The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

On May 20th, F.E. Miley Elementary School put on its annual Open House Extravaganza. Parents and community members were welcomed into the elementary school to see displays and hear presentations put on by students in order to share some of what they have learned during the school year. The Extravaganza was cancelled last year due to the Covid lockdowns, so students, teachers, and parents alike were pleased at the opportunity to resume the tradition.

The Kindergarten portion of the open house featured places around the world that students "visited" through their classwork. Mrs. Weaver explained: "Our theme in the kindergarten class this year was 'adventure.' So I thought we would travel to places all around the world. We researched each place, and then we developed a project to go with them. The kids are super excited about it. In fact, a lot of them said they would like to travel to those places for the summer or when they got older." Displays included the Grand Canyon, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, Redwood National Forest, and other locations.

The 1st grade presented information related to the Rain Forests. The room was filled with rainforest sounds and foliage, while students decked out in explorer outfits taught visitors about animals, geography, plants, and other aspects of the rainforests. Mrs. Hanson explained: "About 4 weeks ago, we started researching with iPads all about the rainforests. They got to pick and choose each station they wanted to do, and they have turned the entire classroom into a real rainforest. We love that the parents and everyone in the community gets to see it. They practiced really hard to speak well. I'm glad we can bring the community in this year so we can do this."

The 2nd grade projects related to volcanos. Students started their time explaining the ins and outs of volcanic eruptions before cutting loose with erupting their volcano projects. Mr. Parker described the day: "They're having fun with it. I feel like they did a pretty good job presenting. Now we're just erupting everything. After we got done with all the presentations, they just really wanted to keep erupting and erupting."

Walking through the 3rd grade room, visitors were treated to a variety of amusement parks designed and built by the students. Each park included a theme, various rides, concessions stands, and guests.

An annual favorite, the 4th grade continued its tradition of the wax museum presentations. Students researched and created presentations related to Montana Historical figures. Guests spent time trying to get the wax figures to laugh or break character. Mrs. Keller describes the ongoing love students demonstrate for the event: "I really enjoy it, and I think the kids do, too. What's fun about the wax museum, I'll have high school kids come down and say 'Thank you for still doing it!' when they see it, because they did it. So, that's fun."

Miss Darlington's 5th grade class did a modified version of the wax museum. Students dressed as world historical figures and practiced speeches that they would deliver to guests. Each presentation had its own "start" button to prompt the beginning of their talks. Paul Revere, Lewis and Clark, Teddy Roosevelt, and others shared pieces of their life stories. Miss Darlinton praised their work: "They worked really hard. I am proud of how much effort they put into everything. They did an awesome job of being their person and memorizing their speech. It's a big thing. I'm very proud of them."

Mrs. Worrell's 6th grade class designed and ran food trucks for their guests. Visitors were given fake money to spend on snacks at each truck. Students learned marketing, math, and other elements of running a business. "I love the extravaganza because it shows what the kids have learned. It gives them an opportunity to speak and to get out of their comfort zone. We did math and some marketing, writing, art, etc. It's nice that the community can come in, and that we can do it."

After last year's extravaganza was cancelled due to the lockdowns, the return of an old favorite was a welcome change. The community turned out en masse to celebrate and appreciate our young students.