The Lower Rattlesnake Neighborhood Council still has a picture of Prescott School with the Missoula International School sign on it's website

 

This is a picture copied froom the LRNC website with MIS sign - still there in 2026 

It is curious why the Lower Rattlesnake Neighborhood Council still has a picture of Prescott School with a Missoula International School sign on it's website. 

Is the LRNC in favor of Prescott School being a public school again? Judging by experience, it does not appear that it is. In my opinion, of course. To be fair, I really don't know the totality of what actions have taken place by the LRNC.  When has this group advocated for the reopening of Prescott School for public school children? Again, this is my opinion. If there has been, please leave a comment.

People on the LRNC did not appear at meetings that were pertinent to saving Prescott School for the public school children since it was closed in 2004 until Missoula International School moved out at the end of 2022(according to a newspaper). Again, if I am wrong on this please post a comment below. 

I attended many meetings when Prescott School was on the agenda and even when it was not. There were Board Meetings, Property Meetings. Finance and Operation Meetings, P&P Meetings(Policy and Personell), and I'm sure more types of MCPS Meetings. I also spoke on behalf of Prescott School at some LRNC and URNC Meetings. 

I can't really remember seeing a LRNC at these MCPS Meetings - but like I said, if this is incorrect, please comment below. Many times I was by myself, and sometimes with another citizen that cared about how MCPS managaged it's properties.

If a member of the LRNC did come to a MCPS meeting, was it in favor of Missoula International School leasing Prescott School? Or was it because this person was in favor of keeping the playground only and not the school itself? Or did I miss something and a member did support Prescott School as a school?

Every resident of the Rattlesnake Vally, in the low, mid, or upper, has a stake in Prescott School, not just the lower Rattlesnake residents. The lower Rattlesnake residents have a closer proximity to Prescott, which would make them more aware of the school and would be impacted in that way, however, again, Prescott School is of extreme importance to all residents and children of the Rattlesnake Valley. Prescott School was the first school (outside of a very old wood school as I recall) in the Rattlesnake Valley (with a beginning in 1891) and deserves to be cherished not only for the school itself but for the historical aspect as well.

An experience that our family had at one time a couple of years ago supports my view of the LRNC. A member of the LRNC came to speak with my spouse and I while we were raking and cleaning up the grounds at Prescott School. He discouraged us from doing this work. He said that it was probably not going to be a school again as the boiler needed a million dollars of work in addition to other obstacles to reopening the school. This signified to me, by his narrative, and as a leader of the LRNC for many years, that this group is not a friend of Prescott School, again, as in reopening it. I would think that others would agree with my opinion after reading about this encounter. Perhaps others have had different experiences. 

I have offended anyone I apologize. If what I've said rings a bell for any LRNC or URNC member please speak up for Prescott School as a school.Please speak up for our children, so it can continue the          educating them in a happier environment, which Prescott was for many children. They are counting on you. Prescott School is a historic landmark and needs to be protected as a school.

Edited 9-2026 - To be fair, since I have been up close and personal to the Prescott School issue since 2003(and even before that) and have seen mismanagement and some corruption I have realized that the school district is not always honorable in it's dealings. Perhaps the people on the LRNC aren't as sceptacle of MCPS as I am and are more trusting of the MCPS recommendations. This may be the case and is perfectly understandable. 

Perhaps we could work together! Many people would like to see a group that promotes the reopening of Prescott School. It would be great if all Rattlesnake residents could rally around Prescott School. 

Thank you!

Prescott School Missoula Advocate

September 20, 2026

edited on September 22, 2026

edited on September 29, 2026

edited on October 3, 2026 

2015 Letter to Missoulian - Re: Prescott School History and request to reopen Prescott

Throughout this year Missoula is celebrating its 150^th birthday.

In its early days a sawmill, Missoula Mills, was built near the Clark Fork, diverting water from Rattlesnake Creek.

Not far from this landmark and Missoula’s beginnings, is another, Prescott School.

In conjunction with Missoula’s centennial, in 1983, the Rattlesnake PTA published a booklet about the history of the area’s schools. Bonnie Malingo compiled Information on Prescott School, some of which follows.

“1891 marked the year a school was provided to meet Missoula’s growing pains in the Rattlesnake Valley.”   The original Prescott School started as the East Side School in 1891 in a grocery store on the corner of Harrison and Vine.

In 1893, the school district purchased land for $500 from the Missoula Real Estate Association on which to build another East Side School ( current location at 1100 Harrison) costing $4,000.

“In 1902, the Daily Missoulian reports, ‘East Side School was to be named Prescott School.’”

In 1948, Superintendent Porter, showed preliminary drawings of a newly proposed school building for Prescott. “In the spring of 1951 the new Prescott School was ready for occupancy.”

For many years, Prescott served 1-8^th grades. A variety of grade configurations were also used depending on the circumstances.

Prescott, a special school to many, was closed and leased in 2004 to the private Missoula International School. The lease will expire in 2017.  MCPS needs to reopen Prescott for its proper use of educating our public school students. Enrollment both in the Rattlesnake and city-wide is increasing and our schools are at capacity.

The section on Prescott history in the booklet mentioned above ends with the following sentence, “In closing, one of the finest things one can experience at Prescott is the tremendous interest and support from the parents and the public in the area.”

Jeanne Joscelyn

Prescott and neighborhood school advocate

Where are the people who closed Prescott School and then leased it to the private Missoula International School?

Where are the people who were responsible for closing our most treasured Prescott School?
Remember - the people, the Missoula County Public Schools Trustees, are by name:

Board Chairwoman - Rosemary Harrison
Trustee Jenda Hemphill(aka Jenda Cummings) later Board Chairwoman
Trustee Toni Rehbein (aka Toni Smartt) and later Board Chairwoman
Trustee Scott Bixler
Trustee Joe Toth

The above Trustees voted in the July, 2004 MCPS Board Meeting. This meeting was the SECOND vote on the Prescott School closure issue.

The Missoula County Public Schools Trustees who voted on March 24, the first vote, to close the school were)(only a 48 day process!)

Rosemary Harrison (see above)
Jenda Hemphill (see above)
Naomi Kimbell (aka Naomi DeMarinis)
and
David Merrill

Trustees who did not vote for the closure were: Suzette Dussault, Colleen Rogers, and Carol Bellin.

As one can see only four MCPS Trustees can radically transform  a neighborhood, a school district, and the city as a whole. It is quite apparent that there needs to be a tweaking of the process of school closures and also for school sales.

To get back to the topic on where the Trustees who voted for the closure of Prescott School are today -

Without too much research I believe that most of the people listed are still in Missoula. Rosemary Harrison is now a realtor, Scott Bixler was and still is I believe, working for the Forest Service, Joe Toth was and still is, I believe, working as a fireman. Jenda Hemphill, I have heard, unfortunately, has a disease, which I won't mention here. Naomi Kimbell, I believe is writing like her father did before her. And, I will have to see if I can find out where David Merrill works. Later: In 2006, PSM received, perhaps from Merrill himself a sticker with the following wording, "Global Warming Solution.org and in smaller letters, "be a part of it". Other than this connection I do not know David Merrill's work history.

Montana State Tax document shows that former MCPS Trustee (and Board Chair) Toni Rehbein was the president of Missoula International School  - Also shows Martha Newell as vice president

The point is that all of these people are now leading their own lives away from their past school board duties and none are taking responsibility for the troubles which they have caused. None are being held accountable for our crowded schools, for the busing of half of our school children due to the school closures for which they voted, for all the increased infrastructure building, etc. Wouldn't it have been just as easy to be cautious and NOT to have closed the schools, not to have sold a school, and not to have leased a school to a private school? Yes, but politics got in the way.

And politics is still in the way - One of the above Trustees was voted out of office, and soon after helped to start the Missoula Education Foundation. This foundation works closely with the school district. All the better to be close to MCPS business, including being part of the bond committee) and to manipulate outcomes of decision making. This Trustee also has children and grandchildren - so is his/her hands in school business affecting her grandchildren. Do they attend a school with the International Baccalaureate program is instituted by MCPS for example? PSM saw Harrison at the opening of the IB program at Lewis an Clark School. She was hugging a young man who could have been her son. Again, was her grandchild a student at Lewis and Clark School? Was the IB program pushed by Harrison with the idea that her grandchild could attend this school?

All things to consider so that lessons can be learned for future decisions.

edited on April 25, 2026 additions in blue