Daines names Harlem teacher Montanan of the Week

U.S. Army veteran and Harlem High School teacher Jack Young was recognized in Congress by Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines as the Montanan of the week last Friday.

Young said Friday that it was humbling to receive such recognition.

“I mean, there are all kinds of Montanans, but for me to get it, I guess, that is surprising,” he said.

Daines recognizes a Montanan of the week in an effort to recognize Montanans who exemplify community spirit and leadership, a release from his office said.

Young said a high school friend of his mentioned that he might submit Young’s name to receive the honor.

A  Colstrip native, Young joined the U.S. Army in 1995 after graduating from high school. During his stint in the Army, he was twice deployed to Kuwait, in 1998 and 1999, where he was a gunner on an A1-M-1 Abrams tank.

Young said he had wanted to serve in the military because his father had served in the U.S. Navy and both his grandfathers were veterans of World War II.

He left the Army as a sergeant after four years in the service and returned home to Colstrip. After briefly working in  the lab of the local mine, he decided to enroll at Montana State University-Northern and studied education using the GI bill.

“I was at a crossroads, so I had this GI bill, this nest egg from Uncle Sam, and I had some inspiring teachers in school, so I decided to become a teacher,” Young said,

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education in 2006.

After working as a paraprofessional and later a teacher for junior high students in the Harlem School district, he eventually filled an opening for a history and government teacher at Harlem High School.

Young said his favorite part about the job is working with the students.

“I love seeing the kids succeed,” he said. “Graduating from high school may not be a huge milestone for some  people, but when I see them do it, it’s like ‘here we go,’ they can go off into the world and be who they want to be.”

Young also teaches summer school for the district and for the past four semesters has taught government at Aaniiih Nakoda College on Fort Belknap Indian Reservation as part of the college’s adjunct teacher program.

Young also serves on the Harlem Public Library’s Board of Directors. His wife, Angie, is an elementary school teacher for the Harlem district and he has two children, Gracie, 12, and Jackson, 9.

Though he is not from Harlem, Young said he feels like he has been there long enough that he feels he is now a fixture in the community, and he likes the close-knit atmosphere that comes from living in a small town. He also continues to love teaching, he said.

“I can’t see myself doing anything else right now,” he said.

A release from Daines’ office said people can nominate someone to be recognized as Montanan of the Week by contacting Daines’s Washington office at 202-224-2651 or by filling out a form at http://www.daines.senate.gov/connect/email-Steve.