Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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A librarian’s husband approached the Carbon County School District No. 2 board of Trustees Monday night with concerns about the district’s decision to realign staff. Tom Fisher, husband to the Saratoga Elementary School librarian Ceile Fisher, asked the board of trustees why his wife was being considered to be a fifth-grade teacher when she is “highly qualified” to be a librarian for the district. “She has been the librarian in this district for the last 19 years,” F...
Amber Martin never wanted to trade her comfortable life in Twin Falls, Idaho for one in Hanna. In Hanna, activities were severely limited, Martin said. The lack of activities robbed some opportunities from Martin — opportunities she would have had in Twin Falls. “I have to admit I was reluctant at first,” she said. But if it wasn’t for the move to Hanna, Martin would have never gotten a full-ride scholarship to Michigan State University. “It’s crazy to think that just af...
Carbon County District Court Judge Wade Waldrip reprimanded the town of Saratoga and Randy Stevens at the end of a court hearing aimed to settle an agreement between both parties. “I am embarrassed by the conduct of (both parties), and there is plenty of embarrassment to go around,” Waldrip said in his reprimand during the May 8 court hearing Stevens Vs. the Town of Saratoga. “You people must really love to pay your lawyers and you are acting like school children.” Stevens...
Platte Valley residents recently heard information on what is happening in their state education system, as several speakers, including state officials, got the chance to express their views on Senate File 104. Taylor Haynes, president and chief medical officer for Mountain Benefit Management Corporation in Cheyenne, spoke at the Platte Valley Christian Center Saturday. Cindy Hill, state superintendent of public instruction, Sheryl Lain, instructional leader and deputy for...
Expect to learn something about the Native American culture if you find yourself at the Saratoga Middle/High School Thursday. Carbon County School District No. 2 teachers developed an activity three years ago whivh integrates curriculum to implement multiculturalism in Saratoga schools, said Scott Bokelman, industrial tech teacher at Saratoga Middle High School. “The purpose of this is to develop respect for other cultures other than your own,” Bokelman said. The act...
After several months of long budget discussions, Carbon County School District No. 2 decided three was the magic number for a sound budget. The CCSD 2 School Board voted Thursday to cut three full-time teaching positions, a decision in line with Superintendent Bob Gates’ recommendation. “I still believe that we need to reduce by three to meet the board’s desire to have a $2.5 million cash carryover,” Superintendent Bob Gates said in a CCSD 2 workshop meeting Thursday. Prior t...
The Community Center audience was treated to a night of laughs, heartbreak and bizarre twists at the Carbon County School District No. 2 high school speech team’s “Speech Night,” held at the Platte Valley Community Center Monday evening. The talented students performed poetic, humorous, dramatic and duet speech presentations from the 2012-13 National Forensic League season. Performing individuals included Kat Hytrek (the poetic “Mirror, Mirror”), Aleck Freeman (the poetic “T...
Carbon County speech team students are preparing to show off their public speaking skills at “Speech Night,” happening this upcoming Monday at the Platte Valley Community Center. Speech Night takes place at 7 p.m.,April 22, and features the talents of the Carbon County No. 2 High School Speech Team members. The students who make up the team come from Saratoga, Encampment and Hanna, and are ready with presentations from the 2012-13 National Forensic League speech season. The event also showcases a tribute to the support networ...
The list of budget suggestions and cuts a citizen advisory committee presented to the Carbon County School District No. 2 School Board Tuesday evening was two-fold. The report, presented by Encampment resident and former representative of Carbon County, Jeb Steward, provided a list of suggestions for cuts rather than cutting personnel. The report also presented specific cuts for Encampment School to save the full-time art teaching position, which was threatened about a month...
Faster internet is coming soon. Construction workers and large spools of red, green and blue wire could be spotted along Highway 130/230 Thursday just outside of the Saratoga town limits. Those wires are fiber optic lines. “We are out to increase the speed of the internet,” said foremen Randy Asay who was at the site laying line Thursday. Union Wireless, the company funding the project, is setting out to dramatically increase the internet for subscribers county-wide. The com...
Teachers, parents, community members and school district officials spent nearly four hours looking closely at the budget, trying to find ways to cut and provide the best possible education for students. “I don’t think anyone is here because they don’t care about the kids,” said Carbon County School District No. 2 Board Chairman Greg Bartlett in the March 26 meeting. CCSD 2 and a newly formed committee agreed to meet for the budget discussion, after the Encampment community lea...
Josh Sandlian likes to think of science as a football game. “During the week, you are practicing concepts like throwing, catching and tackling,” Sandlian said. Those football skills are similar to math and language arts. For Sandlian, science is the opportunity for students to apply their math and language arts skills to real situations. “Friday night is the game,” he said. “Science is that football game. It lets kids show what they know.” As the first science facilitator...
Although Carbon County School District No. 2 is in a tough position with its budget, district officials need to carefully consider where to cut the $15 million budget. The district identified at least $160,000, or two full-time teaching positions, it needs to cut from the budget. Cutting personnel is an option the district needs to avoid if possible, especially if the cuts are to affect art-based programs. Studies have shown students who are involved in the arts have better test scores. These Children are four times more...
The Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD 2) Speech and Debate Team placed second in the 1A/2A division at the Wyoming State Speech and Debate Competition held March 14, 15 and 16 in Rock Springs. The meet was held at Western Wyoming Community College. Kaylyn Wessel and Becca Treat made it into semifinals with a rendition of “The Story of Robin Hood”. Jacob Dickinson and Taylor Russell received special recognition for the duet of two old men. Brenda Ostendorf, the speech team coach was nominated as Coach of the Sea...
Editor: Art is one of the most important things for a developing student. Art helps kids with critical thinking and cognitive ability. Art is essential in a child’s education. With Pam Kraft’s upcoming retirement the Carbon County School District has decided to cut the Encampment art program to half time. This is a tragedy. Pam Kraft spent her whole life developing one the greatest art programs in the state, even my college art professors admire her for what she’s done and the artists she’s emerged from Encampment. The No...
The town of Saratoga discovered grease was clogging sewage lines after sending video cameras through the system. “It’s not uncommon, but it’s one of those things you just do not want to find out about,” said Public Works Director Chuck Bartlett. The question is who put the grease there? Bartlett showed video of several grease-clogged areas In a Water and Sewer Joint Powers Board Meeting on March 13. Town officials used rented specialized video equipment to survey the pipes,...
The Valley Service Organization (VSO) is now accepting applications from graduating high school seniors for its 2013 Youth Citizenship Award worth $500.00. Sudie Trowbridge, VSO co-chairman for the award program with Leslie Johnson, said applications are now available from the counselors’ offices at the all Carbon County School DistrictNo. 2 high schools. All graduating seniors in the district are eligible to apply, including those who are home schooled, she said. Deadline for returning applications is April 15. Applicants mu...
When education is threatened, community members will stand up to protect it at any cost. At least that was the impression when more than 100 people showed up at the Carbon County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees meeting. The 109 teachers, students, parents and other community members stormed the meeting Monday in the name to protect two full-time teaching positions across CCSD 2. Pending cuts threatened a half-time art teacher in Encampment, a full-time position at...
The school district decided to eliminate half a teacher after receiving a letter of resignation from the Encampment art instructor. After 30 years of teaching and building up the Encampment School’s art program, Pam Kraft decided to retire. She said she wants to stay involved in art, but also wants more time to spend with her family and travel. Kraft will officially retire at the end of the school year. When Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD 2) received her letter of r...
Carbon County School District No. 2 students brought home trophies along with new experiences after competing in the Carbon County Spelling Bee Wednesday in Rawlins. The spelling bee was the largest it had ever been, said the bee’s coordinator Stacey Peres. The bee had competitors from almost every school in Carbon County School districts No. 1 and No. 2 including Saratoga, who were first-time participants in the four-year-old event, Peres said. Saratoga brought three c...
I want to kick off my first column by introducing myself. I am the newest reporter for the Saratoga Sun assigned to cover Carbon County School District No. 2 and the town of Saratoga – not an easy task, although I feel I will find most of my stories enjoyable to report on and write about. I have only been at the Saratoga Sun for a few days, but I have already met some real rich characters, all of them incredibly nice. I can’t wait to start digging into this community and fin...
The Carbon County School District No. 2 Speech Team brought home another trophy two weeks ago. The team returned from the Star Valley meet in Afton with the 1A/2A Sweepstakes Trophy. Thursday night, before the Star Valley meet, the team members sat around the dinner table and thanked each other for their contribution to the team, head coach Brenda Ostendorf said. “A team willing to compliment each member significantly demonstrates solidarity within a team, and such a commitmen...
Band and choir students from Saratoga, Encampment and Hanna -Elk Mountain-Medicine Bow (HEM) high schools combined forces last month to perform in an all-school concert. The band and choir each performed three songs. The teachers from the schools each took turns directing the band and choir. HEM’s music teacher Kit Felton told the audience it was nice to work together as a group instead of competing in sports and she hoped this would become an annual tradit...
The Carbon County School District 2 (CCSD 2) Board of Trustees appointed four of its board members to the new Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) Wednesday at its monthly meeting. Tanya Bartholomew, Diane Berger, Joe Gaspari and Bob Patton will serve on the BOCES board. Thursday, Bob Gates said Western Wyoming Community College (WWCC) will appoint a board member. Once the BOCES is formed, Gates said the school will be able to teach concurrent classes to the CCSD 2...
Music teacher John Steinhardt and his two elementary school bands from Medicine Bow and Elk Mountain put some rock and roll into the Jan. 21 Carbon County School District No. 2 Board of Directors meeting. Steinhardt said CCSD#2 Superintendent Bob Gates came up with the idea and Steinhardt and his students ran with it. I thought it was a good way for us to showcase (the students) and their achievements, Gates said. The Saratoga and Encampment choirs sang at the December CCSD#2...