THE SUMMIT

ELEVATING EDUCATION AT BLAINE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Volume 3

August 2, 2024

WELCOME TO BLAINE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Welcome to The Summit, the Blaine County School District newsletter that’s designed to keep you informed on the latest happenings in our schools.

The Board of Trustees wants to hear from you! Please submit your public comments here.

Para ver este boletín en español, pulse aquí.

SCHOOL BOARD NEWS - Trustee Vacancy in Zone 3

Board of Trustees (clockwise): Vice Chair Dan Turner, Chair Lara Stone, Blanca Romero and Amber Perkes.

Thank you, Nora!

Trustee Nora Roebuck had to step down from the board after moving out of Zone 3.

We would like to extend to Nora our sincere appreciation for her hard work campaigning and for the time and effort she put in on the board this year. Her perspective as a previous BCSD employee and bilingual trustee has been really beneficial to the board and district.

We've really missed her!

Are you passionate about education?

Join us in shaping the future by applying to be on the school board! As a board member, you'll have the opportunity to participate in key decisions that impact our students, teachers, and schools. Your voice and vision can help create a positive learning environment to help all students in Blaine County public schools succeed at the highest level. Applicants must be 18 or older and eligible to vote. Those living in Zone 3 of Blaine County have priority.

Email clerk@blaineschools.org today to make a difference in our community! Learn more in ISBA's Guide for Candidates: So you want to be a School Board Member?

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT - Dionise Guerra-Carillo

“The high school was big and scary when I first started, and now I know that place like the back of my hand. Boston will be an adjustment, but it’s one I am incredibly excited to make.”

Dionise Guerra-Carillo

Harvard-bound WRHS senior

Wood River Senior Gains Admission to Harvard, Shoots for the Stars

By Andrew Guckes, Express Staff Writer

Idaho Mountain Express

Dionise Guerra-Carillo has always been one of the smartest and most driven people in any room.

The brilliant Wood River High School senior has wanted to be a neurosurgeon since elementary school. In the fall, she will begin her studies at Harvard University.

Guerra-Carillo is a first-generation American and a first-generation college student. She said opening the acceptance email from Harvard—her dream school—was one of the best days of her life. Read more...

SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT - Hailey Elementary

“The students open up and relax more when there’s an animal around.”

Stephanie Wallace, Hailey Elementary School principal

Therapy Dogs Offer a Calming Influence

For Hailey Elementary students, the transition back to the classroom after the Pandemic required getting into an emotional state for learning after being gone so long.

Enter Bernie, a therapy dog and a calming influence and comfort to students. Three days a week, you’ll find Bernie outside the office of Stephanie Wallace, the principal of Hailey Elementary.

“Sometimes students need more than I can give them myself - and Bernie is there for them." Read more...

See Bernie in this episode of Hailey Comet News.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS - Communities for Youth

“It’s an incredible opportunity to be able to obtain local data on how our youth are doing and to see the community and the schools take steps towards improving youth wellness, directly in the areas where they need support.”

-Sarah Seppa, Director of Community Engagement, St. Luke’s Wood River

Improving Student Mental Health

What do sleep and social connections have to do with the mental health of middle and high school students? A lot! And thanks to survey data collected by the Communities for Youth Blaine County Initiative, the Blaine County School District has been able to implement actions that are already making a difference.

The data showed that 1) Students were lacking social connections with a trusted adult other than parents and they lacked meaningful connections with each other. 2) Students not sleeping enough were showing much higher signs of depression. Read more...

Interested in getting involved or learning more?

Opt-in to the survey. If you are a parent to a middle or high school student, when you register in PowerSchool make sure to opt-in for them to take the survey.

Read the research results and recommendations on:

The Importance of Sleep and

How to Start Building Better Connections

PARENT RESOURCES

District Handbook

For all Blaine County School District students (Englis h, Español)

School-specific Handbooks

Alturas Elementary (English, Español)

Bellevue Elementary (English, Español)

Carey School (English, Español)

Ernest Hemingway STEAM School (English, Español)

Hailey Elementary (English, Español)

Silver Creek High School (English, Español)

Wood River High School (English, Español)

Wood River Middle School (English, Español)

IN THE NEWS

Idaho Mountain Express High school seniors awarded nearly $500K in college scholarships

Sun Valley Writers' Conference: Javier Zamora, author of the award-winning memoir Solito and a 2023 Sun Valley Writers’ Conference alum, visited the Wood River Middle School (WRMS) and Wood River High School (WRHS) on May 23: Javier Zamora Visits Local Schools

Business Professionals of America (BPA) is a national, co-curricular, career/technical organization for high school students in business and technology programs: Eight students at Wood River High School qualified for nationals in Chicago this year.

Idaho Mountain Express Bellevue Elementary School principal heading to new role - Mark Sauvageau says it's bittersweet to go back to teaching, but wanted change

Idaho Ed News School leaders in two resort towns get creative to offer affordable housing for staff — with mixed results

Idaho Mountain Express Homelessness expert: With the will, problem could be solved

Idaho Mountain Express School board weighs building upgrade priorities, delays in face of rising costs

FUTURE NEWSLETTERS

To subscribe to The Summit newsletter, email the school board clerk at clerk@blaineschools.org.

Do you have a story about our Blaine County public schools that you'd like to see in The Summit newsletter? Please submit your story here.