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Midwest innovates to meet needs
By Jenni Luckett
There’s an old black-and-white photograph on the wall of the Edgerton Café. In it, 1,500 students stand in front of the three-story building that served as the area’s school nearly a century ago.
“You can literally see hundreds of kids in front of the school,” said today’s Midwest Principal Bruce Youngquist. “It’s hard to believe.”
That was back in the 1920s, when oil companies ruled, and the work and money flowing from the oil fields made Midwest, even more than Casper, a hub of central Wyoming.
Today, though the oil fields have experienced a renewed boom, Midwest and Edgerton are twin, outlying towns, 40 miles from Casper. Between the two, residents have immediate access to a single grocery store, gas station and restaurant.
The school, in Midwest, serves about 200 students of all ages. It is the Natrona County School District’s only P-12 school, offering unique opportunities and challenges.
Because so many students stay at the same school for years, students build real, lasting relationships with their peers and their teachers. The multiage environment allows the school to offer special programming that would be improbable at other schools. Older students mentor their younger classmates, offering cooking, craft and reading lessons. Elementary students have their own opportunities to participate in school spirit events, such as homecoming. The few entertainment venues make the school a hub for community-wide activities.
“The school is probably one of the main things we have in the community,” said Sheila Crowson, who lives, teaches and sends her own young children to school in Midwest. “The community is very comfortable with the school and what goes on at school. It’s more of a family atmosphere, like a big family. In a small community, everyone knows everyone.”
Midwest’s student population isn’t all students whose families live in the area, though. Many Casper families send their children to Midwest for that small, family atmosphere.
Twins Jason and Justin Weber live in Casper but chose to spend all four years of high school at Midwest.
“We came for the small school,” Justin said. “It’s a little more hands-on with the teachers with the kids.”
Plus, he added, they both like the guarantee that they’ll have a chance to play sports at the smaller school with the “no cut” policy.
“No matter what, you’ll play,” he said.
The brothers, who both plan to attend WyoTech next year, play football and basketball. Jason also participates in track. Justin plays golf.
“It’s not for everybody,” Justin said of Midwest, “but I like the small school.”
“We have a lot of kids who come to Midwest because of sports but stay because they like the small academic atmosphere where they can get more help,” Youngquist said.
Of course, the smaller school environment isn’t without its challenges.
There aren’t quite enough students for the school to offer a full section of every elementary grade. In a couple classes, grade levels pair up for multiage learning. The school has worked to off-set the challenges of the multiage classes by hiring instructional support staff members, who can help break up the classes when appropriate.
“I think the combos are a uniqueness, not a hindrance,” Youngquist said. |
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He also added that the school makes extra efforts to expose children who may grow up with limited resources to extracurricular enrichment.
“We have to take field trips, we have to go places,” he said, “so they understand what we’re talking about in ninth-grade history.”
But, then, the Midwest area provides opportunities that other areas might not, he said.
“I don’t know how many schools go fossil hunting three miles from the school.”
At the secondary level, school size also can be a challenge. Midwest has only about 10 secondary level teachers, who are responsible for all the junior high and high school level courses. That limits the number and variety of classes that the school can offer.
Kyle Corley, for example, is a second-year teacher who runs the agriculture program at the school. It’s the only shop-related program that Midwest students can take, so he has to stretch to make his classes apply to as many interests as possible.
“I get a wide range of interest from students,” he said. “Some want to work on woods, and some want to work on what they consider ‘shop.’ The challenge is that I have to interest them in ag, which is different from just shop.
“We do a lot of ag mechanics, welding, small engines. We’re starting horticulture and a small engine servicing program for the community.”
Likewise, the school has had to come up with some creative options to make sure all students get the courses they need.
Principal Youngquist explained that students can easily run into scheduling conflicts as they try to complete their required high school classes, especially if they have to make up any courses.
“If you’re a senior and you need to finish junior English, now you have two English classes, and that might conflict with history,” he explained as an example.
This year, however, the school was able to develop digital options for students through district funding for distance learning programs.
In the virtual lab, students can work online through two or three different agencies to make up credits they may have missed.
Meanwhile, the distance learning lab gives students a chance to work ahead, often on online BOCES classes that provide simultaneous high school and college credits.
Justin Weber, for example, is using time in his senior year to take general psychology and English 1010 through the distance learning lab, “so I don’t have to take it in college, and it’s free.”
“It’s really enabled us to ‘stretch’ the schedule,” Youngquist said.
In the end, Youngquist said that Midwest does its best to take advantage of its benefits and mitigate its challenges.
“We’re a family school. We’re not without our problems, and we have our challenges, but we’re unique because of that,” he said. “We have kids who just bloom. They’ve bonded with their classmates because they get to go through kindergarten on with them. By the time they graduate, it’s just, wow.”
A version of this story also appeared in the Casper Journal as part of the district’s new partnership with the newspaper. Help us get your school news out to the community,too! E-mail the communication team with upcoming events, student and staff awards or innovative ideas you’re putting into action!
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