In this issue: Catch up on this week’s upcoming events, including Women’s Basketball matchups, Rake Up Kuna, FFA Greenhand Awards, the District Music Tour, JROTC Inspection, and Tuesday’s Parent Advisory Meeting, and join us in celebrating Kuna FFA’s Rangeland Assessment team for winning 1st place at the Western National Contest! We also spotlight classroom highlights with Mrs. Holley, Mr. Thompson, Mrs. Buchan, and Physical Science’s Egg Drop Challenge, plus important community flyers for Epilepsy Awareness Month, information on KAVE next semester, an Under Armour discount event, and an Equestrian Team informational meeting.
|
Friday, November 13, 2026
- Women’s Sophomore Basketball vs Highland HS - 4:30 pm
- Women’s JV Basketball vs Highland HS - 6:00 pm
- Women’s Varsity Basketball vs Highland HS - 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 14, 2026
- Rake Up Kuna - 9-11 am
- Women’s Sophomore Basketball vs Madison HS - 11 am
- Women’s JV Basketball vs Madison HS - 12:30 pm
- Women’s Varsity Basketball vs Madison HS - 2:00 pm
Monday, November 16, 2026
- FFA Greenhand Chapter Degrees Awards
Tuesday, November 17, 2026
- Parent Advisory Meeting @ KHS Library - 6 pm
- District Music Tour
Wednesday, November 18, 2026
- No events scheduled at this time
Thursday, November 19, 2026
- Women’s Sophomore Basketball vs Mountain Home HS - 4:30 pm
- Women’s JV Basketball vs Mountain Home HS - 6:00 pm
- Women’s Varsity Basketball vs Mountain Home - 7:30 pm
Friday, November 20, 2026
- Women’s Sophomore Basketball vs Borah HS - 4:30 pm
- Women’s JV Basketball vs Borah HS - 6:00 pm
- Women’s Varsity Basketball vs Borah HS - 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 21, 2026
- Men's Basketball Jamboree @ Mountain View 12 pm
No School November 23-November 27, 2026
|
Huge congratulations to Kuna FFA’s Rangeland Assessment team—Brayden Tellez, Spencer Hardy, Paisley Nelson, Jarron Knowles, and Lachlan Simper—for capturing 1st Place at the Western National Rangeland Contest in Tremonton, Utah, earlier this week!
Competing against top schools from seven states (Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming), the team put their technical and field skills to the test across five demanding categories:
- Livestock stocking rate calculations
- Rangeland plant identification
- Site analysis and description
- Measuring grass utilization
- Calculating shrub coverage
In addition to bringing home the championship banner, three Kuna FFA members placed in the top ten individually:
-
Brayden Tellez: 2nd High Individual overall, earned a perfect score across all field measurements, and won the prestigious Top Range Hand award.
-
Spencer Hardy: 4th High Individual overall and one of only five competitors to achieve a perfect score in Rangeland Plant Identification.
-
Paisley Nelson: 5th High Individual overall.
Way to represent Kuna High School on a regional stage—congratulations to the entire team on an incredible accomplishment!
|
We are incredibly proud to announce that our Kuna High School Air Force JROTC (ID-20141) unit achieved a perfect 100% score on their annual inspection and earned the highest possible rating: "Exceeds Standards!"
This rigorous, formal evaluation from the Air Force Headquarters tests everything from uniform inspections, program operations, leadership development, and overall program implementation within our school. Scoring a perfect 100% means our cadets didn’t just follow instructions—they set the benchmark for absolute excellence.
By achieving "Exceeds Standards," our unit now qualifies for the prestigious "Distinguished Unit with Merit" recognition, an honor reserved for roughly the top 10% of AFJROTC programs across the entire nation!
Congratulations to all of our incredible cadets, leadership, and instructors for their relentless dedication, discipline, and hard work. You have represented Kuna High School and our community with the highest levels of integrity and excellence.
|
Raised in the scenic Bear Lake Valley of Southeastern Idaho, Mrs. Holley returned to her roots to begin her career in education when her former high school principal hired her for her inaugural teaching position. A proud graduate of Boise State University, she holds a Master’s degree with a dual emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction and Political Science.
Now in her 28th year as an educator—25 of which have been dedicated to the Kuna School District—she spent her first six years teaching Language Arts before transitioning to Social Studies. Throughout her tenure, she has instructed U.S. History II, History of Music, and Dual Credit Government through Boise State University.
Outside the classroom, she has been married to her husband, Robert, a retired military veteran with multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and the Horn of Africa, for 33 years. Together, they share two adult children and delight in traveling—most recently exploring Vermont—as well as spending quality time with their family and two grandchildren. In her leisure time, she is an avid gardener, baker, reader, and puzzle enthusiast, as well as a devoted fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
|
History of Music: Students have been participating in the interactive "Battle of the Bands" project. Each student selected a rock band to represent within a tournament bracket. Before each face-off, students played a signature walk-up song, delivered a concise one-minute introduction, and debated the artistic and historical merits of their band. Classmates voted on each matchup to advance winners through the bracket toward crowning an ultimate champion.
U.S. History II: The curriculum focused on the Pacific Theater of World War II. To consolidate their learning and prepare for the assessment, students engaged in a dynamic review game of KAVE Ball prior to taking their quiz on the unit material.
Dual Credit Government: Students concentrated on academic research and primary source analysis. Students dedicated time to constructing their Public Policy Research papers, mastering APA citation and formatting guidelines, and conducting an in-depth analysis of the Declaration of Independence.
|
Mr. Thompson is a retired United States Army veteran. He started his military career as an infantryman with Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. He was deployed to Tallil, Iraq from 2011 to 2012 in support of military operations. He transitioned into the role of Culinary Specialist (92G) he developed expertise in military food service operations, logistics, and personnel management. Mr. Thompson was the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of a field feeding unit at Gowen Field, Idaho. He was responsible for overseeing personnel, coordinating field feeding operations, maintaining operational readiness, and ensuring military standards were consistently met. Today, Mr. Thompson is a Culinary Arts Teacher, FCCLA advisor, and coach of the Kuna High School Smokers, Idaho’s first high school competitive barbecue team. |
It was another exciting, hands-on week in Room 111-B as Mr. Thompson and his Kuna High School Culinary Arts students expanded their kitchen skills through a variety of real-world projects.
A major highlight of the week was baking homemade cheesecakes, allowing students to refine their pastry techniques and take pride in crafting a scratch-made dessert. Students also explored global cuisine by making homemade naan bread, getting valuable practice working with dough and specialized cooking methods. Meanwhile, Mr. Thompson’s competitive BBQ students focused on meat preparation—learning the art of injecting flavor and moisture to create competition-ready cuts.
Taking their learning beyond the classroom, students also toured the CS Beef plant in Kuna, gaining an inside look at the beef industry and commercial food production. Through experiences like these, Mr. Thompson continues to focus on equipping his students with practical, real-world skills that prepare them for success well beyond high school.
|
Katheryn Buchan teaches 10th grade English, American Character English, and KAVE English 9th-12th at Swan Falls High School. This is her 7th year with Kuna, and 8th year teaching in Idaho. Before living in the Treasure Valley, she taught in rural Montana for several years. Her experience, as well as her degree in English Literature and Teaching English, allow her to constantly update her instruction and assignments to fit individual classes and students. Her approach centers on the understanding that language is the most powerful tool students will use after high school.
|
Students are hard at work in both 10th LA and American Character with their first formal literary analysis of the year. These papers show off not only students’ understanding of the novels they’re reading, but also the complex themes found within the text. They work in small groups to brainstorm their unique takes on the text that they will revise and perfect into individual multi-page papers over the next few classes. |
In Physical Science, students took on the classic Egg Drop Challenge to put physics and engineering concepts into practice. Working with a limited set of materials—such as a plastic cup and a balloon—students designed and built protective contraptions intended to keep a raw egg from breaking upon impact.
Once the builds were complete, the designs were put to the test by dropping them from an elevated height. The goal was to see which structures successfully absorbed or redirected the force of the fall to keep the egg intact, and which ones resulted in a cracked shell. Through this hands-on experiment, students explored key principles like gravity, air resistance, momentum, and shock absorption in action.
|
|
|
