Hot Springs students give back to community

The Hot Springs High School Jobs for Montana's Graduates and Youth Entrepreneur (JMG/YE) class has been given the opportunity to give back to their community in a big way. Last year, the class, co-taught by Sher Loberg and Bob Neiman, took on the endeavor of rebranding LaRue Hot Springs Museum. After creating an established online presence, the response the students saw from their community gave them momentum to collaborate and tackle another project.

The museum offers a glimpse into the area's history. The museum has been open during the summer on weekends since 2008. The students wanted to offer more to locals and those who visit.

With the hope of establishing a self-guided walking tour throughout the museum's property, the class wrote a grant that allowed the museum to apply for funding from The Montana History Foundation. As this was the students' first time doing any kind of grant writing, it was no easy undertaking. "We had to start with the problem," said Hot Springs student Austin Campbell. "The problem is that there is limited access to the museum and we needed to change that." Funding would help keep the museum accessible year-round. The students' dream to build a Living Heritage Interpretive Center had the possibility of coming true.

The students' goal is for the Living Heritage Interpretive Center to become a community center that will host educational events while sharing local culture and history. A walking path with educational signage will guide visitors to four newly built gardens full of native plants that will complement the jail, the Sorenson Cabin and the educational center. The path will continue around the property, allowing visitors the chance to view the extensive collection of agricultural relics. The tour ends at a gathering space where students plan on incorporating a rock patio, fire pit, picnic table and chairs.

"We're going to fill the walkway with wood chips and use a log or a beam to hold everything in," said Hot Springs student Jack McAllister during a tour given to the Ledger. "We want to put up welcome signs, historical signs and get rid of all the graffiti."

The students have worked with local herbalists and master gardeners to decide which native plants and trees will work best with the area and the soil. "We've chosen a lot of the plants already," said student Sky VanDerGang. "We also hope to plant an aspen grove out back. We're creating this ourselves, we're eager to get moving on it." The students also plan on adding wild rose bushes, lilacs and fruit trees around the walking path. "I've really enjoyed the whole process," said Hot Springs student Kyle Lawson. "It's been a lot of fun and it feels good to do something for the community." The students were in agreement that even if they didn't get the grant, they still wanted to continue the work on the museum's property.

Last Thursday, representatives from The Montana History Foundation drove from Helena to share some good news with the JMG/YE class. While the students came to the museum thinking they would be starting work on the project, Loberg and Neiman had other plans in mind. The Montana History Foundation awarded LaRue Hot Springs Museum with a $5,000 grant.

"We are thrilled to support this project and everything you are doing here," said The Montana History Foundation president Charlene Porsild. "This is the only application that has been written and applied for by students." Porsild said The Montana History Foundation received over $400,000 in proposals this year, $215,000 of which were funded. The JMG/YE proposal competed against 40 others and ranked in the top five.

"Writing the grant was a big process, but we all worked really well together," said senior Moira Lonergan. "I'm excited we got the grant and I'm looking forward to making all the plans come true." The entire class was surprised to see the museum win the grant, including sophomore Vivi McKeever. "This is awesome," she said. "It's great news to hear, we were all really stressed about it."

The project is set to begin May 1 and students, teachers and museum board members are ready to get to work. "This is just the beginning and there's only room to grow," Neiman said. "There's momentum now and hopefully a shift in the community when they see this is student driven. It will be powerful to see how people react once we get going."

Loberg has watched the students and their progress from the very beginning of this project. "I'm extremely proud of my students and their passion for the museum," she said. "They didn't like the look of the museum property, so they put together a doable plan and applied for the grant that could make it happen. I just hope they realize how special this is."