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Dear Owyhee Families,
As the school year comes to a close, we as a team find ourselves reflecting with both pride and bittersweet emotion. This month marks not only the end of another academic year but also the closing of a remarkable chapter in our school’s history.
For decades, Owyhee Elementary has stood as a beacon of learning, growth, and community for PreK–6 students. Together, we’ve built a legacy of excellence, compassion, and unwavering support for every child who walked through our doors.
May 22, 2025, we officially close the K–6 program and prepare to reopen in the fall of 2025 as Owyhee Early Childhood Center, focusing on our youngest learners, our PreK students. While change is never easy, this transition represents an exciting opportunity to reimagine the way we nurture early development and lay the foundation for lifelong learning.
I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone for your continued support. I feel so blessed to have been able to serve this amazing community!
Our students are working hard to finish assignments and take the last of their state assessments. Final reports and/or progress reports for PreK will be sent home on the last day of school, May 15, 2025. Final report cards for K-6 students will be sent home the last day of school, May 22, 2025. Student records will be transferred to receiving schools as needed.
A shout out to our dedicated 5/6 grade students who participated in track. Many students were able to compete in the District Meet, and two of our students who participated in field events (Aubrey P. and Tiulipe T.) qualified to compete at the City Meet this last Monday. A job well done! A special thank you to our coaches for making it all happen, Ms. Abeyta and Ms. Walsh.
As we move to wrap up the school year, please take time to look at the dates below to ensure you do not miss any upcoming events, Legacy Art Celebration, Band, Orchestra, Choir Concert, End of Year Celebrations (PreK Obstacle Course, K-6 Bubble Run, and our Community Neighborhood Celebration).
Our caring community voiced concerns as to where our staff who would be leaving would be going. I want to reassure our community that our district has taken great care of the team and myself. Here are our placements for the 2025-2026 School Year.
Adria David, Principal @ Hillcrest Elementary
Celia Johnson, ECSE @ Lincoln Early Childhood Center
Tonya Stern Walls, Kindergarten @ Tailwind Elementary
Lauren Huchel will continue to remain home to raise her family
Ann Abeyta, Third Grade @ Hillcrest Elementary
Sara Walsh, Third Grade @ Dallas Harris Elementary
Ryan Reed, 4/5 Combo Teacher @ Liberty Elementary
Jenna Urquidez, will be moving back to California
Nate Henson, PE @ Liberty Elementary
Chuc Diemart, Counselor @ Timberline Highschool
Mandy Belton, Resource Room @ Pierce Park Elementary
Marianne Blansett, SLP @ Owyhee and Riverside
Amy Lunstrum, Psychologist @ Lincoln Learning Center and Whittier Elementary
Rhonda Hilburn, Librarian @ Owyhee and Lincoln Learning Center
Lety Zepeda, School Support @ Lincoln Learning Center
Iren Barrios, Extended Resource Room @ Hillcrest
Stephanie Erickson, Kitchen Manager @ Washington
(We will continue to list staff assignments above as they become public information.)
While we say goodbye to one era, we look forward to the bright future ahead. The new Early Childhood Center will continue to reflect the heart of Owyhee — just in a new way, for a new generation.
Construction and preparation will begin over the summer, with more information about the new program and registration available on our district website, Early Education Program
From all of us at Owyhee – We thank you for your unwavering support, partnership, and trust over the years. We are so proud of our students and the memories we’ve created together. Here's to new beginnings, built on the strong foundation of an unforgettable past.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Dr. David
What a wonderful experience it was for our very own Owyhee choir to sing the National Anthem at an Idaho Steelheads hockey game! A big thank you to those who purchased tickets. Because of you, Mr. Cho received a check for $525.00! That money will go toward many things to enhance Owyhee's music program. Thank you Mr. Cho, for providing this awesome experience, and thank you to all of our wonderful choir students and families!
Mrs. Daniels, Mrs. Yarnot, and Mr. Cho, our fabulous music teachers, are excited to showcase their musically talented students at the upcoming concert! They have been working hard on the music they will be presenting and can't wait to show off!
We look forward to seeing friends and family of our band, orchestra, and choir students on Wednesday, May 14th at 2:15!
As a special tradition of Owyhee Elementary, each year our 6th graders spend considerable time working hard on a unique Legacy Art Project that is put on display for all to admire. A resident artist is brought in to work with the students and together they create an extraordinary work of art that is truly a labor of love. This year, our resident artist was our very own Ryan Reed. Because Mr. Reed has a 5th/6th combo class, his 5th graders participated in this year's project as well. They are excited to reveal their awesome Legacy Project!!
The unveiling of the Legacy Art Project is always an exciting event for the participating students and their families. It is also a time that we come together to celebrate our 6th graders who will be moving on to junior high! Of course this year, all of our students will be moving on to their new schools, so it is sure to be extra heartfelt.
We invite the families of students in Mr. Reed's class to come to our unveiling event on Tuesday, May 13th at 2:00 at Owyhee Elementary. This is an exciting and special occasion and we really hope to see you there!
As many of you are now aware, Owyhee Elementary will be converting into an Early Childhood PreK Center next year. The building will be undergoing some big infrastructural changes in order to support the 3-4-year-olds who will begin occupying the building in the fall of 2025.
Part of that change will be to capture the wall art through a digital lens to be incorporated into the digital walls of the new center, while still being able to retain the history of Owyhee. Now that these pieces will be digitized, we have been given the opportunity to return the individual pieces of art to the original creator. Each person is welcome to come and pick up their piece of art starting May 5th-May 22nd.
We will be hosting a silent auction for the pieces of art that were done as a group and cannot be split apart. The Silent Auction will start Monday, May 5th and close Monday, May 12th. Winners of the silent auction will be notified via email. Money raised will benefit both the outgoing K-6 students with an end of year celebration and the remaining funds will be a gift for incoming preschool students from Owyhee Alumni. When you scan the QR code, it will take you to the auction bidding form that will be live May 5th.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the front office team or myself. If you need to be reminded of what your student's project was, you can respond to this email, and Tracy will let you know. Thank you!
Dr. Adria David
If you haven't already heard the fantastic news, we are so pleased to announce that Monica Nydegger will serve as the first principal of the new Owyhee Early Learning Center effective at the start of the 2025-2026 school year!
Throughout her career, Mrs. Nydegger has prioritized relationships above all, building culture, community and connection in each position she has served. In the last six years, she has been fortunate to collaborate with, learn from and help support the Pre-K programs at both Hawthorne and Whitney.
A passionate advocate for inclusion and early childhood education, Mrs. Nydegger is committed to creating a safe, engaging, and nurturing environment where young learners can thrive, as well as cultivating a warm, welcoming and supportive school community for staff and families.
As the principal of the Owyhee Early Learning Center, she will lead the transition of the school into a hub for early childhood education, ensuring Pre-K students receive a strong foundation for future success. As an instructional leader and collaborative professional, she is passionate about being at the ground level of supporting the earliest of interventions and growing the whole child. She is dedicated to leading a team in providing families and their children the best first experience in the Boise School District!
We feel so fortunate and are very excited to welcome Mrs. Nydegger to our Owyhee family. Indeed, we will be in good hands!
Upcoming Events
May 1 Hawthorne Sneak Peek 4:15-5:00
May 2 4th-6th Grade Sleeping Beauty at the Morrison Center
May 5-9 Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week
May 7 Borah football players visiting during lunch
May 9 Pre-K End of year obstacle course
May 12 Parent PTO Meeting @ 4:30
May 13 Legacy Art Presentation 2:00
May 14 Band/Orchestra/Choir Performance 2:15
May 15 PRE-K Park Celebration/Last Day of School
May 15 KG & 1st Grade Field Trip @ Zoo Boise
May 15 Safety Patrol Field Trip @ Wahooz
May 16 Early release @ 1:15
May 16 Owyhee Farewell Celebration 6:30 (Owyhee field)
May 19 6th Grade Career Exploration Field Trip
May 20 End of year celebration. Bubble Run!
May 21 Field Day!
May 22 Last Day of School (No backpacks) Early release @ 1:15
Student School year calendar link 2024-2025
Attendance - You can send an Email!
Please let us know when your student will not be at school or if they are going to arrive after 9:00 so we can excuse their absence. We understand that sometimes you'd rather send an email than call which is great! You can email Lety or Tracy to let us know. Thanks so much!
lety.zepeda@boiseschools.org
tracy.meunier@boiseschools.org
Dr. Adria David - Principal
Email: adria.david@boiseschools.org
Tracy Meunier - Administrative Assistant
Email: tracy.meunier@boiseschools.org
Lety Zepeda - Office Assistant/Attendance
Email: lety.zepeda@boiseschools.org
Website: https://owyhee.boiseschools.org/
Address: 3434 W. Pasadena Drive Boise, ID 83705
Phone: (208) 854-5850