Bigfork High School Students Win Trip To Washington D.C.

Story & Photos provided by Mary Sullivan

A team of students and teachers from Bigfork High School has been selected to travel to meet Librarian of Congress James Billington in Washington, D.C., to present historical research on Bigfork to the Library of Congress.

Teacher Mary Sullivan was notified of the award at a Montana Heritage Project student conference in Helena earlier this month, at which students from twelve schools around Montana presented their research to Governor Judy Martz for permanent preservation in the Montana Historical Society archives. The ceremony was attended by Art Ortenberg, of the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation, which has donated well over $1 million to the Project.

L. to r.: Jossie Pekus, David Solomon, Governor Judy Martz, Megan Hinch, Teacher Mary Sullivan, and Ryan Kuhn

 

"You are not just recording history, you are making history," Governor Martz told over one hundred young Montanans at the conference. "The work you are doing has made Montana a leader in developing the educational programs that America needs today."

Students David Solomon, Megan Hinch, Ryan Kuhn, and Jossie Pekus will serve as ambassadors for the statewide project. Their research combined studies in literature and history and led students to visit many historical sites and interview many longtime residents of Bigfork. The emphasis this year was on collecting oral histories of veterans.

Students will travel to Washington, D.C., May 13-19. In addition to a ceremony with Dr. Billington in the Librarian's office overlooking the nation's capitol, they will also attend the National Partners Meeting for the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress on May 14. Bigfork High School, along with seven other schools in the Montana Heritage Project, is a partner with the Library of Congress in this project.

Pictured on left: On the stairs in the MT State Capitol Rotunda
L to r: Ryan Kuhn, Jossie Pekus, David Solomon, Megan Hinch

The student ambassadors will also meet with Senator Baucus, Senator Burns, and Representative Denny Rehberg to discuss Montana's present and its future. They will also be given a behind-the-scenes tour of the Library of Congress, which sponsors the Project in cooperation with the Montana Historical Society and the Office of Public Instruction. They will visit the many museums in town as well as attend a play at the Kennedy Center. Part of the reason for the trip is to strengthen the connection between young people from rural Montana with our national culture.

Setting up the display of Montana Heritage Project work done by the junior class of Bigfork High School in the Rotunda of the Montana State Capitol Building
L to r: Ryan Kuhn, Jossie Pekus, Megan Hinch, David Solomon

The Montana Heritage Project is beginning its eighth year of sponsoring community research projects by high school students. "This is a project whose time has come," commented Project Director Michael Umphrey. "As schools become more community-centered, communities become more education-centered. Together, young people and old people examine their communities, asking fundamental questions about life in the American West. Young people are motivated, older people are involved, teachers are reinvigorated, and communities are revitalized. It's education as it ought to be."		  
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