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THIRTY YEARS OF THE PROGRESS…Ute V. Perkins Elementary Opens

This summer the PROGRESS is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The newspaper began operations in September of 1987 under the direction of its founder John Z. Robison. Since that time the PROGRESS has covered three decades of community issues, news stories, local businesses, youth sports, politics, elections, Moapa Valley personalities and much more.
Over the next couple of months, we are highlighting the PROGRESS’ role in documenting the day-to-day goings-on in the Moapa Valley communities. We have selected some of the more interesting stories which have appeared in past editions.
So keep an eye out for the PROGRESS over the next few weeks. There will be plenty to look back on; and look forward to.

Editor’s Note: The following story was published on the front page of the PROGRESS during the week of August 30, 1989.

By JOHN Z. ROBISON

Ute Perkins Elementary School Staff. Standing l to r: Becky Tom, Becky Watson, Dennis Fischer, Lisa Henry, Linda Reese, Sharilee Anderson, Vivie Adams, Judi Anderson, Maureen Frank, Larisa Beasley. Seated l to r: Sharon Walker, Debra Watson, Melissa Preciado (Secretary and Jim Perkins (Principal). Not pictured: Ann Hardy, Ramona Crane and Dennis Martin.

It was an exciting day on Monday, August 28, 1989 for 184 elementary school students from the Glendale, Moapa-Warm Springs area. It marked the opening of the new Ute V. Perkins Elementary School. Although the physical facilities have not yet been constructed at the Moapa school site, the Perkins school will be temporarily sharing the campus of the Grant M. Bowler Elementary school in Logandale, utilizing portable modular classrooms which were brought in by trucks during the summer.

This new school will have its own PTA, the proposed by-laws have been posted at the Moapa Post Office and the school office. These by-laws will need to be approved by parents prior to its official organization and election of officers.

The new principal at Perkins Elementary is Jim Perkins, a native of Kentucky. He is excited about opening a new school and being involved with the first students and their parents and working with a complete new staff to have the opportunity, through ideas, actions and expectations, to shape the future.

It is Mr. Perkins’ intent to develop a school climate that encourages students to do their very best, to work together cooperatively, and to respect each other and adults.
“Our curriculum will provide students with up-to-date learning experiences that will teach basic skills and more. The fine arts, literature, drama and physical education will be an important part of what students learn. It will be our intent to provide a balanced curriculum that helps develop the whole child,” Perkins said.

As a sixteen year veteran of the Clark County School District, Jim Perkins’ assignments have been varied. He taught for eight years in elementary schools, served for three years as Dean of Students at Woodbury JHS, was selected as principal of summer school for the handicapped for four summers, worked as an Assistant Principal of Variety/Miller School and this last year as Assistant Principal of Bracken and Manch Elementary Schools.

Perkins and his wife Janie were born and raised in Monticello, Kentucky. They are twenty year residents of Nevada and are graduates of the University of Nevada Las Vegas. They have two daughters.
The new teaching staff at Ute Perkins Elementary is made up of both Moapa Valley natives as well as several newcomers to the area.

The Kindergarten class will be taught by Ann Hardy, who is on the staff of Bowler Elementary.
First grade teachers are Sharilee Anderson and Debra Watson. Mrs. Anderson grew up on a farm in South Dakota. She received her degrees at Black Hills State College and Nova University. She has been teaching for 24 years in Nevada.
Debra Watson is from Grove, Oklahoma where her father is a farmer/rancher. She received degrees fromn N.E. Oklahoma A&M Jr. College in Miami, Oklahoma. She has taught one year at Laughlin, Nevada.

Second grade teacher is Judi Anderson. She received her Elementary Education Degree from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. She taught 2nd grade in Farmington, NM and then taught Kindergarten last year at Nellis AFB. Her husband is a carpenter and is helping to build the Tai Arabian Ranch in Logandale. They have four children: 3 boys and a girl.

Third grade teacher is Rebecca Watson (Deborah Watson’s sister). She has been teaching for nine years. She earned her M.A. from N.E. Oklahoma State University at Tahlequah, OK and also studied at Oklahoma State University at Stilwater, OK.

Fourth grade will be taught by Sharon Walker. Walker grew up in Logandale and is a daughter of Glenn and Alice Jensen. She received a BS degree in Home Ec from UNR where she also taught child development. She received an Elementary Certification from UNLV. She previously served as assistant coordinator for the Head Start Program for the State of Nevada. She married and moved to the Pacific Northwest for 20 years. She has 5 sons and now resides in Moapa Valley.

Fifth grade students will have Linda Reese as their teacher. She has been teaching at Grant Bowler for six years. She had previously taught at 2 different schools in Las Vegas. Reese taught 1st grade at Bowler Elementary for four years, piloting a reading program for Dr. Grant Harrison of BYU which is now used in both the Bowler and Perkins schools. She has received the Excellence in Education Award for developing a program for using the environment to integrate the curriculum.
She is married to Mike Reese who teaches and coaches at Moapa Valley High School. They have three children, all attending college.

Physical Education and Art will be taught by a native of Overton, Vivie Adams, daughter of Dr. Larry and Pat Adams. She graduated from MVHS where she was active in athletics, cheerleading and the student council. She graduated from BYU this past year and has been teaching in Utah for the last six months.

Music will be taught by Larisa Beasley who has lived in Las Vegas since she was 12. She received a degree in Music Ed from UNLV and has been teaching band and PE at Fay Herron Elementary for four years. She is married to a band teacher and has 2 children.

The Resource Room will be run by Dennis Fischer. A native of Washington State where he graduated from Central Washington State College. He has taught in a Special Education self contained classroom for 16 years in Vancouver Washington.

The Librarian at Perkins is Lynette Wolfley. She has been teaching at Bowler Elementary for three years. She received her degree from Utah State. She lives in Moapa with her husband Craig who teaches Vo-Ag at MVHS. They have 6 children, 4 boys and 2 girls.

The school Lunch Nutritionist is Ramona Crane. She has been working in the school lunch program at Moapa Valley High School.
School Custodian will be Dennis Martin of Moapa.

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