Ram Page
February 12, 2026
Valentine's Day Parties
Brain Bowl
Last Friday, our elementary Brain Bowl team traveled to Fort Morgan to compete in a Brain Bowl meet. The students represented our school with enthusiasm, teamwork, and impressive knowledge across a variety of subjects.
We are incredibly proud of their hard work, preparation, and sportsmanship.
A special thank you to Ms. Sampson for all of her time, effort, and commitment in preparing the team for competition.
Trip to the Library
Board Meeting
The school board was treated to a presentation by Mrs. Hall’s FCCLA officers during the work session of last night’s board meeting. The student officer team shared the projects and activities they have taken part in this year and their plans for the rest of the school year and into summer. We are proud of Mrs.Hall and our students. Go Rams!
League Band
FCA
On Monday, our FCA group met at the Four Square Church for fun and fellowship!
FBLA
The FBLA kids have been fighting food insecurity all school year long. They kicked off Christmas break bright and early helping at our local Food Bank of the Rockies distribution.
Last week, they held a food drive and collected over 1,000 items, which were donated on Tuesday at the brand-new Food Bank of the Rockies warehouse. While we were there, students volunteered for a shift picking and packing orders — and during that shift, they packed enough food for over 90,000 meals.
These students continue to show incredible dedication to their community and to getting food into the hands of people who need it most.
Super proud of these Rams!
Big Buddy Program Builds Leadership and Connection
The Big Buddy Program at Akron Schools continues to focus on creating strong role models, developing leadership skills, and building meaningful relationships throughout the school. Designed to connect students across grade levels, the program encourages all participants to have fun, invest in one another, and become the best Ram they can be.
This quarter, Big Buddy teams came together for a special project centered on positivity and encouragement. Students worked collaboratively to create a chain made up of 100 links, each featuring a positive message. These messages reflect the values of kindness, teamwork, and support that the Big Buddy Program promotes every day.
The project not only allowed students to express encouragement toward others, but also strengthened bonds between buddies as they worked side by side toward a shared goal. The completed chain now serves as a visual reminder of the impact positive words and strong relationships can have within a school community.
Through activities like this, the Big Buddy Program continues to foster leadership, connection, and school pride—helping students grow as individuals while supporting one another along the way.
Akron Lions Host 4th Annual Speech Contest — Freshmen Shine!
The Akron Lions Club proudly hosted its 4th Annual Speech Contest at Akron High School, and this year’s freshmen brought the energy!
Twelve freshmen stepped up to the challenge and began crafting their speeches in Mrs. Brent’s class. This year’s prompt asked students to tackle an important question: “How can we effectively serve our senior population?” While a couple of students were sidelined due to illness, ten courageous speakers took the stage and delivered thoughtful, well-prepared presentations to a panel of three judges.
Each participant received a $10 cash stipend for volunteering their time — but more importantly, they gained valuable experience in public speaking, critical thinking, and confidence. From creative service ideas to heartfelt community connections, the students impressed the judges with both their preparation and poise.
The competition was incredibly close! After careful deliberation, Izzy Hill earned 2nd place and a $20 prize. Taking 1st place was Adalyn Saffer, who received $50 and will represent Akron at the Regional Speech Contest in Fort Morgan this March. Congratulations, Adalyn — we can’t wait to see you compete at the next level!
The Akron Lions Club would like to extend a huge thank you to President Tony McCaffrey, Lion Joe Tarnow, and Mrs. Brent for serving as judges. A special shoutout also goes to Mrs. Brent for her continued dedication over the past four years — not only judging the contest, but helping students prepare, refine, and gain the confidence to stand up and speak. Your impact is felt far beyond the classroom!
Great job to all of our freshmen who participated — you represented Akron well!
Akron Knowledge Bowl Punches Their Ticket to State
The Akron Knowledge Bowl team competed in two competitions over the past two weekends. On January 31, 2026, the team traveled to University for the Invitational Meet. The following weekend, they returned to University to compete in the Region 7 Regional State Qualifier. The regional qualifier featured six teams from multiple classifications, excluding 2A.
At the Invitational, the Varsity team opened the day in 6th place after the written round and held that position through the first oral round. A challenging second oral round dropped them down the leaderboard, but the Rams battled back and ultimately finished 1st among 1A schools, edging out Merino by just one point. The JV team also started in 6th place among JV teams and steadily improved with each oral round, finishing the meet in 5th place.
At the Regional Meet, the Varsity team again found themselves in 6th place after the written round. Competing in a very competitive oral room, the Rams faced strong opponents and experienced some movement in the standings before finishing 4th among 1A teams. Although they did not secure the automatic bid awarded to the first-place team, Akron scored well enough overall to earn an at-large berth to the State Tournament, which will be held in Greeley on March 16–17.
The JV team had a similar trajectory at Regionals. They began the day 6th among JV teams (middle of the overall field) and faced tough competition throughout the oral rounds, ultimately finishing 7th among JV teams.
Congratulations to both teams for their hard work and resilience. We look forward to cheering on our Varsity Rams as they compete at the State Tournament in March!
Akron School Hosts Two-Day S-CAP Review
The Akron School District is in its eighth year of participation in S-CAP (Student-Centered Accountability Program). S-CAP was designed by a group of Colorado rural school districts as an alternative accountability system that provides school districts with continuous-improvement feedback. Each year, one of three types of reviews is conducted by reviewers from other S-CAP school districts and representatives from the University of Colorado at Denver. The order of reviews from year to year is a virtual check-in, a one-day check-in, and then a two-day comprehensive review.
This year’s site review for the Akron School District was a two-day comprehensive review held on January 12 & 13th. The review assessed the district across four categories: Curriculum and Instruction, Leadership and Vision, Learning Climate & Learning Dispositions, and Professional Learning. Before the two-day review, the Akron administrative team compiled numerous items, including handbooks, testing data, demographics, budgets, student program information, strategic priorities, and more, to give the reviewers a snapshot of the school district. Reviewers were also provided with survey results from students, staff, and
parents. On the first day, reviewers interviewed focus groups composed of parents, staff, and students to gain additional information on the district and its practices. Throughout the two days, the reviewers visited classrooms to evaluate common practices and sifted through data and artifacts to provide the district with feedback and suggestions. At the end of the two days, the district received an executive summary, and each group shared its findings with the superintendent and building principals. The executive summary uses a 7-point scale with the following rating categories: Evidence of Awareness (0-1), Evidence of Commitment (2-3), Evidence of Practice (4-5), and Evidence of Impact (6-7). Traditionally, scores in the 6-7 range have been difficult to get in the review process for all S-CAP districts. This year’s results for our district were as follows: Curriculum and Instruction-Curriculum-4 and Instruction-5; Leadership and Vision-5; Learning Climate and Learning Dispositions-5; and Professional Learning-3. The district received a great deal of positive feedback and some areas for growth. For more information about S-CAP and our district, you can click the S-CAP website link on our school webpage.
What has Akron done with S-CAP?
Feedback from the year-one review supported the school board's decision to move back to a two-principal system. Another takeaway from the year-one review was the need to improve internal and external communication. The school added a new website and app with several new communication features, including text, push notifications, website live feed, and automated calling. The school administration and staff also used feedback from students, staff, and parents to develop strategic priorities for the school. The final product of priorities was finished right before the year two review. Those priorities are G-Growth, E-2-Engaged Education, and C-3-Climate, Culture and Communication.
The year two review feedback emphasized the need for continued work on communication, a deeper commitment to visible learning practices, continued alignment of curriculum, and a time commitment for teachers to review testing data to improve practice. The school committed to a new student information system (Alma), which had several new features
compared to the old system, including new and different ways of communicating with students and parents. The administration and school board also committed to including days in the school calendar for staff to analyze testing data and identify areas for improvement.
The COVID-19 pandemic heavily impacted reviews for the next 2 to 3 years. The year three review involved a check-in on the reset from remote to in-person learning. The district focused on addressing student needs and mental health by adding an additional counselor to provide greater support. With this year being a two-day comprehensive review, the district continued its focus on meeting student needs, emphasizing improvements to the MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support) and expanding its college and career pathways offerings. The two key takeaways for the district were a return to data-driven days for staff development and providing resources and support to help parents help their students.
While S-CAP reviews occur only once a year at our school, we value your feedback and continually seek ways to improve. Please get in touch with us here at the school if you have questions or feedback that would help us improve and better serve our students and community.
Thank you,
Brian Christensen, Superintendent
Life Skills Visits the Nursing Home
Thursday afternoon, our Lifeskills class visited the local nursing home to celebrate Valentine’s Day with residents. The students spent the week preparing for the special visit, creating handmade cards and baking cupcakes to perfection.
During their time at the nursing home, students delivered treats and heartfelt Valentine’s cards, sharing smiles and meaningful conversations with the residents. The visit was a wonderful opportunity for students to spread kindness, build connections, and brighten someone’s day.
MS Wrestling
On Monday, we hosted the Middle School Wrestling Bash, welcoming more than 200 wrestlers from across the area for an exciting day of competition.
Our middle school wrestlers represented the Rams with determination and grit. From quick pins to hard-fought decisions, the team continued to show improvement in technique, confidence, and mat awareness. Competing in a large tournament like this provides valuable experience and helps prepare them for the remainder of the season.
The middle school team will be back in action on Monday as they travel to SC for their next competition. We wish them the best as they continue to grow and compete hard!
Basketball
The Rams basketball teams were back in action last weekend with a busy two-game stretch.
On Friday night, the Rams hosted Byers at home.All teams competed hard in front of the home crowd, battling through four quarters of tough, physical play. The Rams showed strong defensive effort and worked the ball well on offense, continuing to improve as the season progresses.
Saturday took the teams on the road to Haxtun, where they faced competitive matchups against quality opponents. The games were fast-paced and intense, providing valuable experience as the Rams continue preparing for the final stretch of the season.
Looking ahead, the Rams will travel to Merino on Thursday night before heading to Wray on Tuesday, February 17th.
Wrestling
The Rams wrestling team continues to improve each week, laying it all on the mat and showing tremendous dedication and grit. Last Saturday, the team competed in a tough tournament in Eaton, where they battled hard against strong competition and continued building momentum as the postseason approaches.
Come out and support the Rams as they fight for a spot at State when they host the Regional Tournament on Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th! This is a huge opportunity for our athletes to compete on their home mat with a State berth on the line.
What's Happening?
Friday, February 13
4 pm HS Regional Wrestling in Akron
Saturday, February 14
9 am HS Regional Wrestling in Akron
Monday, February 16
12:15 pm Girls Golf Meeting
2 pm MS Wrestling at Sedgwick County (Ovid) Dismiss at 10:45 am Leave at 11 am
4 pm HS Boys C team Basketball at Peetz
4:30 pm MS Girls Basketball at Brush Leave at 3:30 pm
Tuesday, February 17
12:15 pm Junior Class Meeting
4 pm HS Basketball at Wray Leave 2:15 pm
6 pm District Accountability Meeting
Wednesday, February 18
8 am Winter Planning Events
12:15 pm FFA Meeting
4 pm Elementary Staff Meeting
Thursday, February 19
7:15 am 6th – 12th PLC Meeting
HS State Wrestling
3 pm MS GBKB vs Sedgwick County
3 pm Main Ct A game
3 pm Blue Ct MS C then MS B
4 pm HS BKB vs Caliche Main Ct HS JVG, JVB, VG then VB
Friday, February 20
HS State Wrestling
Saturday, February 21
HS State Wrestling
9 am MS Girls BKB LPAA Tourney at Caliche Leave at 7:30 am