Zac Andrews, Montana West Realty, Active. Suicide rates have increased. Diehl and his wife Amina have two teenage kids currently attending Whitefish Middle School. Trustees - School Board - School Board - Whitefish School District Trustees If you would like to email all of the school board trustees please send your email to trustees@whitefishschools. As an accomplished soccer player, I have helped local soccer teams by assisting in coaching. Bennetts expressed great respect for the current board members, administrators, district staff and everyone already involved in the district. What really drew me here was the people that live here they have these wonderful qualities of really fierce independence and strength, coupled with a very strong sense of community, Kearns said. F: (406) 862-2586, 1143 E. 4th St., - The Whitefish School District cultivates and supports a community that engages each student to succeed in continuous learning, Leanette Kearns has an understanding of schools and the challenges teachers, staff and students face daily. My concern lies with the willingness of the board to step on the rights of parents. Jerrie Boksich was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and attended public schools. In the past she worked for a nonprofit that partnered with schools to deliver extended programming this work helped her grow to recognize the struggles that teachers and students face daily. 6th Grade and Intervention Teacher. He added that other priorities for him as a trustee would include ensuring quality teaching materials and a supportive standardized curriculum for teachers, empowering kids to make their own decisions, supporting extracurricular programs and improving communication in parent-teacher relationships across the district. She also lived in Essex for a summer season working at the Snow Slip Inn in 2009. Terms of Use | Individual fall sports and their state titles; cross country girls (3)football (1)girls golf (16) and boys (12)soccer boys (3), girls (2)volleyball (6). Whitefish, MT 59937 . During the pandemic, a group of average, common people on the school board unanimously took unprecedented action to usurp control from parents over their children's bodies. Ms. Victoria Buls. She had a great public schooling experience all the way from kindergarten through her postsecondary education at University of Montana, and knows her education has allowed her many opportunities in life. Whitefish School Board Meetings are held in the school board meeting room at 600 East Second Street, Whitefish, Montana. Homes for Sale Near 5333 Highway 93 S. 10 ACRES. To support the ongoing work of this site, we display non-personalized Google ads in EEA countries which are targeted using contextual information only on the page. He was inspired to run in the trustee election because of his desire to serve and give back to the community. Theres people who have been on the board and dedicated educators who are in the trenches that I want to hear from to learn what they view as the priorities first.. But in addition to those interests, Lengacher has an even stronger passion to serve in the local community. Finally, bringing a science background to the board offers another perspective of data interpretation and problem-solving. With COVID and the influx of new people in Whitefish, she sees that the community togetherness is starting to become divisive. Ive always been interested in the educational and artistic development of children. She acknowledges the challenges the pandemic caused in the educational setting, but also respects the decisions the district made by implementing the hybrid in person and online model. F: (406) 862-8664, 1143 E. 4th St. In the 2022 Whitefish School District election, there are five trustee candidates running for two open positions. Whitefish, MT 59937 1296 Whitefish Village Dr, My degree from an elite university demonstrates my commitment to providing pathways to higher education for all students. It was just humbling and incredible the amount of initiation random people who wed never met took to reach out she recalled. Lengacher added that he believes all involved in the school district right now are doing wonderful things, but given the support for schools in Whitefish the door is wide open for even more improvements. And in addition, bringing more support and professional development to faculty. The 2021 Whitefish School Board Trustee Candidates are Quincy Bennetts, David Diehl, Leanette Kearns, Todd Lengacher and Emily Morrow. DECA is the youngest activity at WHS with students taking several honors across the state and a national championship that included international competitors. Athletic/activities programs function as an integral part of the total curriculum by providing a variety of experiences in sportsmanship, teamwork, competition and by helping the individual students develop a healthy self concept. Over the last year, Lengacher says he supports the decisions the board made regarding reopening schools during the pandemic. He added that other priorities for him as a trustee would include ensuring quality teaching materials and a supportive standardized curriculum for teachers, empowering kids to make their own decisions, supporting extracurricular programs and improving communication in parent-teacher relationships across the district. We had a week at an Airbnb in Whitefish and just absolutely fell in love with it, he said. All parents are encouraged to attend and become active members regardless of the grade of your child. In spite of the pandemic, our high school is ranked number two in the state and our reading and math scores are on the upswing across every grade level in the district. I think were a growing economy in Whitefish; the challenge would be to serve every member of the community and know what their needs are because theyre coming from all different directions of the country, Morrow said. Although Diehl has never served on a school board before, he believes his leadership experience from his military career would be an asset to the Whitefish School Board. F: (406) 862-8664, 1143 E. 4th St. The election will be held on May 3 at the Whitefish School District Board Room, 600 East Second Street. Mr. Al Hammel Alternative Teacher . With COVID and the influx of new people in Whitefish, she sees that the community togetherness is starting to become divisive. Editor's note: This story originally ran in the April 14, 2021 edition of the Whitefish Pilot. She and her husband Joel Shehan have one son in third grade at Muldown Elementary and the family enjoys being in the outdoors, especially hiking and paddle boarding. He also currently serves on the North Valley Food Bank and Whitefish Education Foundation boards, and is the executive director of the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Northwest Montana program. One of the really important things to me has been understanding how much relationships matter and how we treat each other matters, she said. Giving solid leadership direction along with flexibility, I think thats kind of the best you can hope for.. Location: Whitefish School District Board Room 600 E Second St Whitefish, MT. Search: There is no staff matching your search criteria Teachers. Bennetts says she was inspired to run for school board for a number of reasons including wanting to help make sure every child has access to an excellent education. School Board governance is a non-partisan position that carries a wide range of responsibilities and duties. Whitefish Bay School District is a top performing district in Wisconsin and the Midwest. Speech and Debate activities offer students an opportunity to hone their skills in a variety of competitive events at both the local and state level. Not only did I receive excellent academic preparation from Whitefish schools, it also provided a safe and caring place for me to be myself and grow into a productive community member. Ms. Rachel Anderson . My goal is to reunite our district with the common goal of doing what is best for our children, which is ultimately what is best for society as a whole. The interaction features such as share screen, chat, unmute, raise hand, are not enabled. Jerries commitment to providing excellent education for the students of Whitefish was the reason for her desire to serve on the Whitefish School Board. Its time to bring back compassion, kindness and compromise to the table, fostering relationships along the way. Location: WMS - PAC. Five trustee candidates are running for two open spots on the Whitefish School Board. Kearns and her family moved to Whitefish in September 2020, although they have been coming to the area to visit often since her husbands family has owned a cabin in Essex for many years. Family: Married to Bill Paatalo; three kids and one due this week. David Diehl now works as a director of operations at RightOnTrek. If elected to the school board, keeping that genuine community feel and engagement is one aspect she would prioritize. I will stand up for our children, parents and teachers by seeking to level the playing field for all. I am very dedicated; if I decide to do something I give it my all, she said. He also would like to have a positive influence by helping to elevate the board itself. She says she always had a desire to get into local politics and government and knows she has a lot to offer in the role. There is no staff matching your search criteria Administration. Whitefish School District. She attended Whitefish public schools from kindergarten to her graduation in 2002. We must eradicate the pop politics of the public square to preserve their innocence so they can put their energy into building skills to achieve after high school and build a life for themselves. I don't have a dog in the fight to control families, my dog is in the fight to raise kids the way parents see fit and protect the rights of others to do the same. The Whitefish School District office at Central School downtown. I dont know what all our needs are right now, so first of all I want to be a sounding board and listen and learn, Diehl said. However, I dont claim my diverse perspective is what qualifies me alone for this position. Currently Jerrie is also serving on the Alpine Theater Project Board of Directors. Morrow said shes never served on a school board or other government board before, but has held plenty of leadership positions throughout her life. The election is in person this year and the polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on May 3 for residents to cast their vote. The queer community has become a targeted group recently and this should be addressed at the district level. Although Diehl has never served on a school board before, he believes his leadership experience from his military career would be an asset to the Whitefish School Board. P: (406) 862-8620 He was inspired to run in the trustee election because of his desire to serve and give back to the community. I am not privy to the inside workings of the schools, and all my dealings with any staff have exceeded my expectations. org. From the outside looking in, Whitefish is a contentious area because we have so many people strongly anchored in opposing beliefs. P: (406) 862-8688 She had a great public schooling experience all the way from kindergarten through her postsecondary education at University of Montana, and knows her education has allowed her many opportunities in life.