Carson High School Culinary Arts teacher Penny Reynolds calls it a wrap

For 15 years, a poster has hung behind the computer in Penny Reynolds’ classroom. It says, “Before the reality comes the dream.”

The Carson High School culinary arts teacher is living proof of that.

“I’ve spent 19 years building this program,” she said. “It’s like a dream come true.”

But as she looks back over her 31-year teaching career, it’s not her own success she’s most proud of.

“The biggest thing for me is opening doors for students,” she said. “That’s what’s kept me going. Every single one of my seniors this year is going on to secondary school or the military.”

That is not unusual for Reynolds, who helps her students find jobs in the community and requires her juniors to fill out scholarship applications every month.

“If I didn’t force them to fill out the forms, they wouldn’t do it,” she said. “I expect each of my seniors to get $10,000, not counting the Millennium Scholarship.”

Three of her students this year will be graduating with $120,000 in scholarships.

“She forces us to do stuff, pretty much,” said Dakota Manning, 18, who plans to study medicine at the University of Nevada, Reno. “But if she didn’t force us, I don’t think I would have done half the stuff I’ve done. She’s helped me develop a whole bunch of skills I can use in my future.”

Reynolds, a 1979 Carson High School graduate, started her career in the food industry, working as a bartender and restaurant manager. It wasn’t what she wanted.

She went back to the University of Nevada, Reno to receive her teaching credential, and got a job as a home and career skills teacher at Eagle Valley Middle School in 1985.

In 1996, then-principal Glen Adair convinced her to come to the high school to start a cooking class.

She turned the class into a full-blown culinary program.

With a $250,000 grant from the National Restaurant Association, she had the first ovens installed in 1998.

In 2000, the school opened its own restaurant, which serves lunch four days a week.

She has received a stack of awards, including the 2004 Nevada ProStart Teacher of the Year and the Nevada Skills USA Advisor of the Year in 2009.

She was named the 2014 ProStart Teacher of the Year by the Nevada Restaurant Association Educational Foundation in 2014 and later that year was presented with the 11th Annual James H. Maynard Excellence in Education Award.

Her student Leslie Villanueva, 17, was named this year’s ProStart Student of the Year. She credits Reynolds for her success both inside the classroom and out, where she works for a catering business.

“She’s considered like a second mom,” Villanueva said. “She’s opened up so many opportunities for us. This is like a second home.”

As a member of the Ormsby County Education Association for 19 years and part of the teacher mentor program for the Carson City School District, her influence goes beyond her students. And it reaches outside of her district.

“This woman defines the spirit of teaching and education,” said Laura Hurtung Roberts, a fellow culinary teacher at North Tahoe High School. “She’s a lifelong learner, a dedicated teammate, a consummate innovator, a fearless crusader and has an unceasing pursuit to bequeath her knowledge and gifts to anyone interested. She is a true original, a bright beacon for students and future teachers alike, and a confidante and mentor to many.”

A retirement party for Reynolds today is expected to draw colleagues and community members as well as former students. A Facebook page set up for the party has amassed tributes and well wishes, like this one from former student Samantha Whiles.

“You’re a wonderful teacher. You’ve taught me so much, things that I still use today. The skills I’ve learned in your class has given me quite a few job opportunities, which I am grateful for. And most of the memories that I always look back on from high school are from your class. I wish you the best in your next adventures. Thank you for being the best teacher ever!”

Reynolds said she will definitely miss her students and fellow teachers, but she also will miss the members of the community who have helped in her classroom and provided opportunities for her students.

“I’m really going to miss this community,” she said. “This year, every single service organization came through here.”

Connecting to the outside world is part of the culinary arts experience for her students.

“In this class, we’re very active,” said Christian Kivi, 18. “We’re constantly doing something. She gets you involved in the community. It’s a great thing.”

Almost every school event includes the culinary arts program, from appetizers to catering full meals. Reynolds has compiled binders explaining the protocol for each of them to leave for her predecessor.

As for what she’ll do next, Reynolds hasn’t quite decided — other than spending time with her husband, Ian Openshaw.

But she leaves knowing she shaped the world, in her own way. One of her proudest accomplishments is having a student work on every continent, including Antarctica.

And her future is wide open — with the promise of the good food along the way.

“I could go anywhere and have students working there,” she said. “If I plot may way across the United States, I could probably eat the entire way for free.”