Kalispell Public Schools engaged local employers and employees in a discussion about its career development initiatives Tuesday at Flathead Valley Community College, emphasizing programs from elementary through high school and encouraging business partnerships to expand student opportunities.  

At Kalispell Public Schools the career exploration pathway starts in kindergarten — a shift in the typical career exploration track that usually starts in high school or college.  

“Early career exploration isn’t just about choosing a job, it’s about broadening long-term possibilities, building confidence, sparking curiosity for future goals,” said school district K-8 Community Involvement Coordinator Cara Rathke during a Kalispell Chamber of Commerce luncheon.  

“Our K through 12 career exploration pathway is a progressive sequence that grows with our students,” she said, later adding, “It involves activities that help students become aware and explore different professions, understand their strengths and plan their career journey by the time they graduate from Kalispell Public Schools.”  

The district’s career pathway follows a structured timeline: career awareness in grades K-5, career exploration in grades 6-8, career preparation in grades 9-10, and career implementation in grades 11-12, all aimed at expanding students’ career options.  

Grades kindergarten through fifth are introduced to different careers through experiential learning — or learning by doing.  

“Our students don’t just go on field trips. We view these experiences as an extension of the classroom. It bridges in-school learning with experiential, community-based learning,” Rathke said.  

Each elementary grade level has at least one classroom experience. One example she gave was a classroom visit by the Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium. Another example she showed was avalanche education at Big Mountain.  

A big shift happens in middle school with the introduction of extracurriculars, according to Superintendent Matt Jensen, who touched on personalized competency-based learning, which boils down to a student-centered learning, where students learn at their own pace. With extracurriculars, grades sixth, seventh and eighth begin to explore different interests and careers through job shadowing and community service projects.  

This was on display at the chamber luncheon where Kalispell Middle School students in family and consumer science teachers Beth Schule’s and Jennifer Baker’s classes greeted guests and served student-baked desserts to tables with student-designed centerpieces.  

Schule and Baker said the students' work included planning the menu within a certain budget to feed a specific amount of people. They also applied for jobs working the luncheon.    

With more than 70 students wanting to participate the two teachers created positions and talked about what managers, greeters and waiters do, for example. Then students learned a lesson in deadlines to apply for the job they wanted by answering three to four questions going over formatting such as grammar and the use of emojis.  

“It’s a process and it’s time consuming, but it’s super valuable,” Schule said.  

By grades ninth and 10th, district educators prepare students to enter the workforce through vocational training or specialized education paths, so that by 11th and 12th grade they can take on internships and apprenticeships, a program that has grown significantly this year. To date, more than 200 students have been involved in the internship program with more than 55 planned over the summer, according to district Work-Based Learning Director Bryce Wilson.  

During the luncheon, 12 high school students sat at tables with guests to answer questions and share about their internship and education experience. Glacier High School senior Nakiah Persinger was invited to the stage to share her internship experience at OrthoRehab Physical Therapy, where she supported patients and physical therapists while completing relevant courses such as Advanced Placement Biology, Anatomy and Intro to Biotech. She listed one key achievement as being able to properly diagnose knee injuries.  

“It really widened my idea of what this field could offer me,” Persinger said.  

Dennis Hunter, a 2022 Flathead High School graduate, spoke about his experience being in the inaugural class in the high school’s Heavy Equipment program. Through it, he trained with professionals at Schellinger Construction, where he was later hired.  

“We’re changing the system. We’re changing the model," Jensen said. “It takes really brave, courageous teachers that are just open and innovative to making these things happen.”  

With a high school levy planned for the May election, the conversation turned to funding. Although a levy amount hasn’t been set, the district is seeking to fully fund the high school district, which is facing a roughly $3 million shortfall.  

“The reality is schools are dependent on 80% from the state and 20% from locals to a local levy. The vast majority of what you heard us talking about today is not covered in the state’s definition of a basic education ... just how it’s big to the state formula, levies need to be done every year, or nearly every year,” Jensen said, later noting, “If we don’t pass a levy, we’re either — we're going backwards. We’ll be unable to continue to do this work going forward and expand these opportunities.”  

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.