Bighorn news: Senior Spotlight, RBG3, and lots of milk

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: THANH NGUYEN

High school Student Council students attend a Disneyland Leadership Retreat every other year at Oasis Academy. For graduating senior Thanh Nguyen, this year’s trip was one of her favorite memories from school.

“The Disneyland Leadership Retreat is one of my favorite memories,” Nguyen said. “I met tons of great people, went on tons of great rides, and got violently sick on the teacups. Overall, a 10/10 experience.”

Student Council is just one of many activities that she is actively part of. She is part of the National Honor Society, Yearbook, Lacrosse, Academic Olympics, We The People and Mock Trials.

Nguyen transferred to Oasis in high school during the pandemic when school was online. She said the people are what makes the school so special.

“I'm grateful for all of my friends, staff, and teachers who made me feel welcome and made basic days into memories,” she said. “They're what I’ve looked forward to the most every day. I've learned a lot over these years, and I couldn't be happier to have done it alongside such incredible people.”

Those incredible people include several teachers that made lasting impacts.

“Shout out to Mr. Eric Grimes, Mr. Andy Lenon and Mrs. Julie Stockard,” Nguyen said. “The GOATs (greatest of all time) of Oasis Academy. They helped me the most throughout high school and I trust them more than anything. They're more like family to me than teachers and a counselor. I wouldn't be where I am today without them.”

Nguyen’s favorite classes were the technology-based dual enrollment college classes.

“My favorite class was either drafting or Intro to Software Development,” she said. “Both classes were a great balance of creativity and technology, so I had a blast. Not to mention, Mr. Jake Lewis taught these classes and was absolutely amazing.”

She has no regrets about her time at Oasis Academy.

“There isn't anything I regret about going to school at Oasis,” Nguyen closed. “I'll look back on these memories with lots of love and happiness.”

Nguyen will graduate in May with her high school diploma and Associate of Science from Western Nevada College. She then plans to attend the University of Nevada, Reno and study Information Systems and Addiction Treatment Services.

She has two pieces of advice for future students.

“My advice to future students is to give everything you're afraid of or think you won't like a chance,” she said. “If it's not for you, then move on. It's worse to regret not doing it than never trying.”

The second piece of advice is to enjoy the time in high school.

“Try to find joy in every moment. Have fun with your friends. Go to the games. Make memories. Watch Barbie movies. Be silly, and do all the things,” she said.

OASIS CELEBRATES NATIONAL MILK DAY

On Jan. 17 Oasis Academy celebrated National Milk Day. The National Day is typically recognized on Jan. 11, but due to a snow day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day it was moved the following Tuesday.

Kindergarten through eighth-grade students enjoyed a cold carton of whole milk to help celebrate the day. The Model Dairy milk was donated by the Dairy Farmers of America with the help of Jared and Katrina Laca.

Recognizing days like National Milk Day are important to Oasis Academy as it provided an opportunity to share with students information about Fallon’s dairy industry.

“Agriculture and dairies are a major economic base of this community,” said Rochelle Tisdale, interim chief executive officer. “I am so pleased that DFA donated the milk to keep us mindful of how impactful this industry is. Thank you for your generosity.”

TEACHERS PRESENT AT NEVADA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Veteran Oasis educators Shannon Garcia and Jami Rowlett were invited to present at the Nevada State Board of Education in Carson City on Jan. 10. They presented on the implementation of Read by Grade 3 (RBG3) at Oasis Academy.

The Nevada Read by Grade 3 Act (Nevada Revised Statute 392.750) ensures early reading interventions for students in grades Kindergarten through third grade as well as reading support for students in grades 4 and 5. It’s aimed at increasing the reading proficiency of students in elementary school.

“Oasis focuses on putting the needs of students first,” said Shannon Garcia, Oasis reading specialist and Read by Grade 3 site lead. “RBG3 has proven to be successful as our reading proficiency at Oasis Academy has increased.”

On the Nevada School Performance Framework, under the “Read by Grade 3” measure, reading proficiency grew from 58.8% in 2022 to 66.6% in 2023.

“This growth is being shown in both MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) Tests and SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) Tests,” said Jami Rowlett, Academic Strategy specialist.

The second part of the presentation included issues not only felt locally but on a state and national level.

“A nationwide concern is the need for highly qualified teachers, substitutes and support staff,” Garcia said. “We are seeing a difficulty in staffing every position in education. As a state, we need to look at ways to hire and retain qualified teachers. Moving forward, it’s critical that we look at various strategies to make teaching in Nevada an attractive career choice.”