CCSD Cool School News

CCHS 
Students in Kirsten Ritchie’s Special Topics II class kicked off the second semester with a refresher on taxidermy processes, beginning the hands-on portion by working on fleshing techniques on cowhide last week. Offered as part of the curriculum for the past two years, taxidermy provides students with a unique perspective on biology, allowing them to work with real specimens to better understand animal physiology and the process of animal preservation. It also reinforces key biology concepts such as muscle structure, skin composition, and species identification while also teaching students patience, precision, and attention to detail.

Students in Kirsten Ritchie's Special Topics II class practicing fleshing techniques on cowhide.
 

CCMS
On Wednesday, January 14, the CCMS Academic Olympic team had one final opportunity to show off their academic talents. Eighth graders Brilee Larkin, Benny McClelland, and Rhett Beach; seventh graders Aubrey Motl, Luke Hendrix, Tim Sydney, and Kayedon Bowman; and sixth graders Adalyn Ash and Emmalyn Sprunk competed in one final Academic Olympic competition in Virginia City. Students began preparing for their season last November and took fourth place overall.

“We had an exciting time trying to come in third but ended up fourth out of nine teams this season,” said advisor Maureen Park.

Principal Victor Schoenfeldt is proud of these outstanding students and thrilled with their performance.

“I want to thank our dedicated students and the staff members who supported them throughout the season and in the preparation leading up to the competition. We are so proud of these Gerka Greats. Keep up the amazing work,” Schoenfeldt said.

Academic Olympic team advisor Maureen Park and a few students who competed.

Numa 
February is National Random Acts of Kindness Month, and students in Lisa Solinski's class are celebrating by performing small acts of kindness. Throughout the month, they will pull random hearts with kindness ideas and then put those ideas into action in the classroom, at school, and at home. “Their focus is to show that even the smallest gestures and random acts of kindness can make a big difference and to spread that through the school and community,” Solinski said. 

Athena Enriquez, Finn Few, and Jordan Tapia by their class kindness calendar.

E.C. Best  
Last week, in language arts, Kari Lister’s class started a new unit on the books Akiak and Balto. To introduce students to the stories, Lister had her class watch a video clip about the Iditarod and sled dogs in order to give the students a clear understanding of why they were reading the two stories. Students learned new vocabulary, read the story Akiak, and then analyzed and described the character traits of the sled dog, Akiak. They then got to have a little fun and design their own “dream” sled dog and decide what he/she looked like and what character traits they would have. “The students were very creative with this and it was fun to see what traits they came up with like hard-working, preserving, and courage,” Lister said. Students then raced their sled dogs down a ramp that was specially crafted by AJ Lister. In the next few weeks, students will read Balto and compare and contrast it to Akiak. They will end the unit by doing a dog sled stem challenge where students will work in cooperative groups to create and construct a dog sled of their own. 

Kallie Harner, Olivia Mclain, and Finley Word get ready to race their sled dogs.

Lahontan 

This year, a key focus and district-wide goal has been integrating Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into classrooms. One way kindergarten teacher Rachel Gonzalez has done this is by conducting a “check-in” every morning.

Students come into the classroom and “check in” by dragging their name to a colored monster that corresponds with a school-wide Zone of Regulation (green, yellow, and red).

“This really helps me touch base with every one of my students, even if they are in the green zone, to see how I can help them work through situations or feelings they are experiencing,” Gonzalez said.

She explained that her goal is to foster self-awareness and teach her students how to recognize their feelings from a young age.

“I want them to use strategies to work through their emotions so they can navigate any ‘zone’ they are in. By doing it in class every morning, I hope it will naturally become a daily practice for each of them as they grow.”

By embedding SEL into everyday routines, Gonzalez is helping her students build essential skills that will support their well-being beyond kindergarten.

Student Cooper Hoard moves his name to the Green Zone Monster.