Laramie County School District 1 Replaces, Renovates and Updates Facilities
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Ask anyone in Cheyenne about the schools, and you’ll hear “great,” and “top quality” used to describe them. These days, you’ll also hear “new” quite a bit.
Laramie County School District 1 is in the midst of a building boom. The district opened Freedom Elementary School in 2006 and Sunrise Elementary School in 2007. There are two buildings in the works this year as well – a rebuild of Baggs Elementary School and a new Triumph High School. Next up will be a new South High School and another two elementary schools.
All this action is allowing the district to replace, renovate and update its entire physical plant structure, which in some cases was long overdue, says Ted Adams, superintendent.
“We have 40-, 50- and 60-year-old buildings,” Adams says. “They needed to be renovated or replaced and, in the case of some of our new schools, made necessary by growth and development of the suburban and more rural areas of the city.”
Wyoming is unique in that it funds all major renovation or new construction within its school systems, which has made what could be a very lengthy process much more manageable for the district. A statewide review of facilities began about five years ago, with smaller districts being handled first. Cheyenne’s growing population and large student base was a little more complicated.
“We happen to be the largest school district in the state with 13,000 students, so we have a lot of projects,” Adams says. “When we’re finished, we’ll have three high schools, three junior highs and between 25 and 30 elementary schools. Seven or eight of those will feed each of the junior and high schools.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Brian McCord
