After 27 years, Alberton School secretary, Anne Styles is retiring. And despite her modest desire to retire without fanfare, that was exactly what she received during Alberton’s graduation ceremony held on May 28.

School counselor and teacher Kara Berg gave a heartfelt speech about Anne and presented her with a plaque to a standing ovation from students, community members and school staff.

“She knows every students and parent by name, nobody is as invested as Anne and she made duties as an educator easier. We rely on Anne for everything,” Berg said.

It’s a sentiment shared by most community members who know Anne, “she has been a rock at the school. She has such a big heart and cares about all of the students even after they have graduated. She’s a beautiful person,” said Sheri Bayer.

Bayer is a board member for the Alberton Railroad Days Foundation which had an official ground breaking for the Farm to School Program on June 2. During the ceremony, the sign was unveiled to reveal the name of the garden, “The Anne Styles Commemorative Farm to School Garden”.

“I was very surprised and honored,” said Anne about the dedication.

“Thank you for everything you have done for our school and good luck on the next chapter of your life,” said Bayer before a small gathering at the garden site.

Both Bayer and her husband, Clint Perrine, attended Alberton School and knew Anne, “three school jobs that don’t get enough recognition are the janitor, cooks and secretaries,” she said. “People like Anne put their heart and soul into their jobs and should get recognition.”

The Alberton Railroad Days Foundation does more than put on the Alberton Railroad Day celebration held in July. Through donations, sponsorships, and fundraising the group works on a variety of community projects, including the garden. Located next to the football practice field in Alberton, it is on school property and currently has 30 fruit trees and four raised garden beds for a wide-variety of vegetables.

With steep education budget cuts, the long-term objective of the project is to sell produce and fruit at the Valley Grocery Store in Alberton and donate the funds to the school’s lunch program. They also hope to donate fresh vegetables and fruit to the school.

This year, they hope to save the school 15 percent on their food budget, or roughly $8,000. As the garden project grows, so will the amount donated to the school. Currently, the group is trying to raise $5,000 by Sept. 28 which will then be matched by Montana Rail Link.

To raise funds, they are hosting a country music evening with John King at Montana River Guides located on Big Bend Lane on Aug. 15. They have also applied for a USDA grant for nearly $80,000. If awarded they could hire four part-time employees and build two green houses.

“The scale of the garden just depends on funding,” said Bayer.

Currently, just board members, and their spouses along with a few volunteers are doing all the work. This includes board president, Ang McDonald; vice-president, Zelma Kromrey; along with Anna LeDuc, Chelsea Johns, and Jen Fredette.

“We do this because everyone on the board considered Alberton their home. We want to continue to see the town do well and see the community thrive,” said Bayer. “Alberton is a food desert for fresh, locally grown produce. If you want fresh you have to drive to Missoula. This will give locals access to fresh produce at cheaper prices.

In addition to the garden project, the Railroad Foundation also provided a security system for the Alberton water facility last fall. They also raised approximately $11,000 to plant over 200 acres of trees to replace those burned in the 2017 Sunrise Fire.

Both the garden and tree projects incorporate the school’s classroom and Afterschool Program students with educational components including life skills, gardening, and agriculture.