GREAT FALLS — The halls of Great Falls High School’s athletic history is only remembered by those who witnessed or participated in their sport until now. With an ongoing Great Falls High project, students and faculty are helping create lasting representation of the first-team all-state selections in all MHSA sanctioned sports dating back to 1920.
“It’s crazy because it’s showed how Great Falls High has evolved over time going from 1920 looking at the black and white photos to color,” Great Falls High sophomore Mariyah Hicks said. “It’s crazy to see how it’s changed and how it’s grown.”
Kathy Goodman’s fashion design class took on the beast of going through all the yearbooks in Great Falls High’s history to find the student-athlete’s picture, print in on vinyl and laminate it to the correct name to fill the halls of the school that when complete, will contain thousands of Great Falls High standout athletes across all sports.
“We took it on and I didn’t realize the enormity of the whole thing so it was very interesting but it’s been a very fun project,” Goodman explained.
Despite the rigor and monotony of the task, the work form all the students involved in hindsight is worth it.
“It’s a lot but in the end you just have to know it’ll be worth it,” freshman soccer player and fashion design student Ali Getten said. “It might seem really repetitive but it’s cool to see how it all comes together and one step after another it just keeps going.”
For many, including Getten, the project is motivating to the current student-athletes wanting to find their place on the wall someday.
“I think it pushes people more,” Getten said hopefully. “It definitely pushes me more to do better so maybe I can be up there someday and you can see up there people you know and celebrate their accomplishments.”
The project is still ongoing as they have most of the sports complete and printed but still a few to finish and hang by next year; a moment that the class is looking forward too.
“For me it blows my mind because it’s like you’re part of history even though you weren’t there in time,” Hicks explained. “It’s upholding the roots of what happened back then and showing the history of now.”
“The history and traditions here at Great Falls High is so amazing and we want to have that be a part of the school so that these kids can come back one day and say you know what, I was a part of that project,” Goodman said.
The project is just part one of a larger initiative to create a Great Falls High School Hall of Fame in the Swarthout Fieldhouse sometime next year. Donations and contributions to the hall of fame effort are graciously being accepted in order to continue the project.
