News & Events

'A DAY OF JOY': Pocatello High School students participate in annual day of service

Twenty coaches from Twin Falls to Teton nominated and voted for Administrator of the Year for the Eastern Idaho Speech and Debate "Idaho Mountain River District." Lisa was awarded "Administrator of the Year" for outstanding support of the speech arts in secondary education in Eastern Idaho.

2 Steps to Enroll:

1. Go to ACP Benefit to apply today.
2. Then select your preferred participating internet provider to have the discount applied to your bill. 

The Affordable Connectivity Program is a Federal Communications Commission Benefit Program. For help via a chat feature or phone, visit Get ACP or Get My Internet.

August 3, 2022

Thanks to a pair of grants from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trusts, two Pocatello High School teachers are getting two summer’s worth of research experience with a couple of Idaho State University professors.

Recently, Devaleena Pradhan and Heather Ray, assistant professors of biological sciences, were each awarded a Partners in Science grant. Through the program, they’ve been joined by Pocatello High School biology teachers Anne Koski and Maygan Sampson, and assisted with the professors’ research on the ISU campus. Pradhan and Koski are looking into how hormone-producing enzymes are regulated and affect reproduction in the Bluebanded goby. The fish is capable of naturally changing its sex as an adult. Humans and fish share nearly all of the same hormones, and their research will help illustrate how these hormones can be different in organs like the brain.

“Working with a fellow teacher has been very different than working with students,” said Pradhan, “Not only have we been doing the research, we’ve been able to discuss different teaching methods and ways Anne and I can get students excited about careers in science.”

Meanwhile, Ray and Sampson are studying how the expression of a pair of genes in frog embryos controls craniofacial development. The two genes, Hypermethylated in Cancer 1 and 2, are also found in humans and are associated with developmental disorders and cancer when the body does not regulate them properly. 

“It’s been a pleasure to help Maygan develop skills that will benefit her and her students, as well as have her help in answering a longstanding research question of mine,” Ray said. “I hope this partnership will lead to more students furthering their biological studies at ISU.”

From here, the teachers will take what they’ve done in the lab and share what they’ve learned with their students. 

“The Partners in Science program has helped me improve my research skills and will allow me to expand the opportunities for students in the microbiology lab at PHS by making connections between the content and the most current, cutting-edge research,” Sampson said. “I knew I wanted to be a science teacher at five-years-old after seeing my mother do research with Professor Trent Stephens right here at Idaho State, and being on-campus this summer has felt a bit like coming full circle in my career.” 

“For the last decade, I’ve been helping students in my honors biology class complete individualized science fair projects,” said Koski. “Yet, I’ve never been involved in doing this thorough of research myself. When I heard about the Partners in Science program, I knew it was for me, and it would give me the chance to ‘do’ science instead of just learning the material and teaching it.”  

For Pradhan and Ray, they both hope that the new partnership will lead to more opportunities to bring real-world research opportunities to high schools in Pocatello and ultimately have more students excited about science, technology, engineering, and math careers. 

“This opportunity opens up ISU to our community and underscores the fact that there is no age limit to learning,” said Pradhan. “The Partners in Science grants allow our local teachers to take the scientific advancements and processes they learn back to their classrooms. In the long-term, we hope this will help students increase their knowledge and curiosity, and be better prepared for college.” 

The group wrapped their research projects for the summer of 2022 recently. Sampson and Koski will return to the lab in the summer of 2023. 

For more information on ISU’s Department of Biological Sciences, visit isu.edu/biology. 

Story credit: Idaho State University

Pocatello, Idaho – The Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 invites the community to join us in congratulating the Class of 2023! This year’s graduation ceremonies will be held at the Portneuf Wellness Complex. The graduation rehearsal and graduation ceremony schedules for each high school are listed below. In many cases, graduation rehearsals and ceremonies will be held on two different dates.

Rehearsal Schedule
Pocatello HS	Wednesday, May 31	7:00AM	Portneuf Wellness Complex
Highland HS	Wednesday, May 31	10:00AM	Portneuf Wellness Complex
Century HS	Wednesday, May 31	1:00PM	Portneuf Wellness Complex
New Horizon HS	Wednesday, May 31	4:00PM	Portneuf Wellness Complex

 

Graduation Schedule
New Horizon HS	Wednesday, May 31	6:00PM	Portneuf Wellness Complex
Pocatello HS	Thursday, June 1	10:00AM	Portneuf Wellness Complex
Highland HS	Thursday, June 1	2:00PM	Portneuf Wellness Complex
Century HS	Thursday, June 1	6:00PM	Portneuf Wellness Complex

Graduation Behavior Protocol

Although ceremonies are held offsite from school grounds, graduation ceremonies are PCSD 25 sanctioned events. As such, all guest and visitor conduct are expected to follow policies as outlined in the School Board Policy Manual.  This includes the prohibition of weapons and tobacco/illegal substances at any PCSD 25 graduation ceremony. For more information about graduation guidelines and behavior expectations, please review sd25.us/graduation.

As the school year winds down, I have reflected a lot on the many accomplishments of our district. We have indeed taken flight this year!

Instructionally, we have learned to adapt in an ever-changing world of technology and yet remain committed to personal learning and interactive experiences. Academically, we strive to meet our learners' needs in our classrooms with engaging, problem solving, critical thinking and collaborative opportunities. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities continue to flourish with numerous district, state, national and academic championships. 

As with any success, these results do not come without the preparation, drive, hard work, passion and dedication of each team member. These values are the foundation of our culture and I am fortunate to be on a team that exhibits these characteristics on a daily basis. 

In the past couple of weeks, it has been affirmed to me that our district truly embraces our motto of "More Together." In our efforts to adjust to a devastating fire, I watched, listened and facilitated multiple meetings in which representatives of administration, the Board of Trustees, Maintenance & Operations, Food Service, Transportation, Technology and a BLT came together to brainstorm ideas for solutions that capitalized on each team member's valuable input to maintain the continuity of learning and activities while making efforts to minimize disruptions. It was obvious through this experience that this type of problem solving happens continually throughout our district. Please know how much each of you are appreciated as you take part in daily discussions that have the same goals in mind. 

It is with admiration and respect that the Board and your district leadership flight team recognize all of your contributions not only this week, but the entire year. And please, enjoy a fun experience with your gift card.

Superintendent Dr. Douglas Howell

#PCSD25 #MoreTogether

Please join us in congratulating the 2023 Simplot Inspirational Teacher of the Year Recipients; Todd Praska from Pocatello High School, Lora Hughes from Franklin Middle School and Chari Paige from Chubbuck Elementary School.  
Congratulations to all of the 2023 finalists and the recipients, you are all very deserving and PCSD 25 is very lucky to have to you as part of our More Together Team.

#PCSD25 #MoreTogether

Important changes are coming to Idaho Medicaid eligibility.

Find out how this will impact your benefits and what you need to do by visiting the DHW Medicaid Protection FAQ page.

 

Congratulations Future Bengals!

ISU awarded thousands in scholarship funds to PCSD 25 learners heading to college as new Bengals! Learners celebrated academic achievements and signed certificates of intent to attend Idaho State University.

#PCSD25 #MoreTogether #ROARTogether #ROAR #GoBengals