Class of 2020 Says Good Morning to Senior Year (Page 16)
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Messenger Takes Gold in Journalism Contest (Page 3) New Staff Members Join Moutain Lion Family (Page 7) Homecoming Dances ‘Under the Sea’ (Pages 11) Johnny Eats Food on New YouTube Channel (Page 14) Class of 2020 Says Good Morning to Senior Year (Page 16) Photo by ChrisLyn Mehrer Photo by ChrisLyn Principal John Anzalone wears Class of 2020 T-shirt while taking a photo of the seniors at Senior Sunrise on the football field Page 2 NEWS NEWS Page 3 Efforts to Balance School Budget Messenger Staff Brings Proactive Planning Costs SVHS One Dean Position Home the Gold From Prevents Overcrowding SNSJ Awards Ceremony Despite Projected Pupil By Jennifer Padilla will cover most of the responsibilities of a By Emma Watson Population of 2800+ and Vickie Luong dean. Both students and teachers will suffer and Vicky Luong Staff Reporters the loss of the deans. Students will lose their Staff Reporters By Mariah Bailey sense of security that the deans provide and Staff Reporter The Clark County School District is staff members will be unable to depend on The Sierra Vista High School jour- currently looking for a solution to make up the deans as a resource in classroom man- nalism staff earned a gold ranking for Over the years, the number of stu- a deficit of $33 million. agement. the 2018-2019 Messenger, and won 11 dents in Nevada has quite literally doubled, Superintendent Dr. Jesus F. Jara held Currently filling the position is Athletic individual awards, at the annual SNSJ especially for high schools. SVHS in par- a closed-door meeting in June 2019 with Director Cate Callisto. ceremony on Aug. 22 at Spring Valley ticular currently has 2,792 students. SVHS the school board, principals, and faculty “I think this is a great position to work High School. hasn’t had this many students enrolled members to discuss the outcome of elim- with students and our staff on relationship Advisor Pamela Poster believes the since the year before Desert Oasis High inating the deans’ position from schools. building and how to manage their behavior staff won the award because “they worked School opened, which was the 2007-08 Photo Courtesy of Pamela Poster Photo Courtesy of Kenneth Brown During this meeting, parents dis- or their own success,” Callisto stated. Assistant Principal Marbella Alfonzo randomly searches the backpack belonging to freshman really hard and they did their best work Messenger staff members senior Victorya Long, graduate Kaniala Franco, (front) sophomore school year. cussed their frustrations to the board. Dis- Callisto acknowledges that the posi- Shania Ramos near the bus doors as part of a new security system at SVHS. every day.” ChrisLyn Mehrer, advisor Pamela Poster and sophomore Isabella Carson display their awards Assistant Principal Chris Hendley cussion about the decisions made during tion and duties will not be identical to that Sophomore Isabella Carson won an from the SNSJ ceremony at Spring Valley High School on Aug. 22. has been working hard to keep the num- that meeting have been silenced. A result, of the deans, but she is excited to take on the CCSD Implements Random Backpack award for her editorial on crosswalk safe- ber of students in classrooms as small as the board has decided to postpone their responsibility and challenge herself to reach ty, sophomore Braxton Simicich earned about it.” “I had won it for the whole group possible. The school has used various grant votes on eliminating the dean’s positions. out to students in a new way. Checks to Increase Campus Security an award for his sports action photo, and Simicich, who took honorable mention because we had all worked on it to make it money to pay for teachers’ prep periods so SVHS Principal John Anzalone had “I’m definitely doing some of those By Cara Schiessel he just arrived at the school. When Collins senior Victorya Long took home an award for his sports photo, was happy. the best,” she responded. that SVHS could offer more sections. played a major role in this decision during duties but my duties expand beyond just do- Staff Reporter checked Ford’s bag, she found an item in for her assembly photos. “It’s pretty cool because not a lot of Graduates Elisha Martinez and Ka- Hendley said, “We currently have a meeting that was held prior to the start of ing typical dean work,” Callisto explained. his backpack. Carson explained why she thinks people would experience getting an award niala Franco won an award for their news approximately 55 prep buy-outs being the 2019-2020 school year. Though a large part of the dean’s re- This year Sierra Vista High School, “I had a pocket knife in my bag be- she received the serious opinion writing like this. It’s unique,” he stated. story about weapons on campus, Katherine utilized which is equivalent to 11 full-time “When you lose a dean, you’re los- sponsibilities are being covered by Callisto, random backpack checks. cause I was at Boy Scouts the day before,” award. Long also won an award for features Mohler won an award for her senior section teachers.” ing an administrator, however I was lucky she also has additional responsibilities like Principal John Anzolone explained Ford explained. “I put a lot of heart and soul into my writing. She felt very proud and felt as if it spread, and Arrah Glidewell won an award English teacher Pamela Poster sold enough to be included in a round table dis- counseling and helping students. that random backpack checks are run by the Ford immediately thought he was go- writing,” she said. “I was very passionate was an award for everyone. for her football photo. her prep period, and is glad that she did it. cussion … with the superintendent, to try Although the dean’s positions have school district. Many students may think that ing to get expelled, but only got suspended. “Now the English 9 classes that were to build a new position that is like a dean been eliminated from CCSD, the Superin- random backpack checks are an invasion of Ford believes that backpack checks crowded have five or six fewer students, but a little different,” explained Anzalone. tendent and the school board are discussing privacy, but Anzolone does not agree. are beneficial because they help keep are SVHS’ Star Rating Score Rises for 2018-2019 which means the students have a better “We’re really hoping that by this about a new position that they hope to in- The super intendent of CCSD made the school safe The results are in for the Nevada High School Rating Report improved scores. learning environment,” Poster said. “Be- time next year we’ll have a different po- troduce in fall of the 2020-2021 school year. choice of doing the random checks over the “It’s very helpful because students (also known as the SPF- Star Rating) for 2018-2019. For the fourth In an email sent to the staff of SVHS, Hendley wrote, “As cause of these extra classes, class size sition that looks like a dean, sounds like a This new position will be a combina- summer, so that when school started up the have things on campus that they shouldn’t consecutive year, Sierra Vista High School has continued has its always, there is room for improvement in some areas, but Vista had stayed, for the most part, at about 35 dean, but isn’t a dean; it’s kind of a hybrid tion of a dean and a counselor, discipline people who were ordered to do the checks, have,” Ford stated. steady improvement. is holding its own.” students per class.” position of a dean and counselor … that is will be enforced as well as counseling. The would start doing them. Freshman Shania Ramos described Overall, the school’s score rose by a full point, placing it The following is an overview of our Star Rating numbers: The increased number of classes more like a principal,” he added. hybrid position will expand and go more into “When you come to school it’s a pub- how the process went as she was getting squarely in the 3-star category. • Overall Score 59.5 means that every classroom is being used. With the dean’s position being cut, depth with helping the students. lic property/government property, so it’s a her bag checked. Scores also went up in five of six specific categories. In the o Solid 3-Star school Film studies teacher Paul Sauder it is necessary that a new position was As of now, Callisto and Spurk are reasonable thing to do,” Anzolone stated. Ramos was checked by Assistant sixth category, the score dropped by a mere half a point. o Up a point from last year moved to a portable because all of the created. This new position will become enforcing rules, keeping the school as safe When the school staff received orders Principal, Marbella Alfonzo. Assistant Principal Chris Hendley was very pleased with the • Graduation points- classrooms in the building were occupied. incorporated into the school system and as possible for the students. from the school district to do backpack She was worried that she was going o This year was 29 out of 30 points Sauder feels that being in a portable checks on the students they decided to do to get in trouble. o Last year was 26 out of 30 points does give his class some pros and cons. the random back pack checks near the 200s “Do I own anything that might be • ELPA points- Many of his students have trouble getting hallway at the bus entrance.