GILLETTE, Wyo. — Sunflower Elementary School Principal Troy Claycomb presented his final academic report to the Campbell County School District Board of Trustees on Tuesday, emphasizing the school’s strong culture and continuous improvement efforts despite his upcoming retirement.
The report covered demographics, academic performance and school improvement goals.
Claycomb, who noted this was his 13th and final report, began by highlighting the school’s stable enrollment and a slight increase in students qualifying for free and reduced lunch, which he said the school views as “a real opportunity to help and support students and their families.” He emphasized the school’s proactive approach to identifying and supporting these families through various parent involvement activities.
Regarding overall school performance, Claycomb reported that Sunflower Elementary is generally pleased with its Every Student Succeeds Act and state accountability percentages, though he acknowledged continuous work is needed to improve core instruction and interventions. He said they “continually work and it’s a challenge every year to ensure that we’re doing the right kind of work within our building with core instruction, with our interventions.”
Looking at the 2023 state assessment results, Claycomb noted some shifts in performance across grade levels, with third-grade ELA and fifth-grade math showing a slight decrease compared to previous years. However, he framed these results as “opportunities at Sunflower” that prompt professional conversations among grade-level teams to refine instructional practices.
Overall, the school’s average remained positive, and most areas were above the state average. Claycomb attributed this to the school’s focus on effective teaching, saying, “If you’re doing the right kind of work with students, the results will speak for themselves.”
The school improvement goals for Sunflower Elementary continue to focus on grade-level vocabulary and language skills, math fact fluency, science engagement and student well-being. Claycomb highlighted the school’s strong Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports program and the establishment of a “HOPE squad” to support student health and well-being.
Claycomb emphasized the critically important “climate culture” of Sunflower Elementary, where students feel welcome, supported and safe. He credited the entire staff, from core teachers to specialists, for contributing to this positive environment.
Board members acknowledged and commended Claycomb for his years of service and the positive report.
“I track data. I’ve always used your school as an example to be like, ‘Nope, looks like they got really high free/reduced lunch, and they kick butt every day,'” Trustee Mark Christensen said. “And so I am sad to see you go because I know that you built a good staff and I also see that you have really low turnover, but I know that that starts top down. So, thank you for doing that.”
“I believe that culture is huge, and you obviously built a strong culture in your school, and it shows with your scores and just in your report,” Trustee Mary Brunner said.
The academic report for Sunflower Elementary is attached below:
