Dr. (Larson) Buck spent 23 years serving children in the Clark County School District and growing the Pinecrest Academy of Nevada charter network. She served in the roles of English Language Learner (ELL) Teacher and Specialist, Adult ESL Teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal, Lead Principal, Executive Director, and, presently, President of The Pinecrest Foundation. Dr. (Larson) Buck had the absolute privilege of serving thousands of Nevada’s children and their families over the past two and a half decades. She cares deeply about each and every one of them. She is truly invested in all children being an integral part of Nevada’s educational success story and works tirelessly to improve Nevada’s educational landscape for all children.
As the Principal of C.T. Sewell from 2006 to 2014, many positive educational reforms resulted in an increase in student achievement from 35% to 83% proficiency in reading and 36% to 90% proficiency in math. As the Lead Principal/Executive Director of Pinecrest, Pinecrest increased enrollment and student achievement from one struggling school in 2014 with 700 students and a 3-star state rating (Nevada CRT) to 4 sites/8 schools earning all 5-stars (SBAC)in 2018, serving nearly 5000 students. In fact, Pinecrest Academy of Nevada is one of top charter school networks in the state of Nevada with all 5 star schools. As the current President of ‘The Pinecrest Foundation,’ Dr. (Larson) Buck works daily to build community partnerships with schools, advocate for college scholarship opportunities for students, and oversee innovative lessons through STEMeffect, Edutainment, and eSports initiatives. She created a Master Teacher process and recognition program to highlight and retain the best teachers in Pinecrest classrooms, culminating in a Master Teacher gala at the end of each year.
1995 Montana State University - Bozeman, B.S.
