The District Insider
Volume 10, Issue 9 | April 2023
Foundation for Education Awards $36,065 for School Projects
The Grand Forks Foundation for Education, Inc. is awarding $36,065 through 15 grants this spring to help fund a variety of enrichment projects in Grand Forks Public Schools.
The Mini-Grants have been funded through the Foundation for Education since 1992. Awards are usually for classroom-level or grade-level projects. All areas of curriculum and all grade levels are eligible for Mini-Grants.
For information on the grant recipients and their upcoming projects, please click on the button below.
Students Compete at Regional Science and Engineering Fair
Students from Grand Forks Public Schools earned several awards at the Northeast Regional Science and Engineering Fair, held March 8 in the Memorial Union Ballroom on the University of North Dakota (UND) campus.
The 73rd annual North Dakota State Science & Engineering Fair will be held at UND on March 30-31. The top finishers in the senior division will advance to compete at the 2023 International Science and Engineering Fair, held in Dallas from May 12-19.
To read more about the awards received by our young scientists, please click on the button below.
Olson Named Volleyball Coach at Red River High School
Carolyn Olson has been hired as the head volleyball coach at Red River High School.
Olson brings with her 35 years of head coaching experience, including being the head volleyball coach at Red River from 1994-2019. Throughout her career, her teams have earned seven state championships.
“Coach Olson is a well-respected figure in high school volleyball and has proven herself to be a strong leader for her programs. We are excited for her to return,” said Tyler Nelson, athletic director at Red River High School.
Grand Forks Central High School Boys’ Golf Head Coach Announced
Grand Forks Public Schools is pleased to announce that Alex Barta has accepted the head boys’ golf position at Grand Forks Central (GFC) High School.
Barta, a graduate of GFC, was a member of the boys’ golf team, earning All-Conference honors his senior year in 2016. He rejoined the golf team as an assistant coach last season under coach Josh Cichy. He is currently in his third year as a choir and theater arts teacher at Red River High School.
“Alex is excited and motivated for this opportunity to become the next boys’ golf coach at GFC,” said Tony Bina, athletic director at Grand Forks Central High School. “He has been a part of this program both as a player and a coach and understands what it takes to continue the success of this program.”
Blair, Bowman Receive Employee of the Quarter Awards
Congratulations to Patti Blair and Alisa Bowman, the classified and certified employees of the 3rd quarter!
Blair (classified) and Bowman (certified) received a plaque from the Grand Forks School Board during its meeting on March 27. In gratitude for their impact on the school system and students, they also received a $200 monetary award from the Grand Forks Foundation for Education.
Blair is a library and instructional paraprofessional at Community High School. In her nomination, colleague Sara Tezel said, "Community High School wouldn't function as smoothly if not for the skill of Ms. Patti Blair. Despite the limited title of library paraprofessional, she works tirelessly to support all the staff and students of Community. Ms. Blair has a great connection with students despite not being in a room or position where they would typically interact with her daily. She has made the library a comfortable space so that students often request to work in that welcoming environment. If a student has a question and she doesn't have the answer, she finds it. If the students want a book that our small library doesn't physically hold, she figures out a way to get it for them."
Bowman is a social worker at Lake Agassiz Elementary School. In her nomination, colleague LeeAnn Miller said, "Alisa not only does her duties to the highest standard but with great care and depth. Simply, she is everywhere all the time yet is the master of time management. She works efficiently but makes you feel valued and heard. She is always willing to jump in and help wherever needed. She is brave. She has tough conversations and offers another perspective while remaining kind and empathetic. She shows up with a positive attitude and helps others see the positive. Her communication skills are astounding. She not only has amazing listening skills, but her follow-through is top-notch. She communicates her efforts and asks for advice and support when needed!" Colleague Ashley Vinje added, "Alisa works with parents and families to make home and school a little easier for everyone. She routinely works to make sure families have food, electricity, and shelter. She goes to doctor's appointments with kids and families to make sure all needs are communicated, and families can feel supported. She is a listening ear to students, families, and staff."
The nomination period for the certified and classified employees of the 4th quarter will be open April 11-27. For more information, please visit https://www.gfschools.org/Page/9431.
Mentor Center Receives Award
The Mentor Center, a program at Grand Forks Public Schools, has been selected as a National School Boards Association (NSBA) 2023 Magna Silver Award winner.
The Mentor Center is a program for middle and high school students to receive academic support, social-emotional support, and enrichment. In addition to required academic time, daily programming includes a rotation of art, physical activity, mindfulness, social-emotional learning, and games.
The program was recognized for its commitment to innovation, solving a challenge with creativity and out-of-the-box strategies. Eighteen winners nationwide were selected by an independent panel of judges to receive this honor.
The award program is sponsored by NSBA's flagship magazine, American School Board Journal (ASBJ).
Grand Forks Public Schools to Hold Kindergarten Registration
Grand Forks Public Schools has announced kindergarten registration information for the 2023-2024 school year.
Children who will reach the age of five before August 1, 2023 are eligible to enter kindergarten.
Families are first asked to pre-register online at form.jotform.com/gfschools/KRegistration2023. The online pre-registration captures student information so the school can begin student enrollment processes. This will minimize waiting time at registration.
The following elementary schools will hold registration on April 13, 2023:
Ben Franklin, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., 1016 S 20th St., students should attend
Century, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., 3351 17th Ave. S, students may attend (optional)
Discovery, 9:45-11 a.m., 3300 43rd Ave. S, students should attend
J. Nelson Kelly, 4-6 p.m., 3000 Cherry St., students should attend
Lake Agassiz,1-6 p.m., 605 Stanford Rd., students should attend
Lewis and Clark, 4-6 p.m., 1100 13th Ave. S, students should attend
Nathan Twining Elementary & Middle School, 4-6 p.m., 1422 Louisiana St., GFAFB, students may attend (optional)
Phoenix, 4-6 p.m., 351 4th Ave. S, students should attend
Viking, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., 809 22nd Ave. S, students may attend (optional)
Wilder, 3:30-5:30 p.m., 1009 N 3rd St., students should attend
Winship, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., 1412 5th Ave. N, students may attend (optional)
For links to required forms and additional information that will be needed at registration, please visit gfschools.org/kindergarten.
2023-2024 Registration
Online enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year is once again available for Grand Forks Public School students. This process replaces the paper forms sent home at the beginning of each school year. You will use the PowerSchool Parent Portal to access the Registration 2023-2024 link. If you have not already completed the online registration process, please follow the directions through the link below to complete the online enrollment.
Examples of Excellence
- Congratulations to the Red River High School Girls' Basketball Team on your North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) State Class A Championship! (see photo above) Named to the All-Tournament Team were Cassidy O'Holloran and Jocelyn Schiller, and Schiller was named the Tournament MVP. Schiller was also selected to the North Dakota High School Coaches Association (NDHSCA) 2023 Class A Girls Basketball First Team All-State.
- Congratulations to the Red River High School Boys' Basketball Team on being the NDHSAA Class A Boys' Basketball Runner-Up. Named to the All-Tournament Team were Zach Kraft and Reis Rowekamp. Kraft and Rowekamp were also selected to the NDHSCA 2023 Class A Boys' Basketball Second Team All-State.
- Congratulations to Ryaan Alshami (Grand Forks Central), Avery Berg (home school), and Jackson Rerick (Red River) on being named to the Boys' Swimming and Diving All-Conference Team! Alshami, Berg, Rerick, and Logan Bjerke (Red River) were named to the NDHSCA 2023 Boys' Swimming and Diving All-State First Team, while Aiden Johnson (Grand Forks Central) was named to the All-State Second Team.
- Congratulations to Kaylee Baker (Grand Forks Central) on being named the NDHSCA Girls' Hockey Senior Athlete of the Year!
- Congratulations to the student-athletes named to the 2023 All-EDC Girls' and Boys' Basketball Teams: Girls - Rylie McQuillan (Red River), Lauren Reardon (Grand Forks Central), and Jocelyn Schiller (Red River). Boys - Zachary Kraft (Red River), Erick Paye (Grand Forks Central), Reis Rowekamp (Red River), and Ross Wilber (Grand Forks Central). Kraft was also named the EDC Senior Athlete of the Year in Boys' Basketball.
- Congratulations to the Red River High School Boys' Hockey Team on their runner-up finish in the 2023 NDHSAA tournament. Named to the All-Tournament Team were Michael Coleman and Luc Bydal. Coleman was also named the North Dakota High School Coaches Association (NDHSCA) Boys' Hockey Senior Athlete of the Year, and Head Coach Tim Skarperud was named the NDHSCA Boys' Hockey Coach of the Year.
- Congratulations to the following boys' hockey players on being named to the NDHSCA All-State Team: Colton Bjorge (Grand Forks Central), Mikey Coleman (Red River), Carter Sproule (Red River), and Wyatt Wockenfuss (Grand Forks Central). Coleman was also named the Outstanding Senior Athlete in Boy's Hockey, and Red River Head Coach Tim Skarperud was selected as the Coach of the Year.
- Congratulations to Taryn Swanson on being selected to the 2023 NDHSCA Gymnastics All-State Second Team!
- Congratulations to Alyssa Johnson (Grand Forks Central) on being named the 2023 North Dakota High School Coaches Association's Girls' Division Senior Athlete of the Year!
Stellar Speller
Congratulations to Madison Fontaine (Valley Middle School) on taking 8th place at the North Dakota State Spelling Bee! A total of 94 students throughout the state competed in the event, which was held in Bismarck on March 20. Madison participated in a written test of 50 words, and a vocabulary test of 20 questions. Madison spelled her way into the top 26 to move into the finalists' oral spell-down round. From there, she paved a solid path to place eighth overall! Fellow Royals Lila Harjte and Kamdon Henry also qualified for the event, but were unable to attend (photo courtesy Claire Mattingley, information courtesy Kat Puhl).
All-Stars
Congratulations to South Middle School students (pictured above, from left-to-right) Logan Hartze (oboe), Lux Nagel (tenor saxophone), Riku Pasch (alto saxophone), Connor Stein (alto saxophone), and Caleb Zerr (trombone), on being selected to the Junior High All-State Band! Also selected were Peyton Anthony and Jaded Halvorson from Valley Middle School (not pictured). Out of 357 students across the state, these students were chosen to participate in the North Dakota Junior High All-State Band. Unfortunately, this event was canceled due to the blizzard on March 10-11 (photo and information courtesy Katie Svendson and Shari Boschee).
Signing Day!
In February and March, middle school selected to participate in the AVID program next year participated in the first AVID signing days ! Student and their parent(s)/guardian(s) were invited to come to the school to celebrate their student being admitted into the AVID program. The students each signed an AVID contract, which signifies their commitment to being enrolled in the AVID elective class and taking on the goals and responsibilities of AVID. For more information about the AVID program, click on the button below.
Now Hiring!
Upcoming Events
- April 7-10: No school K-12 (holiday break); District Office closed
- April 11: Grand Forks School Board meeting (Mark Sanford Education Center, 6 p.m.)
- April 12: Early release (Twining/middle/high schools: 1 p.m., elementary schools: 1:30 p.m.)
- April 18: Grand Forks Air Force Base School Board meeting (Nathan Twining Elementary and Middle School, 12 p.m.)
- April 24: Grand Forks School Board meeting (Mark Sanford Education Center, 6 p.m.)
- April 26: Early release (Twining/middle/high schools: 1 p.m., elementary schools: 1:30 p.m.)
2023-2024 District Calendar
The 2023-2024 district calendar has been posted to the district website. Please visit gfschools.org/calendar and click on "2023-2024 District Calendar (PDF)" to access a PDF copy, or click on the button below.
All of the dates have been added to our district and school website calendars, as well as the smartphone app calendars.
If the calendar on your device supports .ical, you can integrate our school system/school calendar.
- Navigate to gfschools.org/calendar.
- Look for the three small icons just above the calendar.
- Click on the icon that looks like a link/paperclip (it's the first icon, from the left), and it will take you to a new page, "iCal Feed."
- Depending on the calendar program you use, there are instructions for several programs on that page.
Understanding Adolescent Substance Use From The Perspective Of Brain & Behavior
Don't miss “Understanding Adolescent Substance Use from the Perspective of Brain and Behavior” – a presentation by Dr. Jason Burrow-Sánchez – Thursday, April 6 from 6-7 p.m. Join us to watch this free, virtual presentation at the Grand Forks Central High School Auditorium,. If you're unable to attend in person, register here to join via Zoom: https://utah.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TP_Uy_ItRBCYQyJ4WOW5Vg
Hosted by Grand Forks Public Schools, Grand Forks Youth Commission, Altru Health System, Grand Forks Public Health, and Grand Forks Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition.