News briefs, June 3
Williams graduates from Leadership Montana
Sam Williams, of Pablo, the Director of Administrative IT Services at Salish Kootenai College, graduated from Leadership Montana, a statewide collaboration of higher education, civic and business leaders that graduated 44 members of the Class of 2010 in Billings on April 28. This is the sixth graduating class of Leadership Montana.
Leadership Montana presents an annual seven-session program of leadership development and business and policy education. At the heart of Leadership Montana is the concept of community trusteeship; 262 Montana leaders have completed the program.
Leadership Montana, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and is supported by approximately 100 businesses and organizations across the state including Montana State University-Billings, First Interstate Bank, First Interstate BancSystem Foundation, Qwest, St. Vincent Healthcare, MDU Foundation, PPL Montana, Washington Corporations, D.A. Davidson & Co., Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana, Plum Creek Foundation, US Bancorp Foundation, Montana State Fund, the Foundation for Community Vitality, Town Pump Foundation and many others.
For information on all members and sponsors of Leadership Montana, visit www.leadershipmontana.org.
-Courtesy of Burt Whittenburg
St. Luke awards seven scholarships
Seven graduating seniors are the beneficiaries of $3,500 in scholarships from St. Luke Community Healthcare of Ronan. Two of the recipients hail from Polson High School, two from Mission, and one recipient each from Charlo, Hot Springs and Ronan High Schools.
Laura Hart is the first of two Polson High School graduates to receive a Rosemary Miller Memorial Scholarship from St. Luke. The 18-year-old high school valedictorian is the daughter of Dr. Sharla and George Hart. Hart plans on attending Montana Tech, having selected environmental engineering as her major. Her ultimate goal is to earn a PhD and to become "part of a team that is dedicated to helping the planet and solving environmental problems such as global warming and pollution."
One of the two Mission High School graduating seniors to receive a $500 St. Luke Scholarship is Becky Hiatt. This 18-year-old National Honor Society member is the daughter of Pat and Annette McGreevey. After job-shadowing St. Luke Speech Therapist Eve Tolbert this past year, Hiatt has decided on a career in speech pathology. Her plans are to attend the University of Montana "to make this dream come true."
The Charlo High School Rosemary Miller Memorial Scholarship winner is Stephanie Maughan, the 18-year-old daughter of Ben and Melodie Maughan. The 2010 Charlo High School class valedictorian plans to attend the University Of Montana College Of Technology to earn her degree as a Registered Nurse. She then plans to specialize in surgical nursing and "to get a job at a hospital in Montana and to help save and enhance the lives of others."
Another $500 winner of a St. Luke scholarship is Cameron Neiss of Ronan. The 17-year-old son of John Neiss is a two-time state wrestling champion and next fall will be wrestling for MSU-Northern. There, his course of study will be biology, which will enable him to pursue a career as a doctor or a physical trainer. Neiss said a major or bachelors in Biology or Pre-Occupational Therapy would facilitate getting accepted into medical school which "will allow me to improve my life by helping others improve theirs."
Emily Rohrlach is the second of two 2010 Mission High School graduates to benefit from a Rosemary Miller Memorial Scholarship. She is the 18-year-old daughter of Geof and Heidi Rohrlach and said, "My goal in life is simple - to become a high school English teacher and help show future generations of students how amazing and fun English can be." Rohrlach plans on attending the University of Montana in the fall.
A second Polson High School St. Luke Scholarship winner is Abby Ruhman, the daughter of Doug and Andrea Ruhman. The 18-year-old vice-president of the National Honor Society has developed an interest in speech pathology and has been accepted at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash. She said she is excited about the alternative ways of both teaching and learning presented at Evergreen that "seem to be very progressive and a perfect fit for the type of education I am seeking."
The Hot Springs High School Rosemary Miller Memorial Scholarship recipient is Reiley Winebrenner, the 18-year-old son of Ed and Nancy Winebrenner. This member of the National Honor Society and All-State football player plans on playing football at MSU-Northern where he hopes to get a degree as a math teacher with a physical education/health minor. Winebrenner said that "as a child I always had older young people around that had the time for me and now I want to give others the time by being a teacher who cares and has a good connection with students."
Shane Roberts, CEO at St. Luke Community Healthcare, said, "We're proud of all seven recipients of the Rosemary Miller Memorial Scholarship. It's a real pleasure to be able to give back to the community helping young people reach goals that they have set for themselves."
Each year, St. Luke Community Healthcare Network offers seven scholarships of $500 each. Students from each of the six high schools in Lake County and from Hot Springs are encouraged to submit scholarship applications.
-Courtesy of Wayne Fuchs
Sandpiper Gallery awards three scholarships
The nonprofit Sandpiper Gallery has again awarded the Neva Tollefson Scholarship to three outstanding young artists from Lake County. The applicants have provided proof that they will be enrolled in an accredited art program in pursuit of a degree and a career in the arts.
This year, the award was give to two young women who will be graduating from high school and to a young woman who has been attending Montana State University. The young women who have been awarded scholarships of $1,000 are Chelsea Lipscomb, of Ronan, Barbara Kenmille, of Pablo, and Sierra Kohler, of Polson. Applicants provided the scholarship committee with excellent exhibits of their latest art projects and their awards will be sent to the college where they will pursue their degrees.
The Sandpiper Gallery-Neva Tollefson schoalarhip program is funded by the proceeds from the Outdoor Festival. The scholarship is named because of the dedication of Neva Tollefson to the promotion of the Sandpiper Gallery in its early years.
-Courtesy of Pat Wallace
SKC receives student grants
Salish Kootenai College received $24,397 in Acce$ Grant funds from the nonprofit Student Assistance Foundation (SAF) on Wednesday, May 26. Since 2000, the college has received $132,475 through this program.
Dr. Joe McDonald, retiring president, Elaine Frank, director of Enrollment Services, and Jackie Swain, financial aid director, accepted the award from Mary Howard, SAF's general manager of campus outreach, at 10 a.m. in the financial aid office in the Kenmille Building.
Acce$ Grants are awarded each year by SAF through financial aid offices at all Montana postsecondary schools, including tribal and private institutions, and two-year and four-year schools. The amount awarded to each school is determined by enrollment numbers. Financial aid officers use the grants to help students in need pay for their education. Individual award amounts vary by individual and are determined by the financial aid office.
This year, the total award amount being distributed to colleges and universities is $1.2 million, bringing the grand total of Acce$ funds provided by SAF since the program's inception in 2000 to $6.9 million.
Student Assistance Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Montana corporation that provides students with knowledge and tools to finance and pursue their postsecondary education. Funds generated by SAF are returned to Montanans in the form of education grants and public benefit programs - to date more than $17.4 million. For more information, visit www.SmartAboutCollege.org or www.safmt.org.
-Courtesy of Carolynn Bright
Lake to meet June 15 fill date
Increased precipitation and snowpack have changed the forecast for refilling Flathead Lake so that it is now projected to reach full pool by the June 15 target date.
Last month, PPL Montana, which operates Kerr Dam south of the Lake, said it was "questionable" whether the Lake would reach its full 2,893 feet by that date. The Lake is currently at 2,890.08 and is projected to be at 2,891.65 by the end of the month.
Final runoff forecasts prepared by the National Weather Service are 68 percent of average, increased from 66-percent in April. The current snowpack is 95-percent of average for this time of year.
"If conditions turn out as forecast, it appears that there will be sufficient inflow to fill Flathead Lake to 2,893 feet by June 15," according to a press release from PPL Montana.
The current outflow at the dam is about 11,700 cubic feet per second.
Representatives from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, PPL Montana, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bonneville Power Administration conferred on the current conditions May 11 and will meet again in June and make adjustments as needed.
-Courtesy of the Bigfork Eagle
Six students receive college scholarship
The Montana Guaranteed Student Loan Program (MGSLP) is pleased to announce that six students from Charlo, Polson and Ronan High Schools were offered the Montana University System Honor Scholarship.
The MUS Honor Scholarship is a renewable scholarship offered by the Montana Board of Regents that waives undergraduate tuition for up to 8 semesters at any campus of the Montana University System or Dawson, Flathead Valley, or Miles community colleges.
Students offered this scholarship must be graduates of an accredited Montana high school with a minimum grade point average of 3.4 at the end of their seventh semester in high school, take either the ACT or SAT standardized test, meet college preparatory requirements, and attend an eligible campus.
In 2007, the Board of Regents authorized a statewide high school competition based on a GPA ranking score combined with an ACT composite score creating a total MUS Honor Scholarship composite score from which students offered the scholarship were selected. The following students have been offered the MUS Honor Scholarship:
Stephanie Maughan, Charlo High School
Kristi Fullerton, Charlo High School
Melissa Cisneros, Polson High School
Laura Hart, Polson High School
Christian McCurdy, Polson High School
Kyle Roessler, Ronan High School
This year, approximately 200 scholarships will be awarded. "I congratulate these students on their superb academic achievement, and applaud the Montana University System for helping Montana students reach their educational goals," said Bruce Marks, Director of the Montana Guaranteed Student Loan Program.
-Courtesy of Sheila L. Newlun
TERS students receive Gates Scholarships
Two Eagle River School graduates James Edward Maestas III and Tiana Marie Ness both earned Gates Millennium Scholarships to continue their education. Of the 1,000 scholarships awarded nation-wide, five came to Montana and two were on stage at Two Eagle River's commencement ceremony.
"It's up to you to have your vision of what you want to do in the future," scholarship presenter Gerald Brown said to Two Eagle students at graduation.
The scholarships value roughly $250,000 and required submission of eight essays and numerous recommendation letters from faculty and members of the community.
-Reporter Ali Bronsdon
2010 Carroll College graduates
On Saturday, May 8, Carroll College conferred degrees on 265 graduates during its 100th Commencement ceremony, one of the finale events of the college's year long centennial celebration.
Graduates are Jacob Whetzel, Biology, with Distinction, Arlee; Maria Foot, Elementary Education, Polson; Mcmillen Gordon, Business Administration: Economics, Finance, International Business, Polson
Carroll College named 431 students to its 2010 spring semester dean's list. To be included on the dean's list, a student must receive a 3.5 grade point average or better for the semester and take at least 12 credits.
Dean's list members from Lake County are Ian Donaldson, Arlee; Samantha Morigeau, Arlee; Jacob Whetzel, Arlee; Maria Foot, Polson; Rochelle Woods, Polson; Kelsey Cable, of St. Ignatius.
-Editor Heidi Hanse
Peterson makes Dean's list
Harvet Peterson, of Polson, made the MSU-Great Falls College of Technology Dean's List. Two hundred fifty-four students were named to the Spring 2010 Dean's List at MSU-Great Falls College of Technology. Students must complete a minimum of twelve credit hours and earn a semester grade point average of 3.5 or higher to be listed.
-Editor Heidi Hanse
Woods receives scholarship
Colton Woods, of Polson, a secondary education major at the University of Montana Western, is the recipient of the $500 Michael Guelff Memorial scholarship.
Woods maintains a 3.01 GPA. He is a 2006 graduate of Polson High School and is the son of Glenda and Ross Woods.
This past year a total of 375 scholarships totaling more than $275,000 were awarded to deserving students at Montana Western.
-Courtesy of David Nolt
Sierra Howlett graduates from Harvard's Kennedy School
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Sierra Howlett graduated May 27 from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University with a Master's in Public Policy degree.
Howlett, daughter of Kevin and Ronda Howlett, of Arlee, and granddaughter of Charlene Matt, of Saint Ignatius, graduated with a concentration in human resources, labor and education. Prior to attending Harvard Kennedy School, Howlett worked for the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes' Early Childhood Services Program as a family advocate. She is a graduate of the University of Montana (2005) and Saint Ignatius High School (2001). Following graduation, she will serve as high school policy reform research and policy analyst for the National Indian Education Association in Washington, D.C.
"I take great pride in knowing that the graduating class of 2010 will embody and carry forth the Kennedy School mission of public service in its many forms," Harvard Kennedy School Dean David T. Ellwood said. "They are the imaginative, skillful, and principled leaders the world needs at this crucial time."
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University maintains an abiding commitment to advancing the public interest by training skilled, enlightened leaders and solving public problems through world-class scholarship and active engagement with practitioners and decision makers.
The school offers the depth, reflection, insight, and excellence of ideas and teaching that can shape future leaders, affect public policies, and make an impact on people and their daily lives.
-Editor Heidi Hanse