Spotlight on the Democracy Project in Bozeman, Montana
Gallatin High School teens completed a three year project by adding birdhouses for bluebirds and chickadees, commemorative tiles, and interpretive signage that reflects the biodiversity of the space and the importance of water conservation. The signage was sponsored by the City of Bozeman and Gallatin Watershed Council. These finishing touches complete the outdoor classroom and greenspace that the group first began envisioning in 2023. Six seniors who had originated the project met their goal of completion before graduation. They wanted to experience the final results of this ambitious project improving their school and surrounding community. This project was the culmination of detailed planning, community fundraising and outreach, and forging partnerships with local businesses and non-profit organizations.
With over 1,500 students at Gallatin High School and many teachers utilizing the outdoor classroom the project will continue to impact the school and surrounding community for years to come. What a legacy! Democracy Project teens also presented to a statewide conference of librarians at the Montana Library Conference in Butte and won a prize at DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), a career preparation organization, for the project.
Gallatin High School will participate in Democracy in Dialogue, a national civic education virtual exchange program of the Smithsonian Institution’s Rural Education Initiatives.
