Worland area schools ready to begin school year on Tuesday

WORLAND – Summer is officially over for Worland area students come Tuesday, Aug. 20.

With multiple projects going on throughout the district over the summer, many teachers started to head back to their classrooms on Wednesday, in preparation for another school year.

HIGH SCHOOL

One of the large projects that happened over the summer was a sewer replacement project at Worland High School, which went a lot smoother than anticipated, according to Washakie County School District No. 1 Business Manager Jack Stott.

Another project that is ongoing at the high school is an upgrade to the security at the front entrance, and according to Stott, the full upgrade to the front entrance will not be completed until the spring after some key pieces were back ordered and there will not be enough time to install all of the new pieces prior to the new school year starting.

Another addition that will be coming to each school in Washakie County School District No. 1 within the first month of school but will not be fully functional on day one, will be a new security system that will require a form of identification to be presented and background checked prior to entrance being granted in to the school.

All fall sports practices will start up at the high school on Monday, Aug. 19, prior to school starting on Tuesday, with the exception of golf which began Aug. 12.

One word of encouragement for parents from Worland High School Principal Wade Sanford was for parents to attend all meetings throughout the year regarding expectations in academics and sports.

Another word of advice from Sanford, specifically for senior parents, is to “check the website for information regarding scholarships and financial aid workshops throughout the year.”

Ninth-grade orientation will be at the high school on August 19 at 8 a.m.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

One of the main changes at Worland Middle School involves how students will be dropped off and picked up at the middle school.

The change is to make the primary drop off/pick up zone on the west side of the school, and allow only the buses to drop off in the drop off zone directly in front of the school.

This new centralized location is set to allow for more teacher supervision at the location, and allow for parents to have two points of exit rather than congestion at the one point of exit where buses will drop off students.

According to state law in Wyoming, passing a parked school bus with a stop sign out is punishable by a fine of up to $420, along with other punishments depending on the severity of the offense, and the frequency at which the offenses occur.

The middle school will also be hosting a sixth-grade orientation on Monday night at 6:50 p.m. to around 8 p.m. to introduce new students to the school.

Middle school athletics for the fall sports season will begin on the first day of school.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Each elementary school remains the same and will kick off the school year with their School Year’s Eve party on Monday. South Side and East Side elementary schools will start their parties at 5 p.m. and West Side Elementary School will begin at 5:30 p.m.

This event will give students the opportunity to bring in their school gear and meet their teachers prior to full school activities beginning on Aug. 20.

South Side will be having a parents meeting this Friday at 6:30 p.m. in order for new parents to come to the school and learn about the expectations of the school from both parents and students.

According to Principal Ken Dietz, the students will also have their handprints put on to citizenship benches on the afternoon of Aug. 23 to help them teach the students about the expectations of the school, and to signify that they will be good citizens of the school.

West Side will have two new faces in the school this year, with Ashley Weaver teaching fourth grade, and Matt Mueller deciding to move down from the middle school to teach fifth grade.

West Side will also be hosting a picnic in the park on Aug. 30 to help welcome back students and parents alike to the new school year.

Ten Sleep students will begin school on Wednesday, Aug. 21.