Mission Valley Accomplishments
Mika Smith of Charlo met Governor Greg Gianforte Monday as the governor celebrated the 10 winners of his inaugural Youth Hunting Story Contest during a ceremony at the State Capitol.(Photo courtesy of Gov. Gianforte's office)
Student achievements
Mika Smith of Charlo, 10, was among 10 winners in the governor’s Youth Hunting Story contest and was honored by Gov. Greg Gianforte Monday at the State Capitol for the story of his duck hunt. The tale of hunting with his grandfather, whom he calls Papa, reads in part:
“Papa does not have a dog so I have picked up the ducks and geese for him all this time. This year I finally got to shoot my own ducks but I still am picking up my papa's ducks for him. Papa has showed me how to have fun hunting but also makes sure I am being safe. He said I couldn't hunt until I had passed hunter's safety. My mom went with methis spring. I got an A but my mom got an A+.
“My papa makes me clean my own game. He also helps me cook it. I was able to take duck to school for lunch a few times and show my friends. I plan to go turkey hunting in a few weeks. I also got my deer last week. I'm very lucky to have my papa as my mentor.”
The contest is for Montana youth and apprentice hunters between the ages of 10-17. Winners received prizes from Stone Glacier, Vista Outdoor, Sitka, J2 Taxidermy and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
Three Lake County students received Expanding Horizons scholarships from Western Native Voice. The scholarships will pay expenses for these students and nine others to attend the first-ever youth leadership ambassador program to be held Jan. 12-14 in Billings. Local participants are Sharissa Couture, Ronan High School, and Taeleia Means and SaanJay SmallBoy, both students at Arlee High.
Expanding Horizons is a student-driven ambassador program, steered by Western Native Voice, which aims to bring together high school students from across Montana to champion the preservation of tribal identity and culture, and foster relationships between tribal and urban Native Americans.
Shyanne Reum of Charlo made the High Honor roll at Rocky Mountain College in Billings with a 4.0 grade point average.
Ag and Business
Ronan-area veterinarian Beth Blevins and Nick Courville of Charlo were named to the Montana Farm Bureau Federation’s ACE (Advocate. Communicate. Educate) Leadership Program class for 2023. This is the ACE Leadership Program’s sixth year of empowering Farm Bureau members to become confident and effective leaders in their local communities and for Montana agriculture.
The year-long program will kick off Jan. 19 in Bozeman followed by five more seminars across Montana. During these trainings, ACE participants will hear from agriculture advocates, media professionals, communications specialists, policymakers and more. In between seminars, they’ll also participate in virtual one-on-one coaching with an expert in leadership and personal development.
Andrew Jensen, an ASE Certified automotive technician with Stuart’s Hometown Auto in St. Ignatius, was recently honored with a national achievement award as the ZF/ASE Aftermarket Master Automobile Technician of the Year. He was among 52 automotive professionals recognized Nov. 17 at the Fall Board of Governors meeting of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence held in San Diego. These annual awards spotlight top scorers on the ASE Certification tests from among the ranks of the approximately a quarter-million professionals nationwide.
Mandi Luce-Heinle, a sales representative with EXIT Realty Polson, was honored with the Bronze Award by EXIT Realty Corp. International. The award was given in recognition of closing between 25 and 49 real estate transaction sides between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022 (a side is a defined as a party to a real estate sales transaction).