Senator Square: Carson High School ‘No Zombie Texting’ winners announced

Muscle Powered: Citizens for a Walkable and Bikeable Carson City announced the “No Zombie Texting” award winners May 16 at the Brewery Arts Center, showcasing winning videos so the public could see the creative endeavors of young video artists from the community.

First place, winning $750, went to Team Petrova: Kasandra Medina-Torres and Gisela Vazquez. Their winning video will be distributed statewide to air on television and cable outlets. Upon hearing her name announced as the winner, Medina-Torres, a freshman at Carson High School, said, “I am glad my teachers, Mr. Brady, along with Ms. Been, introduced me to this contest.” Medina-Torres added, “I was very surprised because all the other videos were made so well, and it was easy to tell how much work everyone put into them.”

The video competition provided area high school students the opportunity to work individually or form teams to create an impactful 30-second video public service announcement to educate the people about the dangers of texting and driving as it impacts walkers and bicyclists. Muscle Powered Executive Director Kelly Clark said, “I was amazed by their presentations; they are so smart and thoughtful.”

Second place, winning $500, went to Team Worm Boys: Samuel Johnson, Tristen Quintero, and Ethan Snyder, and winning $200 for third place was Team Ad, Ast and Alfredo: Alfredo Chissotti. CHS English and Journalism teacher Patt Quinn-Davis said, “I was awestruck with the level of talent among the students who competed; those who won were so well-spoken and really serious about the problem of texting accidents, and they deserve all the congratulations possible. As one of the teachers, along with Cynthia Mills of Digital Media, she was the high school contact for the competition. CHS student and yearbook editor Lindsay Chowanski said, “The event was enlightening, to see how many people understand this is an actual problem and that students could relate to the problem by stepping forward to help fix it.”

The photo, from left to right, includes Bahar Jazani, Ethan Snyder, Bita Jazani, Gisela Vazquez, Alfredo Chissotti, Kasandra Medina-Torres, Lilly Edwards, Sophie Fliegler, Tristan Quintero, Cynthia Mills, and Patt Quinn-Davis. About the competition itself, Kassandra Medina-Torres said, “I am grateful I got to share this experience with people I love; I left with a smile on my face that night, was able to learn more about my own surroundings, and am extremely appreciative to everyone who made this possible.” Medina-Torres added, “I want to thank Kelly Clark and Muscle Powered for creating the contest.”

SWIM TEAM

CHS sent nine swimmers to the state tournament in Las Vegas this past weekend: Leandra Blake, Morgan Nelson, Hannah Presley, Nicole Van Geel, Carlos Torres, Brett Kolb, Reece Canfield, Juan Brena Gutierrez, and Matteas Klatt. Events included a girls 400-meter free relay, 50-meter free, boys 200-meter medley relay, boys 200-meter free relay, and boys 400-meter free relay. CHS freshman swimmer Brynn Prunty said, “Carson High was very successful at state last week; everyone was supportive of those racing and filled with excitement with the entire team cheering and shouting their lungs out during the relays; it truly was the best way to end the season.”

FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES

To ease the tension of preparing for finals week, FCA Adviser Ty McMillen initiated a team dodgeball event. The dodgeball tournament was held in the CHS big gym on May 15 at lunch. It was free, of course, and each team consisted of six members. Everyone had a blast, no one got hurt, and even the losers walked away smiling. Sadly, it was the last dodgeball event of the 2017-2018 school year.

GNCU EDUCATION BRANCH

Implemented in 2000, Greater Nevada Credit Union’s scholarship program is one of many ways GNCU gives back to the communities and “Helps More People Live Greater.” This year, 30 scholarships were awarded. Julie Slocum, GNCU Education Branch coordinator, awarded five of the $2,000 scholarships to CHS seniors at the annual Salute to Scholars ceremony on May 17 in Senator Square. Congratulations to Jenaya Meyer, Jessica Preston, and Sara Knight (pictured) as well as Catheryn Linkul and Kalysta Branco.

SAFE GRAD

The 2018 CHS Safe Grad night and next-day trip are fast approaching, and the organizers are reaching out to parents and guardians of CHS students to volunteer the evening of June 9 following graduation. The doors of the Carson City Community Center open at 8:30 p.m. for the graduates, who must arrive at or before 10 p.m. as no one is allowed in after this time. At 5 a.m., graduates get on some amazingly comfortable busses to head to Great America, and they will return Sunday night around midnight. The Safe Grad program has been a tradition in Carson City for 29 years and provides the graduating senior class with a safe, fun, and sober celebration on graduation night. The CHS Safe Grad Committee, Carson City Sheriff’s Office, Nevada Office of Traffic Safety, and local businesses and residents help sponsor the event. Safe Grad happens June 3-4 at the Carson City Community Center. This event could not take place without the generous volunteers who make it happen, so please help. Interested? Volunteers help with bag checks, food, games and activities, door monitoring, raffles, set-up, and clean-up. Also, it’s not too late to participate as a volunteer member of the CHS Safe Grad Committee. Meetings happen the second Saturday of every month at Remax Realty, 716 N. Carson St. on the second floor. Contact CHS Safe Grad Secretary Wendy Yang at 775-720-6160, President Kyra Hinton at 775-434-760-0635, or email carsonhighsafegrad@gmail.com.

COLLEGE CONNECTIONS

CHS juniors planning to apply for scholarships next year as seniors, now is the time to get a jump on planning. Want to be ready for those early scholarships, or know the “how-to” of applying? Come to room 256 on May 21 for a meeting after school. Ms. Been will share all the information.

ALL SPORTS MEETING

An All Sports Meeting for athletes and their parents happens May 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the CHS big gym. This meeting will cover information for the 2018-2019 season. Football will meet in the upper cafeteria, and other team meeting locations will be announced after the main meeting.

ONE NIGHT ONLY

It is free to attend, so come and see the fabulous CHS Blue Thunder Band concert on May 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Carson City Community Center. The musical performance features the Concert Band as well as the award winning Wind Ensemble and Midnight Blues Jazz Ensemble, both of which took home first-place trophies at the recent Music in the Parks Festival.

THE YEARBOOK IS HERE

Another year and with that the introduction of the 2018 award-winning Carneta yearbook. It’s time to offer congratulations to students, especially the ones whose parents and guardians want to leave a beautiful and timeless memory for them to access in the future. Many former CHS students return looking for a copy of their yearbook, the one they never purchased, so buy one now. The distribution and sale of the yearbook is May 23 beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the CHS big gym. Students picking up their yearbook must bring their receipt and a form of identification. A yearbook holds memories, and more than 40 members of the Publications staff will distribute those memories. They are proud of their work and they should be. Know any of the staff? Please give them a high five for their achievement as this simple act means so much. A few copies are still available for $85. Stop by before school, at lunch, or after school to room 136 to purchase a copy, or contact Adviser Patt Quinn-Davis, 775-283-1782, or email her at pquinn-davis@carson.k12.nv.us. Enjoy this, Vol. 96 of CHS’s Carneta yearbook.

SENIOR SUNSET

The 2018 CHS Senior Class Sunset is May 24 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. There will be a taco truck and a bounce house, and students will need a liability release form, located in the student store, for the bounce house.

CELEBRATE WITH GRADUATION LEIS

It is time to reward members of the 2017-2018 senior class. They have worked hard over the course of the 2017-2018 school year, so order graduation leis for them. Order a single purple orchid lei or a single white orchid lei for $23, or order a fragrant single tuberose and orchid lei for $25. Make payment to CHS; orders must be placed by May 25 at 3:30 p.m. An order form is needed, so please acquire one from the main office, the Student Store, or call Leadership advisor and teacher Ann Britt at 775-283-1789, or email her at abritt@carson.k12.nv.us.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

CHS Athletic Department’s Athletes of the Week for May 14-18 are Brett Kolb and Morgan Nelson for varsity swim. These athletes, and all students who participate in school functions through leadership, clubs, and sports, deserve a high level of recognition and congratulations.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

The CHS Student of the Week is Jason Acosta Sandoval. He saw a teacher standing at a locked door, as he was walking to another location in the school, and Jason went out of his way to open the door for that teacher. Jason is the epitome of kindness, and according to one of Jason’s teachers, Tod Jennings, “Jason is willing to help anyone who needs it and encourages everyone to be the best they can be; he is an asset to his classes and Carson High School.”

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

This week’s Senior in the Spotlight is Daniel Beeston. Daniel has a weighted GPA of 4.23 and maintains that with a courseload of several AP classes, as well as working toward an Honors, Advanced, and Career & Technical Education Diploma. Daniel currently works as a tutor for the CHS Solutions program, tutoring students in various subjects, and he has a unique ability to make complicated material understandable for even the most reluctant learners. In June, Daniel will receive the Career & Technical Education Diploma in Engineering & Digital Electronics. Passionate about his own edification, Daniel has built on what he learned through his classes at CHS, learning programming languages, robotics, and electronics in his free time as a hobby. He makes remote control cars, robots, and creates other electronics. He has done this with online lessons and tutorials. Daniel will attend the University of Nevada, Reno, majoring in Computer Science. CHS is appreciative of the commitment and perseverance Daniel has displayed toward his education and wishes him well in his future endeavors.

Phil Brady is an English teacher at CHS.