August Update & Dennis & Peggy Sun (Wyoming Livestock Roundup)

At WAIC, we believe the foundation of a sustainable future begins with our youth, and that's why we're dedicated to instilling a sense of stewardship for Wyoming's natural resources through hands-on and place-based education.

August Highlights

WAIC's 2025 Educator of the Year Award at the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame Awards Picnic

WAIC had the honor of celebrating its 2025 Educator of the Year award recipient, Neil Long, at the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame Awards Picnic on August 13th during the State Fair. Education Advocate, Carolyn Jacobs, and Executive Director, Andrew Joannides, highlighted the incredible impact that dedicated Wyoming educators have on the state's future. Congratulations Neil! And thank you for all you do for the youth in Wyoming!

Photos courtesy of Wyoming Livestock Roundup: Jennie Gordon, First Lady of Wyoming, Governor Mark Gordon, WAIC Executive Director Andrew Joannides, WAIC 2025 Educator of the Year Neil Long, Director of Wyoming Department of Agriculture and 2025 Wyoming Ag Hall of Fame Inductee Doug Miyamoto, Rancher and 2025 Wyoming Ag Hall of Fame Inductee Juan Reyes, Representative Harriet Hageman, Senator John Barrasso, Senator Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming Livestock Roundup's Dennis Sun.

Educator Wyo Wonders Roundtables

The Wyoming Stewardship Project curriculum began in 2015 with conversations between industry leaders and educators about the knowledge students should have regarding Wyoming’s industries and natural resources. After years of thoughtful development and revision, the curriculum was officially released in 2019.

While the program has since been rebranded as Wyo Wonders, the core curriculum content has remained largely unchanged since its original publication. Recognizing the need to stay current, relevant, and instructionally sound, we are now actively reviewing and updating our lessons to ensure we continue offering the highest-quality resources to teachers across the state.

This summer, we completed a draft of the revised 2nd grade Agriculture unit. In August, educators gathered to provide structured feedback and suggestions to help refine the proposed updates.

As shared during the curriculum review process:

“It is this constant process of updating Wyo Wonders through the most relevant practices in an industry, alignment with standards, and input from teachers in the field that continue to make Wyo Wonders a remarkable resource for all educators in Wyoming.”

These efforts reflect our continued commitment to creating curriculum that is place-based, standards-aligned, and grounded in both industry and classroom expertise.

Wyoming’s Inaugural TeacherCon25

We’re excited to share that our Executive Director, Director of Education, along with WAIC's three EAs recently attended TeacherCon25, Wyoming’s very first statewide educator conference. The event was held on August 4–5, 2025, at the Gateway Center, University of Wyoming, in Laramie.

TeacherCon25 brought together nearly 300 educators and administrators for two days of collaboration and learning, featuring 40 professional development workshops, interactive exhibits, keynote presentations, networking opportunities, and an awards dinner honoring outstanding teachers.

Each of WAIC’s EAs presented on a different Wyoming industry using Wyo Wonders content, showcasing how our curriculum connects classrooms with the state’s natural resources and economy.

Board of Directors

President

Andrea Zink

Casper, WY

Vice President

Wendy Boardman

Frannie, WY

Secretary/Treasurer

Marilyn Mackey

Gillette, WY

Education Chairman

Marla Wold

Casper, WY

Board Members

Joe Evers

Denver, CO

Ray Mader

Buffalo, WY

Terry Moss

Laramie, WY

JoAnn Skeim-True

Casper, WY

Impact Report

100% of Crook and Hot Springs Counties are using Wyo Wonders

100% of all 3rd grade students in Lander have been taught Wyo Wonders

Classrooms: 188 School Year 2024-25

Summer 2025 Workshops:

Powell - 17 attended

Medicine Bow - 10

Afton - 21

Wyo Wonders Downloads: 2,264 Data from

8-16-23 to 8-26-25

Wyo Wonders Binders Distributed: 477

Data since 1-1-24

Do you want to see Wyo Wonders in your local school district? Let us know and we can work together to get it implemented.

Email Us Today

Spotlight on the Sun Family: Legacy, Vision, and Future

Dennis and Peggy Sun have long been champions of Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom. Dennis is the publisher of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. He served on the WAIC Board of Directors from 2001 to 2008, including three years as Chairman, and their support continues today. Peggy taught for 25 years, teaching first grade for a majority of her career.

Their daughter, Andrea Zink, General Manager of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and current WAIC Board President, carries forward the family’s legacy of leadership and commitment to agricultural and natural resource education.

Each year, the Sun family generously sponsors the WAIC Educator of the Year Award and the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame Awards Picnic, ensuring that Wyoming’s educators and agricultural leaders are honored and celebrated.

Dennis Sun’s remarks on Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom

What inspired me most about supporting WAIC in the early days was I could see there was a disconnect between students, teachers and those in agriculture. I figured somehow, we needed to close the gap and tell the story on agriculture and other industries in the state, and do it all meeting state standards.

Through the years, every president and board have made WAIC better. The first years were a struggle. In a sense, we first needed to market WAIC to become recognized. We had to prove to school principals if they brought WAIC into their classrooms, it would prove to be a benefit to all.

Looking back, the part I’m most proud of in WAIC’s growth and accomplishments is the passion of staff and board and the high involvement to achieve WAIC's goals. This high level of passion and commitment was seen in those who started WAIC with a vision and is still around today.

Agricultural literacy, in my mind, is having an understanding of agriculture and those who make a living in the field. It is knowing how your food is grown or raised and how it gets to your plate.

My favorite memory is when I was president and, thanks to Press Stevens, we were invited to join a fundraising event in Jackson on Spring Creek. Willie Nelson had a two-hour concert with a full stage in the meadow and the guests sat on bales of hay. It was a beautiful evening and the best past was the auction raised $300,000 for WAIC.

I hope when the next generation of ag leaders take over, they keep the same strong passion for WAIC and keep making it better.

My wife Peggy was an elementary teacher for many years, education was number one in the house, especially reading.

My message to share with ag supporters is realizing there are lots of students out there who don’t understand agriculture or what goes on outside of our towns and cities. We have to get through to these students that our country has to have agriculture to feed everyone.

Peggy Sun Comments on Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom

I am excited about the growth of WAIC, especially because of Dennis’ role in the very beginning and now Andrea’s work in WAIC, as the message spreads in Wyoming’s classrooms. I believe Dennis once said, “Kids in Wyoming know more about the rainforests in South America than they do about the importance of Wyoming’s landscapes."

WAIC is a program that can teach our youth about Wyoming’s role in energy production, tourism and agriculture. WAIC can be the “how” in helping our youth stay in Wyoming and help create new jobs in these industries.