Two New Playgrounds coming to Monforton School, in honor of Layton Smith 🛝
Update: As of May 14th, we have received funding pledges that reach our project fundraising goal. A huge thank you to the ~90 donors who so generously money to this project.
Update: July 16th, 2026: Site preparation work is complete! The old playground has been removed and the GIANT concrete pads have been poured.
Monforton School is proud to announce that it has been selected by the Where Angels Play Foundation to receive two brand-new playgrounds at its elementary school campus. This extraordinary gift has been made possible by a generous private donor who wished to honor the memory of Layton Smith, a Monforton student who passed away tragically in 2025, as well as other Monforton families who have experienced loss.
The project reflects the very best of what a community can do when it comes together — to grieve, to heal, and to build something lasting for the children who come after.
Two Playgrounds, Built with Love
Monforton’s nearly 700 students will benefit from not one, but two new play spaces. The first, a 35′ x 80′ structure, will replace the school’s aging play equipment and merry-go-round and is designed with elementary-age students in mind. This playground has been thoughtfully designed in partnership with the Smith family and will reflect the personality and spirit of Layton, who spent his entire school career at Monforton. The second, a smaller 20′ x 30′ space located directly outside the kindergarten classrooms, will give the school’s youngest learners a safe, dedicated place to play and explore.
Both playgrounds will be ADA accessible and — responding to the most-requested feature from Monforton students — will feature multiple slides. It may be hard to believe, but with roughly 700 students currently enrolled, Monforton has zero slides. That’s about to change.
What we’re building:
- A 35′ x 80′ elementary playground, ADA accessible, to replace our existing aging playground.
- A new 20′ x 30′ kindergarten playground right outside the classroom doors
And “YES”, there will be slides! 🛝
First Responders Coming to Montana
In late July, Where Angels Play Foundation volunteers — primarily comprised of fire fighters, police officers, and other first responders — will travel to Montana to install the playground equipment and pour a durable rubber surfacing material. This is the same amazing material used at the new community playground next to the Belgrade Library. A ribbon cutting ceremony is planned for August 8th, 2026. The community is warmly invited to celebrate.
Help emerges from around the community
We set out with a goal of raising $55,000 to complete the site demolition and preparation work. Through Gallatin Valley Give Big we raised $27,500 and thanks to a generous matching donor, we have achieved our $55,000 goal.
Then we hit a snag. The bids for the preparation work came in higher than we anticipated, but help soon arrived. Two cornerstone community businesses stepped up and donated nearly all of the materials we needed. With this support, we were able to get the project into budget and moving forward. These project “Angels” came at the perfect time to ensure that we were able to complete our site preparation work done on schedule.
Kenyon Noble Ready-Mix graciously donated ALL of our concrete and delivery/pumping for the pads. These are BIG pads, so that’s over 50 yards of concrete!
Next, Knife River reached out and donated all of the sub-grade gravel and material delivery needed for the concrete pad. That’s over 150 tons of gravel mix!
Showing Montana Hospitality for our Volunteers
There are over 80 volunteers coming to Montana to help with this project. The Monforton School Foundation, our generous donors, and many community partners are going out of their way to show our gratitude for these volunteers and their families.
We’d like to acknowledge these partners who have donated facilities, services, and goods to make these volunteers to feel our gratitude.
Thank you to The Farmhouse for donating their venue space for a welcome dinner for the volunteers, as well as their VRBO space for the week to house some of our volunteers.
Thank you to Orders Up catering for donating the welcome dinner for the volunteers and supplying other volunteer lunches at cost.
About Where Angels Play Foundation
Where Angels Play Foundation was born out of tragedy and transformed into a beacon of hope. Founded in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, the organization — led by 9/11 first responders from the New Jersey firefighters community — built 26 playgrounds along the coasts of three states to honor each life lost that day in Newtown, CT. Since then, the Foundation has continued building playgrounds for communities in need across the United States, Canada, and as far as Rwanda, guided by the belief that play is healing, and that honoring those we’ve lost by creating joy for those still here is one of the most meaningful things we can do.
If their mission moves you, we encourage you to visit whereangelsplayfoundation.org to learn more or make a donation directly to the Foundation. Every gift helps them bring this same healing and hope to communities across the country.For more information about the Where Angels Play Foundation, visit whereangelsplayfoundation.org or contact CEO Bill Lavin at blavin@whereangelsplayfoundation.org
About Monforton School
Monforton School opened its doors in 1888 as a single room schoolhouse — today, it’s one of the fastest-growing public school districts in Montana, home to nearly 700 students and counting. As the surrounding 4 Corners area has boomed, Monforton has worked hard to keep pace — expanding programs, welcoming new families, and doing more with less. These playgrounds aren’t a luxury. For a public school stretched to meet the needs of a rapidly growing community, they are a long-overdue investment in the health, happiness, and childhood of every kid who walks through these doors.
Final Thoughts
To donate, contribute, or learn more, visit monfortonschoolfoundation.org or contact president@monfortonschoolfoundation.org.