Lieutenant Governor McLean visits, plays in Arlee
Karen Peterson photo
Lt. Governor Angela McLean plays a game of run and scream with Arlee schoolchildren.
Karen Peterson photo
A student shakes the hand of Lt. Governor Angela McLean.
Karen Peterson photo
Hugs are in order as Lt. Governor Angela McLean visits former coworkers.
Karen Peterson photo
Lt. Governor Angela McLean talks to a classroom of students at Arlee schools.
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ARLEE – Fifth grader Shannon Haworth watched with surprise as Lieutenant Governor Angela McLean walked into her classroom last Thursday.
“It blows my mind that you are here,” she said.
Shannon thought her teacher was joking about the visit.
“Yesterday was April Fools’ so I thought they were kidding about you coming here,” Shannon said to the lieutenant governor. “I’m glad you’re here.”
The lieutenant governor responded by saying, “I’m humbled by your compliment. I never thought I’d get this opportunity.”
McLean was a teacher for 19 years before being appointed to her new job in politics earlier this year. Many of the students were even more surprised to learn that she started her teaching career in Arlee. She taught history and government for three years before her husband’s job required a move to Anaconda.
“Arlee is where I got my start,” she said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t get my start here.”
The lieutenant governor began her visit with a speech to the entire school in the gym where teacher Anna Baldwin introduced her as the “second in command for the whole state.” Baldwin went on to say “you can start small in a little town like ours and do something big.”
McLean began her speech by thanking the opening drum group for sharing their culture and talking about her experience as a teacher in Arlee.
“You have extraordinary leaders in this school,” she said. “I know that, not because I’m your lieutenant governor, but because they were my mentors. They embraced me as a brand new educator.”
Sophomore Kaylee Samsel was inspired by the speech.
“It was cool to know she started in Arlee,” she said. “It gives me hope.”
Sophomore Megan Shick thought about the lieutenant governor’s message to students to think about what they wanted to do with their futures and to find a teacher to help make that future a reality.
“I thought it was inspirational when she told us we have great teachers and mentors,” Megan said.
In Mr. Ries’s fourth-grade class, students raised their hands to ask the lieutenant governor questions starting with “Where do you do most of your work?”
“Our work is all across Montana,” she answered, adding that her new classroom was the entire state of Montana.
Students wanted to know what she did in her new position. McLean explained her job as that of a “tireless advocate” and encouraged anyone to email her or give her a call in her Helena office to discuss his or her issues, or just to say hello.
“I work for you and your family to make sure you have a great place to go to school, and we are working on growing a good strong economy,” she said.
The fourth grade students also really wanted to know if she had any pets.
“I have two dogs. One is named Monte. Can you guess why?” she asked.
One of the last questions was: “What are you working on now?”
“Really strong public education,” she answered. “One of the main things we are working on is state funded preschool.”
The visit ended with hugs in the library from familiar faces.
“She has impacted a lot of people,” Baldwin said as she watched McLean talk to former colleagues.
