Education - Las Vegas Sun

Success!: Nov. 6, 2009; By Emily Richmond; Nearly eight years ago multimillionaire businessman and philanthropist Jim Rogers met with Don Snyder, then-president of Boyd Gaming, to explore the possibility of UNLV mounting its first-ever capital campaign. ¶ Consultants were hired to test the university’s readiness for a proposed $250 million drive, and the potential level of community support. ¶ The consultants’ report was far from encouraging: UNLV lacked the heft and infrastructure to attempt such a massive, multiyear undertaking, and community support was lacking. ¶ Rogers — who served five years as the higher education system’s chancellor before retiring in June — not only decided to forge ahead, but he raised the campaign’s ...

Success: UNLV hits mark of $500 million in cash and pledges: Nov. 5, 2009; By Emily Richmond; Nearly eight years ago multimillionaire businessman and philanthropist Jim Rogers met with Don Snyder, then-president of Boyd Gaming, to explore the possibility of UNLV mounting its first-ever capital campaign. A consultants’ report was far from encouraging: UNLV lacked the heft and infrastructure to attempt such a massive, multiyear undertaking, and community support was lacking. Rogers not only decided to forge ahead, but he raised the campaign’s target to from $250 million to $500 million. People scoffed. On Thursday, UNLV President Neal Smatresk told a UNLV Foundation dinner audience of 600 supporters that the goal of $500 million in cash and pledges had ...

Utilities employees make sure students have a ball: Nov. 5, 2009; By Tiffany Gibson; Some schools have had to cut back on activities and programs because of budget constraints, but the North Las Vegas Utilities Department refused to let money woes cripple Cahlan-Edison Elementary School’s physical education classes. The Utilities Department is donating new sports equipment and two large bins to Cahlan-Edison, an Edison Learning Institute school in North Las Vegas.

Program gives incentive to consider college — in eighth grade: Nov. 5, 2009; By Emily Richmond; The eighth grader was curious Wednesday why he had been chosen to attend an off-campus event to motivate him to aim for college, given that middle school was proving to be a challenge.

Permit issue puts clinic on hold: Nov. 4, 2009; By Emily Richmond; Much of the anger voiced at a Spring Valley neighborhood meeting Monday about a proposed student health clinic at Elaine Wynn Elementary School was directed at the Clark County School District for not having previously discussed the plan publicly.

UNLV announces $12.6 million scholarship program: Nov. 3, 2009; By Emily Richmond; UNLV President Neal Smatresk this morning announced the largest active endowed student scholarship program in the history of Nevada higher education -- $12.6 million from the Engelstad Family Foundation.

Neighbors speak out against school clinic: Nov. 3, 2009; By Emily Richmond; The burden of identifying students with health issues has increasingly fallen to local public schools, some of which share their campuses with independently operated health clinics. Over the years the health clinics at six Clark County campuses have done more than just connect needy students with basic care. Staff have spotted potentially life-threatening illnesses and diseases that might otherwise have gone undiagnosed.

School District sues teen over Palo Verde High fire: Nov. 3, 2009; By Steve Green; The Clark County School District is suing to recover damages from a 2008 fire that was set in the boys' locker room at Palo Verde High School in Summerlin. The district on Monday sued a youth who was arrested in the blaze as well as his parents in hopes of recovering damages it said totaled $71,318.20.

Math teacher posted numbers for championship football team: Oct. 31, 2009; By Emily Richmond; Sports fans might have recognized the name of a teacher featured in a Las Vegas Sun story about single-sex classes at West Prep’s middle school.

In single-sex experiment, school failed to measure: Oct. 29, 2009; By Emily Richmond; For six years a Las Vegas junior high school separated its seventh graders by gender for reading classes, in a bid to boost student achievement.

For shot at a jackpot, state must ante up, alter law: Oct. 25, 2009; By Emily Richmond; Nevada has the chance to qualify for as much as $200 million in federal education grants. But to do so, the Legislature will have to change state law in a hurry. That would require a special legislative session that carries at least a $100,000 price tag. Is the gamble worth it? Gov. Jim Gibbons says no, unless there is another reason to call legislators to Carson City for a special session.

Idea behind charter is already in action: Oct. 24, 2009; By Emily Richmond; John Jasonek, executive director of the Clark County Education Association, has asked the State Board of Education to sponsor his proposed charter school, where high school students could simultaneously earn high school and college credit for classes toward teaching degrees.

Schools have valued partner in Elaine Wynn’s group: Oct. 22, 2009; By Emily Richmond; More than a decade ago Elaine Wynn approached the Clark County School Board with an offer — to help establish a local affiliate of a national organization that helps find community partners for needy campuses. The group even offered to set up a student health clinic.

Some parents upset over proposed school zone changes: Oct. 21, 2009; By Jean Reid Norman; Parents in a couple of Henderson neighborhoods are bracing for a fight over proposals to rezone their children to different schools next fall. The Clark County School District’s Attendance Zone Advisory Committee took a first look Tuesday at proposals to adjust attendance zones for the next school year.

Proposed: A high school just for future teachers: Oct. 20, 2009; By Emily Richmond; John Jasonek wants to start grooming the next generation of educators at an earlier age — by nurturing them at a charter high school designed to foster teaching.

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