In Youth Forum participants, Smatresk sees future UNLV grads

By Emily Richmond

Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009 | 2 a.m.

At the 53rd annual Sun Youth Forum, where he was making his debut as a moderator, UNLV President Neal Smatresk tapped furiously on his iPhone.

“I’m telling our recruiters to get over here,” Smatresk said. “These kids are incredible.”

The Sun Youth Forum brought nearly 1,000 students from 50 area high schools together for the opportunity to meet with community leaders and share their views on public policy and current events.

Smatresk marshaled his forces quickly. By lunchtime at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the crowd was peppered with cheerful UNLV students, decked out in red UNLV sport shirts, handing out hundreds of pairs of black and red UNLV sunglasses.

Also at the luncheon, Las Vegas Sun Editor Brian Greenspun awarded $1,000 scholarships to students whose names were randomly drawn. When Jill Golding of Silverado High School told Greenspun she planned to attend UNLV, Smatresk hurried to the front of the ballroom to meet her.

Golding said later she was overwhelmed both by the scholarship and the personal welcome from Smatresk, who gave her a list of contacts and asked that she keep in touch about her study plans.

The UNLV president also took the opportunity to add another scholarship to the list — $1,000 per year for four years of study. The lucky recipient was Rancho High School junior Karen Gabitanan, who said she had been considering UNLV and the University of Nevada, Reno.

And now, with a $4,000 scholarship in hand?

“Definitely UNLV,” Gabitanan said.

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The Southern Nevada Health District, with the Clark County School District as a partner, is seeking a federal grant that would be aimed in part at reducing youth tobacco use, which is on the rise.

Although the health district is still finalizing its proposed budget, up to $20 million is available as part of the federal stimulus package.

Ironically, being able to show tobacco use is on the rise in Southern Nevada might help boost the grant application’s chances of success by demonstrating the need for funding to help combat a growing health crisis.

A report from UNLV’s School of Dental Medicine, which conducted oral screenings on students from eight Nevada counties, showed 23 percent of students were using tobacco-based products, up from 16 percent identified in the prior year’s report. Until this year tobacco use among Nevada teens had been steadily declining, down from 22 percent in 2005.

This year, the dental school’s “Crackdown on Cancer” screenings found 283 tissue abnormalities in students statewide, including 173 in the Reno area and 91 in rural communities. There were also 19 tissue abnormalities found in Las Vegas area students.

Health officials say they expect to see more tissue abnormalities in rural areas with a greater prevalence of use of smokeless tobacco products. The percentage of Reno and rural Nevada students using cigarettes was also significantly higher — 30 percent, compared with 10 percent in the metro Las Vegas area.

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The Education Hall of Fame has six new members.

Created in 1987 by the Clark County School Board, the hall recognizes individuals and organizations that “exemplify the highest level of commitment to our mission of teaching and learning,” Superintendent Walt Rulffes said.

This year’s inductees: the School-Community Partnership Program Advisory Council, which helps the district connect with businesses and organizations interested in supporting services and programs at individual campuses; Clark County Reads, the Public Education Foundation’s literacy program; Janet Dobry, principal of Robert Taylor Elementary; Beverly Mathis, principal of Kermit Booker Elementary; Punam Mathur, vice president of human resources for NV Energy; and Diane Reitz, director of K-12 literacy for the district’s curriculum and professional development department.