District News

 

Diana Wold started working in the Middleton School District in 2016 as an instructional specialist and assistant principal and stepped in as principal at the Middle School the following year. 

“We appreciate her time and energy she has given to the district over the last several years and wish her the best as she starts down a new path in her life.  The middle school is an important period in a student’s educational path and she has overseen the successful transition for thousands of Middleton students over the years.” Superintendent Marc Gee said. 

“When you think about it, Mrs. Wold has touched the lives of all our students during one of the most difficult times of their adolescent development. It isn’t easy to be a middle school principal, but Mrs. Wold has done it enthusiastically.” 

Gee said the district will immediately start the process of hiring a replacement for Mrs. Wold for the 2024-2025 school year.  This will include:

• Surveys to middle school parents, teachers, and students regarding what they would like to see in the next Middle School principal

• Formation of a committee of Middle School staff

• Create a timeline for posting and interviewing for the position

Mrs. Wold has been an Idaho educator for 30 years, teaching every grade level except kindergarten and first grade, starting in Nampa and wrapping up in Middleton. Her emphasis and favorite subject is math.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Education from Boise State University and Masters of Educational Leadership at the University of Idaho.

“I will miss the people, amazing students, amazing staff at the Middle School, and I’m so appreciative of all the middle school parents who step up to volunteer. And of course, I’ll miss the positive rambunctious environment of the pre-teen years.” 

After retirement, the principal looks forward to playing with her four little grandchildren and visiting every NASCAR race track with her husband. Ultimately, she wants to visit Daytona International Speedway. 

Middleton instructors in three new career technical education pathways are buying industry approved equipment for their programs after winning three competitive grants. That means students in rehabilitation  services, construction,  cabinetmaking and bench carpentry will have state-of-the-art equipment to learn new skills before they graduate. 

That gives students a huge advantage, Middleton Career Technical Education Director Stacy Kastler said, because they are able to learn new skills for jobs they can apply for once they graduate from high school. 

The grants are for programs at Middleton High School and Middleton Academy. Students at either school can enroll in the new programs.

“Receiving these grants provides our teachers with the resources to prepare our students with practical skills and knowledge that will directly help them in the workforce,” Kastler said. “These pathways offer hands-on learning opportunities that can engage students effectively and be relevant to their future goals.”

Construction Instructor Harley Wilson understands the value of the grants and what it will mean for students to work with industry standard equipment.           

“Grants are an essential component of starting and maintaining a quality CTE program.  General funding at both the state and local level for CTE programs normally only cover consumable supplies necessary to carry out the labs and activities to meet the programs standards.  Grants help to bridge the gap between annual funding and industry need.                 

Starting a CTE program and adding equipment to a program to keep up with current industry standards are very costly and most schools are unable to fulfill those needs on their own,” Wilson said.          

Students will start seeing the impact of these funds immediately but the largest influence will come from the expanded curriculum opportunities these funds create beginning in the 24-25 school year.

Sports Medicine Instructor Jenna Morch said students already have access to new equipment, which gives students hands-on practice directly related to what they are learning now. 

“For example, my Foundations of Health Professions class is learning the nervous system right now,” Morch said.  “We will talk about stroke and paraplegia, and then we will practice wheelchair transfers for patients that need that care!”

“I think students are attracted to hands-on learning and the break from note-taking and worksheets.  My students think it's so cool that we have an entire lab and worked hard, and even enjoyed unboxing and putting all of the things together! It made them take pride in how their lab is set up and got them way more involved!”

The Idaho Division of Career Technical Education received State General Fund appropriations for this fiscal year to support newly established career technical education programs. The grants are very specific and Middleton School District will be reimbursed for expenses amounting to: 

• MHS Rehabilitation Services - Sports Medicine: $24,606.94 for medical equipment.

• MHS Construction Trades - $12,429.00 for saws, compressor, ladders and nailers. 

• MA Cabinetmaking/Bench Carpentry - $33,200.97 for equipment including sanders, saws and nail guns.

• MA Residential Construction - $14,945.84 for equipment including saws, ladders, rooftop fall protection, airless paint sprayer, nail guns and compressors.

To learn more about the CTE programs, see the attached Pathways document.

Construction students build storage sheds, learn skills, use proper equipment

Middleton Academy’s construction students are putting their skills to work, building a variety of projects, including 8x10 storage sheds, using some equipment secured by grant money,  such as the one built for the Community School’s Closet. 

 

They are also building a 10 x 16 shed for the Middleton Community Center. Principal Steve Diffey said the Community Center provided the building materials. 

The students learn how to build spec houses according to code and industry standards, along with team building skills that they will need in the workplace. Top that off with learning construction skills with industry standard tools, Diffey said. 

Students are also encouraged to study the safety manual. Kase Fielder is the first to earn the OSHA Safety Card. Part of next year’s curriculum may include “Construction” English, where students would learn applicable construction skills such as reading blueprints while learning English, Diffey said. That will include the Safety Manual.  

Anyone interested in having something such as a shed built should contact Mr. Diffey at Middleton Academy. 

Pictured: Middleton Academy Principal Steve Diffey, student Kase Fielder and construction teacher Mark Enger. 

When one company buys another, change is inevitable. Finalsite purchased Blackboard. That means we unveiled a new website in late March. 

We kept our main channels the same and we haven't changed much in basic navigation. Our domains should be easier to understand. These will be your new domains: 

Middleton School District	www.msd134.org
Middleton High School	mhs.msd134.org
Middleton Academy	ma.msd134.org
Middleton Middle School	mms.msd134.org
Heights Elementary	he.msd134.org
Mill Creek Elementary	mce.msd134.org
Purple Sage Elementary	pse.msd134.org

 

We’re learning more and more about the new features, but look for better search tools, new design features and dynamic and school-specific calendars. 

CHANGE always takes a bit of time - for us and you - to learn, so please bear with us. If you have any concerns, please email us at contactus@msd134.org.