In the video below, Aneesa Coomer reports on Starbase Montana, which celebrated a significant milestone in Great Falls on Tuesday, February 25, 2025:
Department of Defense youth outreach program STARBASE Montana is celebrating hitting a milestone; serving 30,000 students since opening in 2007 between their sites in Helena and Great Falls.
Every 5th grade class in the Great Falls school district spends five days at the Great Falls STARBASE site at the 120th Airlift Wing. The federally funded program aims to teach students about science, technology, mathematics, and engineering, and get them interested in excelling in these areas as they go into middle and high school.
Kara Bates Tengedal, the Director of STARBASE Montana, says, “They get to do all of these fun experiments in science, and engineering, design, and they get to code robotics and do some 3D printing. They get to come on to the 120th Airlift, see what they do here, meet some airmen and women, and just get a better sense of how we are part of the community.”
Starbase Montana also offers summer camps and after school programs. Between the Fort Harrison location in Helena and the Great Falls site, Starbase Montana serves 2,000 students per year. The program also serves children outside of the Great Falls district, and is continuing to expand, adding a new program in Fairfield this year. Bates Tengesdal says, “We travel to reservations around Montana and put on summer camps, and try to target these rural towns that ask us to visit.”
The STARBASE Montana program is administered by the Montana Department of Military Affairs, led by Major General Pete Hronek, the Adjutant General for the State of Montana and serving as the Commander of the Montana National Guard. He explains, “A fifth grade level seems to be where they really start thinking about where they want to go in life. Mathematics and physics and all those things really sparks them to want to take those classes in junior high and high school, and then compete for either great jobs in the sector or go to college in engineering fields.”
After surveying hundreds of graduating seniors that took part in the program back in 5th grade, STARBASE Montana reports that 30% of them are planning to pursue a STEM career directly due to their STARBASE experience.
Starbase Montana provided the following information in a news release:
STARBASE Montana, a premier youth outreach program for the Department of Defense, hit a milestone this month by serving 30,000 students since opening in 2007. While there are over 90 DoD STARBASE sites across the US and its territories, Montana is home to two; STARBASE Fort Harrison in Helena (est. 2007), and STARBASE Great Falls at the 1200th Airlift Wing (est. 2011). The STARBASE Montana program is administered by the Montana Department of Military Affairs, led by the Montana Adjutant General, MG John ‘Pete’ Hronek. Every 5th grade class in the Helena and Great Falls school district visit their local STARBASE classroom for 5 days of exciting science, technology, engineering, arts/design, and mathematics (STEAM) instruction.
“This takes up our entire school year since each school district has upwards of 30 5th grade classes,” STARBASE Montana Director, Kara Bates Tangedal explains. “In addition, we provide STEAM outreach, an afterschool program called STARBASE Advanced for middle school students, and summer camps. We serve about 2,000 Montana youth each year. We regularly survey graduating 12th grade students in Great Falls and Helena, and 30% of students who attended STARBASE credit STARBASE as the reason they plan to pursue a STEM career. We owe our success to our STARBASE instructors and our school and community partners. They truly make STARBASE the special and impactful program it is.”
DoD STARBASE was brought to Montana by retired Colonel, Michael Stone, who worked in the same area in the Department of Defense for Reserve Affairs as the Director of the DoD STARBASE program, Mr. Ernie Gonzales.
“Mr. Gonzales and I became very good friends. In 2007, he called the Adjutant General of Montana and stated that he had funding for a program in Montana. STARBASE Fort Harrison was fortunate to hit the deck running with Montana Science Teacher of the Year, Jon Runnalls, and Karla Williams from the Helena school district. Working with the Adjutant General’s staff, especially Mrs. Karen Revious, got this program up and running.”
When asked about STARBASE Great Falls, COL Stone said, “The Great Falls School District under direct supervision of Mrs. Ruth Uecker and her staffing of the program from within the district, was the best all-around decision we made. Mrs. Wendy Fechter was put in the Director role for Great Falls and proceeded to fine tune the program to where we are today. I am very proud of those two ladies for their caring and leadership for the program as well as the staff members from the district for that opportunity.”
The current Director of STARBASE Fort Harrison, Kaylee Nathe, has been working at STARBASE since 2015, first as an instructor, and now Director. “Each day I have had the privilege of guiding young minds through hands-on STEAM experiences, igniting their curiosity and sparking their passion for learning. Every student who has experienced STARBASE has the potential to shape the future, and it has truly been rewarding making an impact on the lives of each student who has come through the doors at STARBASE. STARBASE Fort Harrison cannot wait to continue enriching the lives of students for years to come!”
