The new Superintendent of Missoula County Public Schools, Dr. Rob Watson spoke with KGVO News on Friday while several hundred of his students had left school to take part in the Missoula Climate Strike.
Day One of Missoula’s Climate Strike began with speeches from high school and college students to a receptive crowd of supporters at Caras Park on Friday morning.
An organization called ‘Missoula Climate Strike’ is encouraging high school and college students to conduct a ‘week long strike from school, authentic and focused learning, and an action plan for survival’, in reaction to climate change.
With the University of Montana already in session, Missoula County Public School District One schools will also begin the 2019-2020 school year this week.
Each year, MCPS High School Speech and Debate teams compete at the national tournament, and this year all three teams will travel together to Dallas, Texas in June.
As the numbers mount for victims of Missoula’s community-wide pertussis outbreak, MCPS Superintendent Mark Thane said on Friday at less than one percent of all students in the district have been affected by the disease.
The 21st Century Teaching and Learning Initiative has been reinvigorated with an additional three-year, $1.5 million grant from the Phyllis and Dennis Washington Foundation.