As the first day of school came to a close on Wednesday, Aug. 30, new Boulder Elementary Superintendent/Principal Doug Richards stumbled upon a little note on the ground. Typically this makes him nervous – as notes often can be cruel and inappropriate – but what he found was something that brightened his day and reminded him of why he chose a career in elementary education.
The note was a joke, one that made Richards chuckle pretty hard. It read, “Did you hear about the grizzly bear who didn’t wear shoes?” The answer? “He didn’t see the point because he still had bear feet.”
This note, Richards said, capped off a positive first week back to school. Richards, who was hired on May 19, 2023, said he’s been truly amazed by his experience at the school so far, and is impressed with the teachers, the faculty and staff, the parents and – most of all – the children.
“Many of [the students] are actually excited to be back in school,” Richards said. “That kind of surprised me. I’m not used to that.”
As the classrooms filled, administrators and faculty alike started to notice a rise in enrollment, as there are currently 230 students at Boulder Elementary. Administrators were expecting around 212. Just two years ago, the school had around 189 students.
“They just keep coming in the door,” said Richards. “It’s great, but also a little nerve-racking. What are we going to do if we get too many kids in the door?”
Fortunately, Richards said the growth hasn’t been too hard to handle. Classroom sizes are manageable, he said, and faculty and staff have been able to accommodate all the children.
“The staff has stepped right up,” Richards said. “They are excited to do their jobs.”
This includes head custodian Dave Deskins, who has worked at Boulder Elementary for 18 years. Richards is the fifth principal he’s worked under.
Roof replacement in progress
It’s been a busy back-to-school season for Deskins, who was the bearer of bad news when Richards started, sharing with him that replacing the school’s roof was an immediate need.
“Water had rotted through, and just kept leaking,” Deskins said. “It’s been leaking for years.”
Richards said leaks were starting to occur in classrooms, and that there were no other temporary methods that could be used to fix the issue.
The last few years Deskins said “band-aids” had been put on the roof to try and prevent the issue from getting worse, but over time only so many fixes can be made. A replacement, Deskins said, was inevitable, and Richards agreed, even though he wasn’t thrilled about the $40,000 cost when roof repairs were originally expected to be around $7,400. Fortunately, Richards said, this can be done, as some adjustments were made in the budget, largely related to maintenance, information technology and the literacy program.
“We were over budget about $10,000 on the literacy grant,” said Richards. “As a result we’ve made some adaptations in hours and other personnel adjustments.”
Richards added that Cheryl Breker, instructional coach for the literacy grant, has been instrumental in making adjustments to help balance the deficit.
“By catching this now we’re preventing black mold and the whole nine yards,” said Deskins. “We really don’t have a choice.”
Sheldon Tighe of Elkhorn Roofing in Helena agreed, saying the roof was in concerning shape, and waiting any longer would be unwise. He and his crew are working to finish the replacement as soon as possible.
“It’s going to get done right,” Tighe said.
New pick-up and drop-off set-up
The other big change implemented for this school year is a new student pick-up and drop-off set-up in front of the school.
“Previously the pick-up and drop-off involved angle parking, which would result in parents parking by the buses and backing out into traffic,” Richards said. “The new set-up is way more efficient and less dangerous.”
The new set-up requires parents to line up on W 4th Avenue past the Discovery Kidzone, and one by one pick up their children. Staff helped direct traffic during the first week, and Richards said it went well, and that it will go even smoother when the crosswalk is painted (which the City has agreed to do) and sidewalks are made (timing for this is currently undetermined).
This new pick-up and drop-off set-up also applies to the KinderCubs program, which began on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Richards said – until the crosswalk is painted – parents need to park on the south side of West 4th Avenue and need to walk their children across the street to the playground.
New hire
Helena native Jamie Voigt is excited for the opportunity to join the Boulder Elementary faculty, where she is teaching English Language Arts to seventh and eighth grade students.
Voigt, who has spent the last several years in education in Sheridan, Wyoming and elsewhere in Montana, is excited to be back in southwest Montana, a place that feels like home and is close to family.
“I was super excited to get this position,” she said. “I love the town of Boulder, and I’m sure my husband Jordan and two sons [Sage, 14, Gavin, 10] will, too.”
As a new teacher at Boulder Elementary, one of Voigt’s goals is to make the children feel comfortable, and above all, have fun.
“I want them to like what we are doing and to continue enjoying it moving forward,” Voigt said.
One personal and professional goal Voigt has is to help move the literacy program forward and implement best practices in literacy. This includes improving science of reading best practices and targeting dyslexia.
“Dyslexia is more prevalent than what once was believed,” Voigt said.
Voigt considers this a personal goal because her father struggled with dyslexia, a condition that went undiagnosed for decades.
Voigt said she looks forward to working closely with the 20-plus students she has in both the seventh and eighth grade classrooms. It’s not an intimidating number for her. She’s going to approach the classroom using her personal motto of GRIT, which stands for “Give it your best effort,” “Redo a task when necessary, “Ignore distractions and giving up” and “Take the time to do it right.”
Voigt said she hopes to instill this mentality into her students, as well.
“I want to help these kids become more efficient workers,” she said. “It’s important for our global economy today for them to be more efficient workers, perhaps more than ever.”
It’s an honor to teach at Boulder Elementary, Voigt said, as she loves the atmosphere and is encouraged by new principal Doug Richards’ leadership.
“This school has a family feel,” she said, “and I think [Richards] does a good job emulating that feeling. He cultivates warmth.”
Voigt said the community does the same, and it is her intention to be at Boulder Elementary long-term and become a part of the community.
