Hamilton High School

Hamilton community, please take a moment to read the below thank you letter from our HSD3 board of trustees. Go Broncs!

Last week, the Hamilton High School Classroom Without Walls (CWW) class attended a three-day field trip in Yellowstone National Park. We had an amazing experience and are so fortunate and grateful for the organizations that helped make this trip possible. We would like to recognize and thank Stock Farm Greater Ravalli Foundation, Hamilton High School FFE, and Bitterroot Climate Action Group for funding this trip. Trip Overview - We stayed in Gardiner, Montana on the Yellowstone River at the North Yellowstone Lodge and Hostel. Here, we went fishing, made s’mores, played games, and cooked all of our meals. We spent one day in Yellowstone exploring the geology of YNP. We visited Norris Geyser Basin, Grand Prismatic Spring, Old Faithful, and finished the day with a hike to a waterfall. On Thursday, students woke up at 4AM to meet with a wolf biologist in the Lamar Valley. Here, we watched several wolves and a grizzly bear interact over a bison carcass. Later that morning, we met with a fisheries biologist near Canyon village to learn about the history of fish species in YNP, as well as current issues involving non-native fish. We then drove to Lewis and Clark Caverns and did a two hour cave tour before heading home.

Don't forget - HSD3 ballots are due by 8:00PM on Tuesday, May 6 to the Ravalli County Elections Office (215 S 4th St, Ste C). If you have not mailed your ballot already, you should hand deliver it on Monday, May 5 (8AM-5PM) or Tues, May 6 (7AM-8PM). Postmarks will not be taken into account. Have questions about the proposed bond? Visit https://www.hsd3.org/o/hsd/page/hms-2025-bond or email: HSD3bond2025@schools.hsd3.org Strong Schools = Strong Community

Hamilton School District will again be offering a Free Summer Meal Program! Breakfast & lunch are available for pick-up in the Daly Elementary lobby June 9 - August 7, 11AM-1PM, Monday - Thursday. Please see the attached flyer for more details!

Hamilton had two Envirothon teams competing at this year’s state competition, and they brought their A game! The Kestrels team included Payton Torres, Ashlynn Cross, Laurel Stewart, Alyvia Melton, and Bailey Lupton. They took home awards for 1st place Overall Team test score, 1st place Wildlife test score (Payton), 5th place Oral Presentation and 2nd place Overall out of 24 teams!! The Badgers team included Taylor Rosenberger, Panni Kari, Kora Olsen, Lillian Simmerman, and Isabel Williams. They placed 4th for the Oral Presentation and 6th Overall! What a great showing of academic knowledge, presentation skills, and teamwork from these amazing students. Thank you to the Bitterroot Conservation District for sponsoring our lodging in Great Falls. Go Broncs!

Join us at the Mineshaft Pasty Co (111 N. 2nd St) for our AP/Advanced Art Show on Thursday, May 8, 5-7PM. The poster art is the work of HHS senior Layna Price and just one example of some of the amazing works our students will be displaying during the show! Thank you to the Mineshaft for hosting the show once again!

We've been getting some questions about the ballot language for the proposed HMS bond. Here is some more information about the tax impact. If you have other questions, please see our HMS Bond website at: https://www.hsd3.org/o/hsd/page/hms-2025-bond Go directly to our FAQs page here: https://www.hsd3.org/o/hsd/page/hms-faqs Or email: HSD3bond2025@schools.hsd3.org Strong Schools = Strong Community Ballots are due May 6!!

The school year is winding down, so don't forget to purchase a yearbook! When you buy your child a yearbook, you are buying a product that will be treasured today and for years to come. This invaluable keepsake for 2024-2025 is $65. Buy online with a credit card, debit card or PayPal at yearbookforever.com Order now so your student won't miss out when the yearbook is distributed on May 28. For questions, please contact Kris Gulman at gulmank@hsd3.org

Our HHS Classroom Without Walls (CWW) Class took a Arbor Day Field Trip: After studying local tree species, CWW students spent the afternoon planting trees along the base of the RAL (Robert A. Leonardi) Trail. Students worked alongside county foresters, Hamilton City Parks, Bitterroot Stock Farm and Phil Leonardi.

We have openings for middle school coaches!!

We've had requests from the community for the link to the Ravalli Republic article that has a brief bio and Q&A with each of the HSD3 school board candidates: https://shorturl.at/5dMUu If you aren't able to access the article, our district office has a copy of the newspaper. You are welcome to stop by and read it! If you have questions about the election, please contact the district office at 406-363-2280. Ballots for the school board election and HMS bond are due to the Ravalli County Election Office by May 6th! Please vote! Strong Schools = Strong Community

Ballots were mailed Friday, April 18, so look for them in your mailboxes! They are due by 8:00PM on Tuesday, May 6 to the Ravalli County Elections Office (215 S 4th St, Ste C). They can be hand delivered 8AM-5PM prior to May 6 or 7AM-8PM on May 6. If you mail them, please allow enough time for them to arrive by the 8PM deadline on May 6th, as postmarks aren't taken into account. Have questions about the proposed bond? Visit https://www.hsd3.org/o/hsd/page/hms-2025-bond Strong Schools = Strong Community

Accelerate Montana was here on Monday and Tuesday to complete a shed build with ten of our Alternative Learning Center (ALC) students. Students received two days of hands-on instruction while building their own shed from start to finish. Prior to building the shed, the students completed 30 hours of online training, and all students who participated earned a micro-credential certifying the completion of the program. We went to the Build Montana Heavy Equipment Pop Up on Wednesday with some HHS construction trades students and some Polytech ALC students (some of the same ALC students who completed the shed build). This event was hosted by the Montana Contractors Association and gave students the opportunity to explore trades careers and get some hands-on experience operating heavy equipment.

Reminder: There will be no school for students on Friday, April 18 & Monday, April 21. Enjoy your long weekend!

We would like to thank everyone who attended last night's HMS Bond Community Forum. We appreciate you taking the time to ask some great questions and take a tour of the campus! Many of you are wondering about the tax impact of the proposed HMS bond. Please see the below information about how to calculate your tax increase from the bond (https://svc.mt.gov/dor/property/prc). There are also several programs available that provide tax relief (https://mtrevenue.gov/property/property-tax-help/). Strong Schools = Strong Community https://www.hsd3.org/o/hsd/page/hms-2025-bond

The Hamilton High School Envirothon team is preparing for the state competition in a few weeks, where they will be tested on their knowledge of natural resources and forestry management. To prepare, the team traveled to the National Bison Range and Salish Kootenai College to meet with experts and learn about land management, wildlife, noxious weeds, controlled burns, restoration projects, and what makes a healthy forest. What a great trip! Thank you to our generous sponsors who supported transportation and food costs on this trip -- Jean Steele & family and the Friends of Hamilton Foundation.

Reminder: Please join us tomorrow (Monday, April 14), 6:30-8:30PM at the current Hamilton Middle School (209 S 5th St) for a Community Forum on the proposed HMS Bond! A&E Design will do a presentation in the HMS Auditorium from approximately 6:30 to 7:00PM. Following the presentation, we will have information stations set up in the HMS multi-purpose room to answer your specific questions. We will also be offering tours of the main HMS building and the pod. If you have questions, please email: hsd3bond2025@schools.hsd3.org. You can get more information by visiting: https://www.hsd3.org/o/hsd/page/hms-2025-bond Strong Schools = Strong Community

We appreciate everyone who has reached out with questions about the proposed HMS bond and the details of the plan! Here are answers to a couple of the questions we've gotten most frequently. We have more details and a full list of FAQs available here: https://www.hsd3.org/o/hsd/page/hms-2025-bond Strong Schools = Strong Community Ballots will be mailed April 16 and are due May 6! Please vote!

The Hamilton CWW class recently traveled to Helena to attend Montana Wild and their wonderful programs. On Tuesday, students learned about bears in Montana and practiced using bear spray (training cans). They also learned about Montana's reptiles, amphibians, raptors, and bat populations. On Wednesday, we were scheduled to go birding and kayaking on Helena's regulating reservoir. Unfortunately, high winds prevented us from getting on the water. Instead, several volunteers from Montana's Audubon chapter took us on a hike to see great blue herons, eagles, pelicans, and a variety of waterfowl.

CONGRATULATIONS to our 2025 Hamilton High School National Honor Society inductees!! You can get more information on our NHS program here: https://www.hsd3.org/o/hhs/page/national-honor-society Go Broncs!