Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum participants list education as top issue

2015 Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum

Steve Marcus

Randie Shipp of Moapa High School waits to comment in a “Law and Crime” forum during the 2015 Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum at the Las Vegas Convention Center Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015.

Is the threat of bullying overblown by adults? Should schools teach students as much about sex as possible? Should transgender students be allowed to use the bathroom of their chosen gender?

Politicians may fight bitterly over these questions, but about a thousand Clark County high school students gathered recently at the 59th annual Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum to prove that, through a little civilized debate and compromise, solutions may be closer than we think.

The Forum, started in 1955 by Las Vegas Sun Publisher Hank Greenspun and held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, is meant to give students a chance to sound off on pressing issues in their own words. The event is a partnership with the Clark County School District, which buses in the top-performing juniors and seniors from 52 high schools to participate.

2015 Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum

Students pick up pens and notebooks at the start of the 2015 Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum at the Las Vegas Convention Center Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015. Launch slideshow »

Students broke into 28 individual sessions moderated by local experts and public figures covering a wide variety of topics with a focus on finding solutions. Several spoke with reporters, with some signing release forms to allow their names to be published but others opting against being identified in the media.

On bullying, a popular topic in Nevada since Gov. Brian Sandoval pushed a bill clamping down on the problem, students said the issue was complex and couldn’t be solved by just stiffening punishments.

"I've been bullied before," said Jaiden Bornt, a senior at Valley High School. "I know what it is to go through this. I think we're putting a little too much focus on bullying. It's something that happens. Your entire life, you're going to get bullied. So it's better to learn how to deal with it now when it's safer."

Bullying isn't going away, students said, but it has changed forms as technology has become more prevalent in their lives. They also said students should address the issue by privatizing their social media accounts and sticking up for each other, and that schools should make an attempt to reach out to bullies themselves.

"You don't know what they're [bullies] going through," said one student from West Preparatory Academy. "They could be having problems at home.”

The first Youth Forum was held in 1956 and drew 96 students from the city's handful of schools at the time. This year’s topics were America, law and crime, school issues, international issues, teen topics, Home in Nevada and potpourri.

Students were particularly eager to discuss the rights of transgender people — a topic that's gained attention in Nevada ever since Republican state lawmakers tried to ban transgender students from bathrooms of their chosen gender. The high schoolers largely favored letting a transgender person use whatever restroom he or she would feel most comfortable entering.

"Transgender people aren't going into the bathroom to peep on people," said Megan Philippi, a senior at Silverado High School. "They're just going in to use the bathroom."

In a session moderated by Family Court Judge Frank Sullivan focused on law and crime, high schoolers debated the pros and cons of letting teachers carry weapons on campus. In the back of the room, two teachers listened intently.

"Guns should not be in the hands of teachers," said Charles Fiorenza, a junior at Green Valley High School. "Their job is to teach."

Instead, Fiorenza said school safety should be augmented by more campus police officers. If anyone inside the school needs to wield a firearm, it should be a trained law enforcer, he said.

Michael Brooks, a senior at Legacy High School, disagreed.

"You're spending a lot of money that could be resolved by a couple of teachers who are anonymous who have guns," he said.

After several students questioned the effectiveness of arming teachers, Sae Lee, a senior at Advanced Technologies Academy, offered an entirely different solution: Why don't schools hire more psychologists who might be able to intervene before a student snaps and tries to harm others?

"We've got to start at the source," he said.

The conversation about law in the classroom was especially prescient given the recent story of a school police officer physically dragging a disobedient student out of the classroom.

In one session, students discussed whether the officer was justified in using force. Surprisingly, many students sided with the officer, but several said it was unnecessary.

“The administration should have taken care of it,” said Amina Husic, a senior at Desert Oasis High School. “Kids can be subordinate but there are ways the school can handle that.”

Around the corner, students discussed whether the United States' image as a global leader was suffering. Twelfth-grader Melissa Danker, who attends Spring Valley High School, pointed to a more recent example — the Syrian refugee crisis.

"We're closing our borders to these Syrian refugees who are stranded everywhere," she said. "We should be doing more as a nation, and we're not."

At lunch, where students treated to a performance by comedian and juggler Jeff Civillico, three $1,000 scholarships were randomly awarded to students by the Greenspun Family Foundation.

“I don’t think there’s another program like this in the country,” said Brian Greenspun, CEO, publisher and editor of the Las Vegas Sun.

UNLV interim vice president and provost Nancy Rapoport, who moderated, awarded three scholarships from the university. Former Rep. Shelley Berkley awarded one scholarship.

In some sessions, students spoke about their personal experiences dealing with depression or helping someone else.

"It's an illness; it's like a cancer," said Daniela Lopez, a junior at Desert Oasis High School. "It's OK to go see a doctor. You won't get better if you don't see a professional."

The results of a student poll conducted at the forum found that startling numbers of students either experienced depression or knew a fellow student suffering from it.

Out of 360 students polled, 51 percent reported they were experiencing depression. The same number of students also reported they had friends in school who were depressed.

“I have several friends who struggle with depression who don’t get help because they’re afraid of being judged,” wrote one senior from Western High School.

Of the students who reported being depressed, around 40 percent said it was because of problems at home. Other common reasons were school stress and personal insecurity. Fifteen students reported being depressed due to bullying.

More than 90 percent of depressed students said they would turn to friends for help. Around 45 percent said they would turn to their parents.

Education was a major topic. In a poll, students ranked it as the most critical issue currently facing Nevada. Students suggested teachers were overworked and underpaid.

“It’s hard hours for low pay,” one student said. “It takes a different type of person to be a teacher.”

The recent pay dispute between CCSD and the teachers union has not gone unnoticed by students.

“That scares kids away from teaching,” a student said.

Overall, the quality of conversation was sophisticated enough to surprise many of the moderators.

“It was fabulous,” said Bob Fisher, a local broadcaster who has moderated at the forum for 20 years. “I think that every year students are surprised that there are other students who are as bright as them and take their education seriously.

“But this particular group was the most successful group and the most surprising,” he added.

Carl Reiber, UNLV's senior vice provost, came to the Forum this year armed with business cards, knowing that he was walking into an ideal recruitment setting.

"I did this last year, and I wouldn't miss this for the world," said Reiber, who served as moderator for a group discussing world affairs. "These kids are great. We want these kids to be at UNLV and contribute to the intellectual environment."

Some moderators are even prior participants, like Berkley, who participated in the event as a student from Valley High School in 1967 and has moderated for 30 years.

“Every year it gets better,” she said. “My faith in America’s future was redeemed.”

• • • 

The three students who received the Las Vegas Youth Forum Scholarship are:

Krystal Chaidez, Southwest CTA

Hania Nagy, Palo Verde

Caden Sink, Legacy High School

The three students who received a scholarship to UNLV are:

Karla Marisol Barriga Cardenas, Mojave High School

Jessica Luna, Legacy High School

Juan Santiago, Valley High School

The student who received a scholarship from Shelley Berkley is:

Madison White, Southwest Career Technical Academy

• • •

At the end of the event, representatives from each session were selected to publish the takeaways from their session in radio, on TV and in print in the Las Vegas Sun. The student representatives are:

Kennedy Adams, Sierra Vista HS

Caroline Barnhart, Desert Oasis HS

Sarah Baron, Coronado HS

Camille Brown, Desert Oasis HS

Devon Brown, Palo Verde HS

Abner Fors, Chaparral HS

Kylon Hicks, Canyon Springs Law & Leadership Academy

Amina Husic, Desert Oasis HS

Leya Jember, Desert Oasis HS

Rosemary Laurito, Silverado HS

Anthony Martinez, Desert Oasis HS

Kannon Michaels, Durango HS

Byron Ochoa, SECTA

Jonathan Walton, Southwest CTA

Christian Wesley, Cimarron Memorial HS

Shahrukh Ahmad, A-Tech

Aldo Aniel Ayala, Desert Oasis High School

Michael Brooks, Legacy HS

Parsa Khawari, Desert Oasis HS

Nerler Martinez, Western HS

Ernest Constantine, Lim Reynolds, Rancho HS

Zil Joyce, Dixon Romero, Coronado HS

Connor Harbak, Arbor View HS

Gargi Pandey, Green Valley HS

Sadie Sanchez, Clark High School

Raymond Serrano, West Career Tech/Academy

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