Full scholarships Blackfoot service area teachers
Blackfoot Communications was proud to be the premier sponsor of the 25th Annual August Institute hosted by the Western Montana Professional Learning Collaborative.
The fully accredited conference was held at the Missoula College and this year was the highest enrollment to date with more than 250 participants in attendance from across Western Montana schools. The educator conference focuses on technology integration into core content areas.
Highlights from the conference included:
- Dr. Daniel Lee, University of Montana Dean of Education kicked off the conference welcoming attendees and thanking them for the shifting challenges of today’s educators.
- Jeff Crews and Dean Philips of Beyond the Chalk were the keynote speakers with a focus on AI integration.
- Kyler Rutz from Charlo School was awarded the first ever Blackfoot Communications Rural Teacher of the Year Award. Rutz will receive a total of $4,500 over the next three years. The award is aimed at keeping rural teachers in place. Blackfoot Trustee, John Teague presented the award.
- Andrew Schulz from Blackfoot’s C2M Beta program gave a virtual presentation about the free 12 week start up program designed to help local entrepreneurs.
- Mental health was also a focus and included suicide intervention training and grief support.
“We applaud Blackfoot for their long-lasting stewardship of the August Institute. Their dedication to local schools goes well beyond providing fast, reliable, affordable, and future proof internet. Their financial commitment to provide free rural teacher scholarships makes a direct and long-lasting impact in classroom learning and enhances student experiences. As we celebrate a quarter century of excellence in professional development, we are very thankful of our partnership with Blackfoot. Together we are driving innovation and ensuring a bright future for our students.” Jessica Johnson, Executive Director, Western Montana Professional Learning Collaborative.
To learn more about the August Institute and the inspiring work of educators across Montana visit here