Fifty students named recipients of Mayor's Scholarship funds

Fifty students from area schools will be awarded scholarships totaling $50,000 at the Mayor’s Scholarship Fund Ceremony on  March 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Shilo Inn in Idaho Falls.

This number is up from 32 awarded last year. 

The fund supports two different awards, the  Senior Scholarship, for graduating
seniors, in the amount of $1,500; and the Mayor’s Promise Award, in the amount of $500 for students in grades 8-11 who agree to maintain a college-bound path. Both awards are intended for use at accredited institutions of higher education in Idaho. The Mayor’s Promise Award can also be applied to dual credit courses taken in Idaho high schools. Dual credit courses allow students to obtain college credits while working toward their high school diploma.  

The program dates back to 2006 and was established by Idaho Falls Mayor Jared Fuhriman in partnership with the District 91 Education Foundation. Since then, it has awarded 248 scholarships totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. An endowment fund was also established.

Here are the names of the students who received awards.

2014 Senior Recipients
Alexandra Brabec Hillcrest
Parker Erikson  Idaho Falls High
Taylor Gunnell  Hillcrest
Jesenia Hernandez Idaho Falls High
Lelainne Horvath Skyline 
Natasha Hughes  Idaho Falls High
Corbin John   Idaho Falls High
Bailey McBride   Hillcrest
Sydney Mecham  Hillcrest
Madison Molino   Idaho Falls High
Katelyn Morgan   Hillcrest
Kennadee Moss   Idaho Falls High
Veronica Nield   Idaho Falls High
Karissa Olson  Hillcrest
Kali Parkinson  Bonneville
Lesly Rodriquez  Emerson High
Marlee Smith  Bonneville
Megan Smith  Skyline
Jacob Taggart   Idaho Falls
Haylea Thomason  Bonneville
Xenya Valdez  Bonneville
Olivia Webb  Idaho Falls High
Kylie Weber   Skyline
Mikaela Wilkins   Skyline
Elon Joshua Wood Skyline
 
2014 Promise Recipients
Payton Batte  Eagle Rock
Ethan Bauer   Eagle Rock
Brianna Duncan  American Heritage
Kylee Bourdeau  Eagle Rock
Shayley Stevens   Skyline
Maria Flores   Eagle Rock
Jared Anderson  Eagle Rock
Misty Bills   Skyline
Ashley Butikofer  Bonneville
Kenidee Casper  Rocky Mountain
Jessica Dennert   Skyline
Hollyn Drake  Sandcreek
Elijah Duguette  Idaho Falls
Oaklee Gose   Taylorview
Jason Hale   Hillcrest
Emily Josephson  Skyline
Adrianna Larimer  Eagle Rock
Brizeyda Martinez-Sanchez Skyline
BreaAnna Miller  Tech Careers Bonneville
Maria Nunez   Sandcreek
MiKirah Olsen  Taylorview
Chase Owen   Skyline
Julia Rice   Skyline
Tessa Tirrell   Taylorview
Lexi Webster  Hillcrest

Frontier Airlines plans to bring service to Idaho Falls in June

An Airbus A-319 jet owned by Frontier Airlines, which plans to begin round-trip service between Idaho Falls and Denver in June.

Frontier Airlines will begin servicing a route between Idaho Falls and Denver in June, offering three round trips a week.

Idaho Falls Regional Airport Director Craig Davis said the city and the carrier reached an agreement Friday for flights to start June 13. The company plans to fly 124-seat Airbus A-319 jets into Idaho Falls on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at 10:44 p.m.. departing the following morning at 6:35 a.m.

This will be in addition to IDA-DEN flights being offered by United Express. Davis said he hopes the competition for customers will lower airfare prices out of Idaho Falls and boost the number of people getting on and off planes here. In studies done at more than a dozen other airports, there has not been a "robbing Peter to pay Paul" effect, he said. Rather, both carriers have realized more customers and greater profitability.

Frontier is a low-fare, no frills airline that has expanded in the United States by flying its planes from hubs to smaller airports. (By way of personal example, last summer I flew Frontier from Salt Lake City to Denver, then to Wilmington, Del., where my mother lives. Idaho Falls Regional looks like LAX compared to the Wilmington airport, even though Wilmington probably has 10 times the population.)

Looking at the online booking at www.flyfrontier.com, the Tuesday/Wednesday fare between Idaho Falls and Denver is $48.09.

This news comes on the heels of Delta announcing it would begin round-trip service three times a week between Idaho Falls and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Personal Branding: The other side wants to get to know you

On Friday I was honored to be a speaker at TEDxAmmon. As excited as I was to be part of this inaugural event, at the same time I was petrified.

There shouldn’t have been any reason to be nervous. I was familiar with my topic and had done preparation, research and countless hours of practice. I have been doing public speaking since my preteen years.

This was different, though.  I knew there would be more than 100 people in attendance, a live streaming feed, and within a few weeks a YouTube video. I sat nervously at my table waiting for the event to start, heart racing, reviewing notes, watching my Prezi presentation on my laptop, and praying (oh man, was I praying!) All I could think was if I didn’t completely nail this presentation,  professionally I was toast and probably my business, too.

With about 20 minutes to spare before the event, I made the decision to give up. That’s right – I gave up.

You see, I was so focused on being poised, serious, convincing, well-spoken and rehearsed that I wasn’t focused on what the foundation of the presentation was: personal brands – more specifically my personal brand. When I realized I had lost touch of that I decided to let go of everything that was inhibiting me. I covered my notes, closed my computer, took a deep breath and just prepared to be me. Instead of presenting, I decided to talk to my audience and share my story.

Guess what?  It worked! I was still nervous when I gave my presentation, but the basis of the presentation had my personal brand and the “me” factor written all over it. You see, the presentation itself wasn’t just a presentation but a clear demonstration in real time of the impact personal branding has had on our society. In this case I was the the test subject.

Quite a few people thanked me for my presentation and insight, and some told me I'd moved them to tears. This was what I had wanted, and it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t let go.

Both personally and professionally, our society is demanding a more personal view of who each of us are. I am not saying that if you walk into an interview I expect you to share every intimate detail of your life story. But I do expect you to share who you are. Your knowledge, experience and career history are important to me, but your personality traits and life experiences mean even more because I want to make sure you are not just a good fit for my clients but the best fit.

How does one create an effective personal brand? As with Friday’s presentation there’s more to the story than we can focus on this week. Next week I'll be focusing on Creating “You” as a Brand.

Smitty's recognized by national travel blogger

 Congratulations to Smitty's Pancake and Steak House, a venerable Idaho Falls institution recently named by "Explore All 50" blogger Alisa Abecassis as one of the Top 10 Breakfast Experiences Across the United States.

Abecassis has been traveling around America with her kids, chronicling their adventures and offering tips to anyone who might be of the same mind.

"Sometimes our hotel doesn’t offer breakfast so we are forced to seek out somewhere tasty to chow down before we head out to our next adventure. Much to our delight we have found some wonderful places that served delicious breakfasts that were truly memorable and we’d like to share that list with you," she writes.

Smitty's was one of my first dining experiences in Idaho Falls, when I came here in 1980 to be best man at a wedding (the wedding party stayed at the Stardust.) Plenty of old Idaho Falls has disappeared in the years since then, and it's nice to see some things not only endure but get the recognition they deserve.

Idaho Falls holding open house on signage plan

The city of Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation Division is holding an open house Monday to comments and opinions on the proposed master way-finding and signage program. The event will be at the Idaho Falls Public Library from 5 to 8 p.m.

In May 2013, Idaho Falls issued a request for proposals for the development of a signage program to guide travelers from highways, streets and trails to city facilities, parks and schools. Pasadena-based Hunt Design, a national leader in identity, signage and environmental graphic programs, was the lowest bidder and was awarded the contract at the City Council's regular meeting Aug. 8. The bid was $72,250 for the city and $38,250 for the Tautphaus Park Zoo.  

Better signs will help promote tourism and emphasize Idaho Falls as a unique and attractive destination, said Parks and Recreation Director Greg A. Weitzel. It will also reduce driver and pedestrian frustrations and improve traffic flows, he said.

The proposal is for universal design standards that reflect the city’s identity; comprehensive
signs that identify primary, secondary and tertiary streets; informational park signs; and trail and  bicycle signage and kiosks. The plan would also include comprehensive way-finding and signage for the Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park.