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Oldtimer
Rancher
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
Posts: 14143
Location: Northeast Montana
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 Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 8:39 am Post subject: Smalltown USA |
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This has been the talk of the community for several days...
This is kind of my second community as our north place is south of Opheim (when I was in school I had the choice of either Glasgow or Opheim as we had land in and lived occasionally in both districts)....
Used to be quite a thriving community-banks, bars, attorneys, grocery stores, elevators, lots of bars (still has 2) -- but CRP, ranch/farm consolidation/integration, a trend of the young moving off the farm, improved car/truck transportation (Railroad closed the Spur line to the small towns) have all heavily impacted it- and without the school they could almost roll up the streets ...
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1 graduates at Opheim High
By The Associated Press
GREAT FALLS - Jeff Greenwood is in a class by himself - literally.
The Opheim High School senior was the only student to graduate from the school Friday night. But the small event drew a big name. Gov. Brian Schweitzer gave the commencement address.
Greenwood, who plans to attend Dickinson State University in North Dakota, said before the graduation ceremony that the small school is the "hub of activity" in the rural area 50 miles northeast of Glasgow and about 10 miles south of the Canadian border.
"You get to know everybody and you're friends with everybody," he said. "At the same time, you can't get away with anything." Greenwood grew up on the family farm 15 miles outside of Opheim. He had a few classmates before his high school years, but when he was a freshman, his last remaining classmate moved to Utah. Since then, he's taken some classes on his own and has enrolled in several with the juniors.
"The student-to-teacher ratio is pretty good," said Greenwood, who is the student body president and, of course, the senior class president.
Principal LeRoy Nelson, who has also been school superintendent for seven years, said he thought this was the first time Opheim has graduated just one student. Six students graduated last year and 12 students are on track to graduate in 2009.
Nelson said he thinks single graduates will become more common as more rural schools see a drop in enrollment. Last year, Froid High School had one graduate. Schweitzer spoke at that graduation as well.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/05/18/news/state/46-graduates.txt |
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Mrs.Greg
Rancher
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 5750
Location: Alberta
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| Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 8:55 am Post subject: |
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Wow...I thought our grad class last weekend was small,20 great young people graduated from our small school.
Its sad seeing these once thriving towns start dieing.Greg and I have been really excited seeing some young adults reconsidering their city lives and returning home to take over there parents farms and raise there young families.
Hopefully that becomes the norm for your area as well as ours in the near future OT.
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CattleArmy
Rancher
Joined: 29 Sep 2006
Posts: 2103
Location: South of a Soapweed
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| Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 9:48 am Post subject: |
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Five graduated from my hometown. They didn't have enough girls to have a queen at every event.
Some how these small communitites are going to have to attract young people to come back in order to survive.
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Mrs.Greg
Rancher
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 5750
Location: Alberta
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CattleArmy
Rancher
Joined: 29 Sep 2006
Posts: 2103
Location: South of a Soapweed
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| Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 10:44 am Post subject: |
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| The problem with the small community I grew up in is so many of the landowners are selling out to bigger enterprises. Without the local ranches there isn't anything really for young people to return to do. My hometown has a grocery store, bar, post office, and school. There just aren't the jobs their used to be even if young people aren't worried about the money.
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