CATHRYN REITLER MCINTYRE

ARTIST-IN-COMMUNITY

Cathryn Reitler McIntyre of Glasgow, Montana, teaches foundational studio art at Bigger Sky Kids. A working artist with a Master of Fine Arts degree and an MA in secondary art education, both from the University of Montana, Cathryn has a deep and abiding interest in teaching art to children. She has previously worked with the Montana Office of Public Instruction and with the Fort Peck Community College, and has taught classes in Poplar, Brockton, Nashua and Frazer, all towns that sit on the Fort Peck Reservation. In 2020, her work was featured in Fired On: Targeting Western American Art by Toby Thompson.

WINONA RUNSABOVE

ARTIST-IN-COMMUNITY

Winona Runsabove of Frazer, Montana, teaches traditional Nakoda dance at Bigger Sky Kids. She is an instructor for the Fort Peck Tribes Language and Culture Department. An enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne, with Tituŋwaŋ (Lakota), Hudeshana (Red Bottom) Nakoda, and Sisitoŋwaŋ Dakota ancestry, she is recognized as a carrier of the tradition by the Fort Peck tribes.

Winona is a direct descendant of Chief Little Wolf—who led the Northern Cheyenne exodus from Oklahoma back home to Montana—and of his war chief Wild Hog. She is also a direct descendant of Chief Red Cloud of the Oglala Lakota. Winona is committed to passing on sacred rites and sharing stories that she learned from her father Bill Runsabove, a well-known Native American singer, drummer and composer, and lifelong advocate for preserving traditional performance.

BARBARA OLSON

PROGRAM DIRECTOR, VOLUNTEER

A retired teacher at Northside Elementary School in Wolf Point, Barbara Olson and her husband Larry own a small, diversified farm/ranch on the outskirts of Wolf Point. Barbara has a BS in Education with a K-12 reading endorsement from Montana State University Northern, a Master in Education specializing in Integrated Teaching through the Arts from Lesley University in Cambridge Mass, and a Master of Science in Special Education from Montana State University Billings. In spring 2020, the local Elks Club honored Barbara as Wolf Point citizen-of-the-year.

OTTO OSEN

PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Otto Osen hails from Glasgow, Montana, where he worked for Trinity Technology Group as a Transportation Security Officer at Glasgow airport. In January 2019, he was honored as employee of the month. In April 2019, he was promoted to Supervisory Transportation Security Officer at Wolf Point airport. Otto has an Associate of Arts degree with emphasis on mathematics and the visual arts from the University of Montana. His love of art was nurtured by his high school art teacher, Cathryn Reitler (McIntyre), Bigger Sky Kids’ artist-in-community. Along with abstract oil painting, his interests include gardening and cooking.

JANET ARMSTRONG

VOLUNTEER

Janet Armstrong was born and raised in Newtown, Connecticut. A graduate of Amherst College and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, she came to Wolf Point to practice primary care for “a few years before returning to the East Coast.” Shortly after, she met and married her husband Vic Shefelbine. They raised two children, Lara, an orthopedic resident in Seattle, and Lucas, who teaches English in France.

After thirty years practicing in Wolf Point and Glasgow, Janet retired in 2018 to spend more time with her husband. She loves traveling, walking gravel roads and section line trails, working out, reading, baking, volunteering and Wordle.

EMILY BOUTA

VOLUNTEER

Emily Bouta moved to Wolf Point from Rapid City, South Dakota, in late 2020. She grew up volunteering with Girl Scouts and, as she got older, began helping with after-school programs for children in elementary school and assisting in class in preschool, teaching arts and crafts. She currently works as a bookkeeper at Ag Partners in Wolf Point. Emily spends her free time volunteering for local organizations and learning more about her new hometown.

CONNIE BRIDGES & JOANN HESER

VOLUNTEERS

Sisters Connie Bridges (left) and Joann Heser (right) team teach cooking classes at Bigger Sky Kids. Joann served for twenty-six years as a court reporter for the 15th Judicial District of the State of Montana. She and her husband Rick own a farm/ranch south of Wolf Point. They have three grown children and three grandchildren. For the last forty years, Connie, who is a cosmetologist, has owned and operated Connie’s Cutting Cottage in Wolf Point. Connie and her late husband Greg raised four children and two grandchildren.

BRIDGET DRUMMOND

VOLUNTEER

Bridget Drummond teaches art and music at Northside Elementary School in Wolf Point. Born and raised on a farm/ranch near Pierre, South Dakota, Bridget attended the University of South Dakota Vermillion earning a BS degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. Before coming to Wolf Point, she taught in South Dakota, in Warsaw, Poland, and then in Hardin, Montana. Bridget loves teaching art and music because they allow her the opportunity to create, opening the door to endless possibilities.

KIYO RUHD

VOLUNTEER

Kiyo Ruhd was born and raised in Wolf Point where she lives with her husband Rockie. Since her retirement from the Roosevelt County Treasurers Office, she has indulged several hobbies — reading, gardening, camping and fishing. She also enjoys cooking and sharing her love of good food with students at Bigger Sky Kids.

PAT STENNES

PROGRAM COMMITTEE, VOLUNTEER

The proud mother of a daughter and two grandsons, Pat Stennes was born and raised in Wolf Point. She worked for Roosevelt County for more than forty years, serving as Clerk of District Court for thirty of them. Pat is an avid reader and gardener. She is a member of the Wolf Point Optimists and volunteers with the Junior Optimists. She is also active in her church, both as Secretary and as editor of the church bulletin.

DIANE TAYLOR

PROGRAM COMMITTEE, VOLUNTEER

Diane Taylor teaches special education at Northside Elementary School in Wolf Point. A member of the Optimist Club, volunteer with Boy Scouts of America and Student Council supervisor, Diane earned a Bachelor of Science, with emphasis on elementary curriculum K-8 and special education, and a Master of Science, with emphasis on school counseling, both from Montana State University Billings. She has a Masters in Educational Technology, focusing on modern technology in the classroom from Lesley University in Cambridge Mass, as well as a diploma and certification in Preschool-Kindergarten from Montessori.