK
Congratulations to sophomore Annika Bruketta on being nominated Student of the Week. According to her Cheer Coach, CHS school nurse Sheila Story, “Annika is an ‘A’ grade student, second year cheerleader, competitive dancer, and is always respectful and timely, with a great attitude.” Annika is a light in every room she enters. 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 Annika Bruketta on her many accomplishments and being nominated CHS Student of the Week, again.

SENIOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT
This week’s, Senior in the Spotlight shines on Diana Quintero. Diana is a wonderful young lady who has overcome great adversity in her life. She is both a determined student and a talented musician and is an integral part of the Carson High School community.

She is heavily involved in the music department and has been a part of both the musical theater program and the orchestra for her four years at CHS. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and regularly takes advantage of opportunities to volunteer.

The daughter of immigrants, Diana moved to America when she was two-years-old. She started school with her peers and quickly found herself struggling to learn English as well as all of the other skills required to be successful. By the end of third grade, Diana was excelling in her classes and scored as well or higher than her peers on reading and math tests. She continues to be an excellent student, earning a 4.3 weighted grade point average while taking several Honors and Advanced Placement courses.

Although she does well in school, Diana still finds herself struggling to fit in with her peers. She does not have the same opportunities as other young people. Diana applied to be a DREAMer, but the status of the DREAM act has stalled her application. Because of this, she cannot get a job or driver’s license, like some of her friends have. Diana has vowed not to let this hold her back.

In her own words, “I will not allow my situation to hold me back from continuing my education and fulfilling my dreams, but instead it pushes me forward to work hard to accomplish them.” Diana plans to continue her education at the University of Nevada, Reno where she will study English, specifically writing. Congratulations to Diana Quintero on being nominated Senior in the Spotlight; CHS believes she will accomplish all she sets her mind to accomplishing. — Contributed by CHS Counselor Nicole Hendee.

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