Dear Families and Staff,

By my calculations, it’s about 30 degrees warmer this afternoon than it was just one week ago. Thank you for helping us keep kids learning as we endured our annual bout of subzero temperatures.

The cold was no match for our winter sports and activities competitors, who fanned out across the state last weekend. They did not come home empty-handed.

Our Bengals and Bruins clinched individual state titles in Swimming, Wrestling and Speech & Debate and two of our Speech & Debate Competitors qualified for nationals!

Layla Riggs, a Senior at Helena High, qualified for nationals in Congressional Debate at the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) Qualifier Tournament in Kalispell and Whitefish. This is Layla’s fourth year to qualify for the national tournament, which will be held in Des Moines, Iowa in June this year!

Layla was also named NSDA Montana West Student of the Year. Meanwhile, Tanner Davis, a Senior at Capital High, also qualified for nationals in the Informative Speaking category.

Best of luck at Nationals Layla and Tanner!

On the wrestling mat, our very own trailblazer Taylor Lay, a Junior at Capital High, clinched the state title for Girls 130 Pounds at the MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament at the Billings Metra! Congratulations, Taylor!

Lay made history when she won Helena’s first state title in girls wrestling as a freshman in 2023.

Capital High Senior Cole Graham took 2nd place in Boys190 pounds and Sophomore Wyatt Shull took 3rd in Boys 118 pounds.

In the pool, sister and brother Bruins Elizabeth and Isaac Urban clinched individual state titles at the AA State Swim meet in Great Falls. Congratulations to Elizabeth, a sophomore who took the state title in Girls 100 Butterfly, and Isaac, a senior, who took the state title in  Boys 100 Freestyle and Boys 50 Freestyle. Way to go Urbans!

The Bruin Boys swim team was state runner up, scoring second overall at the state meet.

Congratulations to these winter sports and activities competitors on a fantastic season! Full results are in the Student & Educator Recognition Section below.

We also have more exciting academic news to share this week. Last week I announced that two students from Helena High, Evelyn Callery and Eva Skibicki, were selected as National Merit Scholar finalists. The honor puts Evelyn and Eva among just 15,000 students – out of 1.3 million who took the initial screening test for the National Merit program nationwide – to achieve finalist status.

This week we learned we have two more National Merit Finalists – Adeline Walters and Mason Whitney, of Capital High. Congratulations Adeline and Mason!

We’ll find out later this spring if our finalists will be chosen to receive prestigious National Merit Scholarships. Selections are based on academic records, test scores, essays, examples of leadership and community involvement, and recommendations from school officials.

Congratulations and best of luck, Adeline, Mason, Eva and Evelyn!

HHS National Merit Finalists Evelyn Callery, left, and Eva Skibicki, right.

CHS National Merit FInalists Mason Whitney, left, and Adeline Walters, right.

Our elementary students are also feeling the competitive spirit, with record signups this year for the Future Chefs Challenge sponsored by our district food services vendor, Sodexo.

Congratulations to our school finalists, who will compete in our district challenge March 8 at the district’s base kitchen at Capital High. The aspiring chefs will compete in a timed event alongside professional chefs and high school culinary students.

All competitors are in the third, fourth or fifth grade and this year’s theme is “Favorite Main Dish.” Each finalist will work in a team of three and will guide their teammates through preparation of their own unique recipe.

Congratulations to our Helena Public Schools Future Chefs competitors:

Broadwater – Kynlee Kolar

Bryant – Aubrey Percy

Central – Henry Tommerup

Four Georgians – Melina Ray

Hawthorne – Dorothy Goodson

Jefferson – Ava Kraft

Jim Darcy – Dayson Bahny

Kessler – Brian Reveley

Rossiter – Myka Rangel, Trissa Tucker-Lafromboise

Smith – Kinston Hoover

Warren – To be announced Monday.

When the competition ends at 11 a.m., family members and the public will have the opportunity to sample the recipes, talk with the chefs and nominate a recipe for the people’s choice awards.

Watch for more details to come next week.

We have a beautiful, sunny weekend ahead. But now that the sunshine has returned, we’re feeling the effects of two weeks indoors. Flu and other respiratory viruses are everywhere.

Let’s use this weekend to eat well, sleep well and recover and renew our energy for the exciting spring season ahead!

Respectfully,

Rex M. Weltz, Superintendent
Helena Public Schools