Researchers with UNLV's Center for Business and Economic Research will be studying the causes of the dropout rate of students in Clark County.
The researchers will use Census data and focus groups to compile a list of common characteristics of dropouts. The data will be used to raise public awareness and might ultimately be used to help increase the retention rate in Clark County.
The study is being funded by a $10,000 grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation that was matched by Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Jim Rogers and the Latin Chamber of Commerce with donations from each of $5,000.
The study will be managed by CBER-based Nevada KIDS COUNT. Researchers from CBER, the UNLV College of Education's Department of Educational Leadership and the William S. Boyd School of Law will conduct the study.
According to executive director Keith Schwer with KIDS COUNT, Clark County currently has no other study running to explore the reasons for the school district's dropout rate, which was 6.8 percent for the 2004-05 school year.
Seniors invited to learn about theater
Seniors interested in taking classes or earning a degree in the UNLV Departments of Dance, Music and Theatre are invited to attend an informational party at 10 a.m. on Friday.
Classes for the fall semester begin at the end of August. Seniors ages 62 and older may qualify for up to six free credits per semester while space is still available. Refreshments will be served at the party, and performances and a presentation will be given.
No experience is required, except for persons interested in the Senior Band. For more information and to make a reservation, call 895-1079.
EVENTS
Casino memorabilia collectors to gather
The Casino Chip & Gaming Token Collectors Club Inc. will hold its 14th annual convention from June 28 through July 1 at the Riviera.
Casino collectors will be able to view chips, tokens, silver strikes, ash trays, room keys, dice, playing cards, swizzle sticks, matchbooks, postcards, photographs and casino deeds. More than 100 vendors will be on site to buy, sell and trade memorabilia.
One-day passes to the convention can be purchased at the door for $5.
Starbucks to offer free samples to customers
Starbucks coffee houses around the valley will be decked out in tropical colors on June 27 as the neighborhood locations will celebrate Summer Social, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Customers can drop in for complimentary samples of the company's latest summer beverages -- tangerine-lime and pomegranate-mango frappaccino juice blends.
STAGE
Magician has new trick up his sleeve
Tickets are on sale for magician David Copperfield's show, "An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion."
Copperfield will be unveiling his new illusion, "Lottery," in the MGM Grand Hollywood Theatre. Copperfield has won several Emmy awards and was named Entertainer of the Year twice.
The performances are set for Aug. 3-9 and Aug. 24 through Sept. 20. Show times are 7:30 and 10 p.m. daily, with additional 4:30 p.m. performances on Aug. 5, Sept. 2-4, Sept. 9 and Sept. 16. Tickets are $97 and can be purchased at all MGM Grand ticketing outlets, by phone at (800) 929-1111, or by visiting www.mgmgrand.com.
UNLV theater unveils season's performances
The Nevada Conservatory Theatre at UNLV announced it will produce five shows in its main season and four in its second season.
The season will open in October with "Private Lives," a comedy by Noel Coward that tells the story of a divorced couple who meet each other while honeymooning with their new spouses.
James Emondson will direct Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" in December. The comedy is about mistaken identity and cross-dressing twins.
Tennessee Williams' "A Glass Menagerie" will open in February with an unnamed guest star in the role of Amanda.
"Mother Courage and Her Children" will be performed in February and March in UNLV's Black Box Theatre. The drama by Bertolt Brecht follows a woman and her children trying to survive the holy wars in the 17th century.
"You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" wraps up the main season in April and May. The musical is based on Charles M. Schulz's comic "Peanuts."
The second season will feature four plays intended for mature audiences because of subject matter and language.
The first play "The Laramie Project" dramatizes the late 1990s kidnapping and torture of 21-year-old Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard. The play opens in September, and a portion of the profits will benefit the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
"A Book of Nights" opens in October and tells the tale of a woman who heals others in a safe house for abused and battered women but cannot heal herself. A combat photographer is haunted by the work he has done in the Middle East in Nakia Oglesby's "Click Boom," which opens in November.
The second season ends in April with the premiere of the Sarett National Playwriting Competition-winning play "The Masks of Rioclora." Richard Sewell's play follows a political fantasy writer when his lovers, exploiters and killers collide.
Season tickets for the main season may be purchased for $100. The price for the second season is $40. Individual tickets for the main season are $25 for general admission and $20 for seniors, students and persons in the military. Second season tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for seniors, students and military personnel. Tickets go on sale Aug. 19 and may be purchased at the UNLV Performing Arts Box Office or by calling 895-ARTS.
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