The District Insider
Volume 10, Issue 10 | May 2023
Referendum - May 16, 2023
The Grand Forks School Board has called for a special election on May 16, 2023. This includes:
- $55 million to construct and equip a new Valley Middle School and demolition of the current school,
- $6 million to construct and modernize the central kitchen at the district office location (Mark Sanford Education Center),
- $18 million to construct and equip for safety and security improvements to school property throughout Grand Forks Public Schools, for a total of $79 million.
The estimated tax impact per year is $96.93 per $100,000 of assessed property value.
To learn more about the referendum, please:
- Attend an upcoming community meeting
- Review our informational materials
- View the new Valley Middle School concept images
- Read through our Questions and Answers (Q&A)
- Review our referendum presentation
- Learn more about our current safety and security measures, and those that would be enhanced by the referendum
- Calculate the tax impact on your residential and/or commercial/ag land property
- Review the renovation vs. replacement cost summary for Valley Middle School
- Apply for an absentee ballot and/or review election day information
Polum Named GFPS, Grand Forks County Teacher of the Year
Nikki Polum, a 6th grade teacher at South Middle School, has been selected as Grand Forks Public Schools’ 2022-2023 Teacher of the Year.
The announcement was made during a school event on April 13. As Teacher of the Year, Polum received a plaque from Grand Forks Public Schools. In gratitude for her impact on the school system and students, Polum also received a $1,000 monetary award from the Grand Forks Foundation for Education.
On April 21, Polum was selected by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction as the 2023 Grand Forks County Teacher of the Year. County award recipients are eligible to apply for state Teacher of the Year honors. The winner of the state Teacher of the Year award will be named in September.
Polum began her career with Grand Forks Public Schools in 1994. Throughout her career, Polum has taught 6th grade at Schroeder and South middle schools, along with teaching at Valley Middle School and Ben Franklin Elementary School.
“She has taught all the core subjects: science, social studies, math, reading, and English Language Arts (ELA). She has mastered the curriculum for all 6th grade core content areas and can seamlessly transition from one subject to another, often based on the needs and strengths of her team,” said colleagues Angie McLean and Kelly Wilber in their nomination.
“Mrs. Polum builds genuine, caring, long-lasting relationships with students, families, and colleagues. Students know she loves and accepts them as they are while always keeping one eye on where they are headed and their potential for success. During conferences and meetings, families see her as an honest ally who will speak the truth lovingly but advocate for their child no matter how imperfect the child, family, or system may be. Colleagues ache with laughter after collaborating with her, but can also count on her to ask tough questions, pull her weight, and get the job done.”
Polum received a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota and a master’s degree from the University of St. Thomas (Minn.). She has served as a team leader, participated on various district-level committees, and has overseen teacher candidates during her teaching career.
“Nikki has been an integral part of piloting and adopting a new curriculum this year by developing, implementing, and sharing prepared materials for other 6th grade ELA teachers at South and throughout the rest of the school system. She has an open door for any teacher to visit her classroom. She sets new teachers up for success by checking in on them often, answering their
questions, inviting their input, and shouldering extra responsibility to ensure they do not become overburdened. There is always something to learn in Nikki’s classroom room: communicating clear goals, providing feedback, engaging students in cognitively-complex tasks, and expertly building a climate of acceptance and community in the learning environment. She is humble and accepting of others’ suggestions and consistently committed to self-improvement,” said McLean and Wilber.
(left-to-right) Emilia Hodgson, executive director of the Grand Forks Foundation for Education, Polum, Superintendent Dr. Terry Brenner.
Kirkeby Named Presidential Scholar Semifinalist
Kaylee Kirkeby (Grand Forks Central High School) has been named one of eight North Dakota high school seniors selected as a semifinalist for the U.S. Presidential Scholar honors.
Kirkeby is a semifinalist for U.S. Presidential Scholar in Career and Technical Education (CTE).
The students were selected from a group of North Dakota Presidential Scholar candidates announced earlier this school year.
“Kaylee embodies the outstanding student leaders we have within CTE,” said Eric Ripley, executive director of CTE and technology. “Kaylee has demonstrated outstanding success in her marketing education and medical careers courses, serving as a leader in both aligned student organizations of DECA and HOSA. To be selected as a national semifinalist in the CTE category is well-deserved recognition for her accomplishments, but also credit to the high-quality CTE students and staff we are fortunate to have within Grand Forks Public Schools.”
Each year, up to 161 students, including two from North Dakota, are named Presidential Scholars, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students.
Lewis and Clark Elementary School Achieves HRS Level 2 Certification
Lewis and Clark Elementary School has achieved Level 2 “Effective Teaching in Every Classroom” certification in Marzano High Reliability Schools™.
The high reliability school (HRS) program was created by Marzano Research and is 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.
School leaders and educators developing and maintaining effective instruction in every classroom by building and sharing a common language were addressed and evaluated in Level 2.
The school achieved Level 1 certification in 2019.
"The certification process has provided the students, families, and staff at Lewis and Clark Elementary School the opportunity to evaluate the areas of success and areas of growth," said Principal Loren Hoheisel. "Once we know better, we strive to do better. Throughout this journey, it became clear that with the systems currently in place at school and district levels, Lewis and Clark Elementary School and Grand Forks Public Schools have incredible educators in our classrooms."
All schools within Grand Forks Public Schools are working toward Level 2 certification.
Kurtyka Named Nathan Twining Elementary and Middle School Principal
Grand Forks Public Schools has announced an administrative assignment for the 2023-2024 school year.
Chad Kurtyka, currently the associate principal at Discovery Elementary School, has been hired as the next principal at Nathan Twining Elementary and Middle School, located on the Grand Forks Air Force Base.
Kurtyka has been the associate principal at Discovery Elementary School since August 2021. He served in several other roles at Grand Forks Public Schools, including as an instructional design coach, 4th and 5th grade teacher, Title I paraprofessional, and student-teacher.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in educational leadership.
The assignment is due to the retirement of the current principal, Shari Bilden.
The Grand Forks School Board approved the administrative assignment on April 24.
Students Excel at State SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference
Grand Forks Central and Red River High School students claimed several top spots at the North Dakota SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference, held March 26-28 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 40 occupational and leadership skill areas.
To learn more about the students who placed in the SkillsUSA competitive event programs, please click on the link below.
Students Compete at State Science and Engineering Fair
Students from Grand Forks Public Schools received several awards at the 73rd annual North Dakota State Science & Engineering Fair, held March 30-31 at the University of North Dakota (UND).
The top finishers in the senior division advanced to compete at the 2023 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), to be held in Dallas from May 12-19.
To learn more about the awards our students received, please click on the link below.
GFPS Teams Receive Awards at State Robotics Competition
Teams from across Grand Forks Public Schools earned several top awards at the North Dakota VEX Robotics Tournament, held in March at South Middle School.
Schools competing include Century Elementary, Discovery Elementary, Grand Forks Central High, Kelly Elementary, Lake Agassiz Elementary, Nathan Twining Elementary, Red River High, South Middle, Schroeder Middle, and Viking Elementary.
To read more about the awards they received, please click on the link below.
North Dakota Juried Student Art Show Awards Announced
The Taube Museum of Art has announced the 2023-2024 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, 527 entries were submitted.
Jurors selected four pieces 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. Winners of the Governor’s Award, sponsored by Governor Doug Burgum, are pending approval and have not yet been announced.
To read more about the awards they received, please click on the link below.
Students Compete at State Speech Meet
Students from Grand Forks Central and Red River high schools claimed several awards at the 70th annual North Dakota High School Activities Association Sponsored Class A Speech State Tournament.
The competition was held at Jamestown High School on April 15.
All participants had qualified from one of two regional tournaments or at an invitational tournament held during the season.
Top place winners
- Toluwanimi Fadairo, Grand Forks Central, 4th place in Poetry
- Houston Gonzalez/Mikko Angelo Villas, Red River, 3rd place in Serious Duo
- Rebecca Sather, Red River, 8th place in Storytelling
- Katie Uhlir, Grand Forks Central, 3rd place in Speech to Entertain
Aspirations in Computing
Congratulations to two Red River High School sophomores who have received awards from the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT). Lauryn Brynjulson received the North Dakota/South Dakota NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC), while Briley Zhang received the North Dakota/South Dakota Affiliate Honorable Mention Award. The awards, presented by NCWIT, recognize 9th-12th grade female students for their computing-related achievements and interests as part of an effort to encourage a diverse range of students to choose careers in technology (photo and information courtesy advisor Paul Zettler).
Award Winning Efforts
Congratulations once again to Nathan Twining Elementary and Middle School on receiving the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association's (ITEEA) 2023 Elementary Program Excellence Award for North Dakota! The Program Excellence Award program is designed to recognize superior K-12 technology and engineering education programs worldwide. The award-winning programs serve as a standard for comparison and models for developing other programs. The award was announced in November, and ITEEA recognized the school at its annual conference held in Minneapolis in mid-April. Representing the school were teachers Melissa Port, Tiffany Dahlquist, and Jennifer Varriano.
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 - 2022-2023 Employee Recognition Program
Now Hiring!
Upcoming Events
- May 8: Grand Forks School Board meeting (Mark Sanford Education Center, 6 p.m.)
- May 10: Early Release (Twining/middle/high schools: 1 p.m., elementary schools: 1:30 p.m.)
- May 11: Referendum Community Meeting (Grand Forks Central High School Theatre, 6 p.m.)
- May 16: Special Election (Alerus Center, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.)
- May 16: Grand Forks Air Force Base School Board meeting (Nathan Twining Elementary and Middle School, 12 p.m.)
- May 22: Grand Forks School Board meeting (Mark Sanford Education Center, 6 p.m.)
- June 1: Last Day of School K-12
- June 1: Community High School Graduation (7 p.m., Betty Englestad Sioux Center)
- June 2: Clerical Day for Staff
- June 4: Red River High School Graduation (1 p.m., Betty Englestad Sioux Center)
- June 4: Grand Forks Central High School Graduation (4 p.m., Betty Englestad Sioux Center)