This week I am completing two months of writing about Latino life in the Big Sky area. I have again and again learned about three crucial factors which impact the Latino experience: the power of connection, the lack of information, and the challenge of communication.
Housing is one of the most difficult issues for all non-home owners in Big Sky, and Latinos experience this problem even more intensely. Language barriers for renters and landlords alike make this already difficult process a struggle.
Kelsey French remembers a coat drive happening when she was in elementary school.
“I grew up in Big Sky, born and raised here. I’ve always tried to volunteer where I can,” French said.
The Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 requires that all school districts “take action to ensure equal participation for everyone including removing language barriers for ELL (English Language Learner) students.” As a result, all U.S.
Monday night is usually the only night Caitlin Tamposi, project manager for Montage Big Sky with Suffolk Construction, leaves work before six. Tennis nights keep her sane.
“Sometimes you just have to hit the ball as hard as you can after a long day,” Tamposi said.
![“It’s really worked here. Since I’ve been here, we’ve increased the amount of kids who eat lunch [at school] from about 20% to 70%,” Hurlbut said of the school food program. This photo is of this year’s runner-up local lunch. PHOTO COURTESY OF LINDSIE HURLBUT](http://www.lonepeaklookout.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/Screen%20Shot%202020-10-15%20at%2010.09.03%20AM.png?itok=ZdbHoKnj)
Montana No Kid Hungry has hosted the Montana School Eats Photo Contest since 2017.
Jose Azel, a successful journalist, and author who lives part-time in Big Sky and part-time in Miami is a role-model for first-generation Latinos who have sought and found safe refuge in the United States and a way to contribute to both their nation of origin and their new adoptive country.
A University of Montana – Lone Peak High School CAS Research & Publishing Project The University of Montana and Lone Peak High School thank the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation for their support and Hammond Property Management for providing meeting space.
The Program
The immigrant experience in the U.S. is as diverse as the people themselves. But one feeling links all the newcomers: fear.
Conversations about developing a Big Sky chapter of the Southwest Montana Mountain Biking Association (SWMMBA) began in June at Beehive Basin Brewery.