Photos courtesy of Jennifer Martyn

What Is the C.O.R.E. School and Why Was It Created?

    Launched in 2024, The C.O.R.E. School at Morningside was founded with a single mission: to grow Great Falls’ next generation of teachers from within. The school gives student teachers the chance to learn in real classrooms while creating meaningful, hands-on experiences for everyone involved. What began as a bold vision driven by collaboration and passion has since become a thriving reality. After a year of growth and reflection, the school has not only met its early goals but laid the foundation for an even brighter future.

    C.O.R.E. which stands for Creation of teachers, Opportunities for students, Respect for community, and Educational Excellence, was built on the belief that learning is strongest when shared. Housed at Morningside, the school connects college students, teachers, and K–12 learners in a collaborative model that strengthens instruction and builds community. In just one year, C.O.R.E. has begun to show how reimagining the classroom can spark growth for everyone involved.

 How Did the Idea for C.O.R.E. Take Shape?

     The idea for what would become The C.O.R.E. School began with district educators Rachel Cutler and Marnie Napierala, who imagined a better way to prepare future teachers through real-world experience and mentorship. Both were working at the district level at the time, Cutler as a curriculum coordinator and Napierala overseeing instructional coaches and teaching education courses at MSU Northern. When the concept started to take shape they couldn’t help but take hold of the idea with full grasp.

     “We truly just wrote on a piece of butcher paper, started plotting out what it could look like,” Napierala said. “Then we typed it into a plan, brought it to our superintendent, and sat down like, ‘Here’s a thing!’”

     The two asked each other a simple but transformative question: What if college students could train on-site in real classrooms, learning directly from experienced educators while earning their degrees…for free?

When a new state charter bill passed, it opened the door for their plan to become a reality.

     “We didn’t need it to be a charter,” Napierala explained, “but we did need a college partner.”

     They reached out to the University of Montana Western, known statewide for its teacher-preparation program. Western not only agreed to collaborate but “one-upped” the idea, writing a grant to cover tuition for participating students so they could earn their degrees at no cost.

     “We thought it was a pipe dream, but the stars aligned and the charter bill came through,” said Napierala.

     Meanwhile, Great Falls Public Schools (GFPS) covered the cost for those same students to work in classrooms, creating a mutually beneficial system where every participant gained something valuable. The arrangement allowed more adults to be present in K–12 classrooms, gave younger students extra support, while also modeling professional growth for college students.

“We called it a learning exchange,” Napierala said.

     A fitting name for a model where everyone learns. Children benefit from smaller class sizes and individualized attention, college students gain hands-on experience and a paycheck, and current teachers get opportunities to mentor and grow toward their own master’s degrees.

Building Their Vision 

     When Napierala retired from GFPS, she wasn’t ready to step away entirely. She accepted a position with the University of Montana Western to continue supporting the program on-site. Today, she helps manage college students’ schedules and ensures each one stays on track academically and professionally. Before stepping back, she passed the reins to Principal Jennifer Martyn, with simple but heartfelt encouragement: “Go, go, go!”

“I don’t ever dread coming to work. I don’t…I don’t even call it work,” said Martyn.

     Each day, she approaches the school with the same optimism and energy she hopes to inspire in her students and staff. “With honor and excitement,” as she puts it, Martyn treats every morning like a new opportunity to make a difference.

     Starting up, The underpopulated Morningside Elementary building turned out to be the perfect home for that vision. When the C.O.R.E. School first opened its doors, it welcomed 196 students. After a year of community outreach, growing interest, and the contagious excitement of the staff, enrollment climbed to 311! Living proof of how far a dream and a lot of passion can bring you.

     On the operational side of things, C.O.R.E is more like an internship model than a traditional campus. College students are responsible for their own transportation, and families sign attendance contracts requiring students to be present at least 90% of the year. Admission is determined through a lottery, with priority given first to neighborhood families and then to other Great Falls Public Schools students.

What Challenges Has the School Faced and Overcome?

    A major hurdle was earning approval from the State Board of Public Education, which had just developed a framework for evaluating charter schools. The board’s criteria covered finances, academics, and attendance. When the board toured the school at year’s end, staff waited nervously for feedback. To their delight, board members not only praised the school but asked how the model could be implemented more broadly to other schools as well!

     Though it may seem like it, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Obstacles included typical new-school challenges like parking, bus routes, and attendance, but by spring, most had been resolved. The school ended the year proudly reporting a 3.6 average GPA, strong attendance, and positive student behavior, based on feedback evidence shows this is thanks to the teaching model that the school brings.

     “The young kids, when we interviewed them, they talk so highly about having extra adults in their room and the relationships that they’re making with these people,” said Jennifer Martyn.

 How Does C.O.R.E. Bring Learning to Life?

     Younger students appreciated having more adults in their classrooms, while teachers expanded learning beyond the school through hands-on activities and field trips. Even the youngest classes, including kindergarten, were able to take field trips for the first time. Meanwhile, fourth graders ran a lemonade and hot chocolate stand throughout the year to raise funds for a trip to the state capitol, where they experienced the legislative process firsthand.

  “Schools have become a place that are so driven by tests and curriculum and go, go, go, go, 
And, you know, we’ve lost a little bit of the love of learning,” said Napierala.

     C.O.R.E. thrives on community partnerships that bring that love of learning back to life, she said. The school seeks Professionals to visit the school simply to lead engaging, hands-on courses. For example, science lessons. Units on the human body are complete with lab coats and medical vocabulary, even for first graders. Parents also play a major role in enriching the curriculum. One teacher hosts a monthly art docent program, inviting local artists and parents to help students connect classroom lessons with real-world creativity.

“It’s taking theory into practice—they are getting this experience from the first day of school to the last day of school, all day, every day,” said Principal Martyn.

How Does the School Build Community and Leadership?

    The partnerships also extend beyond the classroom as well, in fact the school tries its best to build bridges with as many organizations that they can t provide for their students. In one of these sponsored collaborations, The Great Falls Americans hockey team joined the annual walkathon fundraiser, while volunteers from Malmstrom Air Force Base helped prepare the grounds before opening day and returned throughout the year to spend time with students during recess and lunch.

     Teachers who once worked in the old Morningside building say they’re thrilled with its transformation. 

       “It’s really neat to see all of these different entities, like Touro University and, you know, all these different community organizations working together with some sort of ties here to us here at the school,“ said Martyn.

        Student leadership is another cornerstone of the school’s culture. Any student can apply to be a “student leader” title by completing a self-assessment and gathering signatures from teachers and family members. Once selected, they help plan spirit days and events and even address teachers before the school year begins to inspire staff. Younger students are paired with older “big buddies” who serve as role models, helping kindergarteners learn what it means to be part of a caring school community that supports each other. This encouraging atmosphere reflects itself through the number of returning kids that appeared coming into 2025.

     “It’s probably like 99% of our students returning and the ones that aren’t, it’s because they’re moving,” said Martyn.

    Though positivity is mainly what the school has received,  C.O.R.E. still remains open to feedback as it grows. Much of the early evaluation came through the State Board of Public Education’s framework, which required data and narrative evidence of progress. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, affirming the program’s direction and encouraging staff to keep building on their success.

     Families share that same sense of confidence. One parent described the atmosphere after watching teachers and aides hug students at dismissal: “It felt like every single person there is Miss Honey from Matilda.” Students also often echo that sentiment through handwritten letters to the principal, thanking her for their teachers and the school community.

 What Traditions and Values Define C.O.R.E.?

     C.O.R.E. has also developed several fun traditions that celebrate its unique culture. After state testing, students “duct tape a teacher to the wall” as a reward for their hard work. Each test point a student receives equals one piece of tape. If enough points are made, a teacher is left hanging on the wall! Another example during the holidays, Principal Martyn dresses as an Elf on the Shelf, hiding around the building for students to find. “HERD Tickets” are also a big tradition. The school’s Mustang mascot represents its core values: Honor, Empathy, Respect, and Dedication. Students who demonstrate these traits to earn these tickets, which are entered into prize drawings. All bringing fun into the brick walls of learning.

What Comes Next for the C.O.R.E. School?

     As of Now, C.O.R.E. has successfully expanded even further. Two university classrooms on site host high school students from C.M. Russell and Great Falls High, who take dual-enrollment Introduction to Education classes three mornings a week. Their goal being to spark interest in teaching early and continue building a local teacher pipeline for years to come.

“We’d like to keep it going as long as we can,” Napierala said.

     Looking forward, school leaders plan to keep strengthening partnerships, pursue additional funding to maintain tuition-free access, and continue sharing their model statewide. They hope their success will help address the national teacher shortage and inspire other districts to innovate.

     “I can’t even explain it. I mean, truly, it gives me chills—it makes me want to cry. I’m so proud of what we’ve built. And it is such a beautiful model for our whole community, and for Great Falls Public School,” said Napierala.