Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 277
Death Notice SWAN VALLEY - Marian (Matthew) Seaman, 87, passed away in Missoula on Friday, Feb. 14. Arrangements are under the care of Garden City Funeral Home. Federal Grant Brings Early Education Option to Rural Montana 4-year-olds HELENA, MONT. — Rural Montana families now have a new way to prepare their children for kindergarten at home thanks to a large federal grant. The United States Department of Education awarded the nonprofit organization, Waterford.org, an Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Expansion Grant with a goal of f...
SEELEY LAKE – "Ten years ago, I and a handful of other students headed to Ecuador. We didn't realize that we were starting something that would last much longer than our time at Seeley-Swan High School," wrote Locke Hassett, 2011 SSHS graduate, in an email. "I didn't realize that that short trip would re-frame my worldview and quantify experiences to be infinitely more valuable than objects." Destinations for Education (D4E) celebrates 10 years of community support Saturday evening, Feb. 15 a...
There is a lot riding on upcoming local elections with many opinions being shared on different sides of issues. However there is a lack of candidates. With nearly 30 positions up for election there is currently only eight candidates signed up. If there are not enough candidates most of these positions will be filled either through acclimation or the boards will have to try and find people to appoint to remaining vacancies. That is not a good thing as elections are critical in our system of government. Without elections, boards are often left to...
SEELEY LAKE - At the next meeting of the Seeley Lake Community Council, the first agenda item will be a presentation by Missoula County Public Works staff: a discussion of updates to the permitting process, revised building codes and fee increases. Missoula County Public Works Director Shane Stack and Building Department Program Manager Nicole Whyte will be the speakers. Responding to a number of community members’ complaints about the permitting process (“too bureaucratic,” “you get chased from department to department,” “it adds unnecessari...
Missoula County Public Schools launches strategic planning process MISSOULA - Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) is beginning the next phase of its long-term planning process. MCPS wants the public’s input on what they value most about MCPS and improvements for the future. Input offered through the survey and at the strategic planning sessions will be used to set the future direction for MCPS. The public is invited to join the MCPS Board and a committee of approximately 40 teachers, staff, parents and community members in the MCPS B...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley-Swan High School senior Sam Weisenburger was among 34 students nominated by U.S. Senator Jon Tester to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy based on their academic accomplishments, extracurricular activities and commitment to serving and leading in the United States military. "I'm proud to nominate Montana's best and brightest students to our nation's most prestigious military academi...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake resident Sandra Abbott became the music director at Seeley-Swan High School last January. She is now teaching general music to all ages at Seeley Lake Elementary School including band to all sixth, seventh and eighth graders. She enjoys watching students learn and looks forward to rebuilding the music programs at SLE and SSHS. Abbott started playing the piano when she was five years old. Her father played the trumpet and realized she was playing by ear. They started her...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board hammered out the final details of the Rules and Regulations, approved an opinion of probable cost for operating the system, adopted most of their bylaws revision and discussed a variety of other business at their four and a half hour long Nov. 21 meeting. The new “worst case scenario” monthly estimate is $130.58 plus $2 per 1,000 gallons used for properties assigned one Volume Ratio Unit (VRU), equivalent to a single family house. Rules and Regulations Hearing The Board made minor edits to th...
SWAN VALLEY – This November, the Swan Valley Community Library celebrates 40 years of serving the Swan Valley. While the building has been updated and faces have changed, it remains a hub of information and resources while serving as a meeting place for residents and visitors. The community is invited to stop in and celebrate the 40-year milestone with refreshments and door prizes Nov. 20 and 22 during regular hours. The Swan Valley Chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons (...
SWAN VALLEY - US Forest Service and Missoula County Projects Department representatives presented on the Mid-Swan Restoration Project and the new county tool for building permits at the Swan Valley Community Council meeting Oct. 15. Chair Ken Donovan also provided information regarding the Holland Lake Day Use agreement that is being negotiated between the US Forest Service and Swan Valley Community Foundation. Team leader of the US Forest Service Mid-Swan Restoration and Wildland Urban Interface Project Rachel Feigley presented a brief...
ELBOW LAKE – Residents on Elbow Lake are facing what they feel is an inevitable decision by the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to remove and remediate the Elbow Lake dam. While some property owners and lessees feel this will negatively impact the ecosystem, recreation opportunities and property values for years to come, the Draft Environmental Assessment released Sept. 30 proposes the project is necessary to remove the unauthorized, ar...
HELENA - Like rural school administrators across Montana, Terry Public Schools Superintendent Joe Krause keeps a close eye on his enrollment numbers. The Terry District, which serves Prairie County, population 1,100, has 134 students this school year, said Krause, who's new to the superintendent job this year. Only 31 are high schoolers. Last year, Terry's high school was forced to team up with neighboring Glendive to field a football team through a co-op arrangement. Excluding foreign exchange...
It really goes without saying, but Missoula County is an amazing place. And in a county that is home to 119,000 souls, spanning terrain from rugged wilderness to the second largest city in Montana, county government plays an important role in our day-to-day lives, whether we realize it or not. Over the next year, to better communicate the many facets of county government (arguably one of the least understood levels of government), Missoula County elected officials will contribute monthly...
SEELEY LAKE – On Aug. 26 the otherwise quiet halls of Seeley Lake Elementary school were filled with the sound of an air horn. More than 30 teachers and staff from Seeley Lake Elementary and Swan Valley Schools hid themselves in the two junior high classrooms in preparation for an active shooter drill where there were told they could do nothing but hide. Swan Valley School teacher Chris Maudlin had 60 seconds to hit as many people as he could with ping pong balls. He methodically moved t...
SEELEY LAKE – When students start school at Seeley Lake Elementary this year, there will be a new game in their classrooms. Thanks to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and Providence Hospital, SLE is one of more than 30 schools to receive a grant to implement the PAX Good Behavior Game. SLE kindergarten teacher Sheila Devins sees the program as an opportunity to provide continuity in the way SLE’s approaches teaching healthy emotional regulation and social skills and gives students the ability to navigate various soc...
MISSOULA - The Missoula County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) is seeking new members to share in the management of local National Forest lands. Volunteer RAC committee members serve an important role in recommending how funds received by counties under the Secure Rural Schools Act will be spent in the county on projects that are on, or will benefit, nearby National Forest lands. By law, RACs must be comprised of 15 members from Montana with balanced and broad representation of the public. RAC member duties and commitments: • Review and m...
SEELEY LAKE –Seeley-Swan High School's new principal Kellen Palmer is excited for the first day of school when the halls will be filled with students and he can start getting to know everyone. He looks forward to helping SSHS continue the good work already being done and celebrating new successes as the students and faculty strive to become even better. He is also excited to meet the community and invites everyone to meet him at the concession stand before the first home football game, Aug. 3...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Elementary School District Board of Trustees hired Dan Schrock July 31 at a special board meeting. In other business Bridget Laird will fill the open junior high teaching position. The Board interviewed three candidates including Schrock, Leland Stocker and Jody Welter July 29. A fourth candidate, Kevin St. John, was scheduled to be interviewed however he dropped out due to taking a job in Philipsburg. The board took public comment before discussing and deciding w...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Foundation is proud to announce two $500 scholarship awards to Gabrielle "Gabby" Sexton and Elizabeth "Ibby" Lorentz. Gabby has lived in Seeley Lake all her life, graduating from Seeley-Swan High School in 2018. She participated in 4-H, Student Council, Missoula Education Foundation, poetry slams, Leos Club, volleyball, basketball, track and managed football. She achieved Honor Roll all four years of high school, as well as Academic All State, top English...
SWAN VALLEY – The Swan Valley School Board approved a contract amendment with Seeley Lake Elementary to continue several necessary services at their regular meeting July 9. They also tabled a contract for principal submitted by Chris Stout, recently resigned superintendent from SLE who also served as the administrator for Swan Valley Elementary for the past several years. The Board was presented with an amended contract from the SLE School Board that removed the administrator services but continued to provide special education, counseling, d...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Elementary School Board hired three new teachers, appointed a new board trustee and approved a parent request for a student to enter kindergarten at a special meeting July 10. Since SLE has not hired a new superintendent, Missoula County Superintendent of Schools Erin Lipkind worked with a hiring committee to offer the board hiring recommendations. The committee recommended candidates for four different positions at SLE. The board only approved three of the four recommendations. The board approved Susan Bracha to...
SEELEY LAKE –The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board had a packed agenda for the June 20 regular meeting with topics ranging from bidding schedule and changing the force main route to Rules and Regulations (R&Rs) and cost estimates for Phase 3 and 4. The meeting ran nearly four hours with some agenda items being tabled. Bidding Timeline District Manager Jean Curtiss asked that the board to consider changing the bid dates from late this summer or early fall to January. Curtiss explained that a small sewer job in Missoula that went to bid in A...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley-Swan High School seniors and their parents gathered for the annual senior awards ceremony May 31. While many awards and scholarships had already been awarded, some students continued to add to their list of recognitions with class awards and local scholarships. Of the 28 SSHS graduates, 17 maintained a cumulative grade point average of a 3.0 or higher throughout their high school career. Brian Atwell, Lily Mercer, Hunter Shelmerdine and Jory Towe scored higher than a 27 o...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley-Swan High School students and area community members performed at the SSHS spring music concert May 10. The SSHS choir performed songs including "Pacem, Dona Nobis Pacem," originally written by Mary Lynn Lightfoot, and "Homeward Bound," originally written by Marta Keen. Audience members were also treated to "Memory" from the Broadway show, CATS, performed by Lane Mackie-Wendel and Korinne Treser. Songs were accompanied by pianist Shauna Anders. The band, which consisted of...
SEELEY LAKE – Missoula County has 103 confirmed pertussis cases as of Tuesday, May 14. Cases have been reported across all ages, from infants to adults. There are 16 schools involved in this community-wide outbreak including Seeley-Swan High School. The duration of the outbreak means it is possible for people who were exposed earlier in the outbreak to be re-exposed. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a type of bacteria. Pertussis can affect people of all ages, but can be very s...
