February 10, 2023

Dear Helena Public Schools Families and Staff,

It’s been a vibrant week in our schools, with everything from visits by “Race to the Sky” musher Jesika Reimer and her dogs at CR Anderson Middle School, to a giant Sundae feed at Warren Elementary to celebrate the 100^th day of school.

Meanwhile, elementary students across the district made valentine cards to bring joy to people in nursing homes, assisted living, home health and hospice care as well as recipients of Meals on Wheels. Their efforts were coordinated by Hazel Noonan, area manager for Inhabit Home Health and Hospice. Last year Noonan gathered 3,000 valentine messages from students to share across the community and she expects to collect even more this year.

Chace, a third grader in Mrs. Helseth’s class, told KTVH Reporter Tom Buchanan that he made his valentine “cause not everybody has friends, and some people just need to have something to make them feel loved.” You’ll feel the love just watching Buchanan’s interview with these thoughtful third-graders. Thank you to all of our elementary students for sharing a ray of sunshine with those who are shut in this winter.

And thank you to our local media for capturing these events and more, which represent the many ways our schools participate in our community throughout the year.

Speaking of winter, the Helena High Winter Sports/Fine Arts Pep Rally, which was postponed due to winter weather in December, was held yesterday. The team spirit was better than ever, with performances by the HHS Symphonic Band performing “American Barndance;” HHS Orchestra, “In the Hall of the Mountain King”; HHS Ambience, “Little Shop of Horrors”; HHS Starlighters, Mangisondele; and the HHS Cheer and Bangalettes with the Bengals fight song! (link) We appreciate all that our student musicians, cheer teams and dance teams do to make our schools true communities!

The extra dose of school spirit came just in time for our Bengal swimmers, who are competing alongside the Bruins at the State Swim Meet in Great Falls today and tomorrow. Our wrestlers, meanwhile, headed south for the State All-Class Wrestling tournament. We wish them all the best!

We also have exciting news to share on the academic front. Congratulations to our CHS and HHS candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program:

CHS

– Connor Bushnell
– Selah Frederickson
– Miranda Sheafor

HHS

– Ryan Burke
– Paisley Karlin
– Robert Stimpson
– Jeri Wilkerson

These outstanding scholars are among 59 students statewide who were invited to be candidates for the prestigious program, and are now eligible to apply to be semifinalists. Congratulations to our candidates and thank you to the educators who played a role in this recognition.

I also want to congratulate CR Anderson Middle School Spelling Bee Champion Weston McNearney, who won with the word “urchins.” Way to go, Weston! He’ll be joined at the Lewis and Clark County Spelling Bee next month by six finalists including Sophia Allen, Zoie DeHennis, Olivia Hellwinkel, Eli Riddle and Matthew Wendt. Alternates are Audrey Snellman and Abbey Wall.

Finally, I want to thank our tremendous team of school counselors, as we celebrate National School Counselors Week. It’s hard to list everything a school counselor does in a few sentences, but their work includes helping students with academic achievement strategies, managing emotions, applying interpersonal skills and planning for postsecondary options.

To put it in a nutshell, our school counselors are in our schools to make sure every student succeeds.  Please join me in thanking your school counselor for everything they do.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Rex Weltz, Superintendent
Helena Public Schools