by Andy Tallman | andy.tallman@missoulian.com
Monday, June 1, 2026
Maren Davies reacts to winning first place in Jeannette Rankin Day contest on Friday, May 29 at Jeannette Rankin Elementary School in Missoula.
In the gym of Jeannette Rankin Elementary School, students and parents gathered on Friday for the results of the first-ever Jeannette Rankin Day contest to see which of six finalists would be awarded first place by the Jeannette Rankin Foundation for their project about the first woman in the U.S. Congress.
Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis gave out the top prize to Maren Davies, whose winning project was a drawing showing Rankin in front of a crowd of protesting women, accompanied by symbols representing her accomplishments.
Davies told the Missoulian that her favorite part of Rankin’s story is her degree in biology.
“She made a big impact on her country,” Davies said.
Davies received one of the gift bags given to all of the finalists, as well as a $100 top prize and a plaque. She was chosen as the winner from the six finalists by members of the Foundation’s board for best representing Rankin’s legacy.
at Jeannette Rankin Elementary School in Missoula.
“She brought Montana’s voice and women’s votes to Washington, D.C.,” Mayor Davis said. “Jeannette helped move history forward, and she showed us that one person can make a difference.”
According to Principal Christina Stevens, the contest came about after the school hosted author Lorissa Rinehart, a member of the foundation board who wrote a Rankin biography, “Winning the Earthquake,” a copy of which was given to the finalists along with a gift bag. Rinehart and the foundation approached the school with the plan for the contest, and the school’s fifth-graders all submitted a project interpreting Rankin’s legacy.
“It’s been tricky, and a good learning experience for the kids,” Stevens said. “I think the kids have put in a lot of work.”
Stevens explained that she felt that Rankin broke ground for her own career. When she first joined the school district over 30 years ago, leadership positions there were primarily dominated by men.
“She opened the door for women to be in leadership positions,” Stevens said.
The foundation aimed to bring awareness to Rankin and her work through the event, according to Lori Warden, spokesperson for the foundation.
“Outside of Montana, she’s much lesser known,” Warden said. “We’ve been talking about hosting some kind of Rankin contest for a while.”
About 75 fifth-grade students submitted one of three options for the contest: a 500-word essay on Rankin’s influence, an original art project interpreting Rankin’s impact with a written explanation, and a historical interpretation video giving a speech from the point of view of Rankin or someone who might have known her.
The essays were scored by volunteers from the Missoula Writing Collaborative, the art projects were judged by docents from the Montana Museum of Art and Culture, and the historical interpretations were weighed by Rinehart and another historian.
The volunteer judges landed on six finalists, who all gave a short summary of their project.
Liam Banbury was impressed by Rankin’s fight for women’s rights and against child labor.
“My whole art piece represents what she went through in her life,” Banbury told the audience.
Emma Benson commented on Rankin voting against the U.S. entering both world wars, as did London Cordial.
“She worked endlessly to end the war, but it wasn’t enough,” Cordial said.
“Jeannette Rankin means a lot to me,” Davies, the contest winner, said. “I love how brave she was and that she was the first woman in Congress.”
Jude Snyder chose to give an interpretative speech for his project, framed as Rankin’s eulogy.
“She was very impactful, and even in death, she still is,” Snyder said.
Malika Wilson also did an art project, drawing Rankin standing tall among her siblings.
According to Warden, the foundation plans to organize this event in future years and maybe expand the contest to other schools.
“We kind of treated this as a pilot project,” Warden said. “We definitely want to include more children.”
Read the article here: Award given to student for Jeannette Rankin art