Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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Many in Thermopolis have been wondering what is going to happen the middle of May when the Class of 2020 is supposed to cross the stage from high school to adulthood with the pandemic we are facing world wide. As of Monday, schools are still under orders to have schools closed through April 30, but the district does have alternate plans in place if the closure extends through the end of the school year. “Our Class of 2020 seniors will have the most memorable graduation in 100 years,” said high school principal Breez Daniels. “This is the 100th...
Wyoming schools are getting some relief after receiving federal waivers from education funding requirements on Tuesday, April 7. The waiver was granted to allow Wyoming schools the ability to use fiscal year 2018 funds through September, 2121, and expands the possible uses of some title programs in an effort to allow districts to meet the educational needs of students due to widespread school closures due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. “Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jillian Balow said, “The United States Department of Educ...
It has been about five weeks since several competitive seasons were cancelled across the state, including speech and debate. Knowing this was difficult on the students, especially seniors, the Wyoming State Speech and Debate Association put their heads together to figure out a way to not only have the State Tournament remotely, but to be able to choose National Qualifiers, which will also be held remotely rather than in person. After getting permission from the National Speech and Debate Association, a specific formula was used to determine...
While some parents and students are adjusting well to the new adapted learning plan Hot Springs County School District #1 is using during this school closure, others are having a rough time with how everything works. The district’s adaptive learning plan was approved by the state in late March and went into effect April 3. The main instruction mode for those students in Kindergarten through fourth grade include using digital, online learning methods as well as instructional packets. For g...
Chauncy Johnson, business manager for the Hot Springs County School District informed the board of plans in place to ensure students in the district will be receiving meals during the school closure through April 3. Johnson said the federal government has allowed them to activate their summer program in order to provide food for students during this time. Food service and some of the transportation staff has gathered together to provide grab and go meals for students during the closure, not to...
After the issuing of a press release from Governor Mark Gordon and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, all schools in Hot Springs County School District #1 will remain closed through April third to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the Coronavirus. Superintendent Dustin Hunt consulted with our county health official and state infectious disease officials before making the decision. Whether or not the schools remain closed after the April third date will be reassessed la... Full story
Several high school student athletes were honored with sportsmanship awards during this month’s Hot Springs County School District Board of Trustees meeting. Sterling Gerber was honored for his show of sportsmanship during the boys basketball game with Rocky Mountain on January 17 along with Jarron Mortimore during the game against St. Stephens the same day. Mortimore was also honored for the February 1 game with Big Piney. Duder Harvey received acclaim for his sportsmanship at the January 18 g...
by Nick Reynolds Casper Star-Tribune Via Wyoming News Exchange CHEYENNE — As Wyoming begins dipping into its savings to cover the cost of its K-12 education system, state lawmakers have begun to reckon with the question of what happens when the state’s “rainy day fund” — the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account, referred to as the LSRA — runs out. A Sublette County lawmaker believes he has the answer, however, pushing a bill through committee that could help stabilize the state’s reserve accounts. Carried in the House Appropriation...
The Wyoming Department of Education recently released a list of the recipients of the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center Cohort 13 grants and Hot Springs County School District made the cut. With $2.05 million to distribute, the department of education gave $220,149 to the district, one of the top four districts as far as amount of money received. The program is authorized under Title IV, Part B, of the Every Student Succeeds Act and recipients must serve students and families from low-performing, high needs schools with...
If you’re ready to set some realistic activity goals, reduce your chances of falling and increase your flexibility as well as your strength and balance, then a Matter of Balance class may be just right for you. Presented through Hot Springs County Public Health and the Wyoming Pioneer Home, the classes will cover all of these goals during four, two-hour sessions starting on Tuesday, March 3. The classes will include group discussions, problem solving and peer support. To achieve the intended outcome, class attendance for all four sessions is r...
Stephanie Boren, Reading Specialist and Interventionist at Ralph Witter’s Elementary, announced a new school reading project. She gave each family of the students in the school a copy of “C is for Cowboy,” a Wyoming Alphabet book. The teachers and students will spend a week reading and talking about the book to build vocabulary and to learn about our great state. Boren states, “The benefits of reading aloud to all students are truly remarkable. Studies have shown that reading to childre...
Riverton Ranger Via Wyoming News Exchange RIVERTON — A structural deficit in Wyoming’s K-12 school system will require a $222 million transfer from savings in the coming biennium, forecasters have informed the Joint Appropriations Committee. “That is what is supporting the school foundation program going forward,” said Don Richards, cochairman of Wyoming’s Consensus Revenue Estimating Group, “a transfer from the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account.” The solution is not permanent: Richards said the LSRA is losing money, with its balance f...
Thermopolis Middle School (TMS) has partnered with Donors Choose in order to obtain materials for their classrooms – anything from furniture to science materials. Teachers first create a project they would like to have funded and then prospective donors visit the Donors Choose website, select their favorite project and then donate to help fund their favorites. When the items are fully funded, Donors Choose ships the items directly to the school. Just this past week, TMS was fortunate to have s...
Graduation rates across Wyoming have increased for the sixth consecutive year according to a report released from the Wyoming Department of Education. “Wyoming has reached the highest graduation rate under this methodology, which was put in place over a decade ago,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow. “More Wyoming students are prepared to succeed in college careers and military service. Districts have worked hard to increase the number of students who received a dip...
School attendance and drop-out rates were a large part of the January school board meeting with principal Breez Daniels explaining the importance of freshman success to high school graduation. Absence rates are going down in the district quite rapidly when compared to the mid-way point in the year, August through December. In 2017 students with 14 or more absences during that five-month period amounted to 23 percent. By 2018, that number had dropped to just 14 percent. This year, Daniels was hap...
Hot Springs County High School has released their first semester honor rolls. Superintendent - 4.0 Jayci Basse, McKenna Bomengen, Kamry Bowman, Ashley Brawley, KyAnn Calhoun, Jeffry Clark, Brooklynn Cooley, Brianna DeVries, Bronwyn Dobbins, Sage Fishbaugh, Xander Getzfreid, Lee Grimm, Tyler Hoskins, Hannah Hu, Hardy Johnson, Tyler Kay, Dakota Leonhardt, Hallie Martinez, Chloe Mascorro, Eli McCumber, Wyatt McDermott, Ashley McPhie, Ryan Mosser, Jonah Needham, Lexi Overfield, Breeze Petty, Jacob Randall, Reagan Severance, Morgan Slover, Madeline...
Bobcat speech and debate had a stellar weekend at the Cody Invitational last week, bringing home their second first place win of the season. The Cats showed their strength, not only taking first in 1A/2A, but scoring higher than the 4A teams, coming in second overall to Worland by less than 10 points. Senior Breeze Petty brought home second in Congress as well as a fourth place in Impromptu for the weekend. Sophomore Jean-Luc Willson placed fourth in Extemp, followed by Brooklyn Brown, placing fifth and Jacob Randall in sixth place. Randall...
Some of the programs that are available to students in Hot Springs County’s School District as well as other districts across the country can be difficult to distinguish and sometimes difficult to understand. At the December meeting of the school board, Brenna Huckfeldt and Kristin Ryan explained the differences between a Section 504 and the Individual Education Program (IEP). Starting with a Section 504, it is part of the Rehabilitation act of 1973 and is federal law. It is designed to p...
The December meeting of the Hot Springs County School District’s Board of Directors is used to reorganize the board, elect officers and reveal any conflicts of interest board members may have where bills are concerned. Tuesday night, Jennifer Axtell was elected as the new board chair. Sherman Skelton will be her back-up as vice chair. Other officers include Nicole Weyer as clerk and Joe Martinez will be the board’s treasurer. Bobcat pins were passed out to all of the members of the Drama team in recognition of their back-to-back State Champions...
Two coaches with the Hot Springs County School District were recently named Coach of the Year for the fall season by the Wyoming Coaches’ Association. Brandon Deromedi was chosen for 2A boys golf and Aimee Kay was chosen as middle school coach for volleyball. The pair were chosen by their fellow coaches during the 2019 fall season. “I was pleasantly surprised with this one,” Kay said. “Having coached for 27 years it is again, nice to be recognized for the time and effort I put in. “What makes it...
The Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) at Ralph Witters Elementary has been working for many years to get a buddy bench on the playground at the school. The idea was started by Jessica Slagle, the former PTO president. With her work, along with that of RWE principal Catelyn Deromedi, former school counselor Liz Ryan, RWE secretaries and custodians, and many PTO members, the project was possible. Joe Martinez provided the bench. The buddy bench is a safe haven for students. Not just for sitting, the bench is there for kids who need it. If a...
The new buddy bench was unveiled at Ralph Witters Elementary last Friday. The bench will provide a place for children who feel sad, lonely or picked on to sit, and other students can come comfort them or invite them to play....
The Hot Springs County School District has started their year with 670 students enrolled across all grade levels. According to Superintendent Dustin Hunt, the official numbers from the state do not come out until October 1 and because some families are in transition at the start of school, those numbers will undoubtedly change between now and the official count date. On October 1 of 2018, there were 650 students registered in the district....
This school year, Hot Springs County High is home to three international students. Aurora Sanfelici from northern Italy is visiting through the Rotary Youth Exchange program, and two additional students are visiting through Education First (EF). Eric Kay explained he was contacted by EF, the world's largest firm that works with exchange students. He noted they also do foreign language trips. He received an email last spring regarding a search for International Exchange Coordinators (IECs), and...
Hot Springs County School District Board Chairman Clay VanAntwerp began the Tuesday night meeting with introductions of the new staff joining the district, spending some time with the other board members in a little meet and greet with the new hires. Jessica Flores and Kendra Kimes will be filling positions at RWE as SPED paraprofessionals this year. Jesica Quiroga and Danielle DuFoe will be SPED paras at TMS, and Rees Ready has been hired as a part-time Administrative Assistant at TMS. Brandon...
