The Fruita 8/9 closed after the 2023-2024 school year. This was a decision that was made by the district because of a variety of factors, including declining attendance, which left unpaid staff positions. Many staff members and students were upset by the way this took place. 8/9 teachers were not given the first opportunity at teaching eighth and ninth grade students. At the time, the students of the Fruita 8/9 arranged a walkout to show support for the teachers who had been there the longest. Boundary changes also affected the number of people who were at Fruita, which in turn affected our sports. However, the biggest impact was the connection that students have with their teachers.
For many years, Fruita has had a large number of students, and we have always competed with Grand Junction High School in numbers, but with the 8/9 shutting down, that has changed drastically. According to US News, as of 2025, Grand Junction High School has 1,834 students, 592 being freshmen. Fruita has 1273 students, and around 280 are freshmen. While the overall number doesn’t seem to be that big of a difference, freshmen play a big part in sports as they are the future of our school. Parker Clarke states, “This year at our annual volleyball camp, we had the lowest attendance that I have seen in the three years I’ve been here.” This statement just shows how much Fruita’s Sports will continue to take a huge hit until something changes.
The question that many people ask is why is enrollment down? The answer to that is because of the boundary change. As stated on the D51 website, the Redlands Middle School students are now attending Grand Junction High School instead of Fruita Monument.This has dramatically affected enrollment in sports.
Teachers losing their position at a school that they have taught at for so long was devastating not only for the teachers but also for some students. Many teachers were huge supporters of the students and even told past students that they could come back anytime to talk to them or just visit; however, this was not the case when so many teachers were placed at schools all over the district.
One teacher in particular has made a major impact on students as well as the Fruita community is former 8/9 teacher Stephanie LaCount. In an interview with her, she said, “The closure of the 8/9 school was a complete loss of my entire professional identity. I ended up at a crossroads between two rivals, a place where no one knows my name or anything about me. That included both the staff and the student levels. It was like starting my teaching career all over again.”
When asked if any students had reached out, she said, “I hear from Fruita kids all of the time. I still email kids back and forth. I provide a ton of feedback on essays. For me, it is heartbreaking. It is like I am part of the community still, but not there in the same way I used to be. The way that I see it is that kids need advocates everywhere. I may not be where I want to be, but wherever I am, I have to make sure that I am working hard for the kids. They are really the only thing that matters. I am not a Tiger, and I am never going to be one. But I can live with just being a Cat.”
Fruita 8/9 shutting down was heartbreaking for so many teachers and students. It not only affects the relationship between teachers and students, but it has also taken a huge hit on our sports. The hope is to one day get everything back in balance, if something does not change soon our sports will continue to take a major hit.
Caption: The 2025 Freshman Volleyball Camp
