Originally published in the Bobcat Newsletter, Written by Bob Graves

We wanted to share some news with you regarding a new partnership between Lake Tahoe School and enrollment management company Mission Enrollment. 

As shared on their website, Mission Enrollment, used by dozens of private and independent schools across the country, helps schools review and develop fair, sustainable tuition assistance strategies that reflect modern family realities. Mission Enrollment holds a simple belief: tuition assistance can be both equitable and efficient.

While LTS will continue to use Clarity as our primary resource for tuition assistance, Mission Enrollment will assist us in reviewing and allocating aid in ways that strengthen our mission and support greater access for families in need of extra help in pursuing a Lake Tahoe School education for their children. 

In the coming days, Mission Enrollment is inviting all interested Lake Tahoe School families to a Zoom workshop on Thursday evening, November 5 – see flyer below. This is particularly of interest to those applying for tuition assistance next year. A highlight of the workshop includes walking parents through the Clarity application process. If you are interested in attending, Mission Enrollment asks that you pre-register with the link provided below.

We look forward to working collaboratively with Mission Enrollment and with Clarity to provide the best possible tuition assistance services to our families. If you have any questions, please contact Kris Nugent at the school. Thanks.

Zoom with Mission Enrollment Link

Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino, a spacious resort nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, announces the return of its annual Halloween Carnival on Saturday, October 31, 2026. The family-friendly event will bring together resort guests and the local community for an evening of Halloween festivities. One hundred percent of proceeds will benefit Incline Education Fund’s STE(A)M program, which supports science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics education for local students through hands-on learning opportunities. 

The Halloween Carnival will take place on Saturday, October 31 between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. in the resort’s Regency Ballroom. Guests of all ages can enjoy an assortment of Halloween activities and entertainment including carnival games, a bouncy house, a photo booth, and classic treats like popcorn and cotton candy. DJ Joolz will provide spooky beats, with a dance floor available for guests to join in the Halloween celebration. 

“Our Halloween Carnival has become one of our favorite traditions at the resort, and there’s nothing quite like seeing the ballroom fill with costumed families from Incline Village and beyond,” said Hilde Di Domenico, director of marketing at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino. “We look forward to welcoming our neighbors back for a night that’s as meaningful as it is fun”. 

Entry is a $10 donation to Incline Education Fund and includes five tickets for games and activities, with additional tickets available for $1 each. Validation will be provided for the resort’s self-parking lot.

Proceeds will support Incline Education Fund’s STE(A)M program, which has funded a makerspace program at Incline Elementary School, a robotics program at Incline Middle School, and an engineering and entrepreneurship program at Incline High School through community support and recently awarded grants. For more information about the program, please visit https://www.inclineeducationfund.org/programs/. 

For questions about the event, email TahoeAdventures@hyatt.com.   

For more information or to book a getaway to Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe, please visit HyattRegencyLakeTahoe.com, or call (775) 832-1234.

About Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino

Situated among the towering peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the award-winning Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino offers a premier destination based in the nature-infused setting of North Lake Tahoe. The resort is home to an on-site Adventure program offering daily guided activities to help guests explore the Tahoe outdoors with everything from group hikes and archery classes to meditation sessions. Guests can enjoy premium amenities such as a year-round heated lagoon-style pool, two hot tubs, and a 25,000 square-foot Grand Lodge Casino. The resort also boasts the 20,000 square-foot Stillwater Spa featuring a variety of relaxing massages, facials and body treatments as well as state-of-the-art touchless therapies including the Cryobuilt Cryochamber, “Pearl” a revolutionary float orb, and the “Harmony” bioacoustic mat. The property showcases premier dining opportunities at the brand-new Osteria Sierra offering elevated Italian cuisine, pub-style fare at Cutthroat’s Saloon, and grab-and-go selections at Tahoe Provisions. Additional culinary delights include afternoon tea service on the weekends and a selection of world-class pastries created by the resort’s renowned team of pastry chefs. Recognized for excellence, the resort has garnered numerous awards including Travel + Leisure’s 500 Best Hotels in the World, Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best, Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards, Smart Meetings Smart Stars Awards, and U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hotel Awards.

Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino is located on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, at 111 Country Club Drive, Incline Village, NV, 89451. For more information, visit HyattRegencyLakeTahoe.com or follow the resort on Facebook or Instagram.

About Hyatt Regency hotels 

The Hyatt Regency brand is a global collection of hotels and resorts found in more than 200 locations in over 40 countries around the world. The depth and breadth of this diverse portfolio, from expansive resorts to urban city centers, is a testament to the brand’s evolutionary spirit. For more than 50 years, the Hyatt Regency brand has championed fresh perspectives and enriching experiences, while its forward-thinking philosophy provides guests with inviting spaces that bring people together and foster a spirit of community. As a hospitality original, Hyatt Regency hotels and resorts are founded on openness—our colleagues consistently serve with open minds and open hearts to deliver unforgettable celebrations, effortless relaxation and notable culinary experiences alongside expert meetings and technology-enabled collaboration. The brand prides itself on an everlasting reputation for insightful care—one that welcomes all people across all countries and cultures, generation after generation.
For more information, please visit hyatt.com

Originally published in the Lake Tahoe School – Bobcat Newsletter, 10/18/2026, written by Bob Graves

It all started during the second week of school this year. Casually wandering by the first-grade classroom one day, Ms. Jeanee beckoned me inside for a moment. Entering the room, the unusually loud chatter from the students, matched by a few sly smiles here and there, had my Head of School warning senses tingling . . . All I needed was some ominous cello music in the background to add to my sense that something was definitely amiss. As it turns out, little did I know that I was about to become a central figure in the topsy-turvy world of Red Words.

For the uninitiated, Red Words are those tricky little words that do not follow a specific spelling rule. Words like “were,” “there,” “some,” and “here” seemingly defy the common rules of grammar. While these words may seem simple to us as adults, young students sometimes struggle to fit them into their learning. To overcome this, from kindergarten through second grade, we place special emphasis on their use and spend extra time teaching them, culminating in students writing and using them in sentences. Most importantly, we make learning them fun and a bit of a game – hence, my role in the process.

After being lured into the first-grade classroom, Ms. Jeanee asked a student to read aloud to me how the class was using the Red Word for the day – “does.” Slowly and deliberately – I suspect she was practicing her comedic timing – the student read “Does Mr. Graves nap?” The students’ response was to laugh so hard that you would have thought we were at a comedy club where the comedian landed the perfect punchline. I will never forget their joy and the satisfied glances they exchanged as they savored the moment. My positive answer, explaining that I do indeed enjoy a nap or two, was almost irrelevant to their happiness in surprising me. 

Then and there, I decided to myself that I would be more than happy to serve as an inspiration to their Red Word fluency. To help this process, I now stop by the classroom regularly – often claiming to have just woke up from another nap – to ask if they have any new words to share with me. If you remember how young children are, you know they will figuratively beat an issue into the ground with repetition – especially if they have a willing “victim” and a little humor is involved.

So far, my involvement and classroom appearances in Red Words activity have included the following – see if you sense a theme. For the word “there” – “There is Mr. Graves napping.” “Done” – “Mr. Graves is done napping.” For “here” – “Here is Mr. Graves napping.” “Under” – “Mr. Graves is napping under his desk.” And my new favorite to date for the word “down” – “Mr. Graves is napping down under the school.” For the latter, I confessed to being surprised they had discovered my secret tunnel under the garage – something the timider laughter this time seemed to imply that several students might have believed . . .

I frequently share that joy is an important piece in the learning process – especially at Lake Tahoe School. Learning should be fun, full of twists and turns, using different approaches, yet grounded in solid intent and purpose. Such is the work of our teachers each and every day on behalf of the students in their care – only occasionally being interrupted by a wandering Head of School.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to go back down to my secret tunnel and get some rest – yes, take a nap – in preparation for the Red Word Olympics in January. I’m already yawning . . . Learning can be so exhausting!

Have a great week ahead.

Bob

Originally posted by TRPA

Spotting a bald eagle at Tahoe is quite a treat. It also tells an important story of Tahoe’s overall health.

As recently as 1996, zero bald eagles were nesting in the Tahoe Basin. The species had not successfully nested here in decades. Over the last 30 years, Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program partners have worked together to restore habitat, monitor populations, and create better conditions for eagles and other wildlife to thrive.

That work is paying off. Since 2005, Tahoe has met or exceeded its bald eagle nesting target every year. After more than 20 years of meeting the goal, it’s time to celebrate that success and set our sights on what comes next.

The focus is not only on eagles. Peregrine falcons, other raptors, bears, otters, beavers, bobcats, Lahontan cutthroat trout, and countless other species are part of the interconnected ecosystems that make Tahoe unique.

Wildlife is one of 10 environmental threshold categories that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) uses to measure environmental health and progress toward regional goals. Many of these thresholds were established in the 1980s, when Tahoe faced different challenges. After decades of monitoring and conservation progress, it’s time to take another look.

TRPA is working with the Tahoe Science Advisory Council, partner agencies, and other experts to evaluate and update the wildlife threshold as part of a broader effort to establish new biodiversity goals for the region.

Here’s a closer look at some recent wildlife wins in the Tahoe Basin.

Eagle photo by: Thea Schwartz; Bobcats video by: Ben Fish

World’s Fastest Bird Takes Flight at Tahoe

Just this summer, a pair of peregrine falcons—the world’s fastest bird, capable of reaching speeds of more than 200 miles per hour—successfully raised and fledged two chicks at Castle Rock in the southeast corner of the Tahoe Basin. Fledging means the young birds developed the feathers and strength they needed to leave the nest and fly on their own.

After an unsuccessful nesting attempt last year, seeing two chicks successfully fledge this summer is an encouraging sign. It’s another bright spot in the remarkable recovery of a species that was once at risk of extinction.

For nearly a decade, the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science (TINS), TRPA, and partners have monitored peregrine falcons at five nesting locations around the basin. 

During nesting season at Castle Rock, the U.S. Forest Service placed temporary trail and climbing warning signs near active nests to reduce human disturbance while young birds develop and prepare to fledge. Research has found that activity above nesting cliffs can be particularly disruptive to raptors.

The project is a true partnership between TINS, the Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Nevada Division of Wildlife, TRPA, Sierra Ecotone Solutions, and dedicated volunteers and supporters.

In 2026, TINS also launched a Peregrine Falcon Volunteer Ambassador Program, allowing community members to assist with monitoring and learn firsthand about peregrine falcon ecology and conservation.

Through Team Tahoe partnership and monitoring, we can better understand and protect peregrine falcons and other raptor species in the Tahoe Basin.

Peregrine falcon photos by: Sarah Hockensmith and Will Richardson, Tahoe Institute for Natural Science

Dr. Christopher Barile presents: “From CO2 to Smart Windows: Chemistry for a Better Energy Future.”

How can chemistry help create a cleaner, more sustainable energy future?

Join us for a fascinating look inside the Barile Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno, where researchers use chemistry and electricity to develop innovative technologies that address everyday energy challenges.

This talk will highlight two exciting areas of research. First, learn how scientists are working to transform carbon dioxide, a major human-generated greenhouse gas, into useful fuels and chemicals by designing materials that carefully control chemical reactions.

Then, explore the development of a new generation of “smart” windows that can switch between clear and dark using electricity. By controlling how much light passes through a window, this technology could reduce glare while helping buildings use less energy for heating, cooling, and lighting.

Together, these projects demonstrate how fundamental chemistry can be translated into practical technologies with the potential to support a cleaner and more energy-efficient future.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tahoe-talk-series-dr-christopher-barile-tickets-2002475047773

Originally written and published for LIVE.WORK.PLAY Magazine, Family and Education Edition, Fall 2026

When volunteers come together each fall for the Great Sierra River Cleanup, every bag of litter collected helps protect the waters, forests, and communities that make the Sierra so extraordinary. On Saturday, September 19, 2026, Incline Village will do its part as IVGID Waste Not and Diamond Peak host the Pollution Penguins/Diamond Peak Ski Team Cleanup with everyone’s favorite mascot, Penguin Pete.

Organized in partnership with The League to Save Lake Tahoe’s Tahoe Blue Crew and other local organizations, the event is part of a region-wide effort to beautify communities while preventing litter from entering local waterways. Volunteers will help remove trash from Diamond Peak’s ski slopes and around town, protecting the watershed that ultimately flows into Lake Tahoe. Every piece of litter collected helps preserve the natural beauty that makes our community so special.

The cleanup takes place from 9 a.m. to noon at Diamond Peak Ski Resort, with volunteers meeting in the upper parking lot before heading out to cleanup locations. Families, friends, coworkers, and community groups are all encouraged to participate. Penguin Pete will be on hand to greet volunteers, pose for photos, and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. Cleanup supplies will be provided—participants simply need to wear comfortable clothing, sturdy shoes, and bring a reusable water bottle.

Whether you can spare an hour or stay for the morning, your efforts will make a lasting impact. Join your neighbors for a day of stewardship, community pride, and teamwork as Incline Village joins thousands of volunteers across the Sierra in helping keep Lake Tahoe and our mountain community clean and beautiful for generations to come.  It’s a meaningful way to share your love for Tahoe and leave the community a little better than you found it.