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Teachers are having to find increasingly clever ways to keep their students involved and to keep them from being let down. In Trout Creek, one such teacher decided to host a drive-through art show to feature her students' work from throughout the year. Maurita Crew, the lone teacher for the Trout Creek Adventist School, a small private school run out of Seventh Day Adventist Church, decided to do something a little different with her class.

The idea sprouted from a canceled event that the school attends every year. "There are so many things for the end of the year that we could not do," said Crew. In Bozeman, the Trout Creek Adventist school meets with other schools of the same conference to take part in Edfest. The event changes its focus every year, constantly asking participating students to work on a different kind of project. This year's theme was art, and the students in Trout Creek had been working or their projects for some time, having become excited to show off what they had worked so hard for.

Unfortunately, the event was cancelled and so to continue with tradition, and to allow her students to publicly express their art, Crew decided upon having a drive-thru art show. "Our teacher wanted to see our kids complete it," said Tara Craik, mother of to two daughters in the school and a school board member, regarding the art show and the teacher's determination. Tara expressed her excitement for a teacher who works so hard for her kids.

John Down

Picasso-style projects were completed by several students.

Another benefit of the drive-through idea, as Craik explained, was that students of all ages in the school could participate. The Edfest event only accepts participants in grades fifth through eighth, however in the drive-thru, artwork and class projects from all the students throughout the year was featured.

The Trout Creek Adventist School is a church affiliated, one-room schoolhouse style environment, where all grades participate together. The school accepts children grades one through eight. "They learn a lot of 21st century skills," said Crew. Crew explained how her students are encouraged, in such an environment, to communicate and participate with members outside of their peer group. Crew talked also about the team building her students do together.

The school has only one teacher and a few volunteers. They are looking to expand into another building soon and have been in the church for nine years. The Adventist school also works with homeschooled children on Thursdays.