New Las Vegas school to be named after late Nevada legislator, educator

The Clark County School Board voted unanimously to name a new northwest Las Vegas Valley elementary school after Joyce Woodhouse, a longtime educator and former state senator. Woodhouse, who died in May at age 82, spent 40 years as a teacher and administrator in Clark County before being elected to the Nevada Senate in 2006, representing Henderson and parts of the county. She served until being term-limited in 2020.

Construction on Woodhouse Elementary School began in June at 8401 North Shaumber Road, near West Skye Canyon Park Drive in the Skye Canyon master-planned community. The school is expected to open in August 2027 for the 2027-28 school year and will serve up to 850 students.

Support for naming the school after Woodhouse came from 87 Nevada elected officials, policy makers, legislative staff, and lobbyists who worked with her, as well as Gov. Joe Lombardo and four former Nevada governors. In their letters, they praised her dedication to public service and education, with one quote from Punam Mathur of the state’s Commission on School Funding saying: 'Leaders are those who plant trees that will provide shade, respite and hope for generations they’ll never meet. That was Joyce Woodhouse.'

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal