Teri Winland a ‘Champion of Education’

A very special award was presented at the December meeting of the Lovell School Board. Longtime Lovell Elementary School teacher Teri Winland was presented with the Champion of Education award from the Wyoming School Boards Association.

“This is really cool,” Lovell trustee and former WSBA president Bruce Jolley said in announcing the award at the December 9 school board meeting. “It doesn’t happen very often.”

According to the WSBA via District Two Supt. Doug Hazen, the Champion of Education award is presented to “who have made an outstanding contribution to the improvement of education in their local district.”

Winland taught at Lovell Elementary School from 1992 through 2024, and she served in a number of leadership capacities over the years.

“Teri Winland was a cornerstone of education in Big Horn County School District #2 for 32 years,” her nomination states. “Her passion left an indelible mark on her students and colleagues. Her unique sense of humor and ability to bring joy into the classroom have made her a cherished presence, effortlessly lowering stress and fostering a positive learning environment. Throughout her tenure, Teri has worn many hats — teacher, mentor, building leader, colleague and friend. Her students knew she cared deeply about them, not just academically, but personally. She taught valuable life lessons, instilling skills and values that reached far beyond the classroom.

“These strong bonds with her students are a testament to her genuine compassion and dedication to their overall growth. Teri’s love for teaching Wyoming History, particularly the history of the local area, has made her classroom a place of discovery and engagement. She engaged her students in stories, activities and even rain dances that she led while studying the tepee rings. Trips to the Carolyn Lockhart Ranch made her lessons come alive. Teri had a gift for making history not just a subject to learn, but an experience to imagine. Her creativity extended beyond the classroom, as she was instrumental in painting the mural on the gym wall, which serves as a lasting backdrop for the Wyoming History play—a visual reminder of her dedication to the school and the community.

“Her contributions to Lovell Elementary are not only found in murals or lessons on Wyoming history but in the unique ways she could win the hearts of her fourth-grade students with her warmth, humor or insistence that they all learn to knit. Teri’s legacy is woven into the very fabric of the school, leaving behind a spirit of joy, curiosity and lifelong learning. Big Horn County School District #2 has been incredibly fortunate to have someone of Teri’s caliber for the past 32 years. Her contributions to the advancement of education in the district will be felt for years to come. Teri Winland is a true Champion of Education.

Added a colleague: “Teri was the most influential teacher in our building in the twenty years I worked with her. Teri served as my mentor before we had a new teacher mentorship program at our school. Even though she wasn’t told to mentor me, she took it upon herself as my grade level cohort to teach me the ropes. She held weekly meetings with me and kept notes of what we needed to discuss. She was holding PLCs before PLCs were a thing.

“Teri mentored many new teachers throughout the years, and she was always everyone’s go to if you had a question. Teri brought the Love and Logic behavior program to the school and trained the staff in its teachings. She often met with teachers to provide insight or advice. Teri went above and beyond for her students and the staff at LES.”

Also honored December 9 were students of the month Daisy Carpenter (Lovell Middle School), Braxton Felkins (LHS) and Jasper Hatch (CTE student).

Hires and resignations

Following an executive session, the board accepted the resignation at the end of the school year for Supt. Hazen (see story from December 12), as well as Lance Anderson as middle school head eighth-grade girls basketball coach, Stephanie Durtsche as assistant eighth-grade boys basketball coach and LES teacher Joni Geiser.

The board voted to hire four people: A. Jay Montanez as LHS head indoor track coach, Stephanie Durtsche as head eighth-grade boys basketball coach, Dan Wolvington as assistant eighth-grade boys basketball coach and Collin McArthur as middle school head track coach.

Hazen presented an overview of the upcoming professional development day for staff members on January 6, noting that the day is “a chance for our own staff to present to colleagues on something they’re passionate about,” adding, “This is the second year we’ve held our own professional development conference.”

During the conference, Amanda Bickerstaff will present on artificial intelligence for education, and there will also be locally driven presentations.

Under reports, Dr. Hazen gave a brief summary of the district curriculum report and showed a draft of the Report Card to the Community, which will come out in January and be printed in the newspaper. Business manager Lane Partridge-Black presented an overview of where the district stands with major maintenance funds, and board chair Stacy Bair presented the December Leadership Governance report, with the district found to be compliant in all four areas.

Board leadership

The school board voted to retain Bair as chairman and Marianne Grant as clerk and approved Danny Jolley as vice chairman and Bruce Jolley as treasurer.

Board member committee assignments approved were: BOCES/community ed – Danny Jolley and Lance Anderson; Facilities – Bair, Danny Jolley and Tyler Angell; Finance – Bair, Bruce Jolley and Grant; Northwest BOCES – Anderson; Rec Board – Grant; Policy – Bruce Jolley, Tess Peterson and Grant.

The board also voted to keep the board meetings the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m.

Under administration reports, Lovell Elementary principal Chris Jensen explained the culture of Bulldog Pride the staff is instilling, with PRIDE standing for Purpose, Respect, Integrity, Determination and Empathy.

After taking the principal’s job and moving from Washington, Jensen said he met with all staff members one on one to ask their perceptions and guide the school’s direction for 2024-25. Asked what the most important task is for the new school year, 41 percent said unifying the staff, building trust and professionalism. Just under 20 percent said being involved in behavior and in students’ lives. Slightly less said communication – everyone being on the same page.

Working to build capacity through shared leadership, Jensen and the staff worked on three pillars: academics, behavior and leadership. Under academics, Jensen noted a new reading program in which students “take steps” to reach various locations in Wyoming. Overall, while there’s “plenty of room for growth,” he said the number one goal is for each student to show a full year of growth. He added that fine tuning the academic schedule has been going well.

Under behavior, the staff has been developing standards of behavior, and students are rewarded for showing that behavior “if we catch them doing the right thing.”

Both adult and student leadership is being developed, Jensen said. For adults, programs include donuts with dads, Red Ribbon Week, the Halloween parade, parent-teacher conferences, White Ribbon Week, Fun Day, teacher appreciation and community donations. Student leadership programs include the Little Caesar’s Pizza fundraiser, the canned food drive, student elections, morning announcements, the Bulldog PRIDE assemblies, Wednesday Wagon and spirit weeks.

The initial PRIDE assembly was the first totally planned by the students, Jensen noted.

In his monthly student council report, Matthew Allen touched on various items including the Wyoming Association of Student Councils program, SkillsUSA activities, the winter formal, the Knowledge Bowl/Wyoming Academic Challenge, athletics and Character Counts.

Superintendent’s report

In his monthly report, Supt. Hazen reported on new facilities and maintenance director Todd Wilder’s work as he transitions into full-time work in January.  He said the current top priority is a new parking lot for the gym/pool complex.

In the Lovell Rec update, highlights included that the pool is closed for the winter, with hopes of it reopening in April or May. He said the pool will likely be drained and cleaned. As for the BOCES report, Hazen said the Innovation Wyrkshop mobile makerspace program at the Lovell Rec/BOCES building on Shoshone Avenue is gaining steam, in part due to the efforts of supervisors TJ Scheeler and Lauren Bates working with the students.

Dr. Hazen also noted the new sound system is up and running at the LHS Winterholler Gym, and new radios for the school buses have been installed and are being tested. Hazen said the radios are a big improvement, not needing to use repeaters. He also said District 2 was well represented at the recent WSBA conference.

Policy passed

The board voted to pass on third and final reading Policy EAA, establishing a facility support dog. The support dog, Zeke, was introduced to the board by trainer Wes Mangus of K-9 Elite in October. Handled initially by LMS counselor Lucas Grant, the dog will help to comfort or calm students during tense situations.

Under new business, the board voted to renew the special services contract for occupational therapy with Rodney Palmer for in-person service through the end of the school year.