This program brought you in part by the Erika Lewis Endowment Fund.

-Coming up on Student Spotlight, the stories behind the scholarships.

Meet some inspiring high school seniors who have been awarded big checks for college.

Plus, preparing for the workforce -- How these high schoolers are getting ready to wow local employers.

Then we sit down with the new Superintendent, Jhone Ebert, and have students ask the questions.

Those stories and so much more.

Student Spotlight starts right now.

[swiping sound] ♪♪ Welcome to Student Spotlight.

I'm your host, Maria Silva, joining you from Elaine Wynn Elementary School.

We are here to honor the school's namesake, Elaine Wynn, who passed away last month, sadly, at the age of 82.

We'll have more on her tremendous impact on education in Nevada later in the show, but, first, can you believe it?

This is our last episode of the season.

I can't.

The school year is almost over, and we are excited to share the incredible stories of some of our high school seniors who will soon be graduating.

Many will head off to the college or university of their choice with life changing scholarships.

We start with twins Christian and Cameron from Sunrise Mountain High School.

(John Mowbray) Congratulations, boys.

You've won it, both of you.

-Twins Cameron and Christian Egbo-Cruz, each surprised with the $100,000 Charles and Phyllis Frias Legacy Scholarship.

This scholarship, not your traditional scholarship.

-Not based on grades.

You know what it's based on?

(Christian Egbo-Cruz) Personality.

-Grit.

Character, character.

It's based on character.

They wanted to help out the candidates that would not normally qualify for a four-year all-paid scholarship.

They wanted to help kids that they had promise in that they could see that they had a chance to do better and kids that may have faced some adversities.

-Adversity and loss, something the twins have had to deal with at such a young age.

(Camron Egbo-Cruz) I want to shout-out my mother.

She's always been here.

She passed last summer.

-When their mother, Sophia, passed away, their future uncertain, that is, until family friend Saunya Bonner, lovingly known as Auntie, opened up her home.

And it's at that home where those big checks are now proudly displayed.

(Saunya Bonner) My friend is not here anymore, and they're kids.

What are they going to do since their mom is gone?

And I was like, their mom would want them to finish school.

-Saunya, mom of five children of her own and dealing with the recent death of her husband, also cares for the twins' six-year-old brother, Anthony.

-Whenever we need something, she's there to help us out.

Even with Anthony, where he has a heart condition and he can't really eat as like us, she does her best to help him out, take him to the appointments he needs.

-They did what they were supposed to do, especially with their little brother.

That's a lot to carry on their shoulders.

-If you needed another reason to admire these young men, here you go: -I also do volunteering events like the Martin Luther King parade.

-They volunteer, work at the Sunrise Mountain High School cafeteria, have an after-school job, and are active in several school organizations and sports like the school's volleyball team.

Their coach also plays a very special part in Christian and Cameron's success story on and off the volleyball court.

-You're driving them to school and everything else.

You're remarkable.

You are remarkable!

Thank you, Coach.

-I love you, Coach.

-Love you too.

-We definitely felt the love in the room.

Cameron and Christian, surrounded by their big support system, from their coach and teachers to UNLV Upward Bound counselors, the Frias Charitable Trust team, and the Public Education Foundation mentors.

(Beverly) Have you guys been accepted-- -Yes.

- --to the University of Nevada?

Yes.

U-N-L-V Go, Fight, Win!

[laughter] -The twins are being set up for success.

And, boy, do they have some big dreams.

-I definitely want to go to UNLV.

I want to double major in Hospitality Management and Marketing, and I want to possibly minor in Film.

-I want to major in Business Finance, so it's not just going to investment banking.

And I also want to make connections with big people.

So it'd be like, for example, like superstars, NBA stars.

And if I could help control their money, then I could have money for myself.

-Any big stars you want to-- athletes you want to work with?

-I haven't thought about that yet.

-LeBron.

[laughter] -There's no doubt those big dreams will come true, also thanks in part, to a little help from up above.

-I feel like she's watching over me, especially given this scholarship.

I feel like everything that's built up to this point means, like, all the work she's did paid off for us, and I'm just proud of myself and proud of what she's done.

-When she left, I feel like as if she left us with a blessing with our auntie, with our little brother, with our other siblings.

-Speaking of Auntie, they're definitely not forgetting her when they hit it big.

-She wants us to do the best.

So I could tell her that I love her.

Thank you so much.

And one message I give is that when we come up, you come up too.

So-- -Hey.

[laughter] Preach.

-Christian and Cameron, no doubt you will continue to make your beautiful mom proud, and auntie too.

The boys, by the way, also making their dad, who lives in Chicago, proud.

Dad was one of the first people Christian and Cameron called when they were awarded their scholarships.

By the way, there were a lot of these $100,000 checks handed out this year.

Nineteen seniors--yes, you heard right--nineteen seniors received the Charles and Phyllis Frias Legacy Scholarship.

Big Congratulations and good luck to all of these smart and talented students.

Well, the Public Education Foundation, or PEF, helps administer these scholarships.

Not an easy job at all, but a rewarding one when you see the joy on the faces of these wonderful students.

Another scholarship PEF administers is a Hispanic and Latino Legacy Scholarship, and we caught up with an incredible young man from Spring Valley High School who's ready to put that scholarship to good use.

(Eduin Perez Castellanos) So when we came here, it was a shock to my dad.

He was very proud of me for the fact of what I did.

He was in tears.

And what he taught me was something that will serve me in life, right?

-Some of those life lessons that Eduin Perez Castellanos' proud dad, Eduardo, has taught him-- -He taught me mainly the importance of hard work, but also learning to take advantage of opportunities you have, right?

-The Spring Valley High School senior definitely knows the true meaning of hard work.

-How is everything, boss?

-Just a few years ago, at the age of 16, Eduin became a small business owner, along with his parents, of their family restaurant.

-Carne asada, chorizo-- -Oaxaca is a state in Mexico, and that's where my parents and I are from, right?

And we wanted to bring these dishes, be able to show off our culture, be able to show off what we-- where we came from, where we are.

And to be able to live the American dream through that and being able to show off our culture is something that I honestly and our parents are very proud of.

-Something else to be proud of, being awarded the Hispanic and Latino Legacy Scholarship.

-So to me, this scholarship represents the hard work that I've achieved so far and being able to be recognized for my achievements academically.

-It's Eduin's impressive academic achievements that will, no doubt, help him achieve his dream of becoming-- -I'm Dr. Perez.

So I'll be going to University of Nevada, Reno in the fall, and I want to study pre-medicine.

Yeah, I will be the first doctor in my family, right?

I'm also the first generation to go to college here out of my entire family.

And my parents are very proud of it that their sacrifices have allowed me to be able to pursue higher education and pursue a professional field.

-And this future neurosurgeon already knows he will be making a difference in the medical field.

-Being able to speak both languages will help me to connect further my Hispanic community, right?

Especially, not many doctors are bilingual, right?

And being able to communicate such information with a patient creates a better relationship with them, right, and being able to connect with them and provide better care for them.

-"Dr. Perez," that has a nice ring to it.

Que orgullo, so proud of you.

Eduin, by the way, is also the captain of Spring Valley High School's Track and Field team and co-captain of the Cross Country team.

I don't know how you do it.

Big congratulations, and congratulations to the other talented and smart students who were also awarded the 2025 Hispanic and Latino Legacy Scholarship.

Each student, by the way, receiving a $20,000 scholarship.

I can't wait to see what the future holds for all of you.

All right, now let's head to Sierra Vista High School and Ezekiel for our first "News Break."

-Hi, I'm Ezekiel.

I'm a junior here at Sierra Vista High School, and I'm here with your first News Break.

The school district honored exceptional educators during a very special event.

The 3rd annual Evening of Excellence: Starlight Awards was held last month at South Point.

The event recognizes stellar employees who go above and beyond and show their commitment to supporting students.

Congratulations to all the honorees, and thank you for helping students like me.

Speaking of congratulations, congratulations to Del Sol Academy.

Del Sol Academy was awarded the Secondary Magnet School of Merit Award of Excellence by Magnet Schools of America.

Del Sol was recognized for its outstanding commitment to academic excellence, curriculum innovation, diversity and community engagement, and performing arts education.

And guess what?

The award came with a $2,500 prize.

And finally, did you know that a former student of Liberty High School was drafted by the New Orleans Saints?

He recently made a surprise visit to his former school to celebrate.

Amazing!

When I come back, I'll remind you why you may recognize me.

But more on that later, but back to Maria.

-Thank you, Ezekiel.

We can't wait to catch up with you again later in the show.

Well, in case you haven't heard, the Clark County School District has a new superintendent, but she's not new to Nevada or CCSD.

I had the chance to interview superintendent Jhone Ebert, and I got a little help from some talented aspiring journalists.

Check it out.

I have the incredible honor of serving as host of Student Spotlight.

And as you know, it is a show all about our amazing and talented students, so today it will be the CCSD students who will be asking you the questions, and we start with a trip down memory lane.

We're starting with a student from a school that's near and dear to your heart.

So here we go.

Ready?

(Alona Brown) My name is Alana Brown, and I attend Von Tobel Middle School.

How did starting your career as a math teacher at Von Tobel Middle School, 35 years ago, helped shape your approach as superintendent today?

(Jhone Ebert) That is a wonderful question, Alona.

You know, I was a first-year teacher.

I loved seeing that picture just now.

It was a bit ago, but you know what is so wonderful about our entire community and Von Tobel is the diversity and how much we reflect all of our culture, whether it's staff, students, our entire community, I really appreciated and learned a lot when I was at Von Toble Middle School.

-All right, here we go, talented students.

(Azilee Clements) My name is Azilee from Gilbert Academy.

My question is why did you want to be our superintendent?

-Oh, my gosh.

Amazing question.

I wanted to be the superintendent because I know that we have 300,000 students here that can do great work.

And as the superintendent, I have the opportunity to work with 44,000 staff members and the entire community, lifting up.

And so at this moment in time, we're going to work together as the adults to lift all of the students up.

-All right.

Again, these talented students.

-I know.

-Future journalists.

(Roheen Mehdi) My name is Roheen Mehdi, and I go to Spring Valley High School.

My question is what do you plan to do to keep teachers here in Clark County, since so many have left the district and sometimes even the profession?

-Roheen, we've started, and I'll share two quick pieces there.

Number one is the legislature last biennium, you know, invested a lot of money in education, and so we lifted up the pay for all of our staff.

Number one.

Number two is the working conditions and making sure that we value, that our teachers know that they're valued, that all of our staff, no matter what level we work at, that we're valued and we have a culture and that we're listening.

And so I'm proud to share with you that this last year, we actually had an increase in teacher retention.

And also, too, we have partners.

Nevada Gold Mines is investing in our entire state to lift up the teaching profession.

This is fun.

-I love it.

-My name is Hunter Perkins, and I go to Northwest CTA.

And my question is, CSSD has made tons of progress with the chronic absences, but what still needs to be done to make sure that kids are actively engaged and learning inside the classroom?

-So starting with why students are not engaged in the classroom is really important.

That's when I was at the state level, we did interviews and speaking directly with students like yourselves.

Why aren't you showing up to school?

We're changing our learning system and so that we truly understand and that you understand, number one, we see you, we hear you, we want you to be engaged in the curriculum, that we have a meaningful pathway for students to thrive.

So we want all of our students to start thinking as early as elementary school, you know, traditionally been thinking about high school and where am I going to college, and all of those things.

But we want to start thinking early on, Do you want to be a dentist?

Do you want to be a mechanic?

Would you like to be an educator?

And building those pathways out for you to see yourself in the future.

We're going to change our system to make sure that we have clear pathways for all of our students.

-All right.

One more.

Did you ever get in trouble at school?

Come on, you could tell me.

[laughter] -Awesome.

I can't remember a specific instance.

I do know I never went to the dean's office.

But that doesn't mean that a teacher, you know, might not have asked me to get back on track and all of those things.

But what I would say, take the opportunity, is that if anybody feels as a student that you're headed down a path and you need support and resources, there are adults around, you know?

And make sure if you see something, say something.

If you feel something, make sure that you have someone, an adult, you can trust and share that.

That usually avoids, in advance, getting in trouble when we're thinking about a path that we know, you know, inside it's like, probably shouldn't do this, but I might talk to someone and say-- you know, talk it out.

Should we?

Should we go down that path or not?

But I want to know now if you've ever gotten in trouble.

-We'll follow up with that one.

Thank you so much for your time.

And to close this out, what message do you have--you've had some wonderful responses to their questions--to all of our CCSD students and their parents.

They watch, as well, and our teachers.

-I'm really excited about the opportunity.

Student Voice, through the pandemic, we realized how important Student Voice is, and so working on several different commissions.

Our Nevada Portrait of a Learner, if you read that document, I mean, it's just one page, so you can, but a lot of the words in there and the empowering, you'll hear me say that a lot, they came from our students.

You know, students want to be empowered.

They want to be held accountable.

They want to be engaged in the work, and we, as the adults, need to make sure.

And so as we make that shift-- that people ask a lot of questions, that they see themselves, that everybody understands how to thrive, that we're all reflective about the work that we do moving forward --so all of those pieces coming together, I'm excited about our CCSD system as a whole.

-Yea!

We're done.

-That was great.

Those are great questions.

-I agree, Superintendent Ebert, that was so much fun.

Shout-out to Gilbert Academy, Von Tobel Middle School, Spring Valley High School, and Northwest Career and Technical Academy and all of your students for helping us with that interview.

Time now for our second "News Break."

Let's head back to Sierra Vista High School and Ezekiel.

-Hi, I'm Ezekiel from Sierra Vista High School, and I'm back with your second News Break.

Student art is once again on the Sphere on Las Vegas Strip.

Six CCSD students and two students from UNLV won the chance to have their Earth Day themed art displayed on the world's largest LED screen.

It's all part of the second annual XO Student Design Challenge.

The winning students' artwork will run in rotation on the Exosphere throughout the summer.

Speaking of excellence, 209 students across CCSD were awarded the Superintendent Medallion.

Every student scored a 31 or higher on the ACT test, earned at least a score of three or higher on the AP exam, and have completed a CTE certification.

Congratulations on your achievement.

You may recognize me because I've been on this program before.

For two years, I was a member of the Vegas PBS Media Crew.

We were a crew of students from high schools all over the school district.

We created video segments focused on issues that interest teens that aired on this show.

Next year will be my senior year here at Sierra Vista, and I'm excited to take Dual Journalism with Ms. Noll.

This program is offered by UNR.

This class allows me to earn college credits while in high school.

Thank you for visiting my school and checking in with me.

Now back to Maria.

-Ezekiel, thank you so much.

We know that you have a bright future ahead of you.

Congratulations.

Well, back here at Elaine Wynn Elementary School, students will honor their school namesake later this month.

They are holding a very special event here for students, staff, as well as parents.

Well, Wynn was a cofounder of Wynn Resorts, but she was also a huge champion for education.

She founded After-School All-Stars Las Vegas, the nonprofit that provides safe after-school programs for students.

She also founded Communities in Schools of Nevada and was a former Board Chair for the national organization.

Her impact, no doubt, will be felt for generations.

Well, education is so important because it helps prepare students for future careers.

And when you're hoping to impress a potential new boss, nothing beats a firm and confident handshake.

And that's the idea behind the Amazing Shake competition that happened a few weeks ago at Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada.

About 100 middle school students engaged in real world scenarios, including interviews and networking sessions with members of the community.

The event focused on students' soft skills like a handshake, making eye contact, body language, and critical thinking.

The goal, to help students prepare for the adult professional world.

(Ivy Allen) The best thing about this experience was being able to meet new people, practice my soft skills, such as shaking hands, greeting people and making friends, and also just being able to know how to communicate with people around me.

-The Amazing Shake is based on lessons from the Ron Clark Academy.

Well, hundreds of CCSD career-bound high school seniors got the chance to put their interviewing skills to the test for real.

They were among the thousands of job seekers who attended the Original Spring Job Fair on May 1 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The job fair opened up a few hours early just for the students who were bussed in after spending weeks preparing for this great opportunity.

That included a huge workforce readiness workshop last month at the World Market Center where they learned about resumes and practiced their interviewing and networking skills.

And as we learned during a visit to Canyon Springs High School, that's not all they did to prepare.

(Gregory Ross) Good morning, class.

Thank you guys all for being here today.

We are going to do something exciting.

We're going to be talking about interviewing skills today.

Are you guys ready to learn how to answer those questions right so you can get the job of your dreams?

-Yes!

(Jayda Macon) So that workshop, it was actually a lot that I didn't know that I thought I did know.

My first part that I went to was the interviewing skills.

At first it was difficult for me, because keeping eye contact and just, you know, talking professionally, sometimes it doesn't come natural until, like, you're told to actually do it.

(Junior Monroy Cisneros) The first part of the event was the networking event, and it was pretty cool.

We got up, we were talking to people.

Even if you were shy, it was a lot of, a lot of people to, what's it called, break the ice between you and your shyness so you can get more talkative.

And after a while of us doing that, talking to people, meeting people-- -Welcome to Dream Con.

My name is Mike.

What's your name?

-Justice Brown.

-Justice, nice to meet you.

-It's nice to meet you too.

-So JAG stands for Jobs for America's Graduates, and our goal is to help students with workforce readiness.

We find out from our employers that our students come in with an advantage.

That competitive advantage is necessary when you're working with students and trying to help them get jobs.

-When I first came in here, I was, I was not like this at all.

I was different.

I would act different.

Mr. Ross, him personally, he helped me out with my anger issues.

When I came in here, I was-- I'll get angry a lot, or not in here, personally, but I'll be angry a lot, and he'll help me calm it down.

-It's not just about building yourself as a person and building skills as a person, but as a group, learning how to work in a team.

-I'm more excited and proud because, through all the years I've been working, I'm finally going to get something to show it off with my diploma.

-The sky's the limit.

-What great life skills to learn.

Any employer will be lucky to have you.

Well, achieving success after high school takes commitment and access to opportunity.

At Green Valley High School, students in the Studio Art class got the chance to produce art out of glass while preparing students for the future.

(Erica Wright) There's something magical about glass.

-And when we got to glass, I fell in love with the medium.

I just love the entire process of it.

-Get all of those little wrinkles out.

Today, I have students that are working three different ways with glass.

I have students that are working with stained glass.

So they are cutting it, grinding it, wrapping it in copper foil, burnishing it all in preparation for soldering the pieces together into one unified piece.

I have students that are working in mosaics, both constructing mosaics out of glass and then grouting their mosaics.

(Abigail Isfalt) So I'm gonna be working on a stained glass piece.

I'm making a moon for my mom.

I have already cut out the pieces of glass, and I have grinded it today and put the foil on it.

I think next class I'm going to be soldering the pieces together.

(Eva Moore) Currently, I'm working on my stained glass art.

It's going to be of a hummingbird.

I'm trying to make like a 3D model with two wings, make it so that it'd be able to fly in the wind.

Originally, I come up with my own design, and then I cut all the pieces out, and then cut it all onto glass.

And then I'm in the process of foiling it with copper foil.

And then after that, you get some flux and solder it, and then that's it.

-Something that most people don't know when they're in high school is that when you go to college, you're gonna have to take an art class.

It's part of just being a well-rounded human, very much the same way that you're going to have to take one in high school.

So being in this class prepares students, even if they're not on an art track as a profession.

-I'm hoping to become a elementary school teacher.

I am going to UNLV next year to study Elementary Education.

I'm hoping that that's what my future holds for me.

-After high school, I was going to go attend UNLV, Fine Arts.

And hopefully, you know, as like a hobby, just working glass on the side, because I actually got my own kit for my house, because I love working with it.

-The Studio Art class is funded by student lab fees and donations.

One important partner is the annual Glass Craft and Bead Expo event, which provides much of the classes' materials and equipment.

Expo organizers also gifted four students--yes, you heard right, four students--scholarships and the chance to display glassworks at the recent Las Vegas show.

Again, so much talent.

Our students are amazing.

And with that, we wrap up not only this month's show, but this school year.

A big thank-you, of course, to Elaine Wynn Elementary School for hosting us.

We are honored to pay tribute to such an advocate for public education.

And thank you for watching.

A reminder that you can always catch episodes and special segments of Student Spotlight on the Vegas PBS website or our YouTube page.

We'll be posting stories during the summer as well.

And to all of the students, staff, and parents, we hope you have an amazing few months off.

All right, guys, we'll see you next fall.