Bengal Happenings

Please note - from August 4-7, there will be no entry to the campus site from Cooke Street as they work on a water line. Access to HHS will need to come either from Billings Avenue or by entering the parking area from Montana Avenue.

Bell Schedules

Year-at-a-Glance

Attendance - hhsattendance@helenaschools.org; (406) 324-2211

Main Office - (406) 324-2200

Website - hhs.helenaschools.org

We will move back to the Helena High School (facebook.com/helenahighbengals) Facebook and Instagram pages as our main social media sites. Both sites have our logo with the tiger in the middle and Helena High School - Home of the Bengals around the outside.

Facebook - Helena High School

Instagram - helenahighschoolbengals

Bengals - welcome to the 2026-2027 School Year! This summer has seen some definite changes to the campus at Helena High, a sign of the incredible support our community has given us to bring forth a new HHS and PAL building, new District Kitchen, and eventually a new competition stadium on our site. As we have mentioned, this work will require us to work together and be patient with the changes that are occurring as we grow together through this. Please do not hesitate to ever reach out with the questions you have about the projects - (406) 324-2202 or bkessler1@helenaschools.org.

The inner workings of Helena High continue to be the amazing place they have always been. Throughout the summer, our teaching staff spends time continuing to grow their curriculum, reflect on the past school year, refine areas of need, and collaborate on best teaching practices for their classrooms. We are incredibly fortunate to have the staff we do at HHS - from teachers to secretaries, paraprofessionals to custodians, tech staff to coaches and advisors - every one of them come withe mindset each day that they are here to provide our students with the best opportunities possible.

This time of year is always exciting. Teachers start to make their way back into the building, fall practices begin and the hallways are full of voices again. Maybe most exciting, though, is our chance to welcome our new Bengals to our community. The Class of 2030 will make their way into the building, bringing forth the promise and excitement that comes with starting a new chapter in their lives. We also get to welcome those new to the Helena community, or who are transferring from another school in the district or surrounding area, to Helena High. Bringing together all these individuals is what makes HHS such a great place to be! Welcome to HHS!

This year will be one for the books, in many ways. This year will bring forth our Cognia Accreditation process, the roll out of our new values approach - Bengals by Choice through our Bengal PRIDE! - construction and work on campus, and a continued commitment as a school to refine and grow our teaching practices and classroom experiences to provide our students the best leg up for whatever comes next in their lives.

Here's to a great year! Go Bengals!

We are very excited to welcome the following individuals to our Bengal Staff (or to a new position)

for the 2026-2027 School Year. We look forward to the energy, expertise, and excitement they will bring to our school this year! Go Bengals!

• Carter Gill - Social Studies
• Alex Johnson - Math
• Vanessa Rosling (Stavish) - Math
• Beatrice Pujol - Science
• Iliana Cruz - Spanish
• Caroline Kelley - Spanish
• Cristin Bermingham - Counseling (H-N)
• Linden Howard-Murphy - Counseling (A-G)
• Shawn O'Hare - Credit Recovery and ISS
• Amanda Crowson - Paraprofessional
• Kelly O'Reilly - Paraprofessional
• Ryan Schulte - Dean of Students
• Meghan Harrington - Speech/Language Pathologist
• Taylee Schlauch - Librarian
• Laurie Sechrist-Scruggs - Librarian
• Jake Troyer- Career Counselor

As we shared out in the Spring, there have been discussions throughout the school, district, state, and nation regarding cell phone use in schools and classrooms. There is plenty of research that tells us cell phones, and other electronic devices (namely ear buds/headphones, watches, other gaming devices), cause distractions to learning and socialization amongst our population. As a school staff, we have agreed to work toward limiting student use of these devices throughout the school day to support student learning and growth. While the approach listed below is not overly different than what we have had in the past, we are committed to being consistent with these approaches as a school this year. We look forward to working together as a team of staff and parents to help our students follow these expectations.

HHS Cell Phone and Other Electronic Device Expectations

The overall expectation is that phones and electronic devices are either put into the designated location in the classroom or in the students’ backpacks, out of sight and reach. Cell phones and/or electronic devices are not to be used in the classroom except for academic purposes approved by the teacher. Students will be allowed to utilize their devices before school, during passing periods, lunch, and after school.

Progressive Discipline for choosing not to follow the teacher's directions will be in place. Students will be given one warning in class by the teacher before the progressive discipline approach is utilized.

Cell phones and other Electronic Device infractions will be cumulative throughout the student’s schedule (they do not get a first offense in each period - if they had to turn in their phone from their 1st period class for the first offense, then had to turn it in again for their 2nd period class the next day, that would be the second offense). Other electronic devices include, but are not limited to – ear buds, head phones (or other devices that allow a student to listen to music or receive notifications), and smart watches.

1st Offense – Student turns their phone or other electronic device into the main office and receives a white slip signifying they have done so to give back to their teacher. The student will be able to pick up their phone or other electronic device at the end of the day. The teacher will document this offense in the Office Discipline Referral (ODR), and parent(s)/guardian(s) will be made aware of the infraction.

2nd Offense – Student turns their phone or other electronic device into the main office. Administration will connect with the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) to pick up the phone or other electronic device from the main office. A discussion will happen about proper electronic device use in the classroom with the student, parent, and administration. Staff will document this offense in the ODR form.

3rd Offense – Student turns their phone or other electronic device into the main office. Administration will connect with the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) to pick up the phone or other electronic device from the main office. The student will no longer be allowed to bring their cell phone or other electronic devices to school, or they will need to check them in at the main office at the start of each day. Staff will document this offense in the ODR form.

Students will not be allowed to take phones or other electronic devices to the restroom with them. If a student needs to connect with a parent/guardian, they can ask to go to the main office and do so there. Parents are also encouraged to utilize our main office to get notes to students instead of texting/calling them at school.

Thank you to those who have completed our Cognia Accreditation Survey so far. I will keep the survey open until August 29.

If you have not completed the survey yet, please do so. The information you provide will be helpful for us as we look at areas we are succeeding and developing areas in need of growth. If you have further questions on the survey, or the accreditation process, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Survey

Families that are new to HHS, you will not need to complete the survey as you will likely not have enough experience with us yet to be able to answer the questions.

We will share out soon the plan for parking for after-school events, as well as our process for students coming home from out-of-town games/activities.

Student Parking

• Parking will be available in our current yellow lot and in the new parking area on the corner of Harris Street and Townsend Avenue. We are asking that students refrain from parking in the adjacent neighborhoods or business parking lots in our area.
• Students will need a parking pass to park in our lots - $5 for the pass which will be available for purchase starting with Seniors on August 17.
• Parking will be first-come, first-served in the lot on campus. A shuttle will run at 8:05 a.m. from the Harris Street lot for those using that area. If you are not there for that pick up, you will need to walk to campus.
• Staff parking will remain in our two current areas.

Student Drop-off, Pick-up

• Parents are encouraged to drop-off and pick-up students along Roberts Street or the south side of Billings Avenue. Please avoid using the loop by the attendance office, if possible.

Bus and Emergency Vehicle Zones

• Buses will drop-off and pick-up on Billings Avenue.
• This will also serve as one area for Emergency Vehicles.
• Cooke Street will also be designated as an Emergency Vehicle Zone and the curbs have been painted as such.

Student/Parent Entry

• Our main entries will be 1(off Billings Avenue) and 33 (North side by Attendance Office)
• Students and visitors will be able to come either of those entries throughout the school day.
• Visitor parking will still be by the bus drop off loop by Entry 33.
• From 7:00-8:20 a.m., Entry 3 (upper science wing hallway) will be open for students to enter.

The annual Bengal Booster BBQ will be held on Saturday, August 22 in the HHS parking lot along Montana Avenue. Join us for food, Bengal gear, and a chance to connect with other Bengal families. The BBQ will kick-off around 11:00 a.m. and wrap up at 2:00 p.m. Go Bengals!

As we shared, student schedules are still being worked on by our counseling and administrative staff. While some might be seeing their schedules on certain apps, please make sure you are paying attention to the schedule that will be available in PowerSchool.

Schedules are built using the requests students submitted in the Spring. While we will take requests for changes, please recognize that changes may not always be possible. Counselors will initially start working on schedule changes based on the schedule below, whether you are new to our building or a returner. You are welcome to stop in during those times, or submit your request through the Schedule Change Form (this will open August 10, not August 17 as previously noted).

• Seniors - Wednesday, August 19 - 8:30-11:30 a.m.
• Juniors - Wednesday, August 19 - 12:30-3:30 p.m.
• Sophomores - Thursday, August 20 - 8:30-11:30 a.m.
• Freshmen - Thursday, August 20 - 12:30-3:30 p.m.
• All Students - Friday, August 21 - 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Students will be given 5 days to make a change without taking a withdrawal-fail. The last day to change schedules will be September 2, 2026.

It is time for our Fall Activity Season to get started! If your child is interested in trying out for or participating in a fall sport, necessary information is included below.

Sports Physicals

The MHSA updated its policy last year regarding the need for students to have a yearly physical before they can participate. Students will now need to get a complete physical every-other-year. All incoming 9th graders need to have a current sports physical completed (MHSA Sports Physical Form). This must have been completed after May 1, 2026 to be valid. Those in grades 10-12 who completed a sports physical last year that was turned in for our record keeping will need to complete the new MHSA Interim Medical Form and return that prior to the first practice. If you have any questions on this, please connect with the coach, our trainer, or call the Main Office and we can work through it with you as well. Those in grades 10-12 who are new to our school or did not have a physical completed, will need to get one this year. St. Peter's Health will be at Helena High on Monday, August 10 from 4-7 p.m. to provide sports physicals for students. Cost is $25.

Sport Specific Information

Cheer

• Coach - Bree Wilmont (bwilmont@helenaschools.org)
• Full information document
• All are welcome and can still join the team
• Practice times August 17-20
• 8/17 and 8/18 - 6:00-7:00 a.m.
• 8/19 and 8/20 - 5:30-8:00 p.m.

Cross Country

• Girls - Coach Jesse Zentz (jzentz@helenaschools.org)
• Boys - Coach Kelley Gilbert (kgilbert5@helenaschools.org)
• August 14
• 7:00 a.m. practice at Vigilante Stadium (gear distributed after practice)
• 2:30 p.m. - Photos - HHS Gym
• 7:30 p.m. - Team BBQ - Coach Zentz' house
• August 15
• 7:00 a.m. practice at Vigilante Stadium
• 9:00 a.m. - Parent/Athlete Meeting - HMS Gym
• More info - visit www.helenahighxc.com for season schedule, coach contacts, and more

Dance

• Coach Kiana Sayler (helenahighbengalettes@gmail.com)
• There is a parent meeting on August 12 at 6:00 p.m. in the HHS Cafeteria.
• Practices will start August 17 and go from 6-8 a.m. August 17-21. There will be no formal tryout - all are welcome to join! If interested, please contact Coach Kiana Sayler at helenahighbengalettes@gmail.com.
• Current parents should be checking the Band App for information as well.

Football

• Coach Dane Broadhead (dbroadhead@helenaschools.org)
• Practice Schedule leading up to the first week of school

Girls Flag Football

• Coach Tom Cohn (tcohn1@helenaschools.org)
• QR Code for team website

Golf

• Coach Dana Shepherd (dshepherd@helenaschools.org)

Boys Soccer

• Coach Carl Straub (cstraub@helenaschools.org) or (406) 410-4828 for more information
• Full tryout and practice information leading to the first week of school

Girls Soccer

• Coach Hunter Terry (hterry@helenaschools.org)

Volleyball

• Coach Lindsey Day (lday@helenaschools.org)
• Tryouts
• Freshmen
• Friday, August 14 - 8:00-9:30 a.m. - Speed/Agility and Conditioning Testing; 9:30-11:30 a.m. Practice
• Saturday, August 15 - 11:00-1:00 p.m. - Practice, followed by cuts
• Monday, August 17 - 10:00-11:30 a.m. - Practice
• Soph-Seniors
• Friday, August 14 - 8:00-9:30 a.m. Speed/Agility and Conditioning Testing; 1:00-3:00 p.m. practice
• Saturday, August 15 - 8:00-10:00 a.m. Practice, 2:00-4:00 p.m. Practice followed by cuts
• Full Tryout Information Sheet

Students will need to purchase Parking Permits to park in the designated HHS lots for the 2026-2027 school year. Permits are $5 and need to be purchased online through RevTrak. All information on what is needed and the link to purchase can be found here.

Permits will be available to seniors first, then juniors, etc. We will have a wait list if we sell out.

• Seniors - August 17
• Juniors - August 18
• Sophomores - August 19
• Freshmen - August 20

We are excited to officially welcome the Class of 2030 to HHS! As students, and parents, get ready to begin the new year - a few informational items for you:

Freshmen Parent Night - Tuesday, August 25 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. - HHS Little Theater

The HHS admin team will provide a presentation on things to know as a Freshmen parent, help to prepare you for what's to come the next four years, and have an opportunity for Q&A. Please enter through Entry 1 (Billings Ave) or 33 (North Side) and follow the signs to the Little Theater. Students are also welcome to attend.

Bengal Beginnings Day - Wednesday, August 26 - 8:15 a.m. - Meet at Entry 1 (Billings Avenue Entry)

The first day of school is reserved for our Freshmen and amazing Link Crew Leaders to build connections and become more accustomed to a day in the life at HHS. The day will start with a welcome assembly and small group activities with our upper classmen Link Leaders. Lunch is available for free (thanks Sodexo!) for all students that day - we will be having burgers and hot dogs with gluten free options available. After lunch, students will rotate around to all their classes to meet their teachers and classmates and continue to learn more about HHS. We will finish earlier on this day - around 2:30 p.m. with buses running at their normal time. All students need to bring is a pencil and ready-to-engage attitude.

With the change to our entry availability this year, we are going to have our students start in a different location than we have in the past. We will ask that students be dropped off and wait outside Entry 1 off of Billings Avenue until they are brought in to start the day.

Linked below is our current Year-at-a-Glance to help with your planning for the coming school year. We will update this throughout the school year as dates change. The date at the top will be show the last time it was updated.

2026-2027 Year-at-a-Glance

For those of you who are joining HHS this year from another school in the district, another state, or school in the area, we would like to invite you to join us on Wednesday, August 26 at 11:00 a.m. in the HHS Library for a brief orientation and Q&A session. Bengal staff will be there to help introduce you to HHS, give you a tour of the building, get a Chromebook checked out to you, and answer your questions. You are also invited to join us for lunch that day on the HHS front lawn (hamburgers and hot dogs).

We are in need of paras throughout the district. This is a great way to work with our future!

8/10 - Sport Physical Night

8/17 - JV GO @ Butte Central

8/18 - GO @ Inner City Meet; JV GO @ East Helena Invite

8/19 - GO @ Inner City Meet

8/22 - Bengal Booster BBQ

8/24 - JV GO @ Helena Invite

8/24-25 - GO @ Great Falls Invite

8/27 - FB @ Skyview

8/28 - XC @ Billings Invite; SOC vs Glacier - 3/5 p.m.

8/29 - SOC vs Flathead (9/11 a.m.); FR FB @ Helena Jamboree; GFFB vs Glacier 12:00/2:00 p.m. (Vigilante Stadium);VB @ Senior/Skyview

• 13 – First day for golf practice

• 14 – First day for cheer, cross-country, girls flag football, football, soccer and volleyball practice

• 17 – Parking passes available for purchase – Seniors

• 18 – Parking passes available for purchase - Juniors

• 19 – Counselors available for schedule changes Seniors (8:30-11:30 a.m.) and Juniors (12:30-3:30 p.m.); Parking passes available for purchase - Sophomores

• 20 – Counselors available for schedule changes Sophomores (8:30-11:30 a.m.) and Freshmen (12:30-3:30 p.m.); Parking passes available for purchase - Freshmen

• 21 – Counselors available for schedule changes – all students (1:00-3:30 p.m)

• 22 – Bengal Booster BBQ

• 24 – First Day for Staff

• 26 – Bengal Beginnings Day! Freshmen Only

• 27 – Soph-Seniors First Day!

September

• 1 – Picture Day

• 2 – Last Day to Change Schedules for Semester 1

• 7 – No School, Labor Day

• 8 – MAP Testing Freshmen and Sophomores; Juniors ACT Prep; Seniors Counseling Presentation (Assessment Schedule)

• 9 – MAP Testing Freshmen and Sophomores; Juniors Community Service Day, Seniors Josten’s Visit (Assessment Schedule); Open House 6-7 p.m.

• 13 – HEF Carnival Classic

• 14 – Senior Parent Night – 6-7 p.m. Little Theater

• 25 – 1st Quarter Mid-term

• 28-Oct 3 – Homecoming Week!

• 28-Oct 9 – College Application Weeks

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