Mustang Musings

February is a month where we traditionally celebrate a holiday of "Love." Kindness Week is also in February. It is a month full of leading and learning with our hearts. There is so much to love about West Grand and it fills my heart to serve alongside our team for our students!

Past newsletters are posted on our district website.

Also, if there are specific items or questions you have, please reach out to Mrs. Bauer at bauere@wgsd.us or 970-724-3217.

We are Grand Today. Greater Tomorrow.

Go Mustangs!

The West Grand Board of Education recognized our Profile of a Learner trait of Connected at the regular Board meeting on February 10, 2026. Staff and students are nominated and recognized by other staff and students when they see them demonstrate our profile skills.

Those recognized included:

1. Students: Daniela Rodriguez Polanco

2. Staff: Paula Talco, Heather Corcoran, Bethany Aurin

Each month, the Multi-Lingual (ML)Connection Newsletter is also shared. Check out the PDFs of this newsletter below

News from the College & Career Department:

• Matti Hayes to University of Colorado - Colorado Springs, studying Social Justice
• Brooke James to University of Colorado - Colorado Springs, studying Social Work
• Scholarship Class In Action - 11 Scholarships due in March
• January Intern of the Month - Marina Gonzalez , at Middle Park Health

Scholarship class is dialed in and focused on completing scholarship applications.

This past month was full of experimentation and presentation by our science department and students at the Jr/Sr High. We hosted our local West Grand Science Fair at the beginning of the month where students showcased their projects at our local science fair, presenting their research to judges for the opportunity to advance.

Our regional qualifiers included:

High School Regional Qualifiers:

1. Josslyn Etler - From the Ground Up

2. Brandon Johnson - Cloaked Cloches

3. Kelly Carpenter - Floating Freeloaders

4. Trynity Typhair - Attention Divided

5. Samantha Simon - Case of Claws

6. Hugo Gonzalez Gomez - Dirty to Clean

7. Bailey Cook - Acne Attack

8. Jonny Artach - Receiving Bacteria

9. Eli Rivas Flores - Genetic Juices

Middle School Regionals Qualifiers

1. Maisie Harvey - The Left Brain Phenomenon in Art

2. Emerald Ballard - A Tongue Twister: A Bacterial Comparison

3. Lyla Lockhart - Sticky Situation

4. Braelyn Valance - Sugar It Up

5. Paige DeBell - Stretch to Success

6. Beau Beery - Bait Wars

7. Mackenzie McDowell - Cosmetics and Contamination

8. Eliza Byrne - A Scramble for Flavor

9. Ryder Pryor - What Feedstuffs Help Calves Gain

10. Lyndee Thomson - School Lunch vs. Home Lunch

11. Eric Flores - Keep It Clean

12. Darcy DeBell - Moisture Wars

These students competed at the Western Colorado Regional Science & Engineering Fair and represented West Grand well! West Grand will be taking six students and their projects to the state competition in April. Here are the regional awards:

1. Bailey Cook

1. 2nd Place Senior Division,

2. Naval Research Award 2nd Place Senior

3. State Fair Nominee

2. Samantha Simmons

1. 3rd Place Senior Division,

2. Naval Research Award 1st Place Senior,

3. State Fair Nominee

3. Kelly Carpenter

1. High School Finalist

2. State Fair Nominee

4. Emerald Ballard

1. 2nd Place Junior Division

2. Thermo Fisher Innovator Challenge nominee

3. State Fair Nominee

5. Eliza Byrne

1. Middle School Finalist

2. State Fair Nominee

6. Braelyn Valance

1. Middle School Finalist

2. State Fair Nominee

7. Brandon Johnson

1. Soil & Water Conservation Society 2nd Place Senior Division

Thank you to our Science Team for providing this opportunity for our students to shine in the science realm. Great job, Mustangs!

The West Grand Talent Show did not disappoint! Students of all ages got to showcase their talent and demonstrate their passion. It was a night full of fun, creativity, courage, and yes, talent!

Winners for West Grand Talent Show 2026:

Junior Category (Kindergarten to 6th grade)

1. 1st place: Kindergarten Class
2. 2nd place: Logan Travis 4th grade
3. 3rd place: Marli Hayes 6th grade

Senior Category (7th grade to 12th grade)
1st place: Brandon Johnson 9th grade
2nd place: Bella Ilgner 12th grade
3rd place: Matti Hayes and Brooke James 12th grade

Great job to all of the contestants!

Below are a few pictures, however, here is a link to two different folders of all of the photos taken that night: (photo credit: Ms. Harmon and Mrs. Cameron): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Y0fTKWjX30YTbfgCtPkcE9AvIGZtNwC1?usp=drive_link

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ktjcuYpmeWEfvNdgG4ppksEvjlv-ez7z?usp=sharing

Last week, West Grand High School had six student-athletes representing the Mustangs at the CHSAA Boys and Girls State Wrestling Championships.

Three of our West Grand athletes finished top 4. Penny Myer, a senior, qualified and went 0-2 at state. Caleb Klotz, a freshman, qualified and went 0-2 at state. Conner Stone, a junior, qualified and went 2-2 and was 1 win away from placing, dropping a close match in the blood round. Walker Howell, a junior, took 2nd at regionals and placed 4th at state. Landon Lockhart, also a junior, took first at regionals and placed 3rd at state. Blake Terryberry, a senior, took 2nd at regionals and placed 3rd at state. The boys team took 11th overall at state.

We are incredibly proud of all six of our state qualifiers for their hard work, determination, and the way they represented West Grand.

Not only did we have great representation at the CHSAA State Wrestling Championships, we also had other great teams and seasons to celebrate.

Middle school girls basketball had a great season and celebrated the end of the season with a Moms & Alumni vs. Players Fundraiser. It was a great night to see some light-heartened competition for a good cause! Thank you to all who made this night happen.

Both High School girls and boys basketball also wrapped up their seasons this past month. Both teams showed a lot of grit and growth throughout the season, setting a great foundation for next year.

We are proud of all of our student-athletes, coaches, and teams. We look forward to seeing the next season's athletes and teams grow and shine. Middle school wrestling is underway and soon all levels of track will be starting. Go Mustangs!

The last week of February, the district celebrated National FFA Week!

The FFA sponsor, officers, and team put together a fun week of dress up, learning opportunities, and fun activities to highlight the Future Farmers of America (FFA) program at West Grand and to encourage other students to be a part of the fun.

Here is a highlight of the week from the Chapter:

We had a lot of fun with our activities this week. On Monday we wore PJs, and the officer team visited the 4th–6th graders in K–6 to read books about agriculture and answer questions about FFA. Tuesday we dressed in red, white, and blue, and during lunch, seminar, and Mustang Moment we held our Ag Olympics chapter meeting — including a sack relay race and a roping demonstration. Wednesday was Island Best day; officers spent time with the 4th–6th graders playing trashet ball with FFA Quiz Bowl questions. Thursday we hosted our annual pep rally featuring our Ag Relay and Barn Ball — everyone looked great in National Blue and Corn Gold!

Our students had an unforgettable experience during the first grade field trip with some unexpected visitors! While visiting Rocky Mountain National Park, students and staff had a unique wildlife encounter as two moose approached the bus and even stopped to lick salt from the tires.

First graders learned about and explored the world of business with their recent economy project. Students created a business, learning about supply and demand, and then "opened" their business for public consumption at their Mini-Mall.

Blackout poetry was a project for the 6th grade students to connect artistic creativity visually with a poem written by a well-known author. What a great example of expression and learning for our students.

The WGHS Cheer team hosted a week long mini-spirit camp that culminated with a performance at our home high school basketball game against Hayden earlier this month.

WGHS Cheerleader, Marina Gonzalez Gomez, designed and organized this opportunity as part of her senior capstone project. For students, by students!

Food science students competed in the NASA HUNCH Culinary Challenge this month at Warren Tech. The team presented their "Shrimply the Best Tacos" for this competition.

Kindness Week was celebrated throughout the whole district this month and this bulletin board is a great reminder to also be kind to ourselves!

This past month, West Grand got to spend some special time celebrating a couple of our expecting mothers on staff. Mrs. Drape and Mrs. Rohrer were showered with love and treats as they prepare to welcome a baby!

As a staff, we try to recognize each other in various ways throughout the year including our "appreciation days", staff birthdays, and getting together outside of the school day for fellowship and fun.

Education funding is currently a topic of conversation at both the state and national levels. Here in Colorado, K–12 public school funding is made up of several components, and changes to any one of them can significantly impact local districts.

One issue being discussed right now is how Specific Ownership Tax (SOT) is distributed and used across the state. Proposed changes to this distribution could negatively affect school district funding. For West Grand School District, this could mean an estimated loss of approximately $86,498.

If you would like to share your thoughts, you are encouraged to reach out to your legislators to express any questions or concerns about how these changes may impact our local schools.

To learn more about this issue, you can watch this informational video from our partners at Colorado School Finance Project below:

Our district website has a plethora of information for staff, students, and families alike! Most of the information you would need is linked somewhere on this website.

Potential items you might check out on the website include:

• Calendars (see next post for example) -- Google calendar of events and year long school calendar
• Handbooks
• Alma information and "How Tos"
• ParentSquare information & "How Tos"
• District Strategic Plan
• Student Centered Accountability Program (SCAP) -- improvement planning
• Board of Education Information -- including agendas and minutes
• WGSD Policies
• Employment Information -- come be a part of the West Grand team!

As mentioned above, if you go on the District Website, you can go to "Calendar: Events" and it will take you to the K6 and Jr/Sr High School Public Events Google Calendars. You can choose to see one or both buildings. This is the best way to stay up-to-date regarding events and schedules as they often change.

ParentSquare is an application that we have used for several years now communicating as the entire district, separate buildings, each classroom, and with individuals.

You can set up your account to go directly to an email, a phone number text, or the app (free download).

The "Week at a Glance" is sent out each Sunday afternoon via ParentSquare. It gives you an update of events happening during the week, note from building principals, and other pertinent information for the upcoming week as well as resources and general information.

We received positive feedback from this last year and are continuing to share it. Make sure you are signed up for ParentSquare so you don't miss out!

WGSD has a Facebook page where we post information, highlight classrooms and students, and share highlights via social media. Follow us: District Page

The West Grand Booster Club also does a great job sharing pictures and athletic updates every week on Facebook. If you are a Mustang fan, following their page is a great way to have athletic updates from all of Mustang sports: Booster Club Page

WGSD partners with Colorado AeroLab for after school and summer programming. There are a lot of great opportunities for students outside of the school hours with this collaboration. While the school shares out information regrading AeroLab, you can also visit their website at: https://www.coloradoaerolab.org/

Here are the numbers and administrator emails for each office:

1. District Office
1. 970-724-3217
2. Superintendent Bauer, bauere@wgsd.us
2. Elementary Office
1. 970-724-1000
2. Principal Winter, winterb@wgsd.us
3. Jr/Sr High Office
1. 970-724-3425
2. Principal Stuart, stuartj@wgsd.us

The spring conferences are student-led conferences where parents and families are invited into our schools to learn from their student about their performance and learning. Be on the lookout for specific details from your student's school regarding time, date, and other logistics.