UM Grad Makes Big Impact Inside Montana One-Room Schoolhouse
UM alumna Alison Bramlet poses Sept. 4 outside historic Malmborg School, the one-room schoolhouse near Bozeman Pass where she serves as lead teacher. (UM photos by Marley Barboeisel)
Note: A version of this news release with additional photos and video is available online.
By Kat Franchino, UM News Service
MISSOULA – The term “one-room schoolhouse” evokes days of long ago, but for University of Montana alumna Alison Bramlet, it’s part of her everyday life.
Bramlet is the lead teacher at Malmborg School, a historic one-room schoolhouse nestled along Jackson Creek near Bozeman Pass. While many schools built in the era adopted traditional rectangular builds, Malmborg School stands apart as a bright red octagonal building.
Tall windows flank many of the school’s eight walls, giving students a near-panoramic view of tall mountains and sweeping green fields. Bramlet’s two dogs dodge in and out of the classroom as she staples decorative edging to a bulletin board in preparation for the first day of school.
Originally from the Flathead Valley, Bramlet moved to Dillon, when she was 12. While she didn’t attend a one-room schoolhouse, Bramlet knew students who did.
“One- and two-room schoolhouses are actually fairly common in small Montana towns,” Bramlet explained. “About 62, including Malmborg, still operate throughout the state.”
After high school, Bramlet moved to Missoula for college and quickly fell in love with UM’s Phyllis J. Washington College of Education, which she graduated from in 2023.
“The professors at the College of Education are incredible,” Bramlet said. “Dr. Molly Blakely and Dr. Scott Hohnstein, in particular, were great instructors. The knowledge I gained from my courses was so practical. I still have my notes from my UM classes, and I regularly use what I learned to help with classroom management and academic interventions.”
Teaching at a one-room schoolhouse wasn’t on Bramlet’s radar until her senior year, when she participated in the Office of Public Instruction’s Montana Teacher Residency Program. Launched in 2022, the program provides year-long student teaching opportunities for higher-education students.
Bramlet was placed at Sunset School, a two-room schoolhouse in Greenough, led by UM alumna and 2023 Rural Teacher of the Year recipient Toni Hatten.
“It was a little odd not to spend my senior year on campus, but it was worth it to be with students on both the first and last days of school,” Bramlet said. “Toni was an incredible mentor to me, and that experience helped prepare me to be Malmborg’s lead teacher.
“Malmborg is a small school, but we face the same issues as bigger schools do,” Bramlet added. “Little schools are struggling with budgets. It’s important that we talk about them and the impact these schools have on small communities.”
Malmborg School serves around seven or eight students annually, with grades ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade. While Malmborg is a public school, families opt in to attend, and Bramlet puts deep intention into working with families to ensure the school is the right fit.
“Teachers are an integral part of small communities like ours. I really get to know students and focus on their interests,” Bramlet said. “I tell families, ‘I have a lot of time to care about your kid.’”
The small setting does come with unique challenges. As the school’s sole teacher, Bramlet often juggles multiple learning levels when teaching a subject.
“You have 90 minutes for math, but you’re teaching five or six different grades, so you have to get pretty creative,” she said.
To do this, Bramlet relies heavily on centers and project-based learning. She also notes that older students are eager to lend a hand, which actually leads to deeper learning for those students as they develop ways to explain concepts to younger students.
Back at the school, Bramlet’s dogs take off through the front door, barreling toward the playground while she adds some finishing touches to the bulletin board. She steps back and surveys the space. Soon, the classroom will be filled with seven students eager to start the new school year. For now, though, Malmborg School is quiet as sun filters through the windows, lighting up the carefully arranged classroom.
“Little schools are still going strong,” Bramlet said. “They’re a part of Montana’s history and culture. I love my one-room school, and it’s important to me that I help tell its story.”
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Contact: Alison Bramlet, UM alum and lead teacher at Malmborg School, leadteacher@malmborg47.org; Kat Franchino, marketing and communications manager, UM Phyllis J. Washington College of Education, 406-243-4959, kat.franchino@umontana.edu.
