Good morning and welcome indie education Newsletter.I'm Rocio Hernandez. nevada independent K-12 education reporter.
This newsletter provides an overview of the latest education stories and highlights interesting educators, students, programs, and other events and resources around the state. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter and receive it by email every Tuesday.
I want to hear from you!Submit your questions, comments, and suggestions for what we should cover [email protected].
News summary
🚌 More Washoe County students eligible for bus rides — Starting Tuesday, more students will be eligible for transportation services thanks to recent changes that reduce the district's walking zones for elementary and middle school grades in Washoe County. Prior to 2018, elementary school students who lived more than 1 mile from their school and middle school students who lived more than 3 miles from their school were eligible for transit. But in 2018, the board voted to increase the distance known as the walking zone for these grades by a quarter mile. Last May, the board of directors voted to return the walking zone distances for elementary and middle school students to the distances they had before 2018.
The district estimates that about 1,700 additional elementary school students and 900 additional middle school students will be eligible for transportation as a result of the change, will hire 13 new bus drivers, and will pay about 100 more in increased fuel costs. It is expected to cost $1 million.
💼 Story County Board of Education offers superintendent position to internal candidate — At its Feb. 7 meeting, the Storey County Board of Education selected Joe Gardner, the district's human resources director, as the top candidate to become the district's next superintendent. After Superintendent Todd Hess announced he would retire at the end of the school year, the board began a search for a new leader for the district. Mr. Hess shared the news of Mr. Gardner's selection at the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee on February 8th.
school spotlight
Carson City teen's own battle with cancer inspired her to pursue a career as a pediatric oncologist
Brooklyn Case, 17, a senior at Pioneer Academy, is enjoying her final year of high school after her sophomore and junior years were interrupted by a battle with cancer.
Case was a sophomore at Silver Stage High School in Silver Springs, about 40 miles northeast of Carson City, when he was diagnosed with a type of bone or soft tissue cancer that primarily affects children and young adults, according to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma. .
Case said she spent the remainder of her sophomore year and the beginning of her junior year in and out of numerous hospitals for surgeries and other treatments.
“I was pretty much isolated for a year,” she said.
Case said she wanted to continue her education, but the strain of medication and treatment made it too difficult.
After being declared cancer-free in October 2022, the then middle school student was determined to get back to a normal life and get back on track with her studies, but it wasn't easy.
“It was really hard to get back to socializing with other people,” she said.
She also transferred to a new school, Pioneer Academy, between treatments. Pioneer Academy is an alternative school for middle and high school students in the Carson City School District that offers online and in-person instruction and features small campus and class sizes. (For comparison, Pioneer Academy had just over 200 students last school year, about one-tenth the number of students at Carson High School.)
Case said the school's flexibility and staff helped her earn all the credits she needed to graduate on time. She then earned a bachelor's degree in biology and eventually became a pediatric oncologist, which she hopes will help children going through similar experiences as her.
It changed her outlook on life.
“It was a negative influence, but it was also a positive influence, because it kind of opened my eyes to what life really is and that you shouldn't take anything for granted. ” she said.
Do you have a student or staff member who should be featured in the next issue of School Spotlight? Share your nomination with me [email protected].
read the assignment
Douglas County Schools withdraws controversial superintendent nomination
The Douglas County Board of Education is resuming its search for a new superintendent after the board of trustees voted against approving the employment contract for the superintendent of their choice at Tuesday's meeting.
additional credits
Tribe breaks ground on new school after old building linked to cancer deaths
The Shoshone Paiute Tribe of Northern Nevada's Duck Valley Indian Reservation held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday for a new school to replace a 70-year-old building. Tribal leaders say it is responsible for many cancer deaths in their community. Las Vegas Review Journal report.
Featured social media posts
North Valley High School students are making metal roses and demonstrating their welding skills on Valentine's Day.
