high school

The Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra club members got together this week to give away 3.200 books to K-8 students in Lake Tahoe Unified School District, and at Zephyr Cove Elementary and Whittell High School.

This is an annual project for the club, spearheaded by long time member Cookie Rork. Literacy is a key goal of the club, and a book bag and book to take home for the summer encourages reading for fun.

Teachers provide the club with individual reading levels of their students and the orders are filled.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - At 10:00 a.m. on September 13, 2015, Garden Valley Fire Department personnel responded to a wildland fire in the community of Greenwood in western El Dorado County, on Highway 193 between Cool and Georgetown. Upon arrival they found a residence still smoldering, but burned to the ground.

In the ashes were found the charred remains of Adam Buchanan, 38, his fiancée Molly McAffe, 37, and their 8-year-old son Gavin Buchanan. All three were shot before the cabin was burned down.

In an ever more vitriolic, self-centered and money hungry culture, the magnificent moments appear to be farther and fewer between. However, in Tahoe, a constant bright spot has been found over the past several years with Ms. Lisa Maloff’s numerous charitable donations. Illustrated by the exhaustive list below, it is overwhelming to envision the impact she has had on our little community. And, while most would argue that the money has all the power to change everything, I disagree.

Lisa Maloff, the South Shore philanthropist responsible for millions of dollars being distributed throughout the community, has donated $100,000 to Tahoe-Douglas Rotary Club.

The funds will go to the club's efforts to strengthen the South Shore of Lake Tahoe Community and improve humanity world-wide.

"We're honored that Ms. Maloff trusts our Club with her generous donation," said Club President Ashley Colvin. "We're already making plans to put the donation to good use through the ongoing service and support that we provide to our local community throughout the year."

The Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra Club awarded $14,600 in scholarships and awards Thursday, recognizing students from South Tahoe Middle School, South Tahoe High School, Mt. Tallac High School and Whittell High School.

George Whittell High School Most Improved 8th Graders

Sokhna Ndoye and Aidain Walker

South Tahoe Middle School Most Improved 8th Graders

Max Frye and Marlene Lopez Medel

George Whittell High School Most Improved Seniors

Kaitlyn Kjer and Steele Wetterer

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) held the annual awards ceremony Thursday, honoring the retirement of K9 Tara, the promotion of Jeff Roberson to Sergeant, awards for bravery and for service.

The celebration was started with the National Anthem sung by South Tahoe High School senior Caroline Krolicki and a presentation of the colors by the department's Honor Guard.

The Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe club awarded students from Lake Tahoe Community College, South Tahoe High and Whittell High School with $21,000 in scholarships during their annual Rewards for Excellence Scholarship program Wednesday.

Those honored:

Lake Tahoe Community College
Hannah Brown
Robert Gutknecht
Mika Klitsch
Farrah Kuenzi
Jennifer Lenches
Tristy Medina
Morgan Montoya
Thorne Saunders
Kathryn Spence
Lakin Smith
Kyle Sullivan

South Tahoe High School - Ivone Larsen AVID awards
Briana Alamilla
Halle Alvarez

The Barton Foundation will be awarding $50,000 in grant funding to improve community health. As part of Barton Health’s commitment to community health and collaboration, this annual grant cycle provides funding for programs and services that positively impact the health of the local community. Applications are being accepted through May 31, 2018.

Grant criteria and the application can be found online at bartonhealth.org/grants, and for more information contact Marty Chartraw at 530.543.5784.

The students at South Tahoe High School (STHS) hosted their first Mental Health Faire on campus for both students and staff during school on Monday, May 7.

A new club on campus started by the El Dorado County chapter of The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) organized the event, bringing the community and school together to help reduce the stigma of mental illness. Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) in the U.S. experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life.

The Tahoe-Douglas Rotary Club held their annual Community Heroes Awards luncheon at the MontBleu Resort on Friday, April 27. In the past the club has honored firefighters, law enforcement and dispatch employees. This year, the awards went to local teachers from five schools: Whittell High School, South Tahoe High School, South Tahoe Middle School, Bijou Community School, Sierra House Elementary and Zephyr Cove Elementary.

Whittell High School: The winner is Susan Van Doren who has taught Engligh and Computer Science. She has taught for 20 years.

The annual joint board meeting with the Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) and Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) to discuss common goal strategies was held Tuesday, will innovative programs and successes highlighted.

Many people donate both money and auction items to the Soroptimist of Tahoe Sierra club for their annual Elegant Evening which occurs on Saturday, April 21. What many don't know is where those donations go. There was question recently in the community about donations, so the club wanted to clear up any misunderstandings.

The club recently created a diagram to better explain where each penny goes as they don't have must left over funds after they issue scholarships, grants and other forms of financial support.

Last year’s Elegant Evening funds went to provide:

The community is invited to join the Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra (SITS) club for an evening of live music, great food, drinks and friends at the 29th annual Elegant Evening will be held at Harrah's Tahoe on Saturday, April 21, 2018.

The evening's festivities start with a 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. cocktail party and social time, moving to a seated dinner from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and dancing all night with Trey Stone until 10:30 p.m.

Guests will enjoy selective tastings from Crystal Basin Cellars, Tahoe Blue Vodka, Lake Tahoe AleWorx and Double Bond Wine.

In South Lake Tahoe, the name Lisa Maloff is synonymous with philanthropy. She has earned the name "Angel of Tahoe" through her large donations, including $10 million to Barton Memorial Hospital for their new Robert Maloff Center of Excellence (Wellness and Sports Performance Center) and $5.8 million to Lake Tahoe Community College for the Lisa Maloff University Center. To date, Mrs. Maloff has donated $35 million in the past four years.

Douglas County has announced the hiring of a new assistant county manager to replace Bradley Hurley who left in October, 2017 after holding the position for just four days.

Jenifer Davidson, a Douglas High graduate, has been hired at a salary of $114,920.

In January, 2018, the County accepted applications for the job. The salary range is $100,796 - $151,195 and requires one to be not only an effective leader, they must be team-oriented with effective interpersonal skills and highly motivated with seven years of public administration or business management experience.

David Alan McClure passed away from multiple organ failure at Renown Hospital on February 24, 2018.

He was the first born child of Charles and Florence Engstrom McClure in Martinez, Calif., on October 7, 1050. Soon after, they moved to San Francisco, they lived in the student housing quonset huts while Charles got his teaching degree. Four years later they moved to San Anselmo, in Marin County, where the family lived in an Asian pagoda style home until 2016.

This letter was sent to South Tahoe Now. We will be running all three "Letters to the Editor" received on the subject at the same time.

To Our Community,

It is with great disappointment that Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe has been informed its partnership with Edgewood Tahoe, during the annual American Century Celebrity Golf Tournament, has come to an end.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The three member visiting accreditation committee from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) finished up their review at South Tahoe High School (STHS) today, parting with very positive comments about their experience.

"It is amazing what I've seen in two years," said Cheryl Townsend, Director of The Reach School in Sebastapol, Calif., and the only member of the accreditation team that originally reviewed the school in 2016. "There is a great level of intensity and quality at this school, give yourselves a hand."

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The student body, teachers, staff of South Tahoe High School and community members came together Wednesday to be part of the National School Walkout and March For Our Lives, events held across the country one month after 17 students died in Parkland, Florida when a fellow student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

A South Tahoe Middle School student was arrested after allegedly making threats to bring a gun to the school's dance Friday night and harm students.

Officers from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) made contact with the young man at his home. The residence was searched and at this time it is believed that he did not have access to any firearms.

Due to the nature of the threats, and the number of other students who were placed in fear by them, the male juvenile was arrested and booked into the El Dorado County Juvenile Treatment Center on Criminal Threats, a felony.

Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe honored three local women as winners of their annual Violet Richardson, Live Your Dream and Ruby Awards.

Chase International recently welcomed Jonathan Szendrey to its South Lake Tahoe, Califoria office. With years of experience in selling some of Lake Tahoe’s finest properties, backed with a career in finance and economics, Jonathan Szendrey is ready to apply his expertise to help buyers and sellers alike throughout the Lake Tahoe region.

Location

Rudolph M. Pakes Sr, 91, passed away peacefully and with grace in his home on February 14, 2018 his family by his side.

Rudy was born on June 4, 1926 in Belle Valley, Ohio. His parents Andrew Pakes and Susan Krempasky immigrated from what was then Czechoslovakia for the promise of the “American Dream.” They met and married in Belle Valley, where Andrew worked in the coalmines. Rudy had 5 brothers and 3 sisters. He had a wonderful childhood in Ohio, all of his siblings attended K-12 in a one-room schoolhouse.

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) is looking ahead to the summer road construction season by accepting applications for paid summer internships through Feb. 28.

The internships provide on-the-job training in civil and environmental engineering, including roadway and bridge design, construction, hydraulics, materials, as well as traffic engineering, environmental stewardship and highway project administration, maintenance and storm water management.

The internships take place May through August 2018 and pay up to $18 per hour, depending on education and experience.