The Local Lens – Incline School Updates

Written and Submitted by Mary Danahey of Incline Education Fund

Incline High School Highlights: A Winning Fall Season

This has been an exciting fall for Incline High School (IHS), with outstanding achievements both in sports and the arts! Here’s a look at the recent successes from our talented students:

Football Team Heads to State Semifinals

Congratulations to our undefeated IHS football team, which is headed to the State Semifinals in Needles this Saturday! This impressive season has brought the community together to cheer on the Highlanders, and last week’s pregame tailgate and postgame celebration, generously hosted by Azzara’s, was a huge success. Let’s keep the momentum going and show our support as they push toward the championship!

Music Students Shine at Regional Level

Our music students are also hitting high notes this season. Marlon Martinez and Izzy Rotter recently performed with the Washoe County School District Honors Orchestra at the prestigious Pioneer Center in Reno, showcasing their hard work and talent.

A special shoutout goes to Willemina Dukes, who was selected for the highly competitive Drum Chair of the Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra. This position, one of the most challenging roles in the ensemble, is a testament to her dedication and skill. We’re so proud of Willemina and grateful to her music mentors, Doug Coomler and Nick Bentz, for their support and guidance.  Willemina has cultivated quite the passion for music: she also plays the piano, guitar, ukulele, and viola. 

ACT Prep Course – Sign Up Now!

For 10th, 11th, and 12th graders looking to boost their ACT scores, the IHS Boosters are offering an ACT prep course. Classes will be held at the Incline Village Public Library (on Alder), but students must sign up by THIS Thursday. The ACT will be hosted at IHS on February 25, 2025.

A Successful College Fair

Incline Education Fund (IEF) and Incline High School recently held an impressive College Fair, with 26 representatives from colleges and universities across the nation. The event drew over 300 attendees from around the Tahoe Basin.  IHS students had the valuable opportunity to attend personalized presentations from admissions experts earlier in the day.  They covered essential topics like selecting the right high school courses, understanding college affordability, and mastering the college admissions essay. 

College Applications in Full Swing

With college application deadlines fast approaching, we wish our high school seniors the best of luck as they complete their applications. It’s an exciting time, and we’re all rooting for them to reach their post-secondary dreams!

Incline Middle School

HUGE shout-out to 3 of the new Exploratory classes being offered at IMS:

Ken Reese and John Johnson just finished teaching the inaugural Financial Literacy course at IMS. This incredibly successful class taught students the basics of financial literacy and how to choose investments in the stock market. At the end of the nine-week course, they realized paper profits in the amount of $2,519.02 – all of which were donated back to Incline Education Fund to fund future programs. 

Baxter Gentry offered a Broadcast Journalism class and worked with the students to produce a 30 second PSA video for the WCSD “Phone Away for the Day” campaign and a video essay on the opioid crisis.  

Mountain Hardware is also stepping up to offer an Exploratory later this school year. Bill Lassaline and his team will be teaching students all about plumbing, painting, electrical and proper tool usage for everyday tasks and repairs.

Incline Education Fund extends a huge thank you to Raley’s for their generous grant supporting the Incline Middle School Exploratory Culinary Program!  With this funding, the program will be able to purchase a new oven and cover food costs for the weekly cooking classes. 

Incline Elementary School

After a successful pilot last spring, Incline Education Fund is thrilled to announce that a dedicated art class is now officially part of the Incline Elementary School curriculum!  This exciting addition will give students the opportunity to explore their creativity, learn new skills, and express themselves through various cross-curricular projects.

Save the Date!  On Thursday, December 19th, get ready for the 3rd annual Incline Elementary School Holiday Parade! Students will soon begin preparing their unique “entries” for this fantastic indoor parade. Don’t miss it!

Stay tuned next week for an update on the roll-out of the AI pilot program at both IHS and IMS.  This program was made possible by a grant recently awarded to the Incline Education Fund through the American Association of University Women (AAUW).