Just days after the closing ceremony at Jim Darcy, demolition is underway.  Scheduled to take only two weeks, the demotion will make room for a new playground at the school.

Despite the objective of demotion, District Facilities Director, Kalli Kind said, “I think the district and the architects and the construction teams have been very thoughtful about trying to take a piece of the old and bring it to the new for the continuity.”

Read the whole story as reported by KXLH by clicking HERE or by watching the video HERE.

School may be out for the summer, but two Helena High representatives are traveling to Dallas next week to compete in the National Speech and Debate competition.  Read the entire story as published in the Helena Independent Record by clicking HERE.

It was an emotional day yesterday for students, staff, administration, and the community.  As we anxiously await the opportunity to say hello to three new schools, yesterday brought tears and quiet moments of reminiscence as we said goodbye to the old schools.

Although each closing ceremony was unique in accordance with the individual spirit of each school, each presentation by staff and student alike centered around giving thanks.  Thanks to our flexible teachers and staff, thanks to our contractors on the job sites, thanks to our board of trustees, and most importantly, thanks to our community for passing the bond.

Read the articles below published along with videos from the closing ceremonies.
Helena Independent Record
KXLH and KTVH

All three schools will be completed by the first day of school next year and will be open to the public the evening on August 23 and all day on August 24.

All good things must come to an end, including a wall of approximately 2,000 cupcakes at Jim Darcy school.  As teachers, staff, and students would all agree, the transition from an old school to a new school has been an emotional journey.  One of the unexpected twists along the way has been the pending demolition of the legendary “Wall of Cupcakes.”

Over the last 10 years, principal Brian Cummings has been collecting cupcakes from students celebrating their birthdays at Jim Darcy.  Mr. Cummings said of the wall, “It  just morphed into something that was really fun for us. It’s really added to the culture and climate.”  He admitted that he’ll be sad to lose it, primarily for the connection it gave him with the students who brought him their treats.

To learn more, view the video below as reported by KXLH:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_atXiY7OveM

The success of the One Class at a Time program relies on two elements – the initiative of area teachers who request the grants and the generosity of our community partners to award the grants.  This year, First Interstate Bank and KXLH contributed over $8,000 into our public schools!  Those funds are used for everything from paint brushes to books – and each $250 grant can be used almost immediately and at each teacher’s discretion.

Below, please view the video as reported by KXLH.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEUClLFA-1g

Working in cooperation with Tombstone Kiwanis, who also arranged the donation of materials, woodworking students at Helena High School have built five tables and ten benches for YMCA’s Camp Child.  According to Helena YMCA CEO, David Oclander, “What these students are doing is investing in that next generation that’s coming up and going through Camp Child.  So the investment and reinvestment through youth and young mentors, supporting younger kids as they come up. That is just really exciting”

We at the Helena School District are so grateful for our community partners and the role they play in educating our students to be well-rounded and productive members of our community.

For over a decade, CR Anderson Middle School has celebrated the arrival of summer with a trip to Mount Helena.  It’s not all fun and games, though.  Teachers and staff set up 10 conservation stations where students had the opportunity to learn more around the natural world around them.

You can read the entire story as reported by Christine Sullivan/MTN News by clicking HERE or by tuning in to KXLH tonight.

When a need arose on short notice for Heidi Herbolich and her Rossiter Readers, the Helena Tour Train came through in a big way. To help celebrate students who had read over one million words this school year, the Helena Tour Train offered to chauffeur the students in high style.  Students rode Helena’s prestigious tour train around their Rossiter neighborhood before enjoying a candlelit pizza lunch on fine china.

According to fourth grade teacher, Heidi Herbolich, as a whole, her 4th grade class of 27 students read over 31 million words in the 2018-2019 school year.

Three new board of trustee members for the Helena Public Schools were confirmed in last night’s board meeting.  Incumbent Libby Goldes, Siobhan Hathhorn, and John E McEwen will each serve three year terms on the board.

To read the entire article as posted in the Helena Independent Record, please click HERE.

Last Friday, students at Jim Darcy Elementary School were given the opportunity to leave their marks on history by signing the gym floor at the new elementary school.  The date also marked the 415th day of construction on the new school.  You can read the entire story as posted on KTVH by clicking HERE, or by watching the video below.