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The Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) and Sierra Nevada College (SNC) partnership now offers bachelor's degrees in Global Business Management, Ski Business Resort Management, Psychology, and Elementary Education. All classes are taught on the the LTCC campus in South Lake Tahoe.

Courses are offered at the discounted tuition rate of $382 per credit. Already and student and want to transfer? Transfer your credits and pay only for the courses you need to graduate. Total upper-level tuition as low as $17,190 and Federal Student Aid is available to eligible applicants.

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) didn't give South Tahoe High and the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) the results expected after a WASC accreditation team visited South Lake Tahoe in the Spring of 2016.

Instead of an expected six-year term they received a two-year accreditation which goes through June of 2018. On March 19 and 20 of that year a team of educators will return to the campus and evaluate recommended changes.

"I love Tahoe," Olympic Gold medalist Kristen Armstrong said as she greeted South Tahoe Middle School (STMS) students on Wednesday. "You're lucky to have the mountains and the lake."

Armstrong, a four-time Olympian and three-time gold medalist stopped by two South Lake Tahoe schools (South Tahoe Middle School and Sierra House Elementary) to meet with students and deliver a message.

Members of the California Teacher's Association (CTA) and California Federation of Teachers (CFT) across the state brought out the posters and wore red on May 1 to advocate for public education and immigrant students.

South Lake Tahoe teachers joined in and greeted parents and students as they arrived for school Monday, displaying posters and letting students know they all had a right to quality and free public education, and asking all to take the pledge (as seen below).

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. – Mental Health Awareness Month kicks into gear on May 1. Community members and visitors are encouraged to participate in 31 days of challenges, activities, and events to honor their own mental well-being and reduce the misconceptions about mental health.

Local events include:

4th Annual Mental Health Forum
Tuesday, May 9 - 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Student Union at South Tahoe High School

Most places take just one day to officially "Pay it Forward" but one person in the South Lake Tahoe community has made it his goal to cause a ripple effect of kindness through the community for a whole week.

International "Pay it Forward" day is on Friday, April 28 and more than 80 countries and 70 cities across America have made proclamations to join the global initiative and make a difference by creating a huge ripple of kindness across the world. Small acts of kindness, when multiplied by millions of people, can literally change the world for the better.

Western Nevada College (WNC) in Carson City has now made it easier for busy adults to carve out time in their lives to pursue a higher education. They have added a number of classes, degrees and certificates of achievement that students can complete online.

The addition of online offerings enables individuals seeking to advance their education the ability to do so while maintaining their personal commitments to work and/or family.

The South Lake Tahoe community came together early in 2016 to raise money for a new Strength and Conditioning room at South Tahoe High, and the investment is already paying huge dividends.

"This room is changing the culture of our school," said STHS Football Coach Louis Franklin. "Having a room like this allows each kid to reach their genetic potential."

Student athletes are getting stronger, injuries are down and they are able to maximize their potential on the court, the field, the pool, or whatever the venue is for their sport. Cheerleaders and dancers also utilize the facility.

A collaboration between the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) and Lake Tahoe Community College District (LTCC) will soon make it possible for South Tahoe High School (STHS) students to graduate with an AA degree at the same time they get their diploma.

It all starts with an expansion to the three current dual enrollment classes this fall.

By taking these classes, STHS students receive both high school and college credit for successfully passing designated courses, at no cost, possibly saving families tens of thousands of dollars for two years of college.

This story has been updated 3/16/17.

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) Board formally accepted the resignation of Chad Houck, the principal of South Tahoe High during their Tuesday night meeting, though word of the upcoming change in leadership had been circulating for weeks.

"Chad will be seeking other opportunities," said LTUSD Superintendent Dr. Jim Tarwater.

The popular principal has received a lot of support from parents, the community and staff.

Lake Tahoe Unified School District is holding a series of workshops for parents in the community where they can find support both personally and academically.

On Wednesday, March 9 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., all parents are invited to attend the "Helping Parent s ADVANCE Workshop" in the South Tahoe High Student Union.

As the parents participate, there will be free childcare and free K-8 tutoring available, as well as free food, prizes and more.

"When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning,

A 12-year-old student was arrested on Thursday evening after making threats to bring a gun to Carson Valley Middle School on Friday February 17 and “shoot up the school.”

At 7:00 p.m. Thursday, February 16, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office received a call after a concerned parent intercepted the threatening message sent to their child. Deputies responded to the Indian Hills residence of the reporting party and met with the parent to examine the phone in which the threat was received.

During the last meeting of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board of Trustees, discussion about neighborhood schools and theme schools surrounded the proposed STEAM Academy at Al Tahoe Elementary when it reopens. STEAM - science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics - would be the focus of all students at the school, much as the themes surround all other local elementary schools.

At the request of the board, LTUSD Superintendent Dr. Jim Tarwater will present the demographic data from each school in relation to where they reside.

A year can pass very quickly. Just ask Samantha Byassee and Karrina Ferris, who were crowned Miss Carson City and Miss Carson City Outstanding Teen, respectively, in 2016.

One year later, the two reigning local titleholders in the Miss America organization turned their crowns over to the 2017 winners Saturday night on stage in the Bob Boldrick Theater at the Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William Street in Carson City.

"Savor every moment, because a year will go by so fast," Ferris said in her farewell speech to the waiting contestants.

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) wants families to know that, no matter what their immigration status is, South Lake Tahoe schools are a safe zone and all students are provided access to education.

Community members spoke before LTUSD trustees Tuesday, showing their support for all families and students in the district in light of President Trump's focus on immigrants. They asked the Board to take a strong and public stance against hate and to openly proclaim schools to be safe for all students, no matter their color, religion, nationality or immigration status.

After an outpouring of support from the community, Lake Tahoe Community College's Theater Arts program will continue as its vitality is evaluated and its future determined with the help of a community based task force.

7:25 p.m. update Sunday - A second evacuation site has been set up at South Tahoe Middle School in the Multi-Purpose Room. It will accommodate pets and is staffed by the City of South Lake Tahoe staff and South Tahoe Action Team volunteers.

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The City of South Lake Tahoe and American Red Cross have opened an evacuation center at South Tahoe High School in the school's student union.

It is located at 1735 Lake Tahoe Boulevard. The Recreation Swim Complex is not available as an evacuation center due to flooding at that location.

Rosie Borges, known by most in South Lake Tahoe as “Mrs. Rosie” passed away in her sleep on December 24, 2016. She was 87-years-old.

There are many different mediums artists use for their work: clay, paint, pencil, metal and stone just to name a few. For an art project at U.C. Santa Cruz, South Tahoe High grad Daniel Kagan used something many wouldn't have thought of, his brother's mental health records.

A special benefit concert is being held at the Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) Duke Theater on Wednesday, December 14 at 7:00 p.m. to raise money to help a local woman battling aggressive brain cancer.

Students in the school's Rock Ensemble classes will hit the stage for an evening of classic rock n’ roll hits, some gospel, some country, and a little bit of heavy metal to raise funds for the Angie Peart Cancer Fund.

Angie Peart, who herself is a rock student herself, is the wife of the LTCC reprographics/phone operator Bob Peart. She has been battling brain cancer since 2015.

Jeff DeFranco will become the fifth superintendent/president of Lake Tahoe Community College on February 1, 2016, succeeding Dr. Kindred Murillo who is leaving to take the same position at Southwestern College in Chula Vista.

The LTCC Board of Trustees announced their selection at Tuesday's board meeting. DeFranco is currently the school's vice president of administrative services, a job he has held since 2012.

"This is very surreal," DeFranco said as he addressed the trustees after the announcement. "It's a dream come true."

The North Lake Tahoe Visitor Center has run out of Christmas Tree cutting permits, but there are still some available at the Forest Supervisor’s office in South Lake Tahoe, the USFS office in Incline Village and at El Dorado National Forest offices.

Permits cost $10 each with a limit of two per family. They must be purchased in person, are not transferable and are sold on a first come, first serve basis through December 23, if available.

Dr. Kindred Murillo, Superintendent/President of Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC), is a finalist for the same position at Southwestern College (SWC) in Chula Vista.

Murillo and the two other finalists were in Southern California this week to meet with students, faculty and administrators at a public forum on Wednesday. On Monday, December 5, they will have a final interview before the college's governing board.

A passionate crowd of about 90 people attended the first of at least two public meetings on the future of the Theatre Arts program at Lake Tahoe Community College Tuesday evening.

The one thing everyone could agree on is the importance of having live theatre in South Lake Tahoe, but how that theatre and the program supporting it will look in the future is uncertain. Will it be a community based theatre, or will it continue to be a college run program?