September 2026

Hello LPOSD Families!

What a wonderful start to another school year! It's been super exciting for me personally, as I have been able to welcome our students and staff back into our schools in person🤗💖! Thank you again for all of your love and prayers last spring - I am so grateful to be in the healing part of my cancer journey 🙏.

Last year, our Green Light to Shine 💚 theme encouraged both students and staff to look beyond what they thought was possible, push past perceived limits, and give themselves and others the “green light” to grow and shine. This year, we are building on that momentum with Shine on Your Strengths! We all have unique strengths, and learning to recognize and lean into them can help us grow in ways we may not have imagined. Throughout this school year, we will encourage students and staff to discover what they do best, appreciate the strengths of those around them, and use those strengths to keep learning, growing, and shining. I’m excited to see this theme come to life throughout our schools this year!

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership, bwm

Dr. Becky Meyer, Superintendent

You may have already seen this exciting news about LPOSD student achievement! Based on the percentage of students who reached or exceeded proficiency, LPOSD ranked #2 in IRI, #3 in ISAT Math and #4 in ISAT English Language Arts among Idaho’s 25 largest traditional school districts.

A little context: Proficiency is a rigorous state benchmark and shouldn’t be interpreted as the dividing line between passing and failing. Assessment scores fall into four achievement levels: Below Basic, Basic, Proficient and Advanced.

There’s more good news to come! We have additional student achievement results to share after they are presented at the upcoming Board of Trustees meeting. Community members are always welcome to attend, and recordings of all Board meetings are available online.

During our All-Staff Welcome Back event ahead of the school year we shared this video as a look back at some of the Green Light to Shine moments from last year and an introduction to this year's theme. While the message was created specifically for our staff, we wanted to share it with our families, too! This year’s theme, Shine on Your Strengths, builds on that same idea: recognizing the potential in every student and helping them discover, develop, and lean into the unique strengths that help them shine.

Sandpoint High School seniors Quinton Bednarczyk (pictured left) and Michael Tsiro (pictured right) have been named Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program, recognizing their outstanding performance on the PSAT/NMSQT. They are among approximately 32,000 high scorers nationwide to earn this distinction.

Both students have strong interests in STEM. Quinton named physics as his favorite high school class and plans to pursue engineering after graduation. Michael has gravitated toward technology, participating in an IT internship and reaching the semifinals of the CyberPatriot cybersecurity competition. He hopes to continue working with computers and artificial intelligence. We are proud to celebrate Michael and Quinton for this impressive achievement and can’t wait to see where their interests take them next!

Lake Pend Oreille High School students met with the architect behind the future LPOHS campus remodel for a brainstorming session last week, helping ensure student voices are included in the design and feel of their new space.

Students expressed a desire for the new campus to feel more like a second home than a traditional school, with elements that create a sense of warmth and nostalgia. Natural light, warm colors, a garden, student artwork, and comfortable spaces outside the classroom where students can work on assignments or connect with one another were among the key ideas discussed.

We’re excited to see their input help shape a space that reflects the unique character and community of LPOHS!

During Sandpoint High School's First Friday celebration, the slogan Stronger Together wasn't just a theme, it was a full-blown movement. With funding from a generous Innovia Foundation grant secured by teacher Erin Roos, the entire student body gathered to eat together, build friendships, and celebrate making connections after a morning of setting school-wide expectations for the year ahead.

To showcase school pride, Mrs. Roos and her students, the SHS Mentors, made Bulldog Strong shirts for each student and transformed the entire seating area, arranging tables to spell out SHS STRONGER TOGETHER. It was a bold statement of connection, community, and Bulldog Pride. First Friday also included grade-level activities, a high-energy pep rally, and an afternoon of carnival-inspired games and festivities. What a way to kick off a year of being Stronger Together. Great job to everyone who helped make it happen!

Northside Elementary students were treated to a very special performance by internationally acclaimed pianist Jim-Isaac Chua, who is in Sandpoint for a benefit concert supporting Idaho Panhandle Habitat for Humanity. Chua brought the experience right to Northside, introducing students to each piece and sharing the history behind the music.

It was a breathtaking opportunity for students to hear music written hundreds of years ago come to life right in their own school! We’re so grateful to Jim-Isaac for generously donating his time and incredible talent to give our students an experience they won’t soon forget.

Sandpoint High School College and Career Advisor Angie Dail, recently took professional learning to a whole new level through the STARS College Network. After applying for a STARS grant, Angie was selected to join a group of college counselors and advisors from rural communities across the country for a fully grant funded Northeast College Tour. The experience included visits to Brown, Amherst, Yale and Columbia, along with opportunities to connect with representatives from Dartmouth, Colby and MIT.

Beyond touring campuses, Angie gained an inside look at the highly selective college admissions process through financial aid sessions, application case studies and conversations with admissions representatives about everything from recommendation letters to what makes an application stand out. She now brings that firsthand knowledge back to SHS, where she can use it to help students and families navigate an often complex application process and better understand opportunities available to students from rural communities. We’re grateful to Angie for going above and beyond to seek out opportunities like this and bring what she learns directly back to our students!

For parents looking for work that fits with their family’s schedule, bus driving offers a unique opportunity to work while your kids are in school and enjoy weekends, holidays, and summers off. No experience or CDL? No problem - we provide the training! Check out the flyer for event details and come give driving a bus a try!

NIMSEF — the North Idaho Mountain Sports Education Fund — is now accepting applications for its 2026–27 youth ski and snowboard scholarships. The program helps Bonner and Boundary County children ages 7 to 17 whose families can't afford the cost of skiing, providing a Schweitzer season pass, equipment, and eight weeks of lessons.

Since 2009, NIMSEF has helped more than 1,100 local youth — and 96 percent of donations go directly to scholarships.

Applications are open through October 1.

To apply or donate, visit NIMSEF.com.