Copyright Kalispell Inter Lake
A major milestone has been reached for the Whitefish High School expansion project. The design of the academic expansion was completed Oct. 1 and the design of the athletic portion is expected to be completed soon. The $26.5 million academic expansion will include new classrooms, lab spaces, multi-purpose facilities and renovations for Whitefish Independent High School. The $6.1 million athletic expansion will include a new 10-lane track and football field with a 1,500-seat grandstand. The design process began in January, and construction costs are now being estimated by Martel Construction. Another key milestone has been reached with the first groundwork taking place. The preparatory scopes will get things ready for mobilization in March, said Luke Hamman, owner's representative for the district. “Even though it’s just early preparatory work, it’s exciting to see something happen on the ground,” Hamman said. “We’re getting ahead of winter, prepping for infrastructure and for a couple asphalt pathways around where temporary fencing and lay down areas will be.” The school board approved an amendment with Martel Construction to bring Tutt Construction into the contract for the installation of the grandstands for the athletic fields. The grandstands’ design, materials and construction should cost a maximum of $1.24 million. Hamman said prior to recommending adding Tutt Construction, the design team visited Hamilton High School to see grandstands recently installed by Tutt. Three more scoping amendments are expected to be made to Martel Construction’s primary contract. The next project will be for stadium lighting. Looping in additional amendments is typical for projects like this, because additional bids can't be put out for niche components until reaching a certain point in the design process, Hamman said. It’s “a package deal” that includes “a very specific design scope,” he said. Resident Lyndsay Schott made a public comment expressing concern about the functionality of the grandstands. “As we grow as a community, I think we’re missing a huge opportunity at this time to make this a multifunctional facility... it’s not just the stands - we’re really at a precipice,” she said. Later in the meeting, Shane Jacobs with A&E Design clarified that space underneath the grandstands would be used for athletic storage. “We understand the investment in the community and how long this building needs to last, so there’s a ton of sustainable pieces of that,” Jacobs said as he continued to explain the design. The board had a preliminary discussion of how to inform the surrounding neighborhoods of the construction process. First, a conditional use permit will involve a public process and will have to be approved by City Council, Jacobs said. As the project takes place, Jacobs said most disruptions will happen on school property, and that they don’t anticipate getting into the surrounding utilities. Superintendent Dave Means suggested website updates for the public. THE SCHOOL board discussed improvements to action plans for general operations at all three schools. Principals John Coyne, Josh Branstetter and Kerry Drown each presented plans that focus on improving things like learning progressions in the classroom, teacher collaboration, professional development, and family and community engagement. “With our expansion coming up here, we want to be very strategic with how we select our CTE [career and technical education] programs that will fill those spaces,” Drown said. “We will utilize the comprehensive local needs assessment... there’s a lot of information out there about the labor force. We will try to use local information to guide us.” Drown also described a “Monday lock-in" during a base camp period that helps students navigate their individual needs and how it adds clarity and reduces stress. “The ‘why’ is so clear throughout,” Trustee Quincy Bennetts said. “The clarity... it’s really well done.” DIRECTOR OF Curriculum Lisa Bloom reported improvements in Whitefish High School students’ performances in Advanced Placement classes in the last five years. The total number of AP students was 59 in 2021. At the end of 2025, there were 187. Over those five years, the number of exams rose from 105 to 370. The percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher - the score considered a “pass” worth college credit - rose from 79.6% to 88.2%. The growth “speaks volumes to our AP classes, and our AP teachers,” Bloom said. Trustee Katie Clarke said it shows that students are “thriving and have the confidence to attack challenging and rigorous courses, with the support to do well.” The board signed an agreement to sell off 99 musical instruments, officially retiring them. Whitefish Education Foundation’s Make Music Resonate campaign enabled the district to acquire 66 new instruments, with 37 more expected.
