Eighth-graders visit Carson Valley Museum

They are engaged in the history of Carson Valley. They come well-prepared under the tutelage of instructor Amanda Laca, M.Ed., a recent recipient of the 2023 National Middle School Social Studies teacher of the year.

Laca is gracious, outgoing, focused with a sincere love for her pupils. Her smile radiates as she delivers information to her students on the museum’s steps before they are divided into groups.

But more to her credit, is the amount of knowledge she has given her young eighth grade — soon to be ninth grade — charges of their pertinent history culminating in an end-of-the year fieldtrip to Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville to reaffirm as well as reinforce their yearlong studies.

Through the close interaction with museum volunteer docents Kay Kocian and Carmen Stolte, the students received the highest marks for their knowledge of local history.

As the docents guided the students through the museum exhibits upstairs, downstairs and outside to the historic farming items, the young people took copious notes, asked pertinent questions and recorded the information thoughtfully on the worksheets prepared by their teacher.

The inquiries and comprehension displayed an enormous amount of maturity on the part of these inquisitive future leaders, and it was obvious they had gleaned much knowledge throughout the academic year. In addition, the politeness exhibited by each one is surely a credit to their parents.