Hays-Lodge Pole Schools receive grant

Hays-Lodge Pole High School is receiving part of a $1.3 million federal School Improvement Grant that will allow it to continue its Schools of Promise program.

“We are thrilled, believe me,” Hays-Lodge Pole Principal Beth Kendall said.

The grant was announced Monday by Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau and is in addition to $1.5 million that was awarded in July. The $2.8 million grant not only benefits Hays-Lodge Pole, but also Heart Butte High School.

“Schools of Promise is taking on the deep, intensive work required to boost achievement in schools that are surrounded by concentrated and isolated poverty,” Juneau said in a press release.

Kendall said the money will help the district support the needs of students and foster greater student motivation, engagement and student-centered learning. The grant will benefit the seventh- through 12th-grade program.

The grant is outfitting the wood shop so students can begin to take industrial arts classes in January 2017, she said.

“This program will have a Big Sky Pathway to Aaniiih Nakoda College so that students are prepared for the rigor of post-secondary education,” Kendall said. “Plans are also in place to offer auto shop classes that could lead to certifications in mechanics related fields.”

The grant has also paid for infrastructure improvements and classroom equipment like smart boards and a mobile computer lab that was purchased, she added.

The on-site Hays-Lodge Pole School Improvement Grant Team members make decisions on how the money will be allocated, she said.

“Priorities are weighed carefully by this team of stakeholders,” Kendall said. “This team is made up of community members, trustees, students, teachers and administrators.”

The main goals for the 2016-2017 school year, Kendall said, are to improve reading and math proficiency and to properly prepare students for college and careers.

“Most importantly, we want to continue to increase student attendance district wide,” she said.