This summer, the Gallatin Valley YMCA will offer a learning loss prevention program for children entering first and second grade who are most at risk of falling behind in their reading skills over the summer. The Summer Learning Loss Prevention pilot program, a national initiative with the Y, will strive to help children read at grade level by the third grade – a key educational milestone that is important to children’s ongoing knowledge retention and academic performance.
 
Studies show that without access to summer learning activities such as camp, travel, and visits to libraries and museums, children from low-income environments can experience more significant learning loss than their more economically stable peers. Over time, these children continue to lose ground and by the fifth grade, many are two to three school years behind their middle- and high-income peers.
 
“During summer months, many youth are not as engaged in learning and reading activities as they would be while in school,” said Christel Chvilicek, Child Care Director, Gallatin Valley YMCA. “The Y’s Summer Learning Loss Prevention program will help ensure children stay on track over the summer and read at or above grade level when the new school year begins.”
 
The new pilot program will be held four days a week for six weeks this summer for 32 children entering into first and second grade. Mornings will be dedicated to literacy work, while afternoons are filled with enrichment activities that include field trips, art, music, science, and physical activity. In addition, there will be parent workshops designed to encourage reading at home. The Y will work with the Bozeman School District to identify students that would benefit from the summer learning loss prevention program. With $30,000 being awarded to the Gallatin Valley YMCA through YUSA, this program will be held at a very low cost to families.  
 
"Research strongly suggests that for many children, increasing learning opportunities during the summer leads to stronger academic achievement during the school year.  We're excited to be part of this collaboration." Said Dr. Rob Watson, 
Superintendent
-Bozeman Public Schools
 
Nationally, the Y worked with nearly 1,000 children who participated in the Summer Learning Loss Prevention pilot program last summer. Initial results show strong gains in reading skills: on average, children gained 2.4 months of reading skills in six short weeks. In addition:
 
• Nearly all parents/caregivers (98 percent) reported that their child was “more excited to learn” and showed “increased self-confidence.”
• 99.7 percent families believed the program would help their child do better in school;
• 98 percent reported that the program helped their family read more books; and
• 97 percent said it helped them get more engaged in their child’s education.
 
The Y is committed to nurturing the potential of every child and teen and is addressing the academic achievement gap through pilot programs on afterschool, early learning readiness and summer learning loss prevention. The programs, which are underway in nearly 40 states across the country, are designed to not only increase success in school, but to also foster social-emotional development and physical health and well-being. As part of the national initiative, the Gallatin Valley YMCA is one of 15 Y’s selected to pilot the Summer Learning Loss Prevention program for 2014.
 
For additional questions on Gallatin Valley YMCA’s programming for children 3-14 years of age, please check out www.gallatinvalleyymca.org.

KGLT, Southwest Montana’s alternative public radio station, celebrates 46 years of great music by kicking off their annual fund drive on Sunday, March 23rd.

KGLT 91.9 and 97.1 fm in Bozeman is non-commercial and largely listener-supported, making their annual fund drive a major source of operating revenue. And every year, KGLT’s staff of over 80 volunteer DJs take to the airwaves for two weeks to create one of the most entertaining live on-air fund drives you’ll ever hear.

They’ll be offering a wide assortment of gifts donated by local businesses and organizations to entice their listeners to support this rare breed of radio stations.

A collectable KGLT t-shirt and sticker comes with a minimum $50 pledge, and the deal gets sweeter as your pledge increases with music packages, gift certificates, other t-shirt options, hand-made coffee mugs by Mountain Arts Pottery, canvas tote bags and embroidered fleece vests.

Other incentive gifts this year will include certificates for food from your favorite restaurants and coffee shops, services from local businesses - like yoga classes,  jewelry, massages and bike tune-ups with large-ticket bid items like ski passes from Big Sky Resort and Bridger Bowl and a bicycle from Summit Bike & Ski.

In this age of corporate consolidation of the airwaves, KGLT remains wild and unfettered, offering a broad swath of music from its’ rotating roster of live, volunteer DJs every day from 6am to after midnight. Music offerings vary from the ever-popular Saturday morning bluegrass show with DJs Cathy Ebelke and Jim Albrecht, the zany banter of Keith and Randy on Wednesday afternoon’s ‘Coffee Show’ to Classic Country on ‘Cow Jazz’ with Deb Robiscoe Thursday mornings 9am to noon. Occasionally, you may even hear the crackle of vinyl from KGLT’s extensive 46 -year-old record library.

KGLT has a very entertaining two-week fund drive where DJs and community join forces to support commercial-free radio – and if last year’s record-breaking support is any indication, the listeners think that’s a pretty good deal!

KGLT broadcasts from the MSU campus at 91.9 and 97.1fm in Bozeman, 89.5fm in Livingston, 98.1fm in Helena and in Gardiner/Mammoth at 107.1fm.  Log on to www.kglt.net for live streaming and a complete show schedule.  During the fund drive, you can phone in your pledge at (406) 994-4492, or 800-254-5458.

For more information, or to offer incentive gifts to KGLT’s fund drive, contact Ron @ (406) 994-7091.

Big Sky Resort has created one of the finest Snowsports Schools in America and is encouraging those who are passionate about the sport to join the team for the 2014-15 season. Big Sky Snowsports will be conducting a hiring clinic April 12-13, 2014 to introduce the program and the mountain to those interested in sharing the sport with others by becoming instructors.

Big Sky Resort will be conducting try outs for both skiing and snowboarding for adult and children’s instructors. Participants must be at least a level seven being able to ski or snowboard blue runs comfortably.

Big Sky Mountain Sports diverse staff of instructors, all certified by Professional Ski Instructors of America, and alpine guides bring a wealth of knowledge and skill with a focus on the enjoyment of skiing or snowboarding. All committed Big Sky Snowsport instructors are offered extensive training and certification opportunities.
Big Sky Snowsports School can be flexible to fit the unique needs of local Montanans, including full time students, by signing up to work weekends, holidays and spring break. Part time instructors qualify for full complimentary Biggest Skiing in America season pass for the 2014-15 season. Other benefits include pay for lessons, discounted food and discounts in retail.

Participants interested in attending the Big Sky Mountain Snow Sport’s School hiring clinic on Saturday and Sunday, April 12-13, 2014 should contact mountainsports@bigskyresort.com. Both days are from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., ready to go on the snow by 9 a.m. Complimentary lift tickets will be provided to all participants.

Big Sky Resort is the Biggest Skiing in America with 5,750 acres, 4,350 vertical drop, 28 chair and surface lifts, and the home of the Lone Peak Tram arriving at 11,166 feet in elevation. Big Sky has over 2,400 acres of beginner/intermediate terrain and over 3.300 acres of advance/expert terrain. Big Sky has plenty of opportunities to grow skill sets and advance careers.

The Montana Girls STEM Collaborative Project (MGSCP), a statewide initiative to encourage girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, has partnered with the Women's Foundation of Montana to offer a mini-grants program.

Applications will be accepted from April 1 through May 1.

Mini grants are designed to build collaboration between existing programs and organizations in order to encourage girls to pursue STEM-related educational programs and careers. Organizations may apply for funding up to $2,000 and must have at least one partner. Preference is given to applications that are innovative and involve collaboration between two programs or organizations that have not previously collaborated together.

Learn more about the mini-grant program at http://www.ngcproject.org/application-resources/ Montana's online applications will open April 1.

For more information, contact Suzi Taylor at Montana State University: taylor@montana.edu

Norm Asbjornson, a Montana State University alumnus and Montana native from the small town of Winifred, has committed to give the university $50 million for its College of Engineering - the largest private gift in the history of the state.

Asbjornson's gift was announced Monday morning at a press conference in the Engineering and Physical Sciences Building on the campus of MSU in Bozeman to an audience of students, faculty, staff, alumni, community members, business leaders and government officials.

"I am excited to see the amazing growth of MSU and the College of Engineering. I hope my gift challenges and inspires others who are in a position to advance the university that has given us so much. MSU needs our support now and this is the time to give back," said Asbjornson, a 1960 MSU mechanical engineering graduate. Asbjornson was also awarded an honorary doctorate in engineering from MSU and the Montana Board of Regents in 2004.

Asbjornson, 78, is the founder and president of AAON, a NASDAQ-traded heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) manufacturer based Tulsa, Okla., with annual revenues in excess of $300 million and more than 1,400 employees.

"Norm has inspired us and humbled us with not only his generosity, but with the depth of his character and his sense of responsibility for future generations," said MSU President Waded Cruzado. "This gift will transform the lives of generations of students, it will transform this campus, and it will transform the state of Montana in profound ways."

Asbjornson's gift will fund the construction of an innovative laboratory and classroom facility that will enable the collaborative, hands-on learning and leadership that embody the university's legacy and mission.  The building, to be named the Norm Asbjornson Innovation Center, is envisioned to promote dynamic interdisciplinary engagement, meaningful student-faculty interaction, and accelerated innovation that responds to and anticipates emerging trends in education, industry and society. Open to all, and anchored in the university's growing engineering programs, the building funded by Asbjornson's gift will bring to life an enduring, state-of-the-art asset that erects bridges between academic programs, serves today's outstanding students and faculty, and supports how learning and leadership will occur long into the future. University officials hope to break ground no later than the spring of 2016 and use the building to anchor development of the university's south campus.

In a previous MSU interview, Asbjornson described his feelings about gratitude and stewardship:

"I think it's an absolute must for everyone to give back to what made them successful. I had a lot of help from MSU and Winifred," Asbjornson said. "I can't repay those who helped me, for they're gone. But I can give to the next generation. I think everyone should balance the books and thank those people and institutions who helped them and also give to the next generation.

"It's a responsibility we all have."

Currently housed in Roberts Hall, Cobleigh Hall and portions of the Engineering and Physical Science Building (EPS), the College of Engineering has been the fastest growing college at MSU for the past two academic years and reached a historic, all-time high enrollment of 3,102 students in the fall of 2013 - up 12 percent from fall 2012. During this time, the college added six new tenure-track faculty lines to support the growth of students and increased its budget for graduate teaching assistants, who provide important teaching support.

From the fall of 2003 to the fall of 2013, the College of Engineering grew from 2,090 students to its current 3,102 students - 48.4 percent growth. The college has had no significant addition of teaching or laboratory space since the completion of the EPS Building in 1997.

"The College of Engineering has been growing rapidly and Norm's gift couldn't come at a better time to help us take our teaching, research and engagement to the next level," said Brett Gunnink, dean of the College of Engineering.

"As a successful engineer and businessman, Norm has seen first-hand how today's greatest challenges benefit from hands-on collaboration across academic disciplines," Gunnink said. "The building supported by this gift will be a game changer for our growing student body, for engineering education and for research and economic development in Montana."

MSU's College of Engineering offers 10 degrees and is home to some of the university's most successful research groups, centers and institutes in terms of student involvement, discovery and economic development.

Asbjornson has made previous gifts to the college and the university. In 2003, he endowed a $1 million scholarship fund for graduates from Montana high schools with 100 or fewer students. He also has created an endowed scholarship specifically for graduates of Winifred High School who attend MSU, and he created an endowment for the Burns Technology Center to develop innovative distance learning programs for rural Montana schools. In 2006, he gave more than $600,000 in cash, equipment and technical advice to create a one-of-a-kind HVAC laboratory in MSU's College of Engineering. His company, AAON, gives research grants to the College of Engineering on a continuing basis and has hired a number of MSU engineering graduates.

Asbjornson has also given of his time and ideas as a member and former chairman of the MSU Alumni Foundation board, through which his gift will be made, and as a long-time member of the College of Engineering advisory council. He has been a major philanthropist for his home town of Winifred as well.

He started his entrepreneurial career at the age of 10 when his uncle offered him a Model T in return for watering hundreds of chickens. For a summer, he hauled hundreds of gallons of water to the chickens from a well using two small pails. On payday, he learned the Model T had been covered in a flood and the engine was too rusted to start.

Undeterred, he worked on the car in his father's garage until it ran. Then he became his own boss and went into business hauling garbage for 25 cents a barrel. It felt like a lot of money to Asbjornson, who grew up during the Great Depression, his family starting in an 800-square-foot house with no indoor plumbing, running water, electricity or telephone. Asbjornson's parents added to the family home in the same way he added to his entrepreneurial skills.

After earning his degree in mechanical engineering, Asbjornson spent 28 years working in the HVAC business until he founded AAON in 1988. The company manufactures commercial air conditioning equipment weighing from 200 pounds to 20,000 pounds. Its equipment can be found cooling and heating businesses around Bozeman, throughout Montana and the nation.