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South Tahoe High School is still an accredited school. That was the message given during Tuesday's meeting of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board of Trustees as staff updated them on their ongoing efforts to hit the targets set for the next visit by Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC) in March of 2018.

Several parents have voiced their concerns that students aren't getting in the colleges of their choice due to the school's status.

Just as it had during most of the 2017 high school ski season, the Tahoe Basin State Championships held in South Lake Tahoe happened in the midst of a major snow storm.

Both days of events were switched to Sierra-at-Tahoe who kept the lifts running long enough for the student athletes to finish the slalom (SL) and grand slalom (GS) races.

South Tahoe High's girls team came in first in the slalom and third in the grand slalom, and the boys team took third in both races.

The students at Mt. Tallac High School in South Lake Tahoe have learned how to give back to others in their community, and not in the normal food and money drive way.

What started last year with a rap song to raise funds for Christmas Cheer and now morphed into an annual project where more students can be involved in making a community-wide impact.

"As a school we chose people and organizations to give to," said school Principal Holly Greenough. "Since most of our students don't have the means to donate food and money we showed alternative ways they can give back."

Lake Tahoe-based Weidinger Public Relations was recognized with three awards for various campaigns at the Public Relations Society of America, Sierra Nevada Chapter Silver Spikes Awards, Nov. 17 at the Whitney Peak Hotel in Reno.

Weidinger PR received awards for each of its three entries: one Silver Spike and two Awards of Excellence.

The firm won the Silver Spike award in the category, Special Events and Observances, 1 or 2 Days, for their planning of the Edgewood Tahoe Lodge groundbreaking.

School physical education at one time was full of jumping jacks, sit ups, pull ups and push ups. Today's physical education at schools has taken on a whole new focus, and Sierra House Elementary in South Lake Tahoe is being honored for what they do on a daily basis.

The school received recognition for their outstanding efforts in creating an active school environment under First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative, Her plan is dedicated to ensuring 60 minutes of physical activity a day is the norm in K-12 schools.

Millions of visitors and most residents interact with Lake Tahoe from the shoreline, and a plan is currently being created to protect it while also enhancing recreational access to the lake.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is inviting people to attend an upcoming community workshop on Thursday, November 3 to share input and ideas and help guide the creation of a Shoreline Plan. The workshop is open to the public and will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the TRPA offices in Stateline at 128 Market Street.

The students and staff of Mt. Tallac High School completed their annual trek to the top of their namesake, Mt. Tallac.

Principal Holly Greenough said she wanted to thank John Marchini of South Tahoe Refuse and Steve and Mo Froyum for once again preparing and providing a "delicious lunch" for the hikers. Mo prepared burritos with all the fixings and snack bags for each student. John, Steve and two students, Carlos Lopez and Jaime Salas, carried the food 2 miles up to Cathedral Lake for everyone to enjoy.

Author Frank Tortorich will speak on his book, John A. “Snowshoe” Thompson, Pioneer Mail Carrier of the Sierra in a free presentation at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Sunday, September 25, at 10:00 am.

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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - The students at Tahoe Valley Elementary School are enjoying the fruits of many volunteers' labors as the new greenhouse, Tranquil Garden, climbing stumps and outdoor learning areas have been completed and officially dedicated.

Principal Christina Grubbs gathered staff, parents and community members prior to last week's Back to School Night to thank all who took part in the projects, and to show off what the kids now get to enjoy.

"This is a labor of love for all to enjoy," said Grubbs.

The owner of Advanced Financial Services (AFS) in Placerville pleaded guilty to filing more than 250 false claims for refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) along with two of her employees. They all face large fines and years in jail.

The beginning of the school can be as hectic for parents as it is for kids due to the amount of paperwork to fill out and items to be purchased. Much of the class time on those first few days is filled with teachers collected those completed forms, sending kids to purchase gym clothes, school pictures, check out Chrome Books, and more. For the first time, both South Tahoe High and South Tahoe Middle Schools are holding "KickStart" day on Thursday, August 25 to alleviate some of those tasks. There will be a series of stations for students and parents to navigate through.

The interim Douglas County Manager, Larry Werner, just signed a contract to stay on board until December, 2017.

A contract for professional services with BHC Consultants, LLC for services provided by Werner was unanimously approved by the Douglas County Commission during their public meeting on August 4, 2016.

The contract will remain the same at a fixed cost of $14,333 per month with a $700 per month car allowance.

Former Sierra Sands school superintendent Anthony J. “Tony” Magliari passed away at his home in Ridgecrest, California, on June 14, 2016, at the age of 85. Born in Los Angeles on October 5, 1930, Magliari, the son of an Italian immigrant, graduated in 1948 from George Washington High School, where he served as student body president. While attending Los Angeles City College Magliari enlisted in the United States Air Force Reserve and was called into active duty during the Korean War in 1951.

Ryann and Morgan Canfield were recognized during Tuesday's Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board meeting for their commitment to achieving perfect attendance as students.

Ryann, and eighth grader at South Tahoe Middle School, has missed just one day of school in her life, and that was one day in kindergarten so she has eight consecutive years of perfect attendance. Her sister, Morgan, a fifth grader at Tahoe Valley Elementary has had perfect attendance throughout her six-year (to-date) school career, including a year of transitional kindergarten.

Are you a South Lake Tahoe area business owner or manager? If so, Mt. Tallac High School could use a few minutes of your time. Principal Holy Greenough would like you to talk to the students about interview skills, employment expectations and the job market. They prefer to schedule speakers on Fridays between 10:25 a.m. and 10:55 a.m.

There is no obligation to offer employment, Greenough just want her students to have an understanding of how to navigate in a work environment and what employers are looking for when they interview.

An 18-year-old South Tahoe High School student was arrested on campus Friday for bringing a knife to school.

"There was no immediate threat to our students thanks to vigilance of school personnel," said STHS Principal Chad Houck.

The student was booked into El Dorado County Jail on a felony charge of bringing a weapon to school. He has since been released. His bail had been set at $10,000 but it is unknown what he posted.

A packed house at MontBleu Resort Saturday night witnessed ten local celebrity couples dancing for the ultimate prize, the mirror ball trophy, during Tahoe Art's Project annual Dancing With the Tahoe Stars fundraiser.

After a few weeks of practicing with their trained professional partner, the celebrities put on an entertaining show that brought out the cheers and applause, and lots of money for the non-profit.

South Tahoe High's Principal Chad Houck made a phone call to parents last week, warning them of the increased use (and subsequent detection) among teens of what is known as "vaping."

Vaping is to "inhale and exhale the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device." The devices are vaporizers, and what goes inside them became popular as a way to cut back on smoking cigarettes starting in 2007, but a 2014 Science News study showed that vaping did not boost quit rates.

"Chasing Shadows," the most recent Warren Miller ski film will be shown at the theater at South Tahoe High on Friday, January 29, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. Besides the movie there will also be a silent auction featuring custom skis, a hotel stay, ski boots, Sierra-at-Tahoe lift tickets and STHS Alpine Ski Team sweatshirts. The public is invited and tickets are $15.00 per person.

The epic ski movie showing is a fundraiser for the Tahoe Basin Ski League leading STHS Vikings. There will also be ski industry vendors in the lobby prior to the movie to talk to the public.

The El Dorado County Board of Education has promoted one of its own to the top job, one that has been vacant since the November, 2015 resignation of Jeremy Meyers.

Dr. Ed Manansala became the new superintendent Tuesday, moving up from his position as Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services, one he'd held since June of 2013.

By school day, he's the leader on the hill at South Tahoe High School, but by night, he's leading the field of American custom builders of monoskis.

"He" is Chad Houck, second year principal at STHS. Houck was recently featured in his second Warren Miller ski movie, this time in "Chasing Shadows." His first Miller highlight was in 2006 when his monoskiing was in "Off the Grid."

El Dorado County schools chief Jeremy Meyers was arrested Thursday for the second time in five months for allegedly driving under the influence, this time after he crashed his truck into a utility box at 2 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

Meyers, 45, allegedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.15 percent or more, a threshold approaching twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent, according to the CHP. Authorities did not provide his exact blood alcohol level.

A mother bear and her three cubs visited the campus of South Tahoe High on Monday, causing some excitement. Students said they saw the momma bear sit down while her cubs were playing around.

Nobody was ever in danger and the bears left several minutes after arriving.

The school contacted El Dorado County Animal Control for guidance in handling the situation. The School Resource Officer Andy Eissinger was on campus so they told Animal Control they didn't need to respond as there was no danger.

Decisions made in Congress over the next few months may well determine the extent to which Lake Tahoe remains blue and clear, with healthy forests, resilient watersheds, and its ecology protected from the threat of new aquatic invasive species.

For two decades, the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) has provided guidance for the shared investments made by our federal, state and local governments, homeowners, and businesses to restore and protect Tahoe’s unique environmental qualities and enhance its diverse public recreation opportunities.