October 24, 2022 |
The year is off to a good start at Rawlins Middle School. Five years ago, the middle school began using a teaching philosophy they call “Colt Learning Lab”, or CLL. Fundamental Skills and Activities Coordinator, Ryan Puckett, explained a little more about what CLL means.
Pictured above: Rawlins Middle School students from Ms. Heatherington’s class with Principal Ryan Searle, Vice-Principal Jacinda Waldrip, and Charli Heatherington. Photo by Matt Copeland/Bigfoot 99.
For the first two years, CLL was entirely academic based. Over the past three years, school staff have included more social and behavioral concepts into the curriculum. Each month, the school focuses on a different task, usually involving community involvement.
September’s CLL assignment was to sell tickets for a pig raffle. Principle Ryan Searle explained how the process works.
Last year’s raffle netted the school a little over $4,000. Last month, the kids blew that number out of the water by raising $6,100. The highest earning class was Charli Heatherington’s. Her students brought in $876 by themselves.
Bigfoot 99 was invited to talk with Ms. Heatherington’s students. When asked how they managed to sell so many tickets, the kids said they had multiple strategies. They didn’t rely on just one tactic.
Ms. Heatherington’s students, Calab and Slater, sold the most tickets in the entire school. They took two different approaches. Calab’s dad brought in sales from his job, while Slater’s mom relied on social media to get the word out.
The raffle money raised by the children is used to incentivize them to perform well on state required testing. Last year, the school used the money to send the students to an amusement park in Utah. Principle Searle said he thinks they will go there again if the students do well on the Wy-Topp.
Ms. Heatherington’s students aren’t the only winners at Rawlins Middle School. The 7th grade Colts football team went undefeated this season. Under the guidance of Coach Zach Scholl, the Colts stomped the competition. They managed to keep two teams from scoring anything at all.
When asked what their favorite moment from the season was, the entire team agreed it was their victory over the Rock Springs Jaguars.
With a team motto of “Run Hard, Play Hard,” the Colts showed their rival’s, the Douglas Bearkits, just how hard they could play. Winning that final game of the season cemented the 7th grade Colts’ 6-0 winning streak.
Playing hard comes with its share of risks. The team was unanimous about the most common injuries they suffered.
In his third year of coaching, Zach Scholl has taken lessons from varsity coach David Hastings, and incorporated them into his winning strategy. Scholl said the Colts took each game one at a time. With each victory, the community was getting more excited. Once the idea of an undefeated season was on the table, Scholl made sure the team stayed focused.
Coach Scholl trained the Colts to try their hardest every time they took the field. He made sure the team treated every practice as seriously as a season defining game. Scholl said he expects the best from his players.
Every 7th grade Colt team member said they would play again next year. With their roster intact, the idea of an undefeated 8th grade Colts season isn’t out of the question.
