Kindergarten enrollment nears limit

The kindergarten pod at Muldown Elementary will be bustling with more students than classrooms available this school year. As of last week, 134 students are registered for kindergarten — up from the 119 at the end of last school year.

With the increased enrollment, the school has hired Katie French as an additional kindergarten teacher to help ease the load. There are now seven kindergarten teachers on staff. That is enough to meet state standards, but just barely. The maximum number of students per kindergarten classroom allowed is 20, notes Muldown principal Linda Whitright.

“We’re right at 19 students in all seven classrooms,” Whitright said.

The school had to get creative to make room for the extra classroom.

“We do have the space,” Whitright said. “The Kindergarten pod doesn’t have another classroom, but we’re using a space near the front office. They’ll be really close by.”

If enrollment grows throughout the school year, as it did last year, Muldown could bring on additional para teachers for support.

Enrollment school-wide is at 674, up from the 666 to end last year.

Third grade represents the largest class and an additional teacher, Sara Miller, was hired to meet that demand. Muldown also has brought on Meg Olson as a half-time health teacher, along with Addy Connelly as a half-time music teacher.

Whitright says most of the new students are moving to Whitefish from out of the district.

“And when I say out of the district, I mean out of state,” she said. “We have lots of states represented here.”

Other new hires at Muldown include Jessica Qunell and Andy Staub in fourth grade, and Camille Deitz as a counselor.

Projected enrollment at Whitefish High School also is up with 497 students anticipated to start the year. The school ended last year with 468 enrolled.

The school has a few new teachers on staff including Emily Hackethorn as choir teacher, Al Hammel teaching English, Willie Roche teaching business and Tait Rocksund as a science teacher. Jeff Cote has been hired as a new custodian.

Some upgrades to the school were completed this summer. The gym received a new finish and additional student lockers were added throughout the building so that each student will be assigned their own locker.

New professional signs were installed throughout the building identify specific wings, restrooms and the event center.

Whitefish High Principal Kerry Drown also notes the school is offering three new advanced placement courses in English language and composition, U.S. history and statistics.

Whitefish Middle School enrollment numbers and new hires were not made available as of press time.