In light of recent events involving deep cuts to the NEH and the termination of general operating support grants to all state humanities councils, Humanities Montana is currently unable to offer programs and grants.

Speakers in the Schools

Resources

Speakers in the Schools Overview

We are funded in part by coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana’s cultural and aesthetic projects trust fund.

Conversations in the Classroom

Trained facilitators and experts lead students in workshops and conversations on topics like current affairs, untold histories, native cultures, literature, and more. Teachers can work with speakers to tailor programs to varying degrees to suit classroom needs.

Promoting:

Education

Enrichment

Creativity

Literacy

Communities Served during the 2024 Speakers in the Schools Program:

What Educators are saying:

As always, the Speakers in the Schools Program exceeded our expectations. Your program brings valuable educational resources and experiences to our students that they simply would not have access to within our regular curriculum. As a rural school without a lot of extra financial resources, we are beyond grateful for your programs.

Browning Public Schools, Librarian

I am a huge fan of Humanities MT and the Speakers in the Schools program. Teachers and students benefit greatly from real-life experiences. Your presenters are high quality, varied, and inspiring. Thank you!

Whitefish High School, Teacher

This program made it possible for the kids in my school to have access to something we might not have otherwise pursued. Thank you so very much for funding this opportunity!

Stanford School District, Superintendent

“This is a great program for small schools and particularly for our very rural school district and community. It can be incredibly costly and difficult to bring quality speakers to Baker, so we are very grateful that a program like this can help to make it possible. Thank you!”

Baker Elementary School, Principle

For a small, rural community like us, having expert speakers enrich our curriculum is a fantastic
opportunity for students and staff.

Wibaux High School, Librarian:

Speakers in the Schools Programs

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The Role of Nonprofit Journalism in a Changing Media World

with John S. Adams

The Veteran’s Experience and Military Culture

with Elizabeth Barrs

A Mother’s Journey: The Life of Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks

with Mary Jane Bradbury

And Yet They Persisted: Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment in America

with Mary Jane Bradbury

Kid Gloves and Brass Knuckles: The Life of Nancy Cooper Russell

with Mary Jane Bradbury

Jeannette Rankin: American Conscience

with Mary Jane Bradbury

Mary Fields: At the Junction of History and Myth

with Leslie Budewitz

Helping Students Write About Themselves: Journaling, Memoir Writing, and the College Application Personal Essay

with David Charpentier

The Foundations of English from Beowulf to Chaucer to Shakespeare

with Dave Caserio & Dr. William Kamowski

Writing Montana

with Dave Caserio

WordSongs: Bringing Poetry to Life

with Dave Caserio

Newstrition

with Courtney Cowgill

American Democracy: 250 Years and Counting

with Ray Curtis

Our Belongings: Sqelixʷ ‘Salish’ Art and Toolmaking

with Aspen and Cameron Decker

Sqelixʷ ‘Salish’ Storytelling

with Aspen and Cameron Decker

Fun with Fallacies

with Marisa Diaz-Waian

Community Literacy Café

with Heidi DeStefano

Hush of the Land: Stories from the Bob Marshall Wilderness

with Arnold "Smoke" Elser & Eva-Maria Maggi

Living With the Land

with Louise Ogemahgeshig Fischer

Free Speech, Sedition, and Montana During World War I

with Dr. Keith Edgerton

Place Poetry: My Montana State of Mind

with Mark Gibbons

Beneath the Medicine Line: a Northern Montana History Before 1889

with Austin Haney

Iron Dreams: Montana and the Pacific Railroad Surveys of 1853

with Austin Haney

Bridging the Worlds

with Buck Hitswithastick (Morigeau)

Legacy Reclaimed: Honoring Montana’s Indigenous Narrative and Sovereignty

with Buck Hitswithastick (Morigeau)

Inspiring Young Writers

with Tami Haaland

The Art of Meaningful Conversation: Let’s Talk About What’s Important

with Lowell Jaeger

Montana’s Historic Chinese Communities

with Mark Johnson

Latino History in Montana

with Bridget Kevane

Express to Speak

with Tahj Kjelland

The Art of Transformation

with Katie Knight

Story Structure

with Robin Kolb

Ekphrastic Poetry: The Montana Museum Project

with Melissa Kwasny

Where Memory and Imagination Meet

with Craig Lancaster

The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians: Métis Buffalo Hunters of the Northern Plains

with Chris La Tray

Montana’s Poet Laureate

with Chris La Tray

Song of the Dawn Priests: A History of the Crow People

with Franco Littlelight

Do We Know Our Fellow Americans?

with Ambrin F. Masood, PhD

Muslims in America

with Ambrin F. Masood, PhD

Dance, Dance, Dance

with Mark Matthews

The World Around Us: Nonfiction Writing for Kids

with Precious McKenzie

The Power of Poetry: Poetry Writing for Kids

with Precious McKenzie

Queen Elizabeth I Time Travels to Montana

with Leslie Van Stavern Millar III

Tell Us Something Storytelling Workshop

with Marc Moss

Poetry of Place

with Caroline Patterson

Survival and Loss – Indigenous Boarding Schools

with Kim Quigley

Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians

with Kim Quigley

Plains Indian Sign Language – Indigenous Language Acquisition Method and History

with Lanny Real Bird

Crow Stories in Both Crow and English Languages

with Harry Rock Above

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Laughin’ to Keep from Cryin’

with Bill Rossiter

How to Find Reliable Sources in A World of Disinformation

with Kim Rott

A Visit with an 1879 American Fur Co. Trader

with Greg Smith

An Inconvenient Grizzly

with Greg Smith

The Montana Constitution Roadshow: A Shared Heritage

with Rylee Sommers-Flanagan

Larger Than Life Leaders in Montana History

with Hal Stearns

What’s Happening to the News?

with Dennis Swibold

Finding Montana

with Ednor Therriault

The Ground Right Under Our Feet

with Sally Thompson

Connecting to Land Through an Indigenous Lens

with Lailani Upham

Storytelling: The Power to Connect Our World

with Lailani Upham

Documenting Sasquatch: An Indigenous Storytelling Journey

with Lailani Upham and Carrie Lynn Bear Chief