Kim Schuman, Nutrition Services’ head cashier at Freedom Elementary, has been selected as the Laramie County School District 1 Board Employee Spotlight for the month of September. 

Schuman is known for dedication and professionalism in her service to students, school staff and Nutrition Services coworkers. She makes a point of knowing every student by name and regularly visits with students after they have gone through her lunch line.  

Her colleagues describe her as a trusted team member and mentor who generously shares her knowledge with others. Schuman is known for her kindness, positive attitude, and stellar attendance.  

Her dedication, dependability and commitment to excellence have made a lasting and positive impact on the Freedom Elementary community.  

“She is a fierce advocate for all students and goes above and beyond to ensure they are not only fed, but also cared for and nurtured,” said Nutrition Services Supervisor Holly Cawley. 

Coyote Ridge Elementary and Gilchrist Elementary are the most recent additions to the Wyoming Purple Star Program’s recognized schools.  

The Wyoming Purple Star Program recognizes the efforts of kindergarten through 12th grade schools that are committed to and supportive of military students and their families as they transition to their new homes and schools.  

“When you’re a military kid and you have to be the new kid all the time, that takes a lot of courage, and we want to recognize that,” Maj. Gen. Gregory C. Porter said.  

Coyote Ridge and Gilchrist join Central High, East High, South High, McCormick Junior High, Anderson Elementary, Arp Elementary, Freedom Elementary and Jessup Elementary as Purple Star schools. Laramie County School District 1 schools make up 10 of the 11 Purple Star schools in Wyoming.  

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon spoke at Gilchrist’s award ceremony, and Wyoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder spoke at both the Coyote Ridge award ceremony and the Gilchrist award ceremony.  

“Our education system isn’t just about preparing you to memorize things from your textbooks, it’s about ensuring that you are becoming good American citizens,” Degenfelder said.  

“Thank you for being members of military families. Thank you for being classmates of folks who are in the military community and thank you for always caring for our great country,” Gordon said. 

East High IB Science classes took 92 students out to the Thomas O. Kraner Outdoor Education School, district-owned land near Granite Reservoir, for their Collaborative Science Projects.

The Collaborative Science Project is a requirement for the IB classes where students work in groups to come up with their own investigations, collect and analyze data, and present their findings. Each group has at least one student from Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, so the investigations push them to be aware of other modes of science.

At Anderson Elementary, Mrs. Woods' third grade class recognized the 25th anniversary of 9/11 by learning about one of the many heroic first responders, Welles Crowther.

Crowther helped lead several people to safety before ultimately losing his life while saving others. Survivors remembered a man wearing a red bandana over his face and each student in Mrs. Woods' class received a red bandana to symbolize honor, courage and bravery.

Students and staff at Henderson Elementary recognized the 25th anniversary of 9/11 by gathering around the flagpole, raising the flag and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes (LMC) has recognized Central High student Noah Make and teacher Aaron Kruger with two major honors in its national 2026 Discovery Award competition. Make earned the $6,000 Grand Prize for his documentary, Armin T. Wegnr Against the Silence, while Kruger received the $1,000 Outstanding Educator Award. Both were surprised at an in-person celebration at Central with LMC CEO Norm Conard.

The competition inspires students to uncover the stories of unsung heroes whose actions have had a profound impact on history yet remain largely unknown. This year, LMC awarded $24,500 in student prizes, along with additional recognition for educators and schools.

“This year’s Discovery Award competition drew a record-breaking number of entries, and the exceptional quality of so many projects made judging more difficult than ever,” Conard said. “These students brought curiosity, care and insight to the stories they uncovered. Their work helps us understand the lasting impact of unsung heroes and reminds us that each of us has the potential to make a difference.”

Make’s documentary tells the story of Armin T. Wegner, who risked his safety to document the Armenian Genocide. Through photographs and eyewitness testimony, Wegner preserved evidence of atrocities that the world might otherwise have forgotten. His determination to bear witness left a lasting historical record and demonstrated the courage of speaking out against injustice.

Through Armin T. Wegner Against the Silence, Make brings this overlooked story to a new generation. His documentary explores how one individual’s refusal to remain silent can preserve the experiences of victims and help future generations confront difficult truths about the past. The project reflects the Discovery Award’s mission to show how one person’s actions can make a lasting difference.

Kruger, the teacher who guided Make’s project at Central, was also honored for his work. His Outstanding Educator Award highlights the important role teachers play in encouraging students to investigate history, pursue meaningful research and share their discoveries with others. Kruger is also a nationally recognized 2024 LMC Fellow and 2021 Wyoming Milken Educator. 

The South Triad held it's third successful Reading Under the Lights event!

The evening began with a tailgate celebration and ended on the football field under the lights reading "Salt In His Shoes."

Baggs Elementary started the school year off strong with their first Energy Bus Pep Rally.

Students learned about the school's Energy Bus and what it takes to create a positive and energetic school community. They ended the rally with games and some friendly competition between students and staff!

Gilchrist Elementary kicked off the school year with a sportsmanship field day and color run.

The Cheyenne Schools Foundation held its annual Run for #1 5K on Saturday, Sept. 19, and it was a huge success. 

Participation in the event helps fund teacher grants for valuable and interesting projects around the district.

Learn more about Laramie County School District 1 through our monthly spotlight video series.

LCSD1 is partnering with the Laramie County Library to offer two student workshops designed to help guide students through the science project process in preparation for the science fair.

Two workshops will be available, Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. in the Early Literacy Center at the Laramie County Library.

To register for a workshop time, visit: https://tinyurl.com/2z24nkfu.

When students walk through the lunch line, they see the finished meal. What they may not see is the planning, coordination, and teamwork that happens long before that meal reaches their tray. At LCSD1 Nutrition Services, serving thousands of meals each day requires much more than preparing food. It takes careful planning, forecasting, purchasing, food safety, teamwork, and the ability to adjust when things don't go according to plan.

Menu planning starts long before lunch. Planning for the 2027–28 school year will begin in December 2026. We work to develop and finalize menus well in advance so we can ensure they meet USDA meal pattern requirements while also considering product availability, pricing, budgets, student preferences, and the practical needs of our kitchens. There is a lot to consider before a menu ever appears on a school calendar!

Every day, our cashiers estimate how many students are likely to eat each meal. We use information such as:

This information helps us make an educated prediction about how much food each school will need.

If we prepare too much, food and resources can be wasted. If participation is unexpectedly high, we may run short of a popular item. Feeding thousands of students means finding the balance between having enough food for everyone and minimizing waste.

School nutrition isn't quite the same as grocery shopping!

Our food must be:

A missing, delayed, or short delivery can affect an entire menu. Our team has to continually monitor deliveries and inventory so we can identify problems and make adjustments when needed.

School meals don't happen without our Nutrition Services team. Every day, people are working behind the scenes to:

Every meal represents the work of many people—not just the person serving it at the lunch line.

We are proud to serve more than 9,100 meals each day!

A school lunch isn't simply a collection of foods we think students will enjoy. School meals must meet USDA requirements for meal components and portion sizes. 

When planning and preparing meals, Nutrition Services staff must consider the appropriate amounts of:

Fruit • Vegetable • Grain • Meat/Meat Alternate • Milk

That means menu planning involves both nutrition and compliance. Every meal has to meet established requirements while also being practical to prepare and appealing to students.

Even the best plan doesn't always go exactly as expected. A delivery may be short. A piece of equipment may stop working. Participation may be higher than expected. A product may become unavailable. Staffing needs may change. When something unexpected happens, our Nutrition Services team has to adjust quickly while continuing to provide students with safe, nutritious, and reimbursable meals.

School meals are more than food. They are the result of planning, teamwork, problem-solving, and a lot of work happening behind the scenes. The next time you see a school meal, remember that there is an entire team of people working together to make it possible. We are proud of the people behind the tray and proud to serve LCSD1 students every school day.

The next Board of Trustees meeting will be held on Monday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. A work session will be held at 5 p.m. The meeting can be attended in person or via Zoom. It will also be livestreamed on YouTube. For more information about the Board of Trustees and for virtual meeting links visit https://www.laramie1.org/board-of-trustees.

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