Kalispell Public Schools is hosting its second annual Graduation Matters pledge event on Friday, Feb. 7 at the Flathead County Fairgrounds trade center. The event, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., will include all partner districts from the valley. More than 700 eighth-grade students are expected to attend this year and will be introduced to their future high school classmates.
The event is part of a student pledge to stay in school and will feature special guest speaker Kacie West, a teacher at Peterson Elementary School and former Miss Montana. Students will be treated to lunch and words of encouragement from West before they have the opportunity to visit a variety of carnival booths. Local businesses, teachers, and parent groups will be sponsoring booths at the event again this year, with a total of 32 booths; up from last year’s 28.
The I-Pledge to Graduate Program is a yearly event, and students who sign the banner to stay in school will have that banner prominently displayed at their school sites on each first day of the year. The program also helps students struggling with attendance and other challenges by actively working with them on credit retrieval and a mentoring program to provide strategies to stay in school.
Community members interested in volunteering, or supporting the program with a Graduation Matters Kalispell decal may contact Mike Kofford at 751-3432 for more information.