March is Youth Art Month and Great Falls Public Schools students are celebrating music, art and theater with a packed schedule of events.

Dusty Molyneaux, GFPS’ fine arts supervisor, told the school board during their Feb. 23 meeting that the district has a robust arts curriculum and full theaters with stagecraft programs.

That’s not the case in all districts statewide, he said, but sometimes the community takes the GFPS arts programming for granted.

GFPS music students performing for the holidays [2025]

“We value the arts and we do a good job protecting the arts,” Molyneaux said of GFPS, and that he was proud to lead the arts programs.

Great Falls has received the Best Communities for Music Education from the NAMM Foundation for 14 consecutive years, Molyneaux said.

GFPS receives music community designation [2023]

“We do amazing things with and for young musicians, performers and artists every day in the schools, and the arts are a huge part of their complete education. The arts enrich the community in which we live, play, and work. Great Falls prides itself on having strong arts program in our schools, and we need to keep working on enhancing and growing these wonderful opportunities for our students,” Molyneaux wrote in his board memo of the upcoming activities schedule.

Molyneaux read the city’s proclamation of Youth Art Month to the board, which states:

• art education is a viable academic endeavor and contributes educational benefits to all elementary and secondary students; and
• art education develops students’ creative problem-solving and critical thinking abilities and teaches sensitivity to beauty, order, and other expressive qualities; and
• art education gives students a deeper understanding of multicultural values and beliefs, and reinforces and brings to life what students learn in other subjects; and
• art education interrelates student learning in art production, art history, art criticism and aesthetics, and our national leaders have acknowledged the necessity of including arts experiences in all students’ education.

The proclamation will be formally presented during a ceremony at the Great Falls Public Library from 4-6 p.m. March 6.

GFPS celebrating arts, music, theater in schools [2025]

At the library, GFPS teachers and students will celebrate Youth Art Month with their annual showcase of student work on the first and second floors. 

The exhibit features artwork from students in all GFPS schools and will be on display through the end of April.

The Art and Creative Materials Institute created Children’s Art Month in 1961 as an event to emphasize the value to children from participating in visual art education. In 1969, the celebration expanded to include secondary school students and officially became known as Youth Art Month, according to the library.

GFPS piloting chamber orchestra ensemble [2023]

GFPS student work is included in the Youth Art Month Show at the State Capitol from March 1-30.

The Great Falls Public Schools Foundation has established a permanent fund for GFPS Arts, with a $1 million gift received in 2022, intended to support student programming for performing and visual arts into perpetuity.

Initially, the foundation an donor focused their plans for the funding on renovating the C.M. Russell High auditorium, with a focus on improving acoustics, lighting and the stage area.

Expecting that the renovation cost may exceed the initial donation, the donor partnered with the foundation for a matching fundraising campaign for another $500,000 toward the project, a goal that was met in 2025.

District officials explored various funding sources for the abatement work associated with the renovation project, but was unable to find the needed funding for the full-scale project.

Adjusting, the foundation worked with the initial donor and the district, determining that the $500,000 raised in 2025 would be used toward improvements to the CMR auditorium audio system, stage lighting and sound booth. That work is expected to be completed by the end of next school year, according to the foundation.

After considerable discussion, it was decided to use the initial $1 million donation to ensure GFPS arts education would be enhanced for years to come.

“While the foundation cannot provide core funding for staffing positions, we can provide some assurance that innovation in student learning can still be a reality despite tight budgets. We know that when we inspire and equip educators to take learning to the next level, our students and our community are the ultimate beneficiaries,” Stephanie Becker, GFPS Foundation director, said in a release. “We are deeply grateful for the donor’s willingness to come alongside us to think creatively, to brainstorm solutions, and to envision something grand for Great Falls Public Schools students and teachers.”

The foundation plans to disburse $35,000 to $40,000 from the fund annually toward potential uses such as partnerships with local arts organizations, residency opportunities and support for student experiences, according to the foundation.

The first disbursement will be made available for use in the 2026-2027 school year and further information will be released as details are finalized.

“The Fund for GFPS Arts will offer students in our community unique, impactful, and innovative learning opportunities. The anonymous donor’s investment in this area is a testament to the strength and vibrancy of performing and visual arts in Great Falls Public Schools,” Becker said in a release. “We are grateful that this donor has entrusted the foundation and Great Falls Public Schools to develop something that will benefit students in our community for generations to come.”

The following events are scheduled for Youth Art Month with GFPS students:

• March 3 at 7 p.m.: AA Band Festival Concert at Great Falls High
• March 4-7 ACDA Conference in Tacoma, Wash. for the C.M. Russell High School choir
• March 6 at 4 p.m.: Youth Art Month reception, show runs March 5-April 28
• March 10 at 7 p.m.: East Middle School Orchestra Invitational concert, 6th and 7th grades; North Middle School Band Invitational concert, 6th and 7th grades
• March 12 at 7 p.m.: East Middle School Band Invitational concert, 6th and 7th grades; North Middle School Orchestra Invitational concert, 6th and 7th grades
• March 16 at 7 p.m.: CMR choir concert at CMR
• March 17 at 7 p.m.: Music in our Schools Month band at GFH auditorium
• March 19 at 3:q5 p.m.: GFH Dahl Gallery – Lucero Art Show reception; Music in our Schools Month choir at GFH old gym
• March 19-22: Young Masters Art at Out West Art Show at Heritage Inn
• March 23 at 7 p.m.: GFH choir concert at GFH
• March 24  at 7 p.m.: Music in our Schools Month orchestra at CMR auditorium
• March 30 at 7 p.m.: CMR orchestra concert at CMR; GFH orchestra concert at GFH
• March 31 at 1 p.m.: 4th grade Youth Matinee with the Great Falls Symphony at the Mansfield Theater; 7 p.m. band concert at GFH; concert at North Middle School
• April 9 from 1-9 p.m.: District 6 Music Festival at GFH (large ensembles)
• April 10 from 1-9 p.m.: District 6 Music Festival at CMR (solo/small ensembles)
• April 14 at 7 p.m.: GFH Delphian Choir concert at GFH
• April 17 at 4:30 p.m.: GFPS All City Art Student Exhibition, Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art
• April 21 at 7 p.m.: GFH Rhapsody Choir concert at GFH
• April 18, 25 at 2 p.m.: CMR Drama spring show – “Trap”
• April 17-18, 24-25 at 7:30 p.m.: CMR Drama spring show – “Trap”

*GFPS photo