Dream Big and Climb Mountains – CCHS Back to School Night Inspiration

Once again, CCHS pulled off a phenomenal Back to School Night event. The 2024 event, held last Thursday evening at the Rafter 3C Events Complex, saw over 1,000 visitors, including students and their families, school staff, Churchill County School District officials, sponsors, recruiting employers, employment assistance organizations, and representatives from post-high school colleges and trade schools. 

With a bit of encouragement from the primary force behind the event, CCHS School-to-Careers Coordinator Dr. Sue Segura, Winnemucca graduate and National Finals Rodeo qualifying bronc rider Mitch Pollock shared motivating words with students. Pollock emphasized that there are no shortcuts—success takes hard work—but it's worth it. “Dream big and climb mountains,” Pollock said to resounding applause. Pictured right, Dr. Sue Segura with CCHS Principal Tim Spencer and Student Body President Humphrey Arata. 

Thanks to a generous donation from Fallon Ford, eleven students walked away with raffle prizes. Eleven $100 Visa gift cards were raffled off, and one lucky student won a brand-new MacBook computer just in time for school to start on Monday, August 12. Mama’s Meats hamburgers and hotdogs were a smash hit, grilled on-site, hot, wrapped, and ready to go—also a gift from event sponsors. For dessert, everyone enjoyed homemade ice cream made by Country Creamer, thanks to contributions from local dairies and Model Dairy, which provided the milk. 

Several booths were occupied by Fallon businesses, such as JK Llamas Landscaping, MD Tree Surgery, KD Auto, Fallon Ford, Oasis Online, the Village Nursery, and more. Many offered prizes, raffle items, and useful items like stickers, school supplies, and headphones just in time for the first day of school. 

Employment assistance organizations such as Employ Nevada, Nevada Works, and the Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) were also on hand. The Central Nevada Health District and Churchill County School District provided resources and answered questions for students and their families. 

Businesses and organizations like Rice Lake Weighing Systems, WCW Corporation, Banner Health, and Nevada Gold, which offer gold mining scholarships to students entering the mining trades, were present to discuss potential post-high school employment opportunities. Booths were also set up by local businesses that have participated in CCHS's School-to-Careers student intern program, allowing the public to meet these hard-working interns.

Several trade schools, universities, colleges, and training institutions such as WNC, UNR, UNLV, Great Basin College, and TMCC were on hand to meet one-on-one with students to explain the various programs available at their institutions. 

The event was a resounding success, offering valuable resources, opportunities, and inspiration to students and their families as they prepare for the upcoming school year.