Jim robyjan
2012 Graco, Monte. —
At a time when many schools are worried about the crowded classrooms, the Sunset school in this Ranch community has a different problem --
Put its only student on her desk so it can stay open.
In the remote rural areas of the West, there are other schools with only one teacher and one student, but the situation here is even worse.
11-year-old Amber Leetch has a place for 30 students across the sunset campus.
Although many people
Student schools elsewhere in the West
Remote poor areas in sunset area
Its annual budget is about $83,000.
Is a prosperous, ranch corner in the country.
One of the reasons for only one student is that the cost of scenic landscapes here has risen so high that young, aspiring ranchers may have the kind of school --
Older children can't afford to buy land.
Cheerful, a Cheerful sixth-grade student who attended the historic Sunset school alone last year, is the same for most of the year, although she has a first-year student who has been in the company for a few weeks.
However, when the first-year student left, her teacher Tony Hatten became Amber again.
While drawing on a computer whiteboard, Amber said that the most difficult part of advertising is to spend the day and not feel too lonely . ".
One way of advertising against loneliness is with 3-month-
The old husky mix that recently became the new school dog. The one-on-
There is a situation that is challenging for teachers and students, she said.
Hatten, 45, began teaching this year.
There is nothing to escape from either: there is no group of students working alone for a period of time, and when the teacher works with others, the student cannot disappear for a period of time.
Amber and Tony are together all day.
"You are their lunch partner, their P. E.
Man, their partner in class . "Hatten said.
"You are everything to them.
"Schools are small and isolated.
The town of Sunset was once an industrial center-
The massive logging of the battermine has passed, but now the economy is developing on a large scale, the area is called Greenough.
The town that used to stand here has disappeared, as have the regular shops and post offices, only the school and the outdoor mailbox.
The nearest town is 20 miles away.
The city of misura is 35 miles west.
The beauty of the landscape offset this isolation to some extent.
The sunset lies in a valley surrounded by rolling hills and mountains with towering pine forests.
The Black Foot River is a famous fishing river near here.
The sunset is the smallest.
Room School in Montana (
A second room was added, but only for sports and storage)
There are 62 students, ranging from one student to 18.
This is the only one.
Although some schools have only two or three students, there is only one student in the state's housekeeping school.
In the past decade, about 20 small schools in the state have closed.
Retired as director of the Montana association of small schools in 2010 and still working on rural education, Crouch Morton sees this as a loss.
She said: "teachers in rural schools do not earn much money and love labor in many ways.
Teachers like to be independent. there are not many rules.
"Advertising is also good for students.
"If she didn't get anything, we would have spent more time doing it . "Hatten said.
"This is the beauty of a student.
Amber went to kindergarten and went to school at a school eight miles away.
But she moved back in fifth grade.
"She has dealt with a lot of bullying and the school will not solve the problem," said Wendy Leicht, her mother . ".
Not everyone thinks it makes sense to open the school with a student.
"This is a bit of a grievance in other areas," said Darlene Troutwine, a staff member at sunset area. "they said a student would cost a lot of money . ".
But while the sunset area seems to be hovering on the verge of disappearing, perhaps two years later, when Amber graduated from high school, it was not a typical rural community in decline.
The school is located on land owned by the Paws Up Resort, a guest ranch with high
End your stay.
Last summer, Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford were promoting their movie "Cowboys and Aliens. "
"Nadine Lipson, owner of the ranch, is on the board of the Sunset School.
The Sunset School was built in 1917 and has a long history outside, with antique playground equipment and a bell in the tower that does not ring.
It's not an old one.
Inside is the old school building.
Instead of a dusty blackboard and pull
There is a smart board on the map below, an electronic whiteboard that syncs with the MS
Hatten has three computers.
The drama at Sunset brought some problems.
"We need multiple parts . "Hatten said.
For a month, they drove 22 miles a day to Ovando school for Christmas celebrations.
Amber also plays volleyball at another school 21 miles away, West Lake Primary School.
Just in the last 2001, there were 20 students in the school, but the rising land prices here mean that young ranch families have to leave business or pasture elsewhere. Ms.
Hatten hopes to have more students in the future
At least two or three.
Make things more interesting and make sure the sun doesn't fall on small schools.
"There are 11 Ovando schools and it feels like a family . "Hatten said.
"Older children help young children and they all play together.
"The school has four days a week, from eight to four.
At the end of the day, there is no yellow school bus to go home by Amber.
She lives with her parents and brother not far from the grid
It was once Garnet Highland Ghost City in a prosperous mining town.
Her mother is a tour guide there in summer.
The only access is snowmobile.
On a recent school day, Amber and her mother put on helmets and made five
A mile journey through the mountains, to their home, Amber on the back of the Lady
Leetch vehicles. Mrs.
Leetch has recently introduced a new type of snowmobile with heated handrails, which can make a big difference during travel, especially when the temperature drops below zero.
They waved when they left, then roared away, and there was a blue exhaust in the air.
A version of this article was printed on page A11 of the New York edition on January 30, 2012 with the title: One-
There is also a room schoolStudent School.
Order reprint | today's newspaper | subscribe we are interested in your feedback on this page.
Tell us what you think.