October 9, 2024 |
Photo – Governor Gordon speaking to Hanna residents – by Matt Copeland Bigfoot99
The Governor of Wyoming came to Hanna this week to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the elementary school.
The town of Hanna was founded in 1889 by the Union Pacific Coal Company. Since that time, miles of coal mines were dug beneath the town. When the mining companies were finished extracting coal from a particular area, they left the mine shafts as they were. As the decades passed, the underground cavities collapsed, causing the ground above to sink into the mines.
As the Wyoming Abandoned Mine Lands Division puts it, old town Hanna is built above many voids – as was the former Hanna Elementary School, located at 2nd and School Streets.
Abandoned Mine Lands spent decades in Hanna filling the old coal mines. However, in the mid 2010’s, AML discovered that the Hanna Elementary School building had been damaged by the underground collapses. The decision was made to build a new school roughly 200 yards to the north. The new Hanna Elementary School was completed on October 7th, 2014.
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Hanna Elementary School, Carbon County School District Number Two hosted a special event on Monday evening. Superintendent Darrin Jennings, Principal Jackie Jones, and teacher Sarah Jones were joined by Governor Gordon for the occasion.
The event began with the elementary school students singing the national anthem. Afterwards, Principal Jones explained how, ten years ago, the Hanna Elementary School opened under the leadership of then-principal Ed McAtee.
After Principal Jones’s remarks, elementary school teacher Sarah Jones presented a history of education in Hanna. Jones said the first two-room schoolhouse in Hanna opened in 1891 under Principal Cuddlebeck. Jones said Mr. Cuddlebeck, who’s first name appears lost to history, instituted the first Hanna school fundraiser Christmas show to purchase supplies for the students.
The original schoolhouse later became a miner’s boarding house and then the Hanna hospital.
Next, Superintendent Darrin Jennings thanked the school board members who greenlit the construction of the new school. Jennings said the people of Hanna are what make the new Hanna Elementary School special.
Following Superintendent Jennings, Governor Gordon explained that the public school system in Wyoming is the best in the country. The governor said the entire community comes together to ensure their children are properly educated.
Governor Gordon told the Hanna Elementary School students that the state, and specifically the town of Hanna, are on the forefront of energy production. The governor assured the people that coal and uranium, found in Hanna and the nearby Shirley Basin, will power the future of the country.
Governor Gordon explained how the beauty and wildlife of northern Carbon County are unmatched and how lucky the students are to live in Hanna. Like Owen Wister in 1885, the governor said Wyoming draws people looking for an authentic experience.
After Governor Gordon finished, the Hanna Elementary School staff provided free hotdogs and snacks for the roughly 200 attendees.
