They conceived of a plan to help students understand community and place and donated a generous amount of money to experiment in seven site schools in Montana. Under the direction of the Library of Congress, the Montana Arts Council, and the Montana Historical Society, our school was chosen for the Montana Heritage Project. St. Ignatius is a small town located on the Flathead Indian Reservation. I selected the 26-member senior English class for participation in the project. The first day I enthusiastically announced we were going to study our town and was met with immediate oppostion.
Nothing ever goes on here.
I couldn't wait to see his metamorphosis. We began by strolling through our ten-block town. I asked students to pretend they were visiting St. Ignatius and to record distinct or notable characteristics about the geography or people. Within two blocks I could hear students talking about fond memories of the particular places we passed. Jenny remembered how Heather and she found money in the nearby field and played store.