Pioneer High School

Joe Cacioppo, District 7 representative and president of the Carson City School District Board of Trustees, will speak via Zoom at Monday's Democratic luncheon. He will provide an update on the issues faced by the board since he last spoke at a meeting of the Central Committee as a candidate for re-election this time last year. He is now in the first year of his third four year term.

The next Carson City School District board of trustees meeting will be held Tuesday, Jan. 26 beginning at 6 p.m. in the Robert “Bob” Crowell Board Room at the Carson City Community Center, located at 851 E. William Street.

Items to be discussed include policy changes, ACT test scores, teacher recognitions, and more.

David Kimball, a JumpStart senior from Pioneer High School attending Western Nevada College in Carson City, described the experience of taking his welding certification exam as the greatest obstacle for him to overcome.

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.”

The Carson City School District is pleased to announce new leadership roles for the School Board of Trustees. At their first meeting of the year Tuesday, Jan. 11, Joe Cacioppo, District 7, was named the newest president of the Carson City School District Board of Trustees.

Pioneer High School staff showed their appreciation for parents with a drive-thru breakfast that was held last month.
John Corbitt, PHS math teacher thought that spirits could be lifted by doing something special for the parents of PHS students.

While this year’s safe and sober celebrations may look different, Partnership Carson City, in collaboration with Carson City Sheriff's Office School Resource Officers, is encouraging students to celebrate safety and responsibly this New Year’s Eve by offering gift cards as a token of appreciation.

Senior Shania West decided early that she wanted to graduate as a Pioneer Panther, and chose to attend Pioneer High School for all four years. She thought that it would be a good fit for her and she has no regrets. And, now with those years nearly behind her, Shania is looking forward to achieving her goal of going to college.

Editor’s Note: Margarita Portillo-Hernandez is a school social worker and safe school professional at Eagle Valley Middle School in Carson City. The following is her report:

This year has been extremely challenging and with the impact of Covid; many of our families are struggling to ensure they can celebrate Christmas. However, generous community members have come together determined to help these families have a Christmas celebration not even Covid can stop.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Putting gratitude into action by helping others is an authentic way to express an attitude of thanksgiving. Students at Pioneer High School (PHS) “lost themselves” in service by assembling Thanksgiving dinner baskets for those in need.

The next Carson City School Board Meeting will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 24 in the Bob Boldrick Theater at the Carson City Community Center, located at 851 E. William Street beginning at 7 p.m.

The Carson City School District, on behalf of the Carson City Schools Foundation, is pleased to announce mini and department grant winners for Fall 2020. Each semester, CCSF gives back to educators and students alike. This last semester, the foundation awarded $200 mini-grants as well as up to $2,000 grants for a department, school or grade-level projects.

Be a part of bringing hope by voting on contestant art pieces to decide the “Social Media Fave” in the Donor Network West annual art contest. Four Carson High students, Anthony Larry, Connor Lampert, Danielle Van Dusen, and Sarai Jauregui Rivas made the first cut, though all of CHS Graphic Design Instructor Patricia Ababio’s students submitted entries.

Turning obstacles into triumphs. That’s what Dalton Yannikos, this month’s Pioneer High School Senior spotlight, has focused on over the past couple of years.

The next Carson City School Board meeting will be held Tuesday, Oct. 27 beginning at 6:30 p.m. Among the items for discussion are a report on return to school measures, a possible bond resolution, activities and summer projects.

Amanda Nichols was nominated by Pioneer High School staff as the PHS Rotary Student of the Month. Her ability to adapt, learn and grow nurtured by a foundation of resilience and hard work has transformed Amanda Nichols world to success today and tomorrow.

From the Famous first line of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, modified to appeal to the generosity of the Carson City community, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a (generous city) in possession of a good fortune must be in want of (helping to support a CHS teacher)."

The teachers of CHS are asking if this is still true? Of course it is. Men, women, and children of Carson City are encouraged to purchase a T-shirt to support both breast cancer awareness and CHS teacher Kelly Gustafson, who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

Pioneer students continue to influence the technology available to them at their school. Their newest tech tool arrived last week in the form a laser engraver for the engineering classroom.

The Carson City School District’s Nutrition Services is pleased to announce it has been approved for the U.S. Department of Agriculture waiver to provide free lunch and breakfast for all children 18 and under through the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year (June 2021).

To start the second quarter of school, the Carson City School District is pleased to offer full, in-person, on-campus instruction for students Pre-k to second grade, four days a week, Tuesdays through Fridays.

The senior spotlight is generally used to highlight seniors that have demonstrated high academic excellence, high motivation, strong leadership abilities, the desire for personal growth and many other positive qualities to highlight.

This week, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office hosted training of school-based officers provided by the National Association of School Resource Officers. The training is viewed as essential certifications for officers working within educational environments and critical to the success of the “triad” concept of policing in school programs.

One of her favorite quotes is from French dramatist Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh, who said, “Things are beautiful if you love them,” and Hannah Etchison, Carson High’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program Coordinator, loves people, loves Carson City, and said, “I wanted to help in the community that raised me.”

CARSON CITY — The U.S. Agriculture Department has extending the free school meal program to millions of children nationwide. The program allows families in need to pick up free food from any convenient school campus, even if their child is not enrolled there.

Students and teachers raised the bar for themselves at Pioneer High School. The school introduced two new science classes on campus that were previously only offered online.

Students returned to the Pioneer High School campus Tuesday and found the new CZJ Recording Studio, which was installed over the summer.

The entire project was the dream of PHS student, Zaca U. He shared his idea for Pioneer to have a sound recording studio for students to exercise their creative musical talents.

He is a senior at Carson High School, and his last year is, to say the least, unconventional. Adults have had their say, so how about a chat with this popular young man as he sports a 1980s hairstyle called a mullet in which the hair is short on the sides and long at the front and back.

Pioneer High School is a public high school in the Carson City School District. All 9th-12th grade CCSD students are encouraged to enroll. PHS is accredited through AdvancED and has been recognized by the Nevada Department of Education as a “Highlighted School” for achievement in 2011 and 2018. Students at PHS have been able to earn an Associate’s Degree from WNC along with their high school diploma free of charge.

Artist and poet, Jaeda DeWalt wrote, “When we learn how to become resilient, we learn how to embrace the beautifully broad spectrum of the human experience.” If there is one word to describe Pioneer High School’s class of 2020, it would be “resilient.”

Western Nevada College’s 2020 Jump Start graduating class includes 94 students representing Carson, Churchill County, Dayton, Douglas, Fernley, Pioneer, Silver Stage, Smith and Virginia City high schools; Oasis Academy and Nevada Virtual Academy; and through homeschooling.