Focus on Education for SWCSD#2
Expedition Academy Teachers Lee Harper and Andy Trumble are Making a Difference
Sweetwater County School District #2 is fortunate to have so many dedicated teachers in the schools. Teachers that bring out the best in their students and the other staff they work with. Their work beyond the classroom is what makes them special and memorable well beyond the students’ years in their classrooms.
Expedition Academy (EA) has a talented, caring staff. Two of the teachers that lead the way at EA Lee Harper and Andy Trumble
Mr. Harper and Mr. Trumble both do a tremendous job with our students. Their fellow staff have witnessed them building positive relationships with all students and modeling the high expectations they set for themselves and the students at Expedition Academy.
Through these individuals’ efforts, students enjoy learning and take away real life skills that will greatly improve their opportunities for future successes. Not only does this impact their individual classrooms, but the efforts spill into our overall building atmosphere/morale.
Whether it’s taking time at lunch to teach a student how to fly fish or showing students just how much they can actually accomplish on a mountain bike, these two individuals are true professional educators, who love their jobs and are dedicated to the students and staff of Expedition Academy and Sweetwater County School District #2 ideals/goals.
Andy Trumble - It’s a privilege and honor to be a part of this district and the dedication it has for its staff and for the youth of our community; I’ve been very blessed during my 31+ years at SWCSD#2 to get to work with unparalleled administrators, staff members, and students in doing what we all enjoy. This year, in addition to getting to share my love of math with students, I’ve gotten the amazing opportunity to share with them an out-of-school activity of mine that I also love, that of mountain biking. This experience has been an absolute blast. The growth and excitement that I saw in my students (mostly newbies to the sport) over the course of the quarter was amazing; they can now all outride me! Moreover, when the quarter was nearly over and I asked them to share with me the benefits of mountain biking, I was extremely impressed with their list. I hadn’t talked to them about the P.E. standards that we would be covering during the course, but they pretty much nailed them with their list of benefits as follows: good cardio workout, gets you outside, improves balance, improves focus, reduces stress, improves mood, builds friendships, builds confidence, bigger calves (funny), and it’s fun! Now, if that doesn’t make mountain biking worthwhile, then I don’t know what does. Thank you, students, for working so hard and making this inaugural class so memorable and fun!
Lee Harper - I have been teaching in SWCSD#2 now for 10 years, all of them at EAHS. I love sharing time with these students in the classroom and out in the field through various scientific and community service activities. We always work in our school to have a family atmosphere of positive attitudes where learning about one another is always encouraged. Strong relationships between students and staff are an integral part of learning for our students, but I always feel like I am learning just as much from them. Living in the great state of Wyoming, I work to excite students into outdoor activities as these are my passions outside family and school. We raise trout in our classroom and discuss fishing regularly and in the fall and spring, we talk about hunting and signing up for draw tags. I have been fortunate to teach Wildlife Conservation classes where our focus is on good stewardship of these resources and build upon the excitement many of our students have. I have also had the pleasure to teach math and weightlifting here at school, two more of my favorite subjects, and try to excite the students to find the importance of each. Many people dislike their jobs, but I wake up each school day excited to go to work and help prepare my students for life after high school.