D93 Family Update

I am a huge fan of Kansas City Coach Andy Reid, which means, for now, I am also a Chiefs fan. This year, my 11-year old son, in true preteen rebellious form, is quite vocally cheering against the Chiefs, even going so far as to offer me his Kansas City Chiefs piggy bank that he hand painted last year. When I asked him why he had a sudden (and disappointing) change in his loyalties, he told me that he could no longer cheer for the Chiefs because Travis Kelce, their star tight end, shoved Andy Reid during the Superbowl last year.

This week, I read a fantastic article that underscored the importance of this incident, but not in the way you would think. Atlantic reporter Austin Dodd wrote that Reid's leadership style can be summed up in a two-word 3*5 card that he keeps taped to the wall behind his desk. The two words? "Don't judge."

Dodd shares how Reid's philosophy had an espcecially profound impact on Travis Kelce, who came into the NFL with a reputation for breaking rules after being suspended from his college football team. A former assistant coach said the first five years of coaching Kelce was "like riding a bucking bronco. [He] lived off script. He lined up incorrectly. He ran the wrong routes. He often ignored the details of his route and just found open space." And while Coach Reid's entire offense was built on precision, instead of trying to change Kelce, he saw possibilities and leaned into his personality.

As a result, Kelce has become one of the best tight ends in NFL history, setting the record for most postseason catches in league history trailing only Jerry Rice for postseason receiving yards and touchdowns. Dodd concludes, "Kelce also can still boil over, as he did on the sideline of last year’s Super Bowl. But when it happened, and he bumped into Reid, it wasn’t just an awkward confrontation between a player and coach. It was a window into a relationship. Reid didn’t react. The Chiefs won the game."

After winning the Superbowl, Kelce said, "“He’s one of the best leaders of men I’ve ever seen in my life. I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to kind of control how emotional I get. I just love him, man.”

That is the kind of life long impact we can have on others if try to see their innate possibilities rather than judging them for their actions. That isn't always easy and there will still be plenty of moments when the actions of others will frustrate us and their choices disappoint us. Even then, we can still choose to to see their innate possibilities and lift them to be better.

Parent Teacher Conferences are Coming Up

Elementary - January 28th and 30th from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Middle and High Schools - January 27th from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The online application form (d93.org/3010F1) to open enroll at a different school is now open for next school year. Applications received by February 1st will be given priority consideration. If your child is currently attending a school on an approved open enrollment form, you do not need to submit a new form for them. They will continue to attend that school unless the school principal notifies you that the approval for their open enrollment has been withdrawn.

Welcome to D93 News! This week, we’re covering a major event in Boise, where D93 leaders joined lawmakers and school officials to show support for Idaho’s public schools and voice their opposition to school vouchers. Plus, a heartfelt story from Ammon: The Cellar Door Tattoo shop generously donated $1,500 to D93’s Child Nutrition Program to help local families. Hear more about their plans to give back even more next year. Watch now for these stories and more!

Idaho's graduation rate reached a 10-year high in 2024, with 82.3% of students graduating on time. Bonneville School District 93 went above and beyond this milestone with an outstanding 90.3% graduation rate, producing 983 graduates who are ready to shape a brighter future!

👏 A special shoutout to D93's Technical Careers High School, which achieved an incredible 100% graduation rate! With 49 graduates, this exceptional school is one of only 11 nontraditional schools in Idaho to accomplish this milestone.

These achievements reflect D93's commitment to student success and innovative educational opportunities. Congratulations to our students, educators, and families for making this possible!

📚 Read more about Idaho's graduation success here: Idaho's Graduation Rate Reaches 10-Year High

This week on the podcast, Lori sat down with Kiley McMurtrey, a former Bonneville volleyball standout whose journey is nothing short of inspiring. Kiley overcame back-to-back major knee injuries during high school—one on each leg—and went on to achieve remarkable success both on and off the court. At Eastern Oregon, she dominated as a libero, earning multiple honors for her athletic and academic excellence. She later transferred to the University of Utah for graduate school, where she played in every match and capped off her senior year with at least one ace in six of her last seven matches. Kiley's resilience and determination are a testament to what it means to persevere and thrive. Tune in to hear her incredible story!

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/d93news/episodes/Kiley-McMurtrey-e2tsvia

The D93 Extra Mile Award celebrates those whose hard work and positive attitudes make a significant impact on our students, staff, and community. Thanks to our amazing friends at Rusty Taco, we’ll be recognizing those who go above and beyond with this special award! 🌮🙌

Come Join Steve in a 7-Week course of Parenting the Love and Logic Way. Steve Dewey has been teaching parenting classes in the community for the past 27 years. He is well known for his ability to use humor and fun stories to make his parenting classes easy to understand so that participants are able to implement the interventions immediately and successfully. The parenting classes will be for parents of children of all ages. Please click this link for more information about the class.

Classes run from January 23rd through March 6th.

• Sandcreek Middle School Library
• Thursday Nights 7:00-9:00pm
• 7-Week Course
• Classes are FREE to parents in the Bonneville School District
• Idaho Falls, Idaho
• Optional Workbook $10.00

May 25th is National Missing Children's Day, every year the U.S. Department of Justice puts on a poster contest for this important date. This is a nationwide contest designed to promote awareness among teachers, parents/guardians and children and engage them in discussions about safety. Did you know that Idaho currently has 67 listed missing children?

This contest is open for all 5th graders statewide! We are asking 5th graders to design and make a 8.5" x 14" poster with the slogan and idea of "Bringing Our Missing Children Home."

All Submissions must be submitted to my office by Feb 22nd 2025. On that date we will chose a winning poster and send that student's poster on to the National level. The State's winning Student will receive an award certificate from the U.S. Department of Justice. If the State's winner is chosen as the National winner then that student, their teacher, and their parents/guardian will be invited to Washington DC (travel and lodging provided) to participate in the 42nd annual Missing Children's Day event on May 21st 2025!

Contact Information:

Kara Kelley

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

Bureau of Criminal Identification

Idaho State Police

700 S. Stratford Dr., Ste. 120

Meridian, ID 83642

Office: 208-884-7137

ISBA is now accepting submissions for our 2025 Student Photography Contest.

The Student Photography Contest is open to K-12 students who are enrolled in a district/charter school that is a member of the Idaho School Boards Association.

This year's contest theme is “Small Acts, Big Impacts".

The rules of the contest are as follows.

1. The photograph entered may not have been awarded a prize in another contest.
2. Limit: One entry per student.
3. The photo must have been taken by the person submitting it.
4. Both color and black-and-white submissions are acceptable.
5. Entries must be submitted in a digital format (.jpg, .png) with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.
6. All entries must be submitted digitally. Email your photo to Mika at: mika@idsba.org
7. The contest entry image file must be named “LastName_FirstName”.
8. In your email to Mika, you must include your first and last name, school district or charter school, your grade, and where the photo was taken.
9. If your photograph depicts the likeness of a person, please contact Mika for a photo release form at mika@idsba.org.

The deadline to submit student photographs is February 28, 2025.

To learn more about the photography contest, click here.

Please feel free to share the flyer, linked here, with teachers and students in your district or school.

Thank you to our community partners at EIRMC for supporting our D93 News Family Update.