HELENA — This week’s One Class at a Time recipient is Broadwater Elementary School teacher Heather Higgins.
Higgins has been listening to her students and working to make changes in the school to reflect their ideas.
Members of First Interstate Bank were joined by KXLH to surprise her in her classroom with a $250 check.
On October 24 a power outage affected most of Helena around lunchtime.
Broadwater School’s lunchroom has no windows, so teachers used phones and flashlights to illuminate the area.
Higgins said, to the staff’s surprise, the students were much quieter and told the teacher they preferred it to regular days.
“That day we had the power outage was kind of a crazy day,” said Higgins. “The kids didn’t know what we were doing and we just kept saying look to the adults. Then to see a problem become a solution from the kids was unbelievable and I just wanted to run with it.”
Higgins will use the money from the grant to purchase lighting, like lanterns and lamps, to create a more “restaurant feel” to the cafeteria.
Higgins added she’s thankful for this opportunity and support in trying something new.
It will take some time before they can see if it works or not, but she is hopeful this will create a better lunch experience for the students.
For more than a decade, First Interstate Bank and MTN have partnered for the One Class at a Time grant.
The mission of the grant is to foster educational opportunities for local teachers and students.
A panel of retired teachers and school officials select the grant recipients from a pool of submitted applications.
For more information about One Class at a Time, including how to apply, visit here.
