The District Insider
Volume 6, Issue 11 | June 2019
Hannah Quinn, a 12th grade student at Red River High School, has been named North Dakota’s Doodle 4 Google winner.
Fifty-three doodles from across the United States were selected as state winners in the 11th annual competition, which is open to K-12 students across the United States to redesign the Google logo. The selected doodles best illustrated the theme, “What I grow up, I hope...”.
This is Quinn’s second time being selected as the North Dakota Doodle 4 Google winner. She was also selected in 2016.
Quinn’s 2019 entry, “Ancient Art of the World,” was selected from thousands of entries received this year. Students at Red River helped Quinn celebrate during a surprise assembly at the school on Wednesday.
The public will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite doodle. All doodles are displayed in an online gallery at http://www.google.com/doodle4google/vote.html. Voting will take place June 3rd--7th.
Five students, or those with the highest ranking doodle from each grade group, will be announced as national finalists in June.
Of the five national finalists, one will be named the national winner and will receive a $30,000 college scholarship and have his/her doodle featured on the Google homepage for one day. In addition, the national winner’s school will receive a $50,000 technology package towards the establishment or improvement of a computer lab or technology program.
To see a full list of state winners and to vote online, visit: http://www.google.com/doodle4google/vote.html.
This is the fifth Doodle 4 Google award at Red River. Alexandra Richards was named the North Dakota winner in 2017, Quinn in 2016, Camryn Schall in 2014, and Kathryn Peterson received the honors in 2012.
All eighteen schools that encompass Grand Forks Public Schools have achieved Level 1 Safe, Supportive, and Collaborative Culture certification in Marzano High Reliability Schools™.
The high reliability school (HRS) program was created by Marzano Research and based on 50 years of educational research to help transform schools into organizations that take proactive steps to ensure success for every student. Using a five-level hierarchy, along with leading and lagging indicators, educators learn to assess, monitor, and confirm the effectiveness of their schools.
Schools must collect data and validate their performance to achieve each level of the hierarchy. Certification is determined by Marzano Research analysts in cooperation with school data teams.
“This recognition affirms the collaborative efforts at the school level that leads to teachers taking risks resulting in improved adult and student learning at a substantive level,” said Dr. Terry Brenner, Superintendent of Schools. For eighteen schools to be concurrently certified speaks volumes to principal and teacher leadership. Like our community, I am proud of our school districts.”
Day-to-day school operations were addressed and evaluated in Level 1. Marzano Research analysts completed on-site visits May 14-15.
Grand Forks Public Schools will work toward Level 2 Effective Teaching in Every Classroom certification during the 2019-2020 school year.
About Marzano Research: Marzano Research combines Dr. Robert J. Marzano’s 50 years of educational research with continuous action research in all major areas of schooling. An all-inclusive professional learning center, the company provides K–12 educators with solutions for instruction, reflective teaching, curriculum development, leadership, student engagement, and competency-based education. Marzano Research’s services and products include customizable on-site professional development, educator events, books, videos, and online courses using research-based instructional strategies designed to effect profound improvement in student achievement.
Grand Forks Public Schools has announced six administrative assignments for the 2019-2020 school year.
Amy Bartsch, currently the principal of Lake Agassiz Elementary School, has been named the Chief Academic Officer at Grand Forks Public Schools.
Bartsch has been the principal of Lake Agassiz Elementary since June of 2016. She had been the Schoolwide Title I Program Coordinator at Lake Agassiz from 2014-2016, and an elementary teacher for 10 years. Bartsch has served on several school and district committees, has utilized the Marzano Teacher Evaluation Framework, and has facilitated Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).
Bartsch has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Minnesota State University Moorhead and a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of North Dakota. She holds principal credentials at both the elementary and secondary levels.
The assignment is due to the newly configured Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology Department.
Jodi Dodson, currently the Title I Schoolwide Program Coordinator at Valley Middle School, has been named the Associate Principal at Valley Middle School.
Dodson has 21 years of experience at Grand Forks Public Schools, including teaching at South and Valley middle schools and serving as a curriculum technology partner. Dodson is also a director of the Helping Hands volunteer program and committee member on the district Innovations and Olweus Bullying Prevention Program committees.
Dodson has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and middle school math/science from the University of North Dakota, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, Minn.), and is working towards a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of North Dakota.
The assignment is due to the hiring of Mike Wilber, associate principal at Valley Middle School, as an associate principal at Grand Forks Central High School.
The following individuals were interviewed and selected as elementary school associate principals: Elisa Diederich at Lake Agassiz Elementary, Loren Hoheisel at Discovery Elementary, Travis Neil at Century Elementary, and LuAnn Schmidt at J Nelson Kelly Elementary schools.
The assignments are due to the reconfiguration of the Building Resource Coordinator positions at each of the schools.
The administrative assignments were approved by the Grand Forks School Board on May 13.
Grand Forks Public Schools will be sponsoring summer feeding breakfast sites at eight elementary schools and lunch at three elementary schools Monday-Friday from June 3-27, 2019.
Breakfast (7:30-8 a.m.)
- Ben Franklin Elementary School, 1016 S 20th St.
- Century Elementary School, 3351 17th Ave. S
- Lake Agassiz Elementary School, 605 Stanford Rd.
- Lewis and Clark Elementary School, 1100 13th Ave. S
- Phoenix Elementary School, 351 4th Ave. S
- Viking Elementary School, 809 22nd Ave. S
- Wilder Elementary School, 1009 N 3rd St.
- Winship Elementary School, 1412 5th Ave. N
Lunch (12-12:30 p.m.)
- Century Elementary School, 3351 17th Ave. S
- Lake Agassiz Elementary School, 605 Stanford Rd.
- Winship Elementary School, 1412 5th Ave. N
Meals are free for anyone under 18 years of age. Meals must be eaten on site, and doors will be locked without an attendant after 12:30 p.m.
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
- Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture; Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW; Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
- (2) Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
- (3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov.
Red River High School has been named a 2019 Girls Go CyberStart program award winner.
Girls Go CyberStart is an innovative, online cybersecurity competition for high school-aged girls. The 2019 Girls Go CyberStart program included a series of online challenges that allowed students to act as cyber protection agents to solve cybersecurity-related puzzles and explore related topics such as cryptography and digital forensics.
The Red River team placed first in the Access level of the competition, having the highest combined registration and participation levels across North Dakota. Paul Zettler, advisor of the program, has been awarded $1,000 to purchase items for Red River’s program.
Throughout the state of North Dakota, 309 girls registered and completed at least one of the challenges in the program. Of those, 82 were students at Red River High School.
“I was very impressed with how the girls at Red River High School stepped up to the challenge,” said Zettler. “There were many that were unsure if they were interested in the topic, but they registered and completed. More than one student told me they planned to do one challenge, but they soon found themselves doing more challenges because they enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of the competition. I hope we can do well during the CyberStart Game level and field a team to compete nationally during the Compete stage of the competition. A special thank you to the teachers that allowed me to visit their classrooms to introduce this topic, especially the Art Department.”
North Dakota high schools where at least five girls in the Girls Go CyberStart program master six or more of the challenges won access to the full CyberStart Game for 50 additional students, extending the competition to both male and female students for the remainder of the school year. Students also had the opportunity to win cash prizes for themselves and their schools. At least 10 high school girls who did well in the game will receive $500 scholarships to help pay for college.
Participation in the CyberStart Challenge is aligned with the “K-20W Initiative.” K-20W, which stands for “kindergarten through Ph.D. and workforce,” is a collaborative effort with more than 40 public and private sector partners who are advancing statewide efforts to provide computer science and cybersecurity training and resources to North Dakota’s educators and students.
“This exciting program builds on our statewide efforts to provide students innovative learning opportunities and technology skills that will be relevant to students in any career path,” said Governor Doug Burgum. “These competitions offer fun activities for young women and men to explore and learn about the high-tech, high-impact field of cybersecurity.”
The program, sponsored by the SANS Institute, is free for schools and students, and all girls in grades 9-12 are invited to play.
Administrative
- Middle School Principal - Elroy Schroeder Middle School
Certified Staff
- Title I Coordinator - Lake Agassiz Elementary School
- Behavior Intervention Coordinator - South Middle School
- Math Interventionist - South Middle School
- Title 1 Coordinator - South Middle School
- Math Teacher - Elroy Schroeder Middle School
- Physical Education Teacher - Red River High School
- World Languages Teacher - Valley Middle School
- World Languages Teacher - South Middle School
- Business Education Teacher - Valley Middle School
- School Psychologist
- Special Education Teacher
- Grades 1-3 Classroom Teachers
- Grades 4-5 Classroom Teachers
- Special Education Teacher (Emotional Disturbance) - Elroy Schroeder Middle School
- Create a Teacher Application
Support Staff
- Safety Coordinator
- Custodian (part-time) - Viking Elementary School
- Food Service Worker/Cooks Application Pool
Coaching
- Head Volleyball Coach - Red River High School
- Head Boys' Soccer Coach - Grand Forks Central 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