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Every spring, students in third through 10th grades participate in the Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress (WY-TOPP) which gauges students’ abilities based on Wyoming Content and Performance Standards (WYCPS). The test is produced and offered through an outside evaluation agency. Writing, mathematics, science and language arts are tested over several days to evaluate the progress of students year to year. Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) saw mixed results from the Spring 2024 t...
Last month, the Saratoga Elementary School (SES) Library became a miniature book store, thanks to SES librarian Luke Spiering, and Scholastics Book Fair. The students were able to shop for books they were interested in without leaving the area. Since there are not any bookstores in Saratoga, this gave students an opportunity to browse through books and toys related to books to see if they want to purchase them. The book fair was open during the school’s parent/teacher conference. The book f...
Photos by Liz Wood and D'Ron Campbell...
The common room at Hanna Elementary School (HES) is filled with projects from the students who attend the school. From math computations to writing about the Native Americans who lived in Wyoming, the students show off what they have learned. These projects are a result of a collaboration of teachers in the school and Hanna Elementary School Principal Jackie Jones, using a combination of teaching techniques. Jones, who is in her second year as the principal of the school, is very satisfied with...
When is a potato more than just a potato? According to Jennie Gordon, First Lady of Wyoming, it’s when it represents dignity for one of the 86,000 Wyoming residents who struggle with food insecurity. “At the end of the day, we are just packing potatoes, but they’re not just potatoes. They represent the passion for your community, for your school and for your state,” said Gordon. “They also represent dignity to those folks who are going to receive those potatoes. They can use them in their Thanks...
*Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series on Platte Valley school alumni returning as teachers* The author Thomas Wolfe once wrote, “You can’t go back home to your family, back home to your childhood.” Wolfe obviously never attended school in the Platte Valley, where many of those who now teach were once students. Case in point, Encampment K-12 School this year welcomed three new teachers—Mandy (Harris) Westerman, Bailey Miller and Noelle Peterson—who graduated from Encampment in 2013, 20...
It has been said art is in the eye of the beholder. Nowhere was this more evident than during the recent visit by the University of Wyoming’s Ann Simpson Artmobile (Artmobile) to Saratoga. Saratoga Art Teacher Noel Shepard’s elementary art classes were introduced to the Artmobile Oct. 23 at the Platte Valley Community Center. The first graders sat down to listen to a story read by Sarita Talusani Keller, the Artmobile Educator. The students were given clipboards, paper and pencils and asked to...
The Encampment K-12 3rd grade class paid a visit to the Saratoga Sun on October 16 to learn about the newspaper and its history. The class, led by Rayna Greenwood, spent about two hours in the Sun office where they learned about the history of the newspaper and had their writing edited. The writing assignment, given by Greenwood, paired students off before their visit to the Sun to interview each other about what they liked about their school and the Platte Valley. Joshua Wood, the interim...
As students are in their classes in the Saratoga Elementary School, an angel is secretly at work. Thursday morning, paraprofessional Valerie Larscheid had 21 paper bags lined up on a table. She was filling them with single serving items to provide breakfast and lunch for the students for the three-day weekend as there was no school on Friday. During lunch, she puts the bags in the students’ backpacks. What started as a program sponsored by Walmart in 2014 has become a community effort at the S...
Several students were recognized at the Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) Board of Trustees meeting Monday night for their sportsmanship during games by the Wyoming High School Athletic Association (WHSAA). CCSD2 Superintendent Darrin Jennings told the school board of trustees he received the letters from the WHSAA and believed they should be recognized publicly. Josie Little, who attends Saratoga Middle High School (SMHS), was recognized by a referee during the Farson-Eden volleyball...
Schools, fans turns out for Saratoga Middle High School homecoming parade...
Photo by D’Ron Campbell. As part of its kickoff for homecoming week, Saratoga Middle High School’s pep assembly on October 14 saw Skyler Wood, left, and Principal JD Johnson duke it out with pillows. Check last week’s Saratoga Sun for a schedule of homecoming events....
Encampment FFA held a member meeting on September 25, 2024, at 6:30 PM. Ag Advisor Mandy Westerman prepared chili and cornbread, with officers serving the 23 attending members. The meeting focused on electing committees for Fundraising, Community Service, Meeting Planning, and the Halloween Carnival. We also reviewed our performance in the Horse and Livestock Judging Contest held on September 18, 2024. Overall our Horse Judging Team placed second. In Horse Judging, Kannon Gilbert placed 8th,...
Saratoga Middle High School kicked off its homecoming week on Monday with a pep rally which included a pillow fight between Principal JD Johnson and senior Skyler Wood. During the pep rally, the homecoming court was crowned with Wood and Madi Johnson crowned as the Homecoming King and Queen. As part of the rally, the Saratoga Panther mascot took the Southeast Cyclones—portrayed by Griffin Bartlett—to the mats. On Tuesday, students and staff participated in a dodgeball tournament organized by...
With the school year well underway across Wyoming, both Governor Mark Gordon and Superintendent Megan Degenfelder are encouraging school districts to re-examine their policies regarding student cell phones. In a joint letter, Gordon and Degenfelder wrote, “While smartphones have the potential to enhance the learning process, growing evidence suggests that excessive, unregulated use during school hours can lead to declines in academic performances and increase in classroom disruptions.” The gov...
Bees descended upon Saratoga Elementary School on September 26. So did dogs, goats, tractors and llamas. There were even some tractors and other ranching equipment. All of it was part of the school’s annual Ag Day which focuses on agriculture in Wyoming. SES and Saratoga-Encampment-Rawlins Conservation (SER) District partnered to provide eight stations highlighting various aspects of agriculture. “The purpose of the event is to give students the opportunity to gain experience and knowledge in...
With the ballot for the 2024 General Election set, voters in Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) will have the opportunity to ask questions of the candidates running for office this year. According to a press release from the Carbon County 2 Education Association, a School Board Candidates Forum will be hosted at the Platte Valley Community Center. Of the four offices up for election this year, only one of them is a contested race. Incumbents Nick Wamsley, Joe Gaspari and Georgia Miller will be running unopposed. Elk Mountain’s Paul C...
It was a cold and blustery day when the 41 students from Encampment’s kindergarten through third grade got off the bus at Lewis Lake in the Snowy Range. Rayna Greenwood, the third-grade teacher, had all the students gather at a picnic table to be divided into groups. The goal for September 18 included doing environmental artwork inspired by Andy Goldsworthy, a scavenger hunt and the study of rocks and minerals, led by Justin Stern, the education coordinator and resource specialist with the S...
When is a rodent not a rodent? That is exactly what the Saratoga Elementary School’s kindergarten class was looking to find during their September 19 field trip to the Snowy Range. Children explored the rocks around Mirror Lake looking for the elusive pika. Kindergarten teacher Jaimie Lee led the expedition to catch a glimpse of the elusive critter. According to the National Park Service, while pikas may resemble a rodent they are closely related to rabbits. Pikas have tan- to grey-colored c...
A bus full of 6th and 8th grade students rode to the Snowy Range September 11 for a science class with Encampment K-12 sixth grade teacher Jordan Seitz. “Rain or snow, we go,” Seitz said. Seitz also teaches 6th and 8th grade earth science, but combines classes for different trips and rotates locations through the years. The science field trip was filled with hikes, hugging rocks and learning about eras from the past which shaped the east side of the Snowy Range. The unique classroom allowed stu...
“This is a really heavy topic and nobody wants to be having this conversation, but I do think it’s in our best interest to have these discussions and make decisions on our own behalf.” A closing comment from Kassey Westring, chairman of the Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) Board of Trustees, summarized a nearly hour long discussion at their pre-meeting work session on September 16. The topic, which included both Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken and Encampment Police Chief Kevin Shue,...
by D'Ron Campbell and Joshua Wood and Richard Espinoza No stranger to the Valley, Jake Johnston has taken a new leadership role at Encampment K-12 School beginning this school year with the retirement of Mike Erickson after 19 years with Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2). Johnston started his experience in a leadership role at Encampment K-12 as the acting principal for an interim period before Erickson fully retired. Johnston graduated from Saratoga High School in 2008. He also...
The Encampment FFA held their monthly meeting on August 28, 2024, to review the plans and ideas developed by the officer team in their previous session. The officers proposed hosting a pizza and ice cream social in the Ag Building for both members and non-members. The event was a success, with 25 students participating. During the meeting, several key topics were discussed, including FFA dues, the theme for the year, community service, fundraising efforts, and the possibility of attending the...
Commitment to education in the classroom was the biggest factor for Saratoga Elementary School 3rd grade teacher Heather Strannigan’s recognition as this year’s Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) Teacher of the Year. Strannigan graduated from Saratoga Middle High in 2014 and has taught at Saratoga Elementary School for seven years. “When I was in high school, I had an opportunity to be a student aide in a kindergarten class here at Saratoga Elementary School,” Strannigan said. “It gav...