Last month, Nevada Union lost one of their beloved teachers, Ms. Sadie White Kinseth. Ms. Kinseth was an English teacher for the Humanities Academy. She was also a loving mother to her seven-year-old son, Tyler Kinseth. On Tuesday, March 8th, 2022, a memorial for Ms. Kinseth took place at the Nevada Union Don Baggett Theater. Her friends, colleagues, current and past students, and everyone who was touched by the bright light that Kinseth is, came to celebrate her. 

Walking the stairs of the theater, posters of Ms. Kinseth lined the walls with photos of her throughout the years: from the time that she was a student here at Nevada Union before she graduated in the class of 1999, to when she was at Chico State, photos of her traveling, her with her friends, with her son, and her teaching could be seen.

As we filed into the theater, Elle Neal (12) played Amazing Grace on the bagpipes. The program started with Nathan Homan and Alicia Lacoste, both Humanities teachers and close friends of Ms. Kinseth, introducing us to the legacy of Ms. Kinseth. They spoke of her energy, kindness, and warmth.

Many people read excerpts from books and poems that Ms. Kinseth loved. As she was an English teacher, her love of literature was prominent in her life. Sue Garcia, Kristina Stroeve, Molly Starr, Melody Homan, and Alicia Lacoste, all teachers and all friends of Ms. Kinseth read pieces from Henry Van Dyke, Zora Neale Houston, Ray Bradbury, A. A Milne, and Maya Angelou. Love and appreciation for a lost loved one was the common theme among the texts.

Musical pieces were also performed by the Nevada Union Choir, the Nevada Union Jazz Combo, and by a former student of Ms. Kinseth, Hailey Pritchard, an alumna of the Class of 2016. And family friend Matt Frink, Nate Homan, Brad Hoover, Brett McFadden, Alicia Lacoste, and Sara Wessinger all spoke directly about the impact that Ms. Kinseth had on their lives. A slideshow created by Keri Kemble and Kelsey Langel displayed dozens of photos of Ms. Kinseth throughout her life. 

After all scheduled speakers finished, the audience had the opportunity to share stories about Ms. Kinseth. Many people shared about the impact that Ms. Kinseth had on their lives. This beautiful celebration of life shows the light that Ms. Kinseth was on our campus.