Front page
• School district’s recreation board sees funding requests soar.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Try getting this math problem to work: make more than $3 million equal to $1.3 million.
That is the task assigned to Carbon County School District 1 Recreation Board members.
Monday night saw the second half of 36 presentations by organizations requesting grants that originally totaled $3.1 million. According to board Chairman Jon Brown, that figure has been adjusted to about $2.8 million, but the requests still don’t fit into this year’s estimated budget of $1.3 million.
“We’ll be saying no’s or partial no’s to a lot of people,” Brown said. “(The requests) are taking us by storm.”
Many of the largest grant requests are for new or relatively new projects, such as $300,000 for a new beef barn at the Carbon County Fairgrounds in Rawlins. The Little Snake River Valley Community Center project originally hoped to get $750,000 from the board, but has since adjusted its request to $300,000. Rochelle Ranch Golf Course managers came before the board with a request for just above $500,000.
“If you take away these new projects,” Brown said, “then these requests would line up with previous years.” The 2007 budget was about the same as this year, but requests totaled just below $2 million.
Though there is no hard-and-fast criteria for selecting the board’s beneficiaries, Brown did outline some areas members look at closely.
“We look at their bang for the buck,” he said. “How many people do they affect?”
Also, projects that are consistently funded by the board are considered sooner.
An organization’s ability to do fundraising on it’s own is also important. The recreation board tries to encourage the understanding, particularly among kids that benefit, that nothing comes for free.
Groups doing bake sales or picking up trash for money are more favorably considered by the board. Likewise, adult organizations that can find companies to match grant money often have better chances.
Brown said grant applications need to be well defined. With so many cuts to be made, the board members want to know how the money will be spent. Successful grants often depend on whether board members get direct answers to their questions and clearly understand the organization’s intentions.
On May 12, the recreation board makes its final deliberations and announces its 2008-09 beneficiaries.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
School lunch is all about balance
Rawlins Daily Times, Jerret RaffetyBy Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Making school lunches is a balance between what the kids want and what the kids need.
“I’d rather them eat something rather than eat nothing,” said Donna Taylor, Carbon County School District 1 lunch program director, who tries to incorporate decades-old U.S. Department of Agriculture food guidelines into a tight food budget.
In her 20th year of creating lunches for students, Taylor tries hard to make lunches that are suitable for them. In terms of keeping the kids healthy, she thinks she’s successful. Particularly when the kids would rather go to Taco John’s or McDonald’s than hit the cafeteria.
“The kids are fast-food prone around here,” she said.
Thus, the idea of serving Domino’s pizza three times a week was born, something that has received matching praise and criticism from students. Some think its the only edible thing on the menu, while others nearly gag when they think about their Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with the pies.
“I don’t think pizza falls under the healthy category,” said freshman Shannon Neal. If she and Justin Burgess could leave campus for lunch, they would. But unlike many of their peers, they would head home or to the grocery store.
With more than 1,000 kids to serve daily, Taylor faces a roadblock that her staff in Baggs can avoid. Taylor has to decide what will hold over several hours of lunches and in transit to the Sinclair Elementary School. On the other hand, LeAnn Adams at the Little Snake River Valley School can provide fresh, home-cooked meals to her crowd of around 100.
On pizza days, which are few and far between for the kids in Baggs, Adams admits she spoils the children.
“It’s homemade,” she said. “I avoid putting butter in the pans, I stay away from whole cheese and use real tomatoes.” To meet USDA guidelines for protein, she sometimes adds meats.
While Taylor often relies on state-subsidized products like chicken nuggets, patties and hamburger — all of which meet state health guidelines and are selected from taste tests — Adams tries her best to avoid simply popping frozen burritos into the oven for a quick serve.
Instead, she works throughout the morning to produce ham fried rice or chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles.
“It’s a lot of work for even just a small school,” she said.
Fitting it all into the budget is hard work as well. When the accounts payable for the district lists a payment of more than $5,000 to Domino’s, questions appear. Taylor says she counteracts the 50 cents per pizza slice with fruits and vegetables that cost two cents per serving.
Her goal is to keep the daily cost of food less than $2 per meal. But, she said, that’s getting difficult when, for instance, the cost of flour has nearly tripled since the beginning of the school year.
Taylor brings the students into the equation alongside the state guidelines. Last year, middle school students visited the kitchen with self-created menus. Taylor reviewed her budget and health restrictions before asking them to read their menus. She then helped them decide which of their menus was feasible.
“It’s usually part of the health program,” Taylor said. “(The visit) led to the salad bar and lowering the number of times we serve pizza at the middle school.”
Opinions vary
Of a sampling of Rawlins High School students, the majority can think of better foods to eat than what they get in the cafeteria.
“I wish we had more options,” said freshman Allen Jennings. “I eat it because I’m hungry.”
Most of the students who stick around for lunch at the high school agreed. Some freshmen, like Zack Nelson, wished for meals that better resembled home cooking.
While the reactions were mixed on whether pizza three times a week was acceptable, few reacted to the other options offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Except freshman Sabrina Homewood, who thinks School Lunch Program Director Donna Taylor’s hamburgers are “pretty good.”
Still, there is criticism. Freshman Justin Burgess thought the state guidelines should be updated. Upperclassman Sukhi Kaur wants there to be more variety and quantity. “The freshmen eat it all,” she said. “There’s nothing left by the time we get there.”
Taylor said her meals are healthy when students take advantage of all the options. “Some do and some don’t,” she said. “It’s their choice.” On Tuesday, one student illustrated her point when he wandered out of the cafeteria with a tray stocked with mashed potatoes drenched in hamburger gravy and two rolls.
Students and staff celebrate Earth Day
Rawlins Daily Times, Jerret Raffety• Middle-schoolers, teachers and CCHEC staff picked up trash in honor of Earth Day.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Through the light haze that spread its blanket across the city Tuesday morning, passersby could see the faint dots of people carrying large black sacks and moving through the empty acreage between Rawlins Middle School and U.S. Highway 287.
On Earth Day, the staff at the Carbon County Higher Education Center teamed with Rawlins Middle School sixth-graders to clean a stretch of Rawlins littered with, well, litter.
Divided into small platoons of a larger litter army, the kids scattered themselves throughout the trash-entwined, prickly bushes. Their project extended east from the school’s campus, stretched across the south end of the ball fields to Murray Street, and stopped just west of the highway.
“These gloves are going to be red by the time we’re done!” said sixth-grader Ashlee Hicks, who was enjoying the event with friend Tabitha Smith. They were wearing turquoise surgical gloves that kept getting snagged on the unforgiving branches.
Adorned in jeans and sweatshirts to celebrate the day, the higher education staff chatted amongst themselves and with the kids. Exclamations about the amount of McDonald’s paper goods and plastic grocery bags drifted through the air.
“It’s amazing how much people litter,” one student said to no one in particular.
CCHEC Director Dave Throgmorton answered him. “Sometimes they don’t mean to, you know. Sometimes the wind gets it and carries...” His voice drifted away with the breeze.
Simone Franklin and Amanda Meis, both students at Rawlins Middle School, were enjoying the time away from class. “We don’t have to do work,” they said. Soon, they would eat lunch and then go to a few afternoon classes, including choir, art, physical education and Spanish.
Nearer to the school was Stephanie Brandner’s first-hour language arts class. Each student carried a sack and looked like mini Santa Clauses from afar.
“They’re just like little recycling trolls,” Brandner said.
Design recommendations on tap
Times staff report
Construction should be at the forefront of discussions on Thursday at the Carbon County District 1 School Board meeting.
The meeting is open to the public and should be held at 6 p.m. in the board room of the District 1 central administration office on Rodeo Street.
Brad Oberg, planning consultant for the new Rawlins elementary school complex, should give a presentation outlining his design recommendations. Through a series of meetings with representatives from each department, Oberg has developed a list of prioritized needs for the school.
Tying into the school’s planning, the School Board should hear a presentation from Rick Vancleeve, a representative from Pine Cove Consulting, about the possible contract between the technology consulting firm and the district.
At the meeting, board members should also:
• Appoint a selection committee to choose the district’s construction manager for the elementary school project.
• Vote on awarding a contract to replace one of Rawlins High School’s gym boilers.
• Hear a presentation from the Little Snake River Valley School representatives about final concerns with the four-day school week possibility.
Construction should be at the forefront of discussions on Thursday at the Carbon County District 1 School Board meeting.
The meeting is open to the public and should be held at 6 p.m. in the board room of the District 1 central administration office on Rodeo Street.
Brad Oberg, planning consultant for the new Rawlins elementary school complex, should give a presentation outlining his design recommendations. Through a series of meetings with representatives from each department, Oberg has developed a list of prioritized needs for the school.
Tying into the school’s planning, the School Board should hear a presentation from Rick Vancleeve, a representative from Pine Cove Consulting, about the possible contract between the technology consulting firm and the district.
At the meeting, board members should also:
• Appoint a selection committee to choose the district’s construction manager for the elementary school project.
• Vote on awarding a contract to replace one of Rawlins High School’s gym boilers.
• Hear a presentation from the Little Snake River Valley School representatives about final concerns with the four-day school week possibility.
Monday, April 21, 2008
County has high potential
An front-page article that got picked up by the Laramie Boomerang. My first wire story!
• Study gives Carbon County high marks for renewable energy potential.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Carbon County’s renewable energy potential is among the best in the state, according to a report released by Colorado College.
The State of the Rockies Report Card, an annual student research project, publishes data from agencies like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. The report card issues grades according to each county’s renewable energy potential.
Along with eight other Wyoming counties, Carbon County received an “A” for its wind potential. Not far behind was its solar potential with an “A-minus.” Fremont County was the only county in Wyoming to get an “A” for solar power. Receiving a grade of “B-plus” for geothermal potential, Carbon County and five others charted just behind Campbell and Fremont counties.
Most of the Western states have focused on developing wind power, according to the report. Often, it is to the neglect of other renewable resources, such as solar power, the potential for which is greater in the West than some of the leading areas in solar energy development. But wind is the most cost effective for large-scale energy production.
“The solar in Wyoming is good,” said Elizabeth Kolbe, a Colorado College researcher, “but as far as putting in utility-scale arrays, it may not be the best choice. Wind turbines create more energy per unit than solar panels and are cheaper to build.”
Jeff Hymas, spokesman for Rocky Mountain Power, said one way to take advantage of the solar potential in high-scoring counties is for homeowners to invest.
Rocky Mountain Power offers a meter that measures the energy generated by a home with solar panels. If the panels produce more energy than the home uses, it goes back into the grid and the homeowner gets an energy bill credit. Those who invest in such a system can generally expect a 10- to 15-year return on their investment. The program also works for wind turbines.
Geothermal power is another story altogether. According to Kolbe, geothermal development is difficult because much of the land with the most potential is in public or protected areas.
Currently, Rocky Mountain Power operates just one geothermal plant in Utah. Hymas said it is financially risky to invest in a drilling project because there is no guarantee of what is underground.
The report pinpointed Wyoming as the state with the highest dependence on coal energy: 97 percent. Rocky Mountain Power, the company that provides the majority of Wyoming’s power, showed a figure of 65 percent.
Rocky Mountain Power hopes to reduce the presence of coal in its energy mix by 20 percent throughout the next five years, Hymas said.
Five of the eight states Kolbe studied have state-mandated goals for increasing renewable energy usage over time, known as renewable portfolio standards. Wyoming is one of the three states without such standards.
Kolbe attributed Wyoming’s lag in renewable progress to its extensive coal fields. Because the coal resources are some of the largest in the world and still a profitable resource, the incentive to move toward renewable energy isn’t strong.
“But Wyoming also has some of the best wind in the world,” she said. “So it might take awhile (to bring down coal usage), but a lot of it starts with government mandates and with people doing what they think is right for the environment.”
• Study gives Carbon County high marks for renewable energy potential.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Carbon County’s renewable energy potential is among the best in the state, according to a report released by Colorado College.
The State of the Rockies Report Card, an annual student research project, publishes data from agencies like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. The report card issues grades according to each county’s renewable energy potential.
Along with eight other Wyoming counties, Carbon County received an “A” for its wind potential. Not far behind was its solar potential with an “A-minus.” Fremont County was the only county in Wyoming to get an “A” for solar power. Receiving a grade of “B-plus” for geothermal potential, Carbon County and five others charted just behind Campbell and Fremont counties.
Most of the Western states have focused on developing wind power, according to the report. Often, it is to the neglect of other renewable resources, such as solar power, the potential for which is greater in the West than some of the leading areas in solar energy development. But wind is the most cost effective for large-scale energy production.
“The solar in Wyoming is good,” said Elizabeth Kolbe, a Colorado College researcher, “but as far as putting in utility-scale arrays, it may not be the best choice. Wind turbines create more energy per unit than solar panels and are cheaper to build.”
Jeff Hymas, spokesman for Rocky Mountain Power, said one way to take advantage of the solar potential in high-scoring counties is for homeowners to invest.
Rocky Mountain Power offers a meter that measures the energy generated by a home with solar panels. If the panels produce more energy than the home uses, it goes back into the grid and the homeowner gets an energy bill credit. Those who invest in such a system can generally expect a 10- to 15-year return on their investment. The program also works for wind turbines.
Geothermal power is another story altogether. According to Kolbe, geothermal development is difficult because much of the land with the most potential is in public or protected areas.
Currently, Rocky Mountain Power operates just one geothermal plant in Utah. Hymas said it is financially risky to invest in a drilling project because there is no guarantee of what is underground.
The report pinpointed Wyoming as the state with the highest dependence on coal energy: 97 percent. Rocky Mountain Power, the company that provides the majority of Wyoming’s power, showed a figure of 65 percent.
Rocky Mountain Power hopes to reduce the presence of coal in its energy mix by 20 percent throughout the next five years, Hymas said.
Five of the eight states Kolbe studied have state-mandated goals for increasing renewable energy usage over time, known as renewable portfolio standards. Wyoming is one of the three states without such standards.
Kolbe attributed Wyoming’s lag in renewable progress to its extensive coal fields. Because the coal resources are some of the largest in the world and still a profitable resource, the incentive to move toward renewable energy isn’t strong.
“But Wyoming also has some of the best wind in the world,” she said. “So it might take awhile (to bring down coal usage), but a lot of it starts with government mandates and with people doing what they think is right for the environment.”
Friday, April 18, 2008
Hospital board meets Tuesday
Times staff report
Memorial Hospital of Carbon County board members should meet with a physician recruiting agency on Tuesday in the hospital’s board room to discuss how to attract doctors to the area.
The meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. and is open to the public.
In the ongoing national shortage of both physicians and nurses, rural hospitals have a difficult time standing out. To bolster its hiring effort, hospital officials have decided to consult with a band of experts.
Merritt Hawkins & Associates should present options based on a review of the hospital’s programs and incentives.
Chairman of the Board Mike Reed said the company is versed in matching personalities with communities.
“If you can find someone who loves the small-community environment with fishing and snowmobiling, they’re a better match for this area than someone who grew up around skyscrapers and loves being around them,” he said.
Also at the meeting, board members should:
• Hear a report from Alysia Kampbell, coordinator of the health fair, on the results of this year’s event.
• Listen to an update on the energy-savings project from construction consultant Joe Jones.
• Evaluate the quarterly quality improvement report compiled from data reported to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Memorial Hospital of Carbon County board members should meet with a physician recruiting agency on Tuesday in the hospital’s board room to discuss how to attract doctors to the area.
The meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. and is open to the public.
In the ongoing national shortage of both physicians and nurses, rural hospitals have a difficult time standing out. To bolster its hiring effort, hospital officials have decided to consult with a band of experts.
Merritt Hawkins & Associates should present options based on a review of the hospital’s programs and incentives.
Chairman of the Board Mike Reed said the company is versed in matching personalities with communities.
“If you can find someone who loves the small-community environment with fishing and snowmobiling, they’re a better match for this area than someone who grew up around skyscrapers and loves being around them,” he said.
Also at the meeting, board members should:
• Hear a report from Alysia Kampbell, coordinator of the health fair, on the results of this year’s event.
• Listen to an update on the energy-savings project from construction consultant Joe Jones.
• Evaluate the quarterly quality improvement report compiled from data reported to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Agriculture Expo Teaser
Rawlins Daily Times, Jerret RaffetyRoping's all about practice
Rawlins Daily Times, Jerret RaffetyBy Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The whip, snap and subsequent swish of the rope pulling tight startled the rowdy kids nearby.
Yancey Weber quickly stepped back, instinctively bracing himself against the roping dummy as though it might tug against its restraint.
“You stud!” called Cindy Cobb, Weber’s teacher at Little Snake River Valley School.
Weber’s been roping since he turned 4, getting the initial know-how from his father and learning the rest from watching others. The 10-year-old travels across the state to compete. His friend, Zach Peed, learned from ranching friends in Craig, Colo. He’s good at roping, he said, but can’t do any of Weber’s tricks yet.
The two boys stood out amongst the hundreds of fourth-graders who passed through Kurt Olson’s cattle roping demonstration at the Agriculture Expo, an event held Thursday at the Carbon County Fairgrounds designed to teach fourth-graders about agriculture.
According to Weber and Peed, roping doesn’t always come naturally.
“You can only get so far with a teacher,” Peed said. “Then you just have to practice and practice.” Also a skateboarder, he said learning to do roping tricks like the butterfly or the wedding ring was like figuring out how to do a kickflip or ollie on the board.
Is it hard to compete? Peed nodded quickly, but Weber was skeptical. Rather than go for the feet, a harder target, he prefers to pull the steer down by the neck.
USDA works to protect our food
• Thursday’s Agriculture Expo featured a presentation explaining how the USDA wards off predators.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Somewhere in Carbon County, a child’s father was bit by the bogeyman.
“I asked the kids how big of a trap they needed for that,” said Dan Braig with a chuckle. Braig represented the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Thursday’s Agriculture Expo held at the Carbon County Fairgrounds for area school children.
Emphasizing non-lethal methods of handling predators, Braig had a captive audience for each of his 15-minute slide-show presentations.
“We’ll put a propane cannon around places where birds are a nuisance to raising fish or contaminating grain, and every half hour, BANG!” he exclaimed, making kids jump from their seats. He grinned. “Just like that,” he said. According to Braig, it generally takes awhile to train the birds that they should make a new home.
After the presentation, students were allowed to look at pelts adorning the front table.
His hand sliding down the mottled wolf fur, Slater Kaisler of Little Snake River Valley School listed the animals he’d seen in the wild. Among them were badgers, beavers, muskrats, bobcats, coyotes and raccoons.
“I’ve also seen a skunk,” he said. “I shot it with a .22.”
When asked if they stink when they’re shot, he nodded. “Yeah,” he answered.
According to Braig, the presentation was designed to get the kids to think about where their food comes from and that it often needs protection. When the USDA gets a call about someone losing money because of animal trouble, officials try their best to use one of many non-lethal control methods.
Food is a powerful thing, though, and can lead the animals back time and time again.
“They’re just like men,” Braid said. “They take the path of least resistance too.” He said the USDA’s goal is to simply make life uncomfortable enough for the animals that they’ll find food elsewhere. If the animal continues to make trouble, they kill it.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Somewhere in Carbon County, a child’s father was bit by the bogeyman.
“I asked the kids how big of a trap they needed for that,” said Dan Braig with a chuckle. Braig represented the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Thursday’s Agriculture Expo held at the Carbon County Fairgrounds for area school children.
Emphasizing non-lethal methods of handling predators, Braig had a captive audience for each of his 15-minute slide-show presentations.
“We’ll put a propane cannon around places where birds are a nuisance to raising fish or contaminating grain, and every half hour, BANG!” he exclaimed, making kids jump from their seats. He grinned. “Just like that,” he said. According to Braig, it generally takes awhile to train the birds that they should make a new home.
After the presentation, students were allowed to look at pelts adorning the front table.
His hand sliding down the mottled wolf fur, Slater Kaisler of Little Snake River Valley School listed the animals he’d seen in the wild. Among them were badgers, beavers, muskrats, bobcats, coyotes and raccoons.
“I’ve also seen a skunk,” he said. “I shot it with a .22.”
When asked if they stink when they’re shot, he nodded. “Yeah,” he answered.
According to Braig, the presentation was designed to get the kids to think about where their food comes from and that it often needs protection. When the USDA gets a call about someone losing money because of animal trouble, officials try their best to use one of many non-lethal control methods.
Food is a powerful thing, though, and can lead the animals back time and time again.
“They’re just like men,” Braid said. “They take the path of least resistance too.” He said the USDA’s goal is to simply make life uncomfortable enough for the animals that they’ll find food elsewhere. If the animal continues to make trouble, they kill it.
Post-surgery care eyed at hospital
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Memorial Hospital of Carbon County’s contract has been renewed for another three-year evaluation by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Called the 9th Scope of Work, the period should focus on reducing complications after surgery. It is part of a two-decade-old effort to ensure taxpayers and beneficiaries receive quality care through Medicare and Medicaid.
The hospital was chosen because, statistically speaking, it shows room for improvement, according to Mike Sierberg, public information officer for the Denver office of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. Hospitals were selected based on the likelihood of antibiotics being started and discontinued within an allotted amount of time. Low scores on these often mean low scores on other measures, he said.
“This doesn’t mean that Memorial Hospital is doing poorly,” Sierberg said. “It’s possible that they scored low on these measures for Wyoming, but fit into a higher percentile nationwide. We still have to pick some from each state.”
The Rawlins hospital was selected along with Ivinson Memorial Hospital, Evanston Regional Hospital and Powell Valley Hospital.
Hospital Quality Director Tracy Peterson said she doesn’t know why the facility was chosen, since, according to her data, it measures up to other area hospitals. However, she said, the hospital is participating because the project can help it improve.
Based on feedback from care providers, including nurses, surgeons and a nurse anesthesiologist, the administration should be able to prioritize the 16 areas of improvement identified by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Mountain Pacific Quality Health, a quality-improvement organization contracted with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, is assisting the project. With an office in Cheyenne, the consulting organization should be able to provide advice for improvement.
Since Mountain Pacific is responsible for hospitals throughout Wyoming as well as Hawaii, Alaska and Montana, Peterson sees it as a good source of information.
“We can share information,” she said. “They can make suggestions of what works. Another hospital may have come up with a really good idea and we can adopt it.”
Times staff writer
Memorial Hospital of Carbon County’s contract has been renewed for another three-year evaluation by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Called the 9th Scope of Work, the period should focus on reducing complications after surgery. It is part of a two-decade-old effort to ensure taxpayers and beneficiaries receive quality care through Medicare and Medicaid.
The hospital was chosen because, statistically speaking, it shows room for improvement, according to Mike Sierberg, public information officer for the Denver office of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. Hospitals were selected based on the likelihood of antibiotics being started and discontinued within an allotted amount of time. Low scores on these often mean low scores on other measures, he said.
“This doesn’t mean that Memorial Hospital is doing poorly,” Sierberg said. “It’s possible that they scored low on these measures for Wyoming, but fit into a higher percentile nationwide. We still have to pick some from each state.”
The Rawlins hospital was selected along with Ivinson Memorial Hospital, Evanston Regional Hospital and Powell Valley Hospital.
Hospital Quality Director Tracy Peterson said she doesn’t know why the facility was chosen, since, according to her data, it measures up to other area hospitals. However, she said, the hospital is participating because the project can help it improve.
Based on feedback from care providers, including nurses, surgeons and a nurse anesthesiologist, the administration should be able to prioritize the 16 areas of improvement identified by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Mountain Pacific Quality Health, a quality-improvement organization contracted with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, is assisting the project. With an office in Cheyenne, the consulting organization should be able to provide advice for improvement.
Since Mountain Pacific is responsible for hospitals throughout Wyoming as well as Hawaii, Alaska and Montana, Peterson sees it as a good source of information.
“We can share information,” she said. “They can make suggestions of what works. Another hospital may have come up with a really good idea and we can adopt it.”
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Concurrent enrollment encouraged by director
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Dave Throgmorton’s presentation about furthering concurrent and dual enrollment shook the Carbon County District 1 School Board room like an earthquake last week.
“The county is flush with money from the energy boom,” said Throgmorton, Carbon County Higher Education Center director. “We want to use the tax dollars to create vocational, community and K through 12 programs. I really want to blur the line between the reality we see and the reality we’d like to see, between the community and the school.”
At no cost to them, District 1 students could earn an associate’s degree before they graduate high school. To do so, they can enroll in courses that count for high school and college credits simultaneously.
“They save in tuition, fees and books,” said Patty Pedersen, CCHEC’s student services coordinator. “They also save in dorm rooms. And they become prepared for college level courses.”
To dually enroll, students must take a course during an elective period or outside of school hours. Taught by a college professor, the student earns the college credits, but is limited to one elective credit on their high school transcript. Students must pay tuition for this type of enrollment. If they maintain the right grade, the higher education board reimburses the course fees.
Concurrent enrollment, on the other hand, allows students to earn full credit in high school and college by taking a course under what Pedersen called a “high school professor.” The secondary education teacher is a qualified college professor for such classes.
In District 1, Little Snake River Valley School has two teachers who offer concurrent enrollment. Rawlins High School has none.
This semester, Carbon County schools had a total of 24 students concurrently enrolled. Six were enrolled in Baggs and the remainder were in Carbon County School District 2. To compare, Uinta County high schools have 108 concurrently enrolled students and Fremont County high schools have 550.
Throgmorton and Pedersen hope District 1 parents and the school board push to develop the concurrent enrollment in particular, since it has no price tag for anyone involved. It does, however, require teachers to put in the extra work to become college certified and challenge students at the next level.
Times staff writer
Dave Throgmorton’s presentation about furthering concurrent and dual enrollment shook the Carbon County District 1 School Board room like an earthquake last week.
“The county is flush with money from the energy boom,” said Throgmorton, Carbon County Higher Education Center director. “We want to use the tax dollars to create vocational, community and K through 12 programs. I really want to blur the line between the reality we see and the reality we’d like to see, between the community and the school.”
At no cost to them, District 1 students could earn an associate’s degree before they graduate high school. To do so, they can enroll in courses that count for high school and college credits simultaneously.
“They save in tuition, fees and books,” said Patty Pedersen, CCHEC’s student services coordinator. “They also save in dorm rooms. And they become prepared for college level courses.”
To dually enroll, students must take a course during an elective period or outside of school hours. Taught by a college professor, the student earns the college credits, but is limited to one elective credit on their high school transcript. Students must pay tuition for this type of enrollment. If they maintain the right grade, the higher education board reimburses the course fees.
Concurrent enrollment, on the other hand, allows students to earn full credit in high school and college by taking a course under what Pedersen called a “high school professor.” The secondary education teacher is a qualified college professor for such classes.
In District 1, Little Snake River Valley School has two teachers who offer concurrent enrollment. Rawlins High School has none.
This semester, Carbon County schools had a total of 24 students concurrently enrolled. Six were enrolled in Baggs and the remainder were in Carbon County School District 2. To compare, Uinta County high schools have 108 concurrently enrolled students and Fremont County high schools have 550.
Throgmorton and Pedersen hope District 1 parents and the school board push to develop the concurrent enrollment in particular, since it has no price tag for anyone involved. It does, however, require teachers to put in the extra work to become college certified and challenge students at the next level.
New teacher, new programs?
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
A new hire at Saratoga Middle High School could mean an overhaul of the industrial arts program by August.
The Carbon County District 2 School Board recently approved a contract for Scott Bokelman, who taught industrial technology for 24 years in Nebraska and Texas.
Currently, the program focuses on woodworking and drafting, but Saratoga Principal Larry Uhling hopes to expand into electronics, manufacturing and other technical areas. The new program would be called industrial technology.
Uhling, who has a technical background, has an idea of how he wants to see the program develop.
“I want to bring in a new perspective,” he said. “We should keep education exciting and deal with things that are happening now. Not that we don’t still have jobs that require pounding nails or turning spindles on a wood lathe, but jobs are changing in the 21st century, and we need a career program that is alive and viable.”
With the help of Bokelman and Dave Urasky, vocational educator at the Carbon County Higher Education Center, the program should take shape this summer. First, Uhling has to wait for the school year to finish and for Bokelman to finish his contract in Nebraska.
Uhling hopes the partnership with Urasky will help avoid pitfalls as the program unfolds. The two schools should also be able to work together to provide unique programs.
Uhling mentioned the possibility of introducing solid modeling at Saratoga, but executing the designs remotely, using CCHEC’s computerized lathe.
“There is a lot of work to be done,” Uhling said.
Times staff writer
A new hire at Saratoga Middle High School could mean an overhaul of the industrial arts program by August.
The Carbon County District 2 School Board recently approved a contract for Scott Bokelman, who taught industrial technology for 24 years in Nebraska and Texas.
Currently, the program focuses on woodworking and drafting, but Saratoga Principal Larry Uhling hopes to expand into electronics, manufacturing and other technical areas. The new program would be called industrial technology.
Uhling, who has a technical background, has an idea of how he wants to see the program develop.
“I want to bring in a new perspective,” he said. “We should keep education exciting and deal with things that are happening now. Not that we don’t still have jobs that require pounding nails or turning spindles on a wood lathe, but jobs are changing in the 21st century, and we need a career program that is alive and viable.”
With the help of Bokelman and Dave Urasky, vocational educator at the Carbon County Higher Education Center, the program should take shape this summer. First, Uhling has to wait for the school year to finish and for Bokelman to finish his contract in Nebraska.
Uhling hopes the partnership with Urasky will help avoid pitfalls as the program unfolds. The two schools should also be able to work together to provide unique programs.
Uhling mentioned the possibility of introducing solid modeling at Saratoga, but executing the designs remotely, using CCHEC’s computerized lathe.
“There is a lot of work to be done,” Uhling said.
New school project pushing forward
Times staff report
The Carbon County District 1 School Board approved a contract to help find a construction manager for the new Rawlins elementary school project during a meeting last week.
The partnership with Bill Brown of Preconstruction Services should ease administrative efforts in the selection process. Brown should work with a committee from the district administration office, the schools, the School Facilities Commission and the district’s architecture firm to choose the applicant.
“It’s a big chore and a big decision to choose someone to help with building $20 million of elementary schools,” said Garry Goergen, business manager for the district.
Also at the meeting, School Board members:
• Scheduled the annual meeting with the certified teaching staff to discuss benefits, salaries and other financial issues, which should be held at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Carbon County Library. It is open to the public. The board members should discuss and vote on the staff concerns at 6 p.m. in the board room of the central administration office on Rodeo Street.
• Postponed a presentation from planning architect Brad Oberg on the design recommendations for the elementary schools. The presentation was based on a set of individual meetings with representatives from each department of the school.
• Reviewed, but delayed the approval of a revised policy concerning support staff leaves and absences until the district’s attorney verifies its compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act.
• Discussed and voted to hold approval of the Pine Cove Consulting technology support contract until the contract reads that no work will be done unilaterally, in order to avoid additional costs.
• Transferred the chief operating officer role to Associate Superintendent Neil Terhune in the prolonged absence of Superintendent Peggy Sanders. In her stead, Terhune will have authority matching that of the superintendent.
• Approved the expulsion of a Rawlins High School student.
The Carbon County District 1 School Board approved a contract to help find a construction manager for the new Rawlins elementary school project during a meeting last week.
The partnership with Bill Brown of Preconstruction Services should ease administrative efforts in the selection process. Brown should work with a committee from the district administration office, the schools, the School Facilities Commission and the district’s architecture firm to choose the applicant.
“It’s a big chore and a big decision to choose someone to help with building $20 million of elementary schools,” said Garry Goergen, business manager for the district.
Also at the meeting, School Board members:
• Scheduled the annual meeting with the certified teaching staff to discuss benefits, salaries and other financial issues, which should be held at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Carbon County Library. It is open to the public. The board members should discuss and vote on the staff concerns at 6 p.m. in the board room of the central administration office on Rodeo Street.
• Postponed a presentation from planning architect Brad Oberg on the design recommendations for the elementary schools. The presentation was based on a set of individual meetings with representatives from each department of the school.
• Reviewed, but delayed the approval of a revised policy concerning support staff leaves and absences until the district’s attorney verifies its compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act.
• Discussed and voted to hold approval of the Pine Cove Consulting technology support contract until the contract reads that no work will be done unilaterally, in order to avoid additional costs.
• Transferred the chief operating officer role to Associate Superintendent Neil Terhune in the prolonged absence of Superintendent Peggy Sanders. In her stead, Terhune will have authority matching that of the superintendent.
• Approved the expulsion of a Rawlins High School student.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Teens can get college credits
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The Carbon County Higher Education Center is the first Wyoming school to offer its pre-engineering high school students a chance to earn college credit through Project Lead the Way.
Project Lead the Way is a national organization that standardizes the program for participating schools. It is recognized by 35 universities across the country. Gail Parsons, the organization’s director of program quality, visited CCHEC on Monday to evaluate the school.
If the school fulfilled a set of guidelines, including proper curriculum, equipment and administration, it passed the test.
“You made it,” she said. Hearing this, John Larson, the program’s teacher, looked back at Parsons blankly, clearly exhausted from the rigorous in-class examination. “You made it,” she repeated.
Larson, vocational educator Dave Urasky and CCHEC Director Dave Throgmorton were all smiles when the news came out.
As a certified school, CCHEC’s students can opt to take an additional final examination upon completion of the course. If the student passes by at least 70 percent, they earn college credit. Any of the 35 affiliate schools will recognize the student’s work in Carbon County.
The program is different from the dual enrollment or concurrent enrollment currently offered by the higher education center. In these, students take a class understanding that their year-end mark will appear on their transcript.
Instead, Project Lead the Way’s program is akin to advanced placement courses because students can choose to take the exam at the end of their course. That score determines whether the student’s work is accepted at the college level.
“If they bomb the exam, it goes into the trash,” Larson said.
In order to teach Project Lead the Way curriculum, Larson must become certified in the course he wants to provide. That means his summer should be full of Project Lead the Way course work in order to add a third class — digital electronics — to his repertoire.
Parsons was impressed with CCHEC’s ability to become the first certified school in Wyoming, given the size of its community.
“It shows you don’t have to be urban to run the program,” Parsons said. She attributed much of the program’s success to the work and enthusiasm of Larson.
Becoming certified means Throgmorton and Urasky have room to let their ideas flourish. They plan to establish an advisory committee to guide the growth of the program. Middle and elementary school curriculum is available, and the CCHEC administrators hope to use it to jump start students’ interest in engineering and technology.
Parsons believed the program could attract women, too. “Draw them in by showing them they can make the world better,” she said. “The coolness of the design doesn’t always cut it for them.”
Throgmorton hopes it will open opportunities for the community to explore their interests in unusual ways. “If the students think it, they can do it,” he said. He referred to one student who is nearly finished with a full-sized electric guitar.
Times staff writer
The Carbon County Higher Education Center is the first Wyoming school to offer its pre-engineering high school students a chance to earn college credit through Project Lead the Way.
Project Lead the Way is a national organization that standardizes the program for participating schools. It is recognized by 35 universities across the country. Gail Parsons, the organization’s director of program quality, visited CCHEC on Monday to evaluate the school.
If the school fulfilled a set of guidelines, including proper curriculum, equipment and administration, it passed the test.
“You made it,” she said. Hearing this, John Larson, the program’s teacher, looked back at Parsons blankly, clearly exhausted from the rigorous in-class examination. “You made it,” she repeated.
Larson, vocational educator Dave Urasky and CCHEC Director Dave Throgmorton were all smiles when the news came out.
As a certified school, CCHEC’s students can opt to take an additional final examination upon completion of the course. If the student passes by at least 70 percent, they earn college credit. Any of the 35 affiliate schools will recognize the student’s work in Carbon County.
The program is different from the dual enrollment or concurrent enrollment currently offered by the higher education center. In these, students take a class understanding that their year-end mark will appear on their transcript.
Instead, Project Lead the Way’s program is akin to advanced placement courses because students can choose to take the exam at the end of their course. That score determines whether the student’s work is accepted at the college level.
“If they bomb the exam, it goes into the trash,” Larson said.
In order to teach Project Lead the Way curriculum, Larson must become certified in the course he wants to provide. That means his summer should be full of Project Lead the Way course work in order to add a third class — digital electronics — to his repertoire.
Parsons was impressed with CCHEC’s ability to become the first certified school in Wyoming, given the size of its community.
“It shows you don’t have to be urban to run the program,” Parsons said. She attributed much of the program’s success to the work and enthusiasm of Larson.
Becoming certified means Throgmorton and Urasky have room to let their ideas flourish. They plan to establish an advisory committee to guide the growth of the program. Middle and elementary school curriculum is available, and the CCHEC administrators hope to use it to jump start students’ interest in engineering and technology.
Parsons believed the program could attract women, too. “Draw them in by showing them they can make the world better,” she said. “The coolness of the design doesn’t always cut it for them.”
Throgmorton hopes it will open opportunities for the community to explore their interests in unusual ways. “If the students think it, they can do it,” he said. He referred to one student who is nearly finished with a full-sized electric guitar.
Essay could send students to D.C.
• Carbon County School District 1 promotes Washington, D.C., conference with essay contest.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Answering an essay question could open the door for students to attend a conference in Washington, D.C., as part of an effort to get them involved in battling bullying and other social issues in Carbon County.
The question asks students to draw connections between substance abuse, bullying, domestic violence, community attitudes and community norms. Essays are due April 18.
“The goal is to get kids empowered to be leaders in our schools and have them involved in the solution at several different levels,” said Dave Dingman, a Carbon County School District 1 board member.
Dingman got the idea when he attended February’s Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America conference. He watched as students from across the country spoke and gave presentations on efforts to bridge community gaps caused by substance abuse.
The School Board endorsed Dingman’s idea to take Carbon County students to the 2009 conference. Students would get to represent their county as well as explore the country’s capital.
The competition should be advertised to students in the eighth grade as well as freshmen and sophomores at Little Snake River Valley School, Rawlins middle and high schools, and Saratoga Middle High School. Each school has a representative who promotes the contest and accepts essay submissions.
“(The students) need to show that they have a vision for community in their schools to answer the question and be a part of the solution,” Dingman said. “We as adults have to give them the opportunity to take charge and be who they can be.”
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Answering an essay question could open the door for students to attend a conference in Washington, D.C., as part of an effort to get them involved in battling bullying and other social issues in Carbon County.
The question asks students to draw connections between substance abuse, bullying, domestic violence, community attitudes and community norms. Essays are due April 18.
“The goal is to get kids empowered to be leaders in our schools and have them involved in the solution at several different levels,” said Dave Dingman, a Carbon County School District 1 board member.
Dingman got the idea when he attended February’s Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America conference. He watched as students from across the country spoke and gave presentations on efforts to bridge community gaps caused by substance abuse.
The School Board endorsed Dingman’s idea to take Carbon County students to the 2009 conference. Students would get to represent their county as well as explore the country’s capital.
The competition should be advertised to students in the eighth grade as well as freshmen and sophomores at Little Snake River Valley School, Rawlins middle and high schools, and Saratoga Middle High School. Each school has a representative who promotes the contest and accepts essay submissions.
“(The students) need to show that they have a vision for community in their schools to answer the question and be a part of the solution,” Dingman said. “We as adults have to give them the opportunity to take charge and be who they can be.”
Reading program finds learning gaps
Times staff report
A new elementary-age reading program is working well for Carbon County School District 2.
At a meeting earlier this week, the District 2 School Board heard a report from Mark Shipps, a first-grade teacher in the district. Shipps is the faculty coordinator for the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills test, which began a few years ago. In 2008, the program was fully implemented.
“I really think it’s successful,” Shipps said. “It’s really making a difference in how we teach our students.”
The test identifies students who are likely to struggle with reading proficiency. It also helps teachers target solutions for those kids.
The program revealed significant learning gaps for some students, according to District 2 Superintendent Bob Gates. The challenge of the program is to collect the right data and understand the results.
“It is working,” Shipps said, “but we need to continue to refine it.”
At the meeting, board members also:
• Agreed to outsource the annual floor refinishing project for district schools to save time and money. Under a contractor, the refinish process should take two days and cost less than $10,000. Previously, local labor cost nearly $15,000 for four weeks of work.
• Reviewed driver guidelines to ensure student safety during extended school outings. The guidelines outline what to do in the case of bad weather and driver relief.
• Awarded asbestos removal contracts amounting to $120,000 to Casper’s Enviro Engineering and Safetech, Inc., in Billings, Mont., for Elk Mountain Elementary School and Medicine Bow Elementary School, respectively. The Medicine Bow contract hinges on School Facilities Commission funding. The Elk Mountain asbestos removal should begin once classes finish, while Medicine Bow’s should begin as soon as funding is secured. Demolition bids should be opened and awarded by the end of the week.
• Saw a presentation from construction consultant Joe Jones displaying plans for the new Elk Mountain school. The project is about 70 percent complete. An open meeting with the architect and district officials is scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m. in the Elk Mountain school to firm up details, including technology.
A new elementary-age reading program is working well for Carbon County School District 2.
At a meeting earlier this week, the District 2 School Board heard a report from Mark Shipps, a first-grade teacher in the district. Shipps is the faculty coordinator for the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills test, which began a few years ago. In 2008, the program was fully implemented.
“I really think it’s successful,” Shipps said. “It’s really making a difference in how we teach our students.”
The test identifies students who are likely to struggle with reading proficiency. It also helps teachers target solutions for those kids.
The program revealed significant learning gaps for some students, according to District 2 Superintendent Bob Gates. The challenge of the program is to collect the right data and understand the results.
“It is working,” Shipps said, “but we need to continue to refine it.”
At the meeting, board members also:
• Agreed to outsource the annual floor refinishing project for district schools to save time and money. Under a contractor, the refinish process should take two days and cost less than $10,000. Previously, local labor cost nearly $15,000 for four weeks of work.
• Reviewed driver guidelines to ensure student safety during extended school outings. The guidelines outline what to do in the case of bad weather and driver relief.
• Awarded asbestos removal contracts amounting to $120,000 to Casper’s Enviro Engineering and Safetech, Inc., in Billings, Mont., for Elk Mountain Elementary School and Medicine Bow Elementary School, respectively. The Medicine Bow contract hinges on School Facilities Commission funding. The Elk Mountain asbestos removal should begin once classes finish, while Medicine Bow’s should begin as soon as funding is secured. Demolition bids should be opened and awarded by the end of the week.
• Saw a presentation from construction consultant Joe Jones displaying plans for the new Elk Mountain school. The project is about 70 percent complete. An open meeting with the architect and district officials is scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m. in the Elk Mountain school to firm up details, including technology.
Calendars more congruent
Times staff report
Calendars for Carbon County District 2 schools now match within communities.
Though next year’s calendars still vary across the district, each schooling area should see holidays that coincide between primary and secondary schools.
Each calendar was approved by School Board members during a Monday meeting.
School administrators tried to create common staff development days and similar Christmas and spring break vacations. Any variance is limited to the final weeks of school.
For instance, Brad Barrow matched Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow Junior Senior High School’s starting date and holidays with the elementary school’s. His in-service days coincide with Saratoga Middle High School’s. Barlow is the principal for HEM.
“It is difficult to make the schedules start after Labor Day and end before Memorial Day,” said Larry Uhling, principal of Saratoga Middle High School. He was responding to questions about the length of the school year, which ends in June this year.
Most of the changes respond to community concerns voiced in surveys issued earlier this year, according to District 2 Superintendent Bob Gates.
Calendars for Carbon County District 2 schools now match within communities.
Though next year’s calendars still vary across the district, each schooling area should see holidays that coincide between primary and secondary schools.
Each calendar was approved by School Board members during a Monday meeting.
School administrators tried to create common staff development days and similar Christmas and spring break vacations. Any variance is limited to the final weeks of school.
For instance, Brad Barrow matched Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow Junior Senior High School’s starting date and holidays with the elementary school’s. His in-service days coincide with Saratoga Middle High School’s. Barlow is the principal for HEM.
“It is difficult to make the schedules start after Labor Day and end before Memorial Day,” said Larry Uhling, principal of Saratoga Middle High School. He was responding to questions about the length of the school year, which ends in June this year.
Most of the changes respond to community concerns voiced in surveys issued earlier this year, according to District 2 Superintendent Bob Gates.
Monday, April 14, 2008
National spotlight focuses on state
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
For the first time in more than a decade, representatives from Development Counsellors International drove the Interstate 80 corridor last week.
The visit to Southern Wyoming could mean national press for some Wyoming businesses.
Susan Brake and Erin Bodine were in Wyoming as part of their firm’s partnership with the Wyoming Business Council, a contract that began with the council’s birth in 1998.
The trip’s purpose was to gather information that could illustrate why Wyoming is a good place to do business.
The firm specializes in getting news about businesses into national media outlets such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Denver Post and “Fox Business News.” In the past, “The Christian Science Monitor,” “Popular Science” and “Inc Magazine” as well as various trade productions have published stories suggested by Development Counsellors International.
If everything goes according to plan, Oprah’s Magazine, “The O,” should print an article about Wyoming in May, said Carol Stearns, manager of the business council’s marketing and attractions team.
The story should focus on Climb Wyoming, a Cheyenne organization that trains single mothers for historically male-dominated jobs.
“We have taken to calling it Rosie the Riveter 2.0,” said Erin Bodine, one of the visiting public relations representatives. They said their effort was successful because the story fit well into trends of work force shortages and skills training nationwide.
Southern Wyoming was chosen because it has recently popped up on the radar as an area bubbling with unique economic progress.
Bodine and her partner Susan Brake’s two-day whirlwind trip included visits to two Carbon County enterprises — the Elk Mountain Hotel and the Carbon County Higher Education Center. Both were chosen by Mark Ducker, the director of the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation. The women also visited Wamsutter, Green River, Evanston and Rock Springs.
The cities and towns are home to businesses that vary from fuel production to health and beauty product development, so each lends itself to interesting stories for the media.
“We pick different companies that are doing exceptional things and pitch those stories to the national media,” said Julie Curtin, regional director of the firm’s Denver branch. “Once we land on a good one, we will use it as long as we can.”
Bodine and Brake said Wyoming is opposite most of the country in terms of labor needs, skilled labor training and economic growth. That profile should mean that media can easily latch onto stories.
It’s important to bring the public relations folks to Wyoming, according to Ben Avery. Avery is the director of business and industry for the business council.
“If they actually have the opportunity to be on site, they’re able to sell the material to the national writers with a lot more enthusiasm and knowledge and, hopefully, it’ll help to close the deal a little better,” he said.
PR reps tout county gems
In their journey along Interstate 80, public relations representatives Erin Bodine and Susan Brake saw strong possibilities for news stories about Carbon County businesses to appear in the national media.
The Elk Mountain Hotel and the Carbon County Higher Education Center could lend themselves to stories about tourism and work force shortages.
“They’ve been around the world and ended up here. And they love it,” Brake said of Arthur and Susan Havers, owners of the Elk Mountain Hotel. Bodine agreed, saying “she’s a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef. It shows there’s a variety of backgrounds and culture right here in Wyoming.” The hotel’s story could be touted as a weekend travel destination, appearing in regional publications like Denver’s “5280.”
Brake and Bodine say CCHEC’s effort to cater to local businesses is remarkable. While people are losing jobs across the country, Wyoming needs workers and CCHEC officials are addressing that need. They hope to ride the work force wave to promote the school, particularly using the story of vocational educator Dave Urasky’s work with Hyland Enterprises.
“Wyoming is an innovator in work force training,” Bodine said. “There’s a desire to grow their own. (The state) has a mentality of just getting the job done ... and they don’t even know it sometimes.”
Times staff writer
For the first time in more than a decade, representatives from Development Counsellors International drove the Interstate 80 corridor last week.
The visit to Southern Wyoming could mean national press for some Wyoming businesses.
Susan Brake and Erin Bodine were in Wyoming as part of their firm’s partnership with the Wyoming Business Council, a contract that began with the council’s birth in 1998.
The trip’s purpose was to gather information that could illustrate why Wyoming is a good place to do business.
The firm specializes in getting news about businesses into national media outlets such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Denver Post and “Fox Business News.” In the past, “The Christian Science Monitor,” “Popular Science” and “Inc Magazine” as well as various trade productions have published stories suggested by Development Counsellors International.
If everything goes according to plan, Oprah’s Magazine, “The O,” should print an article about Wyoming in May, said Carol Stearns, manager of the business council’s marketing and attractions team.
The story should focus on Climb Wyoming, a Cheyenne organization that trains single mothers for historically male-dominated jobs.
“We have taken to calling it Rosie the Riveter 2.0,” said Erin Bodine, one of the visiting public relations representatives. They said their effort was successful because the story fit well into trends of work force shortages and skills training nationwide.
Southern Wyoming was chosen because it has recently popped up on the radar as an area bubbling with unique economic progress.
Bodine and her partner Susan Brake’s two-day whirlwind trip included visits to two Carbon County enterprises — the Elk Mountain Hotel and the Carbon County Higher Education Center. Both were chosen by Mark Ducker, the director of the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation. The women also visited Wamsutter, Green River, Evanston and Rock Springs.
The cities and towns are home to businesses that vary from fuel production to health and beauty product development, so each lends itself to interesting stories for the media.
“We pick different companies that are doing exceptional things and pitch those stories to the national media,” said Julie Curtin, regional director of the firm’s Denver branch. “Once we land on a good one, we will use it as long as we can.”
Bodine and Brake said Wyoming is opposite most of the country in terms of labor needs, skilled labor training and economic growth. That profile should mean that media can easily latch onto stories.
It’s important to bring the public relations folks to Wyoming, according to Ben Avery. Avery is the director of business and industry for the business council.
“If they actually have the opportunity to be on site, they’re able to sell the material to the national writers with a lot more enthusiasm and knowledge and, hopefully, it’ll help to close the deal a little better,” he said.
PR reps tout county gems
In their journey along Interstate 80, public relations representatives Erin Bodine and Susan Brake saw strong possibilities for news stories about Carbon County businesses to appear in the national media.
The Elk Mountain Hotel and the Carbon County Higher Education Center could lend themselves to stories about tourism and work force shortages.
“They’ve been around the world and ended up here. And they love it,” Brake said of Arthur and Susan Havers, owners of the Elk Mountain Hotel. Bodine agreed, saying “she’s a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef. It shows there’s a variety of backgrounds and culture right here in Wyoming.” The hotel’s story could be touted as a weekend travel destination, appearing in regional publications like Denver’s “5280.”
Brake and Bodine say CCHEC’s effort to cater to local businesses is remarkable. While people are losing jobs across the country, Wyoming needs workers and CCHEC officials are addressing that need. They hope to ride the work force wave to promote the school, particularly using the story of vocational educator Dave Urasky’s work with Hyland Enterprises.
“Wyoming is an innovator in work force training,” Bodine said. “There’s a desire to grow their own. (The state) has a mentality of just getting the job done ... and they don’t even know it sometimes.”
Friday, April 11, 2008
Students embrace compost experiment
Rawlins Daily Times, Jerret RaffetyBy Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Filing into Rawlins Middle School’s room 310 on Thursday afternoon, the sixth graders had no idea that their guest was going to assign them homework.
They chattered and squirmed as five neat rows of young adults turned into a mess of bodies scattered through the room.
“You’ve come up with a problem for us to fix,” School Board member Dave Dingman said loudly. The room quieted. “In fact, I didn’t think this issue existed, but you made us aware of it. And you’ve got our attention.”
Charged with the task of finding a solution to depositing 375 plastic foam trays into the Rawlins landfill daily, Dingman wanted to find out what the kids thought before presenting his own ideas.
“We could bring our own plates,” Lincoln Garlington called out.
“That would be weird,” some voices murmured. “No, that would be cool!” others piped up.
Or maybe the trays could be edible, like ice cream cones?
Students thought of plates made of plastic or metal, to be cleaned by students serving in-school suspension or doing community service. Or, they could be carted to the high school to be washed, they said.
Mel Fryar wondered if the paper salad plates could be used.
Each suggestion was met with laughter and uproar, until Dingman presented his idea of creating a compost experiment. He was met with 50 blank stares.
Dingman explained that during the summer the kids could try a science experiment. They could mix 100 biodegradable trays and some discarded food in a bin, add water and worms and stir it regularly to see what happens. If it worked, he said, the school board may decide to continue the project on a large scale.
However, the project requires some planning. In the next week, the sixth graders will discuss Dingman’s proposal while he figures out its budget and time feasibility.
Four-day week under review
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Little Snake River Valley School could go to a four-day week next year.
Given the ongoing wrestling match in Carbon County School District 2 about the pros and cons of such a schedule, district 1 officials have examined the possibility under every light.
Carbon County District 1 School Board members raised concerns that echoed those of residents. Through surveys, community discussions and staff meetings, Baggs residents said they have explored their options thoroughly and mostly lean toward adopting the new schedule.
Concerns were voiced about support staff schedules, pay reductions and accurately gauging whether the community understood that a four-day week could mean that children are at home while parents are working.
“There appears to be strong community support,” said Neil Terhune, district 1 associate superintendent.
Duane DeWald, district public information officer, outlined the results of the survey of the Baggs community which showed overwhelming support for the four-day week and strong community support for child care on the days students would not be in school.
The survey also turned up things board members want addressed.
Some members of the community said they aren’t well-informed about how the schedule would iron out. And some parents worried they might not be able to find adequate care for their children on Fridays.
LSRV school staffers say the small school could benefit from the schedule by increasing student-teacher contact time and by opening up remediation opportunities for lagging students. Often, kids are on the road due to family reasons, appointments that require a full day’s travel and school events. Though the schedule is still in the works, the idea is to provide a day for such activities.
“It’s a big change, so there’s reservations,” LSRVS Principal Rick Newton said.
The School Board and the LSRVS staff agreed if a four-day week is implemented, there will likely be kinks. To provide an opportunity to iron those out, the schedule should roll out as a three-year plan.
“We have to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best, but it won’t be perfect as it goes forward,” Terhune said.
Times staff writer
Little Snake River Valley School could go to a four-day week next year.
Given the ongoing wrestling match in Carbon County School District 2 about the pros and cons of such a schedule, district 1 officials have examined the possibility under every light.
Carbon County District 1 School Board members raised concerns that echoed those of residents. Through surveys, community discussions and staff meetings, Baggs residents said they have explored their options thoroughly and mostly lean toward adopting the new schedule.
Concerns were voiced about support staff schedules, pay reductions and accurately gauging whether the community understood that a four-day week could mean that children are at home while parents are working.
“There appears to be strong community support,” said Neil Terhune, district 1 associate superintendent.
Duane DeWald, district public information officer, outlined the results of the survey of the Baggs community which showed overwhelming support for the four-day week and strong community support for child care on the days students would not be in school.
The survey also turned up things board members want addressed.
Some members of the community said they aren’t well-informed about how the schedule would iron out. And some parents worried they might not be able to find adequate care for their children on Fridays.
LSRV school staffers say the small school could benefit from the schedule by increasing student-teacher contact time and by opening up remediation opportunities for lagging students. Often, kids are on the road due to family reasons, appointments that require a full day’s travel and school events. Though the schedule is still in the works, the idea is to provide a day for such activities.
“It’s a big change, so there’s reservations,” LSRVS Principal Rick Newton said.
The School Board and the LSRVS staff agreed if a four-day week is implemented, there will likely be kinks. To provide an opportunity to iron those out, the schedule should roll out as a three-year plan.
“We have to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best, but it won’t be perfect as it goes forward,” Terhune said.
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