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The first time Coal Ridge High School junior Kindall Murr took the controls of a small airplane, she wasn’t thinking about homework or college applications.

She was looking out over the Western Slope from the sky.

"I fell in love with flying," Murr said. "Just seeing the area from above was so cool. Everything about it was so fun. I was like, 'I don't want a boring job. This is what I want to do.'"

At the February 18 City Council meeting, a group of Rifle High School students did something many adults wouldn’t have the courage to do. They stood before Council at a work session and asked their elected officials to make a change.

The students, members of the Rifle High School’s Student Council, asked Council to consider stronger local tobacco retail licensing measures. They said their goal was simple: make it harder for young people to access vaping products.

Garfield Re-2 School District has been awarded a $75,000 grant over three years from the Nathan Yip Foundation to expand and strengthen the Engineering Pathway at Rifle High School, creating new opportunities for students to explore high-demand careers close to home.

Year one of the grant will focus on training and equipment to ensure the program has the tools needed for advanced, real-world engineering learning. The investment will support PLTW training, upgraded materials and equipment, including engineering-capable computers that can run the software required for advanced coursework, along with continued work to align middle school and high school STEM programming.

The Colorado Department of Education recently released data from the state’s October 2025 student count, an annual snapshot that helps school districts understand enrollment trends and plan for the future. Statewide, Colorado experienced a 1.2% decrease in pre-K–12 student enrollment compared to fall 2024.

This year’s data shows that Garfield Re-2 experienced a small decline in enrollment, reflecting a trend seen across many rural and mountain communities. District enrollment decreased from 4,695 students in fall 2024 to 4,642 students in fall 2025, a net loss of 53 students. After a slight increase the previous year, current enrollment remains comparable to levels seen in the 2023 school year.

On a busy afternoon at Highland Elementary School, the kindergarten students in Mrs. Dalton’s afternoon class rush to the door. Suddenly, the room is in motion, and Liliana Ruiz is surrounded. She stands at the center of a joyful cluster of smiling five-year-olds - arms hugging, voices calling her name, unable to move as she laughs and smiles, wrapped in a swirl of kindergarten energy.

Liliana, a senior at Rifle High School, is one of the first student mentors in Highland’s growing mentor program. While she helps wherever she is needed, her heart and much of her time live in the kindergarten classroom. Three days a week, she steps into the role of trusted helper, translator, role model, and steady presence for some of Highland’s youngest learners.