Nevada teachers take an interest in mining on spring break

They received some gold panning lessons and other education

Rowan Dunne

Published

March 24, 2025

More than 100 teachers from Southern Nevada spent part of their spring break learning about the importance of mining in their state.

Last week, the Nevada Mining Association (NMA) and Nevada Division of Minerals hosted a two-day workshop at Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School in Las Vegas — a private Christian institution. The seminars have been offered by these organizations for over two decades.

There, they taught the education professionals about Nevada’s unique geology and mining history. The workshop featured an interactive portion where attendees could practice using a gold pan like a prospector.

The NMA highlighted how state citizens rely on minerals and materials produced through mining for their everyday lives.

“Without mining, we wouldn’t have the lights in downtown or the Strip or our cellphones or computers,” NMA community manager, Becky Hall, explained to a reporter from the Nevada Independent. “Our motto is if it’s not grown, it’s mined.”

Attendees received take-home rock and mineral kits to play with as a memento from their mining education session.

One of the key topics covered during the workshop’s lectures was the importance of gold mining in the state. Nevada produces over three quarters of American gold and about 4 per cent of the world’s. Gold producers operating in the state’s desert regions such as Barrick Gold (TSE: ABX) (NYSE: GOLD) (ETR: ABR), Calibre Mining Corp (TSE: CXB) (OTCMKTS: CXBMF) (FRA: WCLA) and SSR Mining Inc (TSE: SSRM) (NASDAQ: SSRM) (FRA: ZSV1) make this possible.

Workshop leader teaches a kids version

Damon Wahl, a former mine worker who helps run these seminars, does a similar version of the workshop with kids in grades 3 to 5.

The aim is to get the youngsters interested in mining at a young age so that they may pursue careers in the field later down the road.

“Hopefully one day they’ll maybe want to come work in the mining industry,” he said.

This isn’t the first time that Faith Lutheran has taken an interest in one of Nevada’s most important industries.

Last fall, the school took a group of students to the MINExpo International trade show. They had the opportunity to view state-of-the-art equipment and interact with industry professionals.