Education notebook

REUNION PLANNED FOR CLARK AND WESTERN CLASSES OF 1967

The 45-year reunions of Western and Clark high schools' classes of 1967 are planned for Oct. 5-6.

For more information, call Barbara McCoy, the reunion committee chair, at 336-7549 or email westernclark45 reunion@gmail.com.

COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA GRADUATES RECORD CLASS

The College of Southern Nevada graduated its largest class ever, 2,321 students, and handed out a record 2,530 degrees and certificates, according to CSN's preliminary estimates, at the 40th annual commencement ceremony May 21 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

STUDENTS' ESSAYS WIN LAPTOP, BACKPACKS

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, Coca-Cola and the Clark County School District awarded new laptops and backpacks to 40 high school seniors. The students won the prizes by participating in an essay contest on how to reduce their carbon footprint by using transportation commission services. The contest was open to all school district seniors, and 175 students from 17 schools participated.

MORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS TO RECEIVE EDIBLE GARDENS

Local nonprofit organization Create A Change Now received a donation of more than $14,000 from Whole Foods Market to help create edible gardens in the fall at at-risk elementary schools in the Clark County School District. Create A Chance Now received 5 percent of the net sales April 10 from four Whole Foods locations.

The organization helps schools create gardens and teaches students how to maintain them. For more information, visit createachangenow.org.

NEVADA STATE COLLEGE's TRIO UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM RECEIVES GRANTS

TRIO Upward Bound, a national program to assist high school students in preparing for college, was awarded two grants from the U.S. Department of Education to sustain the program through 2017 at Nevada State College, 1125 Nevada State Drive. The program was established at NSC in 2007 in partnership with the Clark County School District.

Every year the program helps 100 students from low-income and first-generation college families. Students receive help with test preparation, financial aid counseling and college tours for free. High schools served include Basic, Eldorado and Sunrise Mountain. Chaparral High School is scheduled to be included starting in the fall.

More than 20 high school seniors completed the program in April and plan to attend college.

FOOTHILLL HIGH SCHOOL TO HOST BASKETBALL CAMP

Foothill High School, 800 College Drive, has a summer basketball camp for boys and girls scheduled for June 11-13. The camp is open to students entering the third through ninth grades.

Participants will receive personal evaluations, camp T-shirts and skill instruction. For a registration form, visit betruetotheblue.com, email coach John Ringler at jdr572@interact.ccsd.net or call 301-0394.

WENGERT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EARNS FIVE STARS AND $5,000

Wengert Elementary School, 2001 Winterwood Blvd., received $5,000 from Silver State Schools Credit Union May 17. Wengert was one of 36 schools to receive the Clark County School District's highest ranking - five stars - for the 2011-12 school year. Wengert was chosen randomly in a drawing with the other five-star schools.

All 36 high-performing schools will receive greater autonomy and control concerning their budgets, staff, schedules and instruction. Visit ccsd.net for more information and a list of the other schools.

SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE TO MEET WITH DISTRICT D PARENTS

Clark County School District Trustee Lorraine Alderman plans to host an open forum from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Neighborhood Recreation Center, 1638 N. Bruce St.

Alderman, who represents District D, will be available to meet with parents without an appointment and share comments, suggestions or concerns. Spanish translators will be available.

CANYON SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS VISIT MIRACLE MILE SHOPS

Students at Canyon Springs High School, 350 E. Alexander Road, and Rancho High School, 1900 Searles Ave., job shadowed a group of managers and executives at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood May 17. The job shadowing was part of Communities in Schools of Nevada's Fellows Academy, an elective credit course available to freshmen at Canyon Springs and sophomores at Rancho. CISN worked with students throughout the semester to encourage college and career exploration.

RANCHO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS VISIT MIRACLE MILE SHOPS

Students at Rancho High School, 1900 Searles Ave., and Canyon Springs High School, 350 E. Alexander Road, job shadowed a group of managers and executives at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood May 17. The job shadowing was part of Communities in Schools of Nevada's Fellows Academy, an elective credit course available to freshmen at Canyon Springs and sophomores at Rancho. CISN worked with students throughout the semester to encourage college and career exploration.

MIRACLE MILE SHOPS DONATING CHANGE TO HELP STUDENTS

The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, 3667 Las Vegas Blvd. South, will donate all change tossed into the fountain near the southwest corner of the shopping center by Guess, bebe and Fat Tuesday in May to help support teachers and students in the Clark County School District. The money will be donated to Communities in Schools of Nevada, a dropout-prevention organization that supports more than 22,000 at-risk students in 37 schools.

Miracle Mile Shops also will offer discounts for school district teachers through May at restaurants and shows. For a list of offers, visit miraclemileshopslv.com/teacher_appreciation.

For more information about CISN, visit cisnevada.org.

COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA HELPS HOMELESS TEENS AFFORD COLLEGE

The College of Southern Nevada is raising money to help homeless teens attend college. CSN raised more than $1,000 at a barbecue fundraiser April 17 at its Charleston campus, 6375 W. Charleston Blvd. The event was part of the High 5 Drive, a monthlong effort by CSN and Silver State Schools Credit Union to raise funds for the CSN Youthful Enterprise Scholarship.

Donations can be made at the CSN Foundation's website, csn.edu/foundation. Click on the blue "give now" button and, under "apply donation to," select the Youthful Enterprise Scholarship. Donations can also be made at all SSSCU locations.

For more information, visit csn.edu/high5drive.

UNLV TO HOST WORKSHOPS TO HELP SMALL-BUSINESS OWNERS

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas has workshops scheduled to help teach small-business owners what resources are available at UNLV libraries and how to use them effectively.

The Business by the Book workshop series is a four-part program that started April 11. The first workshop was Demystifying Your Customer: Market Research Made Easy. Future workshops are Getting to Know Your Customer, scheduled for June 13; Marketing Resources Revealed, scheduled for Aug. 15; and Social Media Socialized, scheduled for Oct. 10.

The workshops are taught by business librarian Patrick Griffis. For more information, call Griffis at 895-2231. To register for a workshop, email mlane@weareimagine.com.