Students from the Columbia Falls Graduation Matters group are looking to team up with the City of Columbia Falls to design way signs in the city. The teens made the announcement last week during a visit with Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau.

Other cities in the valley, including Kalispell and Whitefish, already have way signs — attractive signs that tell visitors where certain amenities like the library, city hall and other services are located outside of normal street signs.

The students plan to partner with the city to design the signs, said group member Joey Chester.

It’s all part of the Graduation Matters overall effort. Graduation matters is a program that looks to engage students in community and other school events so they stay in school and graduate.

Allie Folks said her involvement in the school’s percussion ensemble has helped motivate her to stay in school, she told Juneau.

“I’m in percussion ensemble,” she said. “That’s what makes me want to come to school.”

The Graduation Matters program was one of the innovative programs that Juneau launched in 2010 and has helped boost Montana’s overall graduation rate from just over 80 percent to more than 85 percent in the past five years.

At Columbia Falls, high school students have also started mentoring younger elementary-age students to show them the importance of an education. They’re also doing community projects, like the way signs.

Health Teacher Betsy Funk has brought an energy to the program and the kids, organizing fun dances, zombie tag, music in the hallways and other activities to lighten the mood at the school from the daily grind of life.

“Anything to keep them engaged,” Funk noted.

“We want to give kids a reason to be here,” Chester told Juneau.

Students received the Empowering Student Voices Award last year from Juneau’s office for its speaking out program, where students write anonymous essays about their struggles and why they chose to stay in school despite them. The topics in the past have ranged from teenage pregnancy to domestic abuse, to family and personal struggles.

Juneau was duly impressed by the student’s efforts. She noted that statewide, the state’s drop-out rate has dropped by a third since the program was implemented.