principal

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There has been much discussion in the community about the City of South Lake Tahoe's new Shared Rental Ordinance, one that is up for a vote during the November 3 City Council meeting.

A shared rental, also known as a hosted rental, is one where a person rents a portion of their home to a visitor on a short term basis* while they are still living in the home. They are not new in South Lake Tahoe, but the focus has been on creating an ordinance for them as a large number of people started obtaining business licenses for shared rentals in recent months.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - School in South Lake Tahoe hasn't been held in-person since March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) will start the process of getting kids back into the classroom on Monday, October 12.

They will make the shift from Phase 1 to Phase 2 and a hybrid schedule with elementary students attending either Monday and Tuesday (Cohort A) or on Thursday and Friday (Cohort B), all days with a four-hour schedule. The rest of the time will be distance learning.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - South Tahoe Middle School (STMS) has received a $2,676 STEM grant from the Toshiba America Foundation. These funds will support the 7th and 8th grade students in the year-long Maker Lab elective.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A summer-long project at Tahoe Valley Elementary School is now open to the public and the tree at the center of the love-filled efforts is in memory of student Marianna Zepeda.

The quiet, reflective garden area includes seating, a lending library and a tree dedicated to Marianna, a 4th grade student who passed away June 19.

"She was always happy and sunny," says Principal Christina Grubbs of the young student. "That is why we chose a sunny, yellow tree."

ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. - The Zephyr Cove Elementary Parents Club and Whittell Boosters are reaching out to the community for support in the safe reopening of the two Douglas County Lake Schools on August 31.

Both of the schools will begin the 2020/2021 school year on Aug 31 with in person, daily instruction utilizing social distancing and other safety protocols.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The candidate pool of 61 seeking the job of South Lake Tahoe police chief has been narrowed down to five finalists.

They are:

Captain John Gunderson, Redwood City Police Department
Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice, Master’s Degree Public Administration

Lieutenant Tina Jones, Portland Police Bureau
Master’s Degree Criminal Justice

Lieutenant Shannon Laney, South Lake Tahoe Police Department
Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice

Deputy Chief Katherine Lester, Sacramento Police Department

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It was a perfect day, at a perfect location, at a perfect celebration to wrap up what wasn't such a perfect senior year of high school.

On Friday afternoon, one by one, the South Tahoe and Mt. Tallac High School seniors stepped out of their decorated cars amidst cheering from teachers and staff. They sent the students onto the red carpet, down the stairs to more cheering, and dancing, and more red carpet, as they made their way onto a ski lift at Sierra-at-Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In a graduation season marked by COVID-19 social distancing regulations, high school students across the globe knew the ceremonies marking the end of K-12 school careers would be different than in years past. With daily school work moved online, graduations were moved to a virtual format.

At both South Tahoe High and Mt. Tallac High schools, graduation has been made special by social media acknowledgments, yard signs, and special bags full of gifts.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - The Douglas County School District has hired a new superintendent to replace the retiring Teri White.

In a unanimous decision, the board voted 7-0 to hire Keith Lewis as the next superintendent. Lewis is the District's current Human Resources executive director. He will start to transition into the position immediately and officially take over when White leaves, sometime this summer.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Dr. Todd Cutler has been announced as the new superintendent for the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD). During their closed session meeting Saturday, the Board of Trustees decided to reveal their announcement ahead of the previously announced March 10 date. His contract has now been finalized and he will start work at the end of the school year.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Gone are the old high school woodshop prerequisite napkin holders and cutting boards. In their place are sheds and dog houses built to code, giving their creators valuable life and work skills for their futures.

Students in the South Tahoe High Woodshop 1 classes have been building dog houses, complete with insulation and roofs and sides built with techniques found in residential construction.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - Involuntary manslaughter charges will be filed by the El Dorado County District Attorney against three former Guiding Hands School employees and the school for their alleged part in the death of a special-needs student at the school on November 28, 2018.

Cindy Ann Keller, 59, Starranne Meyers, 60, and Kimberly Dan Wohlwend, 37, were all arrested and booked on charges of felony involuntary manslaughter charges on Sunday, November 10. All three were released the same day.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Students and staff at Sierra House Elementary are starting their first full week back in their school Monday. All students in grades K-5 are getting settled in.

"It is so good to be back!" said Principal Karin Holmes. "The kids are doing great and the staff is so happy to be back in their classrooms. We are getting organized and enjoying being home. Our staff and students did not miss a beat in the transition back to Sierra House."

The school's annual Walkathon fundraiser is Friday, October 11.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In 2018 the Lake Tahoe Community College's Women's Soccer team made an impression on coaches around the country and they became the #2 ranked Division III team during the season. Their epic season took them to the state finals.

Fast forward to this year and the 2019 Lady Coyotes made it to the number one on the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 NJCAA poll for Division III this week. Fresno City College is currently in the second spot, a team they tied during a September 20 match-up, 1-1.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There continue to be harsh words aimed at Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) Superintendent Dr. James Tarwater over his handling of the fire, reconstruction and now repopulation of Sierra House Elementary.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Board of Trustees from the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) heard a presentation Tuesday about searching for the next superintendent.

LTUSD Superintendent Dr. James Tarwater submitted his resignation on June 21 after serving the South Lake Tahoe community since 2005. He gave the Board a one year notice, making his last day in June 2020.

The Juvenile Service Council (JSC) of El Dorado County is a 501c3 all-volunteer organization serving at-risk youth ages 14-18 who are involved in the Juvenile Justice system. Often these young people are some of our community’s most vulnerable and underserved. They are at a time in their lives when they need our “village” to be there for them without judgment, with kindness and compassion, and with the resources to be able to provide them the tools to be able to forge the future successfully.

As incoming high school students prepare for the upcoming fall semester, they should also set aside time to explore where they might want to attend college.

So says educator Leslie Hermann, founder of Edplanit.org, an Incline Village-based educational consulting agency which focuses its energies on guiding high school students through the college application and admissions processes.

To that end, this month Hermann and her colleagues are hosting a college fair and a college Bootcamp.

Location

ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. - Both Douglas County schools at Lake Tahoe are going to start off the new school year with a new principal, Shawn Lear.

During Tuesday's school board meeting, Lear's hiring appeared on their consent agenda. It was approved, making him the principal of both Zephyr Cove Elementary School and George Whittell High School in Zephyr Cove.

In a fjord-like setting at Lake Tahoe’s Emerald Bay State Park, the 38-room Vikingsholm castle is a rare masterpiece of Scandinavian architecture. Many have photographed this spectacular site from one of the many tour boats on Lake Tahoe, or after walking along a path down to the shore from the road above.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - "Never again," chanted the dozens of people that showed up to Trout Creek Thursday to show support of the Jewish community after anti-Semitic graffiti was found underneath the bridge on Lake Tahoe Boulevard.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It isn't every day that 7-year-old Rocco DeFranco begins his day with a ride to Freel Perk for a cup of hot chocolate with Principal Joe Dameral before heading to Lake Tahoe Environmental Science Magnet School (LTESM) to begin his day.

And that was just the beginning of a day that wasn't a normal one for the first grader.

During the school's recent Spring Fling Pasta Dinner fundraiser, Rocco bid on an interesting silent auction item to be Principal for a Day. He spent his savings of $180 on that special day and Rocco was able to collect his prize on May 3.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - During their mid-cycle review of South Tahoe High School (STHS) the visiting committee from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) provided the school with positive feedback on all they are accomplishing at the school.

"Students and families feel safe on the campus and have multiple opportunities for connectedness to the school," said the committee in their report. "The facility is kept clean and safe from accidents. An SRO (student resource officer), social worker and empathy training has made the campus a friendly place for students and staff."

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Teachers at South Tahoe High stayed after school Tuesday to learn what Homeland Security and the FBI want them to - how to correctly apply a tourniquet and help survivors should there be a mass casualty event.

Level III Trauma Center surgeon, Kimberly Evans, MD, FACS and Barton’s Trauma Program Manager, Cate Neal, RN joined South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue Captain Kim George in presenting "Stop the Bleed," a programs created by the Department of Homeland Security and American College of Surgeons to teach lay people how to care for trauma victims.