Residents make 2018 memorable

Green River residents were busy making the community proud with their dedication, hard work, creativity and volunteerism.

Last year, 2018 kicked off with the Green River High School Speech and Debate team becoming nationally recognized.

The team was named one of the top 100 schools in the National Speech and Debate Association for the 2016-17 school year and was ranked 59 out of more than 3,000 schools nationwide.

The team went on to take second at state and first at the WindRiver District Tournament where they qualified 13 for nationals. Those qualifiers were Victoria Allen, Abigaile Grubb, Caeden Grubb, Rachel Heisinger, Dallin Hoyt, Atlin Johnson, Lynzi Johnson, Jesse Lauze-Reyes, Gregory Marchal, Patrick Marchal, Matthew Pickering, Rebecca Shamer and Ramsay Taliaferro. A. Grubb and G. Marchal received awards at nationals for qualifying all four years of high school,

Also in January, Christine Alethea Williams, who's pen name is Alethea Williams, the author of "Nààpiikoan Winter" received third place from the Will Rogers Medallion Award Committee in the inspirational fiction category. She also received a bronze from the Independent Publisher Book awards in the Best Regional E-Book, fiction category. This book was also a finalist in the Laramie Awards and Goethe Awards.

Last year, both the Green River and Rock Springs communities broke their old blood donation record when 701 pints of blood was collected. Green River edged out on top by collecting 357 pints, while Rock Springs collected 344.

The communities' friendly competition once again helped when $58,227.03 was raised for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Green River won the fundraising challenge between the two schools, collecting $28,500.79 to Rock Springs' $24,591.51.

In March, the GRHS "We the People" program asked the community for help to raise enough money to pay for a trip to Washington D.C., to compete on a national level. The "We the People" program is a curriculum used in many schools across the nation to encourage and spark students interest and participation in civics education. Essentially, what this program is based around is the Constitution.

Students Alex Davis, Mary Harris, Savrina Karimi, Sam Bayles, Atlin Johnson, Liam Pickering, Alondra Hamilton, Dallin Hoyt, Kelci Revelli, Karlee Cutler, Jesse Lauze and Levi Hren went to Washington D.C., with teachers Erin Freeman and Leah Hoblit competed and came in 30th in the nation and second in the Midwest Regional category. In April, Mary Harris and Abby Alcorn both submitted applications to the American Legion Tom Whitmore Post No. 28 and were accepted to attend Girls State. In June they both attended Girls State and enjoyed the experience.

Also in April, local radio personality Steve Core was named Green River's Distinguished Citizen of the Year.

In July, American Legion National Commander Denise Rohan stopped by the Green River post as part of her year-long United States and world tour. Rohan, a Wisconsin native, has been on the road visiting various American Legion Posts since she took over as commander last August during the American Legion's 99th conference. Rohan was the first woman ever elected as national commander.

Also in July, Kathy Stanton, a Green River Science, Technology, Engineering and Math teacher, attended the Honeywell Educators at Space Academy, which took place in Huntsville, Ala., at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Stanton was one of the 200 worldwide who were accepted for the HESA program, which was completely paid for through scholarships.

Making the city a more beautiful place was also something that occurred in 2018 and a mural project the URA/Main Street Committee commissioned was completed. Through an open-call process, the committee discovered artists Andrei Krautsou and his wife, Julia Yu-baba. The mural, which took about a week for Krautsou to paint showcases wild horses, trains and Castle Rock.

In August, sophomore Mya Tollefson of Girl Scout Troop 1041 earned the Girl Scout Silver Award for her journey project. After a lot of research, Tollefson hosted a program about calling 911 in an emergency and the students received a first-aid kit. Tollefson just didn't hand out the kits, but showed students how to use the items in the kit. She also gave a presentation on the signs and symptoms of hypothermia. Each student received a space blanket and had the opportunity to practice treating hypothermia by wrapping another student in the blanket.

Also in August, Levi Hren, a GRHS student, attended Boys State through the American Legion and then attended Boys Nation in Washington D.C. Two representatives from 49 states attend the annual event to learn about the structure and functions of federal government.

GRHS Mary Harris once again made her way to Washington D.C. to accept Congressional Award Gold Medal. She is joined by U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Mike Enzi, and Wyoming U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney. Harris joined 441 youths from across 41 states to received the medal. For a minimum of two years, each Gold Medalist logs at least 800 hours across four program areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition and exploration.

At the end of August, Green River residents were once again treated to beautiful 2-D and 3-D art pieces made by visiting and local artists for the Art of the Green competition. Each year, those who participate in the competition are asked to create a piece, whether it be sculpted in clay or painted in watercolors or oil, in a 24-hour period. During this time, residents can visit with the artists while they work.

Also in 2018, thanks to Local Girl Scout Troop No. 1932 children with disabilities can swing in an expression swing at Collier Park. The face-to-face expression swing allows children and their parents to experience what it's like to ride a swing together. The parents ride on one side of the swing facing their child who is sitting on the seat of the swing. For some children with disabilities, this might be the first time they ever had the opportunity to swing.

In September, Southwest Wyoming hosted the 2018 American Radio Relay League Wyoming Section Convention at the Sweetwater County Events Complex, quite possibly making it the first time the conference was hosted in Southwest Wyoming. About 60 ham-radio enthusiasts from Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Idaho attended the event. In October, Green River resident Kayla Vigil and her fiancé, David Clinton, shared how a 4-wheeling accident changed their lives forever and the daily struggles Vigil still goes through as a result of the accident, which occurred July 27.

Also in October, Jack and Debbie Leathers shared their story about how their cabin was saved from the Roosevelt Fire while others lost their homes. The Leathers were happy their future retirement home was spared, but at the same time felt sad for those who lost their homes.

In November, Boy Scout Troop 78 member Nathan Nelson earned his Eagle Award for building and placing bat houses along the Greenbelt pathway and Scotts Bottom area. He believes this project will help the community by keeping the mosquito population down.

Also in November, Nancy Johnson's Monkey Class at the Green River Sweetwater County Child Development Center visited the Animal Control Shelter to see how dogs would react to the dog donuts they made and fed them. The field trip was a success.

At the end of November, GRHS students Vincent Leahy and Kassandra Reyes won the Taco John's culinary competition in Wyoming for their new creation called the quesadilla burrito. Not only will their creation make it onto the menu in the summer of 2019, they both received $500 scholarships to their college of choice.

City employee Kristine Lessard wrapped up the year with decorating most of city hall with Christmas trees, most hold a very special place for Lessard. It's her way of sharing the sprit of Christmas with others.