Glacier Gateway School music teacher Marlene Hansen is in her 27th year teaching in School District 6.

Her program recently received a big boost from a nearly $8,000 Great Classroom Award grant from the Plum Creek Foundation.

The grant went toward purchasing eight music labs for kindergarten and first-grade classrooms. The labs consist of a keyboard, computer and software designed to teach students basic keyboard and music skills at an early age. Ruder Elementary School received the same award last year.

Hansen has seen a lot of students over her more than two decades of teaching. It’s not unusual to find her teaching children of her earlier students.

The annual production of the “Lewis and Clark” musical has been a mainstay of the music program. It blends American history with a fun theme to teach students about the two early explorers. Hansen has been putting on the show since 1999.

“I always said we’d have a run longer than ‘Cats’ on Broadway,” she said with a smile.

Hansen grew up in Saco, graduated from the University of Montana with a bachelor’s in music education and has been teaching elementary music here nearly ever since. She said she still enjoys the job immensely.

“Where else can you get all those smiles and hugs everyday?” she said.

Glacier Gateway School music teacher Marlene Hansen is in her 27th year teaching in School District 6.

Her program recently received a big boost from a nearly $8,000 Great Classroom Award grant from the Plum Creek Foundation.

The grant went toward purchasing eight music labs for kindergarten and first-grade classrooms. The labs consist of a keyboard, computer and software designed to teach students basic keyboard and music skills at an early age. Ruder Elementary School received the same award last year.

Hansen has seen a lot of students over her more than two decades of teaching. It’s not unusual to find her teaching children of her earlier students.

The annual production of the “Lewis and Clark” musical has been a mainstay of the music program. It blends American history with a fun theme to teach students about the two early explorers. Hansen has been putting on the show since 1999.

“I always said we’d have a run longer than ‘Cats’ on Broadway,” she said with a smile.

Hansen grew up in Saco, graduated from the University of Montana with a bachelor’s in music education and has been teaching elementary music here nearly ever since. She said she still enjoys the job immensely.

“Where else can you get all those smiles and hugs everyday?” she said.