Students sell, borrow, invest, learn

By Emily Richmond

Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Lamping Elementary School students are learning the finer points of starting a business, from applying for a loan to marketing their product.

In this case, the product is 1,000 pansy plants growing under the students’ watchful eyes in the Henderson campus’s new greenhouse.

The fourth graders grow and sell the plants. At the end the school year, the proceeds are banked. When the students return as fifth graders they learn how to invest their profits. Last year’s fourth graders, the first class to take part in the project, had about $600 left after paying off their startup loan from the school, said Lamping Principal Michael O’Dowd.

There was an unexpected “teachable moment” from the real world of business and finance. Last year, Speedee Mart, the project’s corporate sponsor, invited employees of Silver State Bank to talk about the intricacies of getting a loan and managing savings and checking accounts. Because the bank failed in September, O’Dowd is not sure who will be helping with the finance lessons this time around.

Lamping’s greenhouse will be officially dedicated Saturday following a fundraiser “fun run” and pancake breakfast. For more information, go to lampingelementary.com.

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Black beans and rice, chicken chow mein and apple crumble will be on the menu Thursday as the Clark County School District’s central kitchen unveils its newest recipes developed with help from celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck.

The district’s central kitchen has been working with Dustin Lewandowski, a chef in Puck’s restaurant group, to develop school menu items. Students from four elementary schools will be at the central kitchen to rate the results.

Food services spokeswoman Sue Hoggan said the district relies on its student taste-testers.

“There’s no reason to spend a lot of time and money developing a pasta salad if the kids hate it,” Hoggan said.

The menu event coincides with National School Lunch Week.

Through the federal School Lunch Program, the district offers free and reduced-price meals. For a student to qualify for free lunch, a family of four’s income can’t exceed $27,560. Reduced-price meals are available to students from families earning less than $39,220.

Some families struggling financially may not be aware of the school meals program or that they can sign up at any time, Hoggan said.

About 40 percent of the district’s students have signed up for free or reduced-price meals, a figure that hasn’t changed much for several years. But this fall, the district has seen an increase in the percentage of students whose families are receiving public assistance or food stamps — 11 percent compared with 9 percent last year. Students from those families are automatically enrolled in the program.

“With the way the economy is going,” Hoggan said, “we’re expecting to see a lot more students in need.”

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The short list to fill a vacancy on the State Board of Education remains very short.

Gov. Jim Gibbons’ office has received only a handful of recommendations to replace Greg Nyberg Nance, who resigned in August citing health problems. Nance’s term runs through 2010.

Several of the people suggested so far have been ruled out because they don’t live in District 5.

Ben Kieckhefer, the governor’s spokesman, said Gibbons is still looking “for the right person,” and welcomes input from the public.

The State Board of Education sets policy for Nevada’s 17 school districts. Board members are paid $80 per meeting, with a typical month yielding $160.

Nance’s resignation came on the heels of bizarre behavior at a State Board of Education meeting, where he seemed more interested in kissing and giggling with his new wife than in the official proceedings. When urged to behave more decorously by Ed Irvin, the deputy attorney general assigned to the board, Nance responded, “Bite me.” Nance later sought unsuccessfully to rescind his resignation.