View education notebook, Jan. 14-20

The public is invited to take part in discussions about changes in school attendance zones and scenarios at two meetings hosted by the Clark County School District’s Attendance Zone Advisory Commission.

The public input meetings are scheduled at 6 p.m. Jan. 14 at Arbor View High School, 7500 Whispering Sands Drive, and at 6 p.m. Jan. 15 at Palo Verde High School, 333 S. Pavilion Center Drive.

AZAC members and CCSD staff will take comments and suggestions which will be used to make final attendance boundary recommendations to the Board of School Trustees.

For more information, visit azac.ccsd.net or call 702-799-0239.

LAS VEGAS ICE CENTER TO HOST PARALYMPIC EVENT FOR STUDENTS

The U.S. Paralympic Sport Club of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Ice Center, 9295 W. Flamingo Road, plan to host the annual Winter Paralympics Experience from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 16. The event is open to all kindergarten through 12th-grade students with physical disabilities.

The Paralympic Sport Club is a cooperative program between the Clark County School District’s Adapted Physical Education Department and the city of Las Vegas’ Adaptive Recreation program.

CCSD PROVIDES SCHOOL CHOICE OPTIONS DURING OPEN ENROLLMENT

The Clark County School District is holding open enrollment to provide students and their parents with additional options regarding school selection.

The open enrollment interest form and other information is available at ccsd.net/schools/open-enrollment. Interest forms will be accepted online through Feb. 3.

The schools available for selection during the open enrollment process have been chosen because of the number of open seats and additional capacity at that school.

NEVADA STATE COLLEGE TO HOST OPEN HOUSE

College-bound students are invited to an open house scheduled from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Jan. 16 at Nevada State College, 1021 E. Paradise Hills Drive.

Open to new, returning and transfer students, the event is slated to have an overview of academic programs, a faculty meet-and-greet, a walkthrough of the admission process, financial aid workshops and campus tours.

For more information, call 702-992-2170 or visit nsc.edu/openhouse.

STATE OPENS COLLEGE SAVINGS ACCOUNTS FOR THOUSANDS OF KINDERGARTNERS

The Nevada State Treasurer’s office partnered with the Corporation for Enterprise Developement to get financial support for the Nevada College Kick Start Program, which has established $50 college savings accounts for many public school kindergarten students.

The CFED’s 1:1 Fund Program has launched a website that allows individuals and businesses to donate to these accounts, which represent students in Title I schools throughout Nevada. Kindergartners at the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy have been helped through a donation from Meadows Bank. The program is expected to expand to include 32,000 Nevada kindergarten students in February.

For more information or to donate, visit 1to1fund.org/match/partners/nevada.

UNLV OFFERS CONTINUING EDUCATION CLASSES

The UNLV Office of Continuing Education is offering courses this spring and summer for those interested in personal or professional development.

Professional certificate programs include paralegal, legal secretary, medical assistant, design, public relations, nonprofit management, human resources, fashion design, grant writing, personal training and more.

Continuing Education also offers courses in language, cooking, music and recreation.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNLV offers student-led classes to more than 1,300 retired and semi-retired adults.

For full course listings or to register, visit continuingeducation.unlv.edu. For a copy of the course catalog, call 702-895-3394.

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION OFFERS GARDENING CLASSES FOR KIDS 7 TO 12

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Junior Master Gardener program is accepting registration for its eight-session, bi-weekly gardening class scheduled to start in February.

The eight-session program is open to students 7 to 12. Classes are scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon two Saturdays each month. The class fee is $50.

Students will experience hands-on gardening activities while learning about plants, soil, vegetables and more. Classes are scheduled at the Clark County Center for Urban Food Production near Horse Road and Decatur Boulevard and at the Lifelong Learning Center’s Outdoor Education Center near the 215 Beltway and Windmill Lane.

For more information or to register, email Karyn Johnson at johnsonk@unce.unr.edu or call 702-257-5523.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES ELECT NEW OFFICERS FOR 2014

The Clark County School District Board of School Trustees this month elected its new officers for 2014.

Board members selected Erin E. Cranor to serve as president; Linda E. Young to serve as vice president; and Patrice Tew to serve as clerk.

Cranor represent District G and has been on the board since 2010. Young, representing District C since 2008, previously served as president, vice president and clerk. Tew represents District E and was elected to the board in 2012.

For more information or to contact the trustees, visit ccsd.net/trustees.

SCHOOL DISTRICT RELEASES 2014 GRADUATION SCHEDULE

The Clark County School District has released its 2014 high school graduation schedule, which can be found at tinyurl.com/ccsdgrad2014. Graduations are scheduled June 2-14, most of them at The Orleans or the Thomas & Mack Center.

MOJAVE MAX EMERGENCE CONTEST KICKS OFF

The annual Mojave Max Emergence Contest has kicked off, offering participants the chance to guess when Mojave Max, a live tortoise who lives at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, will leave his burrow in the spring. Participants are encouraged to try to guess as closely as possible the correct day, hour and minute when Max will emerge.

Anyone can enter the contest, but only one kindergarten- through 12th-grade student enrolled in a Clark County public, private or registered home school is eligible to win prizes. The grand prize winner’s class will receive T-shirts, a pizza party and a field trip to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The winner also receives a laptop computer, a digital camera and a yearlong pass to federally managed fee areas. The winner’s teacher will receive a laptop computer.

To enter, visit mojavemax.com and click on “Contest.” Since the contest launched in 2000, the earliest Max has emerged was 11:55 a.m. Feb. 14, 2005. The latest was 12:41 p.m. April 17, 2012.