Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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Hot Springs County School District #1 welcomed a number of new teachers for the 2017-18 school year. New teachers at Ralph Witters Elementary were featured in the August 24 edition of the Independent Record. This week, we are featuring new teachers at Thermopolis Middle School and Hot Springs County High School. Ayni McGee At Thermopolis Middle School, Ayni McGee will be leading the sixth grade students. McGee graduated from high school in Worland in 2013, then earned her bachelor's in...
School is in full swing at Ralph Witters Elementary, Thermopolis Middle School and Hot Springs County High School, and the overall student numbers increased slightly compared to the start and end of the 2016-17 school year. According to the numbers, there are 700 students enrolled in Hot Springs County School District No. 1 as of Aug. 24, compared to 687 on Aug. 25, 2016 and 663 on May 26, 2017. To find how much each class increased or decreased, compare the student total from a class at the end of the 2016-17 year to the total of the next...
Hot Springs County School District #1 Board of Trustees met Aug. 15, the last meeting before the start of the new school year. Laurie Graves, principal at Ralph Witters Elementary, gave a presentation to the board on how summer school went this year with the recent financial cutbacks. Graves said it was a little different, but Kinder Camp had a good three days focused on letter and word recognition. There was a 90 percent attendance rate for the little ones, which is a great turn out. First through fourth grades had almost a 100 percent...
Several new teachers have joined Hot Springs County School District #1 this year. This week, the Independent Record is featuring the new teachers at Ralph Witters Elementary. Watch for stories on the the new teachers at Thermopolis Middle School and Hot Springs County High School in feature issues. Jessica Carswell Joining the team at Ralph Witters Elementary is K-2 Special Education Teacher Jessica Carswell. Carswell grew up in Thermopolis, and after high school earned her undergraduate degree...
Summer vacation has again come to its end, and with the resuming of classes around town, it’s important for drivers to be aware of the increased foot traffic, particularly around the school buildings. Keep your eyes on the road and be aware of the other drivers as well, keeping in mind each new school year brings with it a batch of newly licensed high school drivers. Among the more common vehicles taking to the streets will be the school buses. These student transports are equipped with amber a...
Believe it or not, the first day of school for Hot Springs County School District #1 is just 42 days away, and crews have been working fast and furious to get the buildings all prepared for that first day. Maintenance Director Jere Apland said there have been a lot of things going on this summer, all major maintenance items that are paid for through the state. "None of the things we're doing are coming out of our budget," Apland said. "These are all major maintenance items that are funded... Full story
Four music students from Hot Springs County High School took the trip of a lifetime as they traveled to Europe with the Wyoming Ambassadors of Music. Chosen to attend by their music instructor, Lane Randall, Breeze Petty, Shay Skar and Danielle Randolph took to the skies from Denver for a ten-day, whirlwind tour of performances. Randall and Petty sat down to talk about the trip and the first thing they noted was it felt very much like "one long day with lots of naps." The two said they got very...
The Hot Springs County School District’s Board of Directors met last Wednesday evening and accepted the resignation of high school principal, Scott Shoop. “I regretfully inform you that I have decided to resign as Principal at Hot Springs County High School, effective June 30, 2017,” Shoop said in an email to students and staff. “I have accepted a job in Laramie for 2017-2018. This decision was extremely difficult, because I believe we are building something special here. I hope that I have de... Full story
The Class of 2017 received a total $249,561 in scholarships on Tuesday, May 16. Of those, $51,675 was in local scholarships. Jake Maksin was named Outstanding Boy, and Shaynie Bauer was named Outstanding Girl. Those receiving scholarships include: 4-H: Jessie Pennoyer Alma Cannon: Scholarship: Brant Turner American Petroleum Institute: Jessie Pennoyer and Korey Smith Bowling Scholarship (Worland): Caleb DeCroo Bowling Scholarships: Caleb DeCroo Career Outstanding Athlete: Jake Maksin and Jules W...
Valedictorian Maggie Ryan I was advised to give a speech about “looking towards the future,” but as I sat and pondered that topic, I realized that I probably just know an ounce more than a five year old. So with that in mind, I went to the elementary school and asked five to six year olds about life as a grownup and their advice for us. They had a lot to say, so I narrowed it down. Here are the “Top 19 Life Tips Straight from the Mouths of Five and Six Year Olds.” The hardest things about being a grownup is having to go to work every day. An...
Hot Springs County School District #1 Board of Trustees held a special meeting last week to accept resignations and offer initial contracts to incoming teachers. Resignations included Megan Kraushaar as the TMS Lights On site coordinator and Jessica Morris as special education paraprofessional. The board also accepted the resignation of high school English teacher, Alex McLean. Initial teaching contracts were offered to Noni Weber and Katie Decker, both of whom will be teaching high school English. Special Education teaching contracts were...
Hot Springs County High School's FFA program recently attended their State event in Cheyenne. One of the highlights of the trip was the "booth contest" which the team won through a combination of excellent presentation and a little help from hand-held technology. FFA member Jeffrey VanAntwerp created a Wyoming trivia quiz with an interactive program that was then plugged into a TV in the booth. Those passing by could access the program via their smart phones and play along. Strite Daniels,... Full story
Parents, students and boosters have been very concerned about the future status of various activities at both the middle school and high school. A meeting last Wednesday afternoon with the entire coaching staff from both schools, activities director Brandon Deromedi and superintendent Dustin Hunt outlined cuts that will go into effect for the coming school year. Five coaching positions have been eliminated including freshman volleyball, freshman boys and girls basketball, an assistant cheer... Full story
A number of parents and students were in attendance at the Tuesday night meeting of the Hot Springs County School District’s Board of Directors, having heard rumors that certain programs were going to be eliminated for the upcoming school year. Before opening the floor to public comment, board chair Nichole Weyer read a statement from the board asking people to understand that no assumptions should be made about certain programs based on whether or not a teacher is retained or let go. Weyer said... Full story
The Bobcat Speech and Debate team finished their season strong last weekend at the National Qualifying meet at Casper College. Coach Cindy Glasson said the team’s finish fits perfectly with what usually happens – bad State Tournament, good National Qualifiers. Although they didn’t have anyone qualify for Nationals in Birmingham, Ala. this summer, Tyler Kay and Katie Burrows did place fifth, making them the third runners-up for Nationals. “Tyler (Kay) and Katie (Burrows) did an amazing job,” Glasson said. “They were the only freshman te...
Spencer Axtell, left, placed fifth out of 11 at the FFA district speaking contest, and Jason Clouse placed third and will move onto the regional contest Tuesday March 14 at 3 p.m. at the auditorium. During the contest, students have to recite the FFA creed, and answer questions from judges. Thermopolis FFA members Logan Bartholomew, Ryan Bleak, Taylor Nuttall, Jessi Pennoyer and Dreama Thorpe are 2017 Wyoming state degree recipients....
Mary McGillivray, music educator at Ralph Witters Elementary (RWE) and high school drama director, was recently awarded the Outstanding Young Music Educator for the North Big Horn Basin. Nominated by her colleagues, McGillivray has spent a lifetime in music and theatre, attending Casper College where she was deeply involved in the music and theatre departments before moving on to Black Hills State University where she received a Bachelors in Vocal Music Performance, a Bachelors in Music Educatio...
At their January 17 meeting the Hot Springs County School District Board of Trustees held a lengthy discussion on whether or not to move to a four-day school week for the upcoming 2017-18 school year. Six years ago, when the board decided to move to the 4 1/2 day week, it wasn’t a financial decision, but one based on student absenteeism and a better way to combat it, especially on the high school level. At the time, the majority of missed school days were on Fridays with students p...
The start of the school year means many new things - new teachers and classes, new activities, even new friends. For Silvia Hernandez Diez-Ochoa, these were all rolled into one. Originally from Madrid, Spain, Diez-Ochoa is currently a sophomore at Hot Springs County High School as part of the student exchange program. Host parent Michelle Westman explained when the host parents and students are being connected through the exchange program, the parents can decide to host a student for a semester...
Last month, Hot Springs County High School was named champion in the 2016 Battle of the Belts, a competition that pitted them against Worland to see which community's drivers showed most improvement when it comes to wearing seatbelts. But, there's much more to driving safely than buckling up, and during Homecoming Week members of the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association spoke about distracted driving. Frank Chapman said distracted driving is not just a problem with teens, as he sees many adults dri...
Fifth-grade teacher, Katie DeSpain comes to Thermopolis Middle School from Montana, where she was born and raised. DeSpain grew up in Laurel, Mont. and attended college at the University of Montana Western in Dillon before getting her bachelor's degree in elementary education. Her first assignment as a teacher was a combination classroom in Rapelje, Mont. where she taught fifth and sixth grade in one room. DeSpain married her husband, Dean, in May, and the pair decided they wanted to be...
A fascination with social studies and history has brought seventh grade social studies teacher, Shane Corpening, to Thermopolis. After growing up in Kemmerer, Corpening attended Rocky Mountain College in Billings for his teaching degree. So what does he think of his first teaching job? "It's been enjoyable so far," he said. "Thermopolis is an awesome place. When I was looking at places to teach, I thought this would be perfect. I love to fish and the Big Horns are right here." Corpening said he...
Growing up in a small town, most teenagers can hardly wait to leave, but then there are many who return to their hometown and third grade teacher; Stephanie Boren is one of those "kids". Born and raised in Thermopolis, Boren has spent the last nine years teaching in Sheridan County. She and her husband, Sean, decided Thermopolis was going to be the best place to raise their children ages four, five and seven, so they made the move home. "I've wanted to be a teacher since Mrs. Cordingly in first...
The results are in, and Injury Prevention Resources was the first to congratulate Hot Springs County High School on being this year’s Battle of the Belts champions. The Battle was renewed by IPR, pitting HSC High School against Worland High School. The challenge focuses on making communities safer places to live, not just for students but also staff and everyone on the road. Much as high school sports teams have rivalries, the Battle of the Belts can be thought of as two schools going for the c...
