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Jessica Garcia

Stories by Jessica

Eagle Valley MS first at LEGO Robotics competition

The school’s robotics team was chosen to compete at the FIRST LEGO League World Festival in Houston from April 17 to 20.

CHS' Miracle Minute fundraiser supports Rodriguez family

Lexi Rodriguez died Jan. 28 after she was struck by a car at the intersection of North Carson Street and Nye Lane.

Fritsch's ASL club supports student friendship, learning in new language

Arlo Gelsone, 7, has sparked an interest among his Fritsch friends to learn American sign language to adapt to his needs as a deaf student.

CCSD shares with Ebert need for improved accountability, resources

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jhone Ebert visited the Carson City School District on Feb. 2.

Carson High staff duct taped in fundraiser

Principal Dan Carstens, Vice Principal Sue Moulden and Math Department Chair and teacher Shanell Cavener were taped to walls by students who donated $1 each to provide a strip of tape.

CHS sophomore, next youth legislator, wants safe space for students

The Nevada Youth Legislature program gives high school students a voice in legislative and educational issues.

Nevada challenged to change narrative on trafficking

Multiple agencies gathered to recognize National Human Trafficking Prevention Day on Jan. 25.

Family, community remember Carson High freshman

Petition available on change.org to improve pedestrian safety

Lexi Rodriguez, 14, died Sunday after she was struck by a car at the intersection of North Carson Street and Nye Lane.

WNC working to address solutions with EMS program

Concerns from students about Western Nevada College’s Emergency Medical Services program have prompted conversations about completing their licensing.

Carson City School Board approves retirement incentive

The item was tabled Jan. 9 after the board sought more information about whether employees could provide notification whether they were retiring or resigning to qualify for the incentive.

Ribbon-cutting for FISH housing project a ‘God thing’

Carson City officials celebrated the realization of Friends in Service Helping’s student housing project with a ribbon-cutting.

State discussion focuses on teen mental wellness

Representatives met for Hope Means Nevada’s third statewide youth mental health discussion on the challenges in eliminating teen suicide.

Schools' parent survey covers event, engagement needs

Families would like to see the district improve transportation or scheduling for events, communication and student safety.

State board explores options for school start times

Conversation resumed about the high school start time draft regulation during the Nevada State Board of Education’s first meeting of the year Jan. 10.

School board tables discussion on retirement incentive

Superintendent Andrew Feuling and Associate Superintendent of Human Resources Dan Sadler presented the incentive plan with a fiscal impact not to exceed $40,000 this fiscal year.

Carson City School District looks to be ready ‘before a bad day’

More than 100 Carson City School District employees took part in their first reunification drill Monday in Fuji Hall. They set up stations, established communications systems and filled out paperwork to connect parents with students after a hypothetical active-shooter scenario impacting a school campus.

Smart Start preschool to provide access to day care

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Nevada celebrated the grand opening of its first Smart Start preschool center Monday before beginning operations on Tuesday.

MTSS Tier Three: ‘Organized disorganization’ earns Fritsch distinction for implementation

The Carson City School District is seeing more of its schools adapt to the Multi-Tiered System of Support.

Furlong asks AG to add vaping to compliance checks

Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong said his office is making a request with the Nevada Attorney General’s Office to include vaping and tobacco products businesses shouldn’t be selling to minors in future stings.

LCSD to add, upgrade outdated cameras after safety discussions

“There is still additional need for cameras as campuses grow and kids realize where the blind spots are."

MTSS: Fair, predictable step up at Eagle Valley

Eagle Valley promotes a system of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.

Carson City to see windy, snowy weather Saturday

Region to expect up to an inch of snow Saturday.

MTSS: System helps build Empire of consistency

Success at Empire Elementary School is all about reinforcing a positive behavior instead of emphasizing to a student what they did wrong, Vice Principal Nathan Brigham said.

MTSS: Schools learn at own pace to produce best student outcomes

The Carson City School District has encouraged practices of the Multi-Tiered System of Support.

Lyon County approves Dayton traffic signal application

The Traditions development in Dayton has planned for more than 500 homes along with commercial development.

LEGO qualifier an arena of moving parts for students, volunteers

More than 400 students representing 31 teams from Northern Nevada gathered at Eagle Valley Middle School on Dec. 6.

Board: Feuling ‘very satisfactory’ as Carson superintendent

The board noted his community presence, willingness to advocate for student achievement, and continued efforts for more school funding during his performance review.

Lyon County school board OKs superintendent pact

The first year salary of the five-year contract was set at $225,000.

Mound House center funds taken for Fernley courthouse

The Lyon County Commission on Dec. 7 voted to reduce $300,000 in designated American Rescue Plan Act funding to $50,000 for the Mound House Community Center remodeling project.

School district sees $1.97M drop in general fund revenue

At year’s end, the school district has an opportunity to amend the budget it approves in June and make final changes.

Carson City woman turns 104 on Sunday

Betty Lee Langston recently moved from Southern California to Carson City to live with her son, David Langston.

CHS students make NASA pitch for balloon testing

The students have been measuring muon count and ionizing radiation at varying altitudes for their project.

Lyon County graduation rate shows slight increase

The 2022-23 graduation rate increased by 1.84 percentage points to 86.4% from the previous year.

CHS has 3 named National Merit semifinalists

Three Carson City School District seniors have been named semifinalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program.

CHS meal plan: How many are going to eat?

CHS has 2,270 students; approximately one-third might eat school meals. There might be anywhere from 375 to 650 mouths to feed daily.

Governor’s Mansion hosts holiday food drive

Volunteers welcomed the gifts to supply Friends in Service Helping’s food banks and the Ron Wood Family Resource Center.

CHS cadets donate $1,500 to breast cancer awareness

Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps observed Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October by selling pink aiguilettes to wear on their uniforms.

Lyon school board appoints Logan as next superintendent

The Lyon County School Board appointed Deputy Superintendent Tim Logan to fill its district’s top position starting July 1, 2024, preferring a "homegrown" candidate to performing a national search to fill its top post.

Sierra Lutheran enrollment up nearly 20%

More students coming in means needing more classroom space in the near future.

WNC sees 17% student enrollment increase

The administration looks ahead to the K-12 system’s predictions and expectations for growth in the future to manage its own.

School district shows how the menu gets made

The food department was highlighted for the first time during a quarterly Professional Learning Community meeting.

Carson City teacher appears on ‘The Price is Right’

Molly Otto said she could hardly believe it when she was called down during a taping of the show in September.

CCSD administrator trying to speed recovery

“So that’s the million-dollar question: Do we bounce right back from that or does it take 30 years to get back to where we were before?”

Like state, more than half of Carson schools rated low

The Nevada School Performance Framework Star Ratings showed more than half of schools received the lower one- or two-star ratings for the 2022-23 school year.

Juvenile Services: Rise in referrals points to mental health needs for teens

A snapshot from Carson City, Lyon and Douglas counties.

Nonprofit announces hydroponics programs for Nevada schools

Green Our Planet, a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Las Vegas encouraging school gardening, sustainability and nutrition programs, is encouraging Title I schools across Nevada to apply for grant funding for its HydroConnect hydroponics systems by Nov. 23.

School district graduation rate dips for third year

Carson High School’s rate decreased from 92.26% in 2022 to 89.91% this year. Pioneer High School dropped from 80% to 71.15%.

WNC upgrades early childhood program playground

The set replaces a 20-year-old set that no longer conformed to industry standard.

RSVP’s 50th anniversary honors founder Ayres

The event will pay tribute to former founder Janice Ayres and honor Carson and Rural Elder (CARE) law attorney Lora Myles.

One student, one story: Lyon schools battle 38% absenteeism one case at a time

Lyon County School District’s chronic absenteeism rate during the 2022-23 school year was reported at 38.1%, about 4% above the state average, according to Nevada’s accountability portal, nevadareportcard.nv.gov. At approximately 9,053 students, Lyon is the state’s fourth-largest district. As did others, the rural area experienced post-pandemic struggles with school attendance.