CBCS reports record student numbers as school begins

729 students show up for grades K-12 

By Aimee Eaton

As the traffic on Highway 135 at eight in the morning indicated, the 2017-2018 school year kicked off Monday with the Crested Butte Community School reporting a total enrollment of 729 students—up from about 700 last year.

The majority of those new kids are joining the kindergarten class.

“We had 39 kindergarteners last year and this year we have 64,” said CBCS elementary school principal Sally Hensley. “The other grades have shifted around a bit in more or less a typical ebb and flow.”

Overall, the elementary school is up 23 students, resulting in the addition of two full-time teaching positions, and the shifting around of existing teachers to meet the needs of each grade level. The middle school saw an increase of five students to the sixth-grade class, while the high school’s enrollment remained flat from last year.

“As of today, there are 377 secondary students enrolled,” said CBCS secondary principal Stephanie Niemi. “There are 167 students in the middle school and 210 students in the high school. The entire school enrollment is 729. Twenty years ago, we opened the new school with 302!”

The Community School has the capacity to serve 750 students, a figure that school officials believe will be surpassed within the next two years. The Gunnison Watershed School District is working on a graduated plan to accommodate more students. The plan includes shared classroom space, modular space, and eventually a new building.

Today, however, the Community School is meeting the needs of a larger student body by increasing staff and filling open positions. Overall this year, CBCS has filled eight open and four new positions. Five of those positions serve the elementary school, four provide assistance to both the elementary and secondary schools, and two teach in the high school.

“I am still looking for a special education aide and the district needs another bus driver for Crested Butte,” said Niemi.

Within the elementary school, Keely Moran will lead the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program. This is the first official year of the program, which ran as a pilot program in the 2016-17 school year. STEM is designed to introduce students to critical thinking and problem-solving skills with a hands-on approach. Emphasis is placed on encouraging female students in the fields of science and math, and on group work.

The elementary school will host a Back to School Night and pizza/lasagna dinner for all students and their families on Thursday, September 7 beginning at 5 p.m., with dinner at 6:30. Prior to the events, there will be an open reception beginning at 4:30 p.m. for the new Sensory Garden that was built at the school in collaboration with local non-profit Mountain Foods.

“The garden is in front of the library and is really looking great,” said Hensley.