Elevate Monthly

Dear Laramie County School District 1 community,

As we mark the end of the first quarter of the school year, I wanted to take a moment to express my deep appreciation for the wonderful families in our district and the privilege we have of working with your students.

Thank you for everything you do to ensure your student’s success. Your involvement, encouragement and support are instrumental in their educational journey. We appreciate your trust in us and I believe that together we can provide the best possible education and opportunities for your children.

If you ever have questions, concerns, or suggestions, please reach out to your school principal or district administration. We value your input and rely on it to improve and adapt to better serve our community.

Sincerely,

Dr. Stephen Newton
Interim Superintendent of Schools

Amy Corbin, a second grade teacher at Dildine Elementary, and her husband, Andy; have been growing pumpkins for 30 years. They have been growing massive Atlantic Dill pumpkins for over a decade, and this year they beat the record for the largest pumpkin grown in Wyoming with a 2,062-pound pumpkin. The record they broke was their own: an 1,800-pound pumpkin that they grew in 2022.

Amy Corbin said she and her husband have been bringing the pumpkins to Dildine to show the students for a decade.

“We love to see the expressions on the students’ and the adults’ faces. It is fun to see and hear their excitement,” she said.

As students climbed around the pumpkin this year, their expressions were filled with awe. They hugged and gently patted the pumpkin, and they were full of exclamations and questions for the Corbins.

Amy Corbin said she often hears, “You can make a lot of pumpkin pie!”

She said that she and her husband start the plants indoors in April, then move them outside when they are big enough. As the plant grows, they bury the vines to develop new roots. They pollinated this pumpkin in early June and harvested it on Oct. 9. While the pumpkins are growing, they require a lot of water and must be covered with blankets at night.

During their peak growth, Atlantic Dill pumpkins can grow by around 40 pounds a day. Now the Corbins have their sights set on the world record for pumpkin size, which is 2,749 pounds.

—Photo & text by Brad White

The professional baking class is just one of the career and technical education classes offered at East High to prepare students for the workforce.

In a spotless kitchen, surrounded by cooking supplies, East High professional baking students presented to their classmates the procedures on how to handle food properly. Their presentations showcased what they’ve learned as they prepared to obtain their safety and sanitation certification.

After the presentations, students broke into pairs to locate and identify cooking supplies that they later had to describe to their peers. This activity served to familiarize students with the kitchen and various cooking supplies available for them.

The journey began at the beginning of the school year when baking students learned proper food handling, cleaning, and other essential techniques to ensure they were ready to become certified to work in a kitchen. It is a requirement for everyone handling food to complete a safety and sanitation certification.

According to Donna Woitaszewski, East High family and consumer science teacher, this class is a way for students to prepare to enter the workforce, whether it is with a part-time job during high school or a position that can help carry them through college.

“We use the same training and information found out there in the community. Any restaurant you go to, their employees have been through the same thing our students go through,” Woitaszewski said.

After obtaining their safety and sanitation certification, the students were able to exercise their skills by cooking a tasty taco salad, implementing what they learned during the certification process.

“I chose that recipe because they can experience handling fresh vegetables that will not be cooked and raw meat, and practice using separate cutting boards, keeping their area clean, and making sure they don’t cross-contaminate,” Woitaszewski said.

Woitaszewski said that these classes will continue to prepare students with essential work skills that they can use their entire lives, regardless of what career they decide to pursue.

—Photo & text by Leslie Valencia

Laramie County School District 1 fifth and sixth graders exercised their football skills in the first ever Elevate Athletics Flag Football Pro Bowl in October—and had a ton of fun doing it.

Elevate Athletics, LCSD1’s new elementary sports program, is designed to teach teamwork, winning and losing with grace, and sports skills. Students attend the free program after school and each sports season ends in a culminating event where students can display the skills they have learned.

Flag football, the first sport in the school year, ended in three triad-wide Pro Bowl events that were filled with laughter, cheering and proud smiles.

Elevate Athletics Director and Prairie Wind fifth grade teacher Dayna Erickson said the atmosphere at the Pro Bowls was extremely positive.

“The competitors loved being able to interact with the high school football players they look up to and get to cheer for on Friday nights,” Erickson said.

Students played scrimmages against other teams from their triad, tested their throwing and punting skills, and ran relays to demonstrate the football skills they have worked on. One student patted an opposing player on the back after they made a touchdown, complimenting their running speed. Another giggled and smiled as they missed their opponent’s flag and their opponent sprinted to the end zone.

“Sportsmanship is an important part of Elevate Athletics,” Erickson said. “I heard all kids cheering for each other as they competed in the quarterback throw, punting, and the running back relays.”

Erickson said athletes would volunteer to help fill another team’s relay team or would run again to give a team someone to compete against.

Bain Elementary Principal Tiffany Rehbein said during one of the scrimmages, a team came together to allow their opponents, who had not scored all season, to score.

“Both teams were excited and cheering together to see the success and how happy the other team was after they scored,” Rehbein said.

While the Pro Bowls were overflowing with positivity, Rehbein said she has seen a decrease in behavior issues during the flag football season. She said she believes being physically active might have promoted the students’ mental health and increased their engagement.

“There was an increased sense of pride in their schools,” Rehbein said.

Erickson said she believes the lesson of unity is one of the greatest long-term benefits of Elevate Athletics, with students showing unity with their teammates, with other teams and even with other triads.

The community rallied to support the program, with the Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne (BGCC) providing uniforms, equipment, warm-up shirts, coaches and gameday assistance. BGCC also arranged for University of Wyoming quarterback Andrew Peasley to be at the South Triad Pro Bowl.

The Elevate Athletics basketball season began Oct. 30 and will run until Dec. 7. Volleyball will run Feb. 5–March 14, and track will run April 8–May 9. Any fifth and sixth grader in the district can participate in all programs, and the track program is open to fourth through sixth graders.

—Photo & text by Brad White

Laramie County School District 1 TV Media students joined the LCSD1 Community Relations (CR) department this fall to put their skills to the test.

This year, the LCSD1 TV Media program is piloting Applications in TV Media, a course for fourth year TV Media students that allows them to work with professionals and organizations from around the community to get real-world experience in video production.

“The students have a lot of experience making their own short films and skits,” LCSD1 Career and Technical Education Coordinator Lindsey Stutheit said. “We want to expand their horizons and show them other things they can do with these skills they’re building.”

The CR department at LCSD1 manages the district’s social media accounts, coordinates with local media outlets, creates print and web publications for the district; and does graphic design, photography and videography work for the schools and district as a whole.

The CR department gave video assignments to the students with an emphasis on representing all schools and students fairly and positively. These projects included social media coverage of the Cheyenne Schools Foundation’s Run for #1 5K event, hype videos for each high school and an update video on the district’s new elementary sports program, Elevate Athletics. Check out the links below to view these projects.

Hype Videos:
https://youtu.be/W0f8u5EyeeU
https://youtu.be/M45ukEnmD0M
https://youtu.be/-vZFQuxvL2U

Elevate Athletics:

Elevate Athletics (TV Media Student Video)

Their videos highlight the wide variety of exciting things happening in LCSD1, and the students showed an incredible amount of professionalism and teamwork.

As they continue their journey to other organizations throughout the community, the sky is the limit for what these TV Media students can learn and accomplish.

—Text by Brad White

Teacher Apprenticeship Program and School Psychology Week recognized

September was Deaf Awareness Month and, according to Michelle Maher, Laramie County School District 1 teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, it is essential to bring awareness to our community and engage everyone in this topic.

She explained that it is crucial for the community to start building a rich culture of understanding with the deaf and hard of hearing.

“We all have differences and that’s what makes us unique. Learning how to communicate in various ways and learning the communication styles of everyone we meet, no matter if they are deaf or hard of hearing or have another disability, that’s important,” Maher said.

Maher stated that the best way to communicate with the deaf and hard of hearing is to get their attention. One can wave to them or tap them but avoid yelling or raising your voice. It is a misconception that yelling can make the message being communicated become clear.

Aside from the communication barrier, another challenge that deaf and hard of hearing students face is isolation.

“Sometimes they are the only student in their school that is deaf or hard of hearing and sometimes there’s a loneliness factor,” Maher said, “especially for the ones that need interpreting services, sometimes the only person they can communicate with is their interpreter.”

Niana Williams, a sixth grader at Jessup Elementary who was born deaf, would like the world to know that she is awesome and kind and that she feels accepted when others around her are kind to her. Williams enjoys partaking in outdoor activities with her family and playing with her friends during recess.

Williams uses a bilateral cochlear implant which enhances her ability to hear, and she carries a personal microphone to help her better distinguish what she wants to hear from background noises.

Her kindness doesn’t go unnoticed by anyone around her and, despite the daily challenges she faces, Williams’ biggest motivation is her family and friends. Her smile and personality brighten everyone’s day and she always does her best to thrive academically. Williams is taking an AP math class at McCormick Junior High and ran for president and vice president for Jessup Elementary’s Student Council.

Jaden Vallee is a Carey Junior High eighth grader that uses sign language to communicate with others. His favorite class is math, and he loves playing basketball with friends. Although he faces some challenges when playing, he doesn’t let this stop him from having fun and enjoying time outdoors.

Vallee is an outgoing and smart teenager that appreciates it when people around him take the chance to get to know him. He teaches his closest friends how to use sign language to communicate and writes emails or finds other ways of communicating with his friends that do not know sign language.

Vallee said if he had the opportunity to teach four sign language words to the world, he would teach “I love you,” “friends,” “how are you” and “emergency.”

Educational interpreter Bert Valencia helps facilitate Vallee’s learning at school.

“He’s a funny and good student, he has a lot of personality, he loves video games and is very, very social,” Valencia said.

“I love working with the kids,” Maher said. “They inspire me every day with the challenges they must overcome. I get a kick out of seeing them being successful and learning right along with their typical peers.”

An American Sign Language Club is now available for students at Carey Junior High. The club meets every Wednesday from 3-3:45 p.m. Students learn about deaf culture, learn and practice sign language, play games, learn stories and poems, watch videos, and enjoy snacks together. This year the club sponsors are hoping to plan field trips and projects around the community.

—Photos & text by Leslie Valencia

East High students work with Raspberry Pi computers at the Wyoming National Guard's Discovery Day event. —Photo by Brad White

Throughout the course of the school year, the superintendent may enact a district-wide or school-wide virtual learning day due to inclement weather, facilities issues, natural disasters, etc. Conducting a virtual day rather than shutting down school completely enables Laramie County School District 1 to meet the Wyoming statutory requirement of 175 school days without needing to extend the school year into June.

When inclement weather is predicted, teachers will work to ensure student iPads are charged and in students’ hands prior to them leaving at the end of the school day. Additionally, they will work with students to ensure they are able to log into Canvas or the online platform they will use for the virtual learning day.

If a student cannot access the online platform, teachers will make alternative learning arrangements for them.

Formal notification of a virtual learning day or delayed start will take place through the district’s mass-notification system no later than 5:30 a.m. on the day of the event. More information about the LCSD1 Board of Trustees virtual day policy is available at: http://go.boarddocs.com/wy/laramie1/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=9Q5QC4689A4E

The HealthWorks Mobile Health Clinic is once again providing services at all three LCSD1 junior high schools. The morning rotations are scheduled as follows:

• Johnson­–Tuesdays
• McCormick–Wednesdays
• Carey–Thursdays

The clinics will be held from 9-10:30 a.m. but could be extended until noon if there are scheduled appointments. Some scheduled days may be impacted throughout the school year.

The Mobile Health Clinic provides services such as acute care, immunizations, sports physicals, evaluation and treatment of infections/viruses, sick visits, well-child visits, testing for mono/flu/strep, medication management and follow-up for continued care. Parents must fill out a treatment consent form for their child to use the service and be present in-person for the first appointment. Parents can attend subsequent visits in-person or remotely.

For more information about the Mobile Health Clinic, visit https://wyhealthworks.org/mobile-clinic/.

November is Veterans and Military Families Month, which is celebrated to honor the service and sacrifices of service members and their families. In Cheyenne, we are friends and neighbors with many military families. Take time out of your day to thank them for their service!

In addition, we salute our Purple Star Schools—Freedom Elementary, McCormick Junior High, and Central High. More information about this valuable program is available on the district website at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/mtztnpjd.

LCSD1 is partnering with the City of Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization as they work to update the existing Safe Routes to School Plan. Open houses are being held from 5:30-7 p.m. in each triad. Those who are interested are invited to attend the meeting that best fits their schedule.

• Monday, Nov. 6, East High
• Wednesday, Nov. 8, South High
• Thursday, Nov. 9, Central High

At the request of parents, guardians and community members, a new informational landing page is now available on the Laramie County School District 1 website.

The page provides one location to look for information. Everything from academic support and transportation to calendars and weather closure guidelines, is just a click away on the new landing page.

Resources were developed with a committee consisting of parents and guardians who provided feedback on what they would like to see. The page is available by clicking the Parent Info button on the homepage of the district website, www.laramie1.org.

Additionally, community members who are interested in finding out more about the district’s new elementary sports program, Elevate Athletics, may do so by clicking the link on the district’s homepage under Featured Items.

The new Elevate Athletics page contains information about flag football, basketball, volleyball and track, including program overviews and schedules.

Nov. 6 - Board of Trustees Meeting - 5 p.m. work session & 6 p.m. regular meeting

Nov. 10 - Veterans Day observed - No School - Staff Development

Nov. 18 - Districtwide Robotics Event - 8-11 a.m. - Administration Building Auditorium

Nov. 22-24 - Thanksgiving Break - No School