On ‘227 Day,’ students celebrate East Helena’s past

There are no Hallmark greeting cards for “227 Day” — yet. But in East Helena’s schools, Feb. 27 is a big deal. Inspired by the city’s phone prefix, 227, schools each year create academic and extracurricular programming that expose students to the city’s history. 

The specifics of the celebration are up to each school. So, at Eastgate Elementary, kindergarteners visited City Hall to learn about the history of the building — and specifically, its former life as the city’s first school.

Prickly Pear Elementary held an assembly on the history of East Helena rodeo, and teachers participated in mock rodeo events. At Radley Elementary, students absorbed East Helena heritage in music, phys ed, and other classes. East Valley Middle School conducted a schoolwide lesson on the history of 227.