Arntzen tours Northern Diesel Tech center on Stars and Stripes tour

Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen visited Montana State University-Northern Tuesday as part of her Stars and Stripes initiative.

Arntzen is in a repeat of the 2016 election, where she defeated Democrat Melissa Romano for the open seat vacated by termed-out Democrat Denise Juneau. Romano is challenging Arntzen in this year's race, with Libertarian candidate Kevin Leatherbarrow also a contender. 

She said she wanted to come back to see Northern's Diesel Technology Center again, having attended its grand opening, while she is on the Stars and Stripes Initiative tour.

The initiative is to get American flags in classrooms.

"Stars and Stripes is with the American Legion, and it's a great partnership - in education we can't do it by ourselves, we as a classroom teacher or we as a district, so it's important to have those partners," Arntzen said. "So the statewide partners we have is the American Legion enrolling our Stars and Stripes, which are our flags, our American flags in every classroom."

    She said the flags are American made, 24-by-16-inch flags with a bracket. 

She said donations can be made for the flag set and can be given to the American Legion. The American Legion is purchasing the flag sest.

"The only thing I'm doing is I'm saying to the American Legions, 130 we have across our state, I'll be happy to give you the name of the school leaders, the school principals to be able to understand how many (flags) you might need," Arntzen said. 

"The state standards that have allowed me to do this were the social studies standards and we have 12 teaching and learning standards at the state level," she added. "They are the ground floor of learning and then curriculum and other things are adopted to implement the state standards, so this is social studies, which is economics, history, geography and of course, civics education."

This has been done in more than two decades, she said, and brought a great group of Montana school officials as well as private sector people and community leaders across the state to help her understand what it means to be an American and what it means to be a Montanan.

If one looks at the Hi-Line and who has served the country in the military, one of 10 has served or is currently serving she said.

"It was important that I try to get to our 130 posts that we have and then here why I'm here at MSU-Northern is I was a legislator watched the creation of the (Diesel Technology Center), I watched the emphasis at the Board of Regents meetings to put something into play, but this is organic, " Arntzen said.

"This is something community here that has put these beautiful buildings here but not only beautiful buildings, but the opportunities for our students in high school to come here in a two-year path and be guaranteed a job, not just guaranteed one job, but have a choice of a career with multiple companies not just Montana companies now, granted I want to keep our Montana children and grow our Montana communities, but they have a choice to go international with the world-renowned program that we have here in agriculture as well in diesel mechanics," she added.

The Diesel Technology Center took a vision of Chancellor Greg Kegel, she said.

When she travels it is important they hit as many parts of the state as possible, she said, adding that she has four initiatives at the state level that she began when she became superintendent four years ago.

"That's Montana Hope, which is our children; social, emotional learning that is mental health, that is nutrition, that's school safety; That's Montana Teach, we are building those ag teachers, we are building those elementary teachers here right now at MSU-Northern and Montana Learn," Arntzen said. "Those are those standards that's implementing Stars and Stripes."