‘You will see me in schools:’ New CCSD leader spends first day visiting schools

Clark County School District Superintendent Jhone Ebert kicked off her first day on the job with visits to two schools on Monday.

She started her afternoon with a trip to Wasden Elementary School, where she visited several classrooms, including the only elementary school classroom for visually impaired students in the school district.

“We are about our children,” Ebert said. “I need to be in schools. I need to make sure that they understand that I work for the principals. That’s my job. I work for the children of our school district and to be out in schools, all my entire career, it’s what I do. It’s who I am. You will see me in schools.”

Ebert was joined by CCSD Trustees Tameka Henry and Adam Johnson, who represent Wasden. Trustee Lydia Dominguez, who was on a ride-along with the CCSD Police Department, also attended.

Ebert said she chose to visit Wasden because she wanted to be in an elementary school in the heart of the city.

“We could not be more overjoyed and honored that Superintendent Ebert chose to visit Wasden today,” Principal Casandra Woodall said. “We are a school that’s deeply rooted in the community in Las Vegas.”

The rest of the school shared that excitement. Ebert was greeted by third graders who welcomed her in unison, second graders who were sharing the mental images that the poem “Big Brown Moose” conjured, and the students in the visually impaired classroom who asked Ebert to subscribe to their YouTube channels.

“I can remain in classrooms all day,” Ebert said.

Ebert then traveled to Advanced Technologies Academy, where she spoke at a dedication ceremony for a lecture hall named after founding principal Michael Kinnaird.

“Every time I’ve seen her, she’s always made the time to speak to students. When she arrived, she was talking to students regarding future goals,” Principal Anthony Marentic said.

Ebert was also on the naming committee for the lecture hall, Marentic said.

“I feel like my first day has just elevated me, waking up to be able to celebrate you and thank you for showing me how to lead throughout my career,” Ebert said to Kinnaird during the ceremony.

Also in attendance was Brian Cram, who served as CCSD superintendent from 1989 to 2000.

“You have a much better replacement here today,” Cram said, pointing to Ebert. “She’s going to do remarkable things in this district. As I told her, there’s nothing that I felt better about that when she was selected. I’ve known her for a while, I have great confidence in her and I think the district is in very good hands.”

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social.