TOWNSEND -- Brian Patrick first embarked on his education when he was a student in a one-room school house on the Hi-Line.

A basketball scholarship took him to University of Montana-Western, and an education degree was his ticket to Townsend.

Since 1995, he's served as superintendent of Townsend Schools.

Last month, he earned the G.V. Erickson Award, Montana's most prestigious honor for school administrators.

Given annually by the School Administrators of Montana, it honors a SAM member who "has made the greatest contribution to the betterment of education in Montana."

Although Townsend's a small, rural school district on a frugal budget, its accomplishments under Patrick's guidance are many.

The K-12 district consistently generates cutting-edge programs, some of which have attracted state and national attention.

Recently it installed a new biomass heating system, expected to save the school district $1 million in heating costs over the next 30 years.

Townsend was the fifth school in Montana to install such a system as part of the Fuels for Schools and Beyond Program and was the first to use a wood pellet system.

The heating system has been praised for both its environmental and economic benefits.

Two years ago, the school launched KDGZ, a low- power FM radio station at 98.3 on the radio dial.

The station, a partnership with the Montana Disaster and Emergency Services, warns residents of emergencies but also provides an avenue for creative community programming.

It's already offering sports coverage of Bulldogs games. And this year, students are on the air as part of a radio-programming class.

In the past three years, the district also developed a sophisticated school Web page.

"The Web page is a real resource for the community about what's happening at the schools," said Patrick.

Another endeavor, the Bug and Weed Project, earned the school a National Civic Star award in February, based on its impressive array of more than a dozen community partnerships. And it has garnered two regional forestry awards.

Students run the project as a business enterprise, providing weed identification and GPS/GIS weed-mapping services for ranchers and governmental agencies.

Students also raise insects to sell as biological controls for noxious weeds.

"The Bug and Weed Project allows students to be involved in a summer business enterprise," he said. "They are proactively involved in weed control, and they learn we don't have to use sprays and harmful things in the environment."

The school also operates an effective school-community recycling program.

"We try to provide an education that is all-encompassing," Patrick said. "This is why we get into biomass, recycling and the Bug and Weed Project."

These projects teach students about being a good citizen in the community, he said. And they take the lessons with them to whatever community they live in.

A few other recent school endeavors include: a school breakfast program, an after-school program, a top-notch elementary reading program, an energy savings program, and dual credit classes for juniors and seniors who earn college credits during high school.

Then there's the new school-community tennis courts, which have already paid big dividends -- after they were installed, the Lady Bulldogs took the state tennis championship.

Patrick gives his staff credit for the district's successes.

A recent example of staff commitment, he said, is a new "real life" class for seniors.

The staff looked at all the high school classes and found students were missing training in real life skills, such as how to do taxes, apply for a loan, purchase a car and select car insurance.

"The main focus is the economics of being an adult," Patrick said.

Patrick's award also mentions a major challenge Patrick faced when he first arrived at Townsend.

The aging high school building no longer safely met the district's needs, Patrick said.

After four requests to the voters, in 2001 they approved building a new high school by a two-to-one margin.

Patrick's energy goes beyond the school campus. He also helped found the Broadwater Community Foundation, which has raised over $300,000 since 1995.

The foundation awards grants for student scholarships and numerous community projects -- from bike trail signage, to park playground equipment, to lighting for the Toston Bridge.

Patrick's also active in Lions Club and the local Chamber of Commerce.

When asked about inspiration, Patrick said he knew for a long time he wanted to be a history teacher and a basketball coach, and he did both.

But one educational highlight stood out for him as a boy growing up on a wheat farm on the High Line -- his teacher, Pamela Fox, organized a seven-week study trip in Paris for high school students. It opened his eyes to the wider world.

"It was quite an experience for a 16-year-old from rural Montana."

Reporter Marga Lincoln: 447-4074 or marga.lincoln@helenair.com