Bighorn news: Alumni update and summer school

OASIS GRAD BARRENCHEA WORKING WITH NDOW

Oasis Academy 2021 graduate Taryn Barrenchea has spent her last two summers hiking in Northern Nevada working with the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

“I’ve been working with the Nevada Department of Wildlife under the Fisheries Division,” Barrenchea said. “This is my second summer working this seasonal position and I absolutely fell in love with it.”

The position has given Barrenchea a wide variety of hands-on field experience.

“I have conducted stream surveys in the Ruby Mountains, conducted electrofishing surveys for estimating the population of the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, taken DNA (EDNA) samples, stocked local reservoirs, done angler surveys, and I’ve participated in kids fishing derbies and free fishing day,” she said.

Barrenchea also explained another aspect of fin clips.

“Surveys for the Lahontan Cutthroat trout have involved taking fin clips to look at fish genetics along with measurements to assess the health and conditions of the trout,” she said.

Barrenchea said she knows that involving youth through fishing derbies and fishing days are also a vital part of her job.

“They are both a fun way to be involved with the public and reach future generations,” she said.

During the school year, Barrenchea is attending the University of Nevada, Reno. She will graduate in December with her Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation.

“After graduation I hope to continue my journey with NDOW as a fisheries biologist,” she said.

Barrenchea has a couple of teachers she would like to thank for their influence during her time at Oasis in the dual degree program.

“I’d like to thank Mr. Andy Lenon for always having his door open for when I needed a pep talk when school was getting stressful,” Barrenchea said.

She also wants to thank Western Nevada College math professor, Eric York.

“Mr. York not only taught me math, but he also taught me about myself. The life lessons I took away from his classes can’t be found in a textbook,” she added.

Barrenchea’s advice for future students is to try anything.

“I would tell future students to try anything and everything. You never know what you’ll come across and maybe even find your passion. It could turn into your career,” Barrenchea said.

SUMMER SCHOOL STARTS

Some students were back in the classrooms starting on June 4 for summer school. Summer school gives students the opportunity to increase their English and math skills.

Classes run three days a week for a couple of hours each day.

“This is a great chance for students to get extra support in a small group setting,” said Rochelle Tisdale, interim chief executive officer.

As a reminder the school will be closed on June 19 in recognition of the Juneteenth holiday.

CONSTRUCTION TO EXPAND MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSES

The Oasis Academy’s main building is busy with the sounds of construction. Two new classrooms and a flex room are being built in what was the Makerspace area.

The build out is to make classrooms for the growing middle school grades and accommodate critical life skills classroom needs.

As part of Oasis Academy’s slow growth model, this year Oasis’ seventh grade class will grow to 72 students.

“We have been planning for a couple of years knowing that we are in need of additional space for our growing school. This build out will accommodate our needs for the foreseeable future.” Tisdale added.