Haxtun Elementary Students Set Goals With Olympic-Inspired Personal Best Program

Haxtun Elementary launched an Olympic-inspired enrichment series for fourth through sixth graders that pairs lessons on history and growth mindset with hands-on hockey skills and goal-setting exercises. The program, titled "BECOMING Your Personal Best," kicked off on Feb. 2 and will continue on Mondays through the month of February, offering local students a structured way to practice resilience and healthy habits.

The program combined classroom activities with an athlete presentation and a gymnasium skills session. Jim Craig, the goalie for the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic hockey team, spoke to students about how failure can lead to growth. Lessons covered Olympic history and growth-mindset activities, and the day concluded with a hockey skills competition featuring shooting, passing and dribbling. The series is offered in partnership with Stephanie Starkebaum of Colorado State University Extension.

A photo caption from the kickoff shows participants Nolan Ham, Tripp Biesemeier, Knox Edwards, Connor Goddard and Otis Edwards writing their hopes on paper Olympic torch flames. Goals included "being more resilient, learning how to bounce back and building confidence." Those specific aims reflect the broader instructional focus: teaching students concrete strategies for coping with setbacks as well as improving fitness and sport skills.

Elsewhere, a virtual mentorship model reinforced the same themes. Pouce Coupe Elementary used Classroom Champions, a long-running mentorship program that connects youth with Olympians, to give students sustained contact with an elite athlete. Devin Wardrope, an Olympic luger competing in the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games, has been meeting virtually with students throughout the school year and creating videos about setting goals and persevering through adversity. Pouce Coupe principal Kristy Rose said, "They've learned about emotions and strategies for controlling their emotions when things get difficult." Rose added, "It was good for the kids to see that he was living perseverance in that moment."

Students at Pouce Coupe described the program in plain terms. Grade 4 student Cache Kelly said, "You have to eat healthy to get strong, and you have to get exercise for you to succeed in your goals and go to the Olympics." Grade 7 student Bethany Whitehead, who has practised kick-boxing for a year, said, "Hopefully Devin wins and hopefully Team Canada takes home gold." Grade 3 student Bruwin Kuenzl, who has played hockey for five years, summarized the lessons simply: "We learned perseverance, leadership, emotions."

For Logan County families, these programs translate Olympic narratives into practical classroom work: setting measurable goals, building healthy routines and practicing emotional regulation. Educators can also weave Olympic topics into broader curricula, from physical education and nutrition to STEM projects on sports technology and local economic discussions about large events. As Haxtun continues its Monday sessions through February, parents and coaches can watch for tangible student outcomes in confidence, teamwork and basic athletic skills, and local schools may look to similar mentorship models to sustain those gains beyond the winter season.