Famed author gives lessons at St. Regis

St. Regis School students got a special treat last week when Montana historian and author Jack Nisbet came to teach in their classrooms.

Nisbet visited several different classrooms from Monday through Wednesday last week for his fourth annual visit to St. Regis.

He taught elementary, middle and high school groups, as well as covering subjects, such as art, history, writing and science.

We're really lucky to have him come here. He's such a great source," said sixth and seventh grade teacher Diane Gingerich.

Nisbet is a Spokane resident and has been guest teaching in classrooms since 1986.

He said that he usually tries to link his teaching in with travel he is doing for research on one of his novels.

"I'm doing a collection of essays that are based on strange things that have happened around here," Nisbet said.

Much of the history Nisbet used in the classroom centered on local events.

He said that much of his work revolves around David Thompson, a Canadian fur trapper who used the Clark Fork River area as a base of operations.

"I think anytime you can learn about history in your backyard, it's important. It makes it real," business teacher Jackie Almquist said.

"These kids have been to the places that he talks about and they can see it a little bit better," Almquist added.

Nisbet said that he likes to visit the area Thompson used to trap to help him prepare to write a novel.

"[Thompson] is the first guy to really write about western Montana," Nisbet said. "I like to come here in the winter and sort of channel him."

Nisbet first got involved with St. Regis through Principal Don Almquist and his wife Jackie, who he met while working at a school in Metaline Falls, Wash., where Almquist was working as a principal.

"I think he does a fantastic job. He has just a wealth of knowledge." Jackie Almquist said. "It's more than just textbook knowledge; he's been out and walked the path and seen the campsites that David Thompson was at."

Nisbet said that he feels his work with the students at St. Regis is particularly effective because he can be more positive than teachers.

"I absolutely make sure that I say something positive about each piece," Nisbet said. Nisbet said that his work is particularly important with writing classes, where he can help students develop their writing voice.

"It's not a successful class unless every kid writes something," Nisbet said.

On Tuesday night, Nisbet gave a talk in the St. Regis library for the community. His discussion looked at artwork from early artists, including Thompson, who depicted the landscape of western Montana and Idaho.

Nisbet said that the artwork he looked at focused mainly on the effect that an enormous flood had on the landscape. According to Nisbet, the flood occurred when an ice dam, which created a lake of the Missoula and Clark Fork area, broke, unleashing a tremendous amount of water.

Almquist said that Nisbet's visit to St. Regis was chiefly paid for by 21st Century and Indian Education grant money. "Although grant money has paid for Jack's visit here this year, we have also had generous help from area businesses," Almquist said.

Nisbet has authored "Sources of the River: Tracking David Thompson across Western North America," "Purple Flat Top: In Pursuit of a Place," "Singing Grass, Burning Sage: Exploring Washington's Shrub-Steppe," and several other novels about the western Montana area. He is working on a collection of short stories while teaching at area schools.