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Thursday, July 24, 2025 at 4:08 PM

CCHS Chemistry Student Selected for Prestigious Program

CCHS Chemistry Student Selected for Prestigious Program
Steve Johnson and Nelly Ruiz Ramirez in his classroom.

Mr. Steve Johnson, Chemistry teacher at Churchill County High School posted on social media Wednesday, about the, “amazing, pretty, smart, really cool girl, Nelly Ruiz Ramirez,” a student of his.

Nelly is currently taking chemistry 122 with Mr. Johnson. He says she has taken all the chemistry she can squeeze in while at CCHS, and “wrecked” every single class. (In kid language that is a good thing.) Nelly just found out on Wednesday that she has been accepted into the CBESS program at UNR this summer.

The program, Community of Bilingual English-Spanish Speakers Exploring Issues in Science and Health (CBESS) encourages bilingual students to enter the health-care workforce in Nevada. The University of Nevada, Reno hosts a three-week program in July for students from multiple Northern Nevada school districts. It is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). CBESS received the NIH’s Science Education Partnership Award in 2017, with the purpose of increasing linguistic diversity in STEM and health-care fields. The program has funding through 2022, with UNR associate professor Dr. Ruben Dagda and Dr. Jacque Ewing-Taylor co-leading the project.

“Nelly's goal is to become a medical doctor with a specialty in neonatology,” said Johnson, “and I have no doubt she will be successful.” He says it is fun to watch these smart, talented kids learn how smart and talented they are.

 


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Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I knew Sam as a member of our church growing up. He always had a warm smile, a kind word, and a great sense of humor! He will be great missed!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:57 AMComment source: Obituary -- Samuel Bruce WickizerComment author: Mike HinzComment text: Great teacher, great coach, but even a better person!!! Rest in peace Mr. BeachComment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:53 AMComment source: Obituary -- Jack Victor Beach, Jr.Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I had Mrs Hedges for First Grade at Northside Elementary in 1969. I still, to this day, remember her as a wonderful teacher…one of my favorites!!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:29 AMComment source: Obituary - Nancy Marie Hedges C Comment author: Carl C. HagenComment text: What are MFNs and PBMs ?? ............................ From the editor: This is a very good question and we apologize for not catching that wasn't in there. We reached out to the writer/submitter and got this info back...hope it's helpful. PBM: Pharmacy Benefit Managers are pharmacies that are owned by insurance companies. (CVS is one.) They negotiate with drug makers to get reduced pricing for medications, but they historically have not passed along those savings to patients. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/pharmacy-benefit-managers-staff-report.pdf MFN: Most Favored Nation pricing is a policy that means a country agrees to offer the same trade concessions (like tariffs or price reductions) to all member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). When applied to pharmaceuticals, it could disrupt global access, deter innovation, and obscure the deeper systemic issues in American health care. https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2025/05/22/the-global-risks-of-americas-most-favored-nation-drug-pricing-policy/Comment publication date: 6/23/25, 7:47 AMComment source: L E T T E R TO THE EDITOR
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