PBS Reno to Open
The Jerry Smith Center for Educational Collaboration
RENO, NV (SEP 4, 2024) — PBS Reno is set to open The Jerry Smith Center for Educational Collaboration, a space for educators and facilitators to collaborate with school districts, nonprofits, and outside agencies in their mission to assist children of all backgrounds, regardless of income, advantage or ability, in their educational journeys and help each child thrive.
The space inside the PBS Reno facilities at 1670 N. Virginia Street in Reno, NV, will be dedicated on Thursday, September 5 at 1:30pm. A brief presentation will be followed by a plaque dedication, light refreshments, and PBS Reno Curiosity Classroom workshops for guests to enjoy.
The Jerry Smith Center for Educational Collaboration is named for Jerry Smith, who served as President, Foundation Manager & Director of The Nell J. Redfield Foundation in Reno from 1974 until his passing in 2023. During his tenure with The Redfield Foundation, Smith was a helpful friend to many in the philanthropic community and funded nearly 300 nonprofits in northern Nevada – including PBS Reno and its educational outreach initiatives.
“Jerry believed deeply in providing those less fortunate with a variety of high-quality educational experiences,” said Dr. Ken Coll, Executive Director of The Nell J. Redfield Foundation. “He knew from his own life that amazing things can happen when a young person finds their passion. PBS Reno’s education programming provides such experiences. As helping those most in need through education is one of the core tenants of The Redfield Foundation, Jerry strived to do what he could to make the playing field more equal. I know he was proud of the work of PBS Reno’s educational initiative, with stimulating programming throughout northern Nevada. He would also be humbled and honored with The Jerry Smith Center for Educational Collaboration.”
The Jerry Smith Center for Educational Collaboration is a space where Smith’s principles of collaboration will be put into daily practice. During the 2023-2024 school year, PBS Reno delivered 6,959 Curiosity Classroom workshops to students in eight school districts across northern and central Nevada and one school district in northeastern California. Much of the work that goes into preparing the materials for the workshops will take place in The Jerry Smith Center for Educational Collaboration.
“Jerry Smith made a huge impact on me when I first began my position at PBS Reno seven years ago,” said Nancy Maldonado, PBS Reno Vice President of Education. “During a meeting with him and Jeane Jones, I explained my background in education; the schools where I taught, and the schools where I was the principal. The hardest and yet best part of our conversation came when Jerry challenged me by asking, “How do you know what PBS Reno is doing for kids is actually making a difference?” Intuitively, I answered, “Anything ‘extra’ we can do for kids and teachers in the classroom has a positive impact on student learning.” But intuition wasn’t enough for Jerry, and I quickly realized, it wasn’t enough for me. Over the next few months, I reached out to others for advice and finally to the College of Education at University of Nevada for resources and support. Six months later, our first assessment was conducted in Redfield Schools. The assessment proved that our Curiosity Classroom workshops make a positive impact on student learning! It was a game changer for PBS Reno because the data proves our Curiosity Classroom workshops improve learning outcomes with generally equal conditions and when used in conjunction with classroom instruction. It was Jerry’s influence that pushed me to work harder and figure out a way to conduct this study. He was a very smart man.”
Curiosity Classroom workshops are free of charge and available October through June to eight school districts in northern and central Nevada and one school district in northeastern California. Learn more at pbsreno.org/education/curiosityclassroom.
About PBS Reno
As of February 2024, PBS Reno is enjoyed by more than 288,000 monthly viewers in northern and central Nevada and northeastern California across several platforms including three broadcast channels (PBS Reno 5.1, Reno Create 5.2, and PBS KIDS on PBS Reno 5.3), a YouTube channel, YouTube TV, online, livestreams, and digital platforms. PBS Reno provides PBS national programming and award-earning, locally-produced content, with many local segments posted weekly to PBS Reno’s YouTube Channel. PBSReno.org provides engaging interactive content, including the video portal at watch.PBSReno.org that streams all locally-produced content and most PBS national content. PBS Reno serves students, teachers, parents and caregivers through immersive educational services including Curiosity Classroom Workshops that bring classroom lessons to life with standards-based lessons and activities. Through the support of local corporations and foundations, as well as thousands of individual members, PBS Reno has been delivering public television and educational services to the communities it serves since September 29, 1983.
About The Nell J. Redfield Foundation
In 1974, Nell J. Redfield established a non-profit, private foundation to carry out her charitable wishes and to perpetuate her charitable objectives after her death. Nell was born in a small town in Idaho but she spent most of her adult life in Reno where she developed a special love for the community. During her lifetime, Nell undertook a program of charitable giving which focused on education, health care and aid to needy women and children, and care for the homeless poor, among other causes. Since her death, those objectives and many more have been advanced by her successors. The Nell J. Redfield Foundation continues to carry on the programs initiated by Nell Redfield during her lifetime. Over the years, it has granted millions of dollars throughout the northern Nevada community to advance the causes of education, health care, aid to the elderly, the homeless, and to women and children in need. The interests of the Foundation are so far-reaching that almost all community non-profits in the Foundation’s mission space are supported.
Contact us:
Membership Questions: membership@pbsreno.org
Programming Hotline: programming@pbsreno.org
Phone: 775.600.0555
Address: 1670 N. Virginia St. • Reno NV 89503