Washakie County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees praise great start to year

WORLAND — The Washakie County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees met on Monday night to discuss the start of the school year, and what is to possibly come in the next couple of months.

The meeting started out with the honoring of four students who received excellent marks at the Wyoming State Fair in Douglas a couple of weeks ago. These students were Luke Voss, a state champion in range judging and was high individual and top camper, Konnor Macy, Abel Vega and Koby Busch were named state champions in range judging. Liz Voss was named to the 307 All Star Livestock Judging team.

The meeting was continually praising teachers, parents, and students alike for making the school year such a smooth transition, as each school saw a high attendance rate to pre-school-year activities, according to each principal.

Early attendance numbers indicated fluctuating numbers around the district, as some schools are seeing an early attendance boost, while others are showing a slight decrease, as official numbers will be reported once the have stabilized after the start of the year.

New classified temporary and full-time staff were hired throughout the district. These classified staff were Ashley White and Melanie Dedic part time at South Side. Amanda Macy, KaLea Bennett, Jeralyn Moore full time at East Side, and Karen Newton part time at East Side. Shelly Anderson was hired full time at Worland Middle School, and Eida Sanchez and Naomi Harris were also hired part time at the middle school.

The Class of 2019 Worland High School Hall of Fame was announced during the meeting. For more information see related story. These individuals will be honored with a dinner during homecoming week on Oct. 3, and will take part in homecoming festivities at the high school prior to the football game against Rawlins.

The board approved the purchase of a new scoreboard for the Worland Aquatic Center of up to $45,400 from Colorado Time Systems after the scoreboard has been difficult to work with, and all of the cost will be covered by insurance.

Water levels have been fluctuating at the pool, but Business Manager Jack Stott said he and the maintenance crews are looking for solutions.

The board also approved the sale of a surplus of five acres owned by the district by Veterans Park, with the land being purchased nearly 20-plus years ago and still operated on by a neighboring farmer, the district thought it was right to sell the land since there are no intentions to build a new school on the land.

The board was nominated by Superintendent David Nicholas to present at the Fall State School Board conference on attendance, and why Worland area schools are so productive in getting students to attend class each day.

OTHER BUSINESS

Nicholas stated that he would bring more information regarding the Wyoming High School Activities Association’s plans for making girls fast-pitch softball a sanctioned sport after he attends the fall Wyoming High School Activities Association Board of Directors meeting. The board earlier this year approved softball as a club sport, however, eight schools in Wyoming, most recently Laramie in Albany County, have approved it as an official sanctioned sport. Eight teams was a requirement for the WHSAA.

Principal Ken Dietz said that South Side Elementary will be having their annual pie fundraiser, with packets going out Sept. 6, and finishing on Sept. 25.

Initial impressions for the ACT and Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress (WY-TOPP) scores were provided by Curriculum Director Jody Rakness, as these scores were not made public until Wednesday at 3 p.m. there will be a follow-up story regarding an in-depth look at testing scores in the Worland area in relation to the rest of the state.

Traffic flow has become easier at Worland Middle School after a new drop-off plan was instated, but there are a few flaws that Principal Ryan Clark is working on to make the system as perfect as possible.

Rachel’s Challenge will be visiting the Worland Middle School again this year, with a parent’s presentation at 7 p.m. Sept. 16.

The board of trustees went in to closed/executive session for the annual superintendent evaluation to conclude the evening.