Gov. Brian Sandoval celebrated a high school dropout prevention program he helped launch in Nevada at Desert Pines High School on Wednesday night.
The Governor, who announced plans to fund the JAG program to include up to 50 additional high schools by 2014 and to serve nearly 2,000 additional high school students in his State of the State, was joined at the ceremony by Clark County School District Superintendent Dwight Jones, Director of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation Frank Woodbeck and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Jim Guthrie, among others.
JAG-Nevada launched a four school pilot in the 2012-2013 school year. The schools launching the JAG Model program included:
– Cimarron-Memorial High School, Specialist: Patricia Heintz, Las Vegas, NV
– Dayton High School, Specialist: Nancy Gardner, Dayton, NV
– Desert Pines High School, Specialist: Kelly Kelley, Las Vegas, NV
– Valley High School, Specialist: Yvonne Lee, Las Vegas, NY
The program was implemented by the Community Services Agency in Reno, Nevada, under the leadership of Cloyd Phillips, Executive Director and JAG-Nevada Coordinator Jenna Hall.
The JAG Mid-Year Review Team, led by Dr. Jim Koeninger, Executive Vice President, conducted an on-site review and reported that despite a slow start in entering the schools, the JAG Specialists were well-chosen and well-trained by Dr. Julie Ray, JAG National Trainer. Review Team Laurie Phelan shared that the full JAG Model is being implemented by a very talented group of Specialists and that they serve as role-models for the recruitment of new Specialists for the proposed expansion to 50 additional high schools by 2014.