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

(Maria Silva) Coming up on Student Spotlight, we can't wait to show you some of the amazing and innovative spaces inside the new Helen Marie Smith Elementary School.

Plus, get to know the new CCSD Police Chief.

Students from his alma mater, Cimarron Memorial High, will help us interview Chief Jeff Clark.

Then we visit Arbor View High School, where students are getting career ready with hands-on training in Automotive Technology.

And the award-winning Foothill High School Band is back from a very busy summer of travel.

What's next for these talented musicians?

Let's just say it's a big deal.

Those stories and so much more.

Student Spotlight starts right now.

[swiping sound] -Welcome to a new season of Student Spotlight.

I'm your host, Maria Silva, hoping the new school year is off to a wonderful start.

We are kicking off our very first episode here on the brand new campus of Helen Marie Smith Elementary School, home of the Superstars!

Now, this is one of three replacement schools opening this year.

I was lucky enough to get a tour of this beautiful new campus, and something that really caught my attention: the room we're in right now.

Welcome to the Star Lounge.

(Dawn Blinder) Welcome to the Star Lounge.

Congratulations!

(Melany) When kids come here, they feel like it's like a dream.

-The Star Lounge is a dream come true for students like Melany, a 2nd grader at Helen Marie Smith Elementary School.

-This room is so fun and stuff.

-In charge of designing this fun, interactive incentive room... -Here's some charms.

[children gasp] You can look through those.

-...School Counselor Mrs.

Blinder.

-So part of MTSS, which stands for our Multi-Tiered System of Supports, and they help fund the room.

And you can design it in your own way with the funds that they give you to meet the needs of your school.

We have a lot of STEM activities and building and creativity, and I like the integration of that within the room, too.

-On Fridays, each teacher selects two students who are then invited to visit the Star Lounge.

(student) I can't believe we go to Star Lounge.

-Students want to be motivated to make a choice and be recognized for that.

And when they come in here, they know that it's special for them.

-In the Star Lounge, it's playtime... (student) I'm going to wash you first, pig.

-...sprinkled with positive affirmations... -My favorite pillow is "Be Brave."

-...and important life lessons.

-Great job, everybody!

That is why you earn time in here, because you make really good choices.

-What make this room so special, there's, like, a lot of signs of like "Be Kind," and make sure you're, like, not mad or sad, because there's a rug that, to not feel sad.

And there's a lot of feelings in that rug.

-What are you feeling today?

-I am feeling happy.

-You can't help but feel happy the moment you set foot in the Star Lounge.

-You did it!

Great.

Oh, my goodness!

-You'll witness new friendships being made.

(student) And then I put two scoops in there.

-We're superstars!

-And these little superstars are creating special memories to last a lifetime.

-Every time I come to the Star Lounge, it just makes my smile bright.

-Good job, everybody!

Congratulations on making it to the Star Lounge.

Bye.

I'll see you later.

-So cool!

You'll want to stick around.

Joining us in a bit, Principal Jennifer Richards, who's going to show us what else makes Helen Marie Smith Elementary School so very special.

As for the other two schools with brand new campuses this school year, Wengert Elementary, home of the Wildcats.

The original school opened way back in 1971.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held last month to celebrate the new school building.

And also debuting a new campus, Von Tobel Middle School, home of the Tigers.

The original school opened in 1965.

You heard right, 1965.

The new school is actually located a few blocks away from the historic old campus.

What an awesome new facility!

All of these replacement schools, by the way, are state of the art and so beautiful.

I'm so happy for the students, teachers, and staff.

Well, buildings aren't the only new additions this school year.

The Clark County School District Police Department has a new Chief, but he's no stranger to the District or to Nevada.

We tapped into students at his alma mater for this next interview.

Check it out.

(Alison) We're so happy to have you at Cimarron, Chief Clark.

Thanks for coming out here, and thanks for coming out on the 35th birthday of our school.

(Jeff Clark) It's crazy, 35 years.

I was here 30 years ago is when I graduated.

But, my gosh, it still looks the same as it did back then.

(Lexi) Well, our first question for you: Why did you want to become chief of police for CCSD?

Like, what motivated you, really?

-You know, what motivated me was to be a part of something that we could make great.

Clark County School District Police Department has always been very, very good, and I saw the opportunity to contribute to that and be a part of it.

As a fourth-generation Las Vegan, my family has been here since the Hoover Dam was being built.

Yes, this community means a great deal to me.

And as I mentioned, being a CCSD graduate, it just it was just such a great opportunity that really came out of nowhere.

I wasn't expecting it.

I have 21 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and I was extremely happy and loving what I did.

But when this opportunity came along, I just knew it was something that I had to be a part of.

-You said that you were a CCSD alumni.

But since you were in school, how much has school safety changed?

-Oh, my gosh!

Well, the police officers don't ride horses to work anymore.

I'm just kidding.

[laughter] They did have cars back when I was here.

But there is such more of an emphasis now on safety, as there should be.

Things that have happened in the years since I've been in high school and college, you know, we can talk about things like Columbine or Sandy Hook.

You know, some of the worst incidents that have ever occurred.

So that really brought school safety and training to the forefront of what needed to be.

Fortunately for us, our day to day is mentoring students and being a part of that and being, you know, we talk about the destination district, that third pillar to provide safe and supportive schools.

And my officers are an integral part of that.

But really what I've noticed is-- I was thinking back, when I got your questions, about the school campus officers that I had here at Cimarron.

I'll be honest, I didn't really know them that much.

You know, they were there, but no one seemed, you know, they were kind of off to the side.

But what I've noticed now is the change.

And hopefully, this has been the experience of you and the people watching is they're much more involved.

They're around.

They say hi.

They're giving high-fives.

They're making you feel welcome and also know that you're protected.

-Well, as the students of Cimarron, we are concerned about traffic safety around the school.

So are there any major changes you plan on implementing in CCSD regarding pedestrian and traffic safety?

-You know, I'm glad you asked that because that's, unfortunately, it's not just an issue out on Tenaya and on Smoke Ranch and the surrounding streets.

It is an issue that plagues the entire Clark County and Las Vegas Valley.

People just aren't paying attention.

They're causing traffic accidents where people are dying on our roadways.

Let's just call it what it is.

So for me, there is an emphasis on traffic safety.

We know that the school zone will slow them down, hopefully, but really seeing a police officer there will as well.

So we will continue to have a focus on that.

I do plan on adding another officer to my traffic bureau using existing staffing to have that focus.

-Thank you, Lexi and Alison.

You did such a wonderful job.

So proud of you.

And thank you to Chief Clark for your time.

Well, there were a few more great questions the students had.

You can find the entire interview online at vegaspbs.org.

Now let's check in with some more outstanding students over at J.D.

Smith Middle School for our first "News Break."

-Hi.

I'm Noah at J.D.

Smith Middle School.

-Hi.

I'm Adriel, and this is your first "News Break."

-The new school year is off to a great start.

On the first day of school, Superintendent Jhone Ebert and members of the School Board of Trustees visited a lot of schools, including ours.

Our Mariachi Los Bravos performed a few songs, and the superintendent also talked with some teachers.

We are proud that our school started this year with almost no teacher vacancies.

(Hallie Lowey) It gives me a lot of relief as the leader of the school building because I know that I have quality educators and people who want to be here and really help these students with their reading, writing, and math skills.

Dedicated people in every single classroom.

-What a great first day of school!

-Don't miss the first episode of the "Destination District" podcast.

This is the official CCSD podcast hosted by the superintendent.

The latest episode featured a discussion with parents and students about school safety and talked about the importance of safe and supportive school.

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

It was taped live at The Smith Center in front of more than 1,600 CCSD administrator and community partners.

You can also listen at Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

-Thanks for visiting our school.

Now back to Maria.

-Thank you so much, Noah and Adriel.

So much talent.

Well, the start of a new school year can come fast, and some students may not enroll in time.

District staff have been making phone calls and sending emails to reconnect with students.

They are even going door to door.

We were invited to join a Bright Futures community walk.

♪♪ It's a hot afternoon in late August.

(DeCuba McMillion-Porter) So I'm so excited.

We are doing a Bright Futures community walk.

We're going out there to find our students that we missed.

-But this group at Parson Elementary School is about to hit the streets.

(Jesse Welsh) Particularly with the Bright Futures walks that we have going on right now, it's to reengage with families whose students were no-show at the beginning of the school year.

We're just trying to figure out where they are and if they're not in school, get them back in school.

-These volunteers are some of nearly 300 CCSD staff, elected officials, and community members who, over the course of two days, are canvassing neighborhoods around dozens of schools.

Their goal: reconnect with students who aren't yet registered.

(Lou Markouzis) This is a human business.

This is a people business.

When you have a human connection to it and people can interact with people and realize that we're all in for the right reason.

We're in it for kids.

Our hearts are in this.

-Students may miss the first weeks of school for a number of reasons.

People move, phone numbers change, or families are simply dealing with a lot.

(Elias Ottinger) I'm very happy to be participating today, and I'm excited to get as many new students as possible.

So we want to make sure that they're able to get inside the classroom and learn something.

-Sometimes all it takes is that face-to-face communication.

-Talked to Mom, and Mom just got out of the hospital.

They just had a baby, so that's why the student wasn't in school.

So she's getting him back in school Monday, and we were so excited to see him.

And we got to see the baby.

-Other visits lead to solutions.

-They were a little bit behind, so we talked to Grandma.

And Miss Porter did a great job in saying, "Hey, we have those resources here at the school, and we'll get you started.

We'll get you back up."

And so we have three more kids coming back tomorrow.

We're really, really excited.

-Because at the end of the day, these Bright Futures walks are about student success.

(Mary Ottinger) Always for our kids.

I've been here for over 15 years, and I love this school.

This is my family.

I'm here to support our families.

-What an amazing effort.

It takes a village.

Well, for more information about enrolling a student in the Clark County School District, visit ccsd.net/enroll.

From Bright Futures to bright smiles, we stopped by the CCSD Family Support Center to find out how another wonderful community partner is helping students keep those teeth healthy year-round.

Step inside the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, and you'll find a dentist office.

(Dr.

Andy Uh) We got the filling, and we're doing sealants and cavity treatment.

-Dr.

Andy Uh and his caring team of dental assistants... -They are great.

Can't do this without them for sure.

-...ready to help CCSD students.

-Exams, cleanings, fillings.

We do most everything.

There are some things that we don't do here on the bus, like root canals.

Do extractions also, yeah.

If they need a tooth pulled, we can take care of that for them, too.

-The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile offers dental services to children ages 0 to 21 years of age... -We see kids as early as six months old.

Now, it doesn't necessarily mean we're going to be doing treatment on them necessarily, but we can start seeing them as early as then, do exams, cleanings for them.

-...with or without insurance.

-You know, that is a concern that we hear pretty frequently.

I mean, the only thing I can tell them that is, you know if we do anything on the bus, is there's nothing going to be charged for them.

Everything will be free whether you have insurance or not.

-On this day, 3rd grader Karoll and her mom, Andrea, were back for a fourth visit.

-Okay.

Well, Karoll's good to go, guys.

(Karoll) Um, one time they give me a cap on the right side.

Then today-- Oh, the first time that I come, they were filled with medicine.

-The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, designed to make patients like Karoll feel more at ease.

-I mean, they're gentle, but I'm like sometimes I'm scared.

-Doctor Uh has these words of encouragement for students and parents alike in preparation for that first visit.

-I would say, though, that what helps a lot is when parents kind of talk to the kids before coming in, at least for the first time.

Sometimes there's some fun cartoons like on YouTube that can show like the first visit to the dentist, things like that.

That helps a lot, actually.

Once kids are actually here, though, it's just a lot of encouragement and try to make it fun for them, almost making like a game.

-For Dr.

Uh, making sure students like Karoll get the dental services they need at no cost.

The best part of his job... -A lot of gratitude.

There's many, many patients that don't have dental insurance, can't afford dental care, who've gone so long without receiving dental care that they're so grateful.

It's very rewarding.

I feel like I'm actually doing good, you know, taking care of kids.

-I brush my teeth so I don't get cavities.

Cheese!

-Cheese!

Love that beautiful smile.

And as I mentioned in the segment, they offer dental care to anyone up to 21 years of age.

So let's say you are a CCSD student with a younger or older sibling.

They, too, can get free dental care and join you on your next visit to the dentist.

Now let's head back to J.D.

Smith Middle School for our second "News Break."

-Hi.

I'm Maria, and I'm at J.D.

Smith Middle School.

-And I'm Aliyah, and we're back for our second "News Break."

-The School District recently broke ground on two new campuses.

This first groundbreaking was for Indian Springs Schools in Indian Springs.

This new campus is expected to be done in time for the next school year.

The second groundbreaking was for the Robert O. Gibson Leadership Academy.

That campus is expected to open for the new 2028 to 2029 school year.

We can't wait to see the new schools.

-And another CCSD school just got a library makeover.

R. Guild Gray Elementary School has a newly remodeled library that will support early literacy initiatives.

The makeover is thanks to the College Football Playoff Foundation.

The Foundation is cosponsoring 15 school makeovers.

These makeovers are leading up to the 2027 CFP National Championship at Allegiant Stadium in January.

That's pretty cool!

-From this Maria to you, Maria, thanks for visiting this school.

-Thank you, Maria, and thank you, Aliyah.

Nice job.

All right, guys.

As you can see, we've moved locations.

We're now inside this awesome music room.

I can tell you, I can't wait to go play those bongos over there.

Joining me now is the awesome principal.

Come on over, Principal Richards.

-Hi there.

-Thanks for hosting us.

-Of course.

Welcome to Smith.

-Thank you so much.

I had the honor of being here during your ribbon cutting, and can I tell you your speech touched my heart.

I'm going to read a little of it.

-Of course.

-It says, "When I look around this beautiful new school, I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

This building is so much more than bricks and mortar, classrooms and hallways.

It represents opportunity.

It represents possibility.

It represents the future of our students and our community."

That's pretty special.

-It is.

We're super excited to have this new space.

Our kids are loving all of the windows.

They're loving the ability to transfer into so many different learning spaces that are super unique, like our Superstar Lounge and the Learning Stairs.

We've had several meetings with students on those stairs, so it's just exciting to see the looks on their face when they walk in and they're just in wonder, really, on their faces.

-We talk about state-of-the-art building.

This is the music room.

Tell me about the magic that will happen here.

-Yeah.

So not only does she have the acoustics for her performances, but also, in front of us, they have a roll-up garage door-style space where she can actually take her instruments out into the courtyard, and then the courtyard out there we could have performances.

Or if she wanted to do something during, you know, a math and literacy night, she has the ability to open up that space and bring her instruments outside and do little concerts for us.

So it's really quite special.

-Oh, this does feel like home.

I had such a great time.

Thank you so much.

Where can we get more information?

-So you can visit us on our website.

-You're an awesome principal.

-Thank you so much.

-Superstar!

All right.

Career connected learning is one of the District's top priorities.

Quite a few CCSD high schools offer programs in Auto Technology, preparing students for high-demand, well-paying careers.

At Arbor View High School, students get hands-on training in a state-of-the-art shop led by a teacher who is as passionate about the trades as he is about his students.

-My name is Brogan Ripley, and I'm the Automotive Technology instructor at Arbor View High School.

There are seven stations outside you guys are gonna be doing.

I want you guys in groups of about four to five.

I'm super passionate about cars.

I have loved cars ever since I was a little kid.

I was in the industry myself.

I'm big into the performance world.

I build cars in my free time, performance vehicles, and I thought why not spread my passion onto these kids that are super energetic and enthusiastic about cars themselves.

(Hayden) I've been working on small engines for a little bit in my garage.

And as soon as I walked in this class on my first day, I was like, this place is amazing with all the lifts, all the tools, and I have the great teacher.

He's amazing.

(Evelyn) I enjoy working on cars.

I've been to a lot of car shows, and I just find them exciting.

And the class just seemed like it was going to be fun, like a fun environment to be in, so I joined.

And then I decided I really liked it, so I stayed.

(Savannah) Growing up, I was into a lot of auto stuff with my dad and my grandpa.

Then I found out that we had one here, so I thought it would be a cool opportunity.

(Duane Bickmore) The kids in our program are doing everything from tearing apart engines, rebuilding things.

At the end of the day, whether they have a career in the automotive industry or not, hopefully they're able to maintain and fix their own vehicles.

-Some of the stuff is a little complicated.

Like right now, we're doing electrical.

And that stuff is very like in detail and in depth and very complicated.

-We do all sorts of stuff.

We've learned wiring diagrams, how to take apart and rebuild an engine.

We do stuff with like on the body of the car and as well as inside of the car.

-This program really helps them get further along in their careers, especially if they're going into the automotive industry right after high school.

This program will give them all the skills they need to succeed in the automotive industry.

-Mechanics make pretty decent money per hour, even at entry-level positions.

And there's definitely a high demand.

And then from there, the sky's the limit because they can go on to own their own shops and do custom work and make amazing livings off of going into the auto industry.

-I plan to work at a dealership in the future, so this will help me get more experience with working with cars.

-I'm gonna go to the Air Force and be an airplane technician and work on the planes.

-I want to be an aviation technician.

So working with all the engines and measurements, it's the same thing with avionics.

-I really enjoy.

I think it's a different kind of subject that you would learn in school rather than just like math or reading, and I feel like they're just fun overall.

And they're good to have just for life skills and everything.

-I think CTE programs are great.

If you are just looking for a good skill in the world, right now you can take it.

You can see what you're good at and what you're not good at.

If you find one you like, you can do it.

-These kids come in here super fresh.

They love cars.

They want to learn.

and that's the best part about my day is these kids are super excited every time they come in here.

A lot of times, this is their favorite class.

They get to get hands-on, and they get really enthusiastic about it.

-What a cool program!

And a shout-out to Mr.

Ripley, who was just surprised by F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix with two tickets to the race in November.

Congratulations!

Well, the Foothill High School Band has been busy and in high demand.

Earlier this year, the band was invited to march down the Las Vegas Strip to the beat of Bruno Mars, all to help celebrate the international superstar getting a street named after him.

And in July, the band was invited to take part in Philadelphia's Fourth of July parade to help celebrate America at 250.

And while the trip didn't go quite as planned--more on that in just a bit--the students did get to perform in a different city and state and even managed to play tourist.

Check it out.

Senior Xavier and his fellow Foothill High School band members, back at it again at early morning practice.

♪♪ (Xavier) So I play the snare drum, which is considered the hardest instrument in battery.

[snare drums] -And just on the other side of the theater in the gym, color guard members like Junior Emma, also back perfecting those impressive moves, both returning to the new school year with quite the tale to tell when it comes to the band's summer trip.

-We were probably marching the full track loop two months before we actually went to Philadelphia, just so that we were conditioned and trained to complete the lap.

So when we were there, we were ready to do the parade.

We knew how the heat worked, and we knew how our bodies were going to act in it.

But the same day that we were getting ready to go, they unfortunately canceled the parade.

-Yep.

You heard right.

Made it all the way to Philly, and the parade was canceled due to extreme heat.

-We were sad in the morning, but then we were excited because we got to go on these fun trips.

-Fun trips indeed!

Plenty of sightseeing in Philly, and their adventure didn't end there.

-We went to a lot of the, like, capitol buildings.

We went to Times Square, the Met.

That was great.

That museum was so amazing.

We went on a few tours.

Those were really fun.

A lot of historic monuments and sites, and it was just great.

-Emma, who pulls double duty in color guard and band... [flute] ...shares that one of the most memorable moments of the trip was performing at the historic Grand Opera House in Wilmington, Delaware.

-We walked into the venue.

It was beautiful.

It was massive.

We started rehearsing.

It sounded great.

Like it was just an amazing experience.

It was so big, pretty, and just fun.

And the performance, we had a great audience, and it was just so great.

-I was imagining myself all the way back in like the 1800s performing on that stage and how it would have felt.

And I really love that we're keeping, like, traditions that have been around for hundreds of years.

-This trip, even more meaningful given the reason for it in the first place.

-It was an important trip for many reasons.

One, it was the anniversary of the birthplace of America, and I feel like that alone is just an experience to enjoy.

♪♪ -Bravo!

So proud of these talented students.

And here's further proof that the Foothill High School Band is in high demand.

Mr.

Pardee surprised his students by letting them know the band has been invited to take part in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but they will have to wait until 2027.

You heard right; not this year, but next year.

Thanksgiving 2027 will be here before we know it.

So proud of these brilliant musicians.

All right.

That does it for this episode of Student Spotlight.

Congratulations to everyone on a successful start to the new school year, and a very special thank-you to Helen Marie Smith Elementary School for hosting us.

And don't forget, you can watch this episode and past episodes of Student Spotlight on the Vegas PBS website or YouTube page.

We will see you next month.

♪♪♪