Good morning, and welcome to the Indy Education newsletter. I’m Rocio Hernandez, The Nevada Independent’s K-12 education reporter. 

This newsletter provides a recap of the latest education stories and highlights interesting educators, students, programs and other events and resources throughout the state. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter and receive it each week via email.

I want to hear from you! Send questions, comments or suggestions on what I should be covering to [email protected]. 

News briefs

🔥New fire science program debuts at Tahoe-area high school — The Douglas County School District is kicking off the school year by launching a new fire science program at George Whittell High School in Zephyr Cove. The courses — which will be taught by instructors from the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District — will teach students about fire prevention and suppression, wildland fire behavior and emergency medical care. After an introductory course, students will be trained on the latest industry-standard equipment. 

The Washoe County School District’s Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology in Reno offers a similar program in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management, the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District and UNR Extension’s Living with Fire program. 

School spotlight

Reno charter school’s Burning Man submission an homage to students’ curiosity

As other students were heading back to school last month, students at The Honors Academy of Literature, a K-8 charter school in downtown Reno, spent their final weeks of summer break putting the finishing touches on their submissions to this year’s Burning Man. 

Burning Man, an annual counterculture festival which combines wilderness camping with a weeklong celebration of art held this year from Aug. 25 to Sept. 2, is something that the school — which emphasizes art education in its curriculum — has wanted to do for a while, said Level 4 teacher Nikki Wellman, who worked on the art project with the students.

The students were connected to the annual event by school Principal and Executive Director Andi Morency, who volunteers as the assistant manager for the Black Rock City Census. The group works with academics and the Burning Man organization to collect data and produce a report about the attendees. 

Last year, the school received a grant from the Black Rock City Honoraria Program to create an art piece to match this year’s theme "Curiouser & Curiouser," inspired by whimsical and mysterious elements of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter character.

“Students are naturally curious, and so we thought that this theme was the perfect opportunity to get involved,” Wellman said. 

The students’ piece, titled “A Capsule of Curiosity,” features a colorful inflatable structure surrounded by blocks made of resin that contain everyday items that sparks students’ imaginations: dice, rubber bands, string and toys. 

“Pretty much anything that you can imagine a child putting in their pocket is what you will find in there,” Wellman said. “They may not make any sense to us, but the items were enough to spark creativity into that child.”

On Thursday, Wellman and a group of students traveled to the Black Rock Desert to see the final art installation for themselves. 

"Seeing the piece lit up on the playa was like watching a conversation between our students and the world— it was their feelings, their inspiration and their hearts,” Wellman said. “They put themselves out there and invited others to join in. I couldn’t be more proud.” 

Have a student or staffer who we should feature in the next edition of School Spotlight? Share your nominations with me at [email protected].

Reading Assignments

Outside consultant costs soared in Clark County schools this year. Why?

The district paid consultants more than $60 million from January through June 2024, marking the largest payment across a six-month period since at least 2012. 

Extra Credit

From The Christian Science Monitor: Smartphones are robbing kids of their childhood. These communities are fighting back.

Cellphone issues have been a hot button topic in Nevada as CCSD and other schools are implementing policies to minimize classroom distractions. 

Featured social media post

Hoping K-9 Officer Astro, who we profiled last August, got lots of treats to celebrate National Dog Day.