Fresh start for Pahrump students as school year begins

Hundreds of K-12 students in the Nye County School District headed back to classes on Monday for the start of the 2019-2020 school year. The Pahrump area schools welcomed more than 4,000 students with over 300 in Beatty and Amargosa.

Dozens of children and parents lined up early at J.G. Johnson Elementary School in Pahrump on Monday.

“The kids are really excited to go back to school,” Pahrump mother Melissa Mevis said, standing out front waiting for the doors to open at J.G. Johnson.

Mevis said she has twins, and she’ll be putting them in the same class together. Mevis has a daughter, Elli, and her son is Eli. They’re both entering third grade for the 2019-20 school year.

“They’ve never been in the same class, but I put them in the same class, so she can help him out,” Mevis said.

One Pahrump mother, Kyndell Peer-Worrell, was dropping off her daughter off for her first day of kindergarten at J.G. Johnson.

“The first day of school is always hectic,” Peer-Worrell said.

Peer-Worrell moved to the Pahrump area in March from California.

Peer-Worrell’s mother, Anita Peer, waiting with her daughter at J.G. Johnson, was the first to discover Pahrump.

“I drove through the town one day and just fell in love,” Anita Peer said.

“It’s a beautiful, nice, close-knit, country-like town,” Peer said. “It’s not all hectic like Las Vegas.”

The children at J.G. Johnson were greeted by a group of volunteers from the Trinity Assembly of God church in Pahrump.

The volunteer group of roughly eight held up signs stating “You Belong Here!” and “We’re so Happy You’re Here!”

Organizers said the group came out to get the kids excited about school.

Pastor Gary Senff from Trinity church was also there greeting children on their first day at school at J.G. Johnson.

The church also donated gift cards from Walmart to teachers at J.G. Johnson to help them purchase school supplies, organizers said.

As of Monday, the Nye school district had a count of 4,044 students in Pahrump schools with 312 for Beatty and Amargosa Valley. The overall district had a student count of 5,021 students, which includes northern and southern Nye County.

Beatty and Amargosa Valley will start their four-day-school week during the 2019-20 school year.

The Nye County Sheriff’s Office put a release out to remind drivers “about some traffic safety concerns regarding school bus safety,” a video release on Friday stated. “Slow down,” the release stated. “Watch for children walking in the street, especially in areas without sidewalks. Be alert. Watch for children playing or congregating near school bus stops.”

“Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic,” the release stated.

The release went on to state that red flashing lights indicate that children are about to get on and off the bus.

“Do not ever attempt to pass a bus whose flashing signal light is activated,” the release stated.

New information app

The Nye County School District built an app to relay information about news and events at district schools.

The app can be found in the Apple App Store and at Google Play. Search Nye County School District in either one of these stores.

School lunch for all

According to a release from Pahrump Valley High School, “The entire Nye school district, except Warm Springs and Duckwater, will participate in the Community Eligibility Provision program.”

The CEP (Community Eligibility Provision) program allows all students attending Nye County School District schools to receive free breakfast and lunch each school day,” a release stated. “There are no applications or forms to be filled out.”

“A significant part of this grant is the ability to partner with Great Basin College to offer free college courses through dual enrollment which can lead to students receiving an associate’s degree along with a high school diploma,” a news release from Pahrump Valley High School stated.

Pahrump Valley High School

In Pahrump Valley High School’s release, it was stated that “in order to promote student and staff safety, in conjunction with district leadership,” the high school has chosen to continue to be a closed campus for freshman and sophomore students and add juniors to the list.

“Seniors will continue to have the option to leave during the lunch period due to reduced schedules, school to work opportunities, as well as the opportunity to take multiple courses at Great Basin College through dual enrollment,” the release stated. “The reduced volume of students leaving the school for the 30-minute lunch period will significantly reduce the potential of traffic incidents in and around the school and in the community.”

A recent independent safety audit for the Nye County School District was conducted, according to the release.

“After a recent independent safety audit for the district, it was determined a single point of entrance would significantly improve school safety,” the release stated. “This also entails securing the multiple entry points throughout the building.”

The high school’s release continued: “Another significant advantage with the closed campus model is the anticipated reduction of truancy and tardiness after lunch, which has been historically one of our highest frequency times.”

For more, contact Pahrump Valley High School at 775-727-7737.

The new principal at the high school is George Campnell.

Contact reporter Jeffrey Meehan at jmeehan@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @MeehanLv