8/8/2016

Chasing the Extraordinary

Instilling a sense of

Sem. 1 Calendar

RESPECT-HONOR-STRENGTH in everything we do!

8/8-1ST Day of School
8/19-Welcome Back Assembly
9/7-Club Fair at lunch in Quad

Welcome to the 2016-2017 school year! I cannot wait to get started. This year we
will begin the year with a simple theme: Lets care for each other, lets support
each other, lets love each other and lets celebrate each other! The theme of
FAMILY will be mentioned early and often this year. At Reno High School, we
believe in working hard and having fun. We treat our students like the young
adults they are. We consider families our partners every step of the way and
believe in fostering creativity, collaboration, innovation and problem solving in the
classroom.
We are coming off a school year where we again had many challenges but we
managed to reach an 88% Graduation Rate overall once again. We will dissect
every demographic group in our school, looking at Honors and AP participation
and achievement. We want to make increases in key areas as we continue
supporting ALL students toward college and career readiness. We dont want to
just say college and career readinesswe want ALL Reno High School graduates to
flourish in society and achieve all their dreams. As we approach this year, we
again prepare to climb the mountain to June. We want credit attainment for all
grade levels, fewer students needing to recover credits, great attendance and
exemplary behavior with an enthusiasm and school spirit unmatched by any other
school! So lets join together and start the climb!
Please use this calendar and newsletter and all subsequent monthly newsletters
for your one stop shop for what is happening on campus. Get involved and
attend our AAA Parent Group meetings where you will hear updates by me and
from our student leadership representative. Follow me on Twitter for daily news,
inspirational messages and much, much more!
This year we have many new teachers to our building along with familiar faces in
new roles. In this newsletter we have short bios on all our new staff members.
Finally, please know we are dedicated to working together. We may not get it
correct every time, but I promise we will try! Lets continue our tradition of
excellence as a FAMILY! Go Huskies!

9/7-PARENT NIGHT-6pm Gym

9/26-SENIOR Parent Night-6pm in
Theater
9/26 to 9/30-Homecoming Week
9/30-Homecoming Assembly, Float
Decorating after school & Football
Game vs. Hug
10/1-Homecoming Dance-Cafeteria 811pm
October Break 10-3 to 10-7
10/14 Hall of Fame Game
10/15 Hall of Fame Dinner 5:30 @
Boomtown-call Ms. Rooker for tickets
10/19 PSAT EXAM-No Early Release
10/26 No Early Release-Elementary
School Conf. Week
10/26 Safe Trick or Treat at RHS5:30pm
10/28- NO SCHOOL NV Day
11/5 HUSKIE HARVEST
FUNDRAISER @ Atlantis (replacing
March Madness this year.
November Canned Food Drive
11/8 NO SCHOOL Election Day
11/9 Blood Drive
11/11 NO SCHOOL-Veterans Day
11/23-11/25 Thanksgiving Holiday
December Angel Tree Gifts
12/12 to 12/15 Finals/12/16 no school-

Kris Hackbusch-Principal

Winter Break

NEW HUSKIES STAFF MEMBERS

Ms. Hillary Flak-Math

Single mom of two, 12 and 9, whose life consists of lacrosse, softball, and silks. Bought a one acre farm this year so having fun
raising chickens, pigs, and honey bees. Transferring from Hug where I taught math and coached varsity volleyball. I am
currently a Wellness Ambassador for the school district.

Ms. Emily Coats-Math

I was born and raised in Arkansas to a strong math/science family. I attended the University of Arkansas for a BS in Applied
Mathematics. After college, I decided to move across the country to Reno for the mountains and a Master's in Teaching at Sierra
Nevada College. I enjoy being outside, reading, practicing yoga, and watching college football.

Mrs. Dawn Callahan-English

Aside from liking long walks on the beach, I love teaching English. This coming school year will be my 17th with the district. My goal for this
year is finding more ways to get kids involved with the world around them. It's so important they understand what great things they can do
even at this young age. Also, I have two sons. My youngest son, Aiden will be a sophomore this year here at Reno. We both feel blessed to
take on the title of Huskie.

Mrs. Jeannie Dwyer-Special Education-Resource

I am a native Nevadan. I was born and raised in Las Vegas. I moved to Reno in 1994 to attend UNR. I have a dual Bachelor's
degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. I have a Master's degree in Special Education. I have endorsements in
Autism and School Administration. This is my 17th year teaching special education. I am married and have three daughters. I
love to do anything outdoors, except in the winter. I am super excited to be a part of the RHS team!

New staff continued.

Mrs. Molly Oexle-Special Ed Resource

I grew up in Buffalo, New York and moved to Reno two years ago.
I am enjoying all of the outdoor activities as I love to kayak, hike
and ski. I am married to a wonderful man, Bill and together we
have a blended family of 6 children (The Brady Bunch for those of
you old enough). My daughter Cara is an interior designer in
Buffalo, my son Colin works in finance in Denver, and my
daughter Caitlyn is a police officer for the New London Police
Department in Connecticut. I am so very proud of them. I have
three step children Billy, Jeffrey and Lindsey and 4 beautiful
grandchildren Madeline, Will, Annabelle and Faye, who all live in
Reno. My family and friends mean the world to me.
I have been working in education for 13 years after graduating
with a Master's Degree in Special Education. This is my third
career and definitely the best one! I have taught Pre-K and 5th 8th graders in Buffalo and worked in a coaching role there as
well. I have been working for the Washoe County School District
as an implementation Specialist for the past two years. High
School will be a whole new experience and an opportunity to
continue to learn and grow with everyone. I am looking forward
to being a part of the Reno HS community and working hard to
help inspire students to reach their goals.

Mrs. Amie Newberry-English

I am a proud graduate of Reno High, class of '91. My first teaching job
was at Reno High, where I taught alongside the greats--Annie Utter and
Tom Meschery (both are the reason I pursued teaching English). During
my first year of teaching, I married my best friend, Kevin Newberry, class
of '89, and we have two sweet children. I took nine years off to be home
with our children, Gabe (17 and a senior at McQueen High School) and
Katie (14 and a freshman at Reno High). At my last school, I taught
sophomore honors English, AP Language and Composition, senior English
and Freshman Seminar, and I served as the department leader for
English. It's an honor to come home to Reno High School.

Mr. Garrett Moss-Social Studies/Girls Varsity Soccer Coach

Ms. Rachael Cowell-Band

Greetings huskies! My name is Rachael Cowell. I am a proud
alumni of the University of Nevada, Reno, with a bachelors
degree in trumpet performance and am currently working on my
masters degree in music education. Music education has been a
passion of mine from a young age. I am trained as a classical
musician but love to play in jazz settings as well. I am an avid
runner who enjoys the occasional race and I enjoy kickboxing as a
cross training regimen. I am ecstatic to become a part of the
husky family and look forward to meeting more of the Reno High
community!

I am excited to be joining the Reno High family this year. The last
four years I spent at Clayton Middle School with the Gifted and
Talented Magnet. I am a Nevada native and a graduate from the
University of Nevada. Reno High school is the best school in the
state and I'm happy to be a part of it. If I am not in the classroom
teaching World History you can find me on the soccer field as the
Girl's Varsity Soccer coach.

Ms. Ashleigh Rahming-Science

Mrs. Katherine Giomi-Special Ed Resource
Subjects: World History and Freshman Seminar
Ed. Background: Bachelor of Science degrees in Social Studies and Special
Education.
Extracurricular: Hiking with my dog Ellie, exercising, playing Pickleball,
camping, Paddle boarding, reading, and spending time with family and
friends.
Why are you at RHS? I love working with teenagers and found RHS to be
a perfect fit because of its amazing positive environment which is
coupled in rich tradition. I am lucky be a Huskie!

I would first like to say how excited and honored I am to be once

again part of the tradition that is Reno High School, only this time
instead of a student athlete, I will be a teacher, coach and
Athletic Trainer . I was born and raised in Reno, and attended
Reno High and graduated in 2008, both my sister and dad are also
Huskie alum. I enjoyed every bit of my time at Reno, I was lucky
enough to be able to represent the Huskies in both softball and
volleyball. After graduating, I attended the University of
Evansville where I was fortunate enough to fulfill the dream of
playing Division 1 softball. I obtained my degree in Athletic
Training, I currently still hold my Nevada License in Athletic
Training. I cannot wait to be back within the yellow tile halls of
Reno and display two generations of Huskie gear in the
classroom. We are Reno.

Mr. Matt Bagwell-Math

I grew up in the Reno area, got my Bachelors and Masters
from UNR, then decided to move to Massachusetts. I
taught there for a year but nothing compares to Nevada,
so I moved back. Im really into hiking and outdoorsy
things as well as Star Wars, Star Trek, and other nerdy
things. Im excited to be a part of Reno High School and
look forward to working with all of you.

Ms. Courtney Hansen-English

Courtney Hansen is a Reno High alum who is thrilled to be returning to
her alma matter. She is an active member of the school and local
community, and understands and values the traditions of our school.
Courtney recently completed her B.A. in Secondary Education and will be
bringing a variety of fresh ideas to the newly implemented JAG program.

Mrs. Cyndi Kent-Dillon-School Pyschologist

A school psychologist, previously at McQueen, I'm really excited
to join the Huskies and appreciate the warm welcome! Married
with three children, I strive to keep up with my family in our
favorite activities of backpacking, mountain biking and
skiing. I'm fortunate to be at the high school level with my
favorite population and can't wait to meet RHS staff and
students.

Mrs. Leith McNinch-Special Ed-CLS teacher

I have a dual degree in General and Special education with a Masters in
Special Education. I have 25 years of experience teaching students K-12
and have taught for the Washoe County school District for a total of 9
years. I have 4 boys, 3 of which have graduated from Reno High school. I
am so excited to join the amazing staff here at Reno High and be a part of
the Huskie Family.

AAA Parent Group News:

Be on the look- out for your Triple A
membership form! Forms will be going out in the
mail the first week of school. This is a great way
to support Reno High School programs! Your
membership has advantages too!

Mrs. Janet Ruyak-Nurse

My name is Janet Ruyak, I am a Reno High School Alumni. I have
been an RN for over twenty years and ten of them have been
with WCSD. I went to Boston College undergrad and received my
Masters Degree in pediatric nursing at UCSF. My main area of
practice has always been working with parents and children of all
ages. I am a busy parent of a teen and a young adult. I am an
avid skier and enjoy any time at Tahoe. So happy to be here at
Reno High! Go Huskies!

*Mr. Gaunt will be on campus full-time as our

orchestra and choir teacher. Ms. Neace is now
Mrs. Davey and Col. Gardener is now Col.
Sarafolean. Ms. Rachel Weaver will assume the
JAG position.

$250 or more Triple A MEDALLION entitles you to a

SPECIAL GIFT and FREE admission for you and your
entire family to MOST HOME sporting events (excluding
playoffs and some special events)
$100 Triple A GOLD gives you FREE admission for you
and your family to MOST HOME sporting events (excluding
playoffs and some special events). Most economical if
you attend home sporting events.
$50 Triple A SILVER (Basic-level membership)

Library Information Welcome!

Please note our correct hours: 7:15 2:45 daily
As always, we encourage students to use Destiny, our
electronic card catalog. From home its
http://washoeschools.follettdestiny.com. Choose Reno High
School. It includes a wide variety of useful information and
links. Log in information is included but not necessary to
view. Also, students may use the databases we have
available to us: EBSCO, ABC-CLIO, World Book, and
TeachingBooks.net. For user names and passwords get a
Nevada Statewide Licensed Database printout here at the
library, or call or email bwhiteley@washoeschools.net.
For the free Destiny App, search for Destiny Quest, choose
Basic Install, type washoeschools.follettdestiny.com, and
choose Reno High School. User name: student ID number.
Password: students last name.
You can also find RHS Library information on
www.rhshuskies.com , Academics, Library (updates
pending).
Remember, Washoe County Library cards are free for
residents and allow patrons to use even more databases and
a newer service, audio book downloads; see
http://www.washoecountylibrary.us.
We look forward to meeting all of the freshmen and will
have an orientation with them soon!

Message From Mrs. Crystal Edwards-New Frosh

Dean of Students
Welcome Back, Reno Huskies!
As we return to this new school year, I would like to
introduce myself to the Class of 2020 and update
everyone else about my new role. After 10 years in the
classroom as an English and Leadership Teacher, I
have started the progression to the Administrative
side of education. As Dean this year, I have a new
realm of duties and responsibilities. My main focus
will be working closely with the 9th grade class,
including Frosh Seminar. I hope to get to know each
and every one of the class of 2020 and serve as their
resource, guide, and connection to RHS. I also look
forward to getting the opportunity to expand my lens
of students/families at Reno High and interact daily
with new faces and unique experiences. Although I
will miss the classroom tremendously, I am honored
to have been trusted with this position and look
forward to an exciting year ahead as Dean of
Students. Please feel free to contact me anytime by
email at cmedwards@washoeschools.net.

Advanced Placement Grade

Policy Change:
Beginning in the 2016-2017 school year, AP class
grades will not be moved up or down based on
performance on the AP Exam. AP grades on
student transcripts will reflect performance in
the class only.

Mr. Hackbusch
775-333-5050 ex. 8
khackbusch@washoeschools.net
Follow me on Twitter:
PrincipalHackbusch@khackbusch for
daily updates