Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 273
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley-Swan High School recognized their senior football athletes along with their families at the first home football game of the season Friday, Sept. 4....
SEELEY LAKE – Like so many other groups in 2020, Alpine Artisans (AAI) has found ways to function in the "new normal." AAI Program Manager Jenny Rohrer confirmed that the annual Tour of the Arts will take place as usual on the second weekend of October. AAI's 2 Valleys Stage (2VS) Director Samantha Arroyo said though the concert season will be an abbreviated one, the Stage will bring outstanding performers in December and again in April. Rohrer said, "We're excited because in spite of the c... Full story
SEELEY LAKE – Ever since learning about heredity in her sixth-grade science class with Sharon Teague at Seeley Lake Elementary, Shelby Holmes loved science. As she continued onto junior high with teacher Patti Bartlett and the "super engaging curriculum" including monitoring water quality in Morrell Creek "I was hooked. Tonya [Smith] just continued that love for it." Holmes, a 2014 Seeley-Swan High School graduate, returned this year as the new SSHS science teacher. Holmes said being a f...
MISSOULA – The Missoula Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) is scheduled to meet on Sept. 8 at 3 p.m. virtually. The objectives of the meeting are to: • Approve meeting minutes as needed; • Discuss, recommend and approve new Title II projects and hear project proposal presentations as requested by the RAC; • Discuss and make recommendations on recreation fee proposals for sites located within Missoula County on the Lolo National Forest. At the conclusion of the meeting, the committee will recommend projects for funding under Title II of the Secur...
SEELEY LAKE - Walking on the campus of Dixie State University in St. George, Utah, Brian Bennion had the distinct impression, and a really good feeling, that becoming an English teacher would be the best choice for him. "At the time I had been debating what discipline I wanted to teach, but it wasn't until that point in time that I firmly decided to become an English teacher," said Bennion. Bennion is looking forward to bringing his love of learning, reading, research and drama to the classroom...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Elementary School Board approved the re-opening plan for the 2020-2021 school year at their Aug. 17 meeting. SLE will be welcoming all students back to school in person Sept. 8. Families do have the option for 100% remote learning with a deadline to submit the SLE Family Onsite instruction opt-out form to SLE by Aug. 28. The board also received resignation letters from junior high teacher Bridget Laird and sixth grade teacher Sharon Teague. They approved several hires and are still accepting applicants for one c...
MISSOULA – The Missoula County Public School Board of Trustees approved Superintendent Rob Watson’s recommended reopening plan on a split vote at their Aug. 11 meeting. MCPS schools will reopen Aug. 26 in Phase 1 - Hybrid model and Seeley-Swan High School will reopen Sept. 1 (pending board approval Aug. 20) in Phase 2 – Modified Schedule. Students will also have the option to choose the MCPS Online Academy for 100% remote learning beginning Sept. 8 until the District reaches Phase 3. Watson presented a phased approach for a return to schoo... Full story
POTOMAC - Potomac School is preparing for students to return Aug. 26 since remaining closed after spring break in March. Principal John Rouse presented the re-opening plan and recommendations to the School Board at their Aug. 10 meeting. They agreed to open in-person with the opportunity for parents and students to engage in online at-home learning. The board also addressed several topics regarding the re-opening plan including face coverings, athletics and the eighth grade trip funds from last year. Rouse created a Safe Learning Plan which... Full story
When I first took office in January 2011, like most elected officials I had little idea what my position would entail. County Superintendent of Schools is an unusual position. While my duties are outlined in statute, what the job requires on the ground varies widely by county and is certainly different from what principals and hired superintendents do on a day-to-day basis. In my position, I serve as the sole administrator for Sunset School in Greenough and Woodman School on Highway 12....
The Montana High School Association (MHSA) released a plan for returning to sports in light of the coronavirus. The 20-page document details restrictions for fans and athletes during games, but emphasized youth sports will return for the fall school year. “MHSA Executive Board believes the resumption of sports and other activities is crucial to the growth, development, and mental and emotional wellness of our Montana youth,” the release stated. “These requirements, both general and activity specific, attempt to reduce the possibility of trans... Full story
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of the 2020 SLCF Scholarship. Hunter Shelmerdine, Lily Mercer and Chance Johnson each will receive $500 towards university expenses. These students had to learn how to navigate their freshman year of college during a very unusual time due to COVID-19. Shelmerdine graduated as valedictorian of the Seeley-Swan High School Class of 2019. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at Mo...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake Elementary Superintendent Josh Gibbs shared SLE’s proposed reopening guidelines Friday, July 31 via video. He emphasized this plan is fluid and will change based on the state and local restrictions and case counts in Missoula County. These guidelines will be included in the reopening plan that will be presented and approved by the SLE School Board at their meeting at 5:30 p.m., Aug. 17. Gibbs said the guidelines utilized the best information and guidelines currently available from the Center for Disease Control, Mis... Full story
When I volunteered to write a "commissioners' first year in review" column last summer, I didn't anticipate it would include pandemic, threat of economic collapse or efforts to dismantle structural racism. "Droplet" wasn't in my vocabulary. I couldn't imagine bars, restaurants and schools closing and that many of those still employed would be working from home while homeschooling their children. On my first day, July 1, 2019, the commissioners had a meeting with Chief Administrative Officer...
Governor Steve Bullock directed $75 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund to Montana K-12 schools to cover expenses incurred due to COVID-19 and take precautions to keep students and staff safe this fall. This includes nearly $140,000 to elementary schools in Potomac, Ovando, Seeley Lake and the Swan Valley and more than $1.5 million to Missoula County Public High Schools. “We know that our schools, along with teachers, administrators and parents, are tackling so much to prepare for students to return to some normalcy this fall. Things w... Full story
MISSOULA - Missoula County Public Schools plans to bring back students for the Fall 2020 semester. In the July 14 board meeting, officials addressed what the district can do to keep students in the classroom without furthering the spread of COVID-19. Plans will be finalized in August before students return to school. “We are committed to some type of in-person learning,” said MCPS Superintendent Rob Watson. MCPS published guidelines for students to be back in classrooms based on Gov. Steve Bullock’s Safe and Healthy Schools in Montana plan,... Full story
MISSOULA - The Missoula City-County Health Department board voted unanimously to require facemasks in every indoor public space in the county at their July 9 meeting. They received over 4,000 comments from the public before the hearing, of which roughly half were processed. The processed comments showed 80% support for the initiative. The ruling goes into effect immediately and makes face masks the new normal as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the county and Montana. “Our cases are up and they continue to go up, our number of c...
MISSOULA - The Missoula City-County Health Department board voted unanimously to require facemasks in every indoor public space in the county at their July 9 meeting. They received over 4,000 comments from the public before the hearing, of which roughly half were processed. The processed comments showed 80% support for the initiative. The ruling goes into effect immediately and makes face masks the new normal as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the county and Montana. “Our cases are up and they continue to go up, our number of c... Full story
Many unforeseen changes have unfolded in our local communities since the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services announced the state's first cases of COVID-19 on March 13. Schools, businesses and churches were closed. Working from home, social distancing, teleconferencing and distance learning became a way of life. In today's world, preventative measures to protect the masses from the coronavirus are practiced regularly including hand sanitizing, diagnostic testing and contact...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley-Swan High School is upgrading its pipes over the summer after discovering a high concentration of lead back in 2017. The project, made possible by a $400,000 grant, will replace all the domestic water piping entering the high school. “It is huge first off from a safety standpoint,” said SSHS Principal Kellen Palmer. “Everyone who enters our building, whether that’s students, staff, or community guests, will have peace of mind knowing everyone can go drink out of the drinking fountain and not have to worry.” The new pipes...
MISSOULA - The Missoula County Public School District released guidelines about students returning to class for the fall semester. Notably, the District is putting Seeley-Swan High School in a different category from the other schools. “Seeley-Swan High School, Willard Alternative Learning High School Program and Jefferson Early Learning Center have smaller student populations and will be able to host more students in a face-to-face instructional setting,” the MCPS press release said. As MCPS prepares for students to be back in class in Aug... Full story
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board passed a budget for the 2021 fiscal year at their June 4 special meeting that is a little more than double last year’s budget. They tabled the decision on how to spread the assessment over the landowners. In other business the Board didn’t take action to authorize the project to go to bid because there are still a handful of things that are incomplete. District Manager Jean Curtiss presented the Board with a proposed budget between $224,329 and $283,329. The $59,000 difference was what was b...
On May 25 our nation witnessed the horror of George Floyd dying with a police officer’s knee pressed into his neck. Mothers everywhere, from Minneapolis to Maine to Missoula, winced hearing a dying man call to his own. This act is but a snapshot of hundreds of years of oppression. Much of the United States was built on stolen land with stolen labor, and these centuries old crimes still echo today, across generations. As your Missoula County elected officials, we share a vision of a just future, yet do not pretend to know the exact path f...
SEELEY LAKE – Built 80 years ago, Camp Paxson, on the southwest shore of Seeley Lake, has been a confluence of natural, cultural and commercial history hosting a summer camp for boy scouts and various other youth organizations, events and schools. This year it returns to a historical use, opening its doors to welcome firefighters. In the early 1940s, it was the place were conscientious objectors trained to be smokejumpers. Today, it is lodging the Seeley Lake Ranger District fire crew in l...
SEELEY LAKE – Friday afternoon Seeley Lake Elementary staff Toni Sexton, Suzie Teafoe and Janina Bradley hung banners recognizing the eighth grade graduates at SLE on the fence facing School Lane. "We have known some of these kids since they were in preschool. It just doesn't feel right to not somehow honor them," said Teafoe. "Even if it is in just this small, little way." Missoula County Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Shannan Sproull said ever since schools have been closed and g...
SEELEY LAKE – With all of the local schools in distance learning and social distancing still required by Governor Steve Bullock in the Phase 1 reopening strategy, plans for graduation ceremonies and end of the year celebrations are slowly coming together for area schools. According to the Missoula City-County Health Department's graduation ceremony order issued May 8, organizers must submit a Graduation Ceremony Operation Plan that shows how they will meet the minimum requirements and submit it...
