2018-2019

The fall hike

By Kennady G.

December 19th

This September, almost all the middles schoolers and teachers stormed up to the peak of Mt. Aeneas. We hike for students to exercise and to be outdoors. Mt. Aeneas is the highest mountain is the Swan Mountain Range. The person who planned it is our very own outdoor ed teacher, Mr. Gaiser. In the past, the school has gone to Holland Falls and Holland lake, Glacier National Park, and Strawberry Lake.

Even I agree the hike was fun, and I hate hiking! I asked Mr. Gaiser how they pick a location and his response was, "All the teachers come together and we talk about it. We usually rotate the locations over the years according to the weather, temperature, and how big the classes are."

I also asked why we do the hikes and he said, " It's a chance for us teachers to kind of get to know the sixth graders, and for kids to get to know one another."

Bigfork Playhouse performs A Christmas Carol

By Tag S.

December 19th

On December 7th, kids from 2nd grade to adults performed in the classical musical, A Christmas Carol. The auditions were in early November and the show was in December.

The show was produced by Brach Thomson, who has been at the theater for the past 18 years. His favorite shows were CATS, Little Shop of Horrors, and Seussical The Musical.

A Swanie, Hailee E. was in the play as a Scrooge Girl, almost like a muse."I have been acting since 3rd grade, and have been in 20 to 22 plays." Hailee mentions, " I started acting because I like the magic and making people happy. I liked my part because I was able to make it my own, but the songs I was in made it difficult to keep up."

Skate, Bowl, and Swim!

By Sophie E.

December 19

Skating, swimming, and bowling will be some activities all middle schoolers can enjoy on January 11! But why do we do it? So I decided to ask the man thats behind it all! Mr. Gaiser the one who says, "We should call it skate, bowl and swim." Skating can be fun you just have to be careful so you don't slip or fall on the hard ice...or skate into a wall. Swimming is so incredible. Making a strike is the hardest in bowling. It is so exciting when a student makes a strike for the first time and they have all of their classmates watching.

Christmas Program

By Stephani P.

December 19th

And a one, and a two, and a one two, three, four!! On Thursday December 13th, Swan River staff and students directed the annual Christmas Program! Family, friends, and members of the community joined us in the gym as our band and choir performed, and the 5th graders put on a play. Mrs. Emslie and Ms. Fuzesy organize this annual event. Ms. Fuzesy stated, "The middle school band played Frosty, Chanaka, and Not So Silent Night. The 5th grade band played Jingle Bells, Up on the Housetop, and Jolly Old Saint Nicholas. Finally, the choir sang Our Gift For You, Patapan, and Sparklejollytwinklejingley." Mrs.Stevens, our kindergarten teacher, decided to add the play into out Christmas Program 28 years ago. This year the play was called, The Great Big Holiday Bake Off. Each elementary class sang a song for the play. The kindergarteners sing Away in a Manger every year. As an annual event at SRS, I'd say this year was a success! Happy Holidays!

Teachers & technology

By Tag S.

December 19th

In the year of 2014, Swan River School was introduced to one of most important pieces of technology today, the Chromebook. Almost two years later, a 3D printer was donated to our 5th Grade Teacher, Mrs. Emslie. Now, we have three sets of chromebooks that are spread equally across the school. There are four 3D printers in Mrs. Emslie's room, one in Mrs. Bradstreet's room, and one in Mrs. Richmond's room, all donated to the school.

Teachers commented on this new technology ."This will affect everyone," says Mrs. Bradstreet, "whether in their present or the future. It all depends on the choices we make in life, and if we don't prepare now, we won't be ready for the future."

Seventh grader, Ashley G. stated, "Though I have used the 3D printers only once, I feel my experience was good. Although, I don't get to print my own items that often. I would rather use the docs the Chromebooks provide than the loose-leaf paper we also use."

After School Program

By Dylan H.

December 19th

The after school program is a place for kids to go when their parents can't pick them up straight after school. The after school program is held in the library, supervised by Mrs. Pam Choco and her associate Mr. Carter. Kids are able to get their homework done and have fun making crafts.

When they walk into the library, they sign in. Once their homework time is over, the students get ready to go outside to play for fifteen minutes. Then when the whistle is blown, kids come back inside and enjoy snack with a movie to watch. When snack is over, the kids then get to do a fun project. This includes activities like baking treats, doing science experiments, and making slime. Each activity is planned out to enhance student learning in the content areas.

Then when the time comes, their parents come to pick up the kids. We are very grateful for Mrs. Choco and her dedication to this program.

New students at Swan River

By Brodie D.

December 19th

When the year started for Swan River School, four new students joined the middle school. Their names are Braidy, Casey , Qwinten (who came a little later into the year,) and me, Brodie. Let's start with Qwinten , he came from Olney Bissell School in November. I asked him about his experience here so far. Qwinten stated, "Pretty good, I'm a fan of the math class." Then, I asked him was how this school is different from the one he went to before, He said, "This school has five days and I used to have four. What I like about this school is that I made friends quicker than at my last school." Lastly, I asked him was how he likes the community here. He said, "I like it; they help me catch up."

Next up is Casey, she came at the beginning of the school year. I asked the same questions about the school and the community. First she said, "It has been absolutely fantastic. The teachers are a lot nicer and you get to do a lot more fun activities." She also commented, "Yes, people are very kind." The third person that I interviewed was Braidy. She came from Lakeside School. She replied to my questions, "I have made really good friends and the food is better than Lakeside!" Also, "This school is smaller than Lakeside and students are (very nice)." Now, what I have to say about my experience here so far is that it is great and there are no bullies. It's different from the school I went to before. It's a lot bigger and its all in one building. Lastly, the community here is fantastic! The people are very nice.

Dinner in a Box

By Dylan H.

December 19th

The Dinner in a Box is one way for the Swan River students to give to their community. This program started about fifteen years ago in order to help nine families have a Christmas dinner. Every year, each class thinks of a box design to decorate the box and works together to create that certain design. The class then fills the box with the food that they brought to donate. The boxes are placed on display in the cafeteria during the Christmas Program.

As the boxes are displayed, parents and students take a ticket and vote for their favorite box. The votes are then tallied and announced the next morning. The class that has the most votes win.

Throughout the many years, many creative boxes have been displayed. The ones that stood out the most during the years were a walk-in gingerbread house, an astronaut ship, and Snoopy from Charlie Brown. All of the boxes that are made are creative and very well planned.

Craft Day

By Stephani P.

December 19th

On Friday, December 7th, Swan River's teachers and PTO held the annual Craft Day event! This is a day when students across the school can have fun creating crafts for their friends and family. From 8:30 to 11:30, students switch every 45 minutes to make three different crafts. Kindergarten through 2nd grades create three crafts, and grades 3rd-5th create another set of three different crafts. Finally, grades 6th-8th do one more set of three different crafts.

Many students look forward to this fun filled day of crafting. Naomi and Rhett from 3rd grade said, "We love craft day!" Naomi said that her favorite craft was the llama that she made. Rhett said that he liked the coffee cup the best. No matter what craft Swan River students made, they all had a fun time laughing with their friends as they made crafts for family and friends. Happy Holidays!!

Middle School Dance

By Kennady G.

December 19th

On the night of November 30th, 2018, middle schoolers and Riley, Ms.Richmond's daughter, gathered in the SRS Gym for a fall dance. There was music, lights, dancing, and best of all, pizza! This is all put on by the Dance Committee, led by Orion P.

The question is, why do we put on these dances when all it does is shove 11-14 year olds in a gym and let them dance and hang out? Well, a couple students helped me answer that question.

"We do it to have fun and to socialize outside of the classroom," said Preston, an eighth grader at SRS.

This year the eighth graders pretty much ran the dance. Therefore, I had to ask what would happen when the now eighth graders left for high school. The eighth grade boys were so convinced that they did an amazing job that they said, "The school will collapse when we leave."

I also went around asking about the dance and here's what a few middle school students had to say.

Avery J. replied, "I think the dance was great and I had a very good time."

Wyatt T. expressed, " I do the Dance Committee to hang out with my best friends. When the now eighth graders leave we will still have the dances and the other students will do a great job."

Having dances is a way for students to have fun and socialize outside of the classroom, and SRS will definitely continue this tradition in the future.

Indoor Soccer

By Kian T.

December 19th

Four games in and having the best start to their season in three years, the Bigfork Bandits and the Bigfork Vessel futsal teams are starting out the season 2-2. Both teams play at the Summit between the hours of 7 and 9 PM every Friday. Only a few teams have stayed undefeated so far during this season. Those teams are the Undecided United and the Hot Shots. Futsal is a form of soccer that is played inside with a small soccer ball and it is a 5 versus 5 game, with four field players and one goalkeeper. The games are often fast paced and seem to fly by. There are two twenty minute halves and a five minute break in between each half.

Levi, one of the players for the Bigfork Bandits was very adamant about them winning the championship, he said "Oh yeah we will win" when asked about winning the championship. Each team gets three games off during the season, most of the time, they are split up throughout the season, but unfortunately, the Bandits have one game off before the final two games of the season. Placement in the tournament by the records of each team. The top seed plays the lowest seed and goes on from there with the second seed playing the fifth seed and then the third and fourth seeds play each other with one team getting a by.

SRS boys basketball in for 1st place

By Kian T.

December 19th

Starting off the season with high expectations, the Swan River 7/8 grade boys basketball team lived up to those expectations. They went undefeated during the regular season, the closest that they came to losing was against Smith Valley, where they won by a margin of only 5 points. The team has become a very cohesive unit, having their best defense in years. The tournament was held at Cayuse Prairie. The boys team was able to beat Cayuse Prairie, after they got a first round by.

After their victory at Cayuse Prairie, I talked some of the players and they very vigorously expressed their desire to win the championship after losing it last year. Sean B., an 8th grader said " We will win the championship if we keep staying aggressive on defense." Preston B., another 8th grader also said that they had a great defense and, " we will win the championship." The confidence paid off, as they won the championship two games later against Smith Valley.

Girls Basketball

Kennady G.

30 May 2019

This January-February the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls played their hearts out at the SRS gym and other schools from around the Flathead Valley. Coached by Marshelle Wade, the 5th-6th grade girls were aggressive throughout the season and claimed third place in the tournaments. The 7th-8th grade girls, coached by Todd Emslie, played extremely well, but unfortunately did not place in the top three. Let's hope the girls have just as much fun next year. Basketball gives the Swannie girls a chance to play in a competitive, team sport. I decided to go around and ask a few students questions about this season.

6th grade basketball star, Keni said her favorite part of this year's basketball season was, "being with my best friends."

6th grader Braidy stated that the reason we have a girls basketball team is so, "We can cheer on our school and our team. It also gives girls who are really good at basketball an opportunity to show their talents to other people."

Coach Emslie said that this about why he coached, "I like sports and I played them all my life. I enjoy teaching. So as a teacher, coaching and teaching are kind of hand and hand. I enjoy competition as well. As for coaching next year, that is to be determined." I think we all hope Mr. E comes back and coaches next year.

7th grader Ashley says her biggest motivations were her family and teammates.

Girls Softball

Sophie E.

30 May 2019

This April-May girls softball began for girls in grades 4th, 5th, and 6th. They all had a blast playing against other teams. I decided to ask a very good softball player what they enjoyed and many other questions, and here is the response I got back.

"Softball is the same level as baseball, in my opinion. This is my first year playing. I'm proud on how far I came, and I got hurt 3 times! My dad was my biggest motivation, he's so good on cheering me on," Avery J in 6th grade explained. Great work girls!

Bigfork Soccer Goes Competitive

By Kian T.

30 May 2019

The Bigfork Bandits have officially become a competitive soccer club. They are now going by the Bigfork Storm. It is like they have gone from 0-100 in a year. Swan River School has produced three star players for the team. According to Ryan, the team is playing pretty well and he expects them to continue to improve after four tough losses at the Hot Shots Tournament, in Coeur D'alene.

Even though they got swept, Bigfork found some team chemistry. Next up is the Three Blind Refs tournament in Kalispell, Montana. They are expected to play some of the tough competition and are hopefully up to the task. During their latest game in Columbia Falls, they were unable to keep their shots on goal and unfortunately lost 2-0. If you are wondering what to expect over the next few years of Bigfork competitive soccer, you can expect the teams to grow and compete at higher levels.

Bigfork Track and Field

Sarah S.

30 May 2019

Bigfork has invited Swan River middle school to join them in track. Five students from the eighth grade and two from seventh grade took up the opportunity to be active in track events. Every friday, students from Bigfork and Swan River combined at a track meet and competed against other schools. While competing, they participated in events to show their improvement throughout the week.

They even earned awards for performing better than others. Their events included the 200 meter dash, 100 meter dash, sprint, jump, long jump and many more. Elias, an eighth grader, wore his 3rd place ribbon throughout the 8th grade history.

Cross Country

By Tag S.

30 May 2019

Cross country is an after school activity in which students play games and relays to exercise their movement and stamina. Mrs. Vickrey, who has coached this for three years, along with Mrs. Butts, lead this group of runners. Cross country has met on tuesdays at Cayuse Prairie, West Valley, and Evergreen Junior High. There are about 23 participants. Mrs. Vickrey said " I started because my daughter, Sierra started when she was in third grade, so I thought I would help out."

Many students participate in this activity and many have there own favorite parts of cross country. Evan W. says, "My favorite part of cross country is earning ribbons." Braidy B. said, "The best part about cross country is being able to pass the finish line and think 'I have finished.'" Swan River Cross Country is here to help students get exercise and to do something after school

Spaghetti Dinner

Dylan H.

30 May 2019

The Spaghetti Dinner this year was a blast. Lots of parents and grandparents showed up to support our school. Everyone was talking and were having fun. The event is held to raffle items donated to the 8th grade to fundraise for their Montana State History Trip.

The 8th Graders worked super hard on getting donations from businesses in our community. The donations that were gathered ranged from gift cards to gift baskets, with a few big prizes as well. The silent auction went great as well. All of the auction items were sold off to the highest bidder. The silent auction included horse riding tickets, a two ton jack, rough cut lumber, and more.

This Spaghetti Dinner was a huge success. 8th Graders raised a lot of money and were able to go on their 8th grade history trip. They would like to thank family, friends, and the community for all the support! Also, thanks to Mr. Emslie, who has spent 28 years developing this amazing trip. We are proud to be the last class you lead, but we know the trip will live on for future Swannies.

Talent Show

By Tag S.

30 May 2019

The talent show was an amazing display of Swan River School's talent. There were about ten acts full of jokes, dancing, and singing. Mrs. Fuzesy lead everyone in singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." The Talent show very smoothly.

Avery and Braidy danced to Fight Song, Lance Peterson sang Moonquest, Jake Baldi did some magic, and Erin and Hannah sang and played Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Some parents even came to see their kids perform. Mrs. Fuzesy had 22 auditioners, but had to not allow some of the auditioners to preform. She also told me that she found some of the acts hilarious. She had 3 members on tech, two of which were M.C.s Stephani and Ashley. Casey helped a lot with moving around the microphones and other helping factors. All in all, this was another successful Swan River School Talent Show.

Middle School Beach Dance

30 May 2019

Kennady G

On the stormy spring night all through the gym every middle schooler was dancing, to a lively techno hymn. With that note, on the night of April 26th 2019, the middle schoolers surfed their way into the gym and said "hang-ten" to some pizza and fresh snow cones. The dance is held to have a super time and for students to hang out outside of a classroom setting. There were palm trees and rad fog. It is certain that everyone was stoked to come, but to prove it, I asked around.

7th grader, Hailee S. stated this about the beach theme, "I liked the theme. I like how they do a different theme each dance."

6th grader Kai L. said this when I asked him about future themes and improvements; " I want a sports theme and more sports."

Big Creek

By Stephani P.

30 May 2019

On May 23rd & 24th, Swan River's seventh graders traveled to Big Creek for two days and one night to build team skills, learn science hands-on, and enhance what they are learning at school. The seventh graders got to choose and participate in two classes and one activity. This year, they choose Aquatics and Team Building. In the evening, they played games around the campfire and had a wonderful time. Unlike past years, the students stayed in small cabins at the Glacier Field Camp and enjoyed the company of the staff.

Tag said his favorite part was, "the campfire and hanging out with friends." Ashley said her favorite part was, "hanging out with friends and sleeping in cabins."

Big Creek

By Stephani P.

30 May 2019

Tag said his favorite part was, "the campfire and hanging out with friends." Ashley said her favorite part was, "hanging out with friends and sleeping in cabins."

Goodbye Mr. Emslie

By Brodie D.

30th May 2019

When the school year ends, our 8th grade teacher, Mr. Emslie, will be leaving, which makes us all very sad. I asked him a few questions why he is retiring and what he is going to do next.

He said, "It's been 28 years, it's time to do new things." The second question I asked him was what is his favorite part working here. His response, "The kids." When asked if he will miss working here, his response was, "Yes."

So what is he going to do next? "Live." The very last question I asked him was did he only teach science. "No. P.E, Girls basketball, and History, Montana History." We all wish Mr. Emslie a good life after he leaves, and relaxation, joy, and lots of hunting in his retirement. Goodbye Mr. Emslie!

Goodbye Mrs. Goff

By Brodie D.

30th May 2019

At the end of the year, Mrs. Goff, our librarian will be leaving to begin a new job at Helena Flats. She explained, "The main reason is that I live in Kalispell on the east side. So I've been driving to Bigfork everyday for almost eight years. Do the math, add up all those hours and that's the big part of the reason why."

I then asked what her favorite part about teaching is, "The kids." Like Mr. Emslie said. Mrs. Goff was a student teacher in 2011 with Mrs. Burchwell. Then in 2012 she was hired to be the librarian.

The last question I asked her is if she was still going to be a librarian at the next school. "I sure am! I'm so excited and I get to work with middle schoolers, too. So I'm still going to do the same thing."

Let's all wish Mrs. Goff a warm goodbye at the end of the year.

Gabrielle and the Boy Scouts

By Kennady G. and Sophie E.

30 May 2019

Our very own Gabrielle T. of Swan river school was one of the first girls to ever join Boy Scouts in the United States. She was in a small group known as 1903 in Lakeside, MT. We decided to ask her a few questions about boys scouts and what it took to achieve what she did.

"Boy Scouts is more of the outdoor activities. Girl Scouts participate in mainly indoors and crafts. I joined in the end of March of last year. I was the first girl to bridge and earn my arrow of flight. I am now in First Class." Gabby joined because she wanted more a challenge. Nothing is going to stop her! She plans on "Being the first female Eagle Scout."

We think that everyone is going to be so proud of our wonderful Gabby.

Community Dessert Night

By Stephani P.

30 May 2019

As the 2018-19 school year comes to a close, Swan River hosted their annual Community Dessert Night featuring, Mrs.Fuzesyś band and choir, Mrs. Emslie's student art, and the PTO's Scholastic Book Fair. On May 8th at 6 o'clock, Swan River family and friends came to enjoy our studentś music and art, with lots of books and desserts.

Chloe, a 5th grade clarinet player said, "In my opinion, my favorite part was playing with the band and having a good time. I love playing with the kids in the band." As the last concert for the year, Swan River enjoyed watching the eighth graders in the band or choir perform for the last time as Swan River Middle schoolers.

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