Charter school dedicated

Although Silver State Charter School has been holding classes in its new location since spring, officials opened the campus to the public Friday for the dedication ceremony.

"We want to showcase the school," said Superintendent Steve Knight. "It's just a beautiful campus."

The charter school opened in 2003 as a hybrid online school where students attend classes once a week and now serves as a high school and middle school.

The school moved in March from its original 16,000-square-foot space in the strip mall at 3719 N. Carson St. to 788 Fairview Drive, where the main building is 40,000 square feet.

Knight said work began Friday to retrofit the roof on the building across Mallory Way, which will eventually serve as the junior high building.

"We have 80,000 square feet of buildings and just a bit under seven acres," he said. "We have the ability to expand."

Sean Merritt, 17, hopes the school will do just that. The 2012 graduate said he plans to return to his alma mater to help with the drama and robotics programs.

"I hope the school does well, not only in education but in extracurricular activities, too," he said.

"I thought the school worked really well. It was really diverse. Anyone could come here and do well as long a they were willing to try to learn."

School officials offered tours to the public and dignitaries visiting Friday's open house.

Students are organized into learning centers, where the teachers of the core subjects - math, science, social studies and English - are all available in one room.

Ronni Hannaman, executive director of the Carson City Chamber of Commerce, liked what she saw.

"I liked the casualness of it," she said. "I think that's what our future is. I like learning as your own experience. This is what works now."