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Big Horn High principal outlines goals, data and student-centered initiatives
Summary
New Big Horn High principal Ryan Ferman presented school goals and initiatives to the Sheridan County School District #1 board, highlighting student proficiency metrics, dual/concurrent enrollment growth, staff changes and culture-building efforts including a rediscovered school fight song.
Ryan Ferman, introduced to the board as Big Horn High School’s new principal, laid out his priorities and early actions for the school during a presentation to the Sheridan County School District #1 board.
Ferman said he arrived intent on preserving the school’s legacy while addressing gaps. He presented a new crest and set of values — bravery, honor, heart and scholarship — and described an effort to boil campus expectations down to “work hard, be nice.” He framed classroom improvement work with a Rubik’s-cube analogy to explain progress from novice to mastery and described the district’s move to explicit proficiency scales and student-focused learning targets.
Ferman cited recent performance figures and recognition: he said the school is “right there” with about 80% of students at or above proficiency in reading and math, and he read a set of averages he said rank the school among the top in the state (an average noted as 22, with subject scores cited at math 21.5, reading 22.5 and science 21.5). He emphasized that these results are a baseline for improvement rather than a finish line.
He also described postsecondary preparations: 43 students are enrolled in dual concurrent courses and about 20 students leave campus daily for work-based learning. To support those transitions, he said he has reconfigured space on campus to create a student-centered dual-enrollment area where students can work more independently.
Ferman introduced new staff hires — Emily Mitchell (library), Shannon Mel (math), Clark Chzbro (CT&E and Woods) and Warren Bigler (AD) — and said the staff additions are already contributing to school culture. He recounted a search to re-find the Big Horn fight song (located in the Big Horn Middle School handbook) and played music while sharing the lyrics with the board.
The presentation closed with an invitation for questions; trustees praised the presentation and students in the audience, and the meeting proceeded to routine business.
