This week: Come to a State of the District Meeting, Hemingway STEAM Night, WRHS Personal Projects, Carey Student Contribute + More News

May 15, 2017

State of the District:

Give 30/Get 30

Give us 30 minutes to give you updates on the Strategic Plan. Get 30 minutes to ask questions and get answers.

Find out how we are inspiring, engaging, educating and empowering every student. Learn how we are graduating more students and increasing opportunities for all students and how the proposed budget supports the district's commitment to small class sizes, equitable opportunities for students and a balanced budget.

Refreshments, childcare and Spanish interpretation provided at all meetings.

Come to any meeting that fits your schedule.

Monday, May 15, 12:00-1:00 p.m., Minnie Moore Room, Community Campus, Hailey

Tuesday, May 16, 12:00-1:00 p.m., Community Library, Ketchum

Tuesday, May 16, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Carey School

Monday, May 22, 6:00-7:00 p.m., Senior Connection, Hailey

Personal Project Student Exhibition: Public Invited

Wood River High School

Wednesday, May 17

5:30-7:30 p.m.

The public is invited to see 10th grade student personal projects at Wood River High School. Personal projects are student-driven, independent learning projects supported by teachers and community members. The projects foster student curiosity, nurture student passions, and help students explore their own ideas for the future.

A barbecue and a celebration for the students will be held at 7:00 p.m. Students will be recognized for their accomplishments. For more information, contact personal project coordinator and teacher Sarah Allen.

"This project was different from a traditional class in school because, instead of collaborating with classmates, I was collaborating with people who deal with weather science, physics, and the FDA on a daily basis," wrote Emelia Morgan (pictured above) who created a weather balloon.

View more photos here .

STEAM Night at Hemingway School: Public Invited

Hemingway School

Thursday, May 18

5:00-6:30 p.m.

Parents and the public are invited to see what STEAM will like in classrooms at a variety of grade levels through student displays and hands-on activities for families. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. It is an instructional approach based on real-world problem solving. Parents with smart phones are encouraged to download a QR reader to use for some of the STEAM displays. Hemingway School is becoming a STEAM school preschool-6 grade and adding grades 7 and 8 in the following years. If you are interested in enrolling for Hemingway for 6 grade next year, please contact the school!

Wood River High School Wins 1st in State

Wood River High School Wins State! Sixteen choir and orchestra students traveled to Post Falls, Idaho to compete at the State Solo & Ensemble Festival. In order to qualify for State, students must first place 1st or 2nd in District by playing a solo on their instrument or playing in a small chamber ensemble. Orchestra teacher Rebecca Martin stated, "The pieces that they prepared were from an approved State and National list meaning that the pieces are very difficult and rigorous. These students practiced countless of hours and their hard work paid off."

State results:

Chamber Quintet (5 people) category:

Harriman Quintet: Dvorak Quintet Op. 77 in G Major - 1st Place

Jorgen Lawrence 1st Violin

Arika Gourley 2nd Violin

Thalia Rojas Viola

Lance Verst Cello

Sam Bingham Bass

Romanesca Quintet: Mozart Quintet in C Major K. 157 - 3rd place

Logan Verst 1st Violin

Mason Corkutt 2nd Violin

Maren Feltman Viola

Cole Taylor Cello

Carter Strope Bass

Chamber Quartet category (4 people):

Harriman Quartet: Dvorak American in F Major - 1st place

Arika Gourley 1st Violin

Jorgen Lawrence 2nd Violin

Thalia Rojas Viola

Lance Verst Cello

Rocaloca Quartet: Haydn Quartet No. 1 Op. 1 - 3rd place

Analicia Josie Koeplin 1st Violin

Monica Carillo 2nd Violin

Josie Zamora Viola

Cole Taylor Cello

Cello Solo Category:

Lance Verst - 2nd Place

Viola Solo Category

Thalia Rojas - 3rd Place

*Other notable performance who didn't place but still did an amazing job and placed high in the rankings.

Sam Bingham - 4th place (Double Bass Solo)

Jorgen Lawrence - 5th Place (Violin Solo)

Bellevue Students Learn Another Use for Sand

Sand is not just for playing in the sandbox. Bellevue Elementary set up a sandbag-filling and distribution center on the playground with the help of Mayor Chris Koch and the City of Bellevue. By last Friday morning, the students had filled 100 bags and will continue to fill for the next couple of weeks. 5 grade students worked with preschool students so that everyone could be part of the project.

Carey Students Contribute to Carey Library

Carey students spent a recent Saturday cleaning up the new building at the Carey Public Library. Part of the new building comes from a donation from the Blaine County School District of a portable building that was no longer being used. The project is nearing completion and library staff are eagerly anticipating moving books from the current library into this new building. The entire student body of Carey School will move books to the new library. The clean up was part of a Wow-student project with 5 and 6 grade students in Ron Martinez's class.

Hemingway Playground Recognized as Project of the Year

The Hemingway playground was recognized as Project of the Year for PlayCraft Systems.

Lester Wilson, who is a Certified Playground Inspector, was central to the project's success. Mr. Wilson retired from the Buildings and Grounds department earlier this year, but returned to Hemingway to be recognized for his role in the ambitious project. The partnership between the District, the Hemingway Parent's Auxiliary, and the City of Ketchum was critical to the success of the new playground. The students of Hemingway were also recognized for their enthusiasm and abilities in using a playground that provides more physical challenges than typical playgrounds. Congratulations to all involved!

Award-Winning Student Film

Wood River High School student Brock Olson won the Sports and Recreation category in the Kiwanis Film Festival. The festival included students from Idaho, Northern Utah, and western Wyoming. His film "14th Gear" was about Wood River's Mountain Bike State Champion Anja Jensen.