Students from Truckee, North Tahoe and Alder Creek highlight activities, safety and culture at TTUSD board meeting

Student leaders and school staff from multiple Tahoe Truckee Unified School District campuses presented updates and demonstrations at the board of trustees meeting on April 2, describing recent student events, safety efforts and extracurricular programs.

Greta Stein, an ASB member at Truckee High School, described recent school activities including a “Candyland” spirit week and a spring formal dance with a cotton-candy machine and inflatable obstacle course. “This was Candyland themed, and we had a dress up day every single day along with a rally on Wednesday,” Stein said.

Stein, alongside fellow student leaders Sofia Jacobs and Alyssa Lopez, outlined several ongoing efforts at Truckee High: a “rewear with flair” clothing exchange to keep prom affordable and eco-friendly; a new parking committee enforcing correct parking and booting or towing vehicles in fire lanes; a composting awareness campaign led by EnviroLution with cafeteria collection stations; and a prom safety program coordinated with Truckee Fire, California Highway Patrol, the coroner’s office and Truckee Police. Jacobs said the midterm schedule will reduce stress, with two two-hour blocks per day and 15-minute breaks.

“We’re trying to just really make it as safe as possible for people to get to prom,” Stein said, listing impairment simulations, crash-impact demonstrations and a permit station as components of the safety plan.

North Tahoe High student representatives Valerie Laguna and Randy Martinez reported athletic and arts successes, including state finishes for Nordic and snowboarding teams, a successful music fundraiser and a college-planning field trip to Bay Area campuses. “The winter sports season wrapped up with some impressive results,” Martinez said.

At Alder Creek Middle School, Principal Yann Larsen and assistant principals Julia Wister and Andy Lusk presented the school’s “superpowers” theme, a staff‑driven initiative emphasizing values such as integrity, kindness and collaboration. Counselor Rachel Coles explained that the school’s program is aimed at supporting pre‑adolescents as they navigate emotional and social development. Teacher Brianne Lopez described units on adolescent brain development used with eighth graders; Heidi Pruitt emphasized collaborative classroom practices and a recent concert that connected elementary, middle and high school bands.

Yvonne Acovos introduced students from ACMS’s Latina Sunidas Club, a weekly group for sixth‑grade Latina girls that focuses on leadership and culture. Club members described a recent lunch‑time event offering immigration information, resources and cultural activities; one student said the event used the monarch butterfly as a “powerful symbol of migration and hope.” Board members asked about the club’s membership and history; the club advisor said the group has run for about three years and this year focused on the sixth‑grade transition.

Board members praised the student presentations. Trustee comments noted strong public speaking from the students and commended efforts to make prom and testing accessible; trustees also asked follow‑up questions about financial support for SAT fees and membership composition for student clubs.

Less critical details: Truckee High promoted an ARC leadership trip and performance opportunities, and students reminded families about prom ticket pricing tiers and scholarship/fee‑assistance options.

The student presentations were part of the regular agenda’s “student recognitions” and public‑comment segments; no formal board action resulted from the presentations themselves.