During its monthly meeting, the Gilpin County School Board of Education appointed Joe Stranaly as an interim member-at-large on June 21, 2022.

Joe Stranaly was considered for the post which was vacated by Tracy Krug. He was interviewed by Board President Joe Marr, Board Vice President Sarah Swanson, Member-at- Large Kristen Goodlett, and Secretary/ Treasurer Cherokee Blake along with Superintendent Dr. David MacKenzie. Stranaly was approved and will serve on the Gilpin County School Board until the next regular biennial school election in November 2023.

Stranaly is a former sheriff’s deputy who has since worked security in casinos and then “retired” to private security with Lincoln Hills Fly Fishing Club. He’s also served as an assistant coach at Gilpin County school in the past.

Before being approved each board member asked Stranaly one question to see if he would be a good fit for the role. When asked by Goodlett what he considered the greatest challenge facing Gilpin County Schools and American schools, Stranaly answered that his biggest concern is safety.

“It’s an unfortunate time that and [I’m] coming from law enforcement so I have a different perspective than some others might,” Strangely told the board, seeming to make a veiled reference to the spout of gun violence and school shootings the US has suffered. “We always hope that it’s not going to happen here.”

He continued, “Kids have to feel safe in order to learn, and so do the teachers, the staff, everybody.”

Marr asked Stranaly why he considered himself a good person for the job. Stranaly said, “It’s important to be able to have somebody that has integrity in these positions and I do feel I have it.” He also emphasized his experience working with people in many different situations and his willingness to learn more about the intricacies of the school system.

The Gilpin County School District is also proud to announce that it was listed among U.S. News’ best high schools in the country. Each year US News ranks the country’s public schools by examining publicly available data and ranking the schools according to students’ college readiness, college curriculum breadth, underserved student performance, graduation rate, and state assessment proficiency and performance. Of the 24,000 schools surveyed and the 17,840 public schools listed, Gilpin County was ranked 3,359 in the nation and 92 in the state. Further information can be found on the US News website: https:// www.usnews.com/education/best-high- schools/rankings-overview.

The Gilpin County School Board meets the first and third Tuesday of every month. Videos of the meetings can be found on YouTube the Gilpin County school district website: https://gilpin.k12.co.us/ district_ services/human_ resources.