By Christa Rowland, IEL Regional Director
On a sunny day last January, I drove 40 minutes from my Boise home to visit the small, rural town of Notus, Idaho. I was visiting the Notus School District to learn more about changes in this community’s ‘go on’ rates – a giant leap from 26% to 64%, I was eager to learn about the conditions that led to this increase in students choosing to pursue post-secondary education.
Pulling off the freeway, I drove down the two-lane road past rolling farmland and the Jacksons, a convenience store that serves as the only ‘grocery’ store in town. As I rolled down the dirt road into campus and parked, I was greeted by a smiling teacher who directed me to the office for my visit with the Notus Intermediary/High School Principal Jen Wright.
Principal Wright and Community School Coordinator Carla
Entering Principal Wright’s office, the morning environment appeared calm. As we caught up, students popped in to say ‘hi’ to Principal Wright. They were greeted joyously, like family, and I reflected on my own K-12 school experience, wondering if I’d ever felt that kind of comfortability and trust with my own school Principals.
As she checked in with the college and career coordinator, I learned it was the first day of a new ‘no cell phone policy’. Staff were busy helping students manage their withdrawals and adjust to the new rule, yet even on the first morning, they were observing a positive shift: more connection and community through increased face-to-face interactions.
Back in 2018 when I first began interacting with the Notus School District, I met Jen Wright who was at that time serving as the Elementary Principal. I was struck by her passion and commitment to the school and community. Wright spoke about the students as if they were her own children. She told me about the need for resources in Notus – how she wanted the school to be a place where kids felt seen, supported, and had access to the resources and opportunities they needed to reach their dreams. That vision eventually led to a critical, strategic move for the district.
In 2019, Notus began the journey of becoming a Community School by hiring a Community School Coordinator through generous grant support from United Way of Treasure Valley. It was immediately evident that Wright saw the true vision of a Community School, not just a way to provide basic needs resources, but as an opportunity to engage assets and individuals in the community. She imagined the possibility of working together as a community to address complex barriers to student success, and creating a hub of opportunity, learning, and connection for every resident in Notus.
The school started a food and clothing pantry and launched efforts to expand preschool access. Partnering with the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children, Notus convened a preschool collaborative which worked to embed a community driven affordable preschool within the Elementary school setting.
Once the Community School momentum began, it was unstoppable. Wright envisioned a system of support that would ensure every student had access to the experiences needed to expand their horizons. Bringing that vision to life required more partners and increased community engagement, all driven by the voices and choices of families and youth.
Fast forward to 2025, and the school has become a true hub for the entire community. As Ms. Karla, the elementary Community School Coordinator, shared with me: “Our school is the heart of the community”. This heart beats with the support of many partners who have stepped in to address the service desert Notus once was.
The Notus Intermediary/High School Clothing Pantry
Students, family, and community members have access to the food and clothing pantry, which has expanded to include fresh food options and a new section of clothing for formal dance and job interview attire. Middleton Counseling offers mental/behavioral counseling on campus for a full day with secondary students and a full day with elementary students every week, all offered on a sliding fee scale. Terry Reilly (Federally Qualified Health Center) partners to offer health and dental screeners on campus, and the school can provide transportation to the local clinic for specialized services if a student is without transportation. St. Luke’s, Southwest District Health, Delta Dental, and Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health partner with the district to fill service gaps for students and families. By removing fundamental barriers for students including hunger, lack of healthcare, and transportation challenges, the school and partners have cleared a path for students to focus on academics.
Families can access English as Second Language and GED classes, and parenting education is offered with a free dinner. The local Baptist Church often volunteers at the school to support academic enrichment opportunities. To support the wider community, the school shares the old gym with local seniors to use as a hub for connection and activity. A new wellness initiative, Walk2Connect, engages community members in joining for a walk each week that initiates at the elementary school and is led by two well-loved, retired Notus school counselors.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) strategies help create a culture of belonging, safety, and care for students. The Notus team focuses on their own adult interactions with one another first, ensuring they are modeling caring for one another the way they want students to care for one another. They prioritize being responsive to student needs and addressing those together, through Community School partnerships. With opportunities like a Boys 2 Men and Girls Group, they provide extra time and space for students to grow their social emotional learning, to strengthen peer connections, and to connect with a trusted adult. Above all, the staff and partners believe in a balance of love and accountability for all students.
The school has also expanded learning opportunities with support from the community. Treasures Preschool offers early childhood education to Notus families at little to no cost. This has been a collaboration between local private preschool provider Roni’s House, Notus SD, and Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children. Formerly a childcare desert, Notus had only one childcare provider who had a very long wait list. Notus families were desperate for local childcare options. Having local, high-quality preschool instruction co-located at the elementary school has been an incredible win for the community. Treasures Preschool helps students enter kindergarten more prepared, which is a significant factor in increasing school outcomes.
All of these opportunities are supported and guided by the collaboration of the Community School Steering Committee, made up of school administrators, counselors, teachers, parents, board members, students, local businesses, and community members such as the local public librarian and a retired Notus Elementary Counselor. The steering committee prioritizes responsiveness to student and family voice, working together to address needs, and has been critical in problem-solving and identifying resources and opportunities to meet needs in the Notus community which is often considered a service desert.
Local college and university signs reflect the higher-ed goals of many Notus High students
The Notus High School team has placed a heavy emphasis on ensuring their students know the options they have after high school and helping students create a clear plan for post-graduation. Wright and colleagues realized part of the challenge was that Notus students couldn’t envision themselves going to college, for many, the opportunity seemed out of reach. The team focused on coordinating college visits, taking their high schoolers as a group to do a tour of Idaho colleges each year and experiencing, first-hand, the possibility. The schools’ college and career coordinator, in partnership with Wright, committed to ensuring every student had a chance to tour college campuses, and every student had a written plan for what they would do after high school. This exposure has paid off in a big way, leading to a significant increase in college enrollment rates for Notus students.
Not only is the team committed to helping students get to that next step after high school, but they have also supported former students through that next step. Staff stay in contact with former students, supporting them as they encounter barriers during their college experience and checking in from time to time to remind them that they are loved by the Notus community. These efforts have come full circle – in recent years, many of the college tours for current Notus students have been led by former Notus students who enrolled at that institution.
My learning journey in Community Schools has made me consistently passionate about rural communities like Notus. Many small, rural districts, isolated from services, could be excused for accepting the status quo. Yet Notus and its leaders have chosen a different path, proving that the Community School strategy—a highly relational, collaborative, asset-based, and persistent approach — offers every student the opportunities they deserve, regardless of their zip code.