Mustang Musings

September is a great month! By this time of year, routines are established, curriculum is underway, and our calendar is full of activities and opportunities. The school year may no longer feel new, but it is certainly in full swing! As we watch the colors change and the weather cool toward the end of the month, we are also reminded that growth happens differently for each of us. Just as the leaves change at their own pace, our students come to school with different strengths, needs, and starting points—and they grow and develop in their own time. This is the time of year when we can really dive into learning, challenge our students in the classroom, and engage students, staff, and families in the many opportunities that make our school community so special.

We are Grand Today. Greater Tomorrow.

Go Mustangs!

At the September 8, 2026 Board of Education regular meeting, the district recognized "Excellence in Leadership."

Instructional Leaders and Directors of the district were recognized for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to get the new year started. Those recognized included: Breanna Winter, Jennifer Stuart, Eileen Finnegan, Nellie Thomson, David Wolfe, Paula Talco, Kris Smith, Dillan Sammons, Karen Taft, Jackie Pesch, Lacey Paeglow and Josh Pedersen.

The College and Career Department is geared up and getting things rolling for students and exploring different opportunities!

Here are some events that happened in September:

1. West Grand hosted a College Fair on Sept. 9th for 9 - 12th grades
2. Rocky Vista University Medical Students presented opportunities to WG Health Science Pathway Students on Sept. 22nd
3. Colorado Mesa University visited WG 11th and 12th grades on Sept. 23rd

The Scholarship Class is working hard to meet Fall Deadlines and break last year's record. Seniors are wrapping up their Capstone Projects and preparing for rehearsals

• Lincoln Tech visits West Grand Oct. 8
• Collbran Job Corps visits West Grand Oct. 20th
• FAFSA Night at West Grand Oct. 21
• Rocky Vista University Medical School Visits West Grand Oct. 26th - Session 2
• Colorado Welding Institute visits West Grand Oct. 27th
• WG Fall '26 Scholarship Fair Oct. 29th

On August 24, 2026, the West Grand Board of Education voted 7-0 to place a NO TAX INCREASE bond measure on the November ballot.

If this bond measure is approved by the local voters, it would meet the required match from the state for the BEST grant to complete safety, security, accessibility, and increase the lifespan of the Jr/Sr High School building.

For more information, including project details, financing, estimated tax impact, and arguments for and against the measure, visit the District website at: www.wgsd.us

The district's goal is to provide factual information so voters can make their own informed decisions.

Learning at West Grand goes beyond the traditional classroom, and our Bike Tech program is a great example!

Students are gaining hands-on experience learning bicycle mechanics, maintenance, and repair while developing valuable skills in problem-solving, technical education, and career exploration.

As our Bike Tech program continues to grow, students have the opportunity to earn Project Bike Tech certifications, providing them with industry-supported credentials that can help open doors to future opportunities in the cycling and outdoor industries.

From turning wrenches to building confidence, our students are learning skills that extend well beyond the bike shop. We are excited to see where this program takes them and appreciate the guidance and support of the teacher, Mr. Strathman.

*This picture is the Bike Tech 2 class after a ride on the bikes the students have been working on.

West Grand FFA recently hosted Ag Adventure, a hands-on agricultural learning experience for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Students were bused to West Grand Jr./Sr. High School, where they had the opportunity to learn more about agriculture and interact with a variety of animals.

Throughout the day, West Grand FFA members helped teach younger students about horses, sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits, and dogs. Students learned about the animals, their care, their role in agriculture, and had the opportunity to ask questions and gain hands-on experience.

Ag Adventure provides a great opportunity for younger students to experience agriculture firsthand while allowing FFA members to practice their leadership, communication, and teaching skills. The event also helps build connections between the elementary students and the West Grand Agricultural Education and FFA programs.

West Grand FFA would like to thank everyone who helped make Ag Adventure possible, including the students, teachers, volunteers, and individuals who helped provide animals for the event. We enjoyed sharing agriculture with our K–6 students and hope the experience sparked an interest and appreciation for agriculture!

Our 4th and 5th grade students are having so much fun learning science through hands-on experiments and activities!

They love exploring, making observations, asking questions, and discovering how things work. These experiences spark their creativity, curiosity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

We are proud to see them working together, using evidence to explain their ideas, and learning through experience. Their excitement shows that science is not just something we read about—it is something we can see, do, and discover!

The Kindergarteners practiced showing "Determination" - one of our values here at West Grand - while rescuing dinosaurs frozen in ice!

Band and choir have performed at Volleyball and Football games and are bringing an added energy to these events. The band will be adding more music to our football games for things such as touchdowns, sacks, fumbles etc.

Adeline Pederson auditioned for, and was accepted to, the National Honor Choir and will be performing in Carnegie Hall in New York in February. Congratulations, Addy!

The choir headed to the Fall Vocal Clinic on Monday October 5th and sang with many other schools from the Western slope.

Our Intro to Foundations of production and design class visited KFFR and learned how radio stations operate, how to engineer a recording and how to create announcements. This experience helped us to start recording the morning announcements for the Jr./ Sr. high school again. Now we have daily recorded announcements.

The High School Cross Country team tried a fun way to fundraise for the program. They hosted The Hot Wings Challenge at the Blacksmith Tavern one evening here in town. Coaches took questions, ate the hot wings, and had fun getting people excited to support the team. They raised over $1500 and filled the restaurant.

Coach Ryan Tripicchio will be running in this 17th Chicago Marathon later this month as well. Good luck, Coach!

All middle school fall seasons are all wrapped up including cross country, football, and volleyball. All teams had great seasons. Even though the middle school seasons are short, they are full of fun, work, and learning the game. Congratulations to our Middle School Mustangs!

*Check out the article and pictures from Coach Klotz regarding Middle School Football below.

The WGHS Spirit team hosted Mini-Spirit Camp earlier in September to prepare the young performers for their big debut at halftime of a home football game, and boy, did it pay off! The students put on a fantastic show and proudly showed off their Mustang Pride.

A big shoutout to our Mini-Spirit performers and the WGHS Spirit team for making halftime one to remember!

What a meaningful way to spend Friday Night Lights—coming together in unity, community, and remembrance.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this evening so special and to all who joined us in honoring and remembering 9/11. We are grateful for our Mustang community and how you showed up.

Did you know that you can watch all of the WGHS Mustang varsity HOME games via the NFHS network whether you are in Kremmling or not?

Visit: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/schools/west-grand-high-school-kremmling-co to set up your account and subscription today.

*Please note, WGHS does not receive proceeds from subscriptions as this is a NFHS platform.

The last week of September brought a fun, activity-filled Homecoming Week for the district.

Ms. Harmon sent out this message to the District this past weekend along with picture links:

Thank you to everyone who made West Grand Homecoming 2026 successful. The parents, the staff, Booster Club, the students, and the community; who are all amazing and make West Grand Great!

Here are the homecoming photos.

As always use pictures respectfully and kindly. Also, feel free to add pictures you took.

Here is the link for a photos this year.

​WGSD 2026-2027 School Year

Even the elementary kiddos got in on the Homecoming spirit with dress up days:

From local fields and ranches to the trays in the West Grand cafeteria!

West Grand School District is excited to participate in the Colorado Department of Education’s Local Food Program, which provides funding to purchase Colorado locally grown, raised, and processed food for our students.

A few weeks ago, our students enjoyed Mexican Chili made with locally raised ground beef! A big thank you to Farrell Livestock for providing the beef that helped make this meal possible. Our students—and our taste buds—were certainly grateful! It was yummy!

Programs like this provide a great opportunity to connect our students with the local agricultural community while bringing fresh, local food to their school meals.

Make sure to attend the FAFSA Night hosted at WG Jr/Sr High School coming up on October 21.

The Grand Foundation has presented their Opportunity Youth Fund Scholarships and one of West Grand's own has received this scholarship. Check out the article they released below:

During the September Professional Development Day, the WG teachers and staff were tasked with a "Chopped Challenge." Staff were put in random teams, given a recipe, ingredients and were told to go! The different products were then judged by an expert panel and given feedback.

The staff had fun while demonstrating that adults, too, can take risks, work together as a team, and learn new things.

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

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

*Submissions and pictures for this newsletter are sent in by West Grand staff. If there are specific things you want to see or hear about, let Mrs. Bauer know! Reach her at bauere@wgsd.us, on ParentSquare, or 970-724-3217.