School Board Trustees look to connect with students through summer programs

With school out for the summer, Clark County School District trustees are spending a little quality time with students outside the classroom.

School Board Trustee Linda Young gave an inspiring speech to students at the Self Esteem and Etiquette Workshop, organized by Brand New Horizon on July 17 at Nehemiah Ministries, 3606 N. Rancho Drive, Suite 144.

"Do these four things and you will be successful," she told a group of 30 middle and high school girls.

Show up. Pay attention. Ask questions. Those were the first three steps. The fourth came in three parts.

"Part one is don't quit," Young said. "Part two is don't quit, and part three is don't quit."

Trustee Lorraine Alderman joined Young at the weeklong workshop. Their visit was the first event of the school district's new initiative, Trustees Teach: Education Through Exploration. It is a series of student events that trustees will participate in before school starts Aug. 27.

"Typically we do stuff with our schools (in our districts)," Alderman said. "Since we don't have year-round schools (anymore) ... we wanted to see if we could share what's happening in the summer months. We thought of some ideas to keep learning going during the summer."

Alderman told the girls at the workshop about her modest beginnings and how she worked at McDonald's for five years while attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The first scheduled event for Trustees Deanna Wright and Chris Garvey was a July 26 field trip to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay with about 80 students from the Mirabelli Community Center, 6200 Hargrove Ave.

Wright and her husband are regular Sea World season pass holders, and she picked an event she was passionate about. She said she chose this event so she could share her passion for ocean life with students.

"We're so focused during the school year on instructional time that a lot of our students miss out on those hands-on opportunities outside the classroom," Wright said. "I remember in school those were really exceptional learning experiences. It draws in all the senses. You're seeing it, touching it, smelling it. We wish we could do more of that."

Wright also plans to make her first visit to the Mob Museum with students Aug. 8. She said she does not share the same passion for the mob that she does for the ocean but enjoys learning about history.

For more information about the Trustees Teach program or to contact a trustee about a student event, call 799-1072.

Contact View education reporter Jeff Mosier at jmosier@viewnews.com or 224-5524.