SCSD#1 Discusses 2023 Graduation Change, CSVA and TRHS Point B Classes

SCSD#1 Board with the Student Representatives

Although the 2022 graduation for SCSD #1 will remain on Sunday, May 29, the 2023 graduations will be moved to evening ceremonies. Board Chairman Clint Krumm said that Tongue River Graduation in 2023 will be on Thursday May 25, and Big Horn’s graduation will be the next Friday, May 26.

The board felt the move would help allow more people to attend the graduations.

Fred Hollingshead, the director of the Cowboy State Virtual Academy, (CSVA), presented, via zoom, the Hubble family from Lander, Ted and Lauren and their children, Tripp, fourth grade and Brynlee, first grade, who are very pleased with what the CSVA offers to students and families.

Tripp presented a poster of his science project on volcanos, namely Mount St. Helens in Washington State, which erupted in 1980. “All volcanos erupt in different ways,” Tripp said in his presentation.

He also showed a poster and talked about a book he read about Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president. “He did judo and boxing,” Tripp said. “He once threw a prime minster to show off.”

Tripp’s younger sister, Brindley, talked about some of the things she was learning. Their mother, Lauren, said that due to Tripp’s allergies and asthma, he had trouble attending traditional school, and the virtual school allowed him to be much more flexible. She added that he likes to work early in the morning, and the CSVA allows him to do his schoolwork whenever he wants. “It is also very motivating for the students,” She added.

Hollingshead said that the program was started in 2018 in Ranchester to help home-schooled kids, but expanded during Covid. This program is one of three statewide virtual schools.

Colby Lynch, TRHS principal introduced Andee Marcure, English teacher and Janessa Blain, music teacher, who talked of the TRHS Point B program. The program helps students achieve success after high school.

Marcure talked about how she wanted the youngsters to be 90% proficient in English, and by the end of this past year they achieved 92% proficiency.

Blain said they offer several different elective classes, depending on student interest. One student wanted to learn to “write pretty,” so there was a class is cursive writing, as well as songwriting and photography.

Trustee Krumm taught a tie flying class for them.

Krumm also thanked the two student representatives, Emma Hahn and Zia Robbins, and presented them with certificates from the board. “I’m really proud of them,” he added. “We get to know how what we do as a board affects the students.”

SCSD#1 Superintendent Pete Kilbride spoke briefly about safe return to in-person learning, and there is no change, but they have to do an update every six months.

Tongue River Elementary Principal Annie Griffin and her husband, Robert, TRMS social studies teacher, will be leaving Ranchester at the end of the school year to take new jobs in Tensleep. Robert was one of the teachers who was instrumental in creating the Tongue River Valley Veterans Memorial in Ranchester.

Annie will take the position of superintendent and Robert will take the job of principal at Tensleep School, a small school that had 109 students K-12 in 2022.

Trustee Eric Lofgren reported the Tongue River Rotary club will be painting and doing upkeep on the ‘Little Blue School’ house in Ranchester the second week of June.