By Jack Reaney ASSOCIATE EDITOR
When Loren Bough served his final school board meeting with the Big Sky School District after 14 years as board chair, and prior efforts including the creation of Lone Peak High School, it’s safe to say he received a hero’s farewell.
The April 15 school board meeting took place in a fitting environment. Adults filled colorful tables in the Ophir School library, emotions taking hold of their farewell statements. Superintendent Dustin Shipman set the tone with a “data rundown” of Bough’s time on the board:
“We have 14, that represents the number of years that Loren has served on the school board,” Shipman said.
“We have 196, that’s the number of graduates who you shook hands with at graduation.
“We have a million, that’s the number, in dollars, of the staff scholarships for master’s degrees, housing allowances, and student loan payback distributed through the Ophir School Fund, which you were instrumental in securing for the district 15 years ago.”
Shipman kept rattling off numbers: Approximately 500 New York Times education articles sent to Shipman and 24 bottles of wine donated to teachers at a 2016 staff retreat. Thousands of hours spent “visioning and delivering on Lone Peak High School’s creation” and volunteering across the school district. Bonds and levies worth $37 million, used for maintenance, operations, and construction of academic and athletic facilities since 2010. Approximately 300 middle and high school basketball games spent coaching or watching—last winter, his final season coaching, he led the Big Horn girls basketball team to its first-ever divisional tournament.
“To say that Loren Bough has changed the face of education for the Big Sky community would be a gross understatement.”
Sam Byrne, CrossHarbor Capital, in a letter to the board
“Between 150 and 420, that’s students per year impacted under your trustee leadership of asking the right questions, seeking the right programming, and keeping the dial moving forward on educating students in Big Sky,” Shipman said.
Bough, who has spent his career as a private investor and entrepreneur, has been volunteering with the Big Sky School District for 20 years. The first six, he said, were focused on “creating a foundation.” He helped create the nonprofit Friends of Big Sky Education in 2004 and led the effort for the legislation that created Lone Peak High School in 2009.
“It took two legislative sessions to get the Montana Legislature to lift the moratorium on high school creation, and we were the first to do that,” Bough told EBS.
In 2010, he joined the school board and served 14 years as board chair. Now, he leaves a proud legacy of high standards.
“It’s very hard to be accountable as a school district,” Bough said. In 2017, Lone Peak High School opted to become an International Baccalaureate school which enforces standards through constant compliance requirements and assessment. Roughly half of Lone Peak seniors go for the full IB diploma, which requires passing an exit exam—at most peer schools, only a small percentage of students attempt it.
He’s proud that Lone Peak High School now ranks in the top 400 high schools in the country and No. 1 in Montana for college acceptances—measured by the percentage of students accepted to top-50 institutions. To Bough, families should either move to Big Sky for the school, or stay due to their satisfaction with it.
“There were 80-some students when I moved here, in the district. And during COVID, there were 440,” Bough told EBS. “…People live in Big Sky by choice. And one of the reasons they choose Big Sky is because we have a great educational opportunity, even though we’re a rural school in Montana. I think that distinguishes us… Great education will attract great families.”
Bough grew up in Highwood, Montana, an unincorporated community in Chouteau County, and graduated from Highwood High School in 1986.
“Highwood High School was absolutely formative to me,” Bough told EBS. It was one of the smallest high schools in the state, with six students in his graduating class and 40 total. Still, Bough knew it was a high-quality experience.
“I wanted to replicate that experience for Big Sky kids. The ability to participate in everything and still get a high-quality education,” he said.
Lone Peak Principal Marlo Mitchem said Bough’s efforts have made Big Sky’s school the best in Montana.
“If I had my druthers, you’d stay on the board forever,” Mitchem said. “… I hope you and your family will always stay connected to the school, knowing we will do our best to honor your legacy.”
Ophir Elementary School Principal Brittany Shirley said Bough and his family have been supportive of her since she arrived in 2008, teaching Loren’s second grade son, Kolya.
“I never imagined that we would be in a place like this. Just with your vision and your words… I think what we have now is a testament to when somebody has a vision, and has the dedication and time to put that forward,” Shirley said.
“I am so excited that I get to raise a family here, and have my kids benefit from everything that you and your family have really worked to develop, so thank you,” she added.
Tim Sullivan, music teacher and IB director, said Bough’s impact can be felt through the district’s strong academic offerings, facilities and school pride.
“It’s going to be hard to imagine the district without your leadership, however the resounding impact of your work as a trustee will support our success in years to come,” Sullivan said.
“You’ve given so many incredible opportunities to countless people,” added Athletic Director John Hannahs.
Kevin Germain, speaking as a parent and community member, said Bough has been a tireless champion for the district and for LPHS, and that the future board has big shoes to fill.
“It’s your untiring and relentless vision that has brought this to reality. It’s the high school, it’s the IB program, it’s basketball. This is the best school in the state, so a big thanks to you, Loren, for everything you’ve done for us,” Germain said.
Ciara Wolfe, another community member and parent, said her family would not have moved from Bozeman nine years ago if not for the promising school system. Moving to Big Sky has changed the trajectory of her family’s life, she said.
Wolfe also thanked Bough for serving on a public board. “It’s so much harder than everyone thinks. It’s so much easier to be the critic on the sideline than the leaders who are sitting at the table, making the hard decisions, trying to do the best they can.”
Public service takes leaders like Bough, “who can think strategically and execute,” Wolfe said.
She commended Bough for his focus on keeping kids involved with extracurricular activities. “That belief in the combination of the two is what is helping our kids be so successful in the world today.”
As a surprise, two of Bough’s children, Dasha and Kolya, joined the board meeting online. They graduated from Lone Peak in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
Dasha, now 24, said she was 13 or 14 years old before she realized the school board wasn’t her dad’s full-time job.
“He put it above all else, above any other job,” she said. “… I’ve seen you go through hell working on behalf of kids, and teachers, and the community.”
Loren wiped a tear as his son Kolya, 22, popped onto the Zoom screen. Kolya said his father is an inspiration.
“There’s plenty of very accomplished people in Big Sky, and around the state of Montana, around the country, but there just aren’t that many who have done what you have done. Whether that’s coaching basketball or navigating small-town politics, to bring a larger goal and a larger idea to fruition,” he said.
An honorary scholarship for students who serve
Matt Kidd, managing director of Lone Mountain Land Company, read a letter from Sam Byrne, managing partner with CrossHarbor Capital, “to recognize the service of Loren Bough” to the district.
“Simply put, Big Sky would not be the community it is today without Loren’s selfless commitment to building the school district into one of Montana’s most academically successful and dynamic education systems,” Byrne wrote. He listed the creation of LPHS and the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, expansion of academic and athletic facilities, and implementation of IB curriculum as evidence.
“To say that Loren Bough has changed the face of education for the Big Sky community would be a gross understatement,” Byrne wrote.
Inspired by Loren Bough’s “extraordinary history of volunteerism,” CrossHarbor and Lone Mountain Land Company will create an endowed annual scholarship fund for two graduating students “who have shown a commitment to excellence and service to the community of Big Sky,” according to Byrne’s letter.
The Bough Family Scholarship for Community Service will be endowed through FOBSE and awarded annually to a pair of graduating seniors to support pursuits for an undergraduate or technical school degree.
“That’s a wonderful tribute to keep paying it forward, and I really appreciate that,” Bough responded. “It’s actually something the school district does really well, and now it’s going to be even better.”
Bough thanked everyone for their kind words, and in his own statement, challenged the community to carry on the momentum.
“It will depend on how committed you are to a rigorous academic foundation that you’re inheriting. The fate of the kids in Big Sky depends on you, and your commitment to retain our standing as the best academic school in the state,” Bough said. “The issue of how to provide the best academic program, and the best opportunities for our kids, kept me up at night… If that does not keep you up at night, with all due respect, then you should not be on this board.”
Bough said all decisions should prioritize academics. Distractions will emerge, such as bus route discussions and high school coaching decisions, “and they need to be dealt with. How many eighth-graders play up to varsity will soon be forgotten.”
Prioritizing academic rigor will make other problems go away, he said.
“Whether it’s enrollment, or cost of housing—if you just focus on academic rigor and being the best academic school in the state, people will move here because it’s that school.”
