GREAT FALLS — The lawn outside Chief Joseph Elementary School has become a sea of purple pinwheels — each one representing a student from a military family in our community. It’s a striking visual meant to honor the sacrifices and strength of military-connected children during Month of the Military Child.
This week, students not only celebrated their peers with military ties — they also stepped into the boots of service members with a fully immersive week-long experience hosted by Malmstrom Air Force Base.
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From Boot Camp to Rocket Launches
The school partnered with the Air Force for a week filled with exciting, hands-on events — including response vehicle demos, a job fair, fitness boot camps, and even a mock "secret mission" brief.
“We had the firefighters out here, our security forces, and even some Space Force members doing little rocket launches for the kids,” said Senior Airman Ashlynn Lofton, who helped organize the event. “It was all about giving them a sense of what their parents do.”
Students also participated in a graduation ceremony after completing “Junior Airman” training.
Sydney Barnard, a fifth-grade student and military child, said one of her favorite parts was the boot camp.
“We got to do some activities with friends and competitions with each other,” she said, smiling.
Supporting the Children of Service Members
Lisa Sapp, the school liaison for Malmstrom Air Force Base, emphasized how critical schools are in supporting mobile military families — especially in a community like Great Falls.
“Approximately 11% of Great Falls Public Schools’ students are military children,” Sapp said. “Schools are often the first point of contact when a family relocates. They ask about clubs, peer groups, and academic programs — and we help make the transition smoother.”
Sapp said she believes she has “the best job in the Air Force” because it’s focused on uplifting military families and children who often face frequent moves, changing schools, and long periods of parental deployment.
Sacrifices and Strength
For Sydney, those changes are already familiar. She’s preparing to move to her third state soon — a bittersweet part of military life.
“It’s hard. I’ll have to get new friends,” she said. “Sometimes it’s worth it. Sometimes it’s not.”
Still, events like this help her and others feel seen and celebrated.
“Seeing how fascinated the kids are with everything kind of inspires me to do my job more,” said Lofton.
With the help of purple pinwheels, rocket launches, and heartfelt support from Malmstrom’s airmen, Chief Joseph Elementary has shown its students — military and civilian alike — what resilience, service, and community truly mean.
