School District claims awards, positions from conference

The Carson City School District was a highlight at the Nevada Association of School Boards’ annual conference on Saturday in Las Vegas. Once a year, NASB recognizes the achievements and contributions of school boards, trustees, teachers, administrators, educational advocates and others from across Nevada.

Additionally, the association elected new officers for 2018-19. The Carson City School District hauled in nearly five out of 19 awards among the 17 districts statewide. Additionally, two Carson City School Board trustees were recognized for their service and achievements in their roles as NASB elected officers.

Trustee Laurel Crossman was honored as the state’s Director of the Year; Sarah Lobsinger, Carson High School implementation specialist, and Jennifer Chandler, CHS American government teacher, were recognized as Nevada’s Innovative Educators of the Year for their effort in coordinating the dual-credit introductory education course EDU 110; Phil Brady, CHS English and journalism teacher, was honored with the state’s Media Award for Outstanding Education Reporting in a Print Journalism Format for his weekly feature article called “Senator Square;” and Michelle Lewis, recently retired CHS school administrator, was recognized as Nevada’s School Administrator of the Year.

The association also recognized the 2017-18 NASB president and Carson City School District Board trustee Stacie Wilke-McCulloch for her dedicated service to NASB during the past year and for her vision in moving the association toward greater achievement of its strategic goals.

Additionally, the association recognized 31 departing school trustees from across Nevada with combined service totaling 252 years. Each departing trustee received certificates of recognition from Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Dean Heller together with a certificate from NASB. Trustees Ron Swirczek and Ryan Green were recognized by the Carson City School Board.

Nine individuals were recognized for completion of the Certified Public Official program, including Laurel Crossman with the Carson City School District. The CPO Program is an in-depth series that provides diverse resources for educational and professional development responsive to the changing needs of elected and appointed officials in public office. In addition to completion of required modules in areas ranging from budgets and ethics to employment law, 52 additional units are required in leadership and governance, community development and other subjects designed to enhance effective governance.

To close out the evening, the Association elected four new officers for 2018-19: President Bob Burnham, Eureka County School District; President-elect Bridget Peterson, Lyon County School District; Vice President Laurel Crossman, Carson City School District; and legislative chair Kathryn Whitaker, Churchill County School District.

Also of note was the recognition for the Governance Team of the Year awarded to the Lyon County School District Board of Trustees and Superintendent Wayne Workman. The award recognizes the role of local boards working hand in hand with superintendents and collaborating with district leaders to improve student achievement across all levels. The winning governance team was nominated by the Carson City School District Board of Trustees. The Director of the Year Award recognizes the consistent, effective communication skills demonstrated during meetings of the NASB Board of Directors as well as promotion of leadership skills and strategies for recognizing and rewarding student, administrator, educational staff, school and district achievement. Crossman was nominated by the Carson City and Lyon County School District boards of trustees.

The Innovative Educators of the Year Award recognizes the invaluable service provided to Nevada’s children by those individuals who demonstrate their leadership by promoting and implementing innovative programs designed to improve student achievement. Lobsinger and Chandler were nominated by the Carson City School District Board of Trustees.

Brady has been a teacher at Carson High School since 2001. His skills in teaching English and Journalism provided the skill set for the local newspaper, the Nevada Appeal, to recruit him to write a weekly feature article called “Senator Square,” named after the common area at Carson High School. While CHS and district news are always found in “Senator Square,” the weekly feature focuses on current students, staff and happenings at CHS.

The School Administrator of the Year Award category recognizes the invaluable service provided to Nevada’s children by professional school administrators. Determinations are based on multiple factors including length of service, school improvement and student achievement, unique contributions, effective professional development strategies for educational staff, innovative and successful practices which have resulted in increased student achievement in the school, district or state. Lewis’ career demonstrates her passion for Career and Technical Education. She developed and coordinated the Western Nevada College Tech Prep Program from which most of the current Career and Technical programs in Northern Nevada have been formed. As the instructional leader over Carson High School’s CTE department, she analyzed state and industry trends to help identify schoolwide goals that support state and local economic growth.