Senator Square: Carson High School dress code is not optional

It has been beautiful outside until Saturday, with the sun shining, and all of nature demonstrating its beauty through its natural and exquisite display. The wind blows, and the trees dance. Cats and dogs run to and fro playing with one another, at least most of the time. Wild animals, though difficult to see at times, are moving about through the forest in search of food. “So what is the story here?” a reader will ask. Carson High School students have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather, and some of them are going too far with the natural. Trees have leaves to cover themselves, cats and dogs have fur to cover themselves, and wild animals, having fur and feathers as well, also have trees, rocks, and holes in the ground in which to hide. Though they may shed some of their fur, they don’t shed all of it, and CHS students, at the beginning of the school year, signed a paper saying they will agree to not shed their clothing as the weather changes and summer approaches. Now that it’s springtime, please keep in mind students need to dress appropriately at school. Students need to wear clothing that’s aligned with the CHS dress code. Bellies (midriffs), bare shoulders, bare backs, and undergarments aren’t to be seen by anyone at school, especially administrators. The following garments aren’t appropriate at school: pants with holes ripped high on the pant legs, short shorts and really short skirts. The quickest way to determine if the holes are too high, or the skirts and shorts are too short, is to have the student extend her arms straight along their sides; if the length is above her fingertips, the garment is too short. Students must also remember to remove their hats or hoodies upon entering the building. CHS deans and administrators are on the prowl to enforce this dress code; students, please come to school appropriately dressed. Students who violate the dress code will be asked to wear brown sweats and sweatshirts and given progressive discipline. CHS administrators are grateful to parents for ensuring CHS has a positive environment for learning even though most of them would say they actually do enjoy hunting.

GREATER NEVADA CREDIT UNION CONTEST WINNERS

Congratulations to Liliana Barajas and Kerly Lopez, winners of the Greater Nevada Credit Union’s National Credit Union Youth Month Contest. They each won a $100 Visa gift card! The gift of membership offer is also still available for all CHS students, so stop by the CHS GNCU branch to pick up your certificate and learn more.

KISS A SENIOR GOODBYE

Kissing a senior goodbye? A crazy thought? No way! It’s a once-a-year opportunity! Student Council is offering a way for any student to send a graduating senior a small gift bag for $5. The gift bag includes some chap stick, a note card, and a small carnation flower. All sales will be in the student store from May 8-19.

CELEBRATE WITH A GRADUATION LEIS

Now is the time to symbolically, seasonally, and poetically reward those seniors who have worked so hard over the course of the 2016-2017 school year, so order a graduation lei for them. Order a single purple orchid lei or a single white orchid lei for $23, or order a single tuberose and orchid lei (fragrant) for $25. Payment must be made to Carson High School, and orders must be placed by Wednesday, May 17, by 3:30 p.m. Because there’s an order form needed to do this, please acquire a copy 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.

2017-2018 CHEER TEAM TRYOUTS

CHS cheer coaches are excited to announce Cheer Team tryouts for the 2017-2018 school year. Tryouts are May 12 from 4 to 8 p.m. and May 13 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the CHS big gym. For tryouts, athletes are asked to wear royal blue shorts and a plain white shirt along with their blue tryout bow. Tryout bows may be purchased for $10 on the day of tryouts. Please pack a lunch for Saturday, May 13. There will be a two-hour break for lunch and time to prepare and practice for tryouts starting at 2 p.m. To be eligible for tryouts, the cheer team tryout packet must be completed by May 12; pick up a packet from Coach Story in room 120 at CHS. Complete the following and turn in by May 10. For information, contact Sheila Story at 775-283-1675 or e-mail her at sstory@carson.k12.nv.us.

SAFE GRAD

CHS Safe Grad night and next-day trip are fast approaching, and the organizers are reaching out to the parents of CHS students for volunteers for the overnight event. 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. This is a proven and tremendously successful event as there hasn’t been a graduate fatality on graduation night since the program’s inception in 1988. Safe Grad will be held June 3-4 at the Carson City Community Center. Forty volunteers are still needed. This event couldn’t take place without our generous volunteers who make it happen, so please help. Email jslocum@gncu.net as soon as possible with name and phone number.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to the CHS Athletes of the Week. For April 24: Abby Paulson for Track and Jesse Lopez for Baseball. For May 1: Jailene Salciedo for Softball and Bryce Moyle for Baseball. For May 8: Nicole Van Geel for Girls Swim and Brett Kolb for Boys Swim.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

Savanna Brown is this week’s Student of the Week. She’s the rarest of students as she has demonstrated a remarkable amount of kindness for those around her on so many levels. She has a smile that could steal a sailor from the sea. Savannah is polite, sincere, and genuine, and her interest in learning has allowed her to succeed as an honors student at CHS. She has a quiet spirit with a loving heart. CHS, and anywhere else Savannah Brown frequents, lights up by her presence.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

This week, the Senior Spotlight shines on Menen Ashagrie. Menen is an outstanding student. She’s involved in both the school as well as local and global communities. She’s outgoing, driven, and bright. Menen has always pushed herself academically. This year, Menen is taking advantage of the opportunity to earn college credits while still a high school student. She’s participating in the Jump Start program through Western Nevada College. While taking 12 credits per semester at Western Nevada College, Menen is continuing to take classes through CHS as well. She’s completing the CHS health science pathway by taking both Health Science II and Pharmacy Practice. Along with being an excellent student, Menen is a dedicated member of the CHS community as well as the Carson City and global communities. At CHS, she participates in National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Health Occupation Student Organization and Link Crew. She has recently become involved in Clean Water for Flint, a project that helps bring awareness and raise money for people residing in Flint, Mich. Outside of her school and club responsibilities, Menen spends time at the local library, shelving books. She has also volunteered more than 100 hours at the Carson Tahoe Hospital. She enjoys running, hiking, chess, and sightseeing. Menen was honored this year as Carson High School’s prom queen. Menen plans to attend the University of Nevada, Reno in the fall, where she will major in biochemistry and eventually go to medical school. Congratulations, Menen!

Phil Brady is an English teacher at CHS.