Latest news with #GlacierHighSchool
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Senior spotlight: Glacier senior recasts cancer journey into career caring for others
May 28—For Glacier High School senior Abby Dose, the upcoming weekend of graduation celebrations doesn't just signify the end of her high school career. It also marks the one-year anniversary of the day her life changed. Soaking up the early summer sunshine on June 1, 2024, at Flathead Lake, the 17-year-old spent the afternoon batting a volleyball around with friends. When the sky began to darken, the girls returned to Dose's house. That's when Dose said she noticed something strange. A constellation of bruises spread across the insides of her forearms. Dose fumbled through her memories of the day, but she couldn't recall anything that would explain the wounds. She showed the bruises to her friends, but they were also perplexed. "Maybe it's cancer," one friend quipped. Dose's parents were celebrating their wedding anniversary with an overnight trip to Swan Lake, so Dose called a family friend who worked in the medical profession. They advised her to have her blood drawn at a nearby clinic, just to be safe. "I thought I was anemic or something," Dose recalled. What Dose expected to be a quick trip to the clinic swiftly unraveled into a full-fledged medical battle. The initial blood tests showed dangerously low levels of hemoglobin and platelets, so doctors shepherded her to the emergency room at Logan Health for more testing. There, another blood test showed the presence of immature blood cells called myeloblasts. The so-called "blasts" are typically only found in bone marrow, but some forms of cancer can cause the cells to spill over into the bloodstream. Around 2 a.m., Dose was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and admitted to the hospital. Doctors extracted spinal fluid and bone marrow for more testing, which revealed that Dose also had a genetic mutation that would make the cancer more difficult to treat. Looking back, Dose found it difficult to pinpoint when the news of her diagnosis sunk in. After the flurry of tests, she was medevaced to a hospital in Denver that specialized in bone marrow transplants. Doctors surgically inserted a catheter into Dose's chest so she could begin chemotherapy treatments. It was the first surgery that Dose had ever had. In the following days, Dose learned a seemingly endless array of medical terms. She made decisions she had never considered before, like whether she wanted to freeze her eggs to preserve her chances of having a genetic child. "There would be moments when I would sit there and cry," recalled Dose. "My whole world turned upside down." Dose's mother stayed in Denver, working from her daughter's hospital room during the day and sleeping at a nearby boarding house at night. A few friends were able to make the 1,000-mile trip to visit in person, but most of Dose's social connections came through her phone. "Everyone else was living their life, and I'm sick," she said. "My whole life was seeing other people on Instagram and TikTok." The one bright spot in the hospital, said Dose, was the nurses. After working as a certified nurse assistant at Immanuel Living during her junior year, Dose had a burgeoning passion for the medical field, and many of the nurses in the cancer ward were young, close to Dose's age. Some had also undergone cancer treatments, and they commiserated with Dose about the frustrations of showering with a catheter and the loneliness of the hospital room. After undergoing three rounds of chemotherapy to kill the cancerous cells in her bone marrow, on Sept. 6 she was declared cancer-free. But she only got a short respite at home before returning to the hospital for a bone marrow transplant. Fortunately, Dose and her sister were a 100% genetic match, making the odds of a successful transfer much higher. While the procedure proved relatively simple for her sister, Dose's own post-surgery recovery was full of potholes. She developed a painful infection in the lining of her digestive tract that made it difficult to eat or drink. She became so dehydrated, she was re-hospitalized. Simple tasks crippled her body with fatigue. "Just getting from the parking lot to the hospital I was winded," she said. Despite the complications, the transplant ultimately proved successful. On Feb. 8, Dose was fully released from the hospital. Dose recognizes that her life may never be what she had once considered normal. She still spends more time at the doctor's office than the average 18-year-old and worries about cancer returning. But Dose prefers to focus on the future, rather than dwelling in anxieties. Dose plans to study pre-nursing at Montana State University in the fall. While she is undecided about the specific focus she wants to take, Dose draws inspiration from many of the nurses who helped care for her. Like them, she hopes to transform her own experiences with illness into personal connections and care. "I'll know what my patients have gone through," she said. Glacier High School holds its graduation on May 31 at 10 a.m. at the high school, 375 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell. About 300 students are expected to graduate. Reporter Hailey Smalley may be reached at 758-4433 or hsmalley@
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
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Students canvass for Kalispell Public Schools high school levy
Mar. 28—Students from Flathead and Glacier high schools are making sure their voices are heard by the voters who will decide a $2.97 million levy request in May that will affect their education. Three students from One Brave Pack, a political action committee composed of students, parents and business leaders, shared how they have been canvassing for "Yes" votes on Kalispell Public Schools' proposed high school general fund levy through social media and door-to-door visits with taxpayers. "Our goal is to hit 1,000 homes in like the Kalispell proper area," Glacier High School junior Josh Lee said. Lee and Flathead High School juniors Vikram Vatti and Mitchell Johnson, who arrived straight from a track practice, sat down for an interview recently at the offices of McGarvey Law, which serves as One Brave Pack's headquarters. Lee and Vatti said they began mobilizing classmates at their respective schools and joined forces when they learned about each other's efforts. The high school general fund levy seeks to cover a budget shortfall and fully fund the high school district, which encompasses Flathead, Glacier, the H.E. Robinson Agricultural Center and Linderman Education Center, the alternative high school. The high school district is currently 90% funded, according to officials. The general fund is the main budget that covers costs related to operating schools, such as salaries, instructional materials, student support services, utilities and extracurriculars not covered by the student activities fund, for example. The three students agreed there is more awareness of this levy among the student body because of what's at stake if it doesn't pass. "With so much on the line a lot more students are having it brought to their attention. Teachers are talking about it a lot more and my circle of friends," Lee said. "There's been a lot of word of mouth [and] people talking about the levy." What's on the line is a reduction of 20.5 full-time equivalent positions in the high school district, which will primarily be achieved through attrition (retirements and resignations). Positions are also being eliminated in the elementary district. Staff cuts will in turn affect the number of classes/sections that can be offered. As a member of Flathead's speech and debate team, Johnson said the impetus to join One Brave Pack and advocate for the levy's passage came after learning longtime speech and debate head coach and English teacher, Shannon O'Donnell, and assistant coach and history teacher, Sean O'Donnell, are retiring. KPS offered a retirement incentive to all staff under the looming budget shortfall. "They gathered us up all before state and basically told us about the retirement and I was really upset about it, and I left the room. I knew I had to do something about it because I don't think it's OK that teachers have to give up their job and give up what they love ..." Johnson said. "... When you have teachers like that who choose to retire just to try to save younger teachers that's something that should never be happening, right, like we should have the community caring and investing," added Vatti, who is also on the speech and debate team. The district is also proposing phasing out legacy programs if the levy doesn't pass. Legacy programs are what Kalispell Public Schools' is calling programs and extracurriculars that have been offered to generations of high school students including athletics, FFA, speech and debate, theater, trades classes (house construction, welding and mechanics), internships, apprenticeships and music. "[Kalispell Public Schools] offers a lot of extra opportunities to students, a lot more than other school districts do, and yet, we're the lowest funded AA school district in the state," Lee said. In addition to a diploma, high school students may obtain college credit, career-specific certifications and work experience. The students said this gives them a head start in their pursuits after graduation. Vatti views extracurriculars as an integral part of students' education. Sports games, music concerts, theater performances, speech and debate tournaments, county fair participation and volunteering through the extracurriculars all serve as a place for students to showcase their talent while providing a source of community entertainment. "There's a lot of ways to look at the levy, but I think the main way to look at it is that it's about freedom. It's about giving freedom to our children, our youth within the community, to be able to do what they want with their lives," Vatti said. "I agree. That's a good way of putting it," Lee said. "Voting yes on the levy is really like voting yes for students to be able to have a choice to do the things they care about, do the things they enjoy and the things they want to do to become not only better students, but better community members in the future ... voting for a better future for students." People who can vote on the high school general fund levy includes residents in Kalispell and 13 surrounding elementary school districts whose students feed into Glacier and Flathead. If the $2.97 million high school levy is approved, owners of homes with assessed values of $200,000 can anticipate annual taxes to increase by about $33.04. Owners of homes with assessed values of $300,000 can expect annual taxes to increase by $49.56. "It's $73[.80] a year for the average home," Lee said, referring to the estimated tax increase on a home valued at $447,000. "The average home is paying $6 a month. I mean, that's one trip to Starbucks. That is less than a Netflix subscription. That's less than a Spotify subscription," he added. Vatti urged residents to reinvest in their community with a "yes" vote. "I would say to people who are anti-tax in general is, out of all the things you can spend your money on, this has to be very important. You are directly helping our community. You are investing in the youth who are going to run the businesses that are within the Flathead Valley in the future. A high school levy hasn't passed since May 2007. In the years since, the high school district footprint has grown along with academic programming. In 2024, voters shot down a $700,000 high school general fund levy request, which would have cost taxpayers who owned a $300,000 home about $12 annually. Historically, Kalispell Public School's last major budget cut was $1.5 million that went into effect over 2017 and 2018. Of that amount, about $866,291 was cut from the high school budget alone. To cover budget shortfalls and inflationary increases, the district has also used money in an interlocal fund. Rather than tap into one-time funding in the interlocal fund to cover ongoing costs, Kalispell Public Schools has pivoted strategies under a new administration and school board in efforts to stop pushing the problem down the road. The interlocal fund, which is a savings account of sorts, contains a combination of high school and elementary funds, (primarily any remaining year-end money). Currently it holds $5.77 million — with portions of it earmarked for items such as textbook purchases and replacing the artificial turf at Legends Stadium, for example. "What I've been telling people is, imagine if you had to work with the amount of money that you had 17 years ago and you were just out of college, right, you just got your first apartment and you had a certain amount of money. Now, you have a full family with three kids and you're trying to live in a bigger home to accommodate all those people — but with the same amount of money you had 17 years ago. It just doesn't work," Lee said. The three said anyone interested in joining their efforts can, whether it's canvassing or putting up a yard sign. People may join One Brave Pack's efforts by filling out a form at For more information about the levy visit Kalispell Public Schools Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State puts plot of land in North Kalispell up for lease
Mar. 28—The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is putting a 25-acre tract of State Trust Land up for lease in North Kalispell. The Moraine Parcel is wedged between Stillwater Road and the U.S. 93 Bypass, north of Four Mile Drive. Because it is located on School Trust Land, the lease fees paid for use of the land will go toward funding Montana K-12 schools. The property is valued at $2.8 million, with a minimum lease rate of $140,000 annually. The state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation released a request for proposal on the property, which will remain open for 90 days. All responses must be submitted by June 24. The parcel exists within the named Section 36 plot of land, which the department received at statehood to generate revenue for Montana's public schools. "And so, the city of Kalispell has really just grown around it," said Kari Nielsen, a land use planner for the state agency. Since 2005, the department has been leasing off sections of the property, which became the Spring Prairie Planned Unit Development. The Spring Prairie shopping center, Glacier High School and the Kidsport Complex all sit on the land easement. When the property was once designated for agricultural uses, it only generated around $5,000 a year for public schools, according to Nielsen. But since the land began being leased off for commercial use, the property generates close to $1 million annually. Gov. Greg Gianforte's office announced last year that State Trust Land revenue generated $92 million for public schools in 2024. The newest parcel up for grabs and one of the last still vacant on the Spring Prairie development is zoned R-4, residential, which allows for single-family housing, duplexes and townhouses. Nielsen says that the planned unit development on the property should provide some flexibility on what can be developed. "The property is located in an area experiencing a high level of growth with multiple parcels transitioning from large agriculture and low-density residential parcels to higher density and mixed-use developments," read the request for proposal. The recently built Stillwater Apartments sit across the street from the property, with the Bloomstone subdivision and Starling Community development also nearby. Any subdivision proposal for the property must still go before Kalispell City Council for review. Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Glacier High student's appointment to West Point celebrated
Mar. 18—Glacier High School senior Wyatt Jensen is set to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point after graduating this spring, a feat celebrated last week with a visit from U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke. Jensen's father, Wylie, served in the U.S. Army for over 30 years in the Green Berets. It was an influence that Jensen had growing up, one that he looked up to. Jensen specifically remembers opening the mail with his parents in the third grade when he saw an academy brochure. He was in awe, and immediately knew he wanted to go there one day. "I told myself that is where I wanted to go to school," Jensen said in the lobby of Glacier High School on March 13. "Everything I've done [at Glacier] was to cultivate that." Zinke, in his familiar cowboy hat, shook Jensen's hand, congratulating him. The Republican is one of three veterans in Montana's federal delegation. Jensen was Zinke's choice for a letter of recommendation. "You earned it, not because your father served but because of your willingness to," Zinke said to Jensen. To gain admission to an academy, a prospective student must obtain a nomination from a U.S. Representative, Senator, the Vice President or President. Applying students must also complete a Candidate Fitness Assessment and pass a medical exam. Admission to West Point in highly competitive with an acceptance rate of just 12%. The first year at any academy is difficult, Zinke said. The young adults coming in are smart and capable, but the first year as a cadet is about proving whether they can make it through the rigors of the academy. "Montanans have a tendency not to quit," Zinke smiled. Jensen serves as the student council class secretary, is a multi-sport athlete and is in the top third of his class with a 3.7 grade point average. He has already accepted his primary nomination for the academy. He is expected to leave for New York at the end of June. "When you look at his character, he's hard working, he's kind, he's just a good, good young man," said Brad Holloway, the principal at Glacier High School. He added that when one thinks about the type of person they want serving, Jensen "fits the bill." Jensen is one of four Flathead Valley seniors expected to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point next year, according to Zinke's staff. Gabe Lund from Whitefish, Dan Dorsett Jr. from Kila and Lane Chivers from Kalispell also were admitted. The meeting included Jensen's parents, Wylie and Kharyna, his younger brother Thomas and multiple friends. Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or kheston@ From left to right, Thomas Jensen, Kharyna Jensen, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, Wyatt Jensen and Wylie Jensen at Glacier High School. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake) Kate Heston
