... and front pager no. 2 for the day!
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The bar is set a little higher at the Carbon County Higher Education Center for those seeking General Educational Development diplomas, and, as a result, the center has seen higher scores.
Higher scores mean more options for those who have not received a high school diploma, CCHEC’s Adult Center for Learning Director Bunnie Mursko said. She said CCHEC wants to produce as many Hathaway scholars as possible. Issued through the state, the scholarship provides a financial reward to eligible students to attend the University of Wyoming or any Wyoming community college.
With the Hathaway Scholarship as a goal, the staff at CCHEC has adjusted its focus and strategy to push its GED candidates toward higher scores and future opportunities.
CCHEC seeks to make the GED more important in the eyes of those hoping to earn their diploma. The GED is a battery of tests in math, science, writing, social studies and reading that, upon successful completion, credits an individual with high school proficiency in the subjects.
Mursko said when she initially arrived at the higher education center two years ago, her GED candidates wanted to simply finish the test as soon as possible. Now she coaches candidates to be less satisfied with lower scores.
“We’ve been working harder to get them to understand that achieving a higher score gives them better opportunities,” Mursko said. The center hopes it can open candidates’ eyes to the possibility of college.
Additionally, CCHEC has sought to increase its one-on-one time. Mursko encouraged this because “(the GED) helps them for the rest of their lives.” She said she’s had candidates from Lander and Green River. Both people had testing facilities nearby, but chose to take advantage of the atmosphere and attention provided at CCHEC.
Compared to state averages, “CCHEC has come up tremendously,” Wyoming GED Administrator Carolyn Chelsvig said. “They’ve taken the time to individualize their program and have seen their scores go up and up and up.”
In December 2007, according to a monthly report by Chelsvig, CCHEC candidates scored almost 100 points higher in social studies and reading than the state average. The center’s averages were below the state’s in writing and math by about 50 points. Information was unavailable for CCHEC’s science standings.
Mursko expressed a hope that the numbers of those taking the test will go down while scores go up. “Trying to get the GED is not easy,” she said. “It’s really easier to stay in school and get the diploma than to do the battery of tests.”
She said most students come in for intense tutorials for one or two months before they tackle the GED. They can try for the GED after a pretest and a practice test. Often, candidates begin the testing or tutorials, but do not go on to finish their GED. Last year, 27 out of 48 people received their GED.
When asked why this might be the case, Mursko said lower-income pupils often can’t afford the testing and tutorial fees. However, when they can, they often strive more than medium-income candidates. “The higher the income, the less likely they are to finish,” Mursko said.
With its new goals and new tactics, CCHEC has reached new heights. Of the 27 who earned their GED last year, 23 attained scores that met Hathaway Scholarship targets. Eleven scored 500 or above, enough to meet the opportunity range, which allots $800 per semester. Six hit the honors range at 540 or above, qualifying them for the $1,200 per semester allotment. Another six reached the performance level, scoring 575 or above to earn $1,600 per semester toward college courses.
The figures show increasing scores throughout the past two years. In 2005, CCHEC had 34 who tested with nine of them at the opportunity level, three at honors and another three at performance. The majority of test-takers passed with a score of 499 or below in 2005.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Employee benefits prove beneficial
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Riding the waves of ups and downs in hospital employee health care, Memorial Hospital of Carbon County has reached a crest as hospital board members review possible increases to the employees’ premiums or deductibles in the next year.
Facing a series of years of “catastrophic claims” by employees, hospital officials now seek to adjust rates to bring hospital finances back on track. The changes could affect the hospital’s stance as one of the best health care providers in the state, a position it uses for recruitment and hopes to maintain.
“We’ve had some catastrophic claims that have really pushed premium costs to the hospital way up,” Human Resources Director Beverly Young said. She said the claim amounts have been increasing throughout the last few years, with last year marking the pinnacle.
The hospital currently has the “Cadillac plan” of hospital health benefits in the state, Young said. But the hospital has been lucky to be staffed with primarily healthy employees throughout the past few years.
Large claims create an increased risk factor in the eyes of the hospital’s stop-loss carrier, an outside firm that contracts yearly to cover expenses that exceed the hospital’s cap of $60,000 per claim.
Each time a claim goes over the hospital’s predetermined cap, the stop-loss carrier reimburses the hospital accordingly for amounts in excess of $60,000. It simultaneously raises a flag to consider a rate increase for services.
Currently, hospital board members are faced with a rate increase that must be carried over to the employees in the form of either a higher deductible or higher premiums. Health plan payments go up and down, Young said. “The good years with higher premiums pay for the bad years.”
Board members plan to collect employee feedback and incorporate it into their decision. The board hopes to find a solution that maintains the hospital’s position as offering some of the best health coverage in the state for hospital employees. Young said the feedback is scheduled to be delivered at the next board meeting on Feb. 28.
Times staff writer
Riding the waves of ups and downs in hospital employee health care, Memorial Hospital of Carbon County has reached a crest as hospital board members review possible increases to the employees’ premiums or deductibles in the next year.
Facing a series of years of “catastrophic claims” by employees, hospital officials now seek to adjust rates to bring hospital finances back on track. The changes could affect the hospital’s stance as one of the best health care providers in the state, a position it uses for recruitment and hopes to maintain.
“We’ve had some catastrophic claims that have really pushed premium costs to the hospital way up,” Human Resources Director Beverly Young said. She said the claim amounts have been increasing throughout the last few years, with last year marking the pinnacle.
The hospital currently has the “Cadillac plan” of hospital health benefits in the state, Young said. But the hospital has been lucky to be staffed with primarily healthy employees throughout the past few years.
Large claims create an increased risk factor in the eyes of the hospital’s stop-loss carrier, an outside firm that contracts yearly to cover expenses that exceed the hospital’s cap of $60,000 per claim.
Each time a claim goes over the hospital’s predetermined cap, the stop-loss carrier reimburses the hospital accordingly for amounts in excess of $60,000. It simultaneously raises a flag to consider a rate increase for services.
Currently, hospital board members are faced with a rate increase that must be carried over to the employees in the form of either a higher deductible or higher premiums. Health plan payments go up and down, Young said. “The good years with higher premiums pay for the bad years.”
Board members plan to collect employee feedback and incorporate it into their decision. The board hopes to find a solution that maintains the hospital’s position as offering some of the best health coverage in the state for hospital employees. Young said the feedback is scheduled to be delivered at the next board meeting on Feb. 28.
County foes clash heads Thursday
Times staff report
The Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow Miners clash with the Encampment Tigers Thursday in Hanna to determine seeding for the upcoming regional basketball tournaments.
The girls face off at 4:30 p.m., while the boys hit the court about an hour and a half after the girls finish.
“This game could determine who goes into regionals second or third,” said HEM coach Jackie Jones about the girls game. Encampment lost to Cokeville in Wednesday’s make-up game, putting them just behind the Lady Miners in the standings.
The two teams mirror each other in terms of how they use posts and guards, Jones said. She expects a “good game,” reminiscent of the last. The Miners won by six in the first game.
Clif Jones hopes his boys will shoot the ball as they continue to move beyond the Matt Larson-Justin Palm duo. “Sometimes a missed shot is as good as a pass,” Clif Jones said. Then Larson and Palm can get their share of offensive rebounds to go back up for points.
“They are one of the best teams in the state,” Clif Jones said of Encampment. “Last time we played, we were never even in the game with them. They’re going to be the No. 1 seed going in.”
The Miner boys need to win once more before the regular season ends to guarantee they are out of the pigtail game in the regional tournament. Clif Jones is looking toward the team’s final game against Little Snake River Valley for that win. “We won’t know the final order until the last game is played,” Clif Jones said. “We’ve still got a lot of basketball to play.”
The Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow Miners clash with the Encampment Tigers Thursday in Hanna to determine seeding for the upcoming regional basketball tournaments.
The girls face off at 4:30 p.m., while the boys hit the court about an hour and a half after the girls finish.
“This game could determine who goes into regionals second or third,” said HEM coach Jackie Jones about the girls game. Encampment lost to Cokeville in Wednesday’s make-up game, putting them just behind the Lady Miners in the standings.
The two teams mirror each other in terms of how they use posts and guards, Jones said. She expects a “good game,” reminiscent of the last. The Miners won by six in the first game.
Clif Jones hopes his boys will shoot the ball as they continue to move beyond the Matt Larson-Justin Palm duo. “Sometimes a missed shot is as good as a pass,” Clif Jones said. Then Larson and Palm can get their share of offensive rebounds to go back up for points.
“They are one of the best teams in the state,” Clif Jones said of Encampment. “Last time we played, we were never even in the game with them. They’re going to be the No. 1 seed going in.”
The Miner boys need to win once more before the regular season ends to guarantee they are out of the pigtail game in the regional tournament. Clif Jones is looking toward the team’s final game against Little Snake River Valley for that win. “We won’t know the final order until the last game is played,” Clif Jones said. “We’ve still got a lot of basketball to play.”
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
A political speech the west needs to hear
"One of our most urgent projects is to develop a national energy policy. The United States is the only major industrial country without a comprehensive, long-range energy policy. Our program will emphasize conservation ... solar energy and other renewable energy sources. ... We must face the fact that the energy shortage is permanent. There is no way we can solve it quickly. But if we all cooperate and make modest sacrifices ... we can find ways to adjust."
Imagine those words spoken by the next president shortly after taking office on Jan. 20, 2009, continuing a theme originally established on the campaign trail. The words seem to be aimed directly at Westerners: "If we wait, and do not act, then ... we will feel mounting pressure to plunder the environment. We will have a crash program to build more nuclear plants, strip-mine and burn more coal, and drill more (oil and gas) wells. ... Intense competition will build up among ... the different regions within our own country."
The president concludes: "If you will join me so that we can work together with patriotism and courage, we will again prove that our great nation can lead the world into an age of peace, independence and freedom.
"This difficult effort will be the moral equivalent of war - except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not destroy."
Inspiring and timely, indeed. But doesn’t it sound kind of familiar? It should. The president who made those speeches did so 30 years ago. His name was... [click here to read full article]
Trapped
Patty was watching PBS earlier tonight. On it, there was a winter advisory notice.
I heard her say, "Janice, come here," as I was working out an overdraft on my Wachovia account. I went in, and I found Patty sitting there with her jaw dropped open in wonder.
"I've never seen this before!" she exclaimed.
Maybe it's because she was on PBS, maybe it's just a crazy storm out there, but either way, it means that I'm trapped here in Rawlins for the night. Not that I need to go anywhere, so it's completely fine, but if I sit back and think about it, I realize just how ridiculous it is to live here.
The other night, I was at a lecture at the local community college. Senator Bill Vasey was speaking on the history of local politics, and he said that a prior Governor Campbell said something along the lines of, "this state is so rich in minerals, it's like a gold mine. But no one is crazy enough to settle in such a harsh climate!"
Well, here you have it. Here I am!
I heard her say, "Janice, come here," as I was working out an overdraft on my Wachovia account. I went in, and I found Patty sitting there with her jaw dropped open in wonder.
"I've never seen this before!" she exclaimed.
Maybe it's because she was on PBS, maybe it's just a crazy storm out there, but either way, it means that I'm trapped here in Rawlins for the night. Not that I need to go anywhere, so it's completely fine, but if I sit back and think about it, I realize just how ridiculous it is to live here.
The other night, I was at a lecture at the local community college. Senator Bill Vasey was speaking on the history of local politics, and he said that a prior Governor Campbell said something along the lines of, "this state is so rich in minerals, it's like a gold mine. But no one is crazy enough to settle in such a harsh climate!"
Well, here you have it. Here I am!
First time...
And, it's the first time none of my by-lines appeared in the paper. Granted, my production was low, and I did have two "staff reports," but it strikes me that I did something wrong...
Senior pinners to be honored SaturdayTimes staff report
Times staff report
Due to road closures, the Outlaw wrestlers missed last weekend’s tournament at Riverton High School.
Now, they are looking ahead to a busy week with a Thursday dual against Torrington and a senior day event at home against Wheatland on Saturday.
The team has finished its conference meets, assistant coach Wes Banta said, and now awaits the state competition on Feb. 22 and 23 in Casper. In the meantime, they are preparing for this week’s upcoming meets.
On Thursday, the Outlaws face Torrington with have a nearly-full lineup.
On Saturday, Outlaw wrestlers Dennis McCaslin and Aaron Steele should be honored at the senior day dual against Wheatland.
Wheatland, one of the better teams in the state, according to Banta, should put on a good show, but shouldn’t overshadow the time set aside to honor this year’s Outlaw seniors who have shown leadership throughout the season.
Due to road closures, the Outlaw wrestlers missed last weekend’s tournament at Riverton High School.
Now, they are looking ahead to a busy week with a Thursday dual against Torrington and a senior day event at home against Wheatland on Saturday.
The team has finished its conference meets, assistant coach Wes Banta said, and now awaits the state competition on Feb. 22 and 23 in Casper. In the meantime, they are preparing for this week’s upcoming meets.
On Thursday, the Outlaws face Torrington with have a nearly-full lineup.
On Saturday, Outlaw wrestlers Dennis McCaslin and Aaron Steele should be honored at the senior day dual against Wheatland.
Wheatland, one of the better teams in the state, according to Banta, should put on a good show, but shouldn’t overshadow the time set aside to honor this year’s Outlaw seniors who have shown leadership throughout the season.
Three swimmers advance to state
Times staff report
The chaos of road closures shook things up in last weekend’s swimming events in Lyman and Gillette.
Arriving in Lyman for the 3A Lyman Invitational, the Outlaw swimmers found themselves up against three 4A teams — Evanston, Green River and Rock Springs — that meant to be in Gillette. Cheyenne Central was scheduled to be at the Lyman meet but instead found themselves at the 4A invitational in Gillette.
Sublette County, Kemmerer, Lyman and Rawlins high schools welcomed the 4A teams into the meet so everyone could get another chance to shave some time as they sought to qualify for the upcoming regional and state meets.
The Outlaws came off the weekend with three more boys qualified to compete in the 3A state meet. Daniel DeMillard joins James Laux in the ranks of the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:33.92. Jacob DiFore also qualified to swim the event last weekend, earning a time of 2:34.45. David Trujillo, with a time of 1:10.29, added himself to the 100-yard backstroke list alongside Laux, Daniel DeMillard and Erick DeMillard.
With more than two weeks remaining before the state meet in Gillette on Feb. 21-23, Outlaw swimmers and divers have qualified in every event except for the 500-yard freestyle and the 100-yard breaststroke.
The Outlaws compete this weekend in Buffalo at the 3A east conference tournament, where Rawlins is shooting to win its seventh championship.
The chaos of road closures shook things up in last weekend’s swimming events in Lyman and Gillette.
Arriving in Lyman for the 3A Lyman Invitational, the Outlaw swimmers found themselves up against three 4A teams — Evanston, Green River and Rock Springs — that meant to be in Gillette. Cheyenne Central was scheduled to be at the Lyman meet but instead found themselves at the 4A invitational in Gillette.
Sublette County, Kemmerer, Lyman and Rawlins high schools welcomed the 4A teams into the meet so everyone could get another chance to shave some time as they sought to qualify for the upcoming regional and state meets.
The Outlaws came off the weekend with three more boys qualified to compete in the 3A state meet. Daniel DeMillard joins James Laux in the ranks of the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:33.92. Jacob DiFore also qualified to swim the event last weekend, earning a time of 2:34.45. David Trujillo, with a time of 1:10.29, added himself to the 100-yard backstroke list alongside Laux, Daniel DeMillard and Erick DeMillard.
With more than two weeks remaining before the state meet in Gillette on Feb. 21-23, Outlaw swimmers and divers have qualified in every event except for the 500-yard freestyle and the 100-yard breaststroke.
The Outlaws compete this weekend in Buffalo at the 3A east conference tournament, where Rawlins is shooting to win its seventh championship.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Twin towers' role slows
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Following the girls’ trend of doing the splits during the weekend, the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow boys basketball team lost to Farson-Eden 48-46 and prevailed against Cokeville, 63-51.
The Farson-Eden game was neck and neck at halftime with the Miners leading by one. HEM managed to pull ahead of Farson-Eden, 41-31, with four minutes left. Thinking the game was won, the Miners lost control in those last four minutes. “They just watched it slip away,” coach Clif Jones said.
Farson-Eden sunk a 3-pointer with six seconds left to tie the game. Each team went to the line for free throws in those final seconds, and Farson-Eden simply came out on top, Jones said.
“Mentally, we weren’t ready to play. It has happened before,” Jones said. He did not blame the road delays. Instead, he said it would be something the team would continue to work on as the regional tournament approaches.
Still, Jones had a good show from a few of his players. Justin Palm went up for 14 points and 11 rebounds. “It was a quiet double-double,” Jones said. “We didn’t really realize he was there at times.”
Charlie George, still making a few freshman mistakes, braved the basket and sunk 12 points for the team. It was his second game in double figures. Mitch Long put up six points while Kalter Blauvelt had four.
The weekend generally saw more balanced shooting from the team. Jones said the Palm-Matt Larson duo has become less of a crutch for the team. They previously put up 50 percent of the baskets and now, their scoring is reduced to 30 percent.
Against Cokeville, the Miners were leading by 13 in the fourth quarter when their opponents stepped it up to close the gap to five. Jones called a time-out, reminding his team that the game wasn’t over. “(HEM) jumped back in there to get back to a 10-point lead,” Jones said.
Palm again led the pack with 24 points and 11 rebounds. The guards and wings successfully got the ball to him so he could work his magic. Larson, with 10 points and 10 boards, and Blauvelt, 11 points and eight rebounds, were close behind Palm. George put up eight points and had six assists.
Ryan Puckett, the 12th man on the bench, stepped onto the court for a few minutes in the first half to help keep the lead players out of foul trouble. He nailed a 3-pointer and left the court with a steal.
“This is the first year we’ve swept Cokeville (since the 1970s),” Jones said. The teams have split for the last three years. Jones hopes the wins reveal a positive trend for the HEM basketball program.
Times staff writer
Following the girls’ trend of doing the splits during the weekend, the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow boys basketball team lost to Farson-Eden 48-46 and prevailed against Cokeville, 63-51.
The Farson-Eden game was neck and neck at halftime with the Miners leading by one. HEM managed to pull ahead of Farson-Eden, 41-31, with four minutes left. Thinking the game was won, the Miners lost control in those last four minutes. “They just watched it slip away,” coach Clif Jones said.
Farson-Eden sunk a 3-pointer with six seconds left to tie the game. Each team went to the line for free throws in those final seconds, and Farson-Eden simply came out on top, Jones said.
“Mentally, we weren’t ready to play. It has happened before,” Jones said. He did not blame the road delays. Instead, he said it would be something the team would continue to work on as the regional tournament approaches.
Still, Jones had a good show from a few of his players. Justin Palm went up for 14 points and 11 rebounds. “It was a quiet double-double,” Jones said. “We didn’t really realize he was there at times.”
Charlie George, still making a few freshman mistakes, braved the basket and sunk 12 points for the team. It was his second game in double figures. Mitch Long put up six points while Kalter Blauvelt had four.
The weekend generally saw more balanced shooting from the team. Jones said the Palm-Matt Larson duo has become less of a crutch for the team. They previously put up 50 percent of the baskets and now, their scoring is reduced to 30 percent.
Against Cokeville, the Miners were leading by 13 in the fourth quarter when their opponents stepped it up to close the gap to five. Jones called a time-out, reminding his team that the game wasn’t over. “(HEM) jumped back in there to get back to a 10-point lead,” Jones said.
Palm again led the pack with 24 points and 11 rebounds. The guards and wings successfully got the ball to him so he could work his magic. Larson, with 10 points and 10 boards, and Blauvelt, 11 points and eight rebounds, were close behind Palm. George put up eight points and had six assists.
Ryan Puckett, the 12th man on the bench, stepped onto the court for a few minutes in the first half to help keep the lead players out of foul trouble. He nailed a 3-pointer and left the court with a steal.
“This is the first year we’ve swept Cokeville (since the 1970s),” Jones said. The teams have split for the last three years. Jones hopes the wins reveal a positive trend for the HEM basketball program.
Miners 'pick' up win Friday night
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
After a long morning of confinement on school property due to closed roads, the Lady Miners finally breathed open air as they traveled across the state to face Farson-Eden on Friday and Cokeville on Saturday.
In a satisfying 42-24 conference victory against Farson-Eden on Friday night, the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow girls woke up at halftime. They were sluggish getting off the bus and into the game, coach Jackie Jones said. Going into the half, they were six points ahead. In the last two quarters, they picked up their game to finish 18 points up.
“It was a game where we could move the ball and choose the shots we wanted,” Jones said. It was the team’s first time above 50 percent in free-throw shooting this season. They also had buckets, rebounds and steals from not just one member of the team.
Penny Blauvelt went up for 13 points, five steals and three assists while her teammate Jennifer Korkow sunk 10 points, had five boards and four assists. Amanda Booth bucketed six and pulled down four rebounds and five assists. Kayla Brown led the rebounding pack with six as well as contributing seven points and two steals.
After Friday’s excitement, the girls put on a bad show Saturday against Cokeville, losing 59-27. “They beat us like borrowed mules,” Jones said. “It was our worst game of the year. And I can’t blame it on bus lag.”
Cokeville was clicking on all cylinders with its fast-paced game, Jones said. And her team’s transition defense was sub-par at best. “(The team’s) lack of effort contributed to the loss,” Jones said.
Counteracting the horrific performance as a team were a few individual spotlights. Among the high scoring of Booth, Korkow and Blauvelt was Chelsy Broderick, a sophomore who moved back to the area recently. “She really worked hard defensively,” Jones said. “She’s a firecracker and we needed that on Saturday.”
Times staff writer
After a long morning of confinement on school property due to closed roads, the Lady Miners finally breathed open air as they traveled across the state to face Farson-Eden on Friday and Cokeville on Saturday.
In a satisfying 42-24 conference victory against Farson-Eden on Friday night, the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow girls woke up at halftime. They were sluggish getting off the bus and into the game, coach Jackie Jones said. Going into the half, they were six points ahead. In the last two quarters, they picked up their game to finish 18 points up.
“It was a game where we could move the ball and choose the shots we wanted,” Jones said. It was the team’s first time above 50 percent in free-throw shooting this season. They also had buckets, rebounds and steals from not just one member of the team.
Penny Blauvelt went up for 13 points, five steals and three assists while her teammate Jennifer Korkow sunk 10 points, had five boards and four assists. Amanda Booth bucketed six and pulled down four rebounds and five assists. Kayla Brown led the rebounding pack with six as well as contributing seven points and two steals.
After Friday’s excitement, the girls put on a bad show Saturday against Cokeville, losing 59-27. “They beat us like borrowed mules,” Jones said. “It was our worst game of the year. And I can’t blame it on bus lag.”
Cokeville was clicking on all cylinders with its fast-paced game, Jones said. And her team’s transition defense was sub-par at best. “(The team’s) lack of effort contributed to the loss,” Jones said.
Counteracting the horrific performance as a team were a few individual spotlights. Among the high scoring of Booth, Korkow and Blauvelt was Chelsy Broderick, a sophomore who moved back to the area recently. “She really worked hard defensively,” Jones said. “She’s a firecracker and we needed that on Saturday.”
Not everyone likes four-day weeks
Another front-pager... this one caused a bunch of controversy and some phone calls... guess I'm doing my job...!
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
With the deadline for the Carbon County District 2 schedule surveys nearing, the battle over four- and five-day weeks rages on in the Hanna, Elk Mountain and Medicine Bow schools.
Hanna Elementary School educators Kim Besel, a first-grade teacher, and Nancy Allen, a second-grade teacher, both dislike the four-day school week. They stand with virtually all of their colleagues — kindergarten, first-, second-, third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade teachers — who all oppose the four-day week, Besel said.
Zack Scott, the physical education and computers teacher at Hanna Elementary School who also acts as assistant coach to the high school basketball team, admitted that he stands alone in his personal enjoyment of the shorter week. “In the classrooms, I’m guessing it would be better to have the five day. That’s what my colleagues tell me anyway,” he said.
Besel said that both of the Elk Mountain Elementary School teachers are against the four-day schedule. Her colleagues at Medicine Bow Elementary School “are flexible,” she said.
The major concerns of those opposing the four-day week include the time crunch in delivering curriculum, the idea of sports taking precedence over academics and schedules that are not cohesive between elementary and secondary schools. The teachers added to the list the fact that, despite promises to the contrary, some scheduled events still take students out of class on days other than Fridays. Besel also said she worries “about kids who do not have parents around to spend time with them.”
When the rest of the country is increasing instructional time, according to Besel, she finds it strange that District 2 schools are reducing it. She said the four-and-a-half-day week the elementary schools currently functions under is acceptable, but curriculum modifications still must be made. The elementary math teachers have adopted a new curriculum that is adapted to a five-day week and find it difficult to squeeze it into the four and a half days they are provided.
What about teachers who are accountable to the state to reach certain proficiency levels? Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow High School boys basketball coach Clif Jones, also a social studies teacher at HEM, said he is still on target. “I have been able to adapt,” he said.
When asked about the remedial help and enrichment time offered on Fridays in place of class time, Besel said there is none at the elementary level. “And my understanding is that few do take advantage of that Friday help in the high school,” she said.
HEM girls basketball coach and special education instructor Jackie Jones said the high school’s “Lights On” remedial help and enrichment program is well attended.
As a coach, Jones encourages her team to attend Friday programs when they are not traveling. “I’ve had 100-percent turnout each time I’ve asked them to show up,” she said. “It has helped some of the girls stay eligible.” Some students take part in peer tutoring, some work with teachers and others use it as homework time or for study groups, she said.
On the other hand, Douglas Allen, an HEM math teacher who is also accountable to the state, feels he needs the class time. According to him, the Friday remediation has largely turned into field trips such as ice fishing, bowling and skiing among other activities. Admittedly a minority amongst his colleagues at the high school, he stands firm in his dislike of the four-day week.
“Something’s got to give,” Allen said. “I do the best with the time I’ve got.” Admitting the negative impact on students who miss class time due to activities, Allen believes the school board should have picked high-impact Fridays as the days off. Under this plan, school could continue on the Fridays when most students are available.
Jackie Jones spoke of the benefit to her special education students who tire easily both mentally and physically. “Having one more day for them to recuperate is truly beneficial,” she said.
Yet on the elementary level, Brandi Silas, president of the Hanna Elementary School parent-teacher association, spoke of the difficulty of getting young children back on track after three days off. “It’s already hard enough to get them back after two,” she said.
The consensus among the elementary school teachers is that the younger children shouldn’t be taken away from academics because high school sports are being made a priority. “I’m not against sports,” Silas said, “but I am against losing out on education for sports.”
Clif Jones believes the four-day schedule is best for students right now, especially those active in sports and activities.
He mentioned one of his players, Justin Palm, who participates in three sports as well as various activities. “I could not guess how many days he missed last year,” Clif Jones said. “But this year he has not missed any for athletics.” Jones said he would have missed six days already this year, but with the new schedule, Palm has missed none.
Scott likes the idea of the four-day week so he does not have to miss as much class time to join Clif Jones on basketball road trips. “I have been gone from the classroom,” he said. With the travel, he has been forced to modify his curriculum. His counselor regularly teaches health class on Fridays when Scott is not in attendance. “We have not lost contact hours; we have just squeezed it all together,” Scott said.
Regardless of their opinions of what school week should be adopted, most of those interviewed agreed that the school schedule should be the same in each town, if not across the district.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
With the deadline for the Carbon County District 2 schedule surveys nearing, the battle over four- and five-day weeks rages on in the Hanna, Elk Mountain and Medicine Bow schools.
Hanna Elementary School educators Kim Besel, a first-grade teacher, and Nancy Allen, a second-grade teacher, both dislike the four-day school week. They stand with virtually all of their colleagues — kindergarten, first-, second-, third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade teachers — who all oppose the four-day week, Besel said.
Zack Scott, the physical education and computers teacher at Hanna Elementary School who also acts as assistant coach to the high school basketball team, admitted that he stands alone in his personal enjoyment of the shorter week. “In the classrooms, I’m guessing it would be better to have the five day. That’s what my colleagues tell me anyway,” he said.
Besel said that both of the Elk Mountain Elementary School teachers are against the four-day schedule. Her colleagues at Medicine Bow Elementary School “are flexible,” she said.
The major concerns of those opposing the four-day week include the time crunch in delivering curriculum, the idea of sports taking precedence over academics and schedules that are not cohesive between elementary and secondary schools. The teachers added to the list the fact that, despite promises to the contrary, some scheduled events still take students out of class on days other than Fridays. Besel also said she worries “about kids who do not have parents around to spend time with them.”
When the rest of the country is increasing instructional time, according to Besel, she finds it strange that District 2 schools are reducing it. She said the four-and-a-half-day week the elementary schools currently functions under is acceptable, but curriculum modifications still must be made. The elementary math teachers have adopted a new curriculum that is adapted to a five-day week and find it difficult to squeeze it into the four and a half days they are provided.
What about teachers who are accountable to the state to reach certain proficiency levels? Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow High School boys basketball coach Clif Jones, also a social studies teacher at HEM, said he is still on target. “I have been able to adapt,” he said.
When asked about the remedial help and enrichment time offered on Fridays in place of class time, Besel said there is none at the elementary level. “And my understanding is that few do take advantage of that Friday help in the high school,” she said.
HEM girls basketball coach and special education instructor Jackie Jones said the high school’s “Lights On” remedial help and enrichment program is well attended.
As a coach, Jones encourages her team to attend Friday programs when they are not traveling. “I’ve had 100-percent turnout each time I’ve asked them to show up,” she said. “It has helped some of the girls stay eligible.” Some students take part in peer tutoring, some work with teachers and others use it as homework time or for study groups, she said.
On the other hand, Douglas Allen, an HEM math teacher who is also accountable to the state, feels he needs the class time. According to him, the Friday remediation has largely turned into field trips such as ice fishing, bowling and skiing among other activities. Admittedly a minority amongst his colleagues at the high school, he stands firm in his dislike of the four-day week.
“Something’s got to give,” Allen said. “I do the best with the time I’ve got.” Admitting the negative impact on students who miss class time due to activities, Allen believes the school board should have picked high-impact Fridays as the days off. Under this plan, school could continue on the Fridays when most students are available.
Jackie Jones spoke of the benefit to her special education students who tire easily both mentally and physically. “Having one more day for them to recuperate is truly beneficial,” she said.
Yet on the elementary level, Brandi Silas, president of the Hanna Elementary School parent-teacher association, spoke of the difficulty of getting young children back on track after three days off. “It’s already hard enough to get them back after two,” she said.
The consensus among the elementary school teachers is that the younger children shouldn’t be taken away from academics because high school sports are being made a priority. “I’m not against sports,” Silas said, “but I am against losing out on education for sports.”
Clif Jones believes the four-day schedule is best for students right now, especially those active in sports and activities.
He mentioned one of his players, Justin Palm, who participates in three sports as well as various activities. “I could not guess how many days he missed last year,” Clif Jones said. “But this year he has not missed any for athletics.” Jones said he would have missed six days already this year, but with the new schedule, Palm has missed none.
Scott likes the idea of the four-day week so he does not have to miss as much class time to join Clif Jones on basketball road trips. “I have been gone from the classroom,” he said. With the travel, he has been forced to modify his curriculum. His counselor regularly teaches health class on Fridays when Scott is not in attendance. “We have not lost contact hours; we have just squeezed it all together,” Scott said.
Regardless of their opinions of what school week should be adopted, most of those interviewed agreed that the school schedule should be the same in each town, if not across the district.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
More diversity boosts economy
A front pager...
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
As the newest addition to Western Wyoming Community College’s vocational training courses, SolidWorks raises eyebrows about whether it caters to an existing labor need or is trying to create a market.
David Urasky, vocational instructor at the Carbon County Higher Education Center, has been teaching SolidWorks for two years, but this spring semester is the first it’s being taught as a credit-earning course under the umbrella of Western Wyoming Community College. Urasky is the course’s sole teacher, holding his classes at the Rawlins outreach center.
SolidWorks is a software program that enables three dimensional drawing and analysis of parts, generally meant for use in engineering. With its many features, Urasky believes it steps beyond AutoCAD, a program that primarily works in two-dimensions. Unlike AutoCAD, however, a machinist, welder or manufacturer can use and modify the drawings “with a click of a button,” Urasky said.
Urasky has two students from Hyland Enterprises in his class of seven. Hyland does fabrication work mostly in cooperation with the energy industry. The Hyland welders have previously hand-drawn the majority of their work.
“It sounded like a good way for us to both take our client’s ideas and turn them into an actual drawing,” Hyland Enterprise President David Nightingale said. “So they can see what they want (virtually), and also for our welders and fabricators to use as a plan to build off of.” He saw it as a way to improve the company’s time from conception to fabrication.
Many believe a course like SolidWorks could provide a personnel framework that might diversify the economy to include manufacturing, in much the same way Hyland has adopted the program. But the question remains whether the market is ripe.
SolidWorks is part of a vocational training program that caters to industry needs. Both CCHEC Director Dave Throgmorton and Western Wyoming Community College Dean of Academic Affairs Ken Fitschen aim to hear what industry leaders need and direct their programs accordingly.
Throgmorton held an open house Thursday to push forward on that initiative. “We want to keep the folks who live here, here,” he said.
With Hyland as the only business in Rawlins willing to adopt SolidWorks to either improve its products or develop new markets, students who complete Urasky’s SolidWorks program must either go to Casper or to other manufacturing areas, he said, because Rawlins lacks that industry.
Fitschen is unsure how much room there is to develop a program that caters to a nonexistent manufacturing labor force. He said the energy boom still has a monopoly on the vocational resources of Wyoming’s higher education facilities.
“We’re strengthening our instrumentation program,” Fitschen said. “We have a new oil and gas program, we have a new natural gas compression program, we’re getting into corrosion protection, which is related to the pipelines, and we’re offering safety certificates. We’re constantly meeting with industry lately to try and meet their technical needs.”
Western Wyoming Community College currently has some pieces of the puzzle necessary to put together a complete program that caters to manufacturing, Fitschen said. However, he feels it’s unwise to completely commit to a program at this stage.
“Would we be interested in diversifying the economy to include manufacturing?” Fitschen asked. “Yes. But it’s like the chicken and the egg thing in terms of this type of program. If we have the program and nobody is in it, then we’ve got a problem. Conversely, if we don’t have the program, will the new manufacturing companies be attracted to Rawlins or Rock Springs?”
When asked if manufacturing is in the foreseeable future for Rawlins, Mark Ducker, director of the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation, said “I would like to think it’s in the future for Rawlins. We still have a couple hurdles in that (manufacturing) needs personnel — a workforce — and with that comes a need for housing.”
Urasky seems to be targeting the first hurdle, personnel.
So can Rawlins adopt manufacturing as a stabilizing force in the economy? Urasky thinks so. With the railroad and the highway and space to grow, he said, Rawlins already has the framework. All it needs is the personnel, he said. However, Fitschen reiterated that “it’s a longer term conversation.”
Owner buys in
Chris and Tim Lawrence, a father and son in the welding shop of Hyland Enterprises, knocked on the door of the Carbon County Higher Education Center to sign up for the AutoCAD class, which they hoped would make drafting their products easier. However, David Urasky had another idea.
Urasky, CCHEC vocational instructor, showed up at Hyland to demonstrate the capabilities of the SolidWorks program to the Lawrence family, hoping the program would better suit their needs. “We saw it would save us a lot of time,” Chris Lawrence said. So they went to Hyland Enterprise President David Nightingale to proclaim the good news. Nightingale signed on immediately, Urasky said.
Course not widespread
The Carbon County Higher Education Center is one of the only institutions offering the SolidWorks course in the state, CCHEC vocational instructor David Urasky said.
He listed Casper College as the other. Rock Springs High School teaches the program as well, said Ken Fitschen, dean of academic affairs at Western Wyoming Community College. The University of Wyoming uses it in the engineering program, but expects the students to already be familiar with it, Urasky said.
Urasky’s SolidWorks classes may be available via the Internet at the 11 other outreach centers in Wyoming if there is a market, Fitschen said. The course would include a test issued by SolidWorks. An individual answering at least 70 percent correct would become certified as a SolidWorks associate to do three dimensional drafting work on an entry level basis, Urasky said.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
As the newest addition to Western Wyoming Community College’s vocational training courses, SolidWorks raises eyebrows about whether it caters to an existing labor need or is trying to create a market.
David Urasky, vocational instructor at the Carbon County Higher Education Center, has been teaching SolidWorks for two years, but this spring semester is the first it’s being taught as a credit-earning course under the umbrella of Western Wyoming Community College. Urasky is the course’s sole teacher, holding his classes at the Rawlins outreach center.
SolidWorks is a software program that enables three dimensional drawing and analysis of parts, generally meant for use in engineering. With its many features, Urasky believes it steps beyond AutoCAD, a program that primarily works in two-dimensions. Unlike AutoCAD, however, a machinist, welder or manufacturer can use and modify the drawings “with a click of a button,” Urasky said.
Urasky has two students from Hyland Enterprises in his class of seven. Hyland does fabrication work mostly in cooperation with the energy industry. The Hyland welders have previously hand-drawn the majority of their work.
“It sounded like a good way for us to both take our client’s ideas and turn them into an actual drawing,” Hyland Enterprise President David Nightingale said. “So they can see what they want (virtually), and also for our welders and fabricators to use as a plan to build off of.” He saw it as a way to improve the company’s time from conception to fabrication.
Many believe a course like SolidWorks could provide a personnel framework that might diversify the economy to include manufacturing, in much the same way Hyland has adopted the program. But the question remains whether the market is ripe.
SolidWorks is part of a vocational training program that caters to industry needs. Both CCHEC Director Dave Throgmorton and Western Wyoming Community College Dean of Academic Affairs Ken Fitschen aim to hear what industry leaders need and direct their programs accordingly.
Throgmorton held an open house Thursday to push forward on that initiative. “We want to keep the folks who live here, here,” he said.
With Hyland as the only business in Rawlins willing to adopt SolidWorks to either improve its products or develop new markets, students who complete Urasky’s SolidWorks program must either go to Casper or to other manufacturing areas, he said, because Rawlins lacks that industry.
Fitschen is unsure how much room there is to develop a program that caters to a nonexistent manufacturing labor force. He said the energy boom still has a monopoly on the vocational resources of Wyoming’s higher education facilities.
“We’re strengthening our instrumentation program,” Fitschen said. “We have a new oil and gas program, we have a new natural gas compression program, we’re getting into corrosion protection, which is related to the pipelines, and we’re offering safety certificates. We’re constantly meeting with industry lately to try and meet their technical needs.”
Western Wyoming Community College currently has some pieces of the puzzle necessary to put together a complete program that caters to manufacturing, Fitschen said. However, he feels it’s unwise to completely commit to a program at this stage.
“Would we be interested in diversifying the economy to include manufacturing?” Fitschen asked. “Yes. But it’s like the chicken and the egg thing in terms of this type of program. If we have the program and nobody is in it, then we’ve got a problem. Conversely, if we don’t have the program, will the new manufacturing companies be attracted to Rawlins or Rock Springs?”
When asked if manufacturing is in the foreseeable future for Rawlins, Mark Ducker, director of the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation, said “I would like to think it’s in the future for Rawlins. We still have a couple hurdles in that (manufacturing) needs personnel — a workforce — and with that comes a need for housing.”
Urasky seems to be targeting the first hurdle, personnel.
So can Rawlins adopt manufacturing as a stabilizing force in the economy? Urasky thinks so. With the railroad and the highway and space to grow, he said, Rawlins already has the framework. All it needs is the personnel, he said. However, Fitschen reiterated that “it’s a longer term conversation.”
Owner buys in
Chris and Tim Lawrence, a father and son in the welding shop of Hyland Enterprises, knocked on the door of the Carbon County Higher Education Center to sign up for the AutoCAD class, which they hoped would make drafting their products easier. However, David Urasky had another idea.
Urasky, CCHEC vocational instructor, showed up at Hyland to demonstrate the capabilities of the SolidWorks program to the Lawrence family, hoping the program would better suit their needs. “We saw it would save us a lot of time,” Chris Lawrence said. So they went to Hyland Enterprise President David Nightingale to proclaim the good news. Nightingale signed on immediately, Urasky said.
Course not widespread
The Carbon County Higher Education Center is one of the only institutions offering the SolidWorks course in the state, CCHEC vocational instructor David Urasky said.
He listed Casper College as the other. Rock Springs High School teaches the program as well, said Ken Fitschen, dean of academic affairs at Western Wyoming Community College. The University of Wyoming uses it in the engineering program, but expects the students to already be familiar with it, Urasky said.
Urasky’s SolidWorks classes may be available via the Internet at the 11 other outreach centers in Wyoming if there is a market, Fitschen said. The course would include a test issued by SolidWorks. An individual answering at least 70 percent correct would become certified as a SolidWorks associate to do three dimensional drafting work on an entry level basis, Urasky said.
Friday, February 1, 2008
HEM looks to flatten Cokeville
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Anything can happen this weekend as the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow Miners face off against the boys basketball teams at Farson-Eden on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Cokeville at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
While HEM coach Clif Jones believes his team is fully capable of winning both games, he worries about being on the road after the toughest two weekends of their season against Encampment, Guernsey-Sunrise, Saratoga and Little Snake River Valley. “How does it get easier?” asked Jones. “We load up and go on a big conference weekend.”
Jones also worries about his team playing only to the level of their competition and not beyond. He hopes it will not go to their heads that they are playing two teams the Miners can beat on paper, and have beaten before.
“Farson gets a great crowd. We beat them by 30 points on a neutral court and beat them by 30 at home, and they beat us at Farson,” Jones said.
The Miners plan to boost their defensive game and try to find other offensive options beyond Justin Palm and Matt Larson. “Baggs did a good job of packing it in and daring us to beat them from the outside (last weekend),” Jones said.
His team struggles with perimeter shooting, and will need to do a good job of finding the open man. In the game against Little Snake River Valley, HEM did manage to find another shooter in Charlie George. Raking in 15 points in that game, it was the first time anyone on the team had scored more than Palm and Larson, Jones said.
As for Cokeville, Jones hopes Encampment runs them to death before the Miners see them on Saturday. “Cokeville is one of the hardest places to play,” Jones said. “The kids there expect to win. It’s the most intimidating gym you’ll ever walk into, with over 50 state championships over the last 40 years. They have a whole wall. Even though you may on paper be a much stronger team, it’s still a difficult contest.”
HEM hopes to boost their transition game against Cokeville and locate the kids who want to score. This year has not provided them with the luxury of fast breaks and a high shooting percentage.
It is a make or break weekend for the Miners. Their goal at the beginning of the season was not to make the pigtail game at the end, forcing them to muscle their way into the regional tournament. If they come out of this weekend with two wins, they avoid the game. If they lose both, they are almost guaranteed to play the pigtail game. “If we split, it will come down to the last weekend. We would like to get it done this weekend,” Jones said.
Despite his worry, Jones is still hopeful about the weekend. “We’re a team of streaks. We lost three, we won seven. Now we’ve lost four and it’s time to turn it around again,” he said.
Times staff writer
Anything can happen this weekend as the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow Miners face off against the boys basketball teams at Farson-Eden on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Cokeville at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
While HEM coach Clif Jones believes his team is fully capable of winning both games, he worries about being on the road after the toughest two weekends of their season against Encampment, Guernsey-Sunrise, Saratoga and Little Snake River Valley. “How does it get easier?” asked Jones. “We load up and go on a big conference weekend.”
Jones also worries about his team playing only to the level of their competition and not beyond. He hopes it will not go to their heads that they are playing two teams the Miners can beat on paper, and have beaten before.
“Farson gets a great crowd. We beat them by 30 points on a neutral court and beat them by 30 at home, and they beat us at Farson,” Jones said.
The Miners plan to boost their defensive game and try to find other offensive options beyond Justin Palm and Matt Larson. “Baggs did a good job of packing it in and daring us to beat them from the outside (last weekend),” Jones said.
His team struggles with perimeter shooting, and will need to do a good job of finding the open man. In the game against Little Snake River Valley, HEM did manage to find another shooter in Charlie George. Raking in 15 points in that game, it was the first time anyone on the team had scored more than Palm and Larson, Jones said.
As for Cokeville, Jones hopes Encampment runs them to death before the Miners see them on Saturday. “Cokeville is one of the hardest places to play,” Jones said. “The kids there expect to win. It’s the most intimidating gym you’ll ever walk into, with over 50 state championships over the last 40 years. They have a whole wall. Even though you may on paper be a much stronger team, it’s still a difficult contest.”
HEM hopes to boost their transition game against Cokeville and locate the kids who want to score. This year has not provided them with the luxury of fast breaks and a high shooting percentage.
It is a make or break weekend for the Miners. Their goal at the beginning of the season was not to make the pigtail game at the end, forcing them to muscle their way into the regional tournament. If they come out of this weekend with two wins, they avoid the game. If they lose both, they are almost guaranteed to play the pigtail game. “If we split, it will come down to the last weekend. We would like to get it done this weekend,” Jones said.
Despite his worry, Jones is still hopeful about the weekend. “We’re a team of streaks. We lost three, we won seven. Now we’ve lost four and it’s time to turn it around again,” he said.
Pigtails not the fashion at HEM
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Going into this weekend 3-1 in conference games, the Lady Miners hope to meet their season-long goal of staying out of the pigtail game, a game that forces them to play their way into the regional tournament.
Going up against Farson-Eden and Cokeville will be no easy task, though. Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow won by a mere nine points the last time they saw Farson, and Cokeville came out 23 points ahead.
HEM coach Jackie Jones said the team’s tactic in the Farson game at 4 p.m. on Friday is to hone in on the McAllister sisters, both of whom are guards. “Lillian is the team leader,” she said. “(The sisters) really are the strength of the team.” She said the Miners were able to hold Lillian to just a few points after allowing her to lay 20 onto the scoreboard early in the season.
This time around, the HEM ladies have Crystal Hohn back in the post position. The team will see what it can do from the inside with the Hohn and Sarah McAttee duo, Jones said. Their outside shooting has been effective, “but if we can put more points up from the paint, we’re going to be that much more effective and better off come regionals,” she said.
Against Cokeville, HEM aims to play a good transition defense. Though they have not been the only victim of Cokeville’s speed, the Miners were beat in the running game last time they met. It is currently the HEM ladies’ only conference loss.
“If we come back with one win, we should be able to keep out of the pigtail game,” Jones said. She holds out a faint hope that Farson might hit Encampment, third place in the conference, with a loss while HEM picks up a win against Farson. “That would put us a game ahead of Encampment.”
With a snow day and with several girls out at various times due to the flue and high fevers, Jones hoped she would have the whole team back for Thursday’s practice. “We’ll just have to see what happens,” she said.
Times staff writer
Going into this weekend 3-1 in conference games, the Lady Miners hope to meet their season-long goal of staying out of the pigtail game, a game that forces them to play their way into the regional tournament.
Going up against Farson-Eden and Cokeville will be no easy task, though. Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow won by a mere nine points the last time they saw Farson, and Cokeville came out 23 points ahead.
HEM coach Jackie Jones said the team’s tactic in the Farson game at 4 p.m. on Friday is to hone in on the McAllister sisters, both of whom are guards. “Lillian is the team leader,” she said. “(The sisters) really are the strength of the team.” She said the Miners were able to hold Lillian to just a few points after allowing her to lay 20 onto the scoreboard early in the season.
This time around, the HEM ladies have Crystal Hohn back in the post position. The team will see what it can do from the inside with the Hohn and Sarah McAttee duo, Jones said. Their outside shooting has been effective, “but if we can put more points up from the paint, we’re going to be that much more effective and better off come regionals,” she said.
Against Cokeville, HEM aims to play a good transition defense. Though they have not been the only victim of Cokeville’s speed, the Miners were beat in the running game last time they met. It is currently the HEM ladies’ only conference loss.
“If we come back with one win, we should be able to keep out of the pigtail game,” Jones said. She holds out a faint hope that Farson might hit Encampment, third place in the conference, with a loss while HEM picks up a win against Farson. “That would put us a game ahead of Encampment.”
With a snow day and with several girls out at various times due to the flue and high fevers, Jones hoped she would have the whole team back for Thursday’s practice. “We’ll just have to see what happens,” she said.
It's official, town saves aging gym
Damn! The streak broke! It's okay, I get it back tomorrow...
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The Elk Mountain community managed to save their school’s gymnasium.
When the School Facilities Commission recommended funding for a new elementary school in the town, the initial plan was to level the old building and erect a new on it its place.
That plan would have destroyed the school’s gym, the largest single-room structure in town. It has watched over the community for a half century.
“It’s a neat old gym,” said Carbon County School District 2 Superintendent Bob Gates. “It’s the heart and soul of the community.”
Not a huge gym, it still outsizes the small church in Elk Mountain, said Elk Mountain Elementary principal Dale Kari. With a small seating area and a tile floor, it has an aged look. However, it is well-built. The small stage area allows it to serve as a multipurpose room for both the school and the community. Children at the school frequent it for physical education, indoor recess and to eat lunch.
Community members gathered when they heard the long-standing gym was to disappear from town. “(The SFC) said there was too much space at the school and (the School Board) needed to do something different,” said Town Clerk Judy Christopherson. “The town all went in and fought a battle and that’s where it came up that (the SFC) would give us a window to come up with a different plan.”
The window allowed the town two years to come up with a solution, Gates said. They are now at the tail end of that window and are almost ready to go. The solution is to replace most of the building but leave the gym standing. Kari said that the final school design review will be done in early March.
Until the fire department got its own fire hall, it held its annual chili cookoff and caroling party in the gym, Christopherson said. It also housed weddings and funerals, school programs, Boy Scouts award ceremonies, and, of course, basketball games.
Jim Jones, 75, graduated from the older brick part of the Elk Mountain school in a class of two. He was there before the gym was built, but he watched his children and grandchildren perform in school plays there. “There’s a lot of things I remember. I’ve seen a lot of things go by there,” he said.
The new school should be 12,000 square feet, reducing the current space by 5,000 square feet. It is meant to hold 18 to 21 students, Gates said. Officials hope that construction will begin in early summer this year and finish in time for the students’ arrival in August.
The SFC recommended a pre-engineered building for the new elementary school. Williams Scotsman, Inc., a company headquartered in Baltimore, Md., should fabricate the six pieces prior to shipping them to Elk Mountain, said Gates.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The Elk Mountain community managed to save their school’s gymnasium.
When the School Facilities Commission recommended funding for a new elementary school in the town, the initial plan was to level the old building and erect a new on it its place.
That plan would have destroyed the school’s gym, the largest single-room structure in town. It has watched over the community for a half century.
“It’s a neat old gym,” said Carbon County School District 2 Superintendent Bob Gates. “It’s the heart and soul of the community.”
Not a huge gym, it still outsizes the small church in Elk Mountain, said Elk Mountain Elementary principal Dale Kari. With a small seating area and a tile floor, it has an aged look. However, it is well-built. The small stage area allows it to serve as a multipurpose room for both the school and the community. Children at the school frequent it for physical education, indoor recess and to eat lunch.
Community members gathered when they heard the long-standing gym was to disappear from town. “(The SFC) said there was too much space at the school and (the School Board) needed to do something different,” said Town Clerk Judy Christopherson. “The town all went in and fought a battle and that’s where it came up that (the SFC) would give us a window to come up with a different plan.”
The window allowed the town two years to come up with a solution, Gates said. They are now at the tail end of that window and are almost ready to go. The solution is to replace most of the building but leave the gym standing. Kari said that the final school design review will be done in early March.
Until the fire department got its own fire hall, it held its annual chili cookoff and caroling party in the gym, Christopherson said. It also housed weddings and funerals, school programs, Boy Scouts award ceremonies, and, of course, basketball games.
Jim Jones, 75, graduated from the older brick part of the Elk Mountain school in a class of two. He was there before the gym was built, but he watched his children and grandchildren perform in school plays there. “There’s a lot of things I remember. I’ve seen a lot of things go by there,” he said.
The new school should be 12,000 square feet, reducing the current space by 5,000 square feet. It is meant to hold 18 to 21 students, Gates said. Officials hope that construction will begin in early summer this year and finish in time for the students’ arrival in August.
The SFC recommended a pre-engineered building for the new elementary school. Williams Scotsman, Inc., a company headquartered in Baltimore, Md., should fabricate the six pieces prior to shipping them to Elk Mountain, said Gates.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Four-day school week liked by many
Three days running...
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Seemingly loved and accepted by those who have adopted it, the four-day school schedule is coming under school board scrutiny with surveys due from across Carbon County School District 2.
Currently, school schedules vary across the district, and so far, parents seem happy. All of Encampment still operates on a five-day week, while all of Saratoga has adopted the four-day schedule. Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow is split between a four-and-a-half day elementary school week and a four-day high school week.
A year ago, the school district turned the schedule over to the community at local and district meetings to recommend changes. Saratoga and HEM chose the four-day schedule due to secondary level students missing class time by participating in activities such as sports, vocational agriculture, speech and arts, said Saratoga’s principal Larry Uhling.
Now, as is standard with many school board decisions, it is coming under review after a year of implementation.
When asked how parents of elementary students in Saratoga handle caring for their children for the Friday off, principal Larry Uhling said, “It’s no different than if we have a holiday on a Monday or a late start on a Wednesday or an early out on a Friday. We had all those things in our last schedule because there’s a certain amount of time that teachers need to prepare and for staff development and those types of things.”
The new schedule generally standardizes time off and enables the development of additional programs for the students, he said. Uhling spoke of the activities that have been set up for the children through the community and through the school’s staff, including enrichment programs and remedial help for students who need it.
Cindy Loose, a Saratoga parent of a third-grader and a woman who runs her own company, VIP Marketing, from home, spoke highly of the four-day week. “I think it works well for our family. I like the enrichment on Fridays and I’m spending time with Katie, which is another benefit.”
She said her daughter does every enrichment program, including art, storytelling and rocketeering. “She is expanding her literary skills and taking part in science that she wouldn’t normally have on her agenda,” she said. Loose believes that the students are not losing valuable class time, but instead are gaining an element to their learning.
The new schedule relieves stress from students and teachers alike, particularly at the secondary level. High school students are able to travel and be involved with important extracurricular activities without the stress of missing school and making up work, Uhling said.
Teachers who are coaches or are involved in activity leadership are able to spend more time with their classes. “We have a coach for the high school who has only missed two days this year of actual instructional time compared to the year before where he missed 30-some days of instruction,” Uhling said.
Principal Brad Barlow spoke of another benefit to teachers, which is having time for staff development. On Friday, his staff at HEM met in Saratoga to listen to a motivational speaker. The entire staff was invited, from teachers and principals to custodians and cooks.
“The main message was that we’re all teachers,” Barlow said. He said the motivational speech was about being positive with the kids and with coworkers, because everyone at the school is a role model. “It was important stuff,” he said.
Uhling said child care was a major concern when the schedule was implemented across the board in Saratoga, but he thinks most parents have found a way to work with it. Jane Hill, the mother of 11-year-old Marshall and 15-year-old Wyatt, said she enjoys the schedule, but realizes the issue of caring for children for the extra day. “I don’t have to have day care for my kids, so that makes a big difference. For someone who does need day care, it might be different,” she said.
As the surveys are received on Feb. 8, the date extended by Superintendent Bob Gates, both Uhling and Barlow are unsure of what to expect. Both say they have not heard any negative feedback about the schedule. However, both are interested to see what does come back.
Schedule's a juggling act
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Some love it and some wish it could change.
With the Carbon County School District 2 school schedule surveys circulating until the end of next week, parents have the opportunity to voice their opinion about the continued use of the five-day schedule in Encampment.
As the only community in District 2 to maintain the traditional five-day week, Encampment is at the mercy of parents who have observed the benefits and detriments of the four-day week implemented in the rest of the school district.
“It was very evident from the community meetings in Encampment (last year) that no one was interested in changing the schedules (to four days),” Encampment principal Mike Ericson said. He has not had anyone come to him yet saying the five-day schedule should be changed.
However, there is a contingent who quietly hopes Encampment might adopt the four-day schedule. Joelle Vacher, mother of Darion Vacher in Encampment, voiced her opinion. “I would like to go to a four-day schedule if it were conceivable,” she said. “I’d like to have my son at home an extra day.”
She enjoys the thought of an extra family day amidst all the homework and class time. Still, she did recognize the need for kids to be in school while their parents are working. “A lot of the parents wouldn’t want (their children) to be home because they can’t be home,” she said.
On the other end of the spectrum is Michele Fisher, an Encampment parent who juggles a preschooler, a kindergartner, a fourth-grader and a full-time job in Rawlins. “I’m against the four-day week because I need day care,” she said. “I don’t have anybody to watch them all day on Friday.”
She mentioned the fear that losing a day of instruction would be detrimental to her fourth-grade son. “He needs a bit more attention, so if he loses the extra day, it’s not going to hurt anybody but him,” she said. She hopes the schedule stays the same, particularly since she has managed to find care for her children within their current time at school.
Speaking about what he expects from the surveys, Ericson said he has been asked by various parents if Encampment will be forced to go to a four-day schedule. “I don’t think it’s going to happen. It would be up to the board of course, but my impression is that it’s not going to,” he said.
Ericson said his staff and the community believes the five-day schedule works better. “If the community’s not in favor of it, it’s not something that would be smart to do,” he said.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Seemingly loved and accepted by those who have adopted it, the four-day school schedule is coming under school board scrutiny with surveys due from across Carbon County School District 2.
Currently, school schedules vary across the district, and so far, parents seem happy. All of Encampment still operates on a five-day week, while all of Saratoga has adopted the four-day schedule. Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow is split between a four-and-a-half day elementary school week and a four-day high school week.
A year ago, the school district turned the schedule over to the community at local and district meetings to recommend changes. Saratoga and HEM chose the four-day schedule due to secondary level students missing class time by participating in activities such as sports, vocational agriculture, speech and arts, said Saratoga’s principal Larry Uhling.
Now, as is standard with many school board decisions, it is coming under review after a year of implementation.
When asked how parents of elementary students in Saratoga handle caring for their children for the Friday off, principal Larry Uhling said, “It’s no different than if we have a holiday on a Monday or a late start on a Wednesday or an early out on a Friday. We had all those things in our last schedule because there’s a certain amount of time that teachers need to prepare and for staff development and those types of things.”
The new schedule generally standardizes time off and enables the development of additional programs for the students, he said. Uhling spoke of the activities that have been set up for the children through the community and through the school’s staff, including enrichment programs and remedial help for students who need it.
Cindy Loose, a Saratoga parent of a third-grader and a woman who runs her own company, VIP Marketing, from home, spoke highly of the four-day week. “I think it works well for our family. I like the enrichment on Fridays and I’m spending time with Katie, which is another benefit.”
She said her daughter does every enrichment program, including art, storytelling and rocketeering. “She is expanding her literary skills and taking part in science that she wouldn’t normally have on her agenda,” she said. Loose believes that the students are not losing valuable class time, but instead are gaining an element to their learning.
The new schedule relieves stress from students and teachers alike, particularly at the secondary level. High school students are able to travel and be involved with important extracurricular activities without the stress of missing school and making up work, Uhling said.
Teachers who are coaches or are involved in activity leadership are able to spend more time with their classes. “We have a coach for the high school who has only missed two days this year of actual instructional time compared to the year before where he missed 30-some days of instruction,” Uhling said.
Principal Brad Barlow spoke of another benefit to teachers, which is having time for staff development. On Friday, his staff at HEM met in Saratoga to listen to a motivational speaker. The entire staff was invited, from teachers and principals to custodians and cooks.
“The main message was that we’re all teachers,” Barlow said. He said the motivational speech was about being positive with the kids and with coworkers, because everyone at the school is a role model. “It was important stuff,” he said.
Uhling said child care was a major concern when the schedule was implemented across the board in Saratoga, but he thinks most parents have found a way to work with it. Jane Hill, the mother of 11-year-old Marshall and 15-year-old Wyatt, said she enjoys the schedule, but realizes the issue of caring for children for the extra day. “I don’t have to have day care for my kids, so that makes a big difference. For someone who does need day care, it might be different,” she said.
As the surveys are received on Feb. 8, the date extended by Superintendent Bob Gates, both Uhling and Barlow are unsure of what to expect. Both say they have not heard any negative feedback about the schedule. However, both are interested to see what does come back.
Schedule's a juggling act
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Some love it and some wish it could change.
With the Carbon County School District 2 school schedule surveys circulating until the end of next week, parents have the opportunity to voice their opinion about the continued use of the five-day schedule in Encampment.
As the only community in District 2 to maintain the traditional five-day week, Encampment is at the mercy of parents who have observed the benefits and detriments of the four-day week implemented in the rest of the school district.
“It was very evident from the community meetings in Encampment (last year) that no one was interested in changing the schedules (to four days),” Encampment principal Mike Ericson said. He has not had anyone come to him yet saying the five-day schedule should be changed.
However, there is a contingent who quietly hopes Encampment might adopt the four-day schedule. Joelle Vacher, mother of Darion Vacher in Encampment, voiced her opinion. “I would like to go to a four-day schedule if it were conceivable,” she said. “I’d like to have my son at home an extra day.”
She enjoys the thought of an extra family day amidst all the homework and class time. Still, she did recognize the need for kids to be in school while their parents are working. “A lot of the parents wouldn’t want (their children) to be home because they can’t be home,” she said.
On the other end of the spectrum is Michele Fisher, an Encampment parent who juggles a preschooler, a kindergartner, a fourth-grader and a full-time job in Rawlins. “I’m against the four-day week because I need day care,” she said. “I don’t have anybody to watch them all day on Friday.”
She mentioned the fear that losing a day of instruction would be detrimental to her fourth-grade son. “He needs a bit more attention, so if he loses the extra day, it’s not going to hurt anybody but him,” she said. She hopes the schedule stays the same, particularly since she has managed to find care for her children within their current time at school.
Speaking about what he expects from the surveys, Ericson said he has been asked by various parents if Encampment will be forced to go to a four-day schedule. “I don’t think it’s going to happen. It would be up to the board of course, but my impression is that it’s not going to,” he said.
Ericson said his staff and the community believes the five-day schedule works better. “If the community’s not in favor of it, it’s not something that would be smart to do,” he said.
Panther wits leads to Panther wins
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
In boys basketball, the Panthers outsmarted the Chiefs in Saturday’s game and hope to sneak in a few more wins on their home court this weekend against Little Snake River Valley School on Friday and against the Southeast Cyclones on Saturday.
In its first weekend home after a long stretch of traveling, Saratoga High School nailed a win against Wyoming Indian by simply keeping the energy up. Neck and neck until the second half of the game, the Panthers took off by eight points in the third quarter to finish 11 points ahead at the end of fourth, 83-72.
“I thought we had a little more energy due to the crowd than they did at the end of the game,” Saratoga coach Rex Hohnholt said. “We just looked a little fresher than they did out there.”
He speculated that the elevation may have had something to do with Wyoming Indian’s ability to keep up. While the Chiefs train at 4,000 feet above sea level, the Panthers are accustomed to the lack of oxygen 3,000 feet higher.
Hohnholt said the boys had no special tactics against the Chiefs. They played their game and surprised Wyoming Indian, showing them Saratoga could push the ball and put on the pressure too, he said.
With double-digit scoring from Hayden Hohnholt, Josh Rice, Jake Johnston and David Capozzoli, and scoring contributions from Jonathan Jones, Gus Redmond, Ryan Larscheid and Sam Streeter, the coach said there is always someone new who steps up to help the team.
“Every week they surprise me with what they can do and do well,” Hohnholt said.
This weekend is one of the biggest weekends Saratoga plays all year, according to the coach.
On Friday night, the Panthers tip off against the Rattlers at 7 p.m. to fight the ongoing battle between the two Carbon County schools.
“(Little Snake River Valley) has a very good ball team and we are not overlooking them,” Hohnholt said. “We talked this week that our biggest game this week is Snake River. They could beat anyone in the state on any given night and we know that and we know we have to have our best game out on the basketball court if we want to beat them.”
The Southeast game is the second of two conference games all season and is important for seeding in the regional tournament. The game starts at 4 p.m.
“We were fortunate to beat them on their turf by six points,” the Panther coach said. “They do everything right and play within their abilities.”
If his boys can control the tempo of the game and step up their defense, Hohnholt thinks Saratoga can secure a victory. “We feed off a steal here or a good defensive stand there,” he said. “We get easy baskets by playing hard and scrappy and we didn’t do that in (the last) game.”
The team is excited about the home court advantage against both teams and plans to start and
finish the weekend with intensity supported by the crowd.
Times staff writer
In boys basketball, the Panthers outsmarted the Chiefs in Saturday’s game and hope to sneak in a few more wins on their home court this weekend against Little Snake River Valley School on Friday and against the Southeast Cyclones on Saturday.
In its first weekend home after a long stretch of traveling, Saratoga High School nailed a win against Wyoming Indian by simply keeping the energy up. Neck and neck until the second half of the game, the Panthers took off by eight points in the third quarter to finish 11 points ahead at the end of fourth, 83-72.
“I thought we had a little more energy due to the crowd than they did at the end of the game,” Saratoga coach Rex Hohnholt said. “We just looked a little fresher than they did out there.”
He speculated that the elevation may have had something to do with Wyoming Indian’s ability to keep up. While the Chiefs train at 4,000 feet above sea level, the Panthers are accustomed to the lack of oxygen 3,000 feet higher.
Hohnholt said the boys had no special tactics against the Chiefs. They played their game and surprised Wyoming Indian, showing them Saratoga could push the ball and put on the pressure too, he said.
With double-digit scoring from Hayden Hohnholt, Josh Rice, Jake Johnston and David Capozzoli, and scoring contributions from Jonathan Jones, Gus Redmond, Ryan Larscheid and Sam Streeter, the coach said there is always someone new who steps up to help the team.
“Every week they surprise me with what they can do and do well,” Hohnholt said.
This weekend is one of the biggest weekends Saratoga plays all year, according to the coach.
On Friday night, the Panthers tip off against the Rattlers at 7 p.m. to fight the ongoing battle between the two Carbon County schools.
“(Little Snake River Valley) has a very good ball team and we are not overlooking them,” Hohnholt said. “We talked this week that our biggest game this week is Snake River. They could beat anyone in the state on any given night and we know that and we know we have to have our best game out on the basketball court if we want to beat them.”
The Southeast game is the second of two conference games all season and is important for seeding in the regional tournament. The game starts at 4 p.m.
“We were fortunate to beat them on their turf by six points,” the Panther coach said. “They do everything right and play within their abilities.”
If his boys can control the tempo of the game and step up their defense, Hohnholt thinks Saratoga can secure a victory. “We feed off a steal here or a good defensive stand there,” he said. “We get easy baskets by playing hard and scrappy and we didn’t do that in (the last) game.”
The team is excited about the home court advantage against both teams and plans to start and
finish the weekend with intensity supported by the crowd.
On the road again...
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
After a devastating loss to Cokeville and a narrow win against Farson-Eden three weeks ago, Encampment’s Lady Tigers hope to take home their prey as they face off once more against the two western Wyoming teams this weekend, this time on the road.
Cokeville’s speed and depth should still be daunting in the Friday conference game, which starts at 4 p.m. Encampment coach Jami Krein spoke of Cokeville’s strength with outside shooting and strong posts. “They’re good all around,” she said.
Can they close the 23-point gap? “If we play to our potential, we can,” Krein said. However, it will be tough after their five-hour road trip starting at 8 a.m. Friday.
Krein said that if Encampment goes all out against Cokeville on Friday, she hopes her girls have something left for the Farson-Eden conference game on Saturday, which also tips off at 4 p.m.
“(Cokeville) is going to be a physically draining game,” she said. “So to have something left will be difficult, but I think we can do it.”
In terms of goals, the team is still aiming for better ball management and a higher shooting percentage. Krein said Encampment’s ball handling has been slowly getting better and was visibly improved in the team’s recent game against Little Snake River Valley School. However, the Lady Tiger’s shooting percentage still lingers at 32.
Times staff writer
After a devastating loss to Cokeville and a narrow win against Farson-Eden three weeks ago, Encampment’s Lady Tigers hope to take home their prey as they face off once more against the two western Wyoming teams this weekend, this time on the road.
Cokeville’s speed and depth should still be daunting in the Friday conference game, which starts at 4 p.m. Encampment coach Jami Krein spoke of Cokeville’s strength with outside shooting and strong posts. “They’re good all around,” she said.
Can they close the 23-point gap? “If we play to our potential, we can,” Krein said. However, it will be tough after their five-hour road trip starting at 8 a.m. Friday.
Krein said that if Encampment goes all out against Cokeville on Friday, she hopes her girls have something left for the Farson-Eden conference game on Saturday, which also tips off at 4 p.m.
“(Cokeville) is going to be a physically draining game,” she said. “So to have something left will be difficult, but I think we can do it.”
In terms of goals, the team is still aiming for better ball management and a higher shooting percentage. Krein said Encampment’s ball handling has been slowly getting better and was visibly improved in the team’s recent game against Little Snake River Valley School. However, the Lady Tiger’s shooting percentage still lingers at 32.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
It was a wild, wild weekend
And the first post shall be a personal recap of the third weekend in Wyoming.
After working late on Friday night to help my sports writer coworker - Kirk Hanna - cover sports, I packed for the weekend and crashed in preparation to leave early for Steamboat skiing on Saturday.
Blink. Awake.
It's way past 6:30 a.m. Oops. Still needed to shower and get out the door. Patty began stirring... that means conversation. I got out the door at 7:30. As usual, I-80 was terrible. Driving slowly and leading a pack of Wyoming drivers, I finally got to the turnoff to head to Colorado, and the roads were thankfully better. Cruised along to music, watching the sun continue to wake up as I thought about how lucky I was to be witnessing such beautiful county.
Arrived at Steamboat at around 10:30 a.m. The fella at pay parking let me park for free, then I "bought" ski poles at Christy's Sports under the pretense of renting them. The day was awesome! Deep snow, sweet slopes, cool people, fantastic weather! Just wish I'd had someone to share it with, or even just a camera to take pictures! Definitely got a great workout on the first run down Easy Face over there on the outskirts of the resort. Decided to try to go through the gully in the deep snow instead of down the long runout... and ended up hiking out. Was knee deep in heavy powder with skis on- can't imagine trying to walk out! I'd have been up to my chest in snow!
At the end of the day, I hopped off the slopes and hit the road to get back to Craig, CO to meet up with the coworkers, Kirk and Clancy. Clancy has the city beat and also enjoys writing about Wamsutter, WY. It's a dinky little town that for some reason has him fascinated.
Perfect timing in Craig, though the guys will say I was unclear about where I'd be. They just didn't listen. Typical guys. Stocked up on some goods for the road and started road trippin' to Aspen.
Darkness fell, Clancy and I got to work as passengers. Nah, no need for navigator, shot gun, whatever you call it. Just annoying drinking buddies. Good thing Kirk didn't mind because I was really craving that beer after a day of skiing. Bonding ensued. And laughter. Much laughter. Those boys are crazy. In fact, I think I can say that it was this leg of the trip that Kirk rapped in chicken lingo to a song. That's right, "bak bak baaaak bak-bak-bak..." You had to be there.
Next stop: Glenwood Springs. Just long enough to check in, change, and hit the road again for Aspen. XGames were finished for the night, but Kirk had a stellar showing with Helly Hansen gear. And I quote:
One of the guys: Man, Argentinians are good looking people.
Me: Yeah, that guy was hot!
Kirk: They have cool names too - one of their name's was Helly, it was written on her butt, Helly Hansen.
[Clancy and I look at each other]
Clancy: Uh, Kirk? Helly Hansen is ski gear. I don't even ski and I know that.
Good stuff. He didn't live that down, nor will he. And apparently I won't live down my confession of charging interest to classmates as a child, because Clancy handed me a check today saying, "I added two dollars interest."
At the bar Bentley at the Wheeler, yes, I did flirt with the guys at the bar to get drinks for my coworkers. The problem is when I do that, as a reporter, I tend to find something interesting about them, and wind up talking to them much longer than planned. This time it was because one works for Luftansa in Denver and the other for U.S. Customs in Denver. For anyone who knows me, can you figure out why this matters?
Back to Glenwood Springs for drinks, meeting up with Chris Riley & Co. and Karl, Kristin and Jimbo. Hit up Hippy Dippity Springs, the springs situated next to the ice-cold river. Would be a beautiful location if it wasn't under the highway and serviced by a massive drainpipe that looks like it is spilling out sewage. Good ol' hot springs. Always sketchy whenever they are free.
Blink. Awake.
It's 8:00 and Clancy's damn cell phone alarm has been chiming "Oh When the Saints Go Marching In" for the past half hour. I couldn't sleep any longer, so I decided everyone else had to get up too. They were great, pulling themselves together to get to the slopes for skiing.
Clancy's a quick learner! He was tearing down the slopes to the hazard of those around him, but overall, a good showing from the athletic young chap wearing women's clothes (he had borrowed my warm ups, ski hat and gloves). And Kirk thinks he was slowing us down on the chutes, but what he doesn't understand is we don't give a crap if we're skiing or talking while waiting... the point about it all is we're together and on the slopes. So just for the rest of you, if you come out, don't feel like you're holding us up!!
Sunlight's a good resort, but I'll still choose Winter Park over it all so far. Nothing beats the trees and mogul playgrounds there!
Next up: Aspen XGames. Coffee. Food. Found myself inside the ESPN and athlete headquarters simply by not paying a damn bit of attention to what was going on around me. Apparently neither did the security guard. Clancy somehow knew what had happened when he grabbed my arm and told me Kirk didn't make it in. He'd made eye contact with the guard. Guess his Michigan garb gave him away as not an XGames athlete.
Anyway, some great pizza, a visit to the ESPN broadcasting center and a walk down the executive hallways later, we exited back onto the icy base of Aspen to check out the Snowmobile Freestyle and the Superpipe Finals. Snowmobiiles were SWEET because these massive machines were being launched off jumps right in front of us with their drivers hanging on with one or no hands performing craziness right before our eyes! Definitely worth the trip.
I can say my Uggs are not great in ice, but they do pretty well in snow, and damn are they warm. Which satisfies me as long as I have a coworker to hang onto, the purpose Kirk served by having great hiking boots that may as well have been cramp-ons.
The drive home was definitely an hour and half longer than intended, due to white out conditions for part of it, elk herds for some of it, and just terribly icy/snowy roads for the rest. Good thing Kirk was leading, he kept us sane and driving slowly for most of the trip. But when we got back on I-80 and it was 3:00 a.m. and he was still going 30 mph with 30 miles left, I said, "Sorry mate, but I can't do this for another hour," and picked it up to a speedy 45 mph. Found myself "home" at 3:30 a.m. Unfortunately, I'll probably do it again.
Blink. Awake.
It's Monday, and I need to get up and start getting my brain in work mode.
Check out Hanna's Helping for Kirk's take on the weekend (and the photos he wont' share with me).
Actual news to come, I promise! But beware, it will come all in one shot, probably tomorrow morning.
After working late on Friday night to help my sports writer coworker - Kirk Hanna - cover sports, I packed for the weekend and crashed in preparation to leave early for Steamboat skiing on Saturday.
Blink. Awake.
It's way past 6:30 a.m. Oops. Still needed to shower and get out the door. Patty began stirring... that means conversation. I got out the door at 7:30. As usual, I-80 was terrible. Driving slowly and leading a pack of Wyoming drivers, I finally got to the turnoff to head to Colorado, and the roads were thankfully better. Cruised along to music, watching the sun continue to wake up as I thought about how lucky I was to be witnessing such beautiful county.
Arrived at Steamboat at around 10:30 a.m. The fella at pay parking let me park for free, then I "bought" ski poles at Christy's Sports under the pretense of renting them. The day was awesome! Deep snow, sweet slopes, cool people, fantastic weather! Just wish I'd had someone to share it with, or even just a camera to take pictures! Definitely got a great workout on the first run down Easy Face over there on the outskirts of the resort. Decided to try to go through the gully in the deep snow instead of down the long runout... and ended up hiking out. Was knee deep in heavy powder with skis on- can't imagine trying to walk out! I'd have been up to my chest in snow!
At the end of the day, I hopped off the slopes and hit the road to get back to Craig, CO to meet up with the coworkers, Kirk and Clancy. Clancy has the city beat and also enjoys writing about Wamsutter, WY. It's a dinky little town that for some reason has him fascinated.
Perfect timing in Craig, though the guys will say I was unclear about where I'd be. They just didn't listen. Typical guys. Stocked up on some goods for the road and started road trippin' to Aspen.
Darkness fell, Clancy and I got to work as passengers. Nah, no need for navigator, shot gun, whatever you call it. Just annoying drinking buddies. Good thing Kirk didn't mind because I was really craving that beer after a day of skiing. Bonding ensued. And laughter. Much laughter. Those boys are crazy. In fact, I think I can say that it was this leg of the trip that Kirk rapped in chicken lingo to a song. That's right, "bak bak baaaak bak-bak-bak..." You had to be there.
Next stop: Glenwood Springs. Just long enough to check in, change, and hit the road again for Aspen. XGames were finished for the night, but Kirk had a stellar showing with Helly Hansen gear. And I quote:
One of the guys: Man, Argentinians are good looking people.
Me: Yeah, that guy was hot!
Kirk: They have cool names too - one of their name's was Helly, it was written on her butt, Helly Hansen.
[Clancy and I look at each other]
Clancy: Uh, Kirk? Helly Hansen is ski gear. I don't even ski and I know that.
Good stuff. He didn't live that down, nor will he. And apparently I won't live down my confession of charging interest to classmates as a child, because Clancy handed me a check today saying, "I added two dollars interest."
At the bar Bentley at the Wheeler, yes, I did flirt with the guys at the bar to get drinks for my coworkers. The problem is when I do that, as a reporter, I tend to find something interesting about them, and wind up talking to them much longer than planned. This time it was because one works for Luftansa in Denver and the other for U.S. Customs in Denver. For anyone who knows me, can you figure out why this matters?
Back to Glenwood Springs for drinks, meeting up with Chris Riley & Co. and Karl, Kristin and Jimbo. Hit up Hippy Dippity Springs, the springs situated next to the ice-cold river. Would be a beautiful location if it wasn't under the highway and serviced by a massive drainpipe that looks like it is spilling out sewage. Good ol' hot springs. Always sketchy whenever they are free.
Blink. Awake.
It's 8:00 and Clancy's damn cell phone alarm has been chiming "Oh When the Saints Go Marching In" for the past half hour. I couldn't sleep any longer, so I decided everyone else had to get up too. They were great, pulling themselves together to get to the slopes for skiing.
Clancy's a quick learner! He was tearing down the slopes to the hazard of those around him, but overall, a good showing from the athletic young chap wearing women's clothes (he had borrowed my warm ups, ski hat and gloves). And Kirk thinks he was slowing us down on the chutes, but what he doesn't understand is we don't give a crap if we're skiing or talking while waiting... the point about it all is we're together and on the slopes. So just for the rest of you, if you come out, don't feel like you're holding us up!!
Sunlight's a good resort, but I'll still choose Winter Park over it all so far. Nothing beats the trees and mogul playgrounds there!
Next up: Aspen XGames. Coffee. Food. Found myself inside the ESPN and athlete headquarters simply by not paying a damn bit of attention to what was going on around me. Apparently neither did the security guard. Clancy somehow knew what had happened when he grabbed my arm and told me Kirk didn't make it in. He'd made eye contact with the guard. Guess his Michigan garb gave him away as not an XGames athlete.
Anyway, some great pizza, a visit to the ESPN broadcasting center and a walk down the executive hallways later, we exited back onto the icy base of Aspen to check out the Snowmobile Freestyle and the Superpipe Finals. Snowmobiiles were SWEET because these massive machines were being launched off jumps right in front of us with their drivers hanging on with one or no hands performing craziness right before our eyes! Definitely worth the trip.
I can say my Uggs are not great in ice, but they do pretty well in snow, and damn are they warm. Which satisfies me as long as I have a coworker to hang onto, the purpose Kirk served by having great hiking boots that may as well have been cramp-ons.
The drive home was definitely an hour and half longer than intended, due to white out conditions for part of it, elk herds for some of it, and just terribly icy/snowy roads for the rest. Good thing Kirk was leading, he kept us sane and driving slowly for most of the trip. But when we got back on I-80 and it was 3:00 a.m. and he was still going 30 mph with 30 miles left, I said, "Sorry mate, but I can't do this for another hour," and picked it up to a speedy 45 mph. Found myself "home" at 3:30 a.m. Unfortunately, I'll probably do it again.
Blink. Awake.
It's Monday, and I need to get up and start getting my brain in work mode.
Check out Hanna's Helping for Kirk's take on the weekend (and the photos he wont' share with me).
Actual news to come, I promise! But beware, it will come all in one shot, probably tomorrow morning.
CCHEC students increase
• Higher education enrollment increase stems from more aggressive marketing.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Year-end enrollment reports throughout the county show that numbers are up in higher education, but have dropped for Carbon County school districts 1 and 2.
In a constant roller coaster of incoming and outgoing families, Carbon County School District 2 is on the downward trend. At the start of the school year, there were 683 children enrolled, while January’s numbers showed 663. Between December and January alone, the district lost five students.
“Those are significant numbers,” District 2 Superintendent Bob Gates said. “We’re in a down phase right now. Last year, we were in an up phase. We’re hoping real soon here we’ll go back up again. It’s hard when the numbers go up and down.” He expressed the value of having a stable student population for budgeting, staffing and other school planning.
Gates acknowledged that the falling student population in his district this winter could be affected by the flow of energy workers from companies like Sinclair Oil for the winter.
The enrollment report for Carbon County School District 1 also showed a student population decrease from 1,875 in August to 1,798 in December. Between November and December of last year, the district lost nine students. The January figures have not yet been gathered. District 1 officials were unable to accurately pinpoint any reason for the decrease.
Meanwhile, Patty Pedersen, academic advisor for the Carbon County Higher Education Center, reported that the total number of full-time and part-time students at the school has increased by five from the spring 2007 semester. In January of last year, the education center had 139 students, while this semester there are 144 enrolled.
Carbon County Higher Education Center Director Dave Throgmorton attributed the higher number to the aggressive marketing done by his staff.
“Patty, in particular, has been very effective about talking to students who have been here in the past,” he said. “People are responsive. They know they had a goal. And then they get a phone call that says, ‘hey, get in here.’”
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Year-end enrollment reports throughout the county show that numbers are up in higher education, but have dropped for Carbon County school districts 1 and 2.
In a constant roller coaster of incoming and outgoing families, Carbon County School District 2 is on the downward trend. At the start of the school year, there were 683 children enrolled, while January’s numbers showed 663. Between December and January alone, the district lost five students.
“Those are significant numbers,” District 2 Superintendent Bob Gates said. “We’re in a down phase right now. Last year, we were in an up phase. We’re hoping real soon here we’ll go back up again. It’s hard when the numbers go up and down.” He expressed the value of having a stable student population for budgeting, staffing and other school planning.
Gates acknowledged that the falling student population in his district this winter could be affected by the flow of energy workers from companies like Sinclair Oil for the winter.
The enrollment report for Carbon County School District 1 also showed a student population decrease from 1,875 in August to 1,798 in December. Between November and December of last year, the district lost nine students. The January figures have not yet been gathered. District 1 officials were unable to accurately pinpoint any reason for the decrease.
Meanwhile, Patty Pedersen, academic advisor for the Carbon County Higher Education Center, reported that the total number of full-time and part-time students at the school has increased by five from the spring 2007 semester. In January of last year, the education center had 139 students, while this semester there are 144 enrolled.
Carbon County Higher Education Center Director Dave Throgmorton attributed the higher number to the aggressive marketing done by his staff.
“Patty, in particular, has been very effective about talking to students who have been here in the past,” he said. “People are responsive. They know they had a goal. And then they get a phone call that says, ‘hey, get in here.’”
Kids Campus family should grow
Two in a row! (Another front-pager with photo)!
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The Kids’ Campus, an extension of the Carbon County Higher Education Center, plans to expand in size as well as numbers as it seeks to contract with Memorial Hospital of Carbon County to care for the hospital staff’s children.
Working in symbiosis with the community, the Kids’ Campus previously adopted children of penitentiary workers into its initial community of youngsters from the higher education center. It now plans to add to its family 28 new slots set aside for the hospital in an agreement awaiting approval by representatives from each party.
Kids’ Campus officials planned to expand their facilities when the taekwondo center vacated the property connected to the child care center’s playground, Kids’ Campus Director Nicole Wright said. “The landlord offered it to us and we took it, because the current space does not provide much room for the kids.”
The new lease creates a courtyard complex with two buildings on either side of the playground. The infants and “wobblers,” up to age 2, should receive care in the new building while the toddlers, the “pre-pre-schoolers,” and the preschoolers, from ages 3 to 5, should remain in the older building, Wright said.
Some renovation is required for the new building to be fully functional for the Kids’ Campus, Carbon County Higher Education Center Director Dave Throgmorton said. Throgmorton hopes work begins in the next few weeks so the complex can be open by the end of March.
The hospital saw the opportunity to negotiate with Kids’ Campus officials when it signed the new lease, said Nurse Manager Dawn Dingman. Wright said the expansion had been arranged when the hospital began expressing interest in adding children to the Kids’ Campus.
“It would give our staff a place to take kids without having to take classes,” Dingman said. Currently, it is hard to find infant day care, a specialty of the Kids’ Campus, in Rawlins, Dingman said.
Once the contract is finalized and signed, the hospital can add another tool to its belt in recruiting future employees. “It was one of (the nursing community’s) suggestions to get childcare as a recruiting tool,” Dingman said.
The 28 slots should be open to all members of the hospital staff, she said. The number is based on surveys issued by the hospital board where employees had the opportunity to express their needs. The numbers have been adjusted to accommodate the children of new employees.
The Kids’ Campus currently receives two-thirds of its funding from the higher education center, while the penitentiary contributes one-third of the funding, Wright said. She expects the contract to contain the hospital’s contribution for the expansion. “(The hospital’s subsidy) is important so we can continue to have our employees,” she said.
Wright spoke of retaining folks of the caliber of Tera Voss, the preschool teacher at the Kids’ Campus. From Encampment, Voss received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Wyoming. “We’re glad to have her,” Wright said. “She has so much knowledge.”
The contract between the hospital and Kids’ Campus officials should be ironed out by the next hospital board meeting on Feb. 28 at 5:15 p.m. The hospital has made a verbal agreement, but the official contract has yet to be written, Wright said.
The future is bright
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Building and occupancy expansions are the immediate focuses for Kids’ Campus officials, but Carbon County Higher Education Center Director Dave Throgmorton said he sees other advances in the future of the Kids’ Campus.
“We are exploring the possibility of a brand new Carbon County higher education facility,” he said. The school contracted with Pedersen Planning Consulting, based in Encampment, to evaluate its needs — staffing, space and curriculum. Funded by a grant from the Wyoming Business Council, the evaluation should be finished by early February.
“Before we get carried away with this space that we’re leasing,” Throgmorton said, “we want to see what their report says about a permanent home for the higher education center.”
Also in the works at the Kids’ Campus is the possibility of developing the child care center into what Throgmorton called a laboratory school. “I would like to see it as a place to teach nutrition and parenting skills to parents, and maybe neonatal skills to future parents,” he said.
Such skills are currently being taught at various places around Rawlins, but Throgmorton hopes the Kids’ Campus might become the primary place to hold such classes. “I’m not anxious to step on toes,” he said.
The laboratory school would be both a place to bring parents into their child’s learning and a place for the Carbon County Higher Education Center to expand its curriculum. Higher learning in elementary education, curriculum development and other courses could be fostered there.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The Kids’ Campus, an extension of the Carbon County Higher Education Center, plans to expand in size as well as numbers as it seeks to contract with Memorial Hospital of Carbon County to care for the hospital staff’s children.
Working in symbiosis with the community, the Kids’ Campus previously adopted children of penitentiary workers into its initial community of youngsters from the higher education center. It now plans to add to its family 28 new slots set aside for the hospital in an agreement awaiting approval by representatives from each party.
Kids’ Campus officials planned to expand their facilities when the taekwondo center vacated the property connected to the child care center’s playground, Kids’ Campus Director Nicole Wright said. “The landlord offered it to us and we took it, because the current space does not provide much room for the kids.”
The new lease creates a courtyard complex with two buildings on either side of the playground. The infants and “wobblers,” up to age 2, should receive care in the new building while the toddlers, the “pre-pre-schoolers,” and the preschoolers, from ages 3 to 5, should remain in the older building, Wright said.
Some renovation is required for the new building to be fully functional for the Kids’ Campus, Carbon County Higher Education Center Director Dave Throgmorton said. Throgmorton hopes work begins in the next few weeks so the complex can be open by the end of March.
The hospital saw the opportunity to negotiate with Kids’ Campus officials when it signed the new lease, said Nurse Manager Dawn Dingman. Wright said the expansion had been arranged when the hospital began expressing interest in adding children to the Kids’ Campus.
“It would give our staff a place to take kids without having to take classes,” Dingman said. Currently, it is hard to find infant day care, a specialty of the Kids’ Campus, in Rawlins, Dingman said.
Once the contract is finalized and signed, the hospital can add another tool to its belt in recruiting future employees. “It was one of (the nursing community’s) suggestions to get childcare as a recruiting tool,” Dingman said.
The 28 slots should be open to all members of the hospital staff, she said. The number is based on surveys issued by the hospital board where employees had the opportunity to express their needs. The numbers have been adjusted to accommodate the children of new employees.
The Kids’ Campus currently receives two-thirds of its funding from the higher education center, while the penitentiary contributes one-third of the funding, Wright said. She expects the contract to contain the hospital’s contribution for the expansion. “(The hospital’s subsidy) is important so we can continue to have our employees,” she said.
Wright spoke of retaining folks of the caliber of Tera Voss, the preschool teacher at the Kids’ Campus. From Encampment, Voss received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Wyoming. “We’re glad to have her,” Wright said. “She has so much knowledge.”
The contract between the hospital and Kids’ Campus officials should be ironed out by the next hospital board meeting on Feb. 28 at 5:15 p.m. The hospital has made a verbal agreement, but the official contract has yet to be written, Wright said.
The future is bright
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Building and occupancy expansions are the immediate focuses for Kids’ Campus officials, but Carbon County Higher Education Center Director Dave Throgmorton said he sees other advances in the future of the Kids’ Campus.
“We are exploring the possibility of a brand new Carbon County higher education facility,” he said. The school contracted with Pedersen Planning Consulting, based in Encampment, to evaluate its needs — staffing, space and curriculum. Funded by a grant from the Wyoming Business Council, the evaluation should be finished by early February.
“Before we get carried away with this space that we’re leasing,” Throgmorton said, “we want to see what their report says about a permanent home for the higher education center.”
Also in the works at the Kids’ Campus is the possibility of developing the child care center into what Throgmorton called a laboratory school. “I would like to see it as a place to teach nutrition and parenting skills to parents, and maybe neonatal skills to future parents,” he said.
Such skills are currently being taught at various places around Rawlins, but Throgmorton hopes the Kids’ Campus might become the primary place to hold such classes. “I’m not anxious to step on toes,” he said.
The laboratory school would be both a place to bring parents into their child’s learning and a place for the Carbon County Higher Education Center to expand its curriculum. Higher learning in elementary education, curriculum development and other courses could be fostered there.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Land trade in the works
Another front-pager!
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Medicine Bow officials and the Carbon County District 2 School Board have hatched a land exchange plan that should be a boost to the eastern Carbon County town.
Standing in Medicine Bow’s village square is a dilapidated building acquired years ago by the town. Its windows are broken and it currently houses bones belonging to the paleontology department of the University of Colorado at Denver, but has been unused by the school for some time.
“It has become more of a liability than an asset,” Town Councilman Troy Maddox said. “We are out $5 million before we can even get into (that building).” He said the council was unable to market it to anyone throughout the years of ownership.
On the outskirts of town is a building about 25 years old, still in good shape. It’s Medicine Bow Elementary School. At 78,000 square feet, the building is too large for the amount of kids that use it.
“About two-thirds of our building is moth balls,” Superintendent Bob Gates said. “Maybe it’s time to think about building something much smaller in a better location for our kids.”
Enter the land exchange, where the school district acquires the village-square property in exchange for the elementary school building on the outskirts of town. The town then relieves itself of a liability and gains a building appropriately sized to market to out-of-area entities like the University of Colorado, various contracting firms and incoming energy companies.
The school district plans to demolish the building currently standing in the village square and erect a new school with more appropriate square footage in its place.
The new building would be in the “perfect location for an elementary school,” Gates said. “(The property) is right in the middle of town. It has a lot of protection from the wind and elements with trees and homes. It’s easy for kids to get to. They don’t have to cross any major streets to get to the school.”
With the 78,000 square foot building in its ownership, Medicine Bow would have more than potential office space to offer out-of-town businesses. It could also open the gymnasium to the community as a recreation center or health club with the financial help of energy firms wanting to entertain employees. Even the cafeteria has promise for the town, Maddox said. “It holds quite a few people” for conferences or meetings, he said.
“The town has the chance to get the old building to come down and put something new in its place,” Gates said. “They also get to take ownership of a building where it’s more cost effective to fix it up than the old one.”
With a memorandum in the works that will outline a three-way agreement between the school board, the Medicine Bow Town Council and the School Facilities Commission, all parties are actively and eagerly pursuing their end of the deal. The memorandum is scheduled to be written and reviewed at the next Carbon County District 2 School Board meeting.
The School Facilities Commission covers the tie that binds — funding. School Facilities Commission Assistant Director Donna Murray said the memorandum should outline funding provided by the commission for asbestos abatement and demolition of the village-square property. It is also scheduled to cover the construction of the new 10,000 square foot building.
“We will provide funding (for the school) and some technical assistance through our project managers,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Medicine Bow Town Council is searching for grants with the help of the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation to cover renovations in the current elementary school if the memorandum is signed.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Medicine Bow officials and the Carbon County District 2 School Board have hatched a land exchange plan that should be a boost to the eastern Carbon County town.
Standing in Medicine Bow’s village square is a dilapidated building acquired years ago by the town. Its windows are broken and it currently houses bones belonging to the paleontology department of the University of Colorado at Denver, but has been unused by the school for some time.
“It has become more of a liability than an asset,” Town Councilman Troy Maddox said. “We are out $5 million before we can even get into (that building).” He said the council was unable to market it to anyone throughout the years of ownership.
On the outskirts of town is a building about 25 years old, still in good shape. It’s Medicine Bow Elementary School. At 78,000 square feet, the building is too large for the amount of kids that use it.
“About two-thirds of our building is moth balls,” Superintendent Bob Gates said. “Maybe it’s time to think about building something much smaller in a better location for our kids.”
Enter the land exchange, where the school district acquires the village-square property in exchange for the elementary school building on the outskirts of town. The town then relieves itself of a liability and gains a building appropriately sized to market to out-of-area entities like the University of Colorado, various contracting firms and incoming energy companies.
The school district plans to demolish the building currently standing in the village square and erect a new school with more appropriate square footage in its place.
The new building would be in the “perfect location for an elementary school,” Gates said. “(The property) is right in the middle of town. It has a lot of protection from the wind and elements with trees and homes. It’s easy for kids to get to. They don’t have to cross any major streets to get to the school.”
With the 78,000 square foot building in its ownership, Medicine Bow would have more than potential office space to offer out-of-town businesses. It could also open the gymnasium to the community as a recreation center or health club with the financial help of energy firms wanting to entertain employees. Even the cafeteria has promise for the town, Maddox said. “It holds quite a few people” for conferences or meetings, he said.
“The town has the chance to get the old building to come down and put something new in its place,” Gates said. “They also get to take ownership of a building where it’s more cost effective to fix it up than the old one.”
With a memorandum in the works that will outline a three-way agreement between the school board, the Medicine Bow Town Council and the School Facilities Commission, all parties are actively and eagerly pursuing their end of the deal. The memorandum is scheduled to be written and reviewed at the next Carbon County District 2 School Board meeting.
The School Facilities Commission covers the tie that binds — funding. School Facilities Commission Assistant Director Donna Murray said the memorandum should outline funding provided by the commission for asbestos abatement and demolition of the village-square property. It is also scheduled to cover the construction of the new 10,000 square foot building.
“We will provide funding (for the school) and some technical assistance through our project managers,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Medicine Bow Town Council is searching for grants with the help of the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation to cover renovations in the current elementary school if the memorandum is signed.
Friday, January 25, 2008
'Toga beats Miners 84-69
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
It was a hard fought game, but the Panthers landed on their feet with a 84-69 victory against the male Miners on Friday night in the Platte Valley.
The high-scoring game did not see strong defense from either team, said Saratoga High School coach Rex Hohnholt. Instead, the scoring was high.
For Saratoga, Jake Johnston went up for 35 points. Also in the double digits, David Capozzoli bucketed 20 points while Hayden Hohnholt came out with 16. Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow was not far behind as Matt Larson raked in 22 points, Matt Mayfield had 15 and Justin Palm had 12.
It was a story of strep throat this week for Hohnholt’s team. Seven of his 12 players were home sick throughout the week, leaving four at practice at any given time. They all returned for Friday’s game. “It’s hard to tell them they can’t play,” Hohnholt said. “They went in and did well.”
With a lacking defense, the Panther offense was on their game. They shot the ball well, coming at the basket from the inside and outside.
The Panthers had not won the game by the time halftime came around. Ahead by 10 points as they walked back out from the locker rooms, the Panthers took off from the Miners in the third quarter with enough of a lead that HEM just could not catch them.
The Miners gave Saratoga a run for its money by working the ball inside to the guys they needed to hit, Hohnholt said. The Miner’s 6-foot 5-inch players towered over their 6-foot opponents, making it easy for them to get inside twos.
HEM goes to Little Snake River Valley School at 3 p.m. on Saturday, while the Panthers host Wyoming Indian at the same time.
Times staff writer
It was a hard fought game, but the Panthers landed on their feet with a 84-69 victory against the male Miners on Friday night in the Platte Valley.
The high-scoring game did not see strong defense from either team, said Saratoga High School coach Rex Hohnholt. Instead, the scoring was high.
For Saratoga, Jake Johnston went up for 35 points. Also in the double digits, David Capozzoli bucketed 20 points while Hayden Hohnholt came out with 16. Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow was not far behind as Matt Larson raked in 22 points, Matt Mayfield had 15 and Justin Palm had 12.
It was a story of strep throat this week for Hohnholt’s team. Seven of his 12 players were home sick throughout the week, leaving four at practice at any given time. They all returned for Friday’s game. “It’s hard to tell them they can’t play,” Hohnholt said. “They went in and did well.”
With a lacking defense, the Panther offense was on their game. They shot the ball well, coming at the basket from the inside and outside.
The Panthers had not won the game by the time halftime came around. Ahead by 10 points as they walked back out from the locker rooms, the Panthers took off from the Miners in the third quarter with enough of a lead that HEM just could not catch them.
The Miners gave Saratoga a run for its money by working the ball inside to the guys they needed to hit, Hohnholt said. The Miner’s 6-foot 5-inch players towered over their 6-foot opponents, making it easy for them to get inside twos.
HEM goes to Little Snake River Valley School at 3 p.m. on Saturday, while the Panthers host Wyoming Indian at the same time.
Hospital recruiting tactics paying off
Another front pager!
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Once a stop for travelers on their way to anywhere and now reaping the rewards of a boom due to temporary workers, Rawlins has long struggled to retain its visitors.
When nurses are in demand nationwide, what does Memorial Hospital of Carbon County do?
They develop a recruitment and retention committee. Composed of about 10 hospital staff, the committee brainstorms ways to attract nurses to Rawlins and then devises ways to keep them here.
Three years ago, the hospital sought Filipino nurses, signing them to three-year contracts. One is still at the hospital, while others have moved to join their families in other states.
The hospital has since abandoned this tactic as the nursing shortage has eased slightly. “We’ve done different avenues,” Nurse Manager Dawn Dingman said.
One route is a connection with Western Wyoming Community College, which reinstated its nursing program. It now provides training for locals who can pour the fruits of their learning back into their community.
Additionally, said Dingman, the hospital has changed the nurses’ work week to match national standards. “We used to work four (12-hour shifts) one week and three the next,” she said. They now work 36 hours each week, generally in three shifts.
Is it working? “We have gotten two people and we are maybe working on our third,” Dingman said. Lately, most of the recruits are from Wyoming. Some previously worked at the hospital and are now returning.
Wendy Thorvaldson, intensive care unit nurse manager, mentioned adopting the 14 ideals, called forces, of magnet hospitals to attract nurses. Magnet status is an award given by the American Nurses Credentialing Center to hospitals that satisfy a set of criteria measuring the strength and quality of their nursing.
“It’s a marketing tool (for us),” Thorvaldson said. “Here in Rawlins, and with smaller hospitals, it is very difficult to even look at attaining magnet status. It requires a lot of money and a large staff. But the ideals are important, and that’s what we’re looking at.”
Another thing the hospital touts is its superior medical benefits. “I think I can say with confidence that this is hands down the best insurance (provided by a hospital) in the state,” said Art Canaday, the secretary-treasurer of the hospital board. When the employees know they are in good care, the draw to Rawlins’ hospital is strong.
Most of the hospital’s nurse-recruiting efforts are concentrated in Wyoming. They advertise in Wyoming-based nursing magazines, in newspapers and are attending a career fair in Casper on Feb. 1.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Once a stop for travelers on their way to anywhere and now reaping the rewards of a boom due to temporary workers, Rawlins has long struggled to retain its visitors.
When nurses are in demand nationwide, what does Memorial Hospital of Carbon County do?
They develop a recruitment and retention committee. Composed of about 10 hospital staff, the committee brainstorms ways to attract nurses to Rawlins and then devises ways to keep them here.
Three years ago, the hospital sought Filipino nurses, signing them to three-year contracts. One is still at the hospital, while others have moved to join their families in other states.
The hospital has since abandoned this tactic as the nursing shortage has eased slightly. “We’ve done different avenues,” Nurse Manager Dawn Dingman said.
One route is a connection with Western Wyoming Community College, which reinstated its nursing program. It now provides training for locals who can pour the fruits of their learning back into their community.
Additionally, said Dingman, the hospital has changed the nurses’ work week to match national standards. “We used to work four (12-hour shifts) one week and three the next,” she said. They now work 36 hours each week, generally in three shifts.
Is it working? “We have gotten two people and we are maybe working on our third,” Dingman said. Lately, most of the recruits are from Wyoming. Some previously worked at the hospital and are now returning.
Wendy Thorvaldson, intensive care unit nurse manager, mentioned adopting the 14 ideals, called forces, of magnet hospitals to attract nurses. Magnet status is an award given by the American Nurses Credentialing Center to hospitals that satisfy a set of criteria measuring the strength and quality of their nursing.
“It’s a marketing tool (for us),” Thorvaldson said. “Here in Rawlins, and with smaller hospitals, it is very difficult to even look at attaining magnet status. It requires a lot of money and a large staff. But the ideals are important, and that’s what we’re looking at.”
Another thing the hospital touts is its superior medical benefits. “I think I can say with confidence that this is hands down the best insurance (provided by a hospital) in the state,” said Art Canaday, the secretary-treasurer of the hospital board. When the employees know they are in good care, the draw to Rawlins’ hospital is strong.
Most of the hospital’s nurse-recruiting efforts are concentrated in Wyoming. They advertise in Wyoming-based nursing magazines, in newspapers and are attending a career fair in Casper on Feb. 1.
School to drop spring golf
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Carbon County District 1 School board member Juli Miller heralded the message that spring golf would be removed from the Wyoming High School Activities Association sports lineup during Thursday’s school board meeting.
She said the change reflected the outcome of a survey issued to gauge school sports and the time involved in participation. The decision was made in Casper two weeks ago.
Miller said many of the surveys illustrated a difficulty by teams in securing courses to use during weekends, which led to some contests having to be cut short in order for business to resume at the courses.
In other news, a revised school calendar passed its first reading Thursday night. Board members have the chance to review the calendar prior to the next meeting, at which point board members should receive final recommendations and decide whether to approve the calendar for the 2008-09 school year. Next year marks the second year in the three-year calendar survey cycle, so changes should be minor until the community again has a chance to scrutinize it.
The board officially approved a contract for Neil Terhune to become superintendent for the next two school years. Board member also approved the expulsion of four students from Rawlins Middle School. The board plans to consider the expulsion of one Rawlins High School student at 5 p.m. on Feb. 14.
In executive business, a resolution in support of hiring April Oman as a one-on-one para-educator and George Truman as a maintenance worker passed. The resolution also included the hire of two substitute teachers, Lori Voorhees and Sarah Munoz, as well as the resignations of Marc Stauffer, director of technology, and Tina Ellis, para-educator at Mountain View Elementary School. Bill Ingram, of the technology department, was terminated.
With excitement building over the School Facilities Commission’s decision to designate funding for new elementary schools in Carbon County School District 1, the school board pushed at Thursday’s meeting for a celebration of the hard work headed up by Superintendent Peggy Sanders.
After several years of trying to bring the schools to the attention of the commission, the board is momentarily resting on its laurels after seeing its schools listed on the commission’s needs index.
“It is so great that we have an educational reason to come to the SFC and ask for a new school,” board member Kristi Groshart said. She was so enthralled, she called the board to begin planning the celebration.
The rest of the board agreed that Sanders and the others who have pushed for this feat should be recognized. If the idea comes to fruition, the board envisions including community folks who have fought long and hard for gaining funding for the schools, two of which have been standing for more than 50 years.
Part of the reason the schools had been overlooked for so long was because District 1 took such good care of the buildings, board member Dave Dingman said. The commission continued to designate funding for the more poorly managed school facilities in the state.
Times staff writer
Carbon County District 1 School board member Juli Miller heralded the message that spring golf would be removed from the Wyoming High School Activities Association sports lineup during Thursday’s school board meeting.
She said the change reflected the outcome of a survey issued to gauge school sports and the time involved in participation. The decision was made in Casper two weeks ago.
Miller said many of the surveys illustrated a difficulty by teams in securing courses to use during weekends, which led to some contests having to be cut short in order for business to resume at the courses.
In other news, a revised school calendar passed its first reading Thursday night. Board members have the chance to review the calendar prior to the next meeting, at which point board members should receive final recommendations and decide whether to approve the calendar for the 2008-09 school year. Next year marks the second year in the three-year calendar survey cycle, so changes should be minor until the community again has a chance to scrutinize it.
The board officially approved a contract for Neil Terhune to become superintendent for the next two school years. Board member also approved the expulsion of four students from Rawlins Middle School. The board plans to consider the expulsion of one Rawlins High School student at 5 p.m. on Feb. 14.
In executive business, a resolution in support of hiring April Oman as a one-on-one para-educator and George Truman as a maintenance worker passed. The resolution also included the hire of two substitute teachers, Lori Voorhees and Sarah Munoz, as well as the resignations of Marc Stauffer, director of technology, and Tina Ellis, para-educator at Mountain View Elementary School. Bill Ingram, of the technology department, was terminated.
With excitement building over the School Facilities Commission’s decision to designate funding for new elementary schools in Carbon County School District 1, the school board pushed at Thursday’s meeting for a celebration of the hard work headed up by Superintendent Peggy Sanders.
After several years of trying to bring the schools to the attention of the commission, the board is momentarily resting on its laurels after seeing its schools listed on the commission’s needs index.
“It is so great that we have an educational reason to come to the SFC and ask for a new school,” board member Kristi Groshart said. She was so enthralled, she called the board to begin planning the celebration.
The rest of the board agreed that Sanders and the others who have pushed for this feat should be recognized. If the idea comes to fruition, the board envisions including community folks who have fought long and hard for gaining funding for the schools, two of which have been standing for more than 50 years.
Part of the reason the schools had been overlooked for so long was because District 1 took such good care of the buildings, board member Dave Dingman said. The commission continued to designate funding for the more poorly managed school facilities in the state.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Hospital addresses key issues
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The Memorial Hospital of Carbon County board addressed the two prominent issues — an ongoing energy savings project and a new step toward remedying hiccups in hospital finances — at its meeting Tuesday night.
The energy-savings project involves a complete overhaul of the existing heating, air-conditioning and ventilation system, and hospital windows, as well as an update on the fire-protection system. Although the approximately $2.2 million project was under way, it is currently at a standstill as the board awaits approval of the architect’s heating system by the Wyoming Department of Health.
The board elected two officers to manage an energy-savings lease. According to a movement by the board, the positions should be filled by the board chairman and the chief executive officer of the hospital.
The lease is intended to manage the cost of the project according to laws that prevent boards from entering agreements to be upheld by future board members. For example, the 10-year payment plan necessary to cover costs of the energy savings equipment requires the equipment to be leased until full payment is received. At that point, the hospital may purchase the equipment in full for $1, said attorney Kermit Brown.
The question of implementing a pay-in-advance system for elective care is second on the to-do list. “We need to do it and do it well so we’re ahead from the beginning,” the hospital’s Chief Financial Officer Florence Kostic said.
As a nonprofit, the hospital must care for its patients regardless of their financial circumstances. By having patients prepay for care, the hospital is assured to see some reimbursement from its services.
Kostic said some hospitals have already implemented this and are seeing positive reactions from patients. By addressing payment prior to care, patients can undergo procedures with fewer worries, she said.
The hospital expects to face obstacles such as physician cooperation, accurate cost estimates and consistent execution of the plan. As prepayment gets ironed out, it will be gradually implemented across the hospital departments as each shows it can effectively execute the program. The obstetrics department has already adopted the plan.
In February, the hospital board plans to visit with new physician and surgeon recruits from across the country. Drs. Manual Ybanez and Dwight Frisbee, both surgeons, and Dr. Bruce Sobko, a general physician, should meet with hospital staff and the board when they visit Rawlins. A family practitioner from Casper has postponed his visit and Dr. Clinton Seger has opted to take a position in Billings, Mont.
The board discussed changes to the health insurance program and received input from those attending the meeting. It moved to hold its decision until employee feedback has been collected.
Dr. Duane Ables reported positively on the progress of training at the Southeastern Wyoming Ambulance Service. He said many emergency medical technicians should finish training in March. He also pointed out that time was beginning to run out for hospital financial assistance, which is scheduled to end in July.
Discussing the second leading cause of death in Wyoming, colorectal cancer, the board approved receiving candidates for testing with Medicaid reimbursements ranging from $400 to $750.
In its final business, the board approved several items including the completion of the mammography survey, a plan required for hospital bed use, the state-required hospital program analysis and integration, a cohesive abbreviation list as required by the state and the allied health policy. All of these were previously reviewed and approved by the medical staff and appropriate committees before coming to the board.
The next board meeting is set for Thursday, Feb. 28 at 5:15 p.m. at the hospital.
Times staff writer
The Memorial Hospital of Carbon County board addressed the two prominent issues — an ongoing energy savings project and a new step toward remedying hiccups in hospital finances — at its meeting Tuesday night.
The energy-savings project involves a complete overhaul of the existing heating, air-conditioning and ventilation system, and hospital windows, as well as an update on the fire-protection system. Although the approximately $2.2 million project was under way, it is currently at a standstill as the board awaits approval of the architect’s heating system by the Wyoming Department of Health.
The board elected two officers to manage an energy-savings lease. According to a movement by the board, the positions should be filled by the board chairman and the chief executive officer of the hospital.
The lease is intended to manage the cost of the project according to laws that prevent boards from entering agreements to be upheld by future board members. For example, the 10-year payment plan necessary to cover costs of the energy savings equipment requires the equipment to be leased until full payment is received. At that point, the hospital may purchase the equipment in full for $1, said attorney Kermit Brown.
The question of implementing a pay-in-advance system for elective care is second on the to-do list. “We need to do it and do it well so we’re ahead from the beginning,” the hospital’s Chief Financial Officer Florence Kostic said.
As a nonprofit, the hospital must care for its patients regardless of their financial circumstances. By having patients prepay for care, the hospital is assured to see some reimbursement from its services.
Kostic said some hospitals have already implemented this and are seeing positive reactions from patients. By addressing payment prior to care, patients can undergo procedures with fewer worries, she said.
The hospital expects to face obstacles such as physician cooperation, accurate cost estimates and consistent execution of the plan. As prepayment gets ironed out, it will be gradually implemented across the hospital departments as each shows it can effectively execute the program. The obstetrics department has already adopted the plan.
In February, the hospital board plans to visit with new physician and surgeon recruits from across the country. Drs. Manual Ybanez and Dwight Frisbee, both surgeons, and Dr. Bruce Sobko, a general physician, should meet with hospital staff and the board when they visit Rawlins. A family practitioner from Casper has postponed his visit and Dr. Clinton Seger has opted to take a position in Billings, Mont.
The board discussed changes to the health insurance program and received input from those attending the meeting. It moved to hold its decision until employee feedback has been collected.
Dr. Duane Ables reported positively on the progress of training at the Southeastern Wyoming Ambulance Service. He said many emergency medical technicians should finish training in March. He also pointed out that time was beginning to run out for hospital financial assistance, which is scheduled to end in July.
Discussing the second leading cause of death in Wyoming, colorectal cancer, the board approved receiving candidates for testing with Medicaid reimbursements ranging from $400 to $750.
In its final business, the board approved several items including the completion of the mammography survey, a plan required for hospital bed use, the state-required hospital program analysis and integration, a cohesive abbreviation list as required by the state and the allied health policy. All of these were previously reviewed and approved by the medical staff and appropriate committees before coming to the board.
The next board meeting is set for Thursday, Feb. 28 at 5:15 p.m. at the hospital.
Money issues get dealt with
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Working to plug numerous holes in the financial record-keeping process at the Carbon County Higher Education Center, Director Dave Throgmorton and accounts payable clerk Shelly Collier have made progress, certified public accountant Alexandra Wilkinson said in Thursday’s board meeting.
Many of the things she outlined have been addressed by Throgmorton and Collier, while some await attention. However, Wilkinson commended Throgmorton for calling her firm to make efforts toward correcting the holes in the system.
Wilkinson’s firm, Porter, Muirhead, Cornia and Howard, recommended instating a system of checks and balances across the board in every financial process. This would ensure the school’s accuracy with financial records, particularly in the accounts payable department.
“There is no need for more staff,” she said. She encouraged a rotation amongst the staff for performing bank functions and reconciliation of statements.
She said the school’s journals often showed disproportionate revenue or expenses when in fact the net flow was zero. She held the purchase and sale of textbooks and the funds flowing to the Kids Campus or the vocational campus as examples.
Additionally, Wilkinson worried about budget errors and monthly bank deposits. She said that budget errors often occur while comparing actual expenses to budgeted numbers. She recommended streamlining the accounting duties to avoid such errors.
Monthly bank deposits make accounting difficult because if there are errors, accounting must review a significant portion of the books to uncover it. Additionally, the time this process takes can allow for money to go missing, possibly by fraud.
Times staff writer
Working to plug numerous holes in the financial record-keeping process at the Carbon County Higher Education Center, Director Dave Throgmorton and accounts payable clerk Shelly Collier have made progress, certified public accountant Alexandra Wilkinson said in Thursday’s board meeting.
Many of the things she outlined have been addressed by Throgmorton and Collier, while some await attention. However, Wilkinson commended Throgmorton for calling her firm to make efforts toward correcting the holes in the system.
Wilkinson’s firm, Porter, Muirhead, Cornia and Howard, recommended instating a system of checks and balances across the board in every financial process. This would ensure the school’s accuracy with financial records, particularly in the accounts payable department.
“There is no need for more staff,” she said. She encouraged a rotation amongst the staff for performing bank functions and reconciliation of statements.
She said the school’s journals often showed disproportionate revenue or expenses when in fact the net flow was zero. She held the purchase and sale of textbooks and the funds flowing to the Kids Campus or the vocational campus as examples.
Additionally, Wilkinson worried about budget errors and monthly bank deposits. She said that budget errors often occur while comparing actual expenses to budgeted numbers. She recommended streamlining the accounting duties to avoid such errors.
Monthly bank deposits make accounting difficult because if there are errors, accounting must review a significant portion of the books to uncover it. Additionally, the time this process takes can allow for money to go missing, possibly by fraud.
Tigers look to zip up Baggs
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
On paper, Friday’s 5:30 p.m. game between the Encampment High School girls and Little Snake River Valley School in Baggs is even.
The Lady Tigers average 34 points, 29 rebounds and a shooting accuracy of 32 percent. The Rattlers bucket 27 points on average, grab 27 boards and have a 31-percent shooting average.
“(Encampment) played Farson at home and won by one point in overtime,” Rattlers coach Jodi Stanley said. “We played Farson at Farson and won by one point.” She hopes those games will be an accurate measuring stick of what should come out of this weekend.
Speaking of measurements, Encampment played North Park, Colo., again on Tuesday night. The Tigers came home with a 59-33 loss, but according to Krein, Encampment has improved.
“(Encampment) played better than the first time,” head coach Jami Krein said. “(My girls) scored more and held them to fewer points.”
Speaking about the upcoming game against LSRV, Krein hopes to see her defense continue to step up, though she expects good outside shooting.
Offensively, the posts should get involved early in the game to try to open some options for Encampment. Krein hopes that what worked before will work again.
Stanley expects good things out of her five players. Isabel Quinteros is the Rattlers’ leading scorer and Stanley hopes she shines in Friday’s game. Cora Foster’s height should enable her to pull down some rebounds to keep the Tigers away from the offensive boards.
The nice thing about only having five players, Stanley said, is that they’re all MVPs. “I need every one of them now,” she said.
Stanley is excited about the message coming from the statistics. With the numbers the way they are, she is positive her team can compete.
Encampment’s Saturday game against Rock River has been canceled due to too few players on the Rock River squad. The Rattlers play Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Baggs.
Times staff writer
On paper, Friday’s 5:30 p.m. game between the Encampment High School girls and Little Snake River Valley School in Baggs is even.
The Lady Tigers average 34 points, 29 rebounds and a shooting accuracy of 32 percent. The Rattlers bucket 27 points on average, grab 27 boards and have a 31-percent shooting average.
“(Encampment) played Farson at home and won by one point in overtime,” Rattlers coach Jodi Stanley said. “We played Farson at Farson and won by one point.” She hopes those games will be an accurate measuring stick of what should come out of this weekend.
Speaking of measurements, Encampment played North Park, Colo., again on Tuesday night. The Tigers came home with a 59-33 loss, but according to Krein, Encampment has improved.
“(Encampment) played better than the first time,” head coach Jami Krein said. “(My girls) scored more and held them to fewer points.”
Speaking about the upcoming game against LSRV, Krein hopes to see her defense continue to step up, though she expects good outside shooting.
Offensively, the posts should get involved early in the game to try to open some options for Encampment. Krein hopes that what worked before will work again.
Stanley expects good things out of her five players. Isabel Quinteros is the Rattlers’ leading scorer and Stanley hopes she shines in Friday’s game. Cora Foster’s height should enable her to pull down some rebounds to keep the Tigers away from the offensive boards.
The nice thing about only having five players, Stanley said, is that they’re all MVPs. “I need every one of them now,” she said.
Stanley is excited about the message coming from the statistics. With the numbers the way they are, she is positive her team can compete.
Encampment’s Saturday game against Rock River has been canceled due to too few players on the Rock River squad. The Rattlers play Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Baggs.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Hospital sitting pretty financially
Another front-pager!
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The hospital is financially sound according to auditor Tom Dingus, whose presentation at Tuesday’s board meeting indicated positive trends in Memorial Hospital of Carbon County’s financial records.
He traveled to Rawlins from Spokane Valley, Wash., to discuss the analysis of the hospital’s journals as performed by his firm, Dingus, Zarecor and Associates. The firm specializes in accounting for rural hospitals in the northwest.
Memorial Hospital of Carbon County is in the unusual position of being virtually debt-free in both the long and short term, he said. Most other hospitals are unable to claim the same feat.
Hospital board member Judy Merrill said the method adopted to maintain these figures is to avoid paying high interest on new equipment investments.
She mentioned the hospital’s new MRI machine that was paid off early last year. It took the hospital five years to complete payments on the device, which is better than average, she said.
Dingus pointed out that the cash-in to cash-out ratio is at a good flow, indicating that the hospital is steadily reinvesting in its equipment and facilities. In short, the hospital administration has been keeping its facility up to date. Again, that is an area where the hospital excels above other rural hospitals.
One problem area that appeared in the analysis was a higher-than-average percentage of uncollected payments. However, Dingus said experience reveals that bad debts are increasing across the nation, with many individuals switching to higher deductibles with their health insurance. They then often refuse to pay after receiving care.
In an effort to combat losing revenue due to bad debt, the hospital relies on three collection agencies instead of just the Carbon County Collection Agency to pursue payment from individuals.
“They generally seek payment for three to four months before classifying it as bad debt,” Merrill said. With three agencies, “we can keep them in competition, and that has worked very well for us,” she said. Each agency receives a percentage of its own collections.
Dingus wanted the hospital to push toward 120 days of cash on hand — an item in the analysis that indicates how long the hospital can function without income. Currently, the hospital sits at 60 days with CDs in local banks for emergency purposes. Merrill said part of the problem is bad debt. “If we had all our bad debt collected,” she said, “we would be at the 120 number.”
According to the numbers, the hospital is in good financial shape. Charts revealed that pricing for care is increasing sufficiently. The age of the hospital sits at a median as compared to other hospitals and Memorial Hospital of Carbon County is generating income.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The hospital is financially sound according to auditor Tom Dingus, whose presentation at Tuesday’s board meeting indicated positive trends in Memorial Hospital of Carbon County’s financial records.
He traveled to Rawlins from Spokane Valley, Wash., to discuss the analysis of the hospital’s journals as performed by his firm, Dingus, Zarecor and Associates. The firm specializes in accounting for rural hospitals in the northwest.
Memorial Hospital of Carbon County is in the unusual position of being virtually debt-free in both the long and short term, he said. Most other hospitals are unable to claim the same feat.
Hospital board member Judy Merrill said the method adopted to maintain these figures is to avoid paying high interest on new equipment investments.
She mentioned the hospital’s new MRI machine that was paid off early last year. It took the hospital five years to complete payments on the device, which is better than average, she said.
Dingus pointed out that the cash-in to cash-out ratio is at a good flow, indicating that the hospital is steadily reinvesting in its equipment and facilities. In short, the hospital administration has been keeping its facility up to date. Again, that is an area where the hospital excels above other rural hospitals.
One problem area that appeared in the analysis was a higher-than-average percentage of uncollected payments. However, Dingus said experience reveals that bad debts are increasing across the nation, with many individuals switching to higher deductibles with their health insurance. They then often refuse to pay after receiving care.
In an effort to combat losing revenue due to bad debt, the hospital relies on three collection agencies instead of just the Carbon County Collection Agency to pursue payment from individuals.
“They generally seek payment for three to four months before classifying it as bad debt,” Merrill said. With three agencies, “we can keep them in competition, and that has worked very well for us,” she said. Each agency receives a percentage of its own collections.
Dingus wanted the hospital to push toward 120 days of cash on hand — an item in the analysis that indicates how long the hospital can function without income. Currently, the hospital sits at 60 days with CDs in local banks for emergency purposes. Merrill said part of the problem is bad debt. “If we had all our bad debt collected,” she said, “we would be at the 120 number.”
According to the numbers, the hospital is in good financial shape. Charts revealed that pricing for care is increasing sufficiently. The age of the hospital sits at a median as compared to other hospitals and Memorial Hospital of Carbon County is generating income.
Miners are on the road again
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
In the midst of a killer two-week stretch, most of which is on the road, the Miners had a brief moment for a breather this week.
At the beginning of the season, the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow boys basketball team penciled this as the toughest part of the season. After last weekend’s losses against Encampment High School (66-36) and Guernsey-Sunrise (73-57), the team is looking ahead and not behind.
Mauled by the Tigers on Friday, the Miners started off the game trying to catch up. “I like to think that if we could have stopped Encampment from coming out the way they did,” coach Clif Jones said, “we could have been in that game. But they got such a big lead so quick, the game was over before it even started.”
He reiterated Encampment’s talent, size and depth as obstacles to overcome. “We didn’t play well against them,” Jones said. “They played at a level we weren’t ready to play at yet.”
With long faces in the locker room at the end of the night, the team pinpointed one bright spot. Trevor Strauch, a Miner who had not yet sunk a foul shot during the season, went two for two on the free-throw line that night.
“In that locker room, when you get beat by 30 points like we did, it doesn’t do any good to harp about it. So we found a positive and moved on,” Jones said.
On Saturday, the Miners again let their opponent take off early, but this time they responded. “We played better, especially in the second half with the transition of their two guards,” Jones said. “One went for 26, the other went for 20. They made nine 3-pointers in the game.”
Guernsey-Sunrise returned five starters from last year’s team that played in the state tournament. Guernsey-Sunrise has been pinpointed as a strong team with talented, quick guards. If Guernsey-Sunrise still played at the 1A level, it would be in the same spot as Saratoga and Encampment as one of the top teams in the state, Jones said. As it is, they hold a record of 11-2 in the 2A conference.
Jones started freshmen Mitch Long and Charlie George in the Saturday game “to see if there was a spark,” Jones said.
“They both did a great job. Of course they were nervous, playing against probably two of the best guards in the state,” the coach said. Since HEM does not meet Guernsey-Sunrise in the conference, he felt it was safe to test the waters.
Other firsts included Matt Mayfield ending the Guernsey-Sunrise game with 10 points. It was his first time reaching double digits. Kalter Blauvelt played his premier games this week. He ended with eight points on Saturday. The old hand, Justin Palm, had a good game on Saturday with 27 points and 17 boards.
Jones leads a young team into the second weekend of tough games. The Miner starters in the Guernsey-Sunrise game included two seniors, one sophomore and two freshmen. The coach thinks they are working well together.
HEM faces the Saratoga Panthers at 7 p.m. on Friday in the Platte Valley and the Little Snake River Valley Rattlers at 3 p.m. on Saturday in Baggs.
“We’re in a long stretch of road games and important games that we’ve got to take care of,” Jones said. He expects the Saratoga guards to shoot, run and press. He wants his team to be ready to step up to a higher level.
The two teams met once earlier this season. Viewing this game as a measuring stick, Jones asked, “How far have we come since that first game?” The Miners are at about the halfway point, having played 12 games with nine left before the regional tournament.
In their back-to-back games this weekend, the Miners hope to silence the Rattlers on Saturday. They will not have anything special to bring to the court, but expect a difficult game against a talented, well-coached team.
Times staff writer
In the midst of a killer two-week stretch, most of which is on the road, the Miners had a brief moment for a breather this week.
At the beginning of the season, the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow boys basketball team penciled this as the toughest part of the season. After last weekend’s losses against Encampment High School (66-36) and Guernsey-Sunrise (73-57), the team is looking ahead and not behind.
Mauled by the Tigers on Friday, the Miners started off the game trying to catch up. “I like to think that if we could have stopped Encampment from coming out the way they did,” coach Clif Jones said, “we could have been in that game. But they got such a big lead so quick, the game was over before it even started.”
He reiterated Encampment’s talent, size and depth as obstacles to overcome. “We didn’t play well against them,” Jones said. “They played at a level we weren’t ready to play at yet.”
With long faces in the locker room at the end of the night, the team pinpointed one bright spot. Trevor Strauch, a Miner who had not yet sunk a foul shot during the season, went two for two on the free-throw line that night.
“In that locker room, when you get beat by 30 points like we did, it doesn’t do any good to harp about it. So we found a positive and moved on,” Jones said.
On Saturday, the Miners again let their opponent take off early, but this time they responded. “We played better, especially in the second half with the transition of their two guards,” Jones said. “One went for 26, the other went for 20. They made nine 3-pointers in the game.”
Guernsey-Sunrise returned five starters from last year’s team that played in the state tournament. Guernsey-Sunrise has been pinpointed as a strong team with talented, quick guards. If Guernsey-Sunrise still played at the 1A level, it would be in the same spot as Saratoga and Encampment as one of the top teams in the state, Jones said. As it is, they hold a record of 11-2 in the 2A conference.
Jones started freshmen Mitch Long and Charlie George in the Saturday game “to see if there was a spark,” Jones said.
“They both did a great job. Of course they were nervous, playing against probably two of the best guards in the state,” the coach said. Since HEM does not meet Guernsey-Sunrise in the conference, he felt it was safe to test the waters.
Other firsts included Matt Mayfield ending the Guernsey-Sunrise game with 10 points. It was his first time reaching double digits. Kalter Blauvelt played his premier games this week. He ended with eight points on Saturday. The old hand, Justin Palm, had a good game on Saturday with 27 points and 17 boards.
Jones leads a young team into the second weekend of tough games. The Miner starters in the Guernsey-Sunrise game included two seniors, one sophomore and two freshmen. The coach thinks they are working well together.
HEM faces the Saratoga Panthers at 7 p.m. on Friday in the Platte Valley and the Little Snake River Valley Rattlers at 3 p.m. on Saturday in Baggs.
“We’re in a long stretch of road games and important games that we’ve got to take care of,” Jones said. He expects the Saratoga guards to shoot, run and press. He wants his team to be ready to step up to a higher level.
The two teams met once earlier this season. Viewing this game as a measuring stick, Jones asked, “How far have we come since that first game?” The Miners are at about the halfway point, having played 12 games with nine left before the regional tournament.
In their back-to-back games this weekend, the Miners hope to silence the Rattlers on Saturday. They will not have anything special to bring to the court, but expect a difficult game against a talented, well-coached team.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
School board talks about land issues
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Land issues were at the top of the agenda during the Carbon County District 2 School Board’s Monday meeting.
Discussions about the land exchange between Medicine Bow and the school district for the construction of a new school in Medicine Bow stood forefront as board members evaluated the intended content of the memorandum of understanding, which remains to be written.
It should outline the details of the exchange as it relates to the three involved parties — the School Facilities Commission, the town of Medicine Bow, and District 2.
“We’re all on the same page with this,” Superintendent Bob Gates said. He expects the exchange to go smoothly.
Other land business included renewing the lease from a private landowner for continued use of the garage that serves as the bus barn at Medicine Bow, an item that required attention after being previously overlooked.
As the last piece of land business, the district is currently surveying land around Elk Mountain Elementary School for future modifications. However, legal right-of-way access to the road around the school has become an issue. The town should review its land-rights records before the next district meeting, but the issue should not inhibit building progress.
The board intends to keep offering a $3,000 signing bonus to new teachers, which is provided for relocation. It is in place primarily to attract teachers fresh out of school who have bills to pay, Gates said.
The board also approved the installation of the first of three stand-alone cooling units for the computer server rooms in the district’s schools to be installed before summer. Additionally, the district intends to issue a request for bids for bleachers, continuing progress with the Saratoga Middle High School track project.
Gates presented a report stating that the school has lost five students since December. A comparison with last year showed a decrease in enrollment of 20 students during the past year.
The board agreed to continue offering breakfast options to students, based on the program’s success as reported by Gates. It also considered modifications to salaries for the activity program that might offer increased compensation based on seniority.
The next meeting should be held Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. at the central office in Saratoga.
Times staff writer
Land issues were at the top of the agenda during the Carbon County District 2 School Board’s Monday meeting.
Discussions about the land exchange between Medicine Bow and the school district for the construction of a new school in Medicine Bow stood forefront as board members evaluated the intended content of the memorandum of understanding, which remains to be written.
It should outline the details of the exchange as it relates to the three involved parties — the School Facilities Commission, the town of Medicine Bow, and District 2.
“We’re all on the same page with this,” Superintendent Bob Gates said. He expects the exchange to go smoothly.
Other land business included renewing the lease from a private landowner for continued use of the garage that serves as the bus barn at Medicine Bow, an item that required attention after being previously overlooked.
As the last piece of land business, the district is currently surveying land around Elk Mountain Elementary School for future modifications. However, legal right-of-way access to the road around the school has become an issue. The town should review its land-rights records before the next district meeting, but the issue should not inhibit building progress.
The board intends to keep offering a $3,000 signing bonus to new teachers, which is provided for relocation. It is in place primarily to attract teachers fresh out of school who have bills to pay, Gates said.
The board also approved the installation of the first of three stand-alone cooling units for the computer server rooms in the district’s schools to be installed before summer. Additionally, the district intends to issue a request for bids for bleachers, continuing progress with the Saratoga Middle High School track project.
Gates presented a report stating that the school has lost five students since December. A comparison with last year showed a decrease in enrollment of 20 students during the past year.
The board agreed to continue offering breakfast options to students, based on the program’s success as reported by Gates. It also considered modifications to salaries for the activity program that might offer increased compensation based on seniority.
The next meeting should be held Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. at the central office in Saratoga.
Panthers earn weekend split
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The Lady Panthers returned home after a traveling weekend with a Friday win against Farson-Eden, 42-36, and a loss to Cokeville on Saturday, 71-41.
Saratoga High School coach Josh Sandlian saw his girls leave the bus without their heads in the game on Friday evening. “We were a little shaky in the first part, and our shots just weren’t falling,” he said.
The Panthers were also having trouble finding a defensive game that would work against Farson-Eden. Trying to shut down a couple of standout guards, Saratoga waffled between defending a man and a zone.
Despite several points at which the two teams were tied, Sandlian’s team led going into the second half. They maintained the advantage — leading by as many as 11 points at one point — up until the buzzer.
“(Farson-Eden) fought back to make it a close game at the end, but we did what we had to do to win,” Sandlian said.
The girls fine tuned their shooting in practice. Sandlian set the goal of 60 shots per game, and on Friday Saratoga just about reached it with 58. Unfortunately, they bucketed just 15 of those.
“We’ll be home for the next three weeks,” Sandlian said. “I’ve told them that we should have the chance to sink shots in our home gym.”
The Panthers had a lazy first half in Saturday’s game on Cokeville’s turf. After spending the night in Rock Springs, it seemed to suddenly hit home that the team had spent most of its season on the road, Sandlian said.
When they started the weekend, the Panthers “felt confident that if (they) beat the press, (they) could do well,” Sandlian said. However, their first half was rough. Channing Love earned a call for traveling as well as four fouls before halftime. The score was 44-19 in favor of Cokeville as the teams went into the locker room.
“I told the girls, ‘you girls need to find a way to win,’” Sandlian said. “The coaches can’t do it for you, your parents can’t do it for you. You and your teammates have to find it. You just have to want it.”
The pep talk paid off in the second half, as Saratoga stepped up to limit Cokeville to 27 points while they raked in 22. “They found a way to fight back and keep it close,” Sandlian said.
Returning home this weekend, Saratoga should play Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Wyoming Indian at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Times staff writer
The Lady Panthers returned home after a traveling weekend with a Friday win against Farson-Eden, 42-36, and a loss to Cokeville on Saturday, 71-41.
Saratoga High School coach Josh Sandlian saw his girls leave the bus without their heads in the game on Friday evening. “We were a little shaky in the first part, and our shots just weren’t falling,” he said.
The Panthers were also having trouble finding a defensive game that would work against Farson-Eden. Trying to shut down a couple of standout guards, Saratoga waffled between defending a man and a zone.
Despite several points at which the two teams were tied, Sandlian’s team led going into the second half. They maintained the advantage — leading by as many as 11 points at one point — up until the buzzer.
“(Farson-Eden) fought back to make it a close game at the end, but we did what we had to do to win,” Sandlian said.
The girls fine tuned their shooting in practice. Sandlian set the goal of 60 shots per game, and on Friday Saratoga just about reached it with 58. Unfortunately, they bucketed just 15 of those.
“We’ll be home for the next three weeks,” Sandlian said. “I’ve told them that we should have the chance to sink shots in our home gym.”
The Panthers had a lazy first half in Saturday’s game on Cokeville’s turf. After spending the night in Rock Springs, it seemed to suddenly hit home that the team had spent most of its season on the road, Sandlian said.
When they started the weekend, the Panthers “felt confident that if (they) beat the press, (they) could do well,” Sandlian said. However, their first half was rough. Channing Love earned a call for traveling as well as four fouls before halftime. The score was 44-19 in favor of Cokeville as the teams went into the locker room.
“I told the girls, ‘you girls need to find a way to win,’” Sandlian said. “The coaches can’t do it for you, your parents can’t do it for you. You and your teammates have to find it. You just have to want it.”
The pep talk paid off in the second half, as Saratoga stepped up to limit Cokeville to 27 points while they raked in 22. “They found a way to fight back and keep it close,” Sandlian said.
Returning home this weekend, Saratoga should play Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Wyoming Indian at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Miners dig too deep
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Playing three game in three days, the Lady Miners felt the effects on Saturday as they lost to Guernsey-Sunrise by 13 points, 47-34.
“We just dug too deep of a hole (in the first half),” Miner coach Jackie Jones said. Her team was up against a deep bench and a crew that liked to push the ball.
The scoreboard read 24-13 going into the second half, but the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow girls rallied to close the gap. Their aggressiveness stopped the Guernsey-Sunrise offense, putting HEM point for point with its opponent. The Miners allowed only one unanswered two-pointer in that half.
“We kept fighting and kept working on Saturday,” Jones said. “We played to the buzzer.” Overall, the coach was pleased with her team’s performance, given all the adverse factors. “We hustled and had great transition defense,” she said.
Amanda Booth topped the scoring charts with 12 points, followed by Jennifer Korkow with 11. Penny Blauvelt contributed six points. Sarah McAtee led the team in rebounds with 15, assisted by teammates Blauvelt, with nine, and Korkow, with seven. Booth also had eight steals. Jones mentioned a positive performance from freshman Barbie Croteau who stepped into Saturday’s varsity game to deepen the Miner bench.
Times staff writer
Playing three game in three days, the Lady Miners felt the effects on Saturday as they lost to Guernsey-Sunrise by 13 points, 47-34.
“We just dug too deep of a hole (in the first half),” Miner coach Jackie Jones said. Her team was up against a deep bench and a crew that liked to push the ball.
The scoreboard read 24-13 going into the second half, but the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow girls rallied to close the gap. Their aggressiveness stopped the Guernsey-Sunrise offense, putting HEM point for point with its opponent. The Miners allowed only one unanswered two-pointer in that half.
“We kept fighting and kept working on Saturday,” Jones said. “We played to the buzzer.” Overall, the coach was pleased with her team’s performance, given all the adverse factors. “We hustled and had great transition defense,” she said.
Amanda Booth topped the scoring charts with 12 points, followed by Jennifer Korkow with 11. Penny Blauvelt contributed six points. Sarah McAtee led the team in rebounds with 15, assisted by teammates Blauvelt, with nine, and Korkow, with seven. Booth also had eight steals. Jones mentioned a positive performance from freshman Barbie Croteau who stepped into Saturday’s varsity game to deepen the Miner bench.
Chug too massive for Tigers
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The Encampment girls lost to Chugwater on Saturday, 35-33.
The Tigers fell behind in the first quarter by five and “just couldn’t make up the deficit,” coach Jami Krein said.
Offensively, the girls were up against a tough crowd. Chugwater presented a half-court trap that forced Encampment to adjust its game. Free throws also proved difficult, as the ladies sunk four of 13.
Still, the Tigers achieved one of their goals. Hoping to get the posts more involved, Krein said her team left the game with increased scoring from that position.
“We weren’t sure what to expect,” Krein said. She mentioned the sophomore Chugwater star Kristine Hilger, who’s had a strong season and gave Encampment a good show.
The squad had solid teamwork as six girls scored, including high scorer Jamie Marchetti, who had 10. Mackenzie Rakness walked off with seven points, Kindle Soderberg with six and Chelsea Knotwell bucketed five, Lacey Hooker had three and Shelby Wilder shot two.
Despite the loss to Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow on Friday, the girls were confident going into Saturday’s game. “We had beaten (Chugwater) twice last year,” Krein said. “That may have been part of our problem, starting the game off with a bit of overconfidence.”
Times staff writer
The Encampment girls lost to Chugwater on Saturday, 35-33.
The Tigers fell behind in the first quarter by five and “just couldn’t make up the deficit,” coach Jami Krein said.
Offensively, the girls were up against a tough crowd. Chugwater presented a half-court trap that forced Encampment to adjust its game. Free throws also proved difficult, as the ladies sunk four of 13.
Still, the Tigers achieved one of their goals. Hoping to get the posts more involved, Krein said her team left the game with increased scoring from that position.
“We weren’t sure what to expect,” Krein said. She mentioned the sophomore Chugwater star Kristine Hilger, who’s had a strong season and gave Encampment a good show.
The squad had solid teamwork as six girls scored, including high scorer Jamie Marchetti, who had 10. Mackenzie Rakness walked off with seven points, Kindle Soderberg with six and Chelsea Knotwell bucketed five, Lacey Hooker had three and Shelby Wilder shot two.
Despite the loss to Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow on Friday, the girls were confident going into Saturday’s game. “We had beaten (Chugwater) twice last year,” Krein said. “That may have been part of our problem, starting the game off with a bit of overconfidence.”
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