The Prospector (Helena, Mont.) 1916-2015, December 07, 2007, Image 1

■ Saints Win! On to Tennessee - pages 8 and 14 Volume 91 ■ No-Shave November - page 6 Edition 3 ■ Democrats vs. Republicans - page 3 December 7,2007 The Prospector i g rroll College Student Newspaper JL Helena, Montana ^ y G r o w i n g u p i n t h e m i d d l e o f n o w h e r e Students talk first hand about small town life PHOTO COURTESY OF CLETE HELVEY By Sierra Richmond Staff Writer John Cougar Mellencamp grew up in Indiana, but he would have been right at home in Montana. “Well I was bom in a small town, And I live in a small town,” he sang in his famous song, “Small Town.” “Probly die in a small town.” Lots of Carroll students know just how he feels. Oh, sure, we have our big city kids from Los Angeles, Denver, San Francisco and Seattle, but we have more from Twin Bridges, Big Sandy, Lima, and Denton. While the students from larger towns and cities may be more numerous here, those from small, blink- and-you-miss-it type places add just as much to the richness and diversity of the Carroll commu­ nity. You might not have been to, or even heard of, the tiny Montana farm­ ing and ranching towns of Condon, Hobson, or Helmville but they are just some of the little pieces of character that make up our state’s own diversity. WANT EXAMPLES? How about Julian and Marieke. Senior nursing major Julian Rog­ ers, for instance. Julian spent his whole life in Hobson and grew up on a ranch located 25 miles out of town on land originally purchased by his grandpa. Senior history major Marieke Min grew up in Ryegate, Mont, after moving from Holland when she was 2. Marieke went to school in a one-building K-8 school and graduated with seven classmates. Julian and Marieke are typical of many Carroll students who saw Helena as a huge city and Carroll as a huge school when they first arrived. We are a campus whose charac­ ter is forged, in part, by the values these small town students bring to our communities. “I love having small town stu­ dents in my classes,” said com­ munication professor, Brent Nor- thup, himself a small town boy. “More often than not they bring a strong work ethic, a simple guid­ ing faith and strong sense of right and wrong to the class. They often underestimate their own skills and life, but those of us who teach them never do.” To get a sense of how small town students contribute to our cam­ pus, I spoke with many students about their small town roots. Small “everyone knows everyone” towns offer their own comfort along with a strong sense of community. For some, their experi­ ences have been memo­ rable and assisted in shaping who they are today. For others, their home­ towns offer memories but no future plans - of returning. Marieke Min grew up in Ryegate, Mont, after moving from Holland when she was two. It wasn’t until the age of 9 her family moved to Ryegate. “I went to a K-8, one-building school,” she said. “We had about 30 students in our high school.” She also noted her prom, which would normally be the biggest dance of the year, was a combined dance with eight schools attending and a total of 200 people present. Her graduating class consisted of seven students. Even though she graduated valedictorian, because she was not a US citizen at the time her full ride to any Montana state school did not apply. She applied to other schools but made the last minute decision to come to Carroll. “Carroll was huge compared to Clete Helvey bottle feeds a calf on his ranch. Ryegate, but I wanted something small and close.” LOGAN MANNIX TELLS another story. He calls home Helmville, Mont., a ranching town of about 100 people. In the 1800s his family homesteaded and are currently in their 5th generation of ranching. Drummond is the closest town, whose high school encompasses about 98 students from its own community in addition to surround­ ing areas. There were 17 students in Logan’s graduating class. “I loved growing up outdoors and wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Logan says happily. His dad and two uncles run the ranch but the rest of the family also live in the area. Holidays are like family reunions and the whole town is very community oriented. “My options may have been limited in high school but I also re­ ceived more one on one time. I still go home to hunt with high school friends,” he says. In deciding to go to Carroll the size and proximity from home were both supporting factors, in addition to football of course! And what are Logan’s plans after graduation? After earning a degree in biology for secondary education, he’d like to teach, but the ranch is also in the back of his mind. Even as one of 13 grandkids, the responsibilities that come with 1500 head of cattle and about 40,000 acres make it hard not to think about home. When asked about misconcep­ tions of growing up in a small town Logan said he has been asked if he has a wife picked out. There are definitely Montana generalizations but this was the most prominent in Logan’s memory. Yes, even from a small town, he knows what electricity is, but Lo­ gan also knows who his neighbors are, and that’s a precious rarity in itself. In addition to Marieke and Lo­ gan, Crystal Dome, from Condon, Mont., also managed to find herself at Carroll College. CRYSTAL, A JUNIOR, grew up about seven miles from the town center and described Con­ don as a logging town, which now focuses on ecological awareness. Even with 500 people, Condon is so spread out that hanging out with friends would often turn into sleepovers. She has lived there her entire life and went to grade school in a one room schoolhouse with the same ten kids for grades K-8. When it came time for high school, Seeley was the closest community, acquir­ ing students from areas like Ovan- do, Helmville and Condon. The first year was harder than the More SMALL TOWN Page 15 fit I went to a K-8, one-building school. We had about 30 students in our high school. —Marieke Min 99