Clamity Jane
One of my favorite activities at the FE Miley Elementary School is the end-of-year Extravaganza, held on May 23rd. The kindergarten class theme was "Travels to Antarctica." Teacher Samantha Weaver said, "We collaborated with Connie Reichel when she went to Antarctica. So it was perfect. They just had a great time, and we learned a lot. I learned a lot." A study of four different Penguins on display was excellent, and a few of the students let me take their pictures once they had their penguin masks on.
The First-grade teacher, Renee Leader, had a "Walking Tour of Our Own Community." The first graders had several field trips to local businesses. One student picked the Odd Fellow Hall because his mom had a business in the basement, and his grandfather plays a guitar there. He wants to play the guitar, too. The Big Sandy Historical Society Museum was a popular site. They loved going to the bakery. This student said she wanted to be a baker when she got older. Big Sandy Organics, including the Big Sandy Medical Center, The First Bank, The Grocery Store, The Fire Station, Pep's, and The Mint, was fun. The first-grade classroom was full of visitors, too. The project was an excellent idea for the students.
The 2nd-grade class, led by teacher Bonnie Bauer, embarked on 'A Road Trip Across the USA.' It was a joy to hear the students' dreams and aspirations related to their trips. As a travel enthusiast, I was particularly excited to hear about their travel plans. While most of the kids didn't share their reasons for choosing their destinations, I hope their traveling dreams come true someday. This project was an excellent opportunity for the students to dream big and explore their interests.
The third-grade class with teacher Sheri Moore and the fifth-grade class with teacher Trinity Leeds wrote books and shared them with the public. I love it when the kids use their creative energies to write. I hope their parents keep those books forever.
The 4th-grade class, which will be Demrece Keeler's last Extravaganza, was a wax museum with people involved in Montana History. They had to dress like their person and put together a poster presentation. It is their first attempt at research. The Montana heroes presented were Fannie Sperry Steel-Montana champion bronc Rider; Frederick Augustus Heinze, a mining engineer for the Boston and Montana Company in 1894; and Charley Pride, a famous country singer who moved to Montana to play for the Missoula Timerjacks and later the Helena Smelterits baseballs team Alice Greenough Orr was an internationally known rodeo organizer. She was the first rodeo queen, born in 1902 on a Red Fork Ranch. Bertha Brewer Patten was a great-grandmother of Dorothea Merrill, who was impressed with her gramma's accomplishments. Calamity Jane, whose real name was Martha Jane Canary, moved to Montana by wagon train to Virginia City, Montana. William Clark was known for his most famous copper king job. Sacagawea's history in Montana is well documented. The Chauvet Twins researched the Brander Sisters, whose difficult life was inspirational. Myrna Loy was a famous dancer born in Helena, and Bud Lucky was a Disney animator born in Billings.
The Sixth Grade class did two projects, Sports Heroes and Surface Area Zoo. The Surface Area Zoo was a team effort that involved a lot of work. In the middle of the room were the built projects. The sports heroes were interesting! Courtney Duncan has four world championships in WMX (dirt bike); Tony Hawk is a professional skateboarder. Peyton Manning is a famous professional football quarterback. A football player, Charles "Chuck" Bednarik, whom I had never heard of, was well-researched. Evel Knievel was an American daredevil who did jumps with his motorcycle. Next was "Mike Tyson: The Greatest Boxer of all time". Katie Ledecky has 21 world swimming champion medals. Tricia Sanders was chosen because she was the first female wrestler to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Chipper Jones spent 19 years playing for the Braves. Ifenna Cos-Palla is a famous volleyball player. Bethania De La Cruz is an eight-time gold medalist in volleyball. Ray Lewis is a famous football player! The most interesting hero was Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo's Super Mario creator. And finally, Larry Bird is a famous basketball player
