Mustang Musings

It is hard to believe that a full month has already passed since graduation. May was filled with celebrations, accomplishments, farewells, and exciting new beginnings for students across West Grand School District—especially for the graduating Class of 2026.

As you look through this newsletter, you'll see just a few of the many highlights from an incredible month. We are proud of the hard work, growth, and dedication demonstrated by our students, staff, and families throughout the year. Their commitment to learning, leadership, and our school community is what makes West Grand such a special place.

We hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and have a wonderful July. To the West Grand High School Class of 2026, we wish you every success as you begin your next chapter. To all of our returning students and families, we look forward to welcoming you back for another great year as we begin the 2026–2027 school year in August. Until then, have a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable summer!

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!

1. 2026 Teacher of the Year: Anna Nelson
2. Students: Devon Mahorney
3. Staff: Lauren Bruchez, Kris Smith, Sami Jean Lechman, Darcee Biekert, Lacey Paeglow, Andrew Mericle
4. State Science Fair:Eliza Byrne, Bailey Cook, Emerald Ballard, Sammy Simmons, Emmylou Harmon, Katie DeBell
5. State FFA CDEs:Penny Myer, Jack Burton, Sky Paeglow, Kenna Wall,Teagan Bruchez, Addy Petersen, Cora Osborne, Evalynn Churchill, Aspen Frazier, Lena Harms, Memphis Gore, Advisors- Erin Goodell, Emmylou Harmon
6. State FFA Degrees: Penny Myer, Sky Paeglow, Kenna Wall, Teagan Bruchez, John Butler

At the special meeting on May 26, 2026, the Board recognized the Profile of a Learner: Foundation as well as the WGHS State Track Qualifiers, including:

1. Staff: Lauren Bruchez, Meredith Johnson, Flora Schreiner, Kim Shiflett, Beth Tagle

2. State Track: Blake Terryberry, Sanjay Geffers, Josh Trott, Brooke James, Gracie Hast, Devon Mahorney, Lina Steinle, Teaari Luna, Lizzie George, Coaches: Chris Brown, Cheryl Brown, Ryan Tripicchio, Fern Enriquez

In the June Board meeting, we also recognized Excellence in Education, celebrating Dave Heil's retirement after 16 years of services to West Grand and over 25 years in education. Thank you, Dave, for all you have given West Grand over the years and congratulations!

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

The College and Career Department was especially busy at the end of the school year with many activities and highlights including:

1. Students signing for the next step:
1. Bianca Ramos -- Metropolitan State University to study Social Work
2. Blake Terryberry -- Signing ceremony to play football at San Bernardino Valley College in California
3. Showing the Class of 2026 Pennant Wall: 16 colleges representing 17 students and their next step in education
2. Hosted Career Fair for the county, inviting East Grand School District students and Business Partners throughout the county to connect with students
3. KFFR Radio DJ Youth Takeover -- 7th graders got to see what it was all about
4. Scholarship Night -- plethora of recognition including:
1. Seniors earned $144,000 in Awards
2. 2026 Interns
3. 2026 Concurrent Enrollment students
5. 8th graders presented their Mini-Capstone Projects

The College and Career Department plays a vital role in helping students explore their interests, set meaningful goals, and prepare for life after high school. Through individualized guidance, career exploration, postsecondary planning, and connections to a variety of pathways, students are supported as they discover what's next. May was a wonderful month to see this work in action, as students celebrated milestones, explored future opportunities, and took important steps toward achieving their goals.

Graduation marks the culmination of a student's K–12 educational journey, but it is far from the end. Instead, it is the beginning of a new chapter filled with opportunities, challenges, and possibilities.

We are proud to congratulate the West Grand High School Class of 2026 on reaching this significant milestone. Through hard work, perseverance, and growth, you have earned your diploma and are ready to take the knowledge, skills, and experiences you've gained into the next stage of your lives. Whether your path leads to college, career, military service, or another adventure, we know you are prepared to make a positive impact.

Congratulations, Class of 2026! We are proud of all you have accomplished and look forward to seeing how you will contribute to your communities and the world beyond West Grand. As always, you will be part of the Mustang family.

There are a few pictures below. However, the full folder is shared here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cqhkQML66V_8JUXITARkfn2gRv-YwDPp?usp=sharing. Please use respectfully and responsibly.

A sweet tradition here at West Grand during Graduation week is to have the Kindergarten class walk side by side with the Senior class down the elementary halls. Students, staff, and family members get to celebrate this milestone for the seniors while demonstrating that the public educational journey begins much sooner. Congrats to the Class of 2038 and the Class of 2026!

The 8th Grade Crossover Ceremony, a newer tradition at West Grand, has quickly become a meaningful opportunity for students, staff, and families to pause and celebrate the journey through elementary/middle school while looking ahead to the exciting transition into high school.

This year's keynote address, selected by the 8th grade class, was delivered by West Grand Elementary teacher Mrs. Lydia Rohrer. Students also shared reflections highlighting the district's Profile of a Learner skills, demonstrating the learning, leadership, and engagement they have developed throughout their educational journey. As each student crossed the stage, they were recognized for their accomplishments and officially welcomed into the next chapter of their education.

Congratulations to our newest high school students! We are excited to see how you will continue to learn, grow, lead, and positively impact those around you as you begin your high school journey.

Our Music Department, including choir, band, and theater, has been revitalized this past semester and we couldn't be more excited!

Here are some highlights that this group of staff and students accomplished in a short amount of time:

• Tri-M honor society and the Thespian Honor Society had their inaugural induction ceremonies and now there are two more honor societies at WGHS.
• Tri-M students sang for the residents at Cliffview and a fun time was had for all.
• WGHS Fine Arts department did a collaborative concert with students' artwork presented in a slideshow at the beginning and the end of the music concert.
• We had a successful band and choir concert where three bands, the choir and a group musical ensemble performed.
• Students and members of the Grand and Summit County musical communities performed Pomp and Circumstance and the National Anthem at the graduation ceremony.

Overall, a very successful semester of the revamped and invigorated music department at WGHS and we are looking forward to it continuing to grow!

Check out the Art Department presentation of student work shown during the Fine Arts concert:

Thank you to Grand County Sheriff's Office and Grand County Commissioners for hosting our 5th graders for Law Day! They had a great day learning various aspects of the county work and service. We appreciate the interaction and hands-on learning opportunity!

West Grand High School celebrated Scholarship Awards, NHS Induction, and Academic Awards in a night filled with recognition, achievement, and Mustang pride.

We are excited to announce that the Class of 2026 earned over $144,000 in scholarships through more than 30 different scholarship opportunities! This incredible accomplishment is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and perseverance of our students and staff, as well as the amazing support from our local community and organizations investing in the future plans of our seniors after high school.

The 6th grade class got to participate in one last field day as an elementary student before they move on to Junior High. This class has become very close and connected throughout the years and this year has been one of their best. We look forward to their continual growth as they become Junior High students next fall.

There were many fun activities and events this last month of school. One such event was the last day of school "Pie the Staff" fundraiser organized by the 6th grade Spirit committee. The Elementary students had a blast with this one!

Below is a Before and After example.

*Check out the West Grand Booster Club page to see some video and exciting cheering from the State Track meet!

Two of our Mustang Athletes were selected to play in the Colorado 8-man All-State Football game. John Butler and Blake Terryberry represented West Grand one last time on the football field together.

We had a blast participating in the Kremmling Days Parade in early June! It is always a wonderful opportunity to celebrate alongside our community and strengthen the connections that make West Grand such a special place.

A big thank you to the students and staff who helped make our parade float and trip down Highway 40 so much fun and full of Mustang pride. Seeing our school represented with smiles, enthusiasm, and plenty of Purple and Gold spirit is always a highlight. We are grateful to be part of such a supportive community and look forward to many more opportunities to celebrate together

Registration and enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year is now OPEN! Register today!

Use the registration links- or scan the QR codes
Jr/Sr High School (7th-11th grades)
K6 Students ( Kindergarten-6th grades)
New Students

We are hosting an in-person registration support night on Monday, June 1 from 6:00-8:30pm at the West Grand Elementary gym. Registration will still happen digitally; however, you can get support in walking through the process!

Even though class is dismissed for the summer, there are still plenty of activities happening in the district and on our facilities during the summer months. Our website calendar and ParentSquare is the best way to stay up-to-date on district happenings. However, make sure to connect with the Kremmling Chamber of Commerce and follow them for more events happening during the summer months here in our community.

Open gyms, camps, and skill-development opportunities for high school athletes have been communicated by individual team coaches. Reach out to your team's coach for more information or details.

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