TFHS welcomes new staff

Thompson Falls High School welcomes a familiar face as its new principal this year. Jodi Morgan has been the school's counselor for the last 13 years and with the support of her staff, she has the confidence to take on her new role. "I care deeply about this school district and the students in it," Morgan said. "I want to make this a better place."

Morgan has spent many years getting to know the district and its community, but says it has never felt like the right time to take on a new position within the school until now. "This feels like the right time, I have more time to dedicate to learning this position," she said. "I know this community, I know this school district and I have a really great staff."

The high school will also be adding several new members to the faculty this year. Ray Buchanan, a Thompson Falls graduate, will be the district's new technology coordinator. Trent Lyght has taken over as head of custodial maintenance. Bob White will be joining him this year.

Shana Neesvig will be the school's new interventionist, a position funded by GEAR UP. "She will be working with kids who need that extra support in any subject area and working one-on-one with them," Morgan said. Neesvig will also be coming in as a data entry clerk and a floating substitute.

Morgan says the school's new band director will be teaching two guitar classes this year. "It's definitely something the kids are excited about," she said. "The sections are quite full already and Haile is excited to be here. We're fortunate to have her. She's got a lot of energy to get our music program up and going."

Amy Henderson will be the school's new counselor. "We're fortunate to have her as well," Morgan said. "She has experience as a K-12 counselor in Sanders County, so she knows some of the students and the area already. Were super stoked to have her come on board."

One position the school was unable to fill this year was for a foreign language teacher, which Morgan says is a statewide problem for many schools. The school will be relying on Montana Digital Academy through University of Montana's online program to teach students Spanish, French and German during the school day.

Pam Peters and Chris Kelly are heading up the district's teacher mentoring program. "As new staff comes into the district, they will have a mentor teacher to show them around," Morgan said. "It gives them that connection as they transition into their new position." This year, Katrina Nygaard will be mentoring Amy Henderson and Doree Thilmony will be mentoring Haile Ward.

Penny Beckman will be partnering with Job Service Thompson Falls for the School to Work Program for juniors and seniors to get out and work in the community through an internship or paid program. "For those students who meet graduation requirements, they can spend one to three periods out in the community learning valuable job skills while earning high school credit," Morgan said. "The biggest thing is that they are gaining those skills in the workforce."

Morgan says the program was in the works for a few years but came to a halt when COVID-19 hit. "More details will be coming in the next few weeks but this is going to be good for the community. There are a lot of employers looking for people right now. Our students can fill these positions, gain valuable experience and get those hands-on job skills."

The high school is also seeing an increase in enrollment this year as several new families have moved into the school district. "We're anticipating enrollment being close to 190 students," Morgan said. "We are going to see some changes because of the increased enrollment but hopefully we will also see increased participation with extracurricular activities, sports, clubs and concessions. I really want our kids involved in their school."

One way to make that goal more attainable, Morgan says, is by making sporting events more affordable. "It's now $1 to get into the games, in the past it was $3," she said. "Last year, COVID limited our games. Now we have no restrictions but we will still be monitoring the situation and following county health and the governor's directive. We have had to adjust our guidance, but will continue to do our best while still keeping COVID in the back of our minds."

The school recently held its first fall sports meeting. "Even in a non-COVID situation, we had the best attendance at a meeting we've seen in years," Morgan said. Alongside no restrictions and an increased enrollment, Morgan credits the turnout to athletic director Jake Mickelson. "His communication with the parents has always been really good," she said. "Jake has been our high school athletic director for the last several years. This year, Mickelson will also be picking up the junior high athletic director duties."

Looking into the upcoming school year, the new principal is optimistic and ready to take on any new challenges that may come her way. "We have become resilient because of the things we have recently faced," Morgan said. "The kids have become resilient too and have remained resilient. We will all continue to be that way."