Monthly Wildcat News
Wilder School District November 2022
What are you thankful for???
Luvia - 1st Grade
Gage - 7th Grade
William - 10th Grade
Check out our Instagram & Facebook in the coming days for more student submissions from our "Thankful Kids" Campaign!
Table of Contents
- Counselor Encouragment
- Introducing Our School Resource Officer
- Elementary
- Idaho Future-Ready Academy
- Middle/High School
- Student Interview
- Art Show
- Athletics
- Future Hispanic Leaders of America
- Annual Bonfire
- High School Academic Events
- College Resource Page
- Superintendent Message
- Parent University
- Substitutes Needed
- Social Media Links
From our School Counselors 🍂🙏
Our minds are like a radio, whatever station we tune into is the frequency we receive.
When we turn our minds into "Gratitude" the only things that can show up in our day are more things to be grateful for.
Just like weeds grow automatically so does negativity.
Let's all plant seeds of positivity!
Happy November!
~Mrs. Loera & Ms. Albor
Introducing Officer Blanco
Thank you Officer Blanco for keeping our school safe!
Elementary
The 16 Habits of Mind (HOM) is a key area of focus for Wilder Schools. In Wilder Elementary, we have begun to focus on deeply learning a different HOM each month. For the month of October, each class is learning about Wonderment and Awe. This is the experience of being curious and finding joy. Wonderment and Awe are found everywhere in school. To help demonstrate this experience, we've started a HOM poster calendar in our front hall. See the attached picture of Wonderment and Awe demonstrated by various classes.
~Principal Dr. Zamora
Idaho Future-Ready Academy
October has been a good month full of activities. We are excited to have gotten together at Farmstead and during school pictures, plus at our in-person lab. There have been so many success stories in the first months of IFRA. For example, by the latter part of October, we have had more than 30 high school credits earned by our IFRA students who have demonstrated a high level of mastery in their courses! We have more exciting things planned in the months to come.
~Principal Dr. Zamora
Middle/High School
During this fall season, I am reflecting on being thankful. For example, I had the privilege of witnessing our Seniors support the high school girl’s volleyball team during Senior night. The students made posters, brought gifts, and cheered throughout the game. Honestly, I was moved by the thoughtfulness and sincerity the students expressed toward one another. I’m thankful for students that care and aren’t afraid to show it.
~Principal Lindsey
Student, Tyler Ross, Interviews Mr. Hukkinen About the Art Grant He Received for Wilder!
In the last days of last school year, the art program received some incredible news, the art program had won a $15,000 art grant. In the late spring of 2022 Mr. Hukkinen, the art teacher, had the opportunity to apply for an art grant targeted at rural school districts. Mr. Hukkinen wrote a narrative explaining how the Wilder School District’s art program had been operating on a very low budget and explained how the money from the art grant would help bring his student's artistic abilities to the next level. Mr. Hukkinen also drew up a shopping cart that listed how he planned to use the art grant. Just two days before the school year came to an end Mr. Hukkinen would find out this amazing news.
With the start of the new school year, Mr. Hukkinen got right to getting new art supplies. Most of the students in the art program didn’t have the opportunity to paint with anything more than watercolors.
“The narrative I wrote was targeted specifically for the painting program.” Mr. Hukkinen explained in an interview on October 28th, 2022.
There has been lots of excitement in the art room. Students have quality art materials, including pencils, notepads, brushes, easels, and even Bob Ross branded painting supplies. The quality and amount of artwork that the students are producing are incredible.
“I’ve had students with some experience that were able to plunge right in and we’ve been able to have some wonderful oil paintings.” Mr. Hukkenin told me while discussing the effects the art grant has had on the students.
Mr. Hukkinen has a goal to get the most determined students as much experience with multiple art forms. He wants the art program to help bring out the eternal artists in his students and get them college ready if they so choose.
The future looks good for the art program. It has the highest number of students that it has had in a while! 40 students are enrolled in the art class. All of these students now have the resources that they will need to become better artists.
Mr. Hukkinen has a long-term vision as well. “Long term, I want people to view our school district as, wow they have a great art program. And it maybe being a motivator to come here.” Mr. Hukkinen told me while explaining his vision for the art program.
This art grant has been great for the students and Mr. Hukkinen. It seems to boost the morale of everyone in art. It is very nice to see the impact it has had on everyone and exciting to think of how it will continue to help students grow not only as artists but also helps the develop into young adults.
Student Led Art Show on October 26th
Kindergarten-2nd grade - Holly Bauer
3rd-5th grade - Madison Bellamy
Middle School - Ellie Dobbs
High School - Leila Cuellar
Athletics
HS Volleyball: A strong performance this year from the Volleyball girls. The JV team won the Tournament Championship and the Varsity took 4th place in districts. This year was the best performing year in over a decade for the Wildcat Volleyball team. The Volleyball Team would also like to thank the following seniors for their hard work and dedication over the years: Mariana Ramirez, Kimberly Arias, and Joelly Mendoza. Great Job Girls!!
~Coach D
Future Hispanic Leaders of America
The Hispanic Youth Leadership Summit is held every year in three locations around the state. Pocatello, Twin Falls, and the Treasure Valley. A group of Wilder students attended the summit at the College of Idaho in Caldwell on October 19th. The summit focuses on helping students prepare for higher education with leadership skills, STEM, criminal justice, and a look into different careers. In between sessions, there was a college/career fair where seniors were able to interview for a scholarship opportunity. Fourteen seniors submitted a scholarship application. Nine of them received a scholarship from the College of Idaho! Each scholarship is for $64,800 dollars. That money is to be divided over 4 years. The total between all 9 students is $583,200. Congratulations to the students who received scholarships!
~Miss Yuki
Annual Bonfire
Wilder High School and the freshmen class of 2026 held a bonfire on October 19th. There was a great turnout with around seventy students in attendance. A big increase from a year ago when only ten students attended. Mr. Bailey and Mrs. Lindsey supervised the event and the fire was huge! Even the fire department chief raved about how fun the bonfire was and that they have only had one or two that big before. Mrs. Rivera was able to take pictures of it from her house! Everyone had a lot of fun listening to music, playing basketball, taking pictures, and drinking horchata. Fantastic job by the Freshmen for planning a great event!
~Mr. Bailey
High School Academic Events
Oregon/Idaho Border College Fair: 30 WIlder Students attended this event and had access to over 40 institutions from around our area including almost all colleges and universities in Idaho and Oregon, CTE programs, military branches, and cosmetology schools.
Wilder will also be hosting its own College Fair on November 7th in the Wilder Gym. Our neighboring school Homedale will also be in attendance. So far we have over 10 universities/ schools planning on attending.
A Message from Superitendent Dr. Dillon
Wilder Community,
What a great start to the 2022/2023 school year. Wilder School District is just beginning its tri-annual strategic planning and revision process. During the next few months, the planning committee will be working closely with groups of stakeholders internally and externally to get feedback on how we can continue to build upon the success and look for ways to navigate the barriers of rural education. The district will also provide a survey link on the website for those who can't make it to a meeting but would like to have a voice in the process.
We are proud to inform you that the Wilder School District has been recognized by two national organizations, the American Association of School Administrators and the Successful Practices Network, as a "demonstration district" for providing a future-focused, student-centered education model where no student is marginalized. This national recognition has provided students, staff, and administration the opportunity to share our best practice with the Idaho School Board Association, Collegiate Edu-Nation (Career Technical Educational/Apprenticeship Cooperative in Texas), Innovative Districts Empowering All Learners (National cohort of school districts of innovation), Advancing Rural School in America, DLAC (Digital Learning Annual Conference), and The national education summit on future-focused education in Washington D.C.
Yes, little Wilder School District is visible across America for educational success with student-centered learning with a personalized mastery-based model. Our passion is not to chase a test score, but to teach students how to learn, and empower them with the executive functioning skills to be successful in and outside the classroom…model students and model citizens.
The recognition not only provides opportunities to share our model with others throughout the United States and the Virgin Islands (in-person and virtual) but to host school districts and leaders from the same. Last spring we hosted a group from Mehlville School District in Illinois, and this year we anticipate hosting several superintendents from California and Texas. If you are interested in learning more about this model and its value to our stakeholders and patrons, please feel free to reach out to my office to schedule a face-to-face meeting.
Contact Us
Email: communications@wildersschools.org
Website: wilderschools.org
Location: 419 Huff Rd, Wilder, ID, USA
Phone: 208-337-7400