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

-Coming up on Student Spotlight, welcome to this year's Miller Bowl.

Meet students, staff, and parents at John F. Miller School, plus... Resumes, interviews, and future careers--hundreds of CCSD seniors prepare for a big job fair.

Then go inside Bozarth Elementary School as this group prepares for a district-wide music festival.

And... CCSD's Got Talent.

Meet some incredibly talented school district staff who can most definitely sing.

Student Spotlight starts right now.

[swiping sound] -Welcome to Student Spotlight.

I'm your host, Maria Silva.

We are starting off here at the John F. Miller School library, and that's because CCSD recently celebrated Nevada Reading Week.

More on that in just a bit, but, first, March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

Here at this wonderful school, the mission: Provide specialized education and unwavering support to all students by fostering independence and preserving dignity.

I had the incredible honor of witnessing their mission at work when I attended their recent Miller Bowl.

Check it out.

♪♪ [cheers and applause] The Miller Bowl is an exciting adapted football game.

In this year's championship game, the Tiny Tornadoes versus They See Us Rollin'.

(Elysia Byrd) So we had a pitching machine.

And our students, again, they have physical limitations, so they can't necessarily throw.

But what they can do with assistance sometimes is grab something.

So you see them grabbing the pitching machine, and it launches the ball.

And on the bullseye, we have the different football terms, touchdown, safety, you know, interception, all of those things.

So they are participating in the way that they can in a football game.

-Cheering them on from the sidelines, fellow students, teachers, and staff members.

-It definitely takes a special person to work at a school like ours.

We have to be caring and empathetic and passionate about the students that we service and that we work with every day.

But it makes us so happy coming to work every day.

We're probably the happiest school in Clark County.

-And the happiest school in the district had a fun surprise during halftime, introducing its new mascot, Wam.

-We will call him Wam!

Welcome, Wam.

-Also invited to the big game, some VIPs, aka proud parents.

-They might be tiny, but they sure are mighty!

(Tarissa Lacey) This is Lucia.

She is six years old.

She's in 1st grade here at Miller, and she has an anoxic brain injury that she had at two years old.

And she is happy as can be and the light of our life.

-Lucia, part of team Tiny Tornadoes.

-Touchdown!

[cheers and applause] -It's incredible what the school does and an amazing opportunity that she gets to participate, just as anybody else, as neurotypical kids, and the way that they really coordinate everything.

And you can tell that the staff gets involved as much and brings out the joy in our kids.

And so that's what's really awesome, is that she comes to school and has an amazing day and smiles all day and laughs and enjoys herself.

-In the end, sweet Lucia and her awesome teammates, crowned the champs.

-The winning team, Team 407, the Tiny Tornadoes!

-More than a game, this annual tradition, 15 years strong, reminds us what it means to be a part of a loving and inclusive community.

-Ability looks different.

Belonging doesn't.

Just because our students have different abilities doesn't mean that they don't belong.

And that's what we do here, we bring the community inside to them because they don't get the opportunity a lot of times to go out into the community.

So we bring activities like this, performances, anything that we can do to get them involved in their community, even if it has to be at school.

And that's important to us, to make them feel like they still belong in a community.

-Wow!

-What a beautiful experience.

This really is such a special place, and I cannot wait to introduce you to the school's principal.

That is coming up later in our show.

But, first, in honor of this month's Nevada Reading Week, we want you to meet an incredible duo, both high school seniors who want to make sure CCSD students read.

They co-founded a nonprofit called ReadUp Youth.

We caught up with this amazing team as they were assembling their latest project.

It is a Friday afternoon, and Clark High School senior Celine Chang and Palo Verde High School senior Rohitha Baskaran are hard at work.

(Celine Chang) A big part of this is to make sure that people have access.

-In fact, they'll spend most of their weekend doing this, alongside a team of volunteers, building and painting little libraries.

(Rohitha Baskaran) We love STEM education, like engineering with building the libraries, and we also love art.

So we're kind of combining our two loves.

-Each one bright, bold, and full of possibilities.

-We want to place all these libraries in schools.

That way, kids have access to free books, especially for Title I students who have less access than most students.

-Celine and Rohitha are the cofounders of ReadUp Youth, a nonprofit they started as sophomores.

-And the big mission of this nonprofit is to really combat the issue of decreasing literacy rates amongst not just Nevada students, but nationwide.

-There are now five chapters across the U.S.

They've developed an AI reading app.

They coordinate book donations.

And thanks to a grant from the City of Las Vegas, they will provide eight CCSD schools their own little library.

-And it's been really awesome helping my environment, like the community I live in.

So it's been really cool.

-For Celine, the mission is personal.

-My grandma, growing up she did not have access to education.

And she had to drop out of elementary school because her father died.

And so as a result, she never really got to learn to read well at all.

And so I remember, growing up, she always encouraged me to read because she believed reading was power.

-The libraries will be delivered to the schools fully stocked with books.

-So I'm really curious to just see how our community responds to the books, to see if people will continue, like, taking books in and out.

-Little libraries with big impact.

-You really want to get kids excited and to go out and think to themselves, Oh, let me go check out the little library this afternoon.

Let's see what's in there.

-And two friends building a love of reading to share.

So impressed.

Nice work.

Now, members of ReadUp Youth participated in Nevada Reading Week reading to other students, as did many members of our community, including members of the CCSD School Board of Trustees and Superintendent Jhone Ebert.

This year's theme was "Book an Adventure."

Now let's head to Rancho High School for our first "News Break."

-Hi.

I'm Skylar at Rancho High School.

-And I'm Joi, also here at Rancho High School.

And we're here with your first "News Break."

-Last month was Black History Month, and that means it's time for the annual Black History Challenge.

The Black History Challenge is an academic quiz competition for students.

Southwest Career and Technical Academy competed against Foothill High School in an exciting championship round.

And the winner was Southwest CTA.

Congratulations!

Southwest CTA received a $1,000 check from the Las Vegas Raiders to support their Black Student Union program, along with a trophy to display at their school for the next year.

-February was also Career and Technical Education Month.

CTE programs give students real-world experience that prepare them for future careers.

During CTE Month, students across the district explored a wide range of career paths.

Some toured working car dealerships and automotive shops.

Others met with working professionals to learn more about their careers.

Here at Rancho, we're proud to offer a variety of CTE programs, including Teaching and Training, which I'm in, and Video Production.

-Wait, that's a program we're in.

And we'll have more for you later, but for now let's just send it back to Maria.

-Nice job!

Thank you so much, Rancho.

Well, getting students prepared to enter the workforce is so very important.

In fact, hundreds of CCSD seniors will be among the thousands of job seekers attending the big Spring Job Fair later this month at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

To help them stand out, the district's Work-based Learning and Guidance and Counseling departments hosted a pre-job fair workshop, giving students real-world practice with interviews, networking, and career-ready skills.

(Sheilah Petrosky) Today is all about you and your next stop and journey after graduation.

The Senior Workforce Workshop is a workshop for over 500 CCSD seniors to prepare them to interview for their first job upon graduation this May.

(Frankie Mason) The goal of this event is to help prep students in advance of the Clark County Spring Job Fair.

That's one of the largest job fairs in Nevada.

-We help students with all different types of opportunities with work-based learning, so job shadowing, internships, interview skills, anything that would help a student get a job upon graduation.

(Gregory Ross) When it comes to building a resume, understanding how to answer interview skills, even learning how to find jobs on Indeed and using LinkedIn.

We help students with every step that it takes to help them secure work for a satisfying career.

-And their leadership in CCSD does a great job in prepping them, but that's theoretical.

And now they're actually working in with people that are in the field.

So, I mean, it's real hands-on experience that is rare to find.

-And finish!

-Today they're going to be doing a speed networking session, where they'll get to network with over 35 companies and different various industries.

They will also get to do a durable skills or an employability skills game set, where they get to do a whole bunch of puzzles and games to prepare them.

And then in this room behind us, we'll have 25 tables of mock interviews for the students.

(Valeria) I attended because I wanted to grow my knowledge about it, because this is solely about helping me with interviews in the future.

(Alejandro) I've learned that there's a lot of professionals here that can help you in different ways as a interviewer, some things like keeping in contact, introducing yourself, and being respectful.

(Deisi) So last year I attended it as a senior, and I attended it with a bunch of my classmates.

And so with my success, obviously, now I have a job at Boyd Gaming thanks to this event.

Obviously, they taught me how to interview, and then I got to meet, obviously, some people who worked for Boyd Gaming.

So now I work at the casino as a hostess.

-So far, I've learned that communication is very key, and eye contact is very important.

And speaking with a clear tone is one of the main things during an interview.

-You know what?

I don't remember receiving this as a student.

And I think I made a lot of workforce blunders, just not understanding the flow and politics of things.

And that's what we teach in our classroom, giving students the tips, tricks, and strategies.

I think that gives them an advantage, and it's helpful.

-It's definitely gonna give me some experience, experience points, you could say, and just help me see how the real world is.

-Yes.

I would 100 percent recommend this.

It's a great opportunity, and it leads you to better opportunities after high school.

-Best of luck to all of the students as they look for careers.

So proud of you.

Well, as you can see, take a look at this.

We have moved locations and are now inside the Adaptive Sensory Room here at John F. Miller School.

Their motto: All children can learn.

Their vision: Empowering every child to reach their full potential.

And here to tell us all about this wonderful school is Principal Poglitsch.

I-- It's been an honor for me to be here, not just at the Miller Bowl, but to be here and to see the magic that happens here.

Tell us about John F. Miller and why it's so special.

(Elizabeth Poglitsch) John F. Miller is amazing.

It absolutely is.

We serve the Clark County District, the Clark County School District students from age 3 to 22.

We serve the most medically fragile students in the Clark County School District.

Our amazing staff ranges from special procedure nurses to related service professionals, OTs/PTs.

Our students are learning through their environment here.

-Tell us about this sensory room.

You walk around, and it's the wow factor.

-Yeah.

So our occupational therapist created and designed this space for our students to regulate their learning system.

So every student gets to access this with their class at least once a week, and they get direct services, related services here in this classroom.

And it truly just is individualized to all the students' needs in our school.

-And real quick, tell us about your social media, very active.

You get to really see what happens in here through all your wonderful videos.

-Yeah, so our Instagram account is absolutely amazing.

We capture the most significant moments for our families.

We want to let people know that what we do is truly teaching our students to be the most independent that they can be.

It's a game changer.

-Oh, well, thank you so much for what you do for these amazing students.

I can't thank you enough.

-Thank you.

-All right.

We're gonna send it over to Rancho High School for our second "News Break."

-Hi, I'm Everett from Rancho High School.

-And I'm Josue from Rancho High School, and we're back with a second "News Break."

-National School Breakfast Month is celebrated in March.

Did you know that school breakfast is available to all CCSD students at no cost?

Last year, the district served more than 8,000 breakfasts.

We love the cinnamon buns!

For school breakfast menus, visit the website on your screen.

-Have you listened to the school district's podcasts?

The next episode of the Destination District, a CCSD podcast, is out now.

In this episode, student voices shape CCSD's future.

Superintendent Ebert sat down with the Student Advisory Council to unpack what they learned this fall and how their ideas are shaping CCSD's strategic plan.

This episode is available on Spotify or Apple podcasts.

-Thanks for visiting our Rancho High School.

Now let's send it back to Maria.

-Thank you guys.

Nice job.

Well, March is Arts In Our School Month, highlighting the importance of arts education in our schools, including music, dance, theater, and visual arts.

And speaking of visual arts, winners of the Third Annual Sphere XO Student Design Challenge will soon be announced.

(Rich Constable) This is a really important collaboration with the community and the Sphere.

Students from 4th grade all the way up to college participate in a competition where they can have their designs featured on the Exosphere.

Voting has wrapped up, and the winners are being revealed this week, just in time for National Pi Day, as in 3.14, which, by the way, was the theme of this year's challenge.

As the winner, one of the cool perks, your school gets to take a very special field trip to the Sphere.

(Jhone Ebert) Our partnership with the Sphere--when you think about STEAM, STEM, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and you add the A for the arts, the fact that it all comes to life for our children, they can see their art on world stage, the Exosphere, the Sphere was able to create this opportunity for our kids--is one of a kind.

-One-of-a-kind experience, indeed.

It was really, really special to be there and witness the students just react with pure joy.

It was so magical.

Now, one of the winners of last year's competition won when she was an 8th grader at Thurman White Academy of the Performing Arts.

She's now a 9th grader at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, or LVA.

In our art spotlight, we are introducing you to this brilliant young artist.

(Antonella Sanchez) The theme was Earth Day, and I created an inspiration of my neighborhood.

It was a stray dog, but it was really colorful because it had to represent the gardens around my neighborhood.

They're so beautiful.

-This beautiful and colorful design created by artist Antonella Sanchez.

-Like seeing it first person all the way, like, down on the ground, like, up big, it's like, wow, that is humongous.

And my art is on there.

Like, wow!

-It's definitely the wow factor when you walk into Ms.

Mabel's Visual Design class at Las Vegas Academy of the Arts.

(Ms.

Mabel) It's phenomenal like everybody's working here.

-Seeing firsthand the phenomenal art being created by Antonella... -I use white charcoal to blend instead of my blending stone.

-...and all of these talented art students, it is easy to see why Antonella won.

-This art community here is really accepting.

They're really friendly.

This is like the healthiest environment I've been in.

Like, they support each other.

We're not in a competition.

-And you can say Antonella is pretty popular for a wickedly good reason.

-You guys want to share a little bit about your experiences at the Sphere?

-Her fellow art students were also invited to experience the Wizard of Oz at Sphere.

For many of the more than 4,500 CCSD students who attended the special screening, like Antonella, this was their first time seeing the classic film.

-What was your favorite part?

-I would say my favorite part were the apples falling from the sky.

And I think that was a very magical moment.

-So many magical moments and important life lessons.

-In the end they reached their goal as kind of how in real life you get opportunities and then you'll eventually reach your goal.

-As for goals when it comes to her art, and just like the inspiration for her XO Student Design Challenge winning art, for Antonella, there really is no place like home.

-I want to make murals on walls, like make the place more beautiful and colorful, because like where I live, it's kind of like no art.

Like over here in downtown, there's a lot of art.

But I don't want to add on to art here.

I want to start art somewhere else and then expand from there.

-Antonella, I look forward to checking out your murals when they go up in your neighborhood.

So very talented.

Well, from visual arts to music.

For more than 30 years, elementary school students from across the Clark County School District have taken part in the Orff Festival.

What is the Orff Festival you may ask?

Well, we dropped by Bozarth Elementary School for their last rehearsal before the big festival to find out.

♪♪ Warmups are underway inside Mr.

Owen's classroom.

[singing] As this group gets ready for a big district-wide performance... (Mack Miller) We are in a festival called the Orff Festival.

It's named after somebody named Carl Orff who created this music for elementary schools.

Carl Orff was a German composer, and Orff is also a method of teaching.

[singing] (David Owen) Orff Schulwerk is ultimately all about training the students to be musicians so that you're not just teaching music exactly as it is written down, but it's used as a guide for creativity where students are the composers or the improvisers.

And it's become the basis of our entire music curriculum in the Clark County School District for elementary schools.

-Every year, the Orff Festival brings together elementary schools from across the district.

(Haley Petersen) The Orff Festival will, like, include music like speech and different, like, theatrical elements.

-It's a pretty big deal.

And Mr.

Owen's students have been practicing hard.

[in unison] ♪ Orff ♪♪ (Eli Pennell) Oh, yeah, really hard.

-This year's theme will tickle your funny bone.

-The theme of the Orff Festival this year is songs or like musical jokes and nonsensical humor, so we do have a few songs that are just like pretty much nonsense.

-And the humor is everywhere.

-Like the moth and the bumble bee and the cow and the-- -Let me guess.

There's some weird twist ending, like that giant snake goes up and swallows everyone.

[exhales] [laughter] -Fifth graders, Haley Petersen and Mack Miller are the emcees.

-They sound like a bunch of barking dogs.

It's like, I studied my homework, but she didn't study her homework for the play.

And she's, like, forgetting her lines, and I'm trying to help her.

-And he's annoyed with me because he has to, like, say all the information.

-This group from Bozarth will join about 250 other students... -I like "The Swapping Song," and I will be playing the spoons in "The Swapping Song."

-...from nearly two dozen other schools... -So every single song is a collaborative piece where you'll have one or two schools playing instruments, another school doing movement out in front, and then all the other schools behind them on risers singing.

-...to create a performance to remember.

-Everyone in the Orff Festival, they have to, like, listen to each other's music parts in order for the music to, like, be able to come together smoothly.

So it's very fun.

-And if all goes well... -Our teacher made this joke a few years ago that to reward us, we got his cats.

He sometimes takes pictures of his cats just doing random stuff.

Cute, cool, and amazing!

-Yes, you heard that right.

-I just have to keep a permanent folder in my Google Drive through work that's cat pictures.

-From the sound of this last practice... -Yeah, I feel very ready.

I think we practiced a lot.

And, yeah, I'm excited.

-...we think the chances for cat photos are looking good.

-They blow me away every single day.

[singing] -Bravo!

Incredible job.

And love those cat pictures.

Here are some photos from this year's Orff Festival inside Ham Hall on the campus of UNLV.

Looks like so much fun.

What an amazing way to celebrate creativity, music, and students' talent.

And we have a lot of talent.

Well, students aren't the only ones in the Clark County School District who can sing.

So can district staff.

Nine CCSD employees faced off recently in the grand finale of CCSD's Got Talent.

We had a chance to catch up with one of the competitors, a teacher's assistant at Hal Smith Elementary School, as she was preparing for the big night.

(Khelsea Smith) I tried out for CCSD's Got Talent because I want to showcase my talents.

I'm very shy.

I'm an introvert.

And I usually sing with my sister, so I felt like it was my turn to step out on my own and let the world hear my voice.

[singing] I've been singing since the age of six.

Grew up watching my mom, and ever since then I've been singing since with my sister.

Basically grew up in the church.

I don't sing anywhere, really, other than church.

I have a heart for kids.

It's just been a passion of mine since I graduated.

The best part about working with students is being able to give them love, caring for them.

(Lyric Roberson) The way she handles the students and their behaviors and comes to work every day just knowing that she has to deal with certain situations is awesome.

-There's a lot of talent inside of CCSD, and it's a great thing that they're able to be able to showcase their talent for the world.

Some people look for opportunities like this but never get the opportunity.

So I feel like this is a great opportunity for a lot of people.

-I didn't think she could portray such a beautiful voice.

Just knowing the fact that she can sing like that was amazing.

I was like, I can't wait to watch her in the finale.

[singing] -We are so excited to be here at the Hyper X Arena here at the Luxor Hotel and Casino for the Second Annual CCSD's Got Talent Competition, where our staff are showing off everything they've got right on an amazing stage for the community to see.

-Our vision is that we are the destination district, to make sure that every single employee is seen, heard, acknowledged, appreciated for their skill set.

-What I hope to get out of this competition is for people like me, introverts, be able to, like, get out there.

It's scary sometimes, but you can do it.

When I first started, I was like, no, I can't do it.

But now that I made it to the top 10, I feel like I could definitely do it.

-The CCSD's Got Talent grand champion is Khelsea Smith!

[cheers and applause] [singing] -Thank you so much for this opportunity.

To all the other contestants, congratulations.

You guys did amazing.

I appreciate you all.

-And we appreciate you.

What an incredible voice.

Well, that does it for this episode of Student Spotlight.

A quick reminder, you can find past episodes of Student Spotlight on vegaspbs.org or YouTube.

Thank you so much to John F. Miller School for hosting us.

I love this place.

We will see you next month.