My Own Experience in CCSD and Nevada Schools

(3) Once in middle school, the marathon began, but I've had trouble pacing myself. I became aware, at a very young age, of the fact I am at a disadvantage because I attend schools in Nevada. I realized how far behind we were compared to everyone else in the country. In 2018-2019, the U.S. Career Institute found that, the graduation rate in Clark County was 86%, making us one of the most under-preforming counties in the country. In the last five years, Nevada has barely managed to keep the graduation rate above 80%, with the more recent number being 81.3% with the Class of 2022. According to multiple online polls and college sites, only 54.5% of high school graduates in Nevada graduate from colleges and universities. Those numbers make anyone ambitious very uncomfortable and doubtful. The odds are stacked against us and that has taken a huge toll on a lot of students, including myself. 

(4) Now, I didn't know these statistics in middle school or in my freshman year, but I didn't need those numbers to know that I was in for a very brutal climb to get to where I wanted to be academically and professionally. 

(5) First, I noticed how very different each school is in the last three years of high school. I have attended three schools in the last three years. Two in CCSD and one that was a charter school not part of CCSD, but still in Las Vegas, Nevada. My freshman year of high school was an odd one due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I attended a charter school called Democracy Prep at the Agassi Campus (DPAC), recognized nationally for their rigorous academics. Distance learning was implemented and it wasn't difficult, per say, it was just very hard to focus and actually grasp the material. The resources provided were very versatile and easy to use. 

(6) By the beginning of my sophomore year, I had never heard any talk about concerns over their budget. They provided a lot of things public schools simply cannot afford like free books, the bathrooms were always very clean, the campus was very clean and new, and the bell schedule was from 7am-4pm. I left the school because of the bell schedule. It was absolutely draining and I had no social life, which made school unbearable. By the second month of my sophomore year, I was a student at Eldorado High School. I did everything in my power to go to Las Vegas High School (LVHS) because my mom did not want me at Eldorado. My two older sisters had graduated from LVHS, so she knew what the school was capable of. She had good reason to not want me to go to Eldorado. Only 8% of students at Eldorado HS are proficient in Mathematics, while 16% of them are proficient in English Language Arts. The school did not have a shining reputation, as it was a rated two stars, but it was my only option. Almost as soon as I got there, I realized how different the environment was compared to DPAC. The students didn't really care about the effect school had on their future endeavors. I tried to not let this rub off on me. I made friends very easily at Eldorado, but a lot of them did not really crave what I crave out of life and the education system. I felt like I had more room to mess around and be an adolescent at Eldorado. Not all, but most of the teachers there were just there for a paycheck. They did not care whether you passed or failed their class because according to them, they still got paid, and they said that to your face. 

(7) The words, "I still get paid whether you pass or fail", are very familiar. I'd heard those words for years, starting in the sixth grade. It does something to you when the adults you are taught to obey and respect don't care about your needs. Once you know what you really mean to your teachers, one never really bounces back from it.

 (8) There was no reform, even after what happened to the English teacher in April. After that happened, no one felt safe. Everyone was taken aback and the tension was felt everywhere, even in the hallways. There was talk of new security being installed and established, but almost all of those claims were never actually seen. A week after this, life continued as normal. This showed me how actually desensitized we had all become. Things like this had become a normalcy on Eldorado's campus. I felt like if I stayed at Eldorado, I wouldn't be able to achieve a lot. I'd be stagnant and that filled me with fear. I filled out a COSA form to attend Las Vegas High School. I didn't hear back from the district until a week before school was set to begin. I was ecstatic that I was permitted to go to LVHS because that meant I could leave Eldorado and the off-putting feeling I had ever since my first day there. I was worried, though, because this would be my third high school in the last three school years and I didn't know what to expect from another state-funded institution.

(9) My junior year began and I was a student at LVHS. I was excited because I knew people there and it seemed almost routine because this would be my third school and third time starting over. My intention was to stay there for the rest of my schooling and that plan still holds up today. The environment was completely different. My teachers were friendly and they genuinely seemed to have my best interest in mind. 

(10) This school year, I decided to try my hand at orchestra, again. I had given up playing the violin two years prior because I was rejected from Las Vegas Academy of the Fine Arts. This rejection was the biggest I had ever received and it changed the course of my life. I still loved music, but I no longer had the confidence I once had in my ability to perform it, so I quit. It wasn't my proudest moment, but it happened and, in a sense, I'm glad it did. I joined the school orchestra and met the director of orchestras, Mr. Jordan Bushéy. When I decided I wanted to try out for the Advanced Orchestra, I emailed him. He informed me I had to do it quickly because my window to change my classes was closing soon. He presented me with scales, some scales I had never before seen in my life. I told him that I didn't feel as ready as I thought and that I no longer wanted to audition. I had quit, again, and I became even more insecure, but he didn't let me quit. He tricked me into auditioning by saying he wanted me to play a part of a piece. He said, "Learn it, come back tomorrow and play it for me. No pressure. I just want to see where you are with the music.", so that's what I did. After I played the part he sat there, pondering, then he said, "I'd like to offer you a seat in the Advanced Orchestra. It's hard and rigorous, but I think you're capable of it." I was filled with absolute joy and, after playing tug of war with myself in my head, I took the offer and the rest is history. 

(11) Now, I only tell this anecdote because this was the first time a teacher had believed I was worth the effort in a long time, the first teacher to show me this kindness in high school. That meant a lot to me, especially because to my teachers in the last two schools I attended, I was just an afterthought and statistic. This reassured me that my decision to stay at LVHS was a good one, and that I would be okay there.

(12) Teachers make a huge difference in a student's life, the job is not a job everyone can perform. Most of my teachers have displayed this kindness to me at LVHS, but Mr. Bushéy was the first one to show it to me and for that, I will forever be grateful. 

(13) This being said, my teachers are not appreciated enough for all of the dedication and love that goes into their job. In August of 2021, nearly 1,000 licensed teachers left CCSD, according to Las Vegas Weekly. This is not only a problem in CCSD, but it is also a problem across the state ad nation. Other factors like salaries, safety concerns, and declining mental health. For this reason, a lot of teachers leave their jobs. According to the Department of Education of the U.S., in 2011, nearly 50% of teachers leave the profession within the first years of teaching and 65% of teachers in public schools believe that their salary is unjust for the amount of work they do. 

(14) At school, I do not have the resources to know what my options are for college. Being a junior, this makes even stepping foot on a college campus even harder. The resources are available, I know they are, but they're not easy to find. Schools don't really care if you decide you want to pursue a secondary education. All they really care about is getting you to walk across the stage on graduation day so they can move on with the next batch of kids. As long as you do the bare minimum, you get your high school diploma. Grade reform helps no one, it just ensures the student, prepared or not, leaves the school. It makes it harder to take things seriously because they hand you the minimum F grade, and you glide by. That is not how the real world works.

(15) Overall, I know there are a lot of changes that will be made once I am out of school, but the changes must be made soon. These schools hold the future of the next generation and if that is not taken seriously, we are all in for a not-so-pretty world. The public education system in Nevada needs much improving and I hope that the next generation of students does not feel the hopelessness and negligence I have felt since I was a child in Nevada schools.