Senator Square: Culinary Arts earns national recognition for Carson High

Carson High School Culinary Arts has been named to the 2014-15 Elite 50 by the National Center for Hospitality Studies by the Sullivan University. The award recognizes an exclusive group of high schools that excel in the areas of culinary arts, baking and pastry arts. It was awarded to CHS because of it’s strong enrollment, influence in the community, national certifications that are earned by the students as well as the amount of state and national award winners with Pro Start and Skills USA. Congratulations to their teacher Penny Reynolds and to the culinary arts students of CHS for this recognition.

SPRING SPORTS INFO

Spring Sport sign-ups will be held from 5:30-6:30 Monday, Jan. 26, in the CHS Library. Returning athletes from this school year will complete a returning athlete form and be cleared by the library and the finance office, and signed by both parent and athlete prior to turning form into the athletic office. These forms will be available at the Athletic Office.

New athletes should have completed the athletic portion of the online registration and printed the packet during the open registration period in the fall as advertised. Those who didn’t complete the athletic portion will need to see the athletic office. Athletes needing physicals must complete the Form B-NIAA Participation History Form and Form D-NIAA Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation available on the NIAA.com website under the “Form” tab or the Carson High School website.

Packets and forms can be turned into the Athletic office from Jan. 26 through Feb. 11. Any packet turned into the office after the deadline may not be processed in time for tryouts which is Saturday, Feb. 21.

PTSA TO HOLD INFO NIGHT

The CHS PTSA has assembled a panel of former CHS students to talk about their experiences and answer your questions. Join us for: The REAL LIFE of College: through the eyes of former CHS grads at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the CHS Library. This event is casual, informative, and fun — a night to meet with and learn from CHS grads who are currently in college and can tell you what you really want to know. Students and parents are invited. Refreshments will be served.

GUIDANCE OFFICE INFO

Juniors who are college bound, have a strong record of community service, and have a strong academic record are invited to apply for the Hamilton Award. Winners receive cash, as well as assistance with college applications, scholarships, and financial aid. For more information on the Hamilton Award, see Mrs. Chambers in the Guidance Office.

Oxbridge academic study abroad program: Any student grades 9-12 who’s interested in a summer study abroad program through Oxbridge Academic Programs should see Mrs. Chambers in the Guidance Office.

SPEECH/DEBATE INFO

Carson High School is hosting the next speech and debate tournament Jan. 23-24. Emily Spence is acting as the coordinator for this tournament to complete her senior project which is a challenging task to take on.

We invite everyone interested to help make this tournament a success and participate as a judge. Judging is both rewarding and fun. There are a total of 10 rounds over the two-day event and judges can stay for just one round or as many as they would like. No prior experience is required but we are offering an optional judge training from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday in room 242 of the high school. Please consider helping us make this important academic event happen. Contact Patrick Mobley at pmobley@carson.k12.nv.us or call 283-1736.

BASEBALL FUNDRAISER

The CHS Baseball team and Boosters are hosting dinner and poker night Saturday, Jan. 24 at Silver Oak. Dinner tickets are $25 or poker with dinner tickets are $60. Email ebeen@carson.k12.nv.us if you would like to buy a ticket.

BAND PERFORMS FOR INAUGURATION

Monday was an exciting day for the Carson High Jazz Ensemble, as it was asked to participate in Governor Sandoval’s Inauguration. The band had a rehearsal over winter break in order to prepare for this event. The band appreciated the support it received from Dr. Stokes and the Tasha Fuson, along with the faculty and staff. It played for 45 minutes before the Inaugural to a crowd of dignitaries. The members of the Jazz Ensemble are: Virginia Adams, Nicholas Bowler, Chris Capshaw, Daniel Cihigoyenetche, Yamaa Daoudi, Sydney Davis, Corrinne Defilippi, Daniel Dudley, Madeleine Eustis, Julian Harger, Michael Irvin, Emily Janssens, Rylan Kane, Annalucia Kinder, Garrett Lawson, Keith Miller, Erika Murray, Katherine Reyes-Aguillon, Cassidy Robinson, Diana Rosales, Wes Sonnemaker, and Stanley Unruh.

The next public performance of the Jazz Ensemble will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27 for the “Jazz Extravaganza” at the Carson Community Center.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

This week’s student of the week is Ryker Been. Ryker is a senior at Carson High. He’s an outstanding student — both at school and in the community. Ryker has completed the Career and Technical sequence of courses in both Architectural CADD and Photography and is currently in the third year of Culinary Arts. He’s in all honors and AP courses and maintains over a 4.0 GPA. Ryker also dedicates his time to the community, serving food to the attendees at the cancer center fundraiser, collecting food for the homeless and ringing the bell for Salvation Army. Thanks Ryker for being a great student here at CHS.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

This week’s senior in the spotlight is Michael Leiken. He currently holds a 4.6806 GPA, and is taking AP Literature, AP Government, AP Calculus, Pharmacy Tech, Honors Physics and AP Enrichment.

Michael has been President of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) for two years. Last summer he competed for HOSA on the national level in Miami, Fla., in a Pharmacology Knowledge Test. He’s also a member of National Honor Society and Rock Climbing Club. A varsity athlete in both track and cross-country, Michael has made the All-State Academic Team for the last two years.

While academics are definitely a primary focus, he also enjoys cycling, running, rock climbing, hiking, backpacking and skiing.

Next year Michael hopes to attend either UC Davis or UC Berkeley where he will study bio chemistry. His ultimate goal is to become a biomedical researcher in order to enhance the lives of others. We are excited to see what the future holds for Michael, and are proud of his accomplishments at CHS.

Angila Golik is a government teacher at CHS and a member of Senator Pride.