education

Larry Reilly is the most qualified candidate for the LTUSD School Board. He has dedicated his life to education in the Lake Tahoe basin, holding the same teaching position at George Whittell High School for over 30 years. As one of his colleagues at Whittell and a concerned LTUSD parent, I can vouch for Larry Reilly's clear understanding of educational policy and his ability to communicate and work with both school administration and the community.

Larry Reilly is the candidate best qualified to be a member of the LTUSD School Board. As the former principal of Whittell High School, I have seen Larry work collaboratively with teachers and administrators alike to not only identify issues but to develop and implement solutions. With a stellar career as a classroom teacher, Larry knows how to raise student and teacher performance. Best of all, Larry is always analytical and action-oriented.

I've never met anyone that likes taxes, but we pay them to fund the things we need in our lives: fire protection, law enforcement, education, roads, and services, just to name a few.

In November, Measure U is before the voters of South Lake Tahoe. A "yes" vote will add an extra 1/2 percent to the sales tax on non-food items purchased in the city limits. Currently, the tax is eight percent so the increase works out to be an extra five cents on every ten dollars purchased. It is estimated the tax increase would bring in an extra $2.5 million to the City.

The South Lake Tahoe chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby recently asked all ten of the candidates their views on climate change, green buildings and our carbon footprint and how they can make a change if elected.

The Citizen's Climate Lobby is an organization focused on national policies to address climate change, and the South Lake Tahoe chapter is one of 354 in the United States and abroad.

Patricia Sussman of the local chapter said just five of the candidates responded to their questions.

The students and staff of Mt. Tallac High School completed their annual trek to the top of their namesake, Mt. Tallac.

Principal Holly Greenough said she wanted to thank John Marchini of South Tahoe Refuse and Steve and Mo Froyum for once again preparing and providing a "delicious lunch" for the hikers. Mo prepared burritos with all the fixings and snack bags for each student. John, Steve and two students, Carlos Lopez and Jaime Salas, carried the food 2 miles up to Cathedral Lake for everyone to enjoy.

Since 1999, Sierra at Tahoe has rewarded South Shore school children with a free pass to the resort if they complete two consecutive semesters with straight A's.

With an average of 346 passes given out annually (with a high of 377 and 361 this year), Sierra at Tahoe has shown they are committed to supporting local school children.

The first four-year bachelor's degree program offered on the South Shore begins Monday, October 17 on the campus of Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) and there is still room for students to enroll.

In collaboration with Sierra Nevada College (SNC), LTCC is offering the degree in Global Business Management, the first several four-year degrees the campus plans on offering inside the new Robert and Lisa Maloff University Center which will open in Fall of 2018.

The Board of Trustees at Lake Tahoe Community College has fully thrown its support behind a $9 billion bond measure on the November 8 ballot, called Proposition 51: Public School Facility Bonds, which would provide funds for public school construction and repairs in California.

The entire South Shore community is invited to Lake Tahoe Community College’s campus on Friday, October 7 for several fun and free events that are family friendly.

It’s Fan Appreciation Day out on LTCC’s brand-new soccer field, where the Coyote men’s and women’s soccer teams will face off against conference rivals Lassen Community College at 2 p.m. (women) and 4 p.m. (men). Snacks, beverages, fun games, prizes, and free Coyote swag will be plentiful, so head out and see LTCC’s world-class new field and cheer on the LTCC Coyotes to victory.

Angela Swanson, who was a Lake Tahoe Unified School Board member from 2005-2009 is back on the board, this time to replace Ginger Nicolay-Davis who left in June to accept a job with the school district. She was interviewed and voted in Tuesday night during the LTUSD board meeting. Her term will last until December, 2018.

The school district accepted applications for the open seat, and Swanson was the lone candidate so Tuesday's interview and vote was just a formality.

Swanson also served on the South Lake Tahoe City Council for a term from 2010-2014.

There will be an informal gathering on Wednesday, September 28 at the Blue Angel Cafe to meet a couple of candidates running for Area 4 school district boards.

Dave Hamilton, who is running for Lake Tahoe Community College Board, and Troy Matthews, who is running for Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board, will be at the restaurant, which is located at 1132 Ski Run Blvd., from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Come meet them, ask any questions you might have, and talk about the future of South Lake Tahoe schools.

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I am one of the candidates running for the Lake Tahoe Community College Board of Trustees representing area 4.

Sherry L. Rupert will speak on preserving the Stewart Indian School, in a free presentation at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Saturday, September 24, at 10:00 am.

For ninety years, Stewart Indian School fulfilled a federal commitment to pursue Native American education in Nevada. Located three miles southeast of Carson City, the school grounds encompassed 240 acres.

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As of Tuesday's Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) Board meeting, no applications for the open seat on the board had been completed and filed, though two are expected according to Shannon Chandler, Dr. Jim Tarwater's Executive Assistant.

The seat opened up when Ginger Nicolay-Davis, the Board Member from Trustee Area 2, had to leave the board when she was hired by LTUSD as a speech pathologist.

Starting in Fall 2016, Tahoe Youth & Family Services will begin contracting with Suicide Prevention Network of Douglas County to bring suicide prevention education and resources to residents of South Lake Tahoe.

The combined effort will provide community-wide awareness programs and mental health stigma reduction outreach. Suicide survivor grief support groups will also begin at the Tahoe Youth & Family Services’ counseling office at 1021 Fremont Avenue in South Lake Tahoe. Funding for the new program comes from an El Dorado County Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) grant.

Anita Watson will portray Mary Pickford, at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Wednesday, September 7, at 6:30 pm.

Mary Pickford was America’s Sweetheart. Pickford was an actress on the stage and in film, a writer, a producer, a director, and co-founder of a movie studio. She socialized with Hollywood’s most famous stars and married a swashbuckling film hero, Douglas Fairbanks. In 1955, Mary Pickford published her autobiography, Sunshine and Shadows. In this presentation, Pickford will discuss her book and her life.

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Douglas County is hosting a series of public outreach meetings to discuss stormwater issues specific to geographic areas in Douglas County and to explain how a stormwater management program and utility fee might work. A presentation will be given at each meeting and will include recommendations from the Citizen’s Flood Task Force, examples of how a stormwater management program could work, and staff will be collecting public input.

When students make their way through the doors of classrooms in Lake Tahoe Unified School District on Monday, 22 new certified staff members will be there to greet them.

Al Tahoe Preschool: Michael Pulley, Early Childhood Education Specialist

Tahoe Valley Elementary: Chelsea Casey, Special Day Class

Lake Tahoe Environmental Magnet School: Anne Lafferty, Special Day Class and Leah Stockton, 1st Grade

Sierra House Elementary School: Jennifer Bronken, 4th Grade and Tamara Dupuis, School Nurse to be split with Bijou

For reasons unknown, Lake Tahoe Unified School District Trustee Ginger Nicolay-Davis has resigned from the board position she has held since December, 2014.

During their monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 23, the LTUSD board will officially announce the opening on the board and their intent to appoint a new trustee who must reside in Trustee Area #2.

Nicolay-Davis resigned effective August 9.

Mt. Tallac High School of South Lake Tahoe is inviting the community to stop by on the first day of school on August 29 and join them for what is becoming an annual meet and greet event from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

"We feel strongly that providing our students with the opportunity to meet and interact with potential employers and successful adults within our community will promote and support our efforts and the students' drive to give the school year their best effort," said Mt. Tallac High Principal Holly Greenough.

Ever since I moved to South Lake Tahoe two months ago to work at Tallac Historic Site, I have been surprised daily to discover how few locals know the historic site exists. Tallac is located next to Camp Richardson and Fallen Leaf Lake Campground – an area most folks are familiar with – and yet locals constantly wander onto the site from the beach and announce they had no idea this place was here.

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Brad Deeds has been hired as the new Dean of Workforce Development and Instruction at Lake Tahoe Community College where he will manage the college’s various Career and Technical Education programs. Deeds will be over the Fire Academy, Culinary Arts, Commercial Music, Allied Health, the new Adult Education program, and other vocationally-focused departments on campus. He will also oversee workforce development and select instructional programs at LTCC.

The LTCC Board of Trustees gave approval for the hiring at their meeting on Tuesday night.

Christy Smith was a loving Mother, Grandmother, Wife, Sister and Daughter who dedicated her life to the service of others, especially children. She passed away on July 23rd after a courageous battle with cancer.

Christy was born March 10, 1949 in Altadena, California to Jack and Marjorie Cosbey. She spent her childhood in Southern California, graduating in 1967 from Long Beach Polytechnic High School. She studied Nursing at Long Beach State College and worked as a nurse in Cardiology and Family Practice.

The 25-year-old iconic "Welcome to Nevada" signs from highways around the state are going to be raffled off to some lucky residents.
The Nevada Department of Transportation is replacing the old, obsolete signs, depicting a lone miner that once greeted travelers to the state. They held a recent contest for Nevada high school students for the design of a new series of signs.