Denise Shears reads a book to her class at Monroe Elementary in April. The teacher retired this year after 41 years of teaching first grade in Green River.
Saoirse Crooks runs through streamers at Peak Performance Physical Therapy during an event the facility held for local students to celebrate National Physical Theraphy Month in October.
A community is made up of its people, and in Green River and Sweetwater County, the community is made up of people who consistently achieve excellence and work hard to make improvements for everyone. In 2022, a number of community members received recognition for their hard work, and a number of organizations kept striving to enhance the quality of life locally.
Earning recognition
Several community members received awards and recognitions on a local and state level in 2022.
Debora Soulé, the director of the Community Fine Arts Center, was given the Governor's Arts Award at the beginning of the year.
In June, Heather Phillips from Monroe Elementary was named teacher of the year for Sweetwater County School District No. 2.
In July, Leah Kenison was named the Wyoming Food Service Director of the Year at the 31st annual Wyoming School Nutrition Association Annual Conference.
The littlest community member to be recognized this year, five-year-old Parker Upton went to Washington, D.C. for one week in the summer to compete in the Our Little Miss World's finals competition after winning the preliminary and regional pageants.
New leadership
A few community organizations saw a change in leadership in 2022.
Lindsey Travis took over as the Sweetwater County Library System director at the beginning of the year.
In the spring, Ruth Lauritzen started work as Golden Hour Senior Center's new director.
In the fall, Lori Lucero was announced as the new executive director for the Sweetwater County Child Developmental Center.
High school excellence
Green River High School had an impressive year in 2022, with students doing well in state and national competitions and the school receiving recognition and continually finding ways to improve and offer new opportunities.
In January, the GRHS cheer team earned a state title when they took first in the Co-Ed Stunt competition at the state championship. In February the team took fifth at the national competition in Orland, Florida.
In February, the Wolf Pack Dance Team competed at the State Spirit Competition, placing among several larger and more experienced teams.
In May, a group of GRHS students competed in the Wyoming SkillsUSA state championships, with a first place win in Cabinetmaking for Cole Murray and several other finishers in the top five in other competitions.
In June, eight GRHS students were among the 6,000 participants from 1,500 schools who competed in the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky.
In July, students and educators from Sweetwater County School District No. 2 attended the Jostens Renaissance Global Conference in Orlando, Florida, where Green River High School was recognized as a Silver Tier School of Distinction.
In September, GRHS celebrated their brand new culinary arts facility with a ribbon cutting.
At the end of the year, GRHS students earned recognition for their short films, which earned nominations and an award at the Cheyenne Youth Short Film Festival.
In December, the GRHS theater department earned a second place finish at the annual Wyoming Thespian Festival in Gillette, setting a new school record with 13 students receiving a total of 19 All-State recognitions.
A year of theater
This year was an important one for local theater in Sweetwater County, with established groups offering new productions and brand new theater companies making their debuts.
Green River High School's theater department kept busy with productions of "Dancing with the Green River Stars," "Comedy of Errors," "Steel Magnolias," and other smaller projects.
Western Wyoming Community College continued their tradition of doing a straight play and a musical each semester, with ambitious productions of "Once Upon a Mattress," "Uncle Vanya," "Alice in Wonderland," and "Chicago."
The Actors' Mission celebrated their 20th anniversary this year, and upheld their mission of feeding the body and nourishing the mind as they shared the plays "And So We Come Forth," "A Reason," "The Sweet Delilah Swim Club," and "Floyd Collins and the White Angels of Sand Cave." The group also hosted their first ever "24-Hour Page to Stage" event.
Two new local theater companies also hosted their premiere productions this year. The Horizon Theater, started by husband and wife team of Sarah and Cory Schaeperkoetter, shared three productions in their first year - "A Dreamer's Showcase," "The Importance of Being Earnest," and "A Christmas Carol." Another new company, The Starling Company, founded by Kenny Starling, debuted with a shadowcast production of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
New community opportunities
A number of local groups kept working to offer favorite yearly events as well as brand new events to keep contributing to the community.
The Sweetwater County Library System kept up traditions like the summer reading program and October Harry Potter Party while adding new opportunities at the libraries, including the board game collection introduced at the Sweetwater County Library in May.
The newly formed Sweetwater County PFLAG group hosted the first ever "Pride at the Park" event in June.
Green River Arts Council hosted the first of two new annual events - the first Sweetwater County En Plein Air competition in the fall and the first Christmas Lights Fest in December.
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