Current School Policy

Current School Board Members

Liz Watt

Liz Watt

Chairwoman of the Board

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I am a born and raised Montanan.  After growing up in West Yellowstone, I attended Montana State University and Utah State University, studying finance and interior design.  After college, my husband Travis and I decided to make West Yellowstone our home, raising our four children here.  Two of our children have already graduated from West Yellowstone School.

In addition to serving on the School Board, I also serve as vice chair on the Community Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, secretary-treasurer for the West Yellowstone Athletic Booster Club, and am the newly appointed secretary of the West Yellowstone Foundation Executive Board.

I believe every child has incredible potential and that they are our greatest blessing and most precious resource.  Schools should provide a safe and encouraging environment where children can grow academically, physically, and mentally to achieve their full potential and become effective and successful citizens.

Kelsey Meitzel

Vice Chair

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I was born and raised in Montana. The majority of my childhood was spent in the community of West Yellowstone. I graduated from WYHS in 2008, and that fall attended MSU. In 2012, I graduated with honors, receiving a degree in History of SETS (Science, Environment, Technology, and Society) with a minor in Hispanic Studies.

After graduating, I took a break from continuing my education and came back to West Yellowstone to work. It was during this educational hiatus that my mom, the school’s superintendent at the time, encouraged me to sign up for substitute teaching. After subbing for the SPED teacher for several weeks, I began to think twice about law school and began considering a career in education - which is ultimately what I ended up doing.

My professional background consists of experience in both traditional and non-traditional teaching roles; however, I am currently the Retail Operations Manager at a local business. Although I no longer work in the field of education, education never left my heart. I continue to be passionate about student success, curriculum development, and policy in education. I also firmly believe that every child deserves access to free, high-quality instruction. 

My husband and I feel lucky to be able to raise our two daughters here in the West Yellowstone Community. My hope is that they grow up to appreciate their childhood here as much as I do.

Kelset Meitzel

Brandi Brown

Trustee

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I became involved with West Yellowstone Schools when I attended my first day of 6th grade, and I've been here ever since. I am the newest member of the School Board, and I hope my time thus far has been a benefit to our school and community. Since I grew up here in West Yellowstone and remember what it was like, I have tried to devote as much of my time as possible to help our local youth see all the joy, beauty, and benefits growing up in a small town can offer. Other places may have more options, but we make up for it in quality. My hope for our school and community is that we continue to grow with grace, patience, understanding, and empathy without ever losing sight of our small-town roots. We are genuinely all in this together, and we can't better ourselves or our schools without our stakeholders' support and guidance. We are proud that our School Board and administration have an open-door policy, and we would be happy to see or hear from all of you. It really does take a village, and I'm proud to call this village my home.

Brandi Brown

Estela Tatiana Salinas

Estela Tatiana Salinas

Trustee

I was born in Michoacan, Mexico. My parents brought me to the USA at the young age of 3 years old. Throughout my childhood, I have lived in California, Idaho, Arizona, and Montana.  

I have been a resident of West Yellowstone for 21 years now, and at one point I was a student of West Yellowstone School. I have three kids who attend this school, one in 2nd grade and two middle schoolers. Due to life-changing circumstances, I dropped out of school before graduating. I later went back to school, and I obtained my GED in Bozeman at Wilson School through adult education courses in 2014. I was also a beneficiary of the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program. I became a US Citizen in September 2021. I worked as a substitute for the last couple of months. I am bilingual and hope to be the voice and connection between the Hispanic community of West Yellowstone and the school district. My goal is to help identify any of the problems we face as a district and find solutions for all the stakeholders involved.