The District Insider
Volume 6, Issue 10 | May 2019
Aiden Krogh, an 11th grade student at Red River High School, has been selected for NYO2, a highly selective summer orchestral program through Carnegie Hall.
Eighty young musicians from across the United States were selected for the three-week orchestral training program for instrumentalists ages 14-17. The program recognizes exceptionally talented musicians who not only embody a high level of artistry, but also a wide range of backgrounds.
The musicians of NYO2 will travel to Miami Beach for a weeklong residency and will work with New World Symphony Fellows leading up to a performance at the New World Center on July 27. The musicians will then return to New York for a culminating performance at Carnegie Hall on July 30.
“Aiden has accomplished so much recently, thanks to his hard work and dedication. It is very exciting to see the opportunities that have opened up for him, and that he’ll be representing our school, city, and state on a national level. NYO2 will be a tremendous opportunity for him,” said Jeffrey Seabloom, orchestra teacher at Red River High School.
Krogh, who plays the cello, was selected by audition and is one of only two musicians from North Dakota selected for the program this year. He is the first string player from North Dakota to be selected, and one of eight cellists chosen. Members of NYO2 2019 are from 30 states and Puerto Rico.
Krogh has been playing cello since 1st grade and is the principal cellist of the Red River High School Concert Orchestra, Northern Valley Youth Orchestra’s Symphony, and was selected to the North Dakota All-State Orchestra.
“We are very proud to have a member in the National Youth Orchestra, an ensemble typically representing youth orchestras in much larger cities,” said Naomi Welsh, cello teacher and Executive Director of the Northern Valley Youth Orchestras. “I would credit the many fine teachers Aiden has had along the way, both here and at camps and festivals. He is motivated to improve and willing to listen and incorporate the expertise he receives into his playing
In January, Krogh won the annual Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Young Artists Competition. As the winner, he performed the first movement of the “Cello Concerto” by Édouard Lalo as the featured soloist at a Fargo-Moorhead Symphony concert on April 16.
Created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in summer 2016, NYO2 brings together outstanding young American instrumentalists. Running in conjunction with NYO-USA’s annual summer residency at Purchase College, SUNY, NYO2 offers an opportunity for participants to play alongside exceptionally talented peers and learn from a world-class faculty. The program aims to expand the pool of young musicians across the country equipped with the tools to succeed at the highest level, particularly those who not only embody a very high level of artistry, but who also come from a wide range of backgrounds.
The Taube Museum of Art has announced the 2018-2019 winners of the North Dakota Juried Student Art Show.
Each spring, students across North Dakota submit art pieces to be juried at the museum. This year, 676 entries were submitted.
Jurors selected three pieces for the Governor’s Award, four for the State of the Arts Award, sponsored by Senator Kevin Cramer, four for the Northern Visions Award, sponsored by Senator John Hoeven, and five for the Congressional Art Award, sponsored by Representative Kelly Armstrong.
Lizard by Grant Hoffarth (South Middle School) was selected for the Governor’s Award, A Stroll in the Park by Samantha Martens (Red River High School) received a Congressional Art Award, and Hydrant by Erika Tinjum (Grand Forks Central High School) was selected as a Start of the Arts award winner. Marten’s artwork will hang in the Washington, D.C. Corridor, while Hoffarth and Tinjum’s pieces will be displayed in Bismarck.
An additional 100 entries were selected as award winners in a variety of categories and will become a traveling exhibit for the following year.
Mekenna Erickson’s (Grand Forks Central High School) piece Summer Time Camp was selected as a Taube Museum of Art award winner.
People’s Choice Award winners include Orange in the New Black by Taylor Schuman (Grand Forks Central High School), Lion Zentangle by Lukas Heydt (Elroy Schroeder Middle School), Radial Bug by Braden Huseby (South Middle School), and Untitled by Avery Whiteside (Elroy Schroeder Middle School).
The following students were named Traveling Award winners in grades 9-12:
- Hala Aboufakher, Red River High School, Calmness of the Plains
- Camlyn Bakke, Grand Forks Central High School, Woodland Seafood
- Keely Davidson, Grand Forks Central High School, Structures Within
- Yassmine El-Rewini, Red River High School, Evening Escapades
- Mekenna Erickson, Grand Forks Central High School, This is the Bahamas
- Amelia Foltz, Grand Forks Central High School, Garden Fresh Vessel
- Jessica Francois, Grand Forks Central High School, Sugar Plum Baby, King Sign, and One of Life’s Thrills
- Morgan Haga, Red River High School, La Pâtisserie
- Alex Hrabchak, Red River High School, Mental Cephalopod
- Zoie Krump, Red River High School, Berries of Fall
- Lowell Miller, Grand Forks Central High School, Dreaming Tower
- Kendra Nordick, Grand Forks Central High School, Reptile in Action
- Victoria Scheierl, Red River High School, In the Deep Blue
The following students were named Traveling Award winners in grades 7-8:
- Marie Derenne, Valley Middle School, A Day at the Lake
- Allie Foltz, Valley Middle School, Birds of a Feather
- Quinn Olson, Valley Middle School, Untitled
- Mackenzie Spoor, Valley Middle School, Tide Runs Deep
- Natalia Tchomakhidze, South Middle School, Self-Portrait and Parrot
Bryn Larson (Elroy Schroeder Middle School) was named a Traveling Award winner in grades K-6.
Instructors are Nicole Arnold (Red River High School), Cassie Baasch (South Middle School), Nancy Greenwood (Grand Forks Central High School), Kati Larson (Grand Forks Central High School), Dr. Betsy Thaden (Red River High School), Bryan Walls (Elroy Schroeder Middle School), and Jillian Westrum (Valley Middle School).
The competition is sponsored by the Lillian and Coleman Taube Museum of Art in Minot.
Grand Forks Public Schools has announced an administrative assignment for the 2019-2020 school year.
Mike Wilber, currently the Associate Principal at Valley Middle Schools, has been named an Associate Principal at Grand Forks Central High School.
Wilber has served as an administrator for one year, as a teacher for 12 years, has been a coach and coordinator for various athletic programs, contributed to district professional development opportunities, and helped lead large-scale building-level initiatives. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Dakota.
The assignment was due to the appointment of Jon Strandell, currently an associate principal at Grand Forks High School, as the next principal at the school.
The administrative assignment was approved by the Grand Forks School Board on April 23.
Grand Forks Public Schools has announced an administrative assignment for the 2019-2020 school year.
Joel Schleicher, currently the Executive Director of Technology, has been named the principal of South Middle School.
Schleicher has 10 years of middle school teaching experience, including seven years as a social studies teacher at Valley Middle School, along with nearly 10 years of experience in school leadership, including five years as an associate principal at Red River High School and four years as an associate principal at Valley Middle School. He has served on several district committees throughout his tenure at Grand Forks Public Schools, including tri-chair of the Innovations committee and a member of the Grand Forks School Board Facilities and Technology committees, Safety and Security committee, AdvancED committee, and chair of the secondary social studies committee.
Schleicher has a bachelor’s degree in social studies from Minnesota State University Moorhead, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of St. Thomas (Minn.), and a specialist’s degree and a doctorate in educational leadership, both from the University of North Dakota.
The assignment is due to the retirement of Nancy Dutot.
The administrative assignment was approved by the Grand Forks School Board on April 8.
Grand Forks Central students recently competed at the North Dakota SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference, held in Wahpeton.
SkillsUSA is a national organization that serves trade, industrial, technical, and health occupations students in public high schools, career and technical centers and schools, and two-year colleges.
More than 500 students competed in 42 occupational and leadership skill areas at the conference.
The following students placed in the SkillsUSA competitive event programs and each received a medal:
- Rachel Craig, 1st place in Technical Drafting
- Josh DeFoe, 2nd place in Technical Drafting
- Dennis Du, 1st place in Computer Programming
- Austin Hamilton, 3rd place in Mobile Robotics
- Daniel Hettich, 3rd place in Computer Programming
- Zach Jenkins, 1st place in Information Technology Services
- Sam Lommen, 3rd place in Mobile Robotics
- Garret Manly, 2nd place in Internetworking
- Chris Post, 3rd place in Internetworking
- Jakob Stevenson, 3rd place in Technical Drafting
Also competing were Drew Anderson, Anton Golovko, Elliott Hebert, Taylor Jarombek, Susan Lamberson, Riley Menke, Jack Peterson, and Adam Swartz.
First place winners are eligible to compete at the National Leadership and Skills Conference, held June 24-28 in Louisville, Ky.
Du and Craig were selected as state officers for the 2019-2020 school year, and they will attend state officer training in June.
Program advisors include Nate Carlson (engineering and drafting) and Jerome Gunderson (information technology).
Several students from Grand Forks Public Schools competed at the North Dakota State Science and Engineering Fair (NDSSEF), held at the University of North Dakota on April 5.
The fair featured students selected as top competitors at regional science fairs held throughout North Dakota earlier this year. The students presented their research to more than 100 judges and teachers, and competed for cash awards, prizes, and scholarship opportunities.
The following students received awards at the fair:
- Ashtyn Auch, Elroy Schroeder Middle School, NDSSEF Association award; UND Department of Biomedical Sciences award; North Dakota Society for Clinical Laboratory award; North Dakota Pharmacists Association award
- Preston Diederich, Elroy Schroeder Middle School, 2nd place, Junior Division Northeast Region; UND Department of Physics and Astrophysics award; United States Metric Association award
- Sophus Hammond, Valley Middle School, 2nd place Junior Division Sweepstakes Runner-Up; UND Department of Chemical Engineering award; UND Department of Biomedical Sciences award
- Shri Patel, Red River High School, 2nd place Senior Division Sweepstakes Runner-Up; UND Department of Biomedical Sciences award
- Katie Swartz, Elroy Schroeder Middle School, 3rd place Junior Division Northeast Region
- Taylor Wilson, Elroy Schroeder Middle School, 4th place Junior Division Northeast Region
Patel will join other winners in the senior division in presenting their research projects at the International Science and Engineering Fair, which will be held May 12-17 in Phoenix.
This year marked the 69th annual North Dakota State Science and Engineering Fair.
A 6th grade student from South Middle School has been selected to attend the 2019 Summer Space Camp, held July 7-12 in Huntsville, Ala.
Jordan Peters will attend the camp with Andrea Guthridge, a 6th grade science teacher at South Middle School.
Peters wrote an essay regarding his interest in attending Space Camp, how Space Camp will positively impact him as a student, and his career aspirations. A three-member panel of district administrators selected the winning entry.
The mission of Space Camp is to provide students and teachers educational experiences in space science and aviation. The program incorporates real-world applications of science, technology, engineering, and math education (STEM).
While at Space Camp, Peters will take a simulated mission to the International Space Station, the moon, or Mars; design, build, and launch a model rocket; and train like an astronaut on the 1/6th Gravity Chair and the Multi-Axis Trainer. Guthridge will work with NASA-developed lesson plans, meet an astronaut, and build and launch rockets.
The all-expenses-paid opportunity is sponsored by the Northrop Grumman Foundation. This is the sixth consecutive year the foundation has sponsored a student from Grand Forks Public Schools.
“The goal of Space Camp is to inspire and motivate the next generation of explorers, scientists, and engineers. We are very grateful to the Northrop Grumman Foundation on continuing to provide this exciting learning opportunity to our community. Jordan and Andrea will be terrific representatives for Grand Forks Public Schools,” said Eric Ripley, Executive Director of Career and Technical Education.
Administrative
- Middle School Principal - Elroy Schroeder Middle School
Certified Staff
- Title 1 School-wide Program Coordinator - Valley Middle School
- School Counselor - Discovery Elementary School
- Geography Teacher - South Middle School
- Grade 6 Teacher - South Middle School
- Secondary Summer School Teacher
- School Mental Health Therapist
- Special Education Teacher
- Grades 1-3 Classroom Teachers
- Grades 4-5 Classroom Teachers
- Special Education Teacher (Emotional Disturbance) - Elroy Schroeder Middle School
- Early Childhood Special Education Teacher - Phoenix Elementary School
- School Psychologist
- Create a Teacher Application
Support Staff
- Summer Grounds Worker
- School Secretary - Community High School
- Custodian (part-time) - Viking Elementary School
- EL Support Specialist
- Library Paraprofessional - Phoenix Elementary School
- Nurse (on-call) - Head Start
- Sign Language Facilitator
- Food Service Worker/Cooks Application Pool
Coaching
- Head Boys' Soccer Coach - Grand Forks Central High School
- Assistant Cheer Coach - Red River High School
- Assistant Gymnastics Coach
- Freshman Boys' Basketball Coach - Grand Forks Central High School
- Assistant Volleyball Coach (C Team) - Grand Forks Central High School
- Assistant Volleyball Coach (JV) - Grand Forks Central High School