A SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF
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Wednesday, March 3, 2021 creative stories
1st place
Montana’s Monarchy You probably think that this is just another cute vintage house for sale, but that is incorrect; this house is royal. The history starts long ago when Montana had just a few thousand people and was under queenship. That’s right, this state was run by royalty. This was where the Queen lived. Where she slept, ate, and ran her tiny empire. You might wonder when Helena is the capital of Montana; well the Queen’s house was located there. The Queen lad alone; she had no family. She preferred it that way; until one afternoon, she saw the most handsome man. She was completing her weekly check-up on the empire when she saw him. He was a bushtrimmer, one of the lowest jobs in Montana. Nevertheless, she decided she still wanted to chat with him. Little did she know, he was a criminal, the most notorious in Montana. When she asked him out, he seized this as an opportunity to gain power. He obtained her trust day by day and eventually achieved domination. The empire fell and was never to be heard from again. This house is the only thing that still stands from that era. Are you the next owner?
emmy 8th Grade, Target Range Teacher: Ms. Belcourt
Park side credit union - Brynn, 3rd grade, bonner elementary, teacher: kara zentgraf
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
3
creative stories
honorable mention
The Adventures of Lemon This is Lemon the labradoodle. Lemon is an adventurer. His journeys go like this… Lemon’s little furry body stumbled through the woods, looking for a friend. “Hello, Mr. Bear.” He greeted the beast. “Lemon! Where are you going today?” “Let’s go to the river!” Lemon led the way and pounced in the river. Mr. Bear wasn’t far behind though, he jumped in the flowing water and rolled around. When the salmon swam through the river, they dodged the furry bodies and made their way peacefully. Lemon chased the salmon and played with his shadow. Then Lemon met Gregory, the pink hippopotamus. He climbed onto Gregory’s back and jumped off into the water. Gregory always tried to do the things that Lemon did, pretending that there wasn’t’ a size difference. He would try to chase the fish but was too slow, he would try to swim underwater, but his back would never fully-submerge. Lemon would trot after his friends and tease them. Lemon’s adventures brought him to the savanna, the forest, the desert, and many more. Yet, after all of Lemon’s crazy adventures, he still trots his way back to his den under the old oak tree, longing for a family.
jacobie 7th Grade, Target Range Teacher: Ms. Belcourt
human resource council - madison, 4th grade, bonner elementary, teacher: bryce neibergs
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Wednesday, March 3, 2021 creative stories
honorable mention
Semi for Sale The cracked leather seats groaned comfortingly as I shifted to swing the massive wheel to the left. Hank, my best friend, and semi, slowly eased sideways at my command. Ol’ Hank has been passed through my family for the last forty years. Other than a few small incidents, Hank has served me faithfully. Once, we were traveling from Florida. Hank and I drove from Orlando and planned to stop in Nashville, but you know how it goes. You plan to stop, but once you get there, why not a little farther? Hank and I drove through Nashville, and, suddenly we had driven through Tennessee, Missouri, Iowa, and South Dakota. We were bordering Montana, but we had been driving for over 30 hours straight. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel tired. Somewhere outside of Billings, I began hearing the Star Spangled Banner being sung. I glanced around, but nobody was singing. Something was off. I pulled over to double-check and promptly fell asleep. Looking back, there were lots of dangerous mistakes made during that drive, but Hank and I made it through together. Sadly, I’ve fallen on tough times, but I’m sure Hank and his new owner will make just as many memories.
marin 8th Grade, Target Range Teacher: Ms. Belcourt
mountain line - leyton, 2nd grade, bonner elementary, teacher: mrs. tricia burgess
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
5
editorial
1st place
Bikes in Missoula Bike stations should be placed throughout Missoula because it would help Missoula reduce their carbon footprint. Many cities are switching to more eco-friendly commuting habits, such as; busses, electric scooters, and bikes. Renting bikes throughout Missoula would be a very eco-friendly and profitable option for Missoula. Many large cities are introducing bike stations throughout cities for tourists or college students to rent and find that it is very beneficial to tourists and short term residents. Bikes also produce more than 382% less CO2 than cars each year, making them one of the most sustainable ways to travel. Bikes are also quoted as “the transportation of the future” by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Missoula is becoming more of an advanced society, and that our transportation needs tom improve with us. Placing rentable bikes around downtown and by the college would help college students and tourists get around and reduce Missoula’s carbon footprint.
tennyson 8th Grade, Target Range Teacher: Ms. Belcourt
republic services - adler, 2nd grade, bonner elementary, teacher: ryan Hamilton
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Wednesday, March 3, 2021 editorial
honoraBle Mention
Hunting Rights Hunting in the state of Montana is very popular and common. However, some hunters abuse the power they have with a hunting license by sneaking onto private land, killing more than your tag has to offer and leaving trash behind etc. For this reason, our hunting rights are slowly being taken away more and more each year. These hunters’ actions have greatly affected hunting itself, and as sad as it may be, our hunting rights could one day be gone. Now, let’s look into the hunting safety program. I am thirteen, and when I was twelve, I took this program. They were very clear and made sure we knew our facts because they are the ones giving us the right to kill a living animal. So why are there problems with hunters? It’s our human nature. There really isn’t any more explanation that that, hunters screw up but that still doesn’t excuse them for their actions. If you are a hunter or huntress, please follow the rules and regulations of hunting so the legacy and tradition can carry on.
ayla 8th Grade, Target Range Teacher: Ms. Belcourt
united Way of Missoula - surrayarain, 4th grade, Bonner eleMentary, teacher: lesa hoMer
Wednesday, March 3, 2021 honorable mention
peyton, 7th grade target range teacher: MS. Belcourt
charles, 8th grade Target Range Teacher: ms. belcourt
historical museum at fort missoula - matilda, 3rd grade, lowell elementary, teacher: melissa notti
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Wednesday, March 3, 2021
1st place
angelina, 7th grade target range teacher: MS. Belcourt