Rotary Club of Casper WY
Meeting Summary
09/14/2015
President John Starnes called the meeting to order promptly at 12:25 and extended a “Happy Welcome” to everyone in attendance!!
Inspiration, Pledge, 4-Way Test:
John Griffith
Greeters: Greg Brondos and Heidi Foy were the greeters today and Greg introduced guests:
Visiting Rotarians from Lander, Bill and Mike Sniffin, were introduced, as well as Lynn Lockhart with Five Trails Rotary.
Dennis Lower introduced Brett Johnson;
Chad Nelson introduced Tim Chenowith;
Bill DeGrave introduced Erin Essary;
Heidi Foy introduced Angela Puffer;
Susie McMurry introduced Fred Catchpole;
Steve Shive introduced Fred Feth;
Roy Cohee introduced Darren Divine;
President John then announced that we had a 30-year Rotarian celebrating his club anniversary today ………. Don Harris!! President John presented him with a “Be a Gift to the World – 4 Way Test Coin.” Lots of applause ensued….
Song and Merriment:
Dennis Lower entertained us with a great joke and then Gary Pehrson asked us to, “Please Rise………” and led us in singing “In the Good Old Summertime,” with Brenda Peters on the piano. (She wasn’t actually on the piano; she was playing it).
To add to the merriment, President John had club members stand if their college football teams had won their games over the past weekend (unfortunately Wyoming had not). The member whose team had scored the most points was Brett Ladenberger (Nebraska). He received a 4-way test coin too.
Family of Rotary:
It was announced that Five Trails member, Lynn Lockhart, had lost her sister and the service was now. It was also announced that Stephanie Reid had gotten married. Congrats!!!
Rotarians of the Week:
Lori Klatt nominated John Griffith and new member, Mary Keurnig, for organizing the outstanding NicFest Art Show this past weekend. Tara Short nominated Diane Treick for calling all of the Duck Derby prize winners over the weekend. Diane Treick nominated Sandy Widmer for being the point-of-contact for the Duck Derby prize pick-up. Pam Walker nominated Brad Cundy and John Lawson for coordinating the party at Rotary Park for our Brazilian Friendship Exchange guests this Thursday night; Tim Havasi and Guy DeWitt for donating their boats for the visit; and Bill DeVore for making the arrangements with Greiner Schmidt Motors for 2 SUV’s to transport them. John Patterson nominated Kevin Hawley for the DDA’s successful presentation to the Wyoming Business Council for a $500,000 Enhancement Grant for the downtown plaza last Thursday.
Students of the Month:
Will resume in October.
Club Announcements:
- Pam Walker ran through the schedule for the Brazilian Friendship Exchange.
- Dusty Johnson announced that the annual Kids Against Hunger food-packing event for Rotarians will be Sept. 30th at 5:30 p.m. at Highland Park Church.
- Brian Deurloo announced that the Duck Derby prize list will be posted at the club meeting next week to have club members’ help with the final distribution.
- Deb Theriault informed the members that the Greeters and Inspiration Sign-up sheet is being passed through the club meeting today.
- Doug McLaughlin presented a club banner from Gimli, Manitoba, Canada from a recent motorcycle trip there.
- Hal Hutchinson announced that the semi-annual Highway Cleanup will be Saturday, October 24th at 9 a.m. More info will come.
- Liz Becher announced that the 9th Annual Platte River Revival is Saturday, Sept. 26th and that Rotarians are critical to the success of this community event. A sign-up sheet is on each table.
- President John announced that a draft of the Club Directory will be available next week for members to check their personal contact information. He also stated that District Assembly will be Saturday, October 3rd in Cheyenne and the club will pay for members to attend. Just let him know if you are interested.
Special Presentation:
President John presented Susie McMurry with a sponsor pin for sponsoring Chandra Ortiz.
Classification Talk:
Chandra Ortiz introduced herself to the club members today. She had worked in social services for 18 years, particularly working with children. She has been the Executive Director of CASA for the past 5 years. She has served on a variety of state boards, and is the current president of Casper Family Connections. She is married to local attorney, Scott Ortiz, and they have five daughters. Chandra thanked her sponsor, Susie McMurry, for inviting her to join Rotary.
Program (Natrona County School District):
PE Jim Ruble introduced our speaker for today, NCSD Superintendent – Steve Hopkins. Mr. Hopkins was appointed two years ago to serve in this capacity for our community, having been with the NCSD for a number of years as their CFO. His program highlighted 3 areas of the District’s strategic goals: School Construction, School Finances, and Challenges to Improve Education.
School Construction - KWHS ($96M) will be completed in the winter 2016, with move-in planned for summer 2017. This project is ahead of schedule.
NCHS ($114M) is being completed in phases and is on schedule to be totally done in summer 2018. Lincoln Elementary School ($16M) in North Casper has just been completed and school is in session. DMJH ($16M) is undergoing a major interior remodel and will be done in January 2016. Bar Nunn Elementary ($7M) will have an addition completed in summer 2017. The old CYJH ($17.5M) is being refurbished into a new elementary school. Part of the existing structure will be demolished. Project will be completed for school to start in fall 2017. Roosevelt/CAPS ($46M) is under construction in the Mesa Addition. It is planned for completion in spring 2016, and will open for students in fall 2016. In total, over $300M will be spent in capital construction, funded from coal lease bonus).
School Finances - Funding is provided from the State tax base (80% comes from the extractive industries).
Challenges to Improve Education - Staff and students in the NCSD total 16,000. The School Board and Trustees have created high expectations for student success in their 1 pg. 2015-2019 Strategic Plan – 1) Higher rate of graduation and preparation; 2) More literate students; 3) Accountability that will exceed Legislative goals; and 4) Improved customer service with a focus on safety, health, and operational efficiency.
President John announced that next week’s program will be the Wyoming Community Foundation and we will be at the Parkway Plaza.
He adjourned the meeting at 1:28 p.m.
“Be a Gift to the World”
