June 6, 2025 | The Silver World Newspaper

Seven Lake City Community School Students Receive Diplomas as the Class of 2025 Graduates May 31

The grounds of Lake City Community School played host to more than a hundred celebrants as well as teachers, staff, and Board on Saturday, May 31.Under bright skies the LCCS graduating class of 2025 received their diplomas and opened the door to the future.Following the Pledge of Allegiance led by the kindergarten and 1st grade students Superintendent Rebecca Hall addressed the crowd. Displaying gentle good humor and keen insight of her students, Hall spoke of the sound of dedication, which is not found in the loud celebrations of milestones or in front an audience’s applause. Instead, she found the sound of dedication in quiet rooms, the effort marked by click clack, pause, and resume. The hum of the lights, the quiet voice from the next classroom, and the concentration of students is where greatness grows.Chosen by the graduates as the keynote speaker was Mindy McClung, World Language Teacher. McClung began by thanking her fellow teachers for their support of the students but noting that the students themselves provided the persistence, resilience, and commitment to growth that took them to the threshold of their lives.McClung went on with observations of each of the graduates gleaned from her years with most of them. She admired the way that Dawson Brown dug deeper into their studies of ASL (American Sign Language) to better understand deaf culture, adding depth to his language study.Silas Fox drew many superlatives for his work in her language labs, with McClung describing him as a steady and uplifting presence exhibiting thoughtful leadership. She went on to praise Priya Hartman for her kindness, generosity, and helpful attitude.Continuing her observations, McClung called out Leland Hudgeons for his loyalty to family and his commitment to always being his true self. Fellow classmate Titus Humphreys demonstrated quiet determination and a strong sense of purpose, often leading by doing.McClung’s insights continued by noting Ava Wingard’s spark, her ability to turn ordinary moments into something special, and her ability to give her all at all times. Noting that she had not had as much time with KC Wuest as with her other student, McClung was nonetheless able to point to his sense of humor and quick wit, his ability to be himself in all situations.McClung concluded her remarks by urging the graduates to take their curiosity with them into the world and that learning is a lifelong journey.As is the custom at LCCS, the graduates each took turns addressing the crowd of well-wishers.KC Wuest spoke with brevity, thanking his family and teachers, and remarking on future unknowns.Dawson Brown pointed out the bittersweet moment of graduation, noting that he did not like school but that he has shared many good memories with friends and family. Dawson had particular thanks for his family, especially his brother Dean. He was particularly grateful to his teachers for recognizing his struggles and offering him what he needed in the moments.Leland Hudgeons followed that with a touching tribute to a childhood friend lost to a tragic accident recently. After thanking his family and fellow graduates, he reminded everyone to remember those who have been lost and to not take loved ones for granted.Titus Humphreys made note of the transition of leaving childhood behind and moving into adulthood. He spent time thanking his extended family, and shared a quote from Nicola Tesla, “The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane.” Like Tesla, Titus looks to make a mark on the world. Ava Wingard took the podium to remind the onlookers that each day is long but the years are short. Ava spoke eloquently about her family and the lessons they provided for her. She also amused the crowd with a story involving some of her fellow graduates when they were in kindergarten, illustrating one of the peculiarities of a small school system.“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness, streams in the wasteland.” (Isiah 43:19) Priya Hartman spoke of the importance of doing new things and how that is possible knowing that one has a secure home base. She thanked her extensive family for her loving and sometimes riotous upbringing.Rounding out the afternoon was Silas Fox, who spoke about the experience of being in a small town and an even smaller school and the unexpected connections this can build. Silas explained that his connection to Lake City was not supposed to happen in the first place but for a fortuitous set of circumstances that brought him from Kazakhstan to the San Juan Mountains.Silas is also credited with bringing two special guests to the ceremony, former State of Colorado Representatives Kathleen Curry and Barbara McLachlan. Silas’ friendship with McLachlan dates back to an early school trip to the State Capitol. He found both of them to be inspirational mentors that fostered his love for politics and his decision to pursue a degree in Political Science.The commencement ceremony moved quickly through the presentation of candidates and awarding of diplomas. The crowd was boisterous in its approval of each graduate and the recessional led to celebratory cupcakes on the school lawn.

June 6, 2025 No Comments

Lake City Residents Urged to be Bear Aware, Keep Bears Wild.

Black bear activity is picking up across Colorado, and several of the state’s mountain communities are already dealing with conflicts between humans and bears.Colorado Parks and Wildlife has responded to several incidents of attractant-based behavior from bears this year across the western half of the state. Many of those incidents were tied directly to bears trying to access trash, bird feeders and other attractants, including hobby chickens.On the heels of a bear attack on a human in Lake City last fall, CPW District Wildlife Manager Lucas Martin wants to remind the community to be aware of bear activity and offers tips on how people can do their part to keep bears wild.“Now is the time of year to secure your trash, refrain from feeding birds or other wildlife and be aware of open windows and doors on cars and structures,” Martin said. “With the hot and dry weather thus far this year, communities might experience a very active bear year similar to last year. Lake City is also still having overnight frosts and snow flurries that may wreak havoc on natural bear foods. If natural food for bears is delayed or unavailable, it greatly increases potential for human-bear conflicts.”The vast majority of conflicts between people and bears can be traced to human food, garbage, pet food, bird seed or other attractants. When people allow bears to access food, a bear’s natural drive to eat can overcome its wariness of humans, resulting in what biologists call habituation. Bears that get too comfortable around people can destroy property or even become a threat to human safety.“Conflict potential between humans and bears increases when human food sources draw bears into our communities,” said CPW Area Wildlife Manager Brandon Diamond. “Bear conflict management becomes increasingly challenging when sows and cubs are present. In a perfect world, we’d work collectively to avoid scenarios where bears learn at an early age to associate towns and trash with food, creating generational issues. The reality is that CPW cannot allow highly habituated, dangerous bears to reside in our communities, so we need to be proactive in avoiding those situations.”Martin credited the Lake City community for its work in investing in bear-resistant trash cans and dumpsters the past 20 years with help from Utah’s Sanitation and Lake City Friends of the Bears.“With that being said, the community needs to remain vigilant in its efforts to keep bears out of trouble on an annual basis,” Martin said.Being near wildlife usually delights Colorado residents and our visitors. But when wildlife gets too close, the risk of conflict increases, and wildlife loses. The key to avoiding conflict is keeping wildlife from getting too close in the first place.“Complacency is what hurts our bears,” said Diamond. “Don’t let a low bear conflict year deceive you – we live in bear habitat and we should consciously avoid bear conflict every year regardless of conditions.”It is critical to remove easy access to food for bears. Unsecured trash remains the leading cause of conflict in Colorado. Residents should also keep pet food inside, not leave out water and burn food off barbeque grills and clean them after each use.CPW recommends not feeding birds. Bird feeders, including hummingbird feeders, attract bears and other wildlife and can contribute to the spread of disease. Commonly, bird feeders are what starts the conflict cycle with bears. Even feeders hung high in trees or on homes can be reached by bears that will eagerly climb trees and poles to reach the high-calorie treat.For properties with fruiting trees or bushes, pick fruit before it ripens and clean up fallen fruit to avoid luring wildlife to your yard.Never leave food, trash, coolers, air fresheners or anything that smells – makeup, lotion, sunscreen – in your vehicle or in the bed of a truck. Roll up your windows and lock your vehicle, as bears can learn to open unlocked vehicles.It is also important to close and lock home windows and doors, including garage doors and pet doors.“We all need to do our part to be good neighbors to our black bear population,” Martin said. “If a bear is around your property, please haze it away and make it feel uncomfortable being near human-occupied areas. Yell, bang pots and pans, set off car alarms or use other means to haze bears away and keep them from getting comfortable.”CPW appreciates getting reports of bear activity early so intervention and education can take place before behavior escalates to conflicts. To report bear activity, call the CPW Gunnison office at 970-641-7060.

June 6, 2025 No Comments

Day: June 6, 2025

Seven Lake City Community School Students Receive Diplomas as the Class of 2025 Graduates May 31

Lake City Residents Urged to be Bear Aware, Keep Bears Wild.