News Briefs
Jan. 28
Hankins approved for principal job
The Polson School Board of Trustees approved Rob Hankins as the new principal of Polson High School at a special meeting on Monday.
Hankins, who visited the school with four other candidates last week, is currently the superintendent of the Sun River Valley School District in Simms. He has five years experience as a high school principal and one year experience as superintendent.
The board also heard a complaint from a parent concerned after several children were taken to school by a private vehicle after their bus went into a ditch.
A new procedure has been set for incidents that involve alternate transport of students when a regular mode is disabled.
The board also began a “high school discussion”, talking with attending residents about possibilities like closed campus lunch and creating a PHS student representative position on the board.
-Reporter Jenna Cederberg
PHS speech/drama charges to state
Polson won the Divisional Drama Championship on Saturday in Columbia Falls. Polson had 147 points; Libby was third with 64, squeezing by Ronan at 61 points. State is in Corvallis this weekend.
Polson also came in third in the division in speech and debate behind Columbia Falls and Whitefish.
Divisional champions included: Barbara Kenmille, humorous solo acting; Molly Ricketts and Rob Ricketts, humorous duo acting;
Katelynn Mergenthaler and Delaney Kohler, classical duo acting and Logan Garcia, serious solo acting.
Second place winners were Josie Benedetti and Kelsey Koberg, serious duo acting and Logan Nutzman, Lincoln-Douglas debate.
Third place: Sydney Gambrel in humorous solo acting; Josie Benedetti and Nation Garza in classical duo acting; John Bishop in serious solo acting and Molly WhiteWater and Sydney Gambrel in serious duo acting.
Fourth place earners were Niche McLure in humorous solo acting; Kelsey Koberg and Laura Barta in classical duo acting; Katy Swope in serious solo, Josh Ransom and Kyle Butterhof in serious duo and Larissa Hanson in pantomime.
- Courtesy of Judie Woodhouse
Ronan speakers headed to state
Ronan High School Speech, Drama and Debate competed at the divisional tournament in Whitefish on Saturday where the entire team qualified for the state tournament in Corvallis.
Several competitors had season-best finishes at the tournament. Amber Metzger, with her first place finish, is the division champion mime, followed closely by Austin Butler in second place, and Jae Chinzoriq in fifth place. Shelby Fisher and Robby Hocker finished in second place in classical duo acting and in third place in humorous duo acting. Jae Chinzoriq and Honza Kaczor finished in fifth place in humorous duo, followed by Andrew Crenshaw and Jonelle Lauer in seventh place. Crenshaw also finished in second place in serious solo acting, his highest rank of the season. In speech, Jassica Surechief finished in fifth place in serious oral interpretation of literature followed by Savannah Funk-Fisher in sixth place. Joseph Dresen finished in sixth place in original oratory, and Selah Waldron finished in seventh place in impromptu speaking.
- Courtesy of Melissa Knabe
Commemorative Web site launched
After two years of planning, 2010 is here and the Commemoration Year Web site is ready. The reservation-wide celebration will kick off in March.
Visit www.therezthenandnow.com to see a calendar of events and a breakdown of the vision for the event.
- Courtesy of Lois Hart
Ninepipes museum to remain open
The Ninepipes Museum of Early Montana is trying to keep its doors open despite a threatening financial situation.
A fund has been set up to raise money to save the museum. The building the museum sits on must be bought for it to remain open.
The “Save the Museum Fund,” is sent up at the Community Bank of Ronan, or donations can be sent to 69316 U.S. Highway 93, Charlo, MT 59824.
The museum will open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays so people can “come in and see what is here.”
-Reporter Jenna Cederberg
Kingery announces sheriff campaign
On Sunday, Jan. 17, Jeff Kingery announced to his family and friends his intention to campaign for the office of Lake County Sheriff.
Kingery began his career years in the United States Air Force, serving nine years in the Security Police field. He later earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Crown College, then moved his growing family to Plains, where he pastored the Alliance Church for eight years. The Kingerys moved to Ronan in the spring of 1999, where Jeff was asked to give leadership to the Ronan Alliance Church where he pastored through mid 2008. Most recently, Kingery put together the volunteer Sheriff’s Chaplain program serving fulltime at the pleasure of the Lake County Sheriff in various capacities helping meet the needs of the great men and women who serve Lake County through the Sheriff’s Office. After attending and successfully completing the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Reserve Academy, Kingery presently serves as an active Reserve Deputy as well.
He has been married to his wife, Deb, for more than 27 years and has two sons and one daughter.
-Courtesy of Jeff Kingery
Rowold safe in US
Faith Rowold (Polson High School ‘00, Washington University ‘04, University College of Dublin, ‘07), daughter of Pastor Paul and Donna Rowold of Polson, is in the United states being denied entry to Israel, where she had been a volunteer with the Lutheran Church in Jerusalem for the past two years.
Rowold, 27, was returning to Israel from the Czech Republic with her partner, Jared Malsin, 25, who is the chief English editor at the Ma’an News Agency. They were detained at the Prague airport by agents of Israel’s El Al airline after going through preliminary screening, but were eventually allowed on their flight back to Tel Aviv after they were interrogated and given full body searches.
They were detained again by Israeli airport security when they presented their passports at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, and held and interrogated in the airport for 8 hours before being transferred to the Immigration Detention Center on the airport grounds. There, they were placed in separate cells and were unable to communicate with each other until just hours before Ms. Rowold was deported back to Prague on Thursday morning.
“It was quite a relief when we finally talked with Faith last evening (Thursday). . . I hope to forward to you in a day or two more specific info on what really happened, and what response to it might be possible,” her father, Paul wrote in an e-mail.
-Courtesy of Paul Rowold