The last big event of the year was academic/backpack night. During this milepost, parents, guardians, students and family members filled the school to look back on the progress their Wranglers made during the year. The classrooms were a showcase of student work. "Treasure Books" were officially released. Treasure books are professionally printed and bound books that students author and illustrate. The climax of the evening was the raffling of backpacks.

    May 27 was a special celebration of mothers and their children. Coming off of the excitement generated by "Donuts With Dad," about 700 people enjoyed Muffins With Mom. Each mother (or other important person) received a carnation and was treated to a muffin with the company of their child(ren). The multipurpose room was filled with mothers and their wranglers! A big thanks to Traci Hallaway and the entire PTA for organizing such a successful event.

    In May, our school was treated to "Sacagawea: the Bird Woman's Return." This is the story of the Shoshone woman who helped Lewis and Clark cross the West. Now in their 28th season, the Rainbow Company gave Wranglers two powerful performances. We thank Ms. Lynch, our humanities teacher, for bringing the theater group to Watson.

    We held our third annual carnival on Saturday, May 8. This year the event had a Renaissance theme. As you can see from the picture, there was a large turn-out. Run by the Watson PTA, the carnival featured face painting, games, raffles, an auction and lots of entertainment. A big thanks to President Tracy Hallaway and all the PTA members that helped to make the event so unforgettable!

    On April 23, we enjoyed our third annual field day! Students competed against each other, winning points for their color teams. Wranglers played all sorts of games that were run by specialist teachers and parent volunteers. Children showed great sportsmanship and enthusiasm for this celebration of sport. The event was organized by Ms. Eddins (our P.E. teacher) and Miss. Rachel (our P.E. assistant). Since this was their last field day with us, we wish them both the best!

    On Saturday, March 20, our school was proudly represented at the second North East Region Fine Arts Festival. The event was hosted at our local Mojave High School. Ms. Mazzone (our art teacher) selected works of student art to display in the gallery. Led by Ms. Barrera (our music teacher), the Wrangler Choir performed pieces about character education. Led by Mr. Dwyer (our teacher-librarian), the African Rhythm Ensemble performed rhythms from West and Northern Africa.

    We won the 2004 Connect for Kids program! Everybody in our school was bussed to our local public library, registered for a library card, checked a book out and attended a program. For winning, our school was honored at a ceremony at the West Las Vegas Library. The McDonald's Corporation also gave our entire school a free lunch. The program was organized by Mr. Dwyer & Ms. Charlotte Labrum from our school library. Remember to keep checking books out from our local public libraries!

    In March, we celebrated Nevada Reading Week and Read Across America. We observed the "Seussentennial" celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday. In this week long celebration of literature, there were mystery readers over the intercom and an accompanying contest. There was a door decorating contest. The library also held it's annual book fair. There were many guest readers including the North Las Vegas Fire Department, Kelvin Atkinson, Mojave High School students, Mr. Spotted Eagle, New England Patriot Tedy Bruschi, Mr. & Mrs. Fredric W. Watson, and people from Nellis Air Force Base. A special thanks to Ms. Tobias and the language arts committee for organizing the event!

    We had our Science Fair in February. It was a big success as parents, students and teachers came one night to see the multitude of unique projects. Grades one and two did class projects, focusing on experimentation. Third grade completed group experiments. Fourth and fifth grades completed individual projects with an emphasis on inventions, observation histories, experiments and collections. The winners will have their projects sent to the Southern Nevada Regional Science and Engineering Fair at UNLV. A special thanks to Ms. Dunn and Watson's Science and Math Committee for organizing the event.

    February saw another celebration of the African continent with the culmination being "An Evening In Africa." Mrs. Barrera's (our music teacher) Wrangler Choir, Instrument Ensemble & Recorder Club performed a few musical and dramatic pieces. Afterwards, Ms. Lynch's (our humanities teacher) Junior Drama Club performed a dramatic interpretation of the folktale "Strength." Mr. Dwyer's (Librarian) African Rhythm Ensemble finished the night off with two rhythms, one of which featured the group's first performance of "Nasser" -a showcase of North African rhythm and instruments.

    Local TV personality Kevin Janison visited our school. Mr. Janison is a meteorologist from KLAS channel 8. He talked to students about weather safety. Living in the Vegas Valley, flooding is the main danger. Mr. Janison even showed a video of Watson students during his weather report!

    On Saturday, January 17, our school's African Rhythm Ensemble performed in Las Vegas' annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade. The parade ran up fourth street in the downtown area. The Quintero Family donated the use of their truck and the performing platform which several parents & guardians decorated in our school's colors. Seen to the right is the group performing under the world famous Fremont Street Experience.

    At the Donuts With Dad (or other special person) event, fathers spent some quality time with their children at an unusual place -Watson! With donuts and coffee waiting, dads showed up with their kids in droves. As the picture to the left shows, there was a high turnout. Hats off to Tracy Hallaway and the entire PTA for funding, organizing and working the event.

    In October, many teachers worked for a night at our neighborhood Smith's grocery store at the corner of Camino Al Norte and Ann Road. Watson teachers volunteered their time and labor to check-out and bag groceries. Smith's donated a portion of all proceeds from the night to our school.

    Our first graders took a trip to the Las Vegas Farm Festival at Horseman's Park. The event helps educate urban and suburban children on the ways that agriculture and ranching are a part of our every day life. Mr. Watson, the man our school was named after, even worked a display. Children had the opportunity to touch animals such as llamas, cows, pigs and horses.

    Pachience will always be more than another second grader to our community. We miss her curiosity and kindheartedness. We remember Pachience's love of reading and talent for great story-telling. With her departure, many of us lost a good friend. Pink was Pachience's favorite color and it is in this color that we not only want to remember our loss but celebrate her life. May Pachience's smile live in us always

    Meet our first assistant principal, Ms. Donna Williams. This is her 21st year in education and her fourth year in administration. Ms. Williams' background is in Special Education. Before she made the Vegas Valley her home, Ms. Williams came from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At home, she has one son and a husband. When Ms. Williams isn't working with the Cub Scouts, she's out riding her motorcycle!

    Our school now has a tortoise! Mr. Watson (the man our school was named after) has been working with Jerry Shupe from the Las Vegas Tortoise Group to create a home for a school tortoise. They've been working for months to get the school's courtyard ready for the reptile. On September 8, students attended a special courtyard assembly to meet and learn about the newest member of the Watson community. Students even explored the inside of the burrow with "the tortoisecam."