programs, but also providing classrooms, computer labs, study areas and, right in the center of it all, a new culinary training center. “We’ve got a 2,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art kitchen like you’d see on ‘Iron Chef,’” says Young. “It even has extras like videoconferencing cameras that can zero in on the prep area so we can talk to other colleges while we have chefs demonstrating techniques for our students.” The center will be home not only to Gillette College students, but also to an academy for high school students in the area. In that capacity, it joins the successful energy and hospitality-related academies already giving local and regional students a leg up on their careers while they finish high school. “We’re very excited about being able to widen the horizon for these young people,” Young says. “These academies prepare them for jobs here in Gillette, or in the entertainment and restaurant industry in Jackson Hole, even on cruise ships … the sky’s really the limit.” For now, though, Young says he’s content to catch his breath and (briefly) let the dust settle. “We’ve gone from 20 acres and one main building two years ago to four buildings on 90 acres now,” he says. “We’ve got new sports teams like men’s and women’s basketball, and a whole lot of excited students. But don’t get too used to anything around here, because we’ll be changing it all around again before long.”
Staff Photo
Clockwise from top: Gillette College’s student village has a combination of single- and double-occupancy rooms; a spin class at Club Energize; the library at Gillette College
30
i m ag e s g i ll e t t e . c o m