By Kathryn Reed

Retirement is not a place Dennis Crabb wants to rush to. Instead, the long-time municipal attorney is easing into it.

In June he will have given up all his lawyerly responsibilities except for attorney for Truckee and Happy Homestead Cemetery District.

Dennis Crabb

He is phasing out his job as counsel for Sutter Creek, Clean Tahoe, Tahoe Resource Conservation District, and Tahoe Transportation District. A request for proposal for an attorney for TTD will go out May 14.

Crabb is also wrapping up work for his private clients.

The 62-year-old moved to South Lake Tahoe in 1978 after spending the first five years out of law school as a deputy city attorney in Monterey. He was city attorney for South Lake Tahoe from 1979-95.

“I’ve been trying to cutback for the last two years,” Crabb said. “No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get below 30 hours a week. You get to the point in your career where you’ve been doing this long enough that it’s time to go have some fun.”

He and his wife, Pat, are ready to explore the world some more. She retired from the South Lake Tahoe branch of the El Dorado County Library two years ago. In September they will be spending three weeks in China.

“We have a whole list of things on the bucket list we both want to do,” Crabb said.

Now they split their time between South Lake Tahoe and Reno. Their home in the Del Webb community makes winters more tolerable. There they have joined the symphony and museum. Pilates and Zumba are regular activities.

“I don’t see ever leaving Tahoe permanently. The community has been very good to me,” Crabb said. “I love a lot of things about it. It would be hard to not be there.”

He along with a handful of other people was instrumental in forming the Tahoe Tallac Association. Crabb was on the board for 20 years, serving as president twice.

He also served a term as president of the former South Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce.

Crabb was attorney for South Tahoe when redevelopment was in its infancy – when the Ski Run Boulevard parcel was in bankruptcy and Heavenly Village was initially being talked about.

“I’m proud when I drive around South Lake Tahoe and recognize a lot of good things in South Lake Tahoe that would not have happened without all of my battle scars,” Crabb said.

He calls Truckee, where he has been the town attorney since 1994 when it incorporated, a special place with a philosophy that reflects that uniqueness.

Crabb has also been an integral player in the Sierra Business Council, though not in recent years. He credits SBC for instilling in other agencies the belief that “the environment and economics in the Sierra are not mutually exclusive, they are the same thing.”

He likes looking around and seeing that philosophy taking root throughout the Sierra.

Crabb expects to be fully retired in two years.

“What I have discovered is the people who successfully retire are the ones who transition into it. They gradually work less and gradually fill their time with other activities so when the move finally comes there is no gap,” Crabb said. “I’ve been blessed. I’ve had opportunities beyond my wildest imagination.”

By Claire Fortier

How could the South Tahoe Public Utilities District justify a 4 percent increase when the economy of South Lake Tahoe has flat lined?

That was the question asked by a half dozen people who addressed the STPUD board during its public hearing Thursday night. The board answered by directing STPUD staff to present a budget based on a hike of just 2 percent at its May 20 meeting at 2pm.

About 30 people filled the utility district’s board room for more than two hours.

“We need to be active about replacing our water and our sewer line, but this is not the right time for a 4 percent increase,” board Chairman Dale Rise said. “Cutting that hike down the middle will give staff the tools they need to do their jobs without severely impacting our ratepayers.”

The board’s decision to reduce the rate hike was as much a shout out to STPUD’s staff, which found more than $8 million in grant funding and $19.6 million in low interest state loans to cover critical capital improvement costs, as it was to the public’s outcry over rising rates.

“Can you justify 4 percent? Yes,” Ken Curtzwiler, a candidate last year for the STPUD board, told the elected officials. “But is it the right thing to do? Overall, the rate increase is not much compared to other people around the lake who are paying as much as 77 percent more. But when the entire community is down 15 percent, how can you justify going up at all?”

Driving the rate hikes is an extensive $136 million, 10-year capital improvement program that is top heavy with projects in the first two years. Many of those projects are being paid out of federal stimulus funds.

Topping the list for STPUD is replacing the Headworks, the 1950’s structure through which all the district’s wastewater flows. “This structure is in bad shape and deteriorating rapidly,” said Paul Sciuto, STPUD’s assistant general manager.

Replacing and maintaining the district’s 336 miles of pipelines inside the Tahoe basin and the 26 miles of export line outside the basin, as well as the 44 pumping stations is a “massive investment of infrastructure,” Sciuto said. Almost 150,000 feet of line within the basin is undersized and must be replaced for adequate fire protection. Another 180,000 feet of recently replaced pipe may have to be redone if a whistle-blower prevails in a national lawsuit over bad PVC pipe.

“If we had used the industry rule of thumb,” board member Jim Jones, “we should have increased our revenues $16 (million) to $32 million a year. We are only putting in about one-third of what we should be.”

In addition to federal stimulus money, STPUD has benefited from lower contractor bids on major projects and internal cost-cutting measures.

None of the additional revenue generated by a rate hike will go toward staff salaries or benefits. And the district anticipates no additional staffing for five years.

Despite no increase in salaries or benefits for staff in the immediate future, several members of the audience called for staff cuts or furloughs.

“Four percent, it’s not much, but it’s a lot to me and many others in this community,” Jake Jacobs said. “I have taken a major hit to my income. Maybe it’s time the employees in the district share that pain as well.”

Rise said, “The way our contracts are with our staff, there is a zero percent increase. But no increase in rates in not the right and prudent thing to do because we need to maintain our water and sewer lines. It will be much more expensive down the road if we do nothing now.”

Jonnie Crawford questioned whether it’s possible to wait on some of these projects until the economy starts to improve.

Board member Eric Shafer pointed out that with the stimulus money if it’s not spent now, the money is lost.

Much of the money STPUD receives from the state and federal governments requires matching dollars from the district.

More than one person pointed out that if the infrastructure is not fixed now, it will cost more down the line.

By Kathryn Reed

As the economy sputters, a new phrase could be coined – fly and dash.

Lake Tahoe Airport has seen an increase in the number of pilots gassing up without paying, as well as shunning the landing fees.

“I attribute it to the economy,” Michael Golden, who operates Mountain West Aviation, told Lake Tahoe News.

Lake Tahoe Airport is losing money with pilots not paying for fuel. Photo/Kathryn Reed

At the Airport Commission meeting in April, Golden talked a bit about what is going on with payments. He did not provide Lake Tahoe News a figure for how much his business and the city have lost because of people not paying their bills.

Because the South Lake Tahoe airport is not set up for a pilot to swipe a credit card payment is not immediate for gas. Mountain West Aviation fuel trucks go to the plane and fill it up. Often times a pilot orders the gas the day they arrive, then don’t pay when they leave a couple days later.

“We can’t call the police and have them chase them. They are in the air,” Golden told LTN days after the meeting.

However, the airport could track a pilot down by the tail number and have the FAA get involved as well as put a lien on the plane. The tail number could be used to find out where the plane landed, too. Tracking down the pilot is not the course the city is currently taking.

One pilot told Lake Tahoe News that fuel is the cheapest part of flying.

Even though pilots have to go from the tarmac through the Mountain West building they are walking by without paying and the employees are not able to get them to do so.

The same goes with paying the landing fee – which is about $30 for a turbo prop and can be $200 for a larger multi-million dollar airplane.

Golden’s employees are responsible for collecting the fees and then giving them to the city. In fiscal year 2008-09 the airport collected $39,180.11 in landing fees. For the first seven months of this fiscal year $11,890.31 in landing fees has been paid.

Lake Tahoe Airport is the only airport in the region – including Reno and Sacramento – to charge a landing fee. No general aviation airport in the Bay Area charges a landing fee, Golden said.

Golden said the non-payers represent a cross-section of pilots, though primarily it’s the mid-size, business-oriented flyer not paying.

He said the airport traffic was steady all winter, with numbers of landings increasing. More charter flights came in because the weather was fine for them, but not for smaller planes with different visual regulations.

“If you take the airport out of the equation, you remove a couple hundred thousand visits to the basin,” Golden said.

South Lake Tahoe Finance Director Christine Vuletich discussed nothing about the airport’s situation at the April 27 mid-year budget review with the City Council.

The city’s expenses are exceeding its revenues, which required the council to trim $1.47 million from the general fund budget. To cover expenses, the council tapped into four reserve accounts and deferred payment from the Redevelopment Agency to the city – despite they are all city accounts and taxpayer money. The RDA is still paying the general fund account the $7.2 million it raided unknowingly from taxpayers to complete the Heavenly Village project.

For the second year in a row Vuletich and her well-staffed department have been wrong about how much hotel tax would be collected. This, along with property and sales tax are the three major revenue sources for South Lake Tahoe.

Transient occupancy tax is off by 8 percent from projections or $135,770; sales tax is off by 9 percent or $235,336.

In the redevelopment area, which has a higher TOT, the hotel tax is 10 percent less than budgeted and property tax increment is 1 percent higher than anticipated.

The 911 fee of $540,000 is still at-risk. (Click here to read more about that.) The council has yet to be briefed on the situation by the city attorney.

Another blow came Tuesday when a Sacramento Superior Court judge ruled the state can take $2 billion from local redevelopment agencies. This will be a more than $2 million hit to South Lake Tahoe’s bottom line; something that was not addressed with the city’s mid-year budget revision.

The council approved the revised budget on a 5-0 vote. But it was noted the actions taken are one-time solutions to an ongoing problem. The council did not rule out putting more people on the unemployment lines. The unemployment rate in South Lake Tahoe is 17.7 percent.

By Kathryn Reed

In less than an hour and with a split vote, the South Lake Tahoe City Council on Tuesday declared 20 percent of the city blighted in order to create a redevelopment area that encompasses 3,100 acres.

State law requires an area be deemed blighted before creating a redevelopment area. With the latest area encompassing most of the Y to Herbert Street, it means the majority of town is blighted because most of the parcels from Ski Run Boulevard to the state line are in a redevelopment area.

The redevelopment area is in blue.

It was a 3-1-1 vote, with Councilman Bill Crawford voting no and Councilman Hal Cole recusing himself because he owns property in the area. Even though Councilman Bruce Grego’s law office is in the area, he can vote because he is on a month-to-month lease with his landlord.

Crawford took issue with approving the environmental documents, questioning how a negative declaration can be determined without knowing the projects that might be brought forward. He also has issues with calling the whole town blighted.

Since the April redevelopment meeting, a flurry of letters and emails have been sent back and forth between the city and its two major opponents – South Tahoe Public Utility District and El Dorado County. Those entities believe they will be shortchanged on property tax dollars when the tax increment becomes effective.

The county asked the city to delay the decision. The city believes the county has had ample time to voice its concerns, including at a two-hour meeting where the city presented its position to the Board of Supervisors.

The property tax these entities receive is frozen instead of going up 2 percent each year. The city’s Redevelopment Agency gets that money.

South Lake Tahoe believes it will generate $178 million in tax increment in the 45 years the project will be on the books.

The issue was brought back to the council because in April the panel voted to shrink the area. The Planning Commission put the kibosh on that idea, though the council has the ultimate authority. The council reversed course from last month to include the entire area except for the handful of parcels the county says are theirs.

“This is an important day for our community,” Mayor Kathay Lovell said. “(This is) so we can rebuild our tired little town.”

Councilman Jerry Birdwell asked city staff for the May 18 meeting to come up with ways to show the public how redevelopment can work and to possibly assist areas like the Y and Harrison Avenue with developing business improvement districts like his street — Ski Run Boulevard — has done.

The other item on the agenda Tuesday was to review the annual report for the Ski Run BID and keep it going for another year. Birdwell and Cole recused themselves from the vote. Crawford abstained even though he didn’t make any comments about the issue.

City Attorney Patrick Enright said the vote was sufficient for the matter before the council, but added three votes would be needed for approval of any matter in the future that involves spending money.

By Kathryn Reed

When Kingsbury Middle School closed two years ago no one thought it would re-open. That thinking was solidified with the approval of Douglas County School District’s facilities master plan.

The plan that was OK’d by the board in April calls for getting rid of the Stateline parcel or at a minimum lease the property.

Declining enrollment at Lake Tahoe forced the district to go from three schools at the lake to two in fall 2008. For a variety of reasons KMS was picked as the school to close.

At the time John Soderman was superintendent of the district and he was talking to Douglas County about using the school in some capacity. Now that Soderman is the interim superintendent of the district those talks have resumed with current County Manager Michael Brown.

“The idea at this time is maybe to lease the building,” Soderman said. “It serves us to have somebody in it. It would be good for a senior center. It has a cooking facility, classrooms, all the computer wiring, a gym for activities. It could be an expanded library because there is plenty of space.”

If a lease were to occur, it’s most likely would be with the county and not a private company or individual. This is because there are state regulations about who could lease such an entity.

A land swap and selling the property are other alternatives. If a swap were to occur, it would most likely be with the county. There is land near Zephyr Cove Elementary and Whittell High schools the district might be interested in acquiring, Soderman said.

A couple real estate agents made inquiries in April about the KMS property.

Nevada law requires the district go through a well mapped-out process in order to sell school property. This includes getting multiple appraisals, seeking bids and being completely transparent. The district could turn down offers for any reason.

DCSD Chief Financial Officer Holly Luna would not put a monetary value on the property because an appraisal has not been done in years. Any money collected from the sale would be deposited in the capital improvement account. It cannot go toward salaries – just capital projects.

All of the projects approved in the 2008 bond will not be covered with those dollars. The idea is selling Kingsbury Middle School would supplement that pot of cash.

“It’s not the building that is worth anything. It’s a prime piece of property at Lake Tahoe,” Luna said.

Soderman said, “I’m guessing just the coverage is worth a fortune.”

With the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency dictating the percentage of a parcel that can be covered, coverage is a huge issue in Lake Tahoe.

Luna said there is minimal cost to the district with KMS closed – keeping the thermostat at 50 degrees, plowing in the winter and having a phone going so it connects to the fire line.

With the second gym opening at Whittell High School this spring, it means the gym at KMS has been padlocked.

Soderman says the district has saved about $1 million a year by closing the Kingsbury Middle School.

By Kathryn Reed

Change. It’s the one constant for students, parents and educators at the lake schools in Douglas County School District.

More change is in the works. One day there will be only one school – a K-12 on the campus of Whittell High School. This won’t happen for several years, but still, just two years ago there were three schools at Lake Tahoe. Kingsbury Middle School closed at the end of the 2007-08 school year. (Read Lake Tahoe News on May 4 to find out what is going on with that property.)

The school board in April approved the facilities master plan. Further consolidation of the lake schools is in phase three, with phase one having not even started. Creating one school to accommodate the shrinking school population is part of that plan.

In the Carson Valley the two middle schools will be consolidated into one. Which school will remain open has not been determined.

At Lake Tahoe, various scenarios were considered, including having Whittell students transfer to South Tahoe or Douglas high schools. The former was nixed because it is in California. The latter was discarded because of travel time and costs associated with that.

However, DCSD Chief Financial Officer Holly Luna and Lake Tahoe Unified School District Superintendent Jim Tarwater have been discussing having Whittell students take classes at STHS.

“It probably would not be full participation. It would allow them to take classes. We’re looking at our specialty classes they couldn’t offer,” Tarwater said.

Those talks are in the initial stages.

One of the issues with small schools like Whittell is the limited number of electives that can be offered.

Because enrollment at DCSD’s lake schools has declined by 50 percent since the peak in 1994-95 of 942 students, something has to be done in terms of housing the students to make it economically feasible.

Between Whittell and Zephyr Cove Elementary there are 454 students. The district projects a yearly decline at the lake to continue at 5 to 6 percent a year. (Enrollment is dropping by about 2 percent a year in the valley.)

“Over time the number will guide us. If we reach 350, it makes since for a K-12,” Luna said. “We don’t want to delay it so long that we don’t have construction and we don’t want to do it too early.”

Her projections are that in the next three to five years the numbers are likely to indicate it’s time to begin serious K-12 discussions, with the talk about construction in year five.

Ultimately, it will be up to the school board how to proceed. But it was the board that decided last month the K-12 scenario is the one to pursue. It will be a future board that decides when that happens.

Like the consolidation of three schools into two and the four-day school week at Whittell, parents and the community will have ample opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns.

The plan is Zephyr Cove Elementary will close because there is more room at WHS and it has classrooms designed to meet the needs of a high school curriculum – like science labs.

Selling the elementary property is not being talked about. First, because of how the property was deeded to the district from the George Whittell estate and secondly, the district anticipates using the soccer fields.

What will happen to the buildings is a big question with no immediate answer. They will not be used in the K-12 configuration.

The footprint of Whittell is not expected to change much – it’s more internal changes that would be needed to accommodate more students and younger grades.

“We’ve had a legacy of three schools there. It’s hard to see that change,” Luna said.

Powerful. Kind-hearted. Loving. Hard-working.

These words are how the daughters of Donald Lee Reed described their father following his death April 28, 2010. Yet, Don was so much more than these simple words.

He began life Dec. 12, 1934, in Sioux City, Iowa, as the eldest son of Ray and Isabell Reed. The family lived in Beresford, S.D. Don’s boyhood was filled with adventures with his siblings Kleo and Howard, and later, with his much younger brother, Tom. The family moved to a variety of places in the Midwest before landing in Rapid City, S.D.

Don Reed

It was in Rapid City that Don met his wife, Cleo. They were high school sweethearts. He was the town boy, she the country girl. They married Aug. 14, 1955.

Don graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines in 1958 with a degree in mining engineering. Don’s high regard for his alma mater was evident for the rest of his life as he encouraged every family member to attend the School of Mines. By the time Don graduated college he and Cleo were expecting their second daughter, Tami. She joined big sister, Jann, right before graduation. A third daughter, Pam, arrived before the family moved from Rapid City.

Don’s work in the construction industry took him and his family all over the country. His career started as an engineer on Minuteman missile sites in North Dakota, which lead to work on the Cape Canaveral Operations Building in Florida, and project manager on metro systems in Boston and Washington, D.C. Youngest daughter, Kae, was born while the family was in Florida. Don’s last career move was to open Donald L. Reed Construction Consultants, using the skills he had obtained to assist others with their construction challenges. He retired in 2007.

Don had a work opportunity to return to California in 1973. Don and Cleo resided in Concord for 34 years and watched as each of their children graduated college and moved away to start their lives. Nurturing his girls as they gained their independence was a source of great pride to Don.

Don and Cleo were introduced to boating and water skiing when the girls were young, which quickly became the favorite family activity. Don loved cars since he was a young man, and although he thought a Cadillac was going to be his ultimate driving machine, once he test drove a BMW, he was hooked. He and Cleo crisscrossed the country multiple times in their BMW visiting their wide circle of family and friends along the way.

Don was involved with the First Presbyterian Church in Concord where he volunteered in the Stephen Ministry – something he continued to do in Paradise at Paradise United Methodist Church.

Don and Cleo moved to Paradise, Calif., in 2007 to be closer to their children in Chico, Redding and South Lake Tahoe. Special trips to Minnesota were made to visit his long-distance daughter. He found ways to make a contribution to his new community by being a volunteer at Feather River Hospital and Butte County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Don believed strongly in helping others.

Don is survived by his wife, Cleo Reed; daughter Jann Reed and husband Lester Wong; daughter Tami Jordan and husband Mike Jordan; daughter Pam Valentine; daughter Kae Reed and partner Sue Wood; grandchildren Joseph Jordan, Chris Jordan, Veronica Wong, Oliver Wong and Jacqueline Wong; great-grandson Michael Jordan; sister Kleo Karst; brothers Howard Reed and Tom Reed; several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Services will be May 6 at 2pm at Paradise United Methodist Church. His ashes will be buried at a later date at Pine Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Rapid City near the Black Hills.

Contributions to honor Don may be made to Butte County CASA, 10 Independence Circle, Chico, CA 95973; or Malawi Africa Mission New Horizon Church International, 1770 Ellis Ave., Ste. 100, Jackson, MS 39204; or to your favorite charity.

By Matt Weiser, Sacramento Bee

Late-season storms did wonders for California’s snowpack, fluffing those white drifts in the Sierra Nevada to 143 percent of average as of Friday. A month ago, the total stood at 106 percent of normal.

The readings came in the season’s final snow survey on Friday by the California Department of Water Resources. This last survey is often used to firm up water delivery projections for cities and farms, for whom snowmelt is the most important supply. State and federal agencies both expect to do so, perhaps as soon as early next week, and the

Lake Oroville is 71 percent of normal on April 30. Photo/Kathryn Reed

allocations will likely be increased.

Read the whole story

By Austin Fay

When Karen Frates, assistant general manager of Tahoe Seasons Resort, was asked why she was at the Tahoe Tourism Town Forum, she replied jokingly, “I’m here for encouragement.”

She insinuated the 160-suite resort near Stateline is struggling, as is everyone in this recession.

The Tahoe Tourism Town Forum provided about 150 business owners primarily from the South Shore, students from Lake Tahoe Community College, and marketing and public relations professionals, a chance to collaborate with the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, and to see the new marketing campaigns.

LTSS chamber leader B Gorman speaks at Thursday's tourism conference. Photo/Austin Fay

“Get your vacation on” is the slogan for the South Shore campaign that begins in May. Fingers are crossed it will bring people to the area.

Gordon Horsley, the Nevada sales manager at Amador Stage Lines, remarked on the presence of social media at Thursday’ two-hour forum at LTCC.

“I think it’s great that we are getting that word out to local citizens about what Tahoe has to offer,” Horsley said.

A new twist on Tahoe’s image

This year’s South Tahoe television and webspots keep the emphasis on gaming elements, but lend themselves a little more toward the active lifestyle Tahoe supports, like mountain biking, hiking, cycling, skiing and water sports.

Fishing definitely has a large draw to the area, but seemed to be left out of the LTVA marketing campaign.

Victor Babbitt, from Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters, said, “I didn’t see one comment or view of fishing (on the advertisements). Correct me if I’m wrong, fishing is the nation’s No. 1 outdoor recreational activity, especially for families.”

The $3 per night lodging tax collected in South Lake Tahoe through the Tourism Improvement District is a major source for LTVA’s advertising campaign.

This will be the first ad campaign by Duncan/Channon of San Francisco for the South Shore. They were brought in a year ago to replace Mering and Associates, the Sacramento firm that created the Blue World campaign.

Geotourism

Collaboration with National Geographic brought Bob Kingman from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and Nicole DeJonghe from the Sierra Business Council to the Tahoe Tourism Forum to showcase a geotourism. The idea of geotourism is to sustain or enhance the geographical character of a place – its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the wellbeing of its residents.

Involvement on the local level is crucial to the website’s content. The website involves people living in the communities and parks. Visitors to the website can nominate areas, historic destinations, park — everything from vineyards to artists to drive tourism to other less well-known parts of the state.

Nominations may be made at here, but will be subject to the decisions of a “Geo-council” designed to create the most original and authentic experience to tourists of the Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Range.

Lake Tahoe Restaurant Week

Lake Tahoe Community College business student and chef Donnie Thompson was enthusiastic about the plan to make Tahoe a culinary destination for a week.

“We used to do it down in San Diego where I went to culinary school and it’s phenomenal,” he said. The idea is serving lunches and dinner at $20, $30 and $40 per person (menu and price up to restaurant), while attracting people to the culinary scene in Tahoe. The event is planned for Sept. 5-12 — Labor Day Week.

Restaurant owners will update menus and prices in the coming months here.

Other Events Planned in Tahoe:

More than 1,000 women are expected to show up for Iron Girl, the sister event to the Iron Man, it is planned for Sept. 19.

Hot August Nights, a three-day event of classic cars, automotive exhibits and vendors, has branched out into Lake Tahoe. The Reno-based Hot August Nights attracts more than 800,000 people.

By Kathryn Reed

It wasn’t the usual Wednesday Soroptimist lunch.

On this particular afternoon it all about four girls who aren’t even members – but they might be one day.

Jacquelyn Baines, Lauren Andrew, Morgan King and Gabriella Tracy – all seniors at Whittell High School – were recognized as Young Women of Distinction by Soroptimist International South Lake Tahoe.

Whittell's Young Women of Distinction. Photo/Provided

“They are all absolutely wonderful girls,” Principal Sue Shannon told Lake Tahoe News before the lunch at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.

She has watched these women enter the Zephyr Cove school as freshman and grow into young women who she eagerly helped honor on Wednesday. She also didn’t hesitate to write letters of recommendation for each girl to help them get into college.

Shannon on Baines: Jacquelyn is an outstanding student in academics, leadership and athletics. She is a quiet leader who leads by modeling the acceptance of responsibility, positive interactions with other students, and by setting high expectations for herself. She has worked diligently to maintain her current overall weighted grade of 4.33. She maintains her high GPA while participating in athletics and leadership. Jacquelyn has been a member of the WHS varsity volleyball team for four years. Jacquelyn has assumed many leadership roles at WHS. In the future Jacquelyn hopes to combine majors of architecture and interior design.”

Shannon on Andrew: “Lauren is an outstanding student in the areas of academics, sports, music and leadership. She has maintained an overall 4.236 gpa while consistently pursuing AP and honors courses. Lauren is greatly respected by students and staff for her work ethic, her interpersonal skills, her school spirit and her sense of responsibility. She has served as captain of the varsity volleyball team as well as an officer in both Key Club and National Honor Society. In the future Lauren hopes to be teacher, probably in the area of science.”

Shannon on King: “Morgan is an exemplary student in academics, athletics, leadership and the promotion of school spirit. Morgan has maintained a 4.2 cumulative weighted GPA while pursuing multiple honors and Advanced Placement classes. She currently serves as secretary to the Whittell High School National Honor Society. One of Morgan’s strengths is her desire and ability to help others. Morgan has a tremendous sense of responsibility and follow-through when she is responsible for school projects. Morgan is an excellent athlete. In addition to pursuing dance lessons her first two years, she has been on the varsity cross country and track teams for three years. She has been named to the all-state cross country team and all-state academic teams. Morgan plans to pursue a career in business management.”

Shannon on Tracy: “Gabriella is a superior scholar, an excellent athlete, and a highly involved Whittell student. Gabriella has maintained a GPA of 4.3 while pursuing multiple AP and Honors classes. She was named the Whittell Student Academic Athlete of the Month in recognition of her outstanding scholastic and athletic achievements. She was also named to the Nevada All-State Academic Soccer and Basketball Teams. Gabriella is a respected quiet leader among her peers. In the future, Gabriella plans to attend a four-year university and major in the areas of biology and pre-medicine.”