West Ada School District Podcast

We’re doing something new with the podcast, West Ada.  Join us for “The Pulse,” which is a special pop-up edition.  We’ve got our finger on the pulse of the district and when something great happens, we’re going to bring that to you right away.

To that end, the Owyhee basketball team won their 2nd state championship in three years over the weekend!  Head Coach Andy Harrington and senior guard Liam Campbell join us to talk about it.

You can listen here…
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2208803/14642107
or wherever you get your podcasts.  Please subscribe and leave us a review. 

Or you can watch here…
https://youtu.be/5p2SYN9FEtA

Championship game photos courtesy Scott McDaniel.

For the first time, two of our outstanding students join the West Ada Podcast!  Rylee Chung is the ASB President at Centennial High School and Colby Bond is the Junior Class Vice President at Renaissance High School.

These two are extremely involved in their schools and communities.  You’ll be impressed by their leadership and academic accomplishments.  In addition, what they have to say about culture, social media, and what adults should know about their generation is both inspirational, challenging, and hopeful.

You can learn more about Colby’s former classmate at Renaissance by clicking here.

To donate to our Thank-A-Teacher program, click here.

You can get more information concerning West Ada’s Senior Spotlight here.

We want to hear from you. What topics are you most interested in, and which guests would you like to hear from? Send us an email at [email protected].

To learn more, or for past episodes click here...

#WeAreWestAda

West Ada’s school counselors make a positive impact on our student’s lives every day!  Lisa Hale and Sarah Everett are two of them.  They join us for a wide-ranging conversation concerning everything from navigating friendships to the mental health challenges facing our kids. 

Lisa is a counselor at Paramount Elementary and Sarah is a counselor at Owyhee High School – so we’re discussing a wide range of ages.  Buckle up parents, these counselors approach their jobs with empathy, humor, and care – but they face some tough situations and we’re hitting on most of them in this podcast.

For additional resources concerning helping your kids navigate friendships, click here.

For more on what parents need to know about teen suicide, click here.

To reach the Crisis Text Line, click here, dial 988 from your phone, or text “HOME” to 741741.

To learn more about the upcoming college and career fair, click here.

For the latest on the West Ada Athletics and Activities Fundraiser click here…

We want to hear from you. If you, or your child, need help navigating any of the topics we discussed in this episode, please send us an email at [email protected].

To learn more, or for past episodes click here...
 
#WeAreWestAda

Idaho Fine Arts Academy (IFAA) Principal Chris Housel joins Katie and Ken for an extension of our conversation concerning The Arts in West Ada.

Housel is a lifelong educator, but he’s also been a working piano player and composer for decades.  He addresses everything from IFAA’s audition process to some of the misconceptions concerning the free, publicly funded, school of choice.

To learn more, or purchase tickets to the Rhythm & Roots performance at the Morrison Center, click here…

To view Chris’s piano performance, click here…

To view the IFAA live performance on KTVB click here…

For more information and a complete list of dates and times for the Advanced Opportunities Nights click here…

For the latest on the West Ada Athletics and Activities Fundraiser click here…

We want to hear from you. What topics are you most interested in, and which guests would you like to hear from? Send us an email at [email protected].
 
To learn more, or for past episodes click here...
 
#WeAreWestAda

Camilla Boylan and T.J. Eriksen join us for the first podcast of 2024!  Both are massively decorated West Ada teachers in The Arts.  Camilla teaches acting at Mountain View High School and was West Ada’s Teacher of the Year and the Velma V. Morrison Performing Arts Educator of the Year award winner last year.  

T.J. is a past Music Educator of the Year winner and has been pursuing excellence as the Director of Bands at Eagle High School for the past 16 years.  He’s performed himself with everyone from The Four Tops to The Temptations!

You’ll want to hear their thoughts on everything from the values of arts education to practical advice for parents on how to get your children involved in West Ada.  It’s worth repeating – we want to help you get your children involved with all the great things happening in West Ada’s arts programs.

Please, drop us a line. What topics are you most interested in, and which guests would you like to hear from? Send us an email at [email protected].
  
To learn more, or for past episodes...
https://www.westada.org/page/podcast
  
 #WeAreWestAda

With the holiday season upon us, how do you juggle it all?  Bri Eggers is a parent and someone who knows a thing or two about navigating obligations both at work and home.  The former KTVB meteorologist joins Katie and Ken for a wide-ranging conversation.

Bri left Channel 7 last spring.  She talks about the joys of being a mom, and her passion for introducing kids to science in classrooms across the Treasure Valley.  You’ll also want to hear her perspective on cutting through the noise of social media – both as a TV personality and a mother.

To hear from one of West Ada’s leading experts on social media, watch or listen to this past episode of the podcast…
https://youtu.be/gBv9ci1tMbw

If you’d like to learn more about the Parent Learning Community Event happening on December 11, click here…
Parent Learning Community (PLC) | West Ada School District

For information on the fundraiser…
West Ada Fundraiser – West Ada Schools Activities Fundraiser

We want to hear from you. What topics are you most interested in, and which guests would you like to hear from? Send us an email at [email protected].
 
To learn more, or for past episodes...
Podcast | West Ada School District
 
#WeAreWestAda

Our Schools of Choice application deadline is November 30.  To learn more about what’s best for your child, you’re in the right place.  Meg McGroarty is the principal at Renaissance High School and David Jakious is the principal at Pioneer School of the Arts.  No one knows more about West Ada’s Schools of Choice than these two experts!

This conversation runs the gamut; everything from STEM Academies and Art Schools to the processes and procedures of the random lottery draw in December.  We absolutely have you covered.

For a complete breakdown of Schools of Choice, click here…
Schools of Choice | West Ada School District

If you’d like to learn more about the Parent Learning Community Event happening on December 11, click here…
Parent Learning Community (PLC) | West Ada School District

For details on the Remind app, click here…
https://www.remind.com/resources/parent-onboarding-guide

A huge thank you again to David and Meg for taking the time to be part of this episode and for sharing their expertise!

We want to hear from you. What topics are you most interested in, and which guests would you like to hear from? Send us an email at [email protected].
 
To learn more, or for past episodes...
https://www.westada.org/page/podcast
 
#WeAreWestAda

West Ada parent, substitute teacher, and advocate Meghan Saboori jumps in for this lively edition of the West Ada School District Podcast.

Meghan has three sons that all attend West Ada Schools.  She is a member of the district’s plant facilities levy advisory board and was also the chairperson for Yes for West Ada. And again, she’s a substitute teacher in the district – she’s juuuust a bit involved!  You’ll want to hear what she says about how you can be a part of your child’s education as well.  

You can learn more about Idaho PTA here…
https://www.idahopta.org/

Meghan mentions the upcoming CTE open house.  You can find details on that here...
https://www.westada.org/page/career-technical-education

If you’d like to learn more about the West Ada School District Fundraiser, click here…
https://westadafundraiser.com/

For more about the West Ada Education Foundation and the “Thank a Teacher” program, click here…
https://www.westada.org/o/educationfoundation/page/donate

A big thank you again to Meghan for taking the time to be part of this episode and for all she does for West Ada!
 
We want to hear from you. What topics are you most interested in, and which guests would you like to hear from? Send us an email at [email protected].
 
To learn more, or for past episodes...
https://www.westada.org/page/podcast
 
#WeAreWestAda

We’re pleased to have Idaho’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, Debbie Critchfield, join us for this episode of the West Ada School District Podcast.

Superintendent Critchfield breaks down several topics with Katie and Ken, including her biggest surprise since taking office, the ins and outs of working with the legislature, and her parent bill of rights – just to list a few.

If you’d like to learn more about the West Ada Education Foundation and the “Thank a Teacher” program, click here…
https://www.westada.org/o/educationfoundation/page/donate

For more on Tutor.com and how it works, click here…
https://www.westada.org/page/tutorcom

Special thanks to Eva Urquia, one of West Ada’s Family Advocates, for her help in translating those advertisements into Spanish.

And thanks again to Superintendent Critchfield for taking the time to join this episode for all our West Ada parents! 
 
We want to hear from you. What topics are you most interested in, and which guests would you like to hear from? Send us an email at [email protected].
 
To learn more, or for past episodes...
https://www.westada.org/page/podcast
 
#WeAreWestAda

Chief Academic Officer, Marcus Meyers, sits down with Katie and Ken in this episode of the West Ada School District Podcast.

Marcus touches on several topics that will help you navigate the academic framework throughout the district; including the latest calendar change, late start Wednesdays and professional development, and what it’s like to develop curriculum and deal with budget concerns in the largest school district in the state.  It’s a lot and he breaks it all down beautifully.

If you’d like to learn more about the West Ada School District Fundraiser, click here…
 https://westadafundraiser.com/

 For more on the Remind app, click here…
 https://www.remind.com/resources/parent-onboarding-guide
 
 Thank you to Marcus for his time and perspective!
 
 We want to hear from you. What topics are you most interested in, and which guests would you like to hear from? Send us an email at [email protected].
 
 To learn more, or for past episodes...
 https://www.westada.org/page/podcast
 
 #WeAreWestAda