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

Coming up on Student Spotlight, hands-on learning for a "cool" career.

We catch up with students from Western High School.

Then off to Laughlin to meet "the principal."

Yes, she covers elementary, middle, and high school grade levels.

Plus... just in time for Nevada Reading Week, get on board the CCSD Book Bus.

How this book bus is putting new books in the hands of students.

And we're introducing you to the Brass Bell Band and what makes this band so unique.

Those stories and so much more, Student Spotlight starts right now.

[swiping sound] Thank you so much for joining us.

I'm your host, Maria Silva.

Hard to believe, but spring is almost here.

Before we know it, it will be summer.

Air conditioning, of course, is a staple here in the Las Vegas Valley due to our hot temps, which means air conditioning technology is also a hot career.

Students at Western High School are learning about heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, known as HVAC, thanks to a cutting edge training program through the College of Southern Nevada.

(Stephanie Barajas) We are on the CSN campus for the HVAC program.

The juniors and seniors have the opportunity to come to CSN and learn more about the HVAC trade.

(Daniel Chavez) The school day is six periods, right, the same six periods every day.

And we do three here at CSN, and then we go and then we do another three hours.

(Sam Hager) So they're getting credit in high school from CSN that counts as college credit because it's a college campus.

(Kevin Putman) And they earn CSN credits and high school credits towards their graduation.

So two weeks before they graduate high school, they get a certificate from CSN in Air Conditioning Technology.

(Yahir Barrientos) My business teacher, he actually told me about this program.

And he's the one who motivated me to do it.

-I've seen what there is to do, like being a doctor, a teacher, or something like that.

And none of that really interested me.

So I tried to go to a different approach and learn different things.

This is just one of the things that interested me to learn.

-Well, we learn a lot of different things.

It depends because there's a lot of different classes.

So just like HVAC 101 or like, and then just like refrigerant classes, electricity classes.

So you learn a little bit of everything.

(Brandon Cruz) I prefer to learn with my hands.

I can actively use what I learned in class and apply it to something that I can actually touch rather than just trying to figure it out through a book.

-It's a very high paying career, a lot of opportunities, not only here in Las Vegas, but all over the world.

New areas are needing air conditioning nowadays.

So now we're in more demand than ever for air conditioning technicians.

-There's some people right now.

They're probably paying a lot to be here, and I am here for free, which is a good advantage.

And it was a great advantage for me to take.

-This is something I want to do after high school.

It's fun.

I get to be out sometimes, and it's a really great opportunity I just don't want to pass up.

-It's wonderful because we want all of our students when they go across the stage to have a path.

And for these students, they're going into a career path that they're very well set up for.

-Great job!

What an incredible partnership.

Well, back in December, I took a trip to Laughlin where I met up with Principal Dawn Estes.

Principal Estes has a very unique job, and here's why.

She is in charge of three levels of education--elementary, junior, and high school--at two different campuses, Bennett Elementary School and Laughlin Junior/Senior High School.

Well, Principal Estes took us on a tour of both campuses, gave us details about a very exciting new project, and shared who inspired her to become a principal.

(Dawn Estes) My grandpa always said to me, Teaching is a great profession, but as a woman, don't limit yourself.

You might think about being a principal.

And so I chuckled and I thought, I will never be a principal.

And here I am a principal.

-And boy was Grandpa right.

Principal Dawn Estes went on to become principal of not only one school, but two.

-Oh, gosh!

So I first became principal at the Bennett Elementary in 2010.

And then I transitioned to the K-12 principal in February of 2015.

-Principal Estes makes the daily 2 1/2 mile commute each way several times a day.

-My current office at the high school... Come on in.

-Having two principal's offices will soon be, well, part of history.

Construction is currently underway.

And by next school year, Bennett Elementary and Laughlin Junior/Senior High School will all be housed on one campus.

Principal Estes knows she has a unique and rewarding job, a job she gladly acknowledges she can't do alone.

-So while the unicorns might be in my office, I think the real magic happens here in the front office.

-And just like she encourages her students to succeed... -And I hope they appreciate the time that all of us really put in to help them see that there is life beyond the Laughlin community.

-...she's reminded of how her loving grandpa inspired her to dream big.

-I think I would say, Thank you for believing in me.

Thank you for that unconditional love that allowed me to grow into the individual that you knew I was going to be that I didn't yet recognize that I wanted to be.

Oh, look.

You made me cry.

-Definitely making grandpa proud.

Thank you, Principal Estes for all that you do for the wonderful students in Laughlin.

Well, here's another reason Principal Estes is excited about the combined campus: peer mentoring.

The older students will be able to help the younger students.

Now let's head to A-Tech and Kira for our first "News Break."

-Hi, my name is Kira.

I am a senior at Advanced Technologies Academy, also known as A-Tech.

And I'm here with your first "News Break."

Students across the Clark County School District participated in this year's African American History Challenge.

The challenge is like an academic quiz show taped in the Vegas PBS studio.

And the winner was... my school!

Congratulations to all the competitors.

Find this year's challenge on the Vegas PBS YouTube page.

And speaking of quizzes, how much do you know about the Clark County School District?

Here are some stats you may not know: CCSD was established in 1956.

We are the fifth largest school district in the nation.

CCSD educates about 64% of the students in Nevada.

I'll be back a little later in the show.

But for now, let's send it back to Maria in the studio.

-Wonderful job, Kira!

Thank you so much.

Well, Nevada Reading Week just wrapped up.

This year's theme... "Embrace the Magic of Reading."

It is a week to inspire and instill the joy and importance of reading all over the Silver State.

Here in the Clark County School District, there is a new resource to help promote the love of reading, and it is on wheels.

The CCSD Book Bus debuted at the start of the school year with a goal to distribute 75,000 new books to students at schools across the entire valley, schools like Helen Marie Smith Elementary School.

(Jennifer Wright) Oh, my gosh!

So we are so excited.

Today we have the amazing CCSD Book Bus you see behind me.

(Sunnylee Cooper) I've only seen like, yellow buses, but not this colorful one.

This is the only colorful one that I ever seen.

(Mael Agun) This?

This is a book bus.

(Marlee Moten) It's where you get on a bus, and then you pick books.

Like you get to pick any book.

(Tony Andia) There's a lot of big shelves and books, and they all look pretty fun.

-There's a lot of books on both sides.

I picked these two books because I want to learn about pollen and giraffes.

-I picked George Went to the Barber and Superheroes.

(Kelly Halland) It's always important for kids to take books home.

They come to the library weekly to do that.

But then these books they get to keep and put on their shelves and keep them forever.

-So you walk in.

First you see like rows and rows of books.

-I picked out this book because it looked really, really fun.

And it looked like it was funny.

-Kids don't have the opportunity to visit bookstores.

They don't exist.

So for them to get a book tangible in their hand that they selected is, it just brings so much joy to their faces.

And so to get to have them here today to select two free ones is just another celebration of reading, which is amazing.

-Like, I have a good time at the bus, on the book bus.

And then I explored new books I haven't read.

I can't explain it.

It's like so, it's so interesting.

-They just can't believe that they get to keep these books and actually take them home.

They, some of them have already asked me, Do I have to return them?

I said no.

They're yours to keep forever.

-Reading is important to know how to read any books and even any words.

I like reading a lot to my family.

-You read the words, you read the pictures, and look at the pictures so you can keep the word in your head.

So you can say it out loud and look at the pictures of the book.

-I just, I'm just excited for them because I see it on their faces.

-So for them to have the books they selected, there's an ownership over it.

-And that's what the book bus is about.

-Well, so far, the book bus has made stops, listen to this, at about 90 schools and events.

Spread the Word Nevada along with the Public Education Foundation, the CCSD Engagement Unit, and others are behind the book bus.

Lisa Habighorst, my wonderful friend, Cofounder and CEO of Spread the Word Nevada joins us in studio right now.

Thanks for joining us, Lisa.

(Lisa Habighorst) Thanks for having me.

I'm excited to be here.

-An organization near and dear to my heart for so many reasons.

Let's talk about how long you've been here in Southern Nevada and how many schools you're in now.

And it's not just here in Las Vegas and Henderson and North Las Vegas.

-Yeah.

Well, as our name says, Spread the Word Nevada.

So our goal has always been to get to the whole state.

But we started 22 years ago with one school, and we are now in 78 across the state.

So it's exciting.

-And for those not familiar with your organization, what do you do?

I'm seeing a lot of wonderful books here, Sonia Sotomayor, I even see Elmo's Puppy Play Date.

-Yeah.

We're all about books for kids.

Basically, we are targeting at-risk youth and families trying to build home libraries in their homes.

But we've also grown into mentoring and tutoring, struggling readers, family literacy programs where the families come in and we teach the families the importance of reading together.

And then we also our newest program is baby's, birth to five.

So we're working with these young families who really have just come out of the gate, have a newborn, don't have any idea how to get them educated and get them into literacy.

And so that program has been extremely successful.

-And let's talk about-- we just saw the book bus.

-Mm-hmm.

-Let's talk about your involvement with that and the importance of helping families create those libraries at home.

There's nothing like opening up a book.

Sure, you can now do it on your phone, but to actually hold a book, that's something really special.

-Yeah.

The book bus is wonderful and such a great collaboration with Public Education Foundation and Clark County School District.

We love working with them.

It was really their idea, but they came to us because they know we're the book people.

So it's been a nice collaboration.

We've been able to reach more schools that we wouldn't really serve, because we're going to all income level schools with that bus or community activities which we don't really do.

We really focus on the at-risk population.

-And Nevada Reading Week comes around every year.

You are there in those schools.

Exciting things happened this Nevada Reading Week.

-It has been an amazing year this year.

We partnered with the Dollar Loan Center resident team.

So it's the Henderson Silver Knights and the Ignite, the G League, NBA G League.

And those sponsors are going out to schools.

We challenge our kids that we serve to do reading per minute.

And so the big winner was Fay Herron, and they read over almost 98,000 minutes.

So they're gonna get-- they're going to have this great assembly.

And then we also have the-- we had schools that we don't support but, "We need books."

So we asked the schools to do book drives.

And so Divich Elementary did a amazing book drive, brought in over 9,000 books for us.

So they're gonna get a special assembly, too, with the representatives from those clubs.

It's just been great.

It's such a community effort.

-What else do you have going on?

You have a gala coming up.

-The gala coming up March 23.

And so that's very exciting at Aria.

Our theme is 101 Dalmatians.

We always pick a children's theme, so it will be a lot of fun.

I hear Cruella is showing up with her henchmen.

-And Lisa, another thing I love about Spread the Word Nevada is the fact that there are always opportunities to volunteer.

We have a lot of our wonderful viewers who might want to volunteer.

-Oh, and we could use them very much.

We give out over 70,000 books a month now.

And most of those are gently used.

I would say 80% of those are gently used.

So we are buying gently used books, but also getting them donated.

They have to be wiped off and checked to make sure they're appropriate and in the best shape possible.

We want them to look like these are gently used books that look brand new, because we want our kids to get the best.

And so we need those kinds of volunteers.

If you'd like to read with a struggling reader, we need mentors.

There's just all kinds of ways you can volunteer and get tuned in with us.

-And where do we go for more information?

-The website, spreadthewordnevada.

It has a volunteer banner up top, and just click on that and it shows you all the different things you can do.

-Lisa, thanks so much for all that you do to help so many wonderful kids here in Southern Nevada.

-It's our pleasure.

We just love it.

Nevada is a wonderful state, and we are proud to do it.

-Yes, we are.

Thank you so much, Lisa.

Well, many community members visited schools during Nevada Reading Week.

We just told you about that, and I had the honor of doing it as well.

I stopped by Jack Dailey Elementary School with members of the Kiwanis Club of the Las Vegas Strip.

It's a school that the club adopted many years ago.

We had a lovely time reading to these wonderful students.

Definitely going back.

Now let's head back to Kira at A-Tech for our second "News Break."

-Thanks, Maria.

The Super Bowl brought a lot of fun stuff and cool opportunities to our community and school district.

CCSD students from Fremont Middle School, Global Community High School, and Valley High School got the chance to create an original piece of art with a famous artist.

Charles Fazzino is a 3D pop art artist.

He worked with students to design artwork that was showcased in Harry Reid Airport leading up to the Super Bowl.

Nice work everyone!

And a shout-out to students at Las Vegas Academy.

The Las Vegas Academy Theater Conservatory staff and students swept up several wins during the annual Musical Theatre Competitions of America Festival in California.

Way to go!

I hope everyone enjoys their spring break.

Now back to Maria in the studio.

-Thank you so much, Kira.

Well, mental health experts report that our nation's high school students are experiencing an epidemic of loneliness which may be contributing to a rise in anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues in young adults.

Vegas PBS Media Crew member Christian Frias reports on student loneliness at his high school.

(Christian Frias) Hi.

I'm Christian.

I'm a senior at the College of Southern Nevada High School's East Campus.

And I'm a part of the Vegas PBS Media Crew.

There's an epidemic striking high schools, and it's one beyond sick days and hot temperatures.

It's the feeling of loneliness.

(Juan Mendoza) I do feel kind of lonely sometimes.

I have friends, you know.

I have people I hang out with.

I have people I talk to, but there's times where I just feel alone.

-Do you think students, especially teenagers, are more susceptible to these feelings of loneliness?

(Dr. Belisa Brownlee) I think for students, it's because oftentimes they don't feel comfortable with sharing their personal thoughts.

They don't feel comfortable with telling what's going on in their home.

I think that part of it is that they are very much involved with who they perceive themselves to be.

And they think that they're the only ones that are like that, and they think that other people won't understand them.

And so rather than give other people a chance to get to know them, they fall back.

-I guess for teenagers who are students, how would you-- how would you presume that these people are being a little bit more isolated and alone?

-I feel like students themselves really just, it's hard, you know?

Especially here in this school.

We have high school and then we also have work on top of that.

Then we also have college on top of that.

That's three big things.

And really, it is hard to make new friends.

We're really just trying to get through school, really just trying to get our graduation, trying to get our futures going.

-If loneliness got to a point where you needed help, do you think you and your fellow classmates would actually ask for help?

-It takes a lot of courage.

It takes a lot of effort to come out and ask for help.

And if there is-- and if it really came down to that point where I was in desperate need and I needed help, I would most definitely ask for help.

-What are some ways that students can combat and kind of face this feeling of loneliness?

-I will say this: I'm always very proud of this generation and always in awe of them at how open they are to the idea of therapy and going to see a counselor.

I think that's a great start for young people if they have access.

But then also I think they should look for clubs and organizations that offer opportunities that they're interested in, because when they go to those places, they'll see there are other people that are like me too, and then they can interact with more people.

But they have to take the step to put themselves out there in order to gain that reward.

-I do just want to say that if you're feeling alone, just don't be scared to try and seek out, you know-- there's always going to be someone there to help.

You know, don't feel like you're the only one alone going through it.

A lot of people go through it, and you're always going to overcome it.

Just never give up.

Keep going.

-The rate of people and students feeling more lonely has grown, but there is help.

Students can use available resources such as CSN's Counseling and Psychological Services to deal with these emotions.

-Christian, thank you so much for this important report.

If you or someone you know needs help, please take a look at your screen.

There are organizations you can reach out to.

CCSD offers Care Solace.

You can find the contact information on your screen.

Well, scouting is much more than a group of children learning how to hike, camp, and earn achievement badges.

It is also about becoming good citizens.

Members of the Las Vegas Scouts Troop 149 recently let their voices be heard at a Vegas PBS and The Nevada Independent event focused on civic engagement and community conversations.

It's called the Nevada Democracy Project.

(Naoka Foreman) So let's get started with the conversation tonight.

(Jo Beth Dittrich) This was a double-duty kind of assignment that we did, because we require that scouts view public discourse in order to understand and comment on and see what good communication looks like.

The other merit badge, citizenship in the community, requires that they attend a public event that has to do with citizenship in the community.

So what could be a better fit than the Nevada Democracy Project?

(Eric Padilla) Well, the experience was like it was fun.

It was also really educational, people telling us their backstories, what they like or they don't like about our community or about the school district, you know, that stuff like that.

-Scouts is a citizenship volunteer organization.

It's also about being active in the community, active citizens, what the duties of a citizen are and why that's important.

- On my honor I will do my best to do my duty-- (Riley Hilliard) If you're gonna be a citizen, you have to know like, all about democracy and Republicans and all about like, the government, taxes, and stuff.

(Leila Martin) I think it's good to be a nice citizen in the community, because one thing I'm really picky about with people is trust and how they care for their environment because I want to take care of my home, and I want to take care of the planet so it doesn't eventually just end up a mess.

-They're 11, 12, 13 years old, and yet what they say matters.

They do have a voice, and we want to make sure that they continue with that because they can only become more powerful as they grow older and more eloquent.

Regarding our Democracy Project event that we attended-- As a badge of honor, yes, we would love to be invited back.

-The next Nevada Democracy Project listening session is scheduled for May.

You can check out past events and learn about upcoming sessions on vegaspbs.org.

Well, we first introduced you to the Brass Bell Band during our holiday show back in December.

Check it out.

[performing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"] -What makes this band from Rex Bell Elementary School so unique is that it is the only band in a CCSD elementary school.

We sat by one of their practice sessions.

And I can tell you, I left impressed and inspired by these talented 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.

In a classroom not too far, far away, young musicians at Rex Bell Elementary School are doing something that is out of this world.

(Maddilyn Kneer) My favorite song is "Star Wars" because it's really fun.

I love playing the trumpet because it's my first time ever playing an instrument.

And I think I'm doing really good.

-And they are really good, thanks in part to the leader of the Brass Bell Band.

(Mr. Cook) So here's the difference in sound: A is [trumpet].

A-flat is [trumpet].

-I love being in the band because Mr. Cook teach us and how to play the trumpet.

-Music Teacher Paul Cook is a musician with an impressive resume and a genuine passion for sharing the gift of music with his students.

(Xavier Anderson) What I like about him is how he teaches us how to read music and play trumpet and that he's kind.

-Why are you getting so emotional?

-Sorry.

Because this is such a special opportunity to even do this.

Just the playing part, and they played so well in front of people.

(Rafael Valencia) Thank you for teaching us how to play the instrument.

Thank you for teaching us how to read the notes and play.

-These grateful and talented musicians... (Blen Mamo) I just love the trumpet most.

-And why do you love it so much?

-Because like the sounds and like how we play with the vowel combinations.

-...are even performing masterpieces by famous classical composers.

What's your favorite song?

-Beethoven.

-You heard right, Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony."

-All right, trumpets up.

1...2...3...4 [performing] -And just like Beethoven, they are starting at a young age.

Only eight, nine, and ten years old and already incredible musicians.

(Chloe Avila) I'm the first musician in my family.

-The trumpet is a challenge in this room because any wind instrument requires some breath control, which is the challenge with young players because their lungs aren't developed, their muscles in their face isn't developed as much.

There's a lot to it.

But I never tell them it's hard, and they know that.

I tell them it's challenging because there's a lot going on.

I don't tell them all the things the brain and the tongue is thinking about, all these little details.

I try to introduce them a little at a time so they begin to understand what's going on in the process.

-Why are you proud of yourself?

-I'm proud of myself because I practice more and more until I get better with it.

-During this after-school practice session, they are just starting to learn the Star Wars main theme.

-So how do you play A-flat?

-Two and Three.

-Two and three.

Show me with your trumpet, pushing the right valves.

-But there is no doubt, the force is strong with the trumpeters in the Brass Bell Band.

Do you want to be a musician?

(Genesis Martin) Yes.

I want to learn other things also, like the piano, the guitar, the xylophone.

[playing Star Wars theme] -Bravo!

So proud of these talented young musicians.

And thank you, Mr. Cook, for setting such a wonderful example.

I do have to share a magical moment that happened after the cameras stopped rolling.

Take a look.

I asked the students to show me, an amateur, how to hold the trumpet.

They were all so eager to show me how to do it.

And let me tell you, it took lots of practice on my end.

It's complicated, but we did it.

And that's another lesson that Mr. Cook says he hopes the students take away, not only to share the love of music, but also how to respect and properly care for their instruments.

And they're doing a great job.

And speaking of instruments, a special shout-out to the After-School All-Stars for providing the trumpets.

Now that I know how to hold a trumpet, I can't wait to go back for a lesson.

Well, thank you at home for joining us for this edition of Student Spotlight.

A reminder that you can catch this episode, past episodes, and online extras on the Student Spotlight page of the Vegas PBS website or YouTube.

We will see you next month.

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