Happy New Year!

In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” I am extremely proud of the South High students, teachers, staff, counselors, and administration who continue to bring their best each and every day. It is my pleasure to say thank you to our parents and guardians for all their support, encouragement, and hard work. Our Bruin community continues to Strive for Excellence every day!

As the New Year begins, so does the task of building the class schedule for the 2023-2024 school year. South High, CBE, and Discovery Counselors will meet with students in grades 8 – 11 during January and February to distribute registration materials, discuss course selections, and review graduation requirements.

Registration Timelines and Highlights

January 6 - Counselors met with current EL students – will select classes on February 24

January 25 - Counselors met with current freshmen – will select classes on Feb. 2 or 3

January 31 - Counselors met with current sophomores – will select classes on Feb. 7 & 8

February 6 - Counselors meet with current juniors – will select classes on Feb. 14 & 15

As course selections are chosen for the 2023-2024 school year, it is important to consider the following points:

It is a top priority to assist your son/daughter in choosing appropriate classes. Students are required to register for a minimum of 6.0 credits for the year. Students will register for classes in which they will make a commitment -Year-long classes are year-long commitments.

• The master schedule is determined by student requests. From these requests, sections are determined, and teachers are contracted. The schedule is built with the goal of maintaining appropriate class sizes. To avoid disappointment of not being able to add or DROP a class, it is imperative that accurate course selections are made.
• Students are encouraged to meet with their counselors, visit with instructors, peers, or administrators regarding course selections. Also, students are directed to review course information in the Program of Studies booklet or the Registration Special.

Thank you for your assistance in determining your son/daughter’s course selections for next year and preparing an appropriate plan of study. If you have any questions prior to course selections, please contact your son/daughter’s counselor. A well-planned course of study now may save disappointment next year when a desired class change may not be possible.

The staff and students have enjoyed a very successful first semester and I look forward to the good work continuing for the balance of the school year. I encourage you to connect with South High School by accessing our school website at www.fargo.k12.nd.us/south, twitter accounts - @fshactivities and @fargosouthhigh or by calling the main office at 701-446-2000. We appreciate your continued support and partnership.

In-Person Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Tuesday, March 7th from 4:00 - 8:00. See below for more information.

Spring is just around the corner!

Dr. Todd D. Bertsch

Principal

Parent teacher conferences are scheduled for Tuesday, March 7th from 4:00 - 8:00.

Teachers will meet with parents in the dome gym. Please bring a copy of you son/daughter’s teachers.

We share a number of traveling teachers with other school and their conference times are listed below.

Please join us for financial aid night on March 7th in Room C30 from 4 PM - 7 PM. College Financial Advisors and FSHS Counselors will be available to assist with completing the FAFSA application (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and will be there to answer any questions you may have!

What you need to bring with you:

• FSA ID needs to be created for Student and another FSA ID for Parent/Guardian
• A parent/guardian
• Social security numbers for you and parents/guardians
• Your Driver’s License number, if you have one
• Your Alien Registration number, if you have one
• Federal tax information or tax returns including W-2 forms for you and parents/guardians
• Records of untaxed income (child support received, interest income, veterans noneducation benefits) for you and parent/guardians
• Information on cash, savings & checking account balances; investments (including stocks, bonds, real estate but not the house in which you live); business & farm assets
• Your CHARGED PLD

Nearly every day new scholarship opportunities arrive at South High. Students and parents should recognize that there are a wide variety of criteria used to award scholarship dollars. These include, but are not limited to: financial need, community service, extra co-curricular activities, academic ability, talents/interests, ethnicity, military affiliation, apprenticeship, and 2-year schools.

Where do I look?

South High Resources:

Website: www.fargo.k12.nd.us/south

• Click on Counseling Center
• Click on Scholarships
• Scholarship listings are also posted in the Career Center and on the website regularly

Outside Resources

• Internet (see a listing of other websites at our website)
• Books
• Businesses
• Organizations
• School you plan to attend (admissions or financial aid office)

Applications for scholarships are usually online; others can be found in the Career Center. Timelines and deadlines for scholarships vary, please watch them closely.

SEE YOUR COUNSELOR for more information!

The total value of the scholarship is $6,000, disbursed $750 per semester or $500 per quarter. Recipients have up to six years following high school graduation to use the scholarship. To qualify for a disbursement, recipients must be enrolled full-time, as defined by the financial aid office at the institution, maintain the minimum cumulative GPA requirement of 2.75, and maintain progress towards degree completion requirements of the scholarship.

The scholarship can be used at any of the approved public, private or tribal colleges within the state of North Dakota. Eligible institutions must be regionally accredited and offer programs of study of at least 2 years in length.

The online application for the ND Scholarship are submitted between January 3 - June 3, 2022. Students can apply for this scholarship online at the ND Education Portal which can be accessed through their PowerSchool account or at https://www.nd.gov/dpi/parentscommunity/students/academic-and-cte-scholarship. Once approved, students have up to six years to access these scholarship dollars. Therefore, any student who qualifies should apply for this scholarship, even if not planning to attend a ND school in case plans change. This scholarship can also be applied to students who may return to ND for graduate school within 6 years of graduation.

March 21, 2023 is the state mandated and paid ACT test for all juniors. The test will be given from 8:35 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and will be an online test. Students should bring with them their charged PLDs, power cords, a calculator with which they are comfortable (however, there is an embedded calculator in the online program), and a picture ID. March 9, periods 2 and 3, juniors will complete a pre-administration session in the theater. Once again, they will need their PLDs, charging cords and a cell phone, if they have one, to aid in the verification process with ACT. The pre-administration session will allow students to create an ACT account with which to view their scores, send scores to other colleges or organizations, and register for another national test date, if they wish to retake the test. In addition to creating their ACT accounts, juniors will be shown the various tools available on the online testing screen and will update their PLDs so that test day will work more smoothly for them.

This ACT is a standard ACT with writing test and is fully acceptable with institutions using the test scores for various purposes. While there are several colleges allowing students to choose whether to share ACT scores with them in the admissions process, there are many that still require the ACT. Additionally, there are organizations which still use ACT scores for scholarships or eligibility (for example, NCAA). The ND Choice Ready Scholarship continues to use ACT scores. It is in the best interests of students to do as well as they can on the ACT to leave all doors open for their future endeavors. If students are curious about a college’s status for using the ACT, they should contact the college or visit the college’s admissions office website.

Practice materials are available in the Career Center, the Library, on the RUReadyND website, on the ACT website, the South High Counseling Center website and several other websites. Doorway to College comes to the area and offers practice sessions for a cost. Counselors will visit US History classes at the end of February to also help familiarize and prepare juniors for the ACT.

As this semester progresses and the time nears for the ACT, juniors will receive further information and instruction on the ACT and the important events leading up to the big day. It will be a great day to show off that Bruin brain power!

The ACT and SAT are college entrance tests required by most 4 year colleges. Students should check with the specific schools they plan to apply to for the test needed. These tests are generally taken during the latter part of a student’s junior year and during senior year. To sign up or see the locations where testing is offered, see websites listed below.

The WorkKeys assessments are designed to allow students to demonstrate work readiness in the areas of Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents. Students who score well may be eligible for a National Career Readiness Certificate. Students who score five (5) of higher on all three WorkKeys tests will have fulfilled one of the requirements for the North Dakota Career and Technical Education Scholarship worth up to $6,000. Talk to your counselor to see if you qualify! The date for the WorkKeys is April 4th. The cost for all three tests is $37.50. Additional information about WorkKeys is available at: http://www.act.org/workkeys/index.html.

If students qualify for the free lunch program (apply online @ EZMealApp.com), there are opportunities available for him/her to receive fee waivers or cost reductions for some events. These may include fee waivers for ACT/SAT/PSAT exams; reduced price for AP exams; scholarships for ZAPS workshops; and college applications. Please check with your counselor to make sure students access these opportunities.

Did you know at Fargo South High School we have a variety of colleges, businesses and branches of the military who visit? They set up an informational table from 11am – 1pm in the commons area for students to gather information and ask questions.

Would you like to see who is visiting our school? Check out our website www.fargo.k12.nd.us/south

• Click on Counseling Center
• Click on Calendar
• We post events regularly on our calendar.

If you have any questions or need more information. Contact Brenda Koppy in the Career Center.

High School sophomores, juniors, and seniors can now process transcript requests electronically through eTranscripts. Students request their transcript securely and at their convenience through their PowerSchool account.

1. Students log into their PowerSchool account and click on the icon with the arrow/box

2. Click ND Education Portal

3. Click tab with student’s name

4. Click Send Transcript tab

5. Search by State in where college is located

6. Scroll to find college and click on it

7. Click send now

Please allow 2 days for approval. If you have any questions, please stop by the Counseling Office or call Keelie Goodman @ 701-446-2016.

Near perfect attendance is important because students are more likely to succeed in academics when school is attended consistently. If a student is recorded as being truant (unexcused absence) or is late to class, a detention will be assigned for each period of truancy and every third tardy.

An entry will be made in PowerSchool that will identify the date and period that the detention was earned. To access detention information, login to your PowerSchool account. There you will see the current detentions and how many have carried over from previous year(s).

At South High School, detention can be served Monday – Thursday from 7:50am – 8:25am or Saturday mornings from 9:00—Noon. Detentions will be expected to be served within one week of the unexcused absence(s). Failure to complete assigned detentions, will limit a student’s ability to participate in extracurricular activities (athletic and nonathletic) and participate in graduation ceremonies.

Every graduating senior is allowed to submit a portrait photo to be used as their picture in the South High Yearbook. This photo must follow the guidelines and rules from school policy, dress code, and law. Not following these guidelines will result in the photo not being allowed in the yearbook and the student will be asked to submit a different photo.

1. Subjects including promoting the use of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, drug paraphernalia, guns, weapons, or depiction of violence may not be worn or shown in the photo.
2. Photos with accessories (i.e. hats, scarves, jewelry), props (i.e. sports equipment, musical instruments, cars), and domesticated pets are allowed as long as they do not promote or condone illegal activity.
3. The subject of the photo should be the student, not the props or background. (Yearbook staff prefers head and shoulder photos.)

Photos may be edited or not published if they represent or include any of the following:

• Violating school policies and behavior codes
• Displays of drugs, tobacco, alcohol, gambling, or weapons of any kind
• Inappropriate gestures, facial expressions, postures, or hand gestures
• Revealing, suggestive, or obscene clothing

All photos submitted must conform to school standards and policies and if needed, may be subject to review or approval by, but not limited to the yearbook staff, the yearbook advisor, and the school administration.

The yearbook staff reserves the right to edit or deny any submitted photo for publication and printing in the book.

The yearbook is a school publication, supervised by a student media advisor, and shall be reviewed by an administrator if the publication goes against school policy. (NDCC Ch. 15.1-19-25)

Digital Photo Requirements:

All photos must be at 300 dpi in resolution and at least 1.5 by 2 inches in size. Pictures need to be saved as a JPG file. Photos files must be named with the senior’s legal last name and then the legal first name (ex: Smith_William.jpg)

Senior Pictures were due January 31, 2023. Seniors can submit either a color or black and white picture. We suggest a face shot if possible and all photos must be portrait (vertical). Senior pictures must meet the requirements to be in the South Yearbook.

Pictures should be digital. Senior pictures can be emailed to fshyearbook@fargoschools.org.

• A late fee of $10 will be charged to any senior picture received after January 31.
• Senior pictures will not be accepted after March 1.

Thank you for your cooperation; we are working hard to make sure that all seniors are included in the 2023 Yearbook.

Grad Ads for the 2023 Yearbook will be sold January 1 – March 31 (no exceptions). Order form and payment must be received to reserve your Grad Ad. We encourage ads that feature your senior in his/her younger years. We also encourage parents to consider sharing an ad with a group of seniors, like “Jazz Band Buddies.” The order form is listed below that includes sizes and prices. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Monsen @ fshyearbook@fargoschools.org.

Sanford Health and Fargo South High School are teaming up to get you ready for the 2023-2024 athletics season! Don’t wait until August to get your Sports Physical. All athletes will be required to have a physical dated after April 15th, 2023 to participate in sports next fall.

Sanford Health will be on-site at Fargo South during the school day on May 17th to provide Sports Physicals for our athletes for the following school year. Paperwork will be released soon. Please see Mr. Beaton if assistance is needed in paying for your physical.

Students will be scheduled during school hours on their free period, study hall, etc. Every effort will be made to keep them in their scheduled classes.

Congratulations! The following fall activities have qualified for the Team Scholar Award offered by the NDHSAA by obtaining a cumulative team GPA of 3.2 or better. Certificates will be displayed in the trophy cases.

Student Congress - Volleyball - Boys Tennis - Girls Golf

Girls Swim & Dive - Girl Cross Country - Boys Soccer

Go Bruins!

Fargo South High PTSA Meetings

All meetings are held in the

South High Conference Room @ 6:00 pm

2nd Monday of the Month (unless otherwise noted)

February 13, March 6, April 3, May 8

Esports’ season is up and running. We have three Varsity and one JR Rocket League teams and two Varsity League of Legends teams. We will be streaming our games at https://twitch.tv/ur2_fps.

Rocket League games are scheduled for Tuesdays, and League of Legends games are scheduled for Thursdays. All games are supposed to start at 5:00 PM.

The top eight Rocket League teams and the top four League of Legends teams will advance to the in-person tournament March 31st-April 1st.

This year’s one act play is just around the corner! Come and see “After Hours” a play about clothing store mannequins who have to wait still ALL DAY LONG until the store is locked up for the night. Come see these amazing performers and have a laugh!

Thursday February 2nd, 2023 @ 7:30PM

Entry based on donation. One penny can get you in! All proceeds will be donated to help our community.

It’s that time of year again to start thinking about the summer programs and getting registered for the Fishing Team.

Parents and students are welcome to contact me about the Lake Agassiz High School Fishing League. We will need Boat Captains. This is open to boys and girls, 7th -12th grades even through your graduation summer.

John Dockter (701) 371-3473

• February 13 & 14 - ZAPS Workshop (ACT Test Prep)
• February 17 - Vacation Day - No School
• February 20 - Staff Professional Development - No School
• March 7 - P/T Conferences - 4:00 - 8:00 pm
  
• March 7 - FAFSA Night
• March 13-17 - Spring Break - No School
• March 28 - End of Quarter
• April 1 - Prom
• April 7 - Good Friday Holiday - No School
• April 10 - Storm Makeup Day - Classes in session
• April 17 - South High Honor Society Induction Ceremony
• May 1 - 12 - AP Testing
• May 26 - Storm Makeup Day - Classes in session
• May 29 - Memorial Day - No School
• June 1 - Last Day of Classes
• June 4 - Graduation - 6:00 pm @ FARGODOME

Dr. Todd Bertsch, Principal - (701) 446-2004

Greta Evenson, Asst. Principal (A-K) - (701) 446-2005

Dr. Shannon Mortrud, Asst. Principal (L-Z) - (701) 446-2008

Mike Beaton, Activities Coordinator - (701) 446-2006

Dode Bentson, Administrative Assistant - (701) 446-2010

Donna Lee, Activities Secretary - (701) 446-2011

Kris Haphey, Bookkeeper - (701) 446-2022

Troy Nielsen, SRO - (701) 446-2025

Student Services

Laurie Schlenker - (701) 446-2017

Dennis Miller - (701) 446-2019

Vanessa Boehm - (701) 446-2021

Adrienne Eider - (701) 446-2020

TBD, Registrar - (701) 446-2016

Beth Phillips, Secretary - (701) 446-2015

Brenda Koppy, Career Center - (701) 446-2028

Amber Fish, School Nurse - (701) 446-2034

Brittney Engelhard, SWFF - (701) 446-2018