Oasis Academy Closes on Purchase of Property
After over a decade of serving students in the Fallon community, Oasis Academy Charter School has purchased the building they call home (or is it school?) at 920 W. Williams Street. The building and property were once home to Walmart and currently house Oasis Academy, Big 5, and the Dollar Tree. The sale was finalized on April 25, 2022.
The expansion comes at a critical time as the school’s slow growth model has led to three classes in grades K-5 for next year. Plans also include moving Oasis Academy College Prep to a section of the newly purchased property.
“This has been a long time coming! Purchasing this building puts the school in a better financial position as our mortgage is less than our monthly rent was. We plan to put that savings aside so that we can renovate the building into the space we want it to be. Oasis has a lot of long-term goals and spaces we want to see incorporated into the learning environment. This puts us one step closer to making that vision a reality,” said Oasis CEO Melissa Mackedon.
The purchase would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of several groups, including financial partner, Nevada State Bank. The property was purchased from Old Fallon LLC.
“More than three years ago the board started to review sites for the construction of a new school. It became apparent with the high costs of site improvements when developing a vacant piece of land and the ever-increasing building construction costs we needed to look at new options. Fortunately, we were presented with the option of purchasing the building that Oasis Academy currently occupies,” said Oasis Board Member Frank Woodliff. “The current location is great, and the building is served with City of Fallon utilities. The building is over 100,000 square feet which will allow Oasis Academy to grow and expand its offerings to students. The board is excited about working with all of Oasis Academy’s stakeholders to develop the future improvement plans and enhance Oasis’s goals of educational excellence.”
“I am really excited to finally have what will be a permanent home for the school. I’m excited to start thinking about and firming up a design. Good things are in our future.” said Mackedon.
Both Big 5 Sporting Goods and Dollar Tree will continue to lease their current locations.
Senior Spotlight: Trevor Halloran
Athletics have played a key role in Senior Trevor Halloran’s time at Oasis. Whether on the court or the greens he’s represented the Bighorns in every season during high school.
“My favorite memories at Oasis come from playing sports. From the times of traveling to places like Mammoth with the basketball team and playing in tournaments. But my favorite memory would be our comeback against Coleville my sophomore year. We were down sixteen with three minutes to go, and we rallied back to win,” said Halloran.
Highlights from his outstanding athletic career include highest scoring average in all Nevada 1A divisions, most points scored in Nevada 1A, team leader in steals and assists, leader for 3-point field goals made in Nevada 1A, highest free throw percentage in Nevada 1A, he won three golf tournaments and finished in second or third in five others. Most recently Halloran finished in first place in the Eastern Regional tournament at Toana Vista Golf Club in West Wendover.
Halloran’s success has not just been in athletics though. He will graduate this month with both his high school diploma and Associate of Arts from Western Nevada College.
“Physics was my favorite class, sophomore year. I was able to participate in many different projects with my friends.” explained Halloran. “It was also the last in-person class that I’ve had since the covid pandemic began.”
There is not just one teacher or counselor that Halloran feels influenced his Oasis career. He wanted to thank them all for their help and guidance.
This fall Halloran will continue his golf career playing at William Jessup University.
His advice for future students? “Do every assignment, because no matter how bad you think your grade will be on it, it’s not going to be as bad as a 0.”
Senior Spotlight: Evelin Gomez
Senior Evelin Gomez is graduating this month with both her high school diploma and Associate of Arts from Western Nevada College. This outstanding academic achievement means a lot but along with it came growth in other ways as well.
“My time at Oasis was great, and I gained knowledge out of each teacher. My experience at Oasis also taught me to be more mature and responsible,” explained Gomez.
It also led her to the advice she has for future students. “I would tell them not to put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”
Gomez has a few people she’d like to thank for helping her along her high school dual-enrollment journey. “I'd like to express my appreciation to Mrs. Venturacci who has been with me since the beginning of Oasis Academy. She was always willing to assist me with whatever issue I had,” said Gomez. “I'd also like to thank Mr. Lewis for his patience and kindness in making me feel welcome and comfortable in his class. If I had to pick a favorite class, it would be Mr. Lewis’.”
As she moves on to her next journey, Gomez will cherish the memories and friendships during her time at Oasis. “My friends are my favorite memories from this school year since they made school more enjoyable and fun.”
After graduation Gomez intends to enroll in a real estate program while continuing her education at UNR to become a preschool teacher.
Math Class Finishes Second in the World for IXL
Mr. Evan Brandt’s second-period Algebra II Math class has finished second in the world for the IXL Spring Learning Showdown 2022. The second-place finish includes a $250 gift certificate.
“I was very impressed that a class from a small school in a small town was able to lead the nation and get 2nd place worldwide in the IXL Spring Showdown. Over 33,000 classes participated in the competition.” said Brandt “All of the students pitched in and worked hard to win the contest, but a few students lead the way Thanh Nguyen, Aubrey Vaughn, Keenan Waller, Natalie Jaques, and Shelbi Bracken.”
IXL is a subscription-based international online comprehensive learning site for K-12 with individualized guidance that meets the unique needs of each student.
Boys Golf Headed to State
Oasis Academy Boys Golf is headed to the state tournament in Las Vegas. David Hallorann coaches the team that includes Trevor Halloran, Connor Oceguera, Fenn Mackedon, Tyler Siebecker, and Andrew Catlin.
Senior Trevor Halloran won the regional tournament last weekend in Wendover with the team finishing second. This is the first trip for the Bighorns to state. The team has been impressive and had constant improvement throughout the season.
“I’m very proud of the Oasis golf team. They persevered through cold, windy, and snowy conditions to take second place in the East Region on the challenging Toana Vista Golf Course amongst eight teams. Even more impressive is that we improved our cumulative team score by twenty-two strokes from when we played there earlier in the year,” said Coach David Halloran. “I tip my hat to the entire team for their dedication to improving their golf game. A special congratulations to Trevor for dominating the field with a five-stroke victory, and for beating the East Region’s defending Champion on his home course.”
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