Case Study Of Frenchtown: A Gem In The Mountains

A Gem in the Mountains

Deep in the wild state of Montana a small town lies nestled between towering mountains and tall pine trees. Walking through the tiny town of Frenchtown, one would notice a strong country culture. The signs of the store fronts are decorated with miniature cowboys and the names of the shops are written in a wide western font. Frenchtown is a community filled with horses and cows. Large hay fields stretch across the landscape of the town reaching toward the near bustling city of Missoula. Running beside the peaceful town is the slow and steady stream of the Clark Fork River, used by most of the community for a spot to go floating and swimming during the hot summers. If one ever got tired of the slow and steady pace of Frenchtown,

The individuals in Frenchtown are highly dedicated to families with 47.4% of the community having children under the age of 18, and 67.0% of the community being married families. Throughout the years the community of Frenchtown has come together to watch their children play sports and participate in many different activities. Every year all of Frenchtown comes out of its shell to celebrate the local homecoming football game. On this special day, the Frenchtown High School creates a parade that includes floats from the freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors of the school. As well, there are floats from the different sports teams, the firefighters with their trucks, the 4H club and their animals, and many other different organizations and clubs. People line up from the Frenchtown Elementary School all the way to Frenchtown High School, throwing candy and cheering on the Frenchtown Broncs football team as they go. After the parade, the community goes to the small stadium behind the High school and watches the Broncs compete against some neighboring football

The school alone sets up many family activities, ranging from movie nights, Halloween carnivals, and musical theater. Frenchtown High School is located near the center of the town making it an easy palace for people to travel to. Another activity that recently started in Frenchtown, is the Bronc Stampede. It is an event where the town comes together and walks a few miles in order to support the school system and finance upgrades for the different sports teams. During this event people are given brightly colored t-shirts and usually a small activity like a dunk tank follows the event. The Frenchtown School District is unlike most schools in the area, because it takes pride in the unity it brings the community. In the neighboring city of Missoula, there are multiple schools that share the same area, which splits and divides the community. Frenchtown on the other hand has but one school system that everyone is a part