Mission High School Opens a Serenity Garden for Teens in Recovery, Funded by The Raiders Foundation

by Ryan Rose

What Happened at Mission High School

Mission High School held the grand opening of its Serenity Garden on Saturday morning, Sept. 26, 2026. The school's website invited families and supporters to a celebration from 10 a.m. to noon. The school described the event as a chance to honor not just a new garden, but also the people and groups who helped make its mission possible.

News 3 Las Vegas (KSNV) reported that the garden was funded by The Raiders Foundation. The goal is simple: give students a peaceful space where they can pause and reset while they keep working on their recovery. Mission High was selected for the funding by the Maxx Crosby Foundation, a nonprofit that lists teen substance abuse intervention as one of its main causes.

Several familiar faces from the school community showed up. FOX5 Vegas reported that school leaders, alumni, and community partners gathered on campus. The group included CCSD Trustee Brenda Zamora, Mission High Principal Angela Nickels, and representatives from both foundations.

John Horn, a retired CCSD associate superintendent, also attended. He told News 3 that the school opened nine years ago and has gone through a lot of changes since then. He pointed out that you can see many past projects around campus, but he called the garden "a real special one."

Trustee Zamora represents District D on the CCSD Board of School Trustees. She told News 3 the garden is a great chance to build a better environment for Mission High students. She also said some students at the school are facing hard challenges but are rising above them. She called it amazing to have a place in Las Vegas where students can sit, relax, and catch their breath.

Photos from News 3 show what the new space looks like. There are wooden benches, a shaded picnic table under a large mature tree, a patch of green grass, big decorative boulders, and fresh desert plantings along the wall. It is not fancy. It is a calm, open, outdoor room that did not exist before.

A picnic table and boulders beneath a large shade tree inside the new Mission High School Serenity Garden near downtown Las Vegas

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

Most of us picture a high school and think of big campuses, sports fields, and thousands of students. Mission High is different. It is a small school with a very specific job. It helps teenagers finish their education while they work to stay sober. Many of these students have already been through a lot by the time they walk through the door.

A quiet outdoor space matters for students like that. Recovery is not something that only happens in a counselor's office. It happens all day long, in small moments. A student who feels stressed or overwhelmed needs somewhere to go that is not a hallway or a parking lot. A garden with benches and shade gives them that option right on campus, during the school day, surrounded by staff who understand.

Think about what a normal school day can feel like for a teen who is early in recovery. There are tests, deadlines, friendships, family stress, and cravings that can show up without warning. Having a place to step outside, sit under a tree, and take a few slow breaths can help a student get through a hard hour without giving up on the whole day. Those small wins add up over a semester.

This story also matters because it is a good example of the valley's pro sports teams putting money directly into local kids. The Raiders Foundation funded the project, and the Maxx Crosby Foundation helped steer it to a school that fits its focus. That is the kind of community investment that does not always make headlines, but it touches real families in Clark County.

There is a bigger point too. Substance use among teens does not stay in one zip code. It shows up in Summerlin, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and every neighborhood in between. Mission High is a CCSD school, which means it is a public option available to families across the district. Many parents do not know it exists until they need it. Every story like this one helps get the word out to a family who might be searching for help right now.

Finally, the garden is a reminder that small, focused investments can make a public school campus feel more welcoming. A few benches, a shade tree, and some plants can change how a place feels. When students feel safe and cared for at school, they are more likely to show up, stay engaged, and graduate. That is good for them, and it is good for the whole community.

Background and History of Mission High School

Mission High School opened in 2017. KTNV 13 reported at the time that CCSD was launching a new high school on Veterans Memorial Drive to help students battling addiction, and that it was the first school of its kind in the nation according to the district. The plan included regular classes plus a social worker, mental health counselors, and recovery courses for both students and parents.

So what is a recovery high school? In simple terms, it is a school where students earn a regular diploma while getting daily support to stay sober. Teachers, counselors, and classmates all share the same goal. Instead of going back to the same hallways and friend groups where trouble started, students get a fresh start in a place built around their recovery. For many families, that fresh start is the whole point.

The school's motto is "Recovery, Relationships, and Rigor." Its website says it offers a high quality education along with life skills and counseling services. The idea is to help students set goals, build healthy relationships, and redefine their lives while earning a diploma. The school also uses the hashtag #hopefound, which says a lot about how it sees its students.

The Las Vegas Sun visited the campus in 2019 and shared a clear picture of how the school works. That year, Mission High had 47 full-time students. Students took the same core subjects as other CCSD high schools, including math, English, science, and social studies. They were also drug tested on a regular basis. The Sun reported that a failed test did not mean automatic expulsion, because the school often gave students a second chance.

In 2019, the Sun reported the school was staffed by six teachers, a drug and alcohol specialist, a social worker, and therapists for family counseling and mental health. Some staff members were in recovery themselves, which helped students relate to them. Students were referred from places like The Harbor, a county juvenile assessment center, from the juvenile justice system, and from other high schools. Parents had to commit to staying involved in their child's counseling. The school's first graduating class of 12 students walked in May 2019.

A quiet desert garden pathway lined with cactus plants, similar to the calm outdoor spaces built for students in Las Vegas

Today, the school's admissions page says there are no requirements to enroll beyond a desire to get sober and a commitment to the recovery process. Students and parents take part in intake interviews. After that, staff meet to decide whether Mission High is the right fit, and they contact parents within two business days with a decision.

The Maxx Crosby Foundation, which selected Mission High for this project, launched in November 2023. According to the foundation, it was established by Maxx Crosby, the defensive end the Raiders drafted in 2019, and his wife, Rachel. News 3 reported at launch that its main focus areas are teen substance abuse intervention, youth health and wellness, and animal rescue and abuse prevention. Southern Nevada is one of its three home regions, along with Eastern Michigan and North Texas. A recovery high school in Las Vegas lines up directly with that mission.

What Happens Next

The garden is open and ready for students to use. News 3 reported that students will soon have a new place to pause and reset on campus. The real test comes in the weeks and months ahead, as students start using the space during breaks, counseling time, and quiet moments in the school day.

Mission High is also heading toward a milestone. The school opened in the fall of 2017, which makes the 2026 to 2027 school year its tenth. Horn's comments at the unveiling pointed to a long list of campus projects over the years. It would not be surprising to see more partners step up as the school moves through this anniversary year, though no new projects have been announced.

For the foundations, this project fits a pattern of local giving. The Maxx Crosby Foundation has made teen substance abuse intervention a core cause since it launched. Families and supporters who want to follow future projects can watch the foundation's website and CCSD news updates. On the school side, CCSD trustees continue to meet regularly, and Trustee Zamora's presence at the event shows the board is paying attention to what happens at Mission High.

The garden itself will also change over time. New plants take a season or two to fill in, and shade grows as trees mature. Students who use the space this year will see it look different by spring and fuller still by graduation. In a way, that slow and steady growth mirrors the work the students are doing every day.

We will keep an eye on Mission High and share any updates as they come out. Stories like this one are worth following, because they show what a public school can do when the community gets behind it.

Ryan's Take

I talk to families every week who are moving to Las Vegas or moving across town. School questions always come up. Most people ask about test scores, class sizes, and which schools are zoned to which neighborhoods. Very few people ask about what happens if their teenager is struggling. But that question matters just as much. It is good to know that CCSD has a public school like Mission High, built for teens working through recovery, and that it is open to families across the district.

I also love seeing local money go into a campus near downtown. The central part of the valley does not always get the same attention as the newer master-planned communities out on the edges. A garden like this does not change a whole neighborhood overnight, and I would never promise that it moves home values. What it does is show that people care about this corner of town and the kids who go to school there. When the Raiders Foundation and the Maxx Crosby Foundation put resources into a school like this, it helps the whole community feel a little stronger. That is the kind of Las Vegas I am proud to help people call home.

A quiet bench under a leafy green tree, the kind of peaceful outdoor seating a school serenity garden offers students

What You Can Do

If you are a parent and your teen is struggling with substance use, you are not alone, and there is help close to home. Mission High School is a CCSD campus at 801 North Veterans Memorial Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89101. You can reach the school at 702-799-7880, or visit the Mission High School admissions page to fill out an interest form and schedule an intake. If your family is new to CCSD, the school's office staff can help with registration.

If you or someone you love needs help right now, the SAMHSA National Helpline is free, confidential, and open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in English and Spanish. You can call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for treatment referrals and information. You do not need to have all the answers before you call.

If you want to support this kind of work, you have options too. You can learn more about the Maxx Crosby Foundation and its focus on teen substance abuse intervention and youth wellness. You can also share this story with a friend or neighbor who might not know Mission High exists. Sometimes the most helpful thing we can do is make sure a family in need knows where to turn.

And if you know a Mission High student or graduate, take a minute to cheer them on. Recovery takes courage, and finishing high school while doing that work is a real accomplishment. A kind word from a neighbor, coach, or family friend can mean more than you think. These students are part of our Las Vegas community, and they deserve to hear that people here are rooting for them.