Senator Square: Students encouraged to get flu vaccines

The time of year is upon us when the sniffles, coughs and sore throats start. It's so important to make sure we are all taking precautions to stay healthy.

With that said, Carson High School will be giving free flu shots to students and staff Thursday and Friday.

Parent permission forms will be sent home if a student wishes to take advantage of this service.

For further information, contact school nurse Sheila Story at 283-1675 or sstory@carson.k12.nv.us.

Students with specialneeds learn life skills

The Comprehensive Life Skills students at Carson High are receiving hands-on instruction in survival skills and independent living.

This work is done in our new apartment in Room 143 near the CLS classrooms. The apartment, designed and built with grant funds, has a complete working kitchen, extensive storage, washer and dryer, folding table, twin bed and two dining tables.

Forty students with special needs are learning to cook, clean and vacuum, make beds, launder and fold clothes, set dining tables and practice safety in the kitchen.

Valentina Midboe, Karen Bianchi, Jim Taplin and Wendy Tims have included instruction time in their curriculum on a regular basis. Also, Partnership Carson City just donated $1,000 to our program to purchase groceries and supplies; this is the second time this local organization has helped CHS students with special needs.

FBLA and Speech & Debate clubs selling coffee

Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and the Speech & Debate Clubs have combined efforts to raise money for their respective clubs.

The clubs will be selling 12-ounce bags of ground coffee. The coffee is freshly ground and comes in medium and bold blends. The coffee sells for $10 a bag.

Contact any club members or their advisers to buy a bag. Business sponsorships are also being sought. For $150, a business can have its name and logo printed on the back stickers of the coffee bags.

Contact FBLA adviser Angila Golik at 283-1737 or speech adviser Patrick Mobley at 283-1736 for more information or to make a coffee purchase.

Junior/seniorinformation night

The guidance department will be presenting information to parents of juniors and seniors 6 p.m. Sept. 28 in the CHS library.

Topics covered will include college entrance exams, financial aid and scholarships, senior costs, senior projects and graduation requirements.

For more information, call counselor Tim McCarthy at 283-1915.

HOSA students takingold cellphones

Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) is working again this year to help organizations raise money and find cures for diseases.

Students in this organization are all future health-care professionals who learn how to care for others, help the community and practice basic medical techniques.

Throughout the year, HOSA will be asking for help in bringing awareness to health issues and raising money for local organizations trying to fight diseases. 

The first event HOSA is doing is collecting old cellphones to recycle. All donated phones have their memory wiped clean and, if working, are recycled to women's and homeless shelters as emergency phones. If the phone is not working, it is used as parts. Phones are not resold. For each phone collected, HOSA receives a small amount of money to use toward travel costs to leadership conferences this year.

Donation locations are at CHS in Room 206 or in the library or contact carsonhosa@gmail.com for more information.

D.C. inaugurationtrip opportunity

In 2009, 17 students and staff from Carson High School attended the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

While in Washington, D.C., we also toured such sites as Arlington Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Natural History Museum, the Air and Space Museum, and many other sites. We are getting geared up for the next inauguration.

It's still 16 months away, but we are planning for it now. You can be a part of the 45th presidential inauguration. Packets of information have been given to students detailing cost, amenities included in the tour, registration deadlines, etc. Mark your calendars for the student-parent information night 6:30 p.m. Oct. 4 in the high school library. Registration deadline is Oct. 18. Monthly payments can be made, and scholarships are available to defray the cost of the trip. For more information, contact Angila Golik at 283-1737.

Senior Spotlight

This week's senior spotlight is on Jessica Roberts.

Jessica has a weighted grade-point average of 4.6. In addition to being an excellent student, Jessica is an integral part of our school.

She is a member of the Link Crew, National Honor Society, HOSA (Health Occupations of America), and the varsity ski team. She is also involved with a club soccer team and puts in several hours per week at her job at Target. Jessica is undecided on where she will attend college, but would like to pursue a medical degree with a specialty in cardio-thoracic surgery.

Carson High School is proud of the contributions Jessica has made to our school.

Staff facts:

Answer to last week's fact: Patt Quinn-Davis, English and journalism teacher.

New fact: This staff person was a back-country ranger in Yosemite Park in 1974 and rescued the inventor of the Richter Scale, Charles Richter.

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