New teachers arrive at charter school

There are three new faces at Sierra Crest Academy and one of them is the new school administrator.

Dave Brackett is the charter school's new administrator and also teaches math. Brackett recently moved here from Baltimore, Md., where he taught freshman and sophomore math to learning disabled students at the Baltimore Lab special education school.

"The first day went a lot smoother than I expected," he said. "The kids are excited and the staff are excited. So far we're off to a great start."

Brackett studied at Johns Hopkins University where he received a master's degree in educational administration and was the assistant baseball coach.

Sierra Crest is required by the Douglas County School District to submit a corrective action plan by Sept. 15 to show the school is meeting compliance standards. Although the charter school made adequate status on the yearly progress report, an action plan was required as a result of the school being in non-compliance in several areas for two years in a row.

Ricci Rodriguez-Elkins, who was the school's interim administrator before Brackett's arrival, said hiring him as Sierra Crest's formal administrator is an asset in helping to meet requirements.

"A significant difference is we haven't had a designated administrator so now Dave has the authority," Rodriguez-Elkins said. "Working with learning disabled students and carrying those strategies over to Sierra Crest will help all students succeed. It's his commitment to us.

"Teachers' record-keeping was a problem but we've set a program up for teachers and have been working on it as a team for four weeks," she said. "The requirements aren't unreasonable - they're what we should have been doing.

"Right now our curriculum is better structured and the record-keeping looks good," she said.

Shane Meiner is the new social studies teacher at Sierra Crest. Although new to Carson Valley, Meiner taught school in southern California and most recently in Chicago.

Joanna Kuzia is a first-time teacher from Smith Valley. Kuzia is the new biology and physical science teacher and holds a master's degree in biology from her native Poland.

She is four classes away from a master's degree in education from the University of Nevada, Reno, and said her commute from Smith Valley gives her "time to reflect."

Sierra Crest Academy has 56 students in attendance but can accommodate up to 85 students in grades 7-10. Enrollment continues through Sept. 15. For more information on Sierra Crest Academy, call 783-9002.