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Show by MARIE HOEFFNER Photos by Kurt Wilson Little School prairie on The the short bell in hand-run- g bell tower at Trinity School has rung generations of children into class for more than a hundred years. Youngsters stdl learn to read, write, add, and subtract under the same roof that has sheltered students since 1893. The day begins when one child raises the Stars and Stripes while leading the Pledge of Allegiance. "It's a reward for them to lead the pledge," says Donna Fischer, the lone teacher. And, with just three students, that reward is frequent. After the pledge, the one and two take turns ringing the bell, then race inside to begin a day of studies in the sort of school that educated America since before the nation was born. They do fight over it (the bell), though, Fischer says with a grin. The school in Canyon Creek, Mont. a ranching community of about 200 people may be an anachronism in this age of consolidated school districts, but the students dont mind it a bit. The school's small size means the teacher and her first-grad- third-grade- rs er Teacher Donna Fischer joins in recess at the with her students. After all, without her, the children wouldn't have teams. At lunch, she warms the children's lunches if needed and chen joins them at the large rectangular table in the gymnasium. "We talk about what we re doing at home or what we did last night," Fischer says. "After lunch, each one ed community. Volunteer firefighters and the valleys 4 H youths meet there. Although class is held in one room, the kinderschool also has a computer garten through sixth-gra- wipes up after themselves and one is assigned to sweep the floor because we don't have a custodian every day." de room and a small gymnasium. Fischer, who does everything from opening and closing the school to answering the phone to warming up meals, Her students agree that the school's small size allows them each more time with the teacher. And we help each other out, says Kayla Mills, 7. Time with the teacher includes TVtUTY SCHOOL DISTRICT eSTAOLISHCD 1893 Kaylas favorite subject games at recess. She even plays fox and geese with us, Kayla laughs. The little school, named for a bygone mining camp that once thrived nearby, is still surrounded by the golden hayfields of some of Montana's oldest family ranches, along with panoramic vistas of the Continental Divide. students are a close-knIt has a very good teacher, computers, and a family. At recess, Fischer plays basketball or kickball, good library. Everything is automated. Theres even right along a satellite dish," says Earl Wohl-froFischer and Kayla Mills eat lunch in Trinitys gym, which doubles as a library. a local rancher and 1944 it Trinity graduate. Because of the states vast expanses and agricultural economy, country schools such as Trinity one of the states oldest functioning elementary schools ore far from extinct. Mon- tana today boasts about 113 schools with 40 or fewer students. Trinity School is the heart of Canyon Creek. The communitys most anticipated events are held there school with just three students this year. one-roo- m is determined to prepare students for the challenges they'll meet beyond Trinitys familiar surroundings. I want them to have confidence; to believe in themselves, Fischer says. State test results prove rural school students do as well scholastically as peers in larger schools, even with fewer resources, says Claudette Morton, Montana Small Schools Alliance executive director. Catherine Coleman says her granddaughter, Kayla, excels in Trinitys comfortable setting. "She the gets attention she needs," says Coleman, a school board member. Unfortunately, a roster that fluctuates between three and 26 students makes survival tough, as many parents opt to take their children to larger schools in Helena where they work. But residents view the school as an important pan of their heritage, says Rick Grady, a Trinity alumni and school board president. They have raised taxes, repaired leaky pipes, and painted to keep Trinity School alive. Grady, whose father, grandfather, and two children attended Trinity, says the community is determined the school will not close. It would be a loss to the community ... a loss of identity." including plays and gradua- tions. People vote or speak out at town meetings on issues facing their Writer Marie Hueffner lives on a ranch in Winston, Mont., with her husband and three children. |