On Thursday, February 24th, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Senator Jacky Rosen and other education officials, visited Spring Valley as part of their Nevada tour in discussion of how COVID-19 has affected students revolving the return to in-person school. 

Principal Tara Powell stated that officials had chosen to attend Spring Valley at random.  Five students were chosen to represent diverse perspectives   in what could be done to promote key relationships with a positive learning environment. 

“The kids talked about the relationships they had with their teachers during the pandemic and after the pandemic, and how important it was for [the] relationships to continue to be fostered in order to move forward,” Powell said. “They talked about how great it is to be here and getting to know their teachers in real life, and not behind a computer screen.” 

To much surprise at the opportunity, staff and students enjoyed their time spent with the leading officials. The day had led to discussions of achievements and hard work the school’s staff puts in, every single day. 

“It was awesome,” Powell said. “It was an opportunity for us to show the work that the staff does every single day here. Every single day, we have so many committed people, and to hear the kids talk about how grateful they were to the staff was humbling.”

Cardona was able to connect and understand the students’ perspectives to further engage into meaningful conversations, creating a welcoming environment and versatile topic of discussion. 

“What I enjoyed the most was that Secretary Cardona was a true educator and spoke our language. He truly gets it because he has walked in [an educator’s] shoes before,” Powell said.

As per Clark County’s superintendent Dr. Jesus Jara, Secretary Cardona wishes to provide funding and initiatives to improve teacher shortages and staff to accommodate resources for students.