Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026 | 2 a.m.
On Tuesday, voters from seashore to seashore made their voices heard, electing Democrats successful races crossed the state and delivering a rebuke of President Donald Trump’s policies.
It seemed lone fitting that connected the aforesaid day, successful classrooms astatine Cimarron-Memorial High School, the voices of the adjacent procreation were being heard too.
Nearly 800 Clark County School District students gathered for the yearly Sun Youth Forum, spending Election Day doing what ideology asks of each of us: talking honestly astir the issues facing their assemblage and their world, and listening to 1 another.
Sun laminitis Hank Greenspun and his assistant, Ruthe Deskin, launched the forum successful 1956 to springiness precocious schoolhouse students a spot to stock their views connected existent events and their hopes for the aboriginal — and to marque definite assemblage leaders were listening.
Greenspun believed the paper owed thing to the community’s teenagers: a genuine accidental to talk their minds freely. Writing successful his “Where I Stand” file that archetypal year, helium wrote of however moving it was for an big to beryllium and perceive arsenic sharp, thoughtful young radical took connected their problems with candor and existent intelligence.
Seventy years later, that feeling hasn’t faded. If anything, it landed harder connected a time erstwhile the state was deciding its direction.
“Everything we’ve learned successful the past respective years is that it’s either your squad oregon their team,” said Brian Greenspun, the Sun’s steadfast and editor. “There’s nary consensus, and nary 1 is adjacent talking to 1 another. What’s happening present contiguous is precisely the opposite, connected the precise time the remainder of the state is trying to determine what benignant of advancement it wants.”
This year’s forum filled astir 40 treatment rooms, with topics ranging from instrumentality and transgression to teen issues to “Home successful Nevada.” Adult moderators — elected officials, UNLV professors and concern leaders — guided the conversations, but the students did the talking.
That is the point.
The forum teaches young radical however to listen, however to disagree and however to respect opinions that disagree from their own, each successful a civilian and productive way.
On a time erstwhile the nation’s governmental divisions were connected afloat display, a fewer 100 teenagers showed that hard conversations don’t person to beryllium hostile ones.
The conversations don’t extremity successful the classroom. Each treatment country selected a typical from among its members to transportation the group’s ideas to a wider Las Vegas audience.
The Sun has partnered with KUNV and UNLV-TV to diagnostic immoderate of those students successful quality segments, portion others volition constitute columns for the Sun successful the weeks ahead.
This year’s country representatives are: Evan Edgeworth, Sierra Vista; Rainier Licerio, Veterans Tribute; Calvin Hughes, Palo Verde; Mia Ramirez, CSN High School; Emily Crones, Green Valley; Matthew Trujillo, Palo Verde; and Yam Katz, Green Valley.
Others include: Amelie Apfel, SECTA; Aurelia Zohar, Veterans Tribute; Zion Graves, CSN High School; Jack Coombs, Green Valley; Oscar Escobedo-Lopez, Veterans Tribute; Ashley Edwards, Del Sol; Kalista Kozhin, Green Valley; Matthew Rosique, West Career and Technical Academy; Melany Carmenaty-Martiez, Advanced Tech; Asia Plaster, Northeast Career and Technical Academy; Alayah Bell, Sierra Vista; Theodora Javar, Spring Valley; Seth Valencia, CSN High School; and Adrian Ortiz, Las Vegas.
More representatives include: Milo Brazell, Coronado; Meli Ghauidel, Palo Verde; Kimball Steffen, Green Valley; Olivia Cho, West Career and Technical Academy; Natalie Negrete, Northeast Career and Technical Academy; Chase O’Neil, Veterans Tribute; Jasmine Olivares, Spring Valley; Kayla Woods, Coronado; Shalom Bitew Henok, Sierra Vista; Molly McCartney, Green Valley; Sofia Junco, Foothill; Maria Ramos Sanz, Del Sol; Samiel Fishman, Veterans Tribute; and Embrie McCraw, Foothill.
Students were randomly drawn for scholarships totaling $35,000.
UNLV provided scholarships to: Hope Moreno, Southwest Career and Technical Academy; Elevidia De La Torre, Southeast Career and Technical Academy; Princess Anne Rodgers, Veterans Tribute Career and Technical Academy; and Victoria Lorriane Torres Brenes, Cimarron-Memorial.
Tang Foundation scholarships went to Ohlson Davis, Palo Verde; Adrian Danielle Bousley, Chaparral; Jared Punzalon, Del Sol Academy; Esther Espinoza, College of Southern Nevada High School; Anaia Holston, Canyon Springs; Renee Harris, Southwest Career and Technical Academy; Isabella Vazquez, East Career and Technical Academy; Marisa Diaz, Veterans Tribute Career and Technical Academy; Lyric Felch, Arbor View; and Jesus Adrian Figueroa Galvez, Chaparral.
Silver State Schools provided scholarships to: Dominic Edward Gerrard, Del Sol Academy; Daphne Ward, West Career and Technical Academy; and Jazlyn Camacho, Western.
UNR provided scholarships to: Braelyn Beel, Canyon Springs; and Gabriella Jenks, Foothill.
Teach for America gave scholarships to Ella Pitura of Spring Valley and Alexandria Membreno from Eldorado, and scholarships from Arcata Associates went to Yagin Abdalla of Southeast Career and Technical Academy, and Matthew Rosique of West Career and Technical Academy.
Center for Learning provided scholarships to Leilani Taito of Northwest Career and Technical Academy and Emery Mueller of Legacy High School, and the Nevada Treasurer’s Office provided a assistance to Zoey Dukes of Mojave and Kareem Angelo Oshman of Chaparral.
Joshua Kureekattil, Centennial; Laila Robinson, Bonanza; and Julian Abonce, Northwest Career and Technical Academy were drawn for scholarships from Patrick Duffy and Luis Velasquez. The Village Foundation provided a assistance to Priscilla Aumua, Desert Oasis.
The Las Vegas Sun funded scholarships for: Sara Zouita, Rancho; Dylon Hynn Lopes, Del Sol Academy; Izbella Matt, Bonanza; and Ken Ortiz, Arbor View.
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