[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,75,87],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6210712,"mediaKeyId","3716188-33fc50f3db5bb3b6aca484e2e2505bd5","parentId",3716188,"title","Missoula schools acknowledge Indigenous territory; Native American drum group performs honor song at Hellgate graduation","audioSeconds",249,"startMs",1550000,"endMs",1799000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3716188-33fc50f3db5bb3b6aca484e2e2505bd5&start=1550&end=1799","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3716188-33fc50f3db5bb3b6aca484e2e2505bd5/thumbnail_1550000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6210712/Montana/Missoula-schools-acknowledge-Indigenous-territory-Native-American-drum-group-performs-honor-song-at-Hellgate-graduation","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6210712-8b932f42f82807eaf90fe607852433ec/orig.mp4?Expires=1769963530&Signature=fiAuI~vJj5KtI7kd8xb4yAfXmZqf~H1dHQSZZ3DmCybt2gAqREw-KZ~h5OY-mmS980u21Q-gWlJL3piwPXxqaOE52MjSMnu8bTCDMRQWdeOZYcS2y3O0UEKS5rGWCaHorJU7tZfpM4dCpBO4xe1i1F1OQHLBBsllioWmP53l90bHjzOJ-E13UKZgI0IH2LEz8-gjtO77gxPFIw4B7wOX6a7EOgny3T~SnR1Df-wOZopGHBk7CN8fDnRDYt3tnBeDtIrgc91NJTwANzr~gtInzKa3Q8fYn-~K-JteFDzU9K6wc9N6z8N38tk7dogaXFSVjRDivK41Msp~FWvsJDyKnA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Missoula County Public Schools, MT","date","2025-06-08T10:25:55Z","article","Micah Hill, superintendent of Missoula County Public Schools, opened part of Hellgate High School’s 2025 commencement by acknowledging the Indigenous peoples who are original stewards of the Missoula and Bitterroot valleys and introduced a student drum group to perform an honor song.

Hill said, “We acknowledge that we are gathered on indigenous territory. The Missoula and Bitterroot Valleys are the original homelands of the Salish, Onpondere, and Kalispel people who inhabited this land since time immemorial.” He added that other tribes, including the Kootenai, Blackfeet, Shoshone, Crow and Kiowa, also frequented the area and that descendants continue to live and work in the community.

Hill then introduced the Missoula County Public Schools Native American Student Services drum group, led by Shawn Whitegrass and Brittany Hunter, for what he described as the debut performance of a Native American honor song for graduates. The ceremony later included that performance and a public recognition of the district’s commitment to honoring Indigenous people and their presence in the community.

Hill also used his formal authority from the State of Montana and the Montana Office of Public Instruction later in the ceremony to present diplomas and to declare members of the Hellgate High School Class of 2025 as having fulfilled requirements for graduation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Hellgate High School 2025 Graduation Ceremony","oneSentenceSummary","Superintendent Micah Hill offered an Indigenous land acknowledgement at Hellgate High School’s graduation and introduced a debut honor song performed by the Missoula County Public Schools Native American student drum group.","taxTitle","Missoula Elem, School Districts, Montana","taxId",38287,"location","Montana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":76,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":77,"_40":78,"_42":79,"_44":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6210716,"Student leaders urge classmates to ‘be bold’ and ‘capture’ moments at Hellgate graduation",649,2086000,2735000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3716188-33fc50f3db5bb3b6aca484e2e2505bd5&start=2086&end=2735","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3716188-33fc50f3db5bb3b6aca484e2e2505bd5/thumbnail_2086000.jpg","/articles/6210716/Montana/Student-leaders-urge-classmates-to-be-bold-and-capture-moments-at-Hellgate-graduation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6210716-4b6e987b07bad4c6b133f7f5bb629d6e/orig.mp4?Expires=1769963530&Signature=ZacYCZdIuUwBlcwWR65n1AGRFsjpQ0Kj~k8sE3yQ~BmLgBWzz4MoohEsHxhh~u96BKRfJlMVxYAsZq1~benEW3zCa1PGM32gxzJR8HgLwG0UYlvg~uKuyeMKQR72ciYjYxZSzBOOHHlKhFIF-Sb9LSTz6ll1W1mxy6uyGbVqhroETZBOvPBX5Zdmv9pIJcyIw1iilZ3SmrZZgBwvFkzfiJfeN~rUVcoMeSJxfy2yM-PReNXLNleq54136c-r0VkQGO4KrZ-MCcfwNoMV9PK5FglMEK50dK0WZ0rCrzUhb-IXGsrnpKUynXae3ljpsiJgVtplTneyJtQwCfJAHOF4IA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Stella Harvard, senior class president at Hellgate High School, told the Class of 2025 to imagine life as a quilt of experiences and to “be bold in the color of fabric that you choose.”

Harvard used a childhood metaphor—“the sparkly pink tutu” among other keepsakes—to encourage graduates to carry forward what has shaped them and to stitch new experiences onto their life’s ‘quilt.’ “I encourage you class of 2025 to be bold in the color of fabric that you choose, in the strength of each stitch and to make choices that piece together a beautiful quilt,” she said.

Faith Yu, student body president, urged classmates to “capture it with your presence” and to notice moments that matter. Yu thanked families, staff and mentors and shared peers’ advice she collected while preparing the address: “People are usually kinder than you expect them to be. Be where you are celebrated, not tolerated.”

Yu also reflected on how quickly high school passes and encouraged graduates to be present: “When something matters, notice it. When someone makes you feel seen, thank them.” She closed by taking a final class photograph and thanking classmates for the past four years.

Both addresses referenced shared experiences—masked freshman year, academic and extracurricular achievements—and emphasized gratitude toward parents, teachers and staff.","Senior class president Stella Harvard and student body president Faith Yu delivered commencement addresses urging graduates to value kindness, embrace growth and ‘capture’ meaningful moments as they leave Hellgate High School.",{"_32":88,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":89,"_40":90,"_42":91,"_44":92,"_46":93,"_48":94,"_50":95,"_52":96,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":97,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":98,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6210721,"Keynote speaker tells Hellgate graduates their ‘potential’ is a key to be unlocked",307,5176000,5483000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3716188-33fc50f3db5bb3b6aca484e2e2505bd5&start=5176&end=5483","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3716188-33fc50f3db5bb3b6aca484e2e2505bd5/thumbnail_5176000.jpg","/articles/6210721/Montana/Keynote-speaker-tells-Hellgate-graduates-their-potential-is-a-key-to-be-unlocked","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6210721-7af2db46305b324adbd8c56cb930724c/orig.mp4?Expires=1769963530&Signature=e2KJroJTZXNXWRfXcwwhr3O~Kez~Y-qpnxgBV3s-6Ssi3~p1ybSiq6kz7HXUnRSPOEBd89LtJ7kOCbHixTTf554H5uCa5LVzYO~IKXAVVzlcvNT~~Mn~M7OdlGoR8EzGSi3LOZBZto42u5u4t2oevI8rBc5-c-v6PdyHFjfSm58IrFFtgOn5LjXI8M9gmhPVhtVM3UHLgJvng574xYr~bHJn5RztQAJEqXslUIFD7G2SMFAEj9l5Zib5Ov8fTQC0yrO-lKPjTJII7aJQAMWgFZkhDtQmCp2qL~uPoDVxMIIw2DNXyRcorO7Uze9JVjZ-i65TI4uyHnSJ3VclL1MyEA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Shannon Renker, executive director of the Missoula Education Foundation, told graduates at Hellgate High School’s Class of 2025 commencement that each person “carries a key, the key to our own potential.”

Renker described a years-long recovery after a traumatic brain injury, saying she was told by doctors there was “no chance of improvement” before later discovering she had been misdiagnosed and chose a rare neurosurgery that restored parts of her abilities.

The message to graduates framed resilience and self-advocacy as practical tools. “Your potential is not something you find outside of yourself. It's something you unlock from within,” Renker said. She urged students to rely on persistence, curiosity and community rather than titles or test scores to shape their futures, adding, “You have the key.”

Renker recounted that after seven years of disability she researched treatments, advocated for new medical professionals to join her care team and ultimately underwent surgery that produced measurable improvement. She said the recovery involved a mix of medical care and social support: “And through my own research and persistence, I discovered that I had been misdiagnosed and that there was in fact a chance for improvement.”

The keynote framed graduation as a launch point rather than a destination. Renker told the audience the Class of 2025 had finished high school “in a world that's been anything but predictable” and encouraged graduates and their supporters to remind young people of their strengths when doubts arise.

Renker closed by addressing family members and educators in the crowd, asking them during celebrations to “look your graduate in the eyes. Remind them who they are. Remind them of their grit, their heart, their strength, even when they doubt it.”","Shannon Renker, executive director of the Missoula Education Foundation, told Hellgate High School’s Class of 2025 that resilience and self-advocacy helped her recover from a traumatic brain injury and urged graduates to ‘unlock’ their own potential.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Missoula schools acknowledge Indigenous territory; Native American drum group performs honor song at Hellgate graduation

Student leaders urge classmates to ‘be bold’ and ‘capture’ moments at Hellgate graduation

Keynote speaker tells Hellgate graduates their ‘potential’ is a key to be unlocked