Gallatin High is a fresh addition to Bozeman, this only being its third year up and running with students, its community has grown significantly in just a short time. It seems every week there are new insights, clubs, people and opportunities available at GHS. The introduction of the Democracy Project is a big stride and a chance for students to get involved with the community.

The Democracy Project allows for students to practice being proactive about an issue that is important to them. In short, the project is a grant supported by local libraries, community partners, and Humanities Montana. It’s teen-lead and allows young voices to be heard. Overall, the process consists of a six month long project in which teens choose how they want to give back to their community on a local level. At the end they prepare a big reveal to the public.

GHS wouldn’t be able to participate without the support of Humanities Montana (HM). HM was established in 1972 and according to them, “Is one of fifty-six councils across the nation that the National Endowment for the Humanities created in order to better infuse the humanities directly and effectively into public life.” For the past fifty years, HM has encouraged a deeper understanding of diverse cultures -especially Montana’s indigenous groups; it has prompted community participation, connecting people, and has inspired change by funding “Humanities-based projects and programs” -such as The Democracy Project.

So how is GHS approaching this opportunity? Currently GHS’s school librarians, Noelle Harper and Kerri Cobb have connected The Democracy Project to the school’s Native American Club. Students involved have decided on the idea of building a community garden for the school campus. Although the club is still relatively early in the process, there are lots of ideas on the table. The club has discussed how the garden could benefit people in the school and other parts of the community. For example, the growth of vegetables could be donated to food drives, used in GHS culinary classes, and possibly integrated into the school’s farm-to-table cafeteria. Another idea would be to create a garden with walkways, benches, and native plants to create more of an area for students and locals to retreat to.

The forward movement of this project will depend on what’s possible both funding and space wise, as well as depend on the approval from school leaders, and the involvement from students. Anyone interested can find more information by contacting school librarians or joining Native American Club on Tuesdays at lunch on the first floor of the library. The future of this garden will need gardeners, builders, and anyone willing to lend a hand.

The timeline is still “to be determined” but all students are welcome and encouraged to join in on The Democracy Project to help get the ball rolling towards a more unified school.