Midwest Schools

Public school in Midwest, Wyoming, USA

Midwest Schools

Address

256 Lewis

Midwest

Wyoming

82643

United States

Coordinates| 43°24′32″N 106°16′26″W﻿ / ﻿43.40902°N 106.27390°W﻿ / 43.40902; -106.27390
Information
Type| Public
School district| Natrona County School District
Principal| Paula Chapman
Grades| K–12
Enrollment| 149[1] (2022-2023)
Color(s)|  Maroon and White [2]
Athletics conference| WHSAA Class 1A
Website| Midwest Schools

Midwest Schools or Midwest School, or Midwest High School is a public school located in the town of Midwest, Natrona County, Wyoming that serves the surrounding area, including the town of Edgerton, the city of Casper, and unincorporated area of Natrona County[3] The school has a pre-kindergarten center[4] and is the only school in the Natrona County School District that serves students grades K–12.[5] It is zoned for students in the city of Casper and the towns of Midwest and Edgerton. It participates in Division 1A sports in the Wyoming High School Activities Association.[6][7][8]

## History

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The first school in Midwest was built on Lewis Street in September 1921, where Mrs. Helen Wallace taught 32 students in one room. It was torn down in 1927.[9]

The new high school was constructed and furnished by the end of 1924 and opened on the first Monday of 1925.[10][11] Twelve seniors graduated in June 1925.[12]

In 1925, the Midwest Refinery Company set up night lighting at the school for a football game played by Midwest High School.[13]

Midwest High School was torn down in 1960 and the new high school was built in 1961,[9] supported by a series of bod issues beginning in 1958.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]

Midwest School was evacuated and closed for 18 months over a volatile organic compound gas leak from an oil well in 2016.[22] Air quality tests performed by the government concluded 200 times the amount of benzene considered safe for humans was present. Students were forced to commute 42 miles daily to Casper in order to attend classes, taking a toll not only on students but also on the community as a whole, as the school represented the "heart" of the community. The school district was forced to hire an environmental consultant and work with state and federal health agencies to ensure the return of students would not induce long-term health issues.[23] Students returned to classes at the school in the fall of 2018 after the area was cleared.[4][24]

## Academics

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In 2022, the school was rated to have met some standards by the Wyoming Department of Education.[25] The district graduation rate had increased to a seven-year high of 80.3% in 2020-2021.[26] However, both Midwest 3–8 and Midwest High School were listed as falling short of state standards in the 2021-2022 school year in the Natrona County report.[27]

## Athletics

[edit]

High-school level students, the Oilers, compete in the following ts:[23][28][29]

* Basketball
* Football
* Golf
* Swimming
* Track
* Volleyball

### State championships

[edit]

* Football:[30][31]
* 1979 (2A)
* 1991 (1A)

## References

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1. ^ "MIDWESTERN SCHOOLS". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
2. ^ "Midwest (WY) High School Sports - Football, Basketball, Volleyball, and more". www.maxpreps.com. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
3. ^ "Natrona County School District 1 Wyoming - Profile and Map - Updated June 2023". Zipdatamaps.com. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
4. ^ a b "Midwest Schools K-12". www.natronaschools.org. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
5. ^ "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Midwest School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
6. ^ "Wyoming High School Activities Association". www.whsaa.org. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
7. ^ "Reclassification – THE HQ — The Wyoming high school football blog". THE HQ -- The Wyoming high school football blog. 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
8. ^ "Wyoming Class 1A High School Football Rankings Football". www.maxpreps.com. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
9. ^ a b "Historical Dates". midwest.govoffice.com. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
10. ^ "Contracts let on School Building". Casper Star-Tribune. 1924-12-15. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
11. ^ "Work Resumes in Caspr Schools after Vacation". Casper Star-Tribune. 1924-12-29. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
12. ^ "Dozen Receive Diplomas at Midwest High". Casper Star-Tribune. 1925-06-04. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
13. ^ "Boom, Bust and After: Life in the Salt Creek Oil Field | WyoHistory.org". www.wyohistory.org. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
14. ^ "Shop Bids on School Board List". Casper Morning Star. 1959-01-24. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
15. ^ "School Board Approves $720 Bond Issue". Casper Morning Star. 1958-01-14. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
16. ^ "$5,000 Added to Bond Issues by Board". Casper Morning Star. 1958-01-21. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
17. ^ "Annual School Board Bond Cost Goes to $575,000". Casper Morning Star. 1958-01-28. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
18. ^ "School Bon Election Is Set March 4". Casper Star-Tribune. 1958-02-09. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
19. ^ "To the Voters of Natron County". Casper Star-Tribune. 1958-03-02. p. 12. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
20. ^ "School Bond Election Set Tomorrow". Casper Star-Tribune. 1958-03-03. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
21. ^ "Board will Canvass School Vote". Casper Star-Tribune. 1958-03-06. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
22. ^ seth.klamann@trib.com, Seth Klamann 307-266-0544 (2017-11-28). "Midwest School's air quality given all-clear by county health department". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved 2023-06-01.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
23. ^ a b Gazette, ELISE SCHMELZER For The (2016-09-21). "Closure of Midwest School leaves community without its heart". Billings Gazette. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
24. ^ "StackPath". www.asumag.com. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
25. ^ "School Page". reporting.edu.wyo.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
26. ^ Hannon, Aedan (2023-01-24). "Pandemic's effect on Casper schools still being felt nearly three years later". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
27. ^ Steurer, Mary (2022-10-20). "Most Natrona County schools fall short of state performance expectations". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
28. ^ Staff, Oil City (2023-04-12). "(PHOTOS) Natrona County students celebrated during 15th Annual Middle-Level Sportsmanship Champion Awards". Oil City News. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
29. ^ "Midwest Schools K-12". www.natronaschools.org. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
30. ^ "Sports History Midwest High School". oilerhistory.tripod.com. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
31. ^ "State champions". Wyoming-football.com. 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2023-06-01.

## External links

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* Midwest Schools