Latest news with #FlatheadHighSchool
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Senior Spotlight: Flathead High School senior finds purpose through adversity
May 30—Joangerli Katherine Gonzalez trekked thousands of miles immigrating from South America to the United States when she was 16. Just three years later, she is set to graduate from Flathead High School. Gonzalez's month-and-a-half-long trip across nearly a dozen countries took her through dense jungles and across roaring rivers. She had to camp in the wilderness and at one point hiked for 12 hours straight. What the arduous trip taught her, though, is that she is capable. "Even everything that happens, I just take that [as] an experience for me to grow and to understand that ... I will have difficult moments in my life, but I know that I've been through that and I'm capable. I can do it, I can try," she said. That is a value the soft-spoken, yet bubbly student from Venezuela held close during her time in Flathead High School. While she entered school as a sophomore, she acquired the credits needed to graduate in just three years. But Gonzalez made sure to let none of that time go to waste. She took upper-level courses, sang in choir, coached elementary track, aided incoming Spanish-speaking students and even helped organize a campaign to promote inclusivity for children with disabilities. "To be involved is part of who I am," Gonzalez smiled. But gaining the comfort to pursue her many accomplishments was not easy. Starting high school is terrifying for any teenager. But when Gonzalez arrived in the Flathead Valley with her family in 2022, she did not know any English. She was in a new school in a new country and taking classes in a language she didn't know. She felt isolated from her peers. While ecstatic to be in, as she described, "big" and "fancy" school, she would often leave class in tears. But Gonzalez found solace in her friendship with Kirk Johnston, the school's Spanish teacher. "He was one of the big supports for me," she said. Gonzalez described a sense of relief being around Johnston, who provided familiarity in an unfamiliar place. Gonzalez has since become that same source of comfort for Spanish-speaking students newly enrolling in Flathead High. "This is my job to make them feel good, to make them feel comfortable," she said. She recalled introducing a new Spanish student to a gym game. The student was nervous, but Gonzalez stuck with her to translate the rules. "She was a little bit shy to do it, but I was like, 'I'm running with you. I'm also shy, but I'm here.'" Gonzalez also enjoyed helping elementary girls in the Highlander Track Club open themselves to new experiences during her time as a coach. She recalled teaching the girls shotput, which many had not done before. While some were reluctant, she enjoyed watching their faces light up after taking a jab at a new sport. "I understand so much that sometimes they have so much fear to try something new," Gonzalez said. When Gonzalez arrived at Flathead, she was amazed by the opportunities and activities offered to girls that were not offered in Venezuela. "I wanted to play soccer, but out there it is just for boys. So, you're limited," she said. Her mindset: Just try the thing. And whether you like it or not, be proud that you gave it a chance. "I think it's the most important thing in life," she said. Flathead counselor Michael Sherman beamed at Gonzalez as he praised her accomplishments. "You have been a great example for anyone, little kids or high school students, adults, anybody to have the self-confidence to try new things," he said to Gonzalez. When asked about who inspired her ambition and proclivity for the unknown, she couldn't help but get emotional thinking of her father. "I'm so thankful that he [taught] me how to be strong and capable," Gonzalez said through tears. GONZALEZ WAS 11 when she left her home in Caracas, Venezuela to escape political unrest and extortion. Gonzalez, her stepmom, younger sister and father moved to Peru, but experienced xenophobia during a time when Venezuelans were migrating to the country in swaths. "My dad was just so worried for us to be at school," she said. A few years later, they left for the United States. The journey entailed days-long hikes, buses and a three-day trek through the Darién Gap, which Joangerli said was the most difficult part of the trip. The Darién Gap is a rugged stretch of jungle between Colombia and Panama. While traffic through the passage has largely dwindled since President Donald Trump took office, the treacherous route saw hundreds of thousands of migrants pass through each year. Joangerli recalled hiking for 12 hours straight on the first day and spending a night away alone with her stepmom and sister after splitting from her father. It was raining, and water had flooded the tent. "I was just so scared," she said. She remembered crying out for her dad. But the next day, she heard her dad calling her from across a river, which she had to cross. The current was strong, and as she made her way across and reached out for a branch, another migrant was holding out from the riverbank. But the current swept her legs from under her. "I remember I was just calm. I don't drink any water either," she said. The current finally pushed her to the other side of the river where she met up with her family. "I think that was the most scary part for me." While such memories can be uncomfortable to rekindle, Gonzalez sees them as a part of her life. "It's still like a hard experience ... but something you can learn from," she said. After graduating, Gonzalez will study pediatrics at the University of Montana this fall. She is also excited to take a global leadership class and learn about issues people are facing around the world and how they can be helped. She is excited to immerse herself in a diverse environment with a wide array of classes to take. In a political climate that is targeting particularly Venezuelan immigrants, Gonzalez hopes that her story will show there are immigrants looking for opportunity. "We have jobs and we are worker people," she said. "Sometimes it's good to listen to people's reasons of why they left their country." "Here, you have those opportunities that you can make a better life for yourself and your family. I think that's something that most of the immigrants think about," she said. Flathead High School holds its graduation on May 30 at 7 p.m. at the school's gym, 644 Fourth Ave. W. About 280 students are set to graduate. Reporter Jack Underhill may be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
High school graduation ceremonies planned around the valley
May 24—Hundreds of students throughout the valley are set to graduate in the coming weeks. On May 29, about 44 Linderman Education Center students are expected to graduate at 7 p.m. Linderman is located at 124 Third Ave. E., Kalispell. For more information, call 751-3990. On May 30, about 280 Flathead High School students are set to graduate at 7 p.m. in the gym. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The school is located at, 644 Fourth Ave. W. The ceremony will also be livestreamed at Glacier High School, Bigfork High School and Stillwater Christian School have scheduled graduation ceremonies May 31. Glacier's graduation starts at 10 a.m. About 300 Glacier students are expected to graduate. The ceremony will take approximately two hours and will also be livestreamed at Glacier is located at 375 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell. The school has 874 parking spots and people are encouraged to carpool. People are reminded that roadways will be kept clear of illegally parked cars. For more information, At 11 a.m., Bigfork High School's graduation starts and will be held in the gym. About 71 students are expected to participate. The school is located at 600 Commerce St. in Bigfork. At 4 p.m., 19 Stillwater students are set to graduate in the high school gym, 255 FFA Dr., Kalispell. On June 5, Whitefish Independent High School will hold its graduation ceremony from 1 to 2 p.m. June 5 in Hope Garden located on the high school campus. June 7 commencement ceremonies are planned at Columbia Falls and Whitefish high schools. Columbia Falls' graduation will start at 11 a.m. in the high school gym. Doors open at 10 a.m. There will be no restrictions on seating or attendance. The school is located at 610 13th St. W. in Columbia Falls. Whitefish High School's graduation is planned at 1 p.m. Doors open at noon. Seating is first come, first serve. Ushers will be available to assist with general and handicapped-designated seating. The school is located a 1143 E. 4th St. in Whitefish. Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Flathead teen turns emergency lights on for first responders
May 19—Emergency medical services are not designated as essential, unlike firefighters or police, which means Montana isn't required to fund them. A resolution that started as a Flathead High School student's class project may change that. The resolution calls for a statewide study of emergency medical services to assess capabilities, needs, future demand and funding mechanisms. Flathead senior Kaylee Hampton, 17, helped draft the resolution as a political engagement project for her International Baccalaureate Global Politics class. The class is taught by Ryan Lee. "It started with just the proposal sheet from my global politics class, where I said I wanted to find ways to make funding more equitable in fire departments. From there, we devised a plan, figuring out who I needed to get a hold of, and sort of the route I wanted to go," Hampton said. She contacted Republican Sen. John Fuller of Kalispell, who sponsored the joint resolution, for guidance. Fuller is a former Flathead High School teacher. "He worked with me and told me that I could help draft a resolution for it. So, I drafted it myself. I got the go-ahead from my teacher, and from him [Fuller] and then we sent it off to the Senate Committee on Health," she said. Once she sent the draft off, a wave of relief washed over the ambitious senior who thanks to a "very concise schedule" and "really great family and friends" was able to carve out time to write drafts of the draft while going to school and spending nearly every other weekend competing in extracurriculars in addition to completing scholarship applications. The study will look at the implications of recognizing emergency medical services as a statewide essential service and look at anticipated future demands for services over the next five years, according to the resolution. WHILE MANY of her friends pursued ideas related to Ukraine, Hampton opted to do the project because it hit close to home. With a father working as a firefighter and paramedic for the Bigfork Fire Department and the Lakeside Quick Response Unit, Hampton learned firsthand the critical role EMS provides to Montana's rural communities and cities. "I think often we think of fire departments as just fire. When I realized that literally about 85% of his job is EMS-related ... that's what tells me it's so important," Hampton said. Also at her disposal was an understanding of the Legislative process. Hampton has three years of experience competing in Legislative Debate under coach Kelli Rosenquist on Flathead's speech and debate team. "I've had the training to write resolutions and do mock legislation, and so competing in that gave me a really good background on what's going on," she said. As with preparing for a productive debate, Hampton approached the project with meticulousness, research, resolve, confidence and patience — following the resolution and providing testimony as it made its way through the Legislature from November 2024, when a draft was assigned, to being signed by the Speaker of the House and Senate President at the beginning of May. Addressing the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety committee at the state Capitol March 19 was both scary and exhilarating, she said. "I've been wanting to do this since I started legislative debate when I was a sophomore. It wasn't this exact resolution, but I was like, I just got to get a bill passed. I really want to do it," she said. AFTER RESEARCHING the issue and interviewing local fire department chiefs in Bigfork, South Kalispell and Smith Valley, where her father started out as a volunteer, she learned that not having the "essential" designation is a nationwide concern. Primarily relying on money from local governments means that underfunded communities may exacerbate health disparities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "A lot of the experiences I'm seeing within my valley show the strains are just getting pretty extreme. They'll get funding for fire, but they're not getting near enough for what 85% of their job really is," she said. Smith Valley Fire Chief Amy Beick said the department is proud of Hampton's efforts to resurrect a decades-old issue. "She's just very talented and ambitious," Beick said. "As far as the study, we are very excited to see a study done on EMS services at the state level. We are very confident they will find sufficient evidence to make EMS a necessary service, and that's long overdue," she said. Beick said her department currently funds EMS through ambulance billing revenue. Each time an individual is transported by ambulance, Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance is billed, but it doesn't always make ends meet. Last year, the department had 730 calls for service, and of that, 569 were EMS-related. "Seventy-eight percent of our call volume is medical," Beick said, noting that the fire department is not alone in the high volume of medical calls. "And so, nine years ago, our board decided we can't do that to our mutual aid [fire departments]. So, they went and purchased a used ambulance, and they figured out how to staff it and equip it." Prior to buying the ambulance, Smith Valley relied on Kalispell, which means traveling a farther distance and a longer response time. As the population continues to grow, so does the call volume, and Smith Valley made the switch to contracting with a private ambulance company. "But there's no money in EMS. There's no funding for EMS, so they couldn't afford to keep their doors open and went out of business. And so that left a hole for us," Beick said. "Who's going to transport? Do we just rely on mutual aid for all of our EMS calls, which isn't fair." The study is set to conclude in September 2026, with results reported to the 70th Legislature. REFLECTING ON the broader impact of her project and the importance of youth involvement in the legislative process, Hampton encourages her peers to "take the leap" by getting involved. "Just remember that you have friends around you, you have teachers around you who are willing to support you," she said, drawing from her own experience. She said it's an empowering experience to realize constituents can effect change. "I've always been like, OK, well, I can be upset about it, or I can make the change. I think that it's really empowering to be like, OK, yeah, this is a democracy. I have the complete power to get a hold of my representative and to see if I can do something and try to make that change," She said the experience was a big deal that not only demonstrated her capabilities but also speaks to the support and guidance of her mentors, coaches and teachers. "Getting to show my mentees that it's possible for teenagers to do things like this, I hope, is empowering to them too," she said. Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New director looks to lead Evergreen Chamber of Commerce
May 4—Ben Dorrington has set goals of economic growth and creating community-driven spaces for the community of Evergreen. He looks to shepherd those goals as the new executive director of the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce. It's a position he will be taking on this summer following the retirement of Connie McCubbins. "There is so much potential," Dorrington said, sitting in the chamber office on the upstairs level of Snappy Sports Senter. "As you drive down the corridor, there's a question as to what may happen." In recent years, the Evergreen population has continued to grow with the greater Flathead Valley, introducing new businesses and places for residents and tourists alike. Dorrington hopes to keep up with that change, using it to Evergreen's benefit to expand community, social and business options. Dorrington grew up on a bluff in Kalispell overlooking Evergreen. After graduating from Flathead High School in 1996 he attended Linfield University and majored in psychology. "I had this calling when I was 17 that I needed to help people, so I was trying to find a way to do that," Dorrington said. After graduation, Dorrington worked with Wilderness Treatment Center in Marion for two decades doing various jobs, from being a staff therapist to taking over the marketing sector later in his career. The center was sold amid a lawsuit in 2018, and Dorrington left the company. He then worked in marketing for Averill Hospitality before the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in his layoff. From there, Dorrington returned to social services, working at Immanuel Living and Kalispell Public Schools before staying home with his kids. When he saw the job at the chamber, Dorrington was excited to keep the momentum in Evergreen going. "I saw how impactful that sidewalk project is and was," he said. "I really think this job can have a direct impact on the community. People can make an impact... and I think the chamber can do that here." Business owners, community members, the Evergreen Community Partners, and the Evergreen School District, along with the chamber have been working for years to bring sidewalks to Evergreen. Last year the first phase of sidewalk construction was completed with sidewalks now running from Tractor Supply to Evergreen Junior High. Funding has been secured for a second phase of sidewalks, but the community continues to work on bringing a third phase to fruition. Another goal for Dorrington is growing the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce's footprint in the greater Flathead Valley business community. As the population continues to grow, and businesses continue to put roots in and around U.S. 2, Dorrington is eager to have the chamber grow with it. He also looks forward to exploring community space options, toying with the idea of creating a space where the chamber could host events, concert series and other community events. "It's really an exciting time to be building on that momentum," he said. "We are for the people; Evergreen is for the people." McCubbins is set to leave the chamber at the end of June but has stayed on to help train Dorrington as he prepares to take over leadership of the organization. "I'm excited that Ben Dorrington will be stepping into my role as executive director," McCubbins said. "Ben is incredibly talented and will bring a fresh perspective to the job. Ben is going to be a great asset to the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce." To learn more about the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce, visit Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or kheston@
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Automotive students medal at state SkillsUSA conference
May 2—Two Flathead High School automotive students brought home gold and bronze at the Montana SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference in Great Falls. Cameron Seals placed first, winning a gold medal, and Cameron Moffit placed third, earning a bronze medal, in the Automotive Service Technology event. Seals' first-place win makes him eligible to compete at the national level. Many winners also received prizes, including tools and scholarships. The pair were among 367 career and technical education students competing in 56 different trade, technical and leadership events. During the state SkillsUSA competition, students worked against the clock and each other to demonstrate their abilities in the various hands-on events such as architectural and technical drafting, criminal justice, graphic design, diesel equipment technology, gastronomic engineering, medical math, photography, welding and woods, for example. Students also had the opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills through prepared speeches. The competitive events were run by Montana SkillsUSA with the help of industry professionals, trade associations and labor organizations, with testing competencies set by industry standards. The SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference will be held June 23 through 27 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The Flathead High School automotive department has planned a car show fundraiser, Crusin' Flathead High, from noon to 4 p.m. May 10. The car show will feature custom vehicles, hot rods, "rat rods" and unfinished projects. There will be prizes, food prepared by Braves Catering and music. Cars will start being admitted at 11 a.m. The entry cost is $20 per car. Proceeds benefit Flathead SkillsUSA and speech and debate students to help defray the traveling costs to compete at their respective national championships. Speech and debate students are headed to Iowa for the National Speech and Debate Association tournament scheduled June 15 through 20. Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@
