About seven years ago I took a look around my classroom and realized that the newspaper copies dating back to when our school opened in 1965 were stuffed haphazardly in file cabinets, boxes and cupboards. Many of the copies were folded, getting torn and turning yellow.

I decided that the situation had to change.

During the last week of school — after the seniors had graduated — my underclassmen and I got our hands dirty and cleaned out every nook and cranny in room 326. We organized massive stacks of papers in chronological order on many tables, and after picking out the issues in the best condition, I contacted a bindery in Missoula. (I highly recommend Shaffner’s Bindery at www.shaffnersbindery.com)

We invested the money and had every single issue of the Stampede bound, and today I have students, staff members and alumni coming to the room to check out the school’s — and the community’s — past. It is so much fun looking back through the issues since 1965, and no longer do any of us have to dig and dig in cabinets and drawers for our school’s history.

Yes, it was a big initial investment, but now I collect three years of papers and have it bound, so the cost at this point and going forward is minimal — and worth every penny.

If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact me at 406-268-6178.