Idaho Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary President Jessica Ray and state VFW Department Commander Troy Junier join National Junior Vice Commander in Chief Glenn Umberger and National Counsel Representative Gale Bestland as they present Sherri Ybarra this year’s state VFW teacher of the year award.

Courtesy photo

After earning district-level recognition in December, a teacher at Stephensen Elementary School at Mountain Home Air Force Base claimed additional honors as the Veterans of Foreign Wars selected her as the state’s teacher of the year.

Sherri Ybarra, who previously served as the state’s superintendent of public instruction, prepares to face off against 53 other elementary school teachers from across the United States during an upcoming national-level competition.

For the full story, pick up a copy of the Mountain Home News or click on this link to subscribe to the newspaper’s online edition.

Kimberly McCluskey leads the students in her second grade classroom at West Elementary School through a phonics lesson involving the pronunciation of various consonants during a lesson on Jan. 21.

Photo by Brian S. Orban

A change in the online tools used to measure reading proficiency among students across Idaho showed mixed results as some school districts saw more students struggling with these early literacy skills while others showed strong performances at others schools in the state.

Required under Idaho code, these assessments conducted during the fall and spring months each school year allow teachers and district officials to better identify the needs of early learners with regards to their understanding of phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension, state officials said.

For the full story, pick up a copy of the Mountain Home News or click on this link to subscribe to the newspaper’s online edition.

Plans to build a new school at Mountain Home Air Force Base come several months after a ceremony officially recognized Stephensen Elementary School the recipient of the national Purple Star School designation in honor of its support to military-connected students whose families live at the base.

Photo by Brian S. Orban

Six months after plans came together to secure more than $6.4 million to build a second elementary school at Mountain Home Air Force Base, federal lawmakers approved this funding as part of a national Community Project Funding effort.

Included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, members of the House of Representatives approved this measure on a 341-88 vote.

For the full story, pick up a copy of the Mountain Home News or click on this link to subscribe to the newspaper’s online edition.