Bozeman High School feedback please. Bullies? (Billings, Missoula: fit in, 2013, transfer)

[longing4bigsky]

I recently pulled up the reviews on Great Schools for Bozeman High School and was a bit concerned when I read the last post below. Other reviews, last year, give a better impression. I do recall reading about this forum last year that the school is very cliquish and although I am aware that bullying is exceedingly common in this country and has become a dreadful problem nationwide I wonder if anyone can provide additional feedback on the post below. We are planning a move to Bozeman this winter and we do not drive hummers or range rovers. We are not uber wealthy or even wealthy. We do not have trust funds and do not care what people wear. We are down to earth sorts and accept people of all colors and creeds. We've never had difficulty making friends and are so looking forward to becoming part of the community and investing of ourselves in the community that is Bozeman. Any feedback on the school would be greatly appreciated. The school has a very high rating and this is to be commended. How are the teachers perceived, etc.? One poster mentioned the classes are so large, individual attention is not possible. How are things today as we move into 2013? Many thanks in advance.

Posted July 26, 2012
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My children are not native Montanas and the were bullied and degraded. The school & district would do nothing because it is concidered an exceptable taching mthod here. One teacher warned us before classes started and tried to help but I ended up pulling my children out and sending them to another state to make sure they actually got a diploma. I've dealt with 5 school districts across the country. Bozeman ranks 2 in academics, 1 in music, 2 in sports and 0 in niceness.
—Submitted by a parent
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Posted February 28, 2012


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I attented Bozeman Senior High Scoop as a foreign exchange student in 1987-.1988 and had a great time there. I wish my kids could go to same kind of school
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Posted August 29, 2011


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This IS the school you want your kids in.. They are down right fabulous! Especially if your child has some health issues. They really go the extra mile!
—Submitted by a parent
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Posted October 28, 2009


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Average. That's about all I can say. It wasn't bad, but classes were too easy for me and I was often bored. There wasn't enough there to challenge me and most classes were too large to get any individual attention. There are many great teachers, but the school as a whole needs some work.
—Submitted by a student
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[ElkHunter]

I don't know anything about Bozeman High School, but have some comments.

The one negative review is from a parent that can't spell, or was in a rant of sorts. That parent said,

"My children are not native Montanas and the were bullied and degraded. The school & district would do nothing because it is concidered an exceptable taching mthod here."

It sounds to me like the person thought the child was bullied by teachers> Is that what you get? Like maybe she had a problem with how the kids were handled by teachers?

I would seriously discount a report like that. It sounds like somebody that had issues and decided to slander the teachers. I could be wrong, but that is my opinion.

Because of national attention, most schools in this region have taken serious steps to stop bullying. I know the schools in my area have even put Sheriff's Deputies or Police at the schools. No, they don't patrol the kids. hahaha But they are there for training the kids on how to respond to violence such as bully's, or robery, etc. It's kind of a neighborhood watch program. The officers are D.A.R.E. qualified and hold classes on drugs, alcohol, and teach the kids how to walk away, or to recognize and avoid, and most importantly, to report such incidences. It's an outstanding program setup and has reduced teen drinking by 75% in this county.

I do not know if this is being done at Bozeman, but after National attention, this sort of thing seems to be springing up all around.

[jasper12]

My daughter went to Bozeman High School, she did fine. They have a pretty laid back school, teachers bring their dogs to class. We are not rich, she fit in fine. She also was not from Montana, she transferred in her Junior year. She made friends. She is now at MSU.

[Threerun]

My kids are were 11 and 9 when we moved to Montana from WV. We live in Helena, and they attend Helena public schools (both now in middle school).

Although we are not in 'Bozeman', this issue of 'non-native Montanans' being called to question stretches across all aspects- and in my opinion it is sheer bunk. My kids have never, not once, ever been teased, harrased, bullied or otherwise questioned because they came from elsewhere. In fact the opposite has been true- theres been a lot of genuine curiosity about where they came from, because no one really knows anything about the Mountain State called West Virginia.

Now I will say this- my son is a small guy. Both his grandads were small, and he appears to have taken that gene. (But one grandad was a brilliant man- math professor, computer science genius in the early years and master in linguistics- I think he got most of that gene too! but I digress). He has been teased because of his size. But he was teased MORE in WV than MT by far! He is actually pretty well respected here because that kid can out hike, out back-pack anyone of his peers in scouts, whether they are kids or adults. But he does catch some crap in school from some of the idiots- especially given it's middle school. But you know what? Most of the kids doing the teasing have crappy grades, are always in trouble and are usually going to wind up in the gutter. My son is pretty good at ignoring them because he knows he gets straight A's, is on a great track and the teachers admire him for his courage. He hangs with kids that are equally kind and good natured.

In fact- my son stood up to an older and larger 'bully' on the bus that was teasing and taunting a girl who is a special needs student! Takes a lot of guts to do the right thing in that scenario.

Middle school and high school can be tough places, and being bullied or ridiculed can happen anywhere for any reason at any time. If your kids are taught like mine- make them stand-up and defend what's right and ignore idiots when you can- they will do JUST FINE. Whether it's Montana, West Virginia or anywhere..

Just my .02 cents.

[NDak15]

A lot of people from Bozeman are from out of state so I wouldn't worry that much about your kids being teased for that reason. Of any town in Montana that one is probably going to be the most accepting of outsiders. That being said, Bozeman is a very pretentious town. I couldn't stand living there as a poor college student. I don't know the ins and outs of Bozeman High, but considering these are the children of these same pretentious people I wouldn't hold out a lot of hope that the place is friendly.

[longing4bigsky]

Thank you for your replies!

Elk Hunter I agree that the parent's post was a bit disjointed however it seemed as though the teachers were trying to "help" by warning. Warning about what? You are correct and that was my feeling when reading it. What exactly was the problem. Typos are common in these posts so I tend to ignore them but yes I was a tad bit bewildered by the post in terms of what the actual problem was that she was describing. And Native Montanans. ??? The majority of Bozmanites/Bozmaneers today are not "native"...whatever that means. Technically you aren't native unless you are Native American but I tend to call anyone who was born in a particular place native. I would think the majority of the kids at the high school are not "native montanans" but rather from elsewhere. Is that correct?

Thank you Jasper. Bringing dogs to class. Well that sounds great. We love animals. We love laid back.

Threerun, your son sounds like an outstanding child and human being! Thank you for sharing his story. It's a rough and tough place out there for kids these days.

Elk Hunter's description of the DARE program is encouraging but I believe it is a Wyoming county being described. Billings had "has"? a terrible meth problem and I know the whole state of MT was suffering from meth infiltration about a decade ago.

Does anyone know how this has changed if at all? One poster mentioned that Bozeman High has a serious drug problem. I'm not sure what that means. Is that meth? Pot? Other drugs? Could someone advise on this?

Does anyone know when Bozeman High was built? Is it a newer school? In need of renovation? Etc. How are the classrooms? Older? Mold etc is an increasingly alarming problem in schools across the country. High and dry does not make a structure immune unfortunately.

[longing4bigsky]

Hmmm. WyoEagle. That is a bit pessimistic. I think there are good and friendly people everywhere but the issue of bullying has become so problematic that children are being driven to suicide! I never imagined such a thing in our society. In any society. I know Bozeman will have changed drastically since I last visited ten or so years ago but I am sure that many of the good people I met are still there and their children are probably at Bozeman High. I hope so.

[longing4bigsky]

Don't know the date of this but seems a new $36 million dollar renovation of the high school/Bozeman has been completed.

BHS Renovation and Grand Opening

[Threerun]

Originally Posted by WyoEagle

A lot of people from Bozeman are from out of state so I wouldn't worry that much about your kids being teased for that reason. Of any town in Montana that one is probably going to be the most accepting of outsiders. That being said, Bozeman is a very pretentious town. I couldn't stand living there as a poor college student. I don't know the ins and outs of Bozeman High, but considering these are the children of these same pretentious people I wouldn't hold out a lot of hope that the place is friendly.

A lot of people may consider Helena as pretentious as well. Politics, the mansion district, etc.. Missoula gets a fair share of critics too. Kalispell as well.

Point being- I don't hang with pretentious people, I hang with the laid back kind. I've met a fair share of the same in Bozeman, and I go there on business quite often.

If kids hang out with the 'in group' anywhere- they usually get mistreated at some point. That can be a really bad effect when you hang with kids that have to have the latest this, and the most trendy that.. We try to encourage our kids not to think that way. We talk about these types of issues at the dinner table quite regularly..

I pray we raise them right so they can avoid some of this nonsense that they will be experiencing. It is middle school / high school. I'm sure the same talks would happen in Helena or Bozeman or in Bridgeport WV..

[jasper12]

The school is older, but in excellent shape and well kept up.

No drug problem, I mean...if you look for it you can find it. Some kids smoke pot, but hey...it is high school!

Most kids leave campus for lunch, they have extended lunch hour, so, don't go to any fast food places in Bozeman for lunch!