Great Happenings this week in East Grand Schools.

• As part of our Homegrown Talent Initiative, Middle Park senior Katie Trail is interning at the county with the Criminal Justice Deptartment under Kelly Friesen. Katie got to train with the SWAT team in a simulated experience and train with the canine team.

Here’s what Katie had to say: “SWAT training was a great opportunity to see how the team works and how the canine is incorporated. It was fascinating to see how the dog works and what his specific jobs are on the team. My favorite part was putting on the bite suit and having the canine practice biting me. I would definitely do it again.”

• The kindergarten classes at Granby Elementary is super excited to start the new artist study on Edvard Munch. The students are learning about his famous painting “The Scream,” and how the eruption of Krakatoa influenced his painting.

• Our District Health Committee has prepared a cross-country ski trail around the high school and middle school fields. A big thank you to Peter Butrymovich from the town of Granby, who has graciously volunteered to groom our track. Peter plans to groom the track as needed, so do some snow dancing so we can keep a well groomed trail until school is out. A few items:

1. Please thank him if you see him as he is doing this for us for free.

2. Please do not cross-country ski across any fields, including baseball, soccer, or football, as this packs down the snow and makes it difficult to remove in warmer weather when teams begin their outdoor practices.

3. To keep it tracked out for cross-country, if you are walking the trail or snowshoeing, please stay to the side of the ski track area.

• A big thank you goes out to the Fraser Valley PAC for donating $1,000 toward the fifth-grade Ameritowne program. Our PAC’s work hard to support our schools and provide more opportunities for our kids.

• Fraser Valley Elementary is launching a Drink More Water campaign. As one of our School Health Improvement Plans for this year, we are encouraging students to drink more water throughout the day.

PE and Art have collaborated to get students excited about drinking more water by challenging them to “Design a Sticker” contest. In PE students were first educated with facts about the drinking water and how hydration and dehydration affects their bodies.

In the Art room, all students designed a sticker including facts, slogans, and artwork to encourage each other to drink more water. A design was selected from each grade level to be made into an actual sticker for all students and staff. A big shout out and congratulations to Claire Scott in kindergarten, Paizley White in first grade, Kiera Bodenstedt in second grade, Austin Hardie in third grade, Jaqui Flores-Hernandez in fourth grade, and Hayden Kielley in fifth grade.

• Our GC Crew program has had an exciting week carrying out our project on the judicial system. Students are conducting a mock trial that simulates a motion to suppress evidence from trial.

They are weighing questions about expectation of privacy, need for warrants, and how an independent entity may be determined to be operating under the color of law. We are grateful to the Granby Police Department for weighing in on these questions, as well as other ways in which officers protect the rights and safety of civilians. Officers Rector and Stark shared many great insights and we appreciated their input.

Crew also had the opportunity to visit with Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser when he joined the class virtually for a Q&A session last Wednesday. His position as AG allowed him to speak on the recent lawsuits surrounding the presidential election and how the actions of AGs from other states played a role in those cases.

Weiser also fielded questions about his role in the Obama and Clinton Administrations, how he is addressing the opioid epidemic, and how the state is changing the way it prosecutes people using banned substances. We were thrilled to have him dedicate his time and attention to our class and felt honored to have his candid perspective on issues that are most important to our students.

• Meanwhile, Crew is always on the move — for the first time, we’re able to get out and slide on snow. Thanks to a generous donation of equipment from Diana Lynn Rau at Grand Nordic, as well as individual donations from EGSD staff, each of our students is outfitted with Cross-Country ski gear that we’ll use on the MPHS Nordic Track, as well as on nearby trails. Thank you for your generosity!