The line kept getting longer and the pancakes kept coming at Ruder Elementary School’s first “breakfast for dinner” Thursday to raise money for a fifth-grade history field trip to Great Falls.

By 6 p.m., the line snaked down the length of the cafeteria overflowing into an entryway just inside school doors. To keep up with demand, organizers employed assistance from The Nite Owl Back Room Restaurant to whip up more pancakes.

Fifth-graders took shifts serving, busing tables and greeting guests.

This is the first year all 78 Ruder fifth-graders have the opportunity to go on the overnight history trip. For the past eight years, only teacher Cathy Spencer took her fifth-graders on the trip.

The Great Falls history trip started when one of Spencer’s students won a statewide poster contest on state parks. Along with a monetary prize, the student’s class could take two-day trip anywhere in Montana and they went to Great Falls.

“What happened next year is parents came in and said, ‘Are we going to Great Falls?’ I said hmm, that trip was paid for, but if you want to raise the money I would sure go again,” Spencer said.

The tradition continued until this year when Spencer’s fellow fifth-grade teachers Teresa Tekulve and Brandon Rice took her up on her open invitation to join her class.

“This is the first year all going together,” Tekulve said. “It just all came together. Brandon started last year, so we had a new teacher, and Cathy wanted to help perpetuate that trip.”

On the itinerary are the C. M. Russell Museum Complex, Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and First Peoples Buffalo Jump in Ulm.

“They study Montana history extensively in fourth grade so they’re coming to fifth grade with a pretty good base knowledge,” Tekulve said. “Most of them are familiar with Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea. Most of them even recognize Charlie Russell paintings. So we’re really building on that.”

Spencer said it is an experience that students don’t forget.

“It is a full day. You change kids’ lives. Some people never get out of the valley and if you ask them what do you remember about fifth grade, it’s this trip,” Spencer said.

One of Spencer’s former students, Savanna Claude, now an eighth-grader at Columbia Falls Junior High, remembered the history trip well. It was her first overnight school trip. Now her fifth-grade sister will get the same opportunity.

“It was very fun,” Claude said, remembering swimming and enjoying the hike at First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park.

Eating at Golden Corral is another favorite part of the trip, Spencer said with a laugh. Fifth-grader Ocean Kemppainen corroborated that statement. Kemppainen said this will be the first time she has visited museums in Great Falls and is looking forward to it.

“I sold 15 tickets [for the fundraiser],” Kemppainen said before returning to her station serving pancakes.

Hilary Matheson is a reporter for The Daily Inter Lake. She may be reached at 758-4431 or [email protected].