Happy Wednesday, Beacon readers! Mariah Thomas here this afternoon, after returning from a wonderful trip to Ohio last weekend, where I worked for two years before moving up to the Flathead Valley. It was so special getting to see so many wonderful friends — and now, I’m looking forward to checking another summer bucket list item off this upcoming weekend by paying a visit to the Under the Big Sky music festival in Whitefish! This season never stops being exciting.

But enough about all that.

This week, I was reminded that amid these dog days of summer, some are already thinking about school being back in session.

That’s true for the new By Faith Homeschool Collective, which will start offering enrichment classes for homeschooled students in the Flathead Valley this fall. According to Crystal Clark, the collective’s founder and director, By Faith Homeschool Collective aims to fill in the gap left behind when Flathead Enrichment Classes, which formerly serviced homeschooling families, closed down.

Homeschooling in Montana is a relatively easy process to start — parents who want to homeschool their children must notify the county superintendent of schools each year and must maintain attendance records. Over the past decade, homeschooling in the Flathead has seen a boom, with enrollment growing by 66% at the elementary level and by 75% at the high school level, per the Flathead County Superintendent of Schools’ 2025 statistical report. As of Oct. 6, 2025, 942 elementary schoolers in the valley were being homeschooled. Another 227 were being homeschooled at the high school level. Those figures fall below a homeschooling peak in 2020 but still remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Clark, who homeschools her own children, said homeschooling has become “huge” in the Flathead. But, she said, sometimes families opting to homeschool their children can benefit from having a chance to socialize, take coursework outside of core subjects, or from somebody else teaching a particular class their student is struggling in. That’s where the By Faith Homeschool Collective comes in.

Clark has spent the summer recruiting certified teachers and area professionals to teach core subjects, along with a slew of enrichment activities, community events and more for preschool through high school students.

For a $100 annual membership fee, parents can enroll their students in the collective’s courses, which include both core courses and out-of-the-box options like Crossfit, ballet, a “Cooking Around the World” class, wilderness survival and more.

The collective’s courses will be hosted at the Trailhead Church, located at 315 E. Evergreen Drive in Kalispell. And while the name, By Faith, reflects Clark’s family’s personal beliefs, she said the collective offers coursework that is not religious in nature and hopes to welcome students of all backgrounds through its doors.

According to Clark, the collective plans to welcome between 150 and 200 homeschooling families this year.

Thanks to a recent $1,000 donation from an anonymous benefactor in Libby, some of those families are eligible for financial help to cover their costs.

“We believe every family should have access to a strong homeschool community,” the press release stated. “This donation removes one financial barrier and allows more families to experience the friendships, encouragement, and educational opportunities our collective provides.”

Eight scholarships remain for new member families with three or more children, and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Since Clark announced the scholarships in a press release Friday, two have already been claimed.

And… that’s what I’ve got for you all today. Onto the rest of today’s Daily Roundup.