Utah State University Blanding will host the second annual Weaving Our Stories Conference. The three-day conference will incorporate the theme “Building Community During Turbulent Times” throughout the presentations and activities.
The conference will be held September 23-25 at the Blanding Arts & Event Center on the USU Blanding campus.

The San Juan School board had a busy meeting with approvals of the district budget, and policies related to bullying, extracurriculars and cell phone use at their June meeting.

Students at Whitehorse High School were recently recognized for finishing in the top ten in the nation in the Capitol Hill Challenge.
The financial education competition allows students to invest made-up funds in the stock market and Whitehorse High investors mustered one of the best finishes nationwide. 
U.S. House District Three representative Mike Kennedy recognized the group on the congressional floor.

A new study published by researchers at Utah State University sheds light on the critical role of relationship building and the use of local cultural knowledge in creating a climate change module best suited for Indigenous learners.
The research, titled Building Relationships for Meaningful Co-Created Indigenous Climate Education, was recently published in Community Science.

“Oh boy, I’ve got joy!” Monticello resident Cindra Eardley (center) recently graduated her 17th and final pre-school class. Sisters Lindy Lewis and Angela Stuart plan to take over the class in the fall. Staff photo

Nearly 220 diplomas will be presented to graduates from area high schools this week as another school year comes to a close across the sprawling district.
Monticello High School graduation will take place Wednesday, May 21 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. The Class of 2025 Valedictorian is Aaron Gillette with Marah Long as Salutatorian.

by Christine Fitzgerald
Superintendent, San Juan School District
As another successful school year draws to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect on our collective achievements and look forward to a bright future for the San Juan School District.

Utah State University Blanding is proud to have celebrated its class of 2025 on Friday, April 25 as part of USU’s 138th commencement ceremony.
The class of 2025 consists of 180 individuals earning 64 associate, 21 bachelor’s, and four master’s degrees and 141 undergraduate certificates.

by Bill Boyle
San Juan Record Editor
There continues to be significant turnover among the staff and officials at the San Juan School District and it has continued with the resignation of the school board’s longest-tenured member.
Nelson Yellowman is resigning from the San Juan School Board after 19 years of service. He will serve through May 31, giving time for the school board to find an interim replacement. 

Utah Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson will give the commencement address at the Utah State University Blanding 2025 commencement ceremony. The ceremony will be at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 25, at San Juan High School in Blanding. Tonie Dee will be the ceremony’s student speaker. The valedictorian is Shania Paul, and salutatorian is Alexa Mantz.
Lt. Gov. Henderson is Utah’s ninth Lieutenant Governor and is in her second term.

Members of the San Juan School Board discussed the future of the old Blanding Elementary building, gave staff more flexibility to use sick days, and reviewed bullying survey data at their latest meeting.

To celebrate CTE Month, San Juan School District CTE, in cooperation with USU Blanding and USU Eastern, hosted the annual Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) Competition. The event was held in February. 

Albert R Lyman 6th Grader Oliver Jeppesen earned third place honors at the 2025 SESC Regional Spelling Bee held at Grand County High on March 6.
Jeppesen finished behind two 7th graders from Carbon County.

The San Juan School board approved fee waivers and spend plans, received high marks on a compliance review and heard from Monument Valley administrators at their latest meeting.
Members of the board approved Fee Waiver Policies, and Spend Plans as part of their March 3 meeting.

Annual spend plans, expansion of SHARP surveys and replacing the district building elevator were all items discussed at the latest San Juan School Board meeting.
Members of the San Juan School Board began conversations around the annual school spend plans at their February 12 meeting.