BHCSD#1: A moment of silence and School of Distinction Award

Board members for Big Horn County School District No. 1 were welcomed with candy bouquets and Valentine cookies at their board meeting on February 13, compliments of the successful Special Olympics “Have a Heart” Valentine’s Day fundraiser.

President Joseph Bassett opened the board meeting with a moment of silence for the victims of the tragic shooting in Byron on Monday, Feb. 10. Bassett encouraged all present to, “Keep the family and all those affected in your prayers.”

Superintendent Matt Davidson later commented on how the district managed the shock and impact of the tragedy within the school community. Monday was an in-service day for the teachers. Notification of the shooting was relayed late in the day by Shane Brost, the School Resource Officer. The administration immediately met and discussed how families of the district would be notified; outlined plans to manage staff and students in the upcoming days; identified the need for extra counselors; and determined the logistics of how and when to implement each effort.

Early Tuesday morning, Rocky Mountain Elementary School principal Eric Honeyman met with a team of counselors at RMES and planned who would be where and how referrals for needed counseling would be made. Honeyman then met with the staff at RMES and discussed ideas on how educators and staff could best interact with students.

As the school day began, Principal Honeyman and RMES counselor Lindsey Sponsel took a proactive approach and went to each classroom to visit with students about what had happened. They explained that it was OK for students to grieve and to share their feelings, and that counselors were available to talk to, if needed. On Wednesday, Lucas Grant came to RMES with the Lovell schools therapy dog Zeke to give everyone the opportunity to interact, bringing smiles and a calming effect to both students and staff during a very challenging time.

“Principal Honeyman has done a great job leading this week during very difficult circumstances,” Davidson said. “The staff at RMES has also been very unified in support of students and each other. A lot of collective strength. All counselors who have been available have done an amazing job with students as needed.”

While discussing one of the district’s strategic framework pillars -- PEOPLE, Davidson also added, “Good things have happened with counselors supporting children and staff. These are the things in public education that maybe the public doesn’t appreciate as much. The unity of staff that occurs in a tragedy and carries forward to meet the needs of the students.”

School of Distinction

Sally Bernhisel and BHCSD#1 were recipients of the first ever “Wyoming School of Distinction Award” presented by Dr. Colby Gull, a representative of the University of Wyoming. Gull explained that the award is given to a school who has made a significant difference, adding that Bernhisel was recognized for her outstanding work and ingenuity in using available resources to develop, foster and grow a mentorship program where students can meet with community business leaders, learn about their profession or trade, shadow a professional for a day and share ideas.

These opportunities encourage students to think “outside of the box” as they discover where their talents and interests lie, what type of career they would like to pursue and what post-secondary education or training would be most advantageous, Gull said. Board president Bassett said, “It’s amazing that Mrs. Bernhisel could take the board’s vision and make it work,” and Superintendent Davidson was impressed that, “Dr. Gull would drive from Laramie to Burlington to make a presentation to Sally Bernhisel and BHCSD#1.”

Some of the best students I work with come out of Big Horn County School District No. 1,” Gull said. “They represent you well at the University of Wyoming.”

Gull went on to explain how the College of Education at the University of Wyoming is working diligently to travel the state and find out what school districts need and what resources the University of Wyoming can share to support educational efforts throughout the state. The UW College of Education has discovered that there is a cliff coming with teachers retiring, especially in the area of Career Technical Education (CTE). The college has hired a CTE coordinator to recruit students to become CTE teachers.

Gull emphasized that the College of Education also offers many online programs that allow people to pursue a degree in education while working and staying in the communities where they reside. Gull also addressED the “brain drain” in the state of Wyoming, citing that as students gain an education they leave the state to live and work, not fully aware of what opportunities are available to them here at home. He added, “That is why we are recognizing Sally Bernhisel and BHCSD#1. You are addressing these concerns and working to make a difference.”

Recognitions

Other board recognitions include employees of the month:

• RMES, Dale Riddle, Title 1. “Dale consistently steps up wherever needed,” his nomination reads. “What truly sets him apart is his ability to identify students who require additional support and intervenes effectively to help them succeed.”

• RMMHS, Julie Joy, custodian: “Julie’s efforts have created pride in our school and her example makes others want to keep the building clean. She is a positive influence on the entire school community.”

• Burlington, Miriam Ramirez, custodian: “Miriam’s knowledge and commitment not only enhance the cleanliness of the school but also creates an environment of care and respect, which is felt by everyone.”

• WYCA, Jamie Ervin, Special Education teacher: “Jamie’s instructional delivery is high quality all of the time, and families report that she is super attentive and responsive to student needs.”

District 1 is moving forward with proposed plans for teacherage housing in the area. Facilities manager Kenneth May is working with Plan One Architects from Cody to develop floor plans for multi-family facilities in the district. Burlington has approved a teacherage and issued a building permit. The location of a duplex in the vicinity of RMMHS has not been determined. The board has unsuccessfully discussed possibilities with the Town of Cowley and will look for potential construction sites in Byron and Deaver/Frannie.

Superintendent Davidson shared legislative updates and his concern for proposed bills affecting education in the State of Wyoming, including: HB0094 - Charter school authorizations-amendments. This bill would make the number of new charter schools allowed unlimited. The district is concerned about that process, where the funding would come from and how unlimited charter schools would impact public schools. HB0172 - Repeal gun free zones and preemption amendments. According to Davidson there is a concern on how that will be managed, its impact on staff and training stipulations, and whether or not school districts will be able to specify rules for events hosted within the district.

HB0199 - Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act. This bill proposes to give vouchers to private schools and homeschoolers. Concerns include: How will that be funded? What kind of accountability will there be for those students? Who will have responsibility to monitor those students and their progress. Davidson feels that there are “lots of unknowns about this bill.” SF 0072 - Summer vacation preservation act. Requiring the school year to begin after Labor Day and recess prior to Memorial Day. SF0098 - School board trustees party affiliation. Candidates for school board elections will be required to register according to their party affiliation. SF0162 - Education-block grant model amendments. Proposes to pull line items out of the block grant model where the funding for those line items will be directed by the state and not at the discretion of the local school board and district.

The following administrative contracts were approved: Honeyman, RMES Principal; Betsy Sammons, RMMHS Principal; Tobee Christiansen, RMMHS Assistant Principal; Autumn Tempany, Burlington Principal; Steve Foley, Burlington Assistant Principal; Shannon Siebert, WYCA Principal; Wes Townsend, Special Education Director; Ryan Boettcher, Curriculum Director.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:37 p.m. District One will hold their next meeting on March 14  at the district office in Cowley.