Better Option for Students

The school district is reviewing the possibility of utilizing the former Aurora Loan Services complex. Although middle school students could safely remain in Bluffs Middle School during renovation, a better option has been provided by the City of Scottsbluff. This has proven as the most economically viable option while at the same time meeting high standards of safety for students and staff.

“Prior to the bond referendum we knew one of the challenges of a renovation would be identifying a flexible space that could house a portion or all of our student population. The Aurora Loan Services complex provides us a space where we can place our entire student body. Furthermore, by moving the entire student body out of the Bluffs Middle School, the renovation process timeline can be shortened by six to eight months. As a result, the renovation project will be completed by December 2010 instead of August 2011. In addition, the district, and ultimately the tax payers, will save over $250,000. This is an exciting start to the next phase of our long-term building and renovation plans”, said Superintendent Gary Reynolds.

Although the option of utilizing the former Aurora complex is not final, many staff, administrators and parents have expressed the hope that it will happen.

“Many patrons asked about the possibility of using the old Wal-Mart building, but at $1.4 million per year, this does not appear to be economically feasible. The City of Scottsbluff has been very gracious and cooperative in assisting our efforts to find a suitable, temporary location for our students. This temporary arrangement will address many of our concerns during the different phases of the construction process. The district firmly believes we should provide the best possible learning environment for our students during the renovation process and the use of the former Aurora Loan Services complex will help provide this environment,” said Principal Mike Mason.

Advantages for Students	Advantages for Teachers & Staff	Advantages for the Community
A classroom free of dust and allergens	One set up for the classroom	Savings of at least $250,000
A classroom free of distractions from construction workers and equipment	A sufficient planning space that is not utilized for additional classroom space	Shortened completion of the project (by 6 months)
Continuity for students without multiple changes due to different stages of the construction process	Ability to maintain the middle school concept much easier	Ample parking space for visitors
Accessibility in all areas for people with limited physical abilities, physical impairments or disabilities.	Ample parking space for teacher & staff parking
Safe drop-off and pick-up area for students

One Act Play Takes Second Place

Last weekend, Dec. 6th & 7th, the Scottsbluff Senior High One Act Play placed second in regional competition. Directed by Kara Rada, the play, entitled Defying Gravity by author Jane Anderson, was based upon the Challenger Disaster story. In addition to the team award, Aimie Adams and Sandra Shedd received outstanding acting awards.

Actors in the play included:

Aimee Adams	Staysha Adams	Margaret Baker
Heidi Belgum	Karenna Booth	Victoria Bravo
Stefanee Brock	Charity Burkey	Colter Burkey
Stephanie Burmeister	Alex Chain	Meghan Clemens
Rachel Clemens	Zach Durbin	Breanna Elley
Kelsey Empfield	Sara Frederick	Marie Garten
Chris Gonzales	Jackson Griess	Rachel Harvey
Sam Harvey	Jayme Haugen	Michael Huddleston
Ashleigh Huffaker	Ethan Hughes	Sara Jacobs
Joe Kozal	Kalyn Land	Nicholle Lang
Jessica Littlejohn	Asha Martin	Sydney Miller
Dexter Ott	Maddy Parsley	Sarah Peters
Meghan Prithcard	Nick Roussell	Katie Rueb
Aimee Schwab	Jonathan Shadegg	Sandra Shedd
Ashleigh Smith	Amy Svitak	Lizz Turnbo
Amber Uhlken	Bernardo Urrea-Calambas	Seth Wallace
Tyler Webber	Cassandra Weller	Andrew Wells
Taylor Ziegler

WNCC Teams Up with Westmoor

Each Tuesday and Thursday, 10-15 WNCC baseball players volunteer an hour of their time to mentor and work with K-4 students at Westmoor Elementary. "The coach, Mike Jones, mentioned an idea he had involving his baseball players. He mentioned they would be heading into their off-season soon and wondered if teachers could use any help . . . read more