LHS Montana History class planning extended end-of-year field trip; seeking support, funding

The Lincoln High School Montana History class is preparing for their annual end-of year field trip May 19-21, 2020, and needs help from the community.

Scott Butterfield, a Montana history student, gave a presentation to the PTSO recently on the proposed field trip and requested a donation to help fund the trip. He explained the plan is for students to go on a two-day field trip that would include a visit to the Lewis & Clark Caverns, a Virginia City Walking Tour, stops at the Quake Lake Visitors center, the Grizzly & Wolf Discover Center and a visit to Yellowstone Park, where they’ll see Old Faithful, Geyser Basins and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The trip includes a visit to the Buffalo Bill Museum and time to explore Cody, Wyo., the Beartooth Highway and the Lamar Valley.

“I believe this trip is important because a lot of the students in Lincoln haven’t had the opportunity to go see some of the things we’re going to see,” said Nancy Schwalm, co-teacher of the Montana History class. She said they are very significant places. “We have an incredibly unique place for wildlife and geothermic features for the kids to learn about.”

The class, consisting of eight 10th graders, one 9th grader and a senior, will have the opportunity to explore some of Montana’s treasures and Schwalm’s hope is that by being able to experience it, the students will gain an appreciation of where they come from, which might spark a new career interest or path and get them excited about something. She said the inspiration may not be purely academic, but may include various art forms such as photography, drawing, painting, journaling or writing.

“I believe it will give them some buy-in and something to look forward to,” she said.

She says the students are very excited about the trip. The hardest part for her is having to limit the number of kids who can go. Funding is a key issue, and if there were more funds available, she’d like to take more students.

Her eventual goal is that students who complete all four years of high-school in Lincoln will have the opportunity, through various field trips and classes, to hit some of the major features in and around Montana. Ideally every other year they would have a trip to Glacier and Yellowstone. In between those big trips they would have the opportunity to visit places such as the National Bison Range, the Butte Mining Museum, Bannack State Park or the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, where students could follow the dinosaur trail throughout Montana.

To help fund the trip, Schwalm applied for and received the MILES Scholarship, which is specifically for groups of students and helps defray the cost of transportation and lodging. The scholarship also gets them free entry into the Buffalo Bill Museum.

“One of the things I’d like the community to know is just how important it is for our kids to experience who we are as Montanans and to help find sense of place not only in our community but in the bigger picture of where we are as Montanans, and our role in the country and our history, while having an understanding and appreciation for all the resources that we have here,” Schwalm said.

She cites Lewis & Clark, a piece of national history every kid studies about. “They opened up the west for expansion and they walked right through our yards. What kids are reading about in North Carolina and Kentucky (happened) right here.” She said, adding it’s not some nebulous thing that happened in some faraway place, but happened right here and had an impact on the nation and our history.

She also believes if the students have a sense of place they also have a sense of belonging and a way to share and educate others, saying, “If you understand something, you have a stake in the game and a sense of stewardship and can help take care of it.”

The class is still reaching out to local organizations to assist with funding for the trip. They are also interested in food donations such as yogurt, bread, lunchmeat, vegetables, fruit, etc., which will give them a little more flexibility, so they can stop and hit a picnic area or put items into a backpack to go out on an adventure.

If you would like to help, contact Schwalm at the school at 406-362-4201.