A LIFE OF LEARNING

Teacher says goodbye to Rancho High School after 29 years of service

Shelly Donahue/VIewDennis Blackmer?s collection of thank-you letters show how much the Rancho High School teacher was appreciated. Shelly Donahue/ViewRetired Rancho High School teacher Dennis Blackmer relaxes with his wife, Maryann, at their Centennial Hills home. Blackmer retired from teaching last fall after nearly three decades at Rancho and will continue mentoring new teachers through July. Advertisement

Centennial Hills resident Dennis Blackmer has spent nearly three decades teaching students at Rancho High School in North Las Vegas. Reflecting on the past, he said he now knows it's time for something new.

"If you're at one school long enough, you've taught the parents and their children," Blackmer said. "Once you get grandchildren, you know it's time to leave."

Blackmer, who retired from teaching last fall but will continue to work with the Clark County School District through July, grew up in Northern California and graduated from the University of San Francisco with a double major in literature and history in 1974. He said his original plan was to go to law school, but when he took a few years off to travel after college, he decided he had better get serious and started working. He taught for a few years in the Bay Area before making his way east.

Blackmer said moving to Las Vegas was a culture shock.

"Rancho isn't an inner city school. If you've been to an inner city school, you know what I'm talking about. But, I came from a middle class background, and I had to learn how to interact with people with different expectations than I had."

Blackmer said even today, Rancho is a great school for educators to hone their teaching skills.

"Rancho is a challenging environment," he said. "It's where real teaching and real learning take place. It's where you find out if you really want to teach. The kids might not be as motivated right away. You have to be creative. If you're connected with the students, they really enjoy learning."

Blackmer received his master's degree in education in 1980 from UNLV and continued his education to earn 40 additional credits through UNLV and BYU. During his career, he has taught general and honors English, advanced placement English, AP government and AP U.S. history.

He co-wrote curriculum for the multicultural literature class, which was implemented by the district and acquired a grant that brought Yolanda King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., to Rancho as a guest speaker for students.

"Teaching is really a talent," said Blackmer's wife, Maryann, who also taught at Rancho. "It is a dynamic. I don't think just anyone can do it."

Blackmer said he watched the students at Rancho change over the years, as well as the school's building. The original facility, built in 1954, was torn down in June 2006. In August, construction of a new school was completed and classes began. The new building was erected on the site of the school's old football stadium.

"It's a new school," Blackmer said. "It's modern and positive, but it doesn't have that unique personality that the old school had."

Blackmer said he is glad he chose teaching when he decided to set a serious goal for his life.

"I think I've affected a lot of children's lives, but I think I've benefited the most," he said.

Blackmer isn't the only family member who dedicated his life to education. Maryann worked at Rancho and Bonanza high schools for 33 years. After teaching English, she worked as a counselor. The Blackmers' daughter Denise Thistlewaite was a teacher and vice principal, and now works in administration for CCSD.

Blackmer met his wife when he started teaching at Rancho in 1978.

"Her classroom was right across from mine. We used to wave to each other," he said.

Blackmer also started two programs that continue at the school today.

He requested and received volunteers from ACTION, a group of state and federal employees who act as interpreters to civil and criminal courts. These volunteers, with three working on site and seven working from their homes, acted as liaisons between Rancho staff and non-English-speaking students and families. Part of their contribution was to contact these families to make sure that their children were in attendance for CCSD proficiency testing. Maryann said the personal calls made a difference.

Blackmer, along with Rancho teacher Isaac Barron, also founded an internship program with local radio station KRLV 1340 AM. Bilingual students work as on-air radio personalities, producers and directors at the station.

"We were trying to create a bridge between Rancho and the community," Blackmer said.

Since finishing his teaching contract in the fall, Blackmer has been working as a mentor to new teachers. With only a few weeks left, he said working in that capacity at Rancho has been a great way to end his career with CCSD.

"Our job is to retain teachers," Blackmer said. "It's a great program."

"I am so proud of Dennis," Maryann said.

Blackmer may be leaving CCSD, but he doesn't plan to stop teaching anytime soon. He has applied to the U.S. Department of Defense to teach English at a military base.

"It is something I've wanted to do since I started teaching," Blackmer said. "It's an opportunity to travel and to keep teaching."

Blackmer joked that he will probably only sign a year-long contract because he doesn't want to go alone.

Maryann said she is going to go with him, but that she is not going to teach. She said she is enjoying her retirement.

"It's going to be a new experience and an adventure," Blackmer said.