Craig Daily Press / Education

Moffat County School District on track to erase $340K deficit

Finance director: Long-range view is more uncertain

The Moffat County School District’s financial situation is looking brighter than it did eight months ago. In June 2011, school district finance director Mark Rydberg unveiled proposed changes to what was then a draft 2012 fiscal year budget that introduced $340,000 in deficit spending. The quarterly general fund report he recently gave to Moffat County School Board members, however, painted a more promising picture. Projected mineral revenues came in at nearly $346,000 more than budgeted. The unbudgeted windfall more than made up for the $170,000 less the district is expected to receive in total program funds, or the number of students multiplied by how much the state gives the district per student.

Craig boxer determined to rebound from recent 1st-round loss

Tyler Pogline said when Cletus Seldin knocked him down in the first round Saturday in Huntington, N.Y., he had no problem getting up. But it was the lack of pain, said Pogline, a 1998 Moffat County High School graduate, that was a key indicator of how hard Seldin hit him. “I really didn’t feel anything when I went down and I got right back up because I was in the heat of the moment,” he said. “But you know it is a hard hit when you don’t feel anything. I had never been hit that hard in my career.” Despite getting back to his feet, Pogline took two more overhand right hooks to the same spot on his jaw.

CMS girls basketball hosts Meeker in final home game

With only away games left in their season, Craig Middle School basketball coaches Alicia Townsend and Candi Hellander are confident their girls can finish strong while on the road. The seventh- and eighth-grade teams played their last home game of the season Saturday against Meeker, with some varied results. Eighth-grade coach Townsend chose to play only her B-team, which lost in a close 18-14 match-up, putting them at 2-3 for the year. “We wanted to get the B girls a few more chances to play, and I think it worked out well,” she said. “They played Meeker’s A-team and got some good playing time in.”

Moffat County hockey team struggles in Crested Butte

Rick Villa knows what the Moffat County Bulldogs club hockey team is capable of, but over the weekend, he didn’t see it. Villa, the Bulldogs head coach, said his players didn’t have the right attitude heading into Saturday and Sunday’s games against Crested Butte and Durango/Telluride, resulting in the team leaving Crested Butte with an 0-4 record. “We weren’t passing the puck and we weren’t playing aggressive,” Villa said Monday. “Crested Butte is a tough team, but we should be able to win against Durango.”

New assistant principal settling in at MCHS

After nearly two months, Moffat County High School now has a full roster of administrators. David Grabowski, former MCHS math teacher, started as the school’s interim assistant principal Jan. 23. He replaces Travis Jensen, a former assistant principal who resigned from the school district in December 2011. Grabowski, a veteran teacher with more than a decade of classroom experience, was settling into his new role Monday afternoon after his first week on the job.

CMS girls hoops dominates Soroco

In October 2011, seventh-grader Alex Hamilton experienced the joy of a sports season capped off with a huge win when her volleyball team took top honors at the district tournament. Now, she and her teammates are well on their way to repeating the success with a different sport. The Craig Middle School girls basketball teams were at the top of their games Thursday afternoon when they hosted the Soroco Rams. The Bulldogs’ seventh- and eighth-grade squads each overran their Oak Creek opponents from the opening tip. After taking the lead early in the first half, the seventh-graders had a comfortable 27-8 cushion at the close of the third quarter, with strong shooting from Mattie Jo Duzik and Josey King.

Moffat County School board takes action at workshop, meeting

At its workshop Thursday afternoon, the Moffat County School Board: • Reviewed policies 5510 and 5280, concerning student dress code and home-based education, respectively. • Heard a progress report from Maximum Commitment to Excellence, a grassroots group designed to bolster education in Moffat County. • Took a tutorial on the fiscal year 2012 budget revision and financial report.

Sunset Elementary dance program melds music and physical education

A lively Greek tune began to play, and clusters of fifth-graders began to move in synch to the music. “Five, six, seven, eight,” Susan Nicholson called into the microphone positioned at the front of the Sunset Elementary School gym. On Friday morning, the gymnasium looked more like the setting of a barn dance than a basketball game. Instead of T-shirts and shorts, most students wore button-up shirts and colorful blouses. Parents, some toting cameras, filled nearly every folding chair around the gym’s perimeter.

Moffat County School Board work session, meeting agendas for Jan. 26, 2012

Moffat County School Board work session When: 4 p.m. Thursday Where: Moffat County School District administrative building, 775 Yampa Ave. Agenda:

Reading and a twist of fun

Thursday’s literacy carnival designed to get children hooked on reading

Fishing can be a way for a child to hone his or her reading skills — if that child is fishing for words, that is. Playing putt-putt golf or cooking up a recipe can accomplish that goal. These and other games at Thursday’s literacy carnival are tailored to show parents “that they can turn reading into games,” said Amy Jones, a kindergarten teacher at Sunset Elementary School and co-president of the Sagebrush Reading Council, which is hosting the annual event. “Even though your child may not always want to sit down and listen to a book there’s other ways you can engage them in literacy,” she said.

Guest Commentary: Lance Scranton: 'Lead, follow, or get out of the way'

History is important, but what’s more critical is how you move forward. A wise community member referred to momentum a couple of weeks ago during the Booster Club meeting. Getting something started and changing a mindset can be incredibly difficult. If you attended the basketball game Friday night at Moffat County High School, you can see changes are happening. Led by athletic director Jeff Simon, the atmosphere was great. The band was playing, fans were cheering, and athletes were hard at work on the court. But, the Bulldogs came up short in both contests. Some might argue all the effort put forth to watch our team lose was wasted momentum.

Singer/songwriter uses music to teach CMS students about writing

With his black jeans, embroidered Western shirt and cowboy boots burnished to a sheen, Monte Selby looked like he just stepped from a Nashville recording studio. That impression isn’t far from truth. Selby, a singer/songwriter from Boulder, was on an independent label in the Tennessee music hub. He’s been stringing together lyrics since he was a child and has a few CDs under his name. But, there’s more to this musician than meets the eye. He’s also a former educator with a doctorate degree and these days he’s on the road, but not for what you might expect.

CNCC art, literary magazine seeking submissions for 2012 publication

The story starts outside a honky-tonk joint in a sweltering, gritty, west Texas town. A faithful dog sits inside a 1957 Ford Ranchero, waiting patiently for his master to return. In a moment, this dog’s life will be upended by impulsive act. He’ll be forced to make his way in a land dominated by oil rigs, rattlesnakes and roughnecks with hands stained black by the lifeblood that fuels this region. Thus begins “Instinct and Consequences,” a short story written by Craig resident Mary Morris and published in the 2010 edition of “Waving Hands Review,” Colorado Northwestern Community College’s art and literary magazine.

Craig woman merges love for art with passion for teaching

When Deb Coniff talks about art, she doesn’t use esoteric terms or complicated jargon. Instead, she talks about what she believes art is really like—personal, expressive and sometimes, a little unpredictable. “I’ll sit down with same-sized pieces of clay to do a set of mugs or bowls,” she said, “and each one — the clay kind of says, ‘No, I want to do this.’ “And so, I let it. …. I have more of a conversation than a dictatorship,” the 53-year-old said, laughing. She’s helped others discover art over the decades by offering lessons and, she believes most importantly, encouragement.

CMS girls basketball teams having success using the basics

The main focus for the Craig Middle School girls seventh- and eighth-grade basketball teams this season has been getting the girls prepared for high school ball. With help from Matt Ray, Moffat County High School girls varsity basketball coach, the teams are learning the new offense Ray installed for his team last season. So far, so good, as both the seventh- and eighth-grade A-teams have started the season 4-0 and the B-teams have only lost one game apiece. “It is a good offense to teach the girls ball movements and to always look to get open,” seventh-grade coach Candi Helladner said. “For Matt, it will make it easier for him because the girls won’t have to taught the basics again and they can make more progress as a team that way.”