Oasis Bighorn Bulletin

Senior Spotlight: Kaylin Guthrie

Participate. That’s the advice for future Oasis Academy students from graduating senior Kaylin Guthrie. 

“Do every school activity and soak it all in because if you don’t, then your school years will be over, and you’ll miss it,” Guthrie said. 

The senior has played on both the Oasis Bighorns volleyball and softball teams. She’s been a force on the softball team, playing on the state championship team in 2021, and last year, she was named an Honorable Mention for the NIAA 2A Northern League.

“I have always loved learning at Oasis Academy,” she said. “Every teacher here is amazing and so helpful. I had some ups and downs at Oasis, but this school has given me amazing opportunities. 

“I would like to thank Mr. Grimes because he’s always helped me when I needed it. He pushed me when he knew I could do it. He is an amazing teacher, and I hope to have a teacher like him in college.

“My favorite class is biology because I love science. It’s super fun when we get to do labs and hands-on work because it helps me understand the concepts better,” she said. 

Guthrie will graduate in May with her high school diploma and associate of science degree from Western Nevada College. She then plans to attend Great Basin College in Elko to study radiology. Eventually, she wants to work as an MRI Technician.

Second-graders Make Anemometer

Second-grade students embarked on an exciting journey into the world of meteorology by creating their very own anemometers. The young scientists learned how to measure wind speed while having fun with a hands-on project that combines creativity and scientific inquiry.

The students begin by tying four paper cups together with string and straws. One cup was marked differently to make counting the rotation of the cups easier. They arranged the cups in a cross pattern, attaching them to the ends of two cardboard strips. The cardboard strips were stapled together in the middle to form the anemometer's arms. 

The completed anemometer was mounted on a pencil, allowing it to spin freely. They put two straws on top of a pencil with a tack and taped cups to the end of the straws. The pencils were held the pencils loosely so the wind would force them to move. 

When the wind blows, it catches the open sides of the cups, causing the anemometer to rotate. The stronger the wind, the faster the cups spin around.

The project allows students to learn about scientific observations and engineering skills and practice their math skills. Picture to the right: Oasis students with anemometers.

Math Parent Night 

Oasis Academy hosted Parent Math Night on Wednesday, October 9. Oasis Math Strategist Kim Sorensen organized the evening, which featured special guest Singapore Math Curriculum Author and Trainer Cassy Turner (pictured below). 

The evening started with families gathering in the cafeteria to hear Turner discuss the Singapore Curriculum. Turner explained tricky math terms and walked parents through different classroom strategies. The families were then able to attend breakout sessions in their students' classrooms.

Classrooms were filled with fun games to help make learning math fun, with Oasis math teachers helping guide the process. 

“Math night was a wonderful opportunity to see an in-depth look at Singapore Math and how "new math" is really just a way of helping students find different strategies to come up with the correct answer,” said Jenny Hiskett, Oasis parent. “It was fun to see how first-grade math is the building blocks for upper-grade math.”

“An Oasis math night has been a long-time goal for our math team, and we were excited to make it happen,” Sorensen said. “Mrs. Turner sharing her expertise with us added to the night. We were thrilled to see so many parents and students come and join us after a long day; their support truly made the evening special.” 

“As teachers, we live for 'Aha' moments. To experience a moment with parents makes it even better,” she said. “I heard parents say, ‘Oh, you are teaching kids to think about math how we do.’” 

Seeing the reaction of parents and students was a reward for the teachers.