The district held its annual Employee Appreciation Banquet on Thursday night at the Uintah Conference Center. The Uintah High Orchestra opened the evening with several musical selections before Superintendent Rick Woodford and UHS art teacher Chris Manwaring recognized student artist Ruby Glazier, whose painting “The Harbor Holds Its Breath” was selected as the cover art for the banquet’s program and invitation.
Maeser Elementary teacher Alisa Atherton was honored as the district’s Teacher of the Year, and school nurse Meredith Manwaring was honored as the district’s Education Support Professional of the Year.
The following employees were recognized for 20 years of service to the district: Keri Bowthorpe, Brian Gibson, Rachael Gregersen, Cortney Hall, Rebecca Halverson, Kay Lynn Holmes, Sharon Kron, Dorothy McConkie, Joe Meanea, Kristin Meanea, Diana Murray, Diane O’Hearn, Helen Stewart, and Tami Valora.
Tammy Christensen, Tina Daniels, Sonja Green, Kristi Powell, and Karine Simper were recognized for 25 years of service to the district. Shane Lance and Mindy Rasmussen were recognized for 30 years of service to the district.
The following employees were recognized for 31 or more years of service to the district: Kristy Putnam (31 years), Gregg Stensgard (32 years), Marshall Bellon (33 years), Richard Henderson (33 years), Cris Labrum (33 years), Chris Piner (33 years), MarKay Anderson (34 years), Maurleen Plant (35 years), Judy Foley (41 years), Ruth Ann Nelson (43 years), and Jeni Gudac (48 years).
The district also honored the following employees who will retire at the end of the year: Sarah Anderson, MarKay Anderson, Jennifer Chandler, Brenda Cloud, Judy Foley, Teresa Harrison, Jayme Leyba, Julie Merkley, Maurleen Plant, Kristi Powell, Kristy Putnam, Sue Rios, Fenton Thompson, Gregg Stensgard, Rod Wadley, and Pamela Wright.
Congratulations to these outstanding individuals for their service to our students, our district, and our community!
School Board Meeting – May 13
The Uintah School Board will hold a regularly scheduled work session and business meeting on Wednesday, May 13, at the district office in Naples. The work session will begin at 4 p.m., with the business meeting to follow at 6 p.m. Agendas for both meetings will be posted in advance on the district’s website.
During the work session and business meeting, the board is expected to review and vote on the proposed School Fees Schedule for the 2026-2027 school year (Policy 007.0505).
The district intends to stream both meetings live on its YouTube Channel. Individuals who would like to provide online comment for the board can do so at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SZ9DLFQ.
UHS Band & Orchestra Concert – May 14
The Band and Orchestra will present their end-of-year concert on May 14. FREE reserved seats are available at http://uintahband.ludus.com. FREE general admission seats will be available in the back of the auditorium. The concert will be streamed live on the Uintah Bands Facebook page. The UHS Arts Department’s May Art Show will be on display in the Fishbowl before the concert from 5 to 7 p.m.
UHS Choir Concert – May 19
Uintah High Choir will perform its Spring Concert on Tuesday, May 19, at 7 p.m. in the UHS Auditorium. Admission is FREE. No ticket is required. Part of this concert will be a full treatment of “Calling All Dawns” by Christopher Tin. It will include all choirs and a full orchestra. You will not want to miss this one-time performance! Due to the licensing agreement, this performance won’t be streamed live. The UHS Arts Department’s May Art Show will be on display in the Fishbowl before the concert from 5 to 7 p.m.
Celebrations
Congratulations to Uintah DECA members Isaac Abrams and Bridger Christensen! They placed in the Top 10 in the Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making event at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Atlanta. ICDC hosted more than 26,000 attendees and nearly 18,000 competitors this year. Each event featured at least 250 competitors—many with significantly more than that—representing the very best from every state in the U.S. and countries around the world.
Congratulations as well to the Uintah High Girls Powerlifting Club on earning a state championship at Westlake High last week! Brynnlee Gardiner, Lily Batty, and Taylor Harrison won their respective classifications; Olivia Winterton and Georgeena Tilo placed 2nd; and Iveth De Los Angeles placed 3rd.
The Uintah High Boys Powerlifting Club placed 3rd in the state. Bronson Merrell placed 1st in both Olympic lifting and powerlifting. Lucas Harrison also placed 1st in Olympic lifting. Kaden Butler and Josh Garcia placed 2nd, and Taydin Atwood, Dylan McMickell, and Michael Renfro placed 3rd.
Congratulations also go out to the eight Uintah High artists who earned honors recently at the 2026 Northeastern Utah Educational Services (NUES) Regional Art Show, including the Best in Show and Director's Choice awards.
Eric Moulton's photo "Red Fleet Triptych" won Best in Show. Paisley Harlan's painting "The Warning" won the Director's Choice Award. Adeline Rousseau earned 1st place in the Photography category for "Shot But Not Dead," Chloe Thompson earned 2nd place in the Photography category for "Current Through Country-Segments of a System," and Alegna Hanberg earned 3rd place in the Photography category for "The Moment Before." Jenavive George earned 2nd place in the Painting category for "Above the Water," Auklynd Jones earned an Honorable Mention in the Painting category for “End of Summer,” and Izzie Lawson earned an Honorable Mention in the Pottery category for "Two Fish Plate."
The Uintah High Arts Department will hold its May Art Show in the UHS Fishbowl, located in the Commons, on May 14 from 5-7 p.m.; May 18 from 2:30-4:30 p.m.; and May 19 from 5-7 p.m. The community is invited to come see the amazing works of art students have created.
Weekend Events
Uintah High Softball (No. 3) takes on the Snow Canyon Warriors (No. 19) in Game 2 of their best-of-three playoff series today at 1 p.m. The Utes lead the series 1-0. If needed, Game 3 will be played shortly after the conclusion of Game 2. The Hudl camera at the softball field is not working. Efforts are underway to repair it. If the camera is not fixed before today’s game, fans can use the GameChanger app to follow the action.
Uintah High Boys Tennis has a pair of doubles teams competing today at the 4A State Tournament. Noah Lance and Daron Rosse (1st doubles) and Isaac Abrams and Josh Scow (2nd doubles) are playing in the Round of 16 this morning at the Liberty Park Tennis Center in Salt Lake City. The state tournament continues tomorrow at Liberty Park.
Uintah High Girls Lacrosse is on the road today, taking on the Provo Bulldogs in their final region game of the season. The game is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Provo High Hudl Fan website.
Uintah High Boys Soccer (No. 23) takes on the Sky View Bobcats (No. 10) today in the 1st round of the 4A State Playoffs. The game kicks off at 4 p.m. in Smithfield and should be streamed live on the Sky View High Hudl Fan website.
Uintah High Theatre is up for four awards at the16th Annual Utah High School Musical Theatre Awards tomorrow night at the Eccles Theatre in Salt Lake City. Caleb Harrison is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Olaf in Frozen: The Broadway Musical, Linda Cochran is nominated for Best Costume Design for her work on Frozen, and Keith Larsen is nominated for Best Lighting Design for his work on Frozen. The show is also nominated in the Best Scenic Design category.
Good luck to all our student-athletes and our nominees, and GO UTES!