The District Insider
Volume 8, Issue 1 | August 2020
Ketring Retires from Grand Forks Central High School
The summer of 2020 marked the end of the amazing career for Marsha Ketring after 56 consecutive years working in the office at Grand Forks Central High School.
Ketring retired on July 15th and was celebrated with a short program on the front lawn of Grand Forks Central. Current and former students and their families, employees, and friends of Grand Forks Central attended and wished her well.
Ketring started at Grand Forks Central on July 15, 1964 and in the 138-year history of the school, there have only been 16 total head principals. Ketring worked with eight of them. In addition, she worked with dozens of associate principals and fellow secretaries, hundreds of teachers and staff, and thousands of students.
“Everyone will always remember her kind and helpful demeanor, caring smile, and friendly Norwegian accent (“Thank you much”),” said Jon Strandell, principal of Grand Forks Central. “Marsha is Central. There will likely never be anyone like her again. She will be deeply missed though her impact on all things Central will go Onward!”
Skarperud Named Red River Head Boys’ Hockey Coach
Grand Forks Public Schools is pleased to announce that Tim Skarperud has accepted the head boys’ hockey coaching position at Red River High School.
A graduate and former athlete for Red River High School and the University of North Dakota, Skarperud has coached at multiple levels over the past several years. In addition to coaching experience with the Grand Forks Youth Hockey Club, Skarperud is a board member for the Grand Forks Park District and the North Dakota Golf Association.
Skarperud is employed by Vaaler Insurance in Grand Forks.
“Tim brings with him a passion for Red River High School and for the growth of youth hockey in Grand Forks,” said Athletic Director Mark Rerick. “His coaching experience at the youth level alongside his playing career throughout all levels provide a base of knowledge to pass along to our student-athletes. Red River is excited to bring Tim back to his alma mater to serve as the next boys’ hockey head coach.”
2020-2021 Calendar Update
The Grand Forks School Board passed a motion at their meeting on July 28th to move the start dates for the 2020-2021 school year. Students in kindergarten-9th grades will begin on Monday, August 31st and students in 10th-12th grades will begin on Tuesday, September 1st.
This move provides three additional days for our school employees to prepare for the 2020-2021 school year.
At the meeting, administration also shared that families will be given an option to select face-to-face or remote learning for the 2020-2021 school year. Information on those options is still being prepared. We are also preparing another set of surveys to be distributed to our employees and families regarding our learning scenarios. You can anticipate that information to be shared during the week of August 3rd.
We are also creating a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) feature on our website, which we anticipate to also share during the week of August 3rd.
Finally, thank you to all of our families, students, employees, and community members for sharing your questions, concerns, and more with our Smart Restart team. We sincerely appreciate your perspectives and insight.
A Beautiful Night for Music
The Red River High School orchestra held its annual Summer Pops Concert on July 29th in the front lawn of the performance hall. The orchestra was conducted by Jeff Seabloom, Clair Barhite (RRHS, '15), and Brady Ritland (RRHS, '17) (photo courtesy Allison Peterson).
#ItsForeTheKids
Thank you to everyone who participated, sponsored, and volunteered at the sold-out Grand Forks Central-Red River Coaches Golf Scramble! We appreciate your support of our student-athletes at Grand Forks Central and Red River high schools! (photo courtesy the Grand Forks Foundation for Education).
2019-2020 Employee Recognition
Congratulations to each of our retirees honored through the 2019-2020 employee recognition program! We are grateful for their service to Grand Forks Public Schools, our students, and their families. We hope each of our retirees has a wonderful retirement! Congratulations to all of our dedicated employees who have completed a milestone year of employment with Grand Forks Public Schools! We appreciate your dedication to our school system and all those we serve.
Job Openings
Certified Staff
- School Counselor - Phoenix and Wilder elementary schools
- Behavior Specialist - Head Start
- School Psychologist
- Special Education Teacher - Grand Forks Central High School
- Library Media Specialist - Phoenix Elementary
- Literacy Coach - high school
- School Psychologist Intern
- Create a Teacher Application
Support Staff
Secretary (part-time) - Ben Franklin Elementary School
EL Paraprofessional - Discovery Elementary School
Paraprofessional - Discovery Elementary School
Instructional Paraprofessional - Nathan Twining Elementary & Middle School
Instructional Paraprofessional - Wilder Elementary School
Instructional Paraprofessional - Red River High School
Custodian (lead night) - Red River High School
School Nurse - Head Start
Head Custodian - Winship Elementary School
Intervention Title I Paraprofessional - Ben Franklin Elementary
Custodian - J Nelson Kelly Elementary
Custodian - Valley Middle School
Upcoming Events
- August 10 - Grand Forks School Board Regular Meeting (6 p.m., location TBD)
- August 18-19 - Professional Development
- August 18 - Grand Forks Air Force Base School Board Meeting (12 p.m., Nathan Twining Elementary & Middle School)
- August 24-28 - Professional Development / Clerical Days
- August 24 - Grand Forks School Board Meeting (6 p.m., location TBD)
- August 31 - First Day of School for Kindergarten-9th Grades
- September 1 - First Day of School for 10th-12th Grades