The District Insider
Volume 8, Issue 12 | July 2021
Singhal Earns Recognition at DECA’s Virtual Conference
Sudiksha Singhal, a sophomore at Red River High School, earned recognition at DECA’s International Career Development Conference (ICDC), held virtually during the month of April.
Singhal was named a finalist in the Entrepreneurship Independent Business Plan event. She is part of 15% of competitors who earned an international medallion for excellence as an overall finalist.
DECA is a career and technical student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs interested in careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.
“This DECA member should be commended for earning the remarkable recognition as an international honoree,” said Frank Peterson, executive director of DECA Inc. “Her success in our competitive events program, especially in a virtual format, is just one indicator that she is striving to be college and career ready through her classroom learning.”
DECA members presented case study solutions and presentations through recorded videos, with approximately the top 20 competitors in each competitive event earning the opportunity to deliver a final presentation in a virtual meeting with a business professional live over Zoom®.
“Being selected as a DECA ICDC finalist was such an amazing experience. I remember refreshing DECA’s page all day that Sunday in anticipation of the results,” said Singhal. “There had been a 5-minute delay in announcing the finalist for my event online and I had probably refreshed the webpage at least 50 times in that time frame. Finding out I was a finalist was such a pleasant surprise. I was not at all expecting it due to the vast number of extraordinary projects that are submitted to such a large international conference. The conference itself was very well set up and allowed for easy navigation while competing. Though it cannot match being in person, this conference truly was the best one I attended this year!”
This year’s DECA ICDC included 17,000 members and advisors. In addition to career-based competition, DECA members engaged in a series of leadership sessions, watched an interview with keynote Marcus Lemonis from CNBC’s The Profit, and streamed video presentations provided by more than 50 internationally recognized businesses.
David Receives #InnovativeND Award
Robin David, coordinator of the Mentor Center, has been selected as the recipient of this year’s #InnovativeND Award for Collaborative Culture.
The award was announced at the 2021 Governor’s Summit on Innovative Education, held in Bismarck on June 7.
The #InnovativeND Awards recognize students, educators, schools, and districts who lead by example and have embraced innovation for the benefit of schools and students.
The Mentor Center opened in January 2021 as a face-to-face, drop-in resource center for middle and high school students to receive academic, social-emotional, and technology support. The center supports students with academic staff, mental health professionals, and on-site technical assistance. To further enhance the learning environment, enrichment activity centers are embedded and focused on art, music, STEM, and social-emotional activities. Free snacks and grab-and-go cold meals are available and provided by the Grand Forks Public Schools Child Nutrition Department.
“Robin has done a phenomenal job of guiding the Mentor Center from concept to implementation. Her work, alongside the leadership of Assistant Superintendent Catherine Gillach and Grant Writer Taunya Schleicher, has provided a sustained vision to close learning gaps, provide social and emotional support for students, and refine and expand Mentor Center strategic goals,” said Superintendent Dr. Terry Brenner. “We are thrilled with Governor Burgum’s recognition of Robin.”
The program has been financially supported by the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund.
The 5th annual Governor's Summit on Innovative Education discussed innovation and reimagined learning in schools across North Dakota. This year’s summit included an emphasis on computer science within K-12 classrooms, as well as a review of the 2021 legislative session and accelerating learning.
The Mentor Center is open during the month of June, Mondays-Thursdays from 12-5 p.m.
Grand Forks Public Schools Announce Three Administrative Assignments
Grand Forks Public Schools has announced three administrative assignments for the 2021-2022 school year.
Elisa Diederich, currently the associate principal at Lake Agassiz Elementary School, has been selected as the executive director of special education.
Diederich has served as an associate principal, Title I coordinator, principal designee, and speech language pathologist in her career at Grand Forks Public Schools.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders and a master’s degree in speech language pathology both from the University of North Dakota. She is also enrolled in the educational leadership and practice doctoral program at the University of North Dakota with anticipated graduation in August 2021.
Diederich replaces Dr. Tricia Lee, who will be the next chief executive officer at Development Homes, Inc.
Dr. Anthony Vandal has been selected as the next associate principal at Lake Agassiz Elementary School.
Vandal is currently the director of education at Williston Public School District. He has served as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and interim principal in his career in Williston.
He holds an associate’s degree in general studies from Turtle Mountain Community College, a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of North Dakota, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Concordia University St. Paul, and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Mary in Bismarck.
Chad Kurtyka, currently the instructional design coach at Phoenix Elementary School, has been hired as the next associate principal of Discovery Elementary School.
Kurtyka has served in several 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 is anticipated to complete a master’s degree in educational leadership in May 2022.
The assignment is due to the hiring of current Associate Principal Loren Hoheisel as the next principal at Lewis and Clark Elementary School.
The administrative assignments were approved by the Grand Forks School Board on June 14.
Grand Forks Foundation for Education Awards Higher Education Scholarship
The Grand Forks Foundation for Education is awarding an $850 scholarship this summer to help a Grand Forks Public Schools educator in their pursuit of higher education.
Sarah Boese-Noreen, a Red River High School teacher, is the recipient of this year’s UND Phi Delta Kappa Graduate Scholarship.
The Foundation for Education’s UND Phi Delta Kappa Graduate Scholarship supports educators who are pursuing graduate degrees in education at the University of North Dakota. This scholarship is intended to promote leadership potential, enhance leadership skills, and assist deserving graduate-level students with the completion of master’s or specialist degrees in education.
Phi Delta Kappa is an association of educators dedicated to high-quality education for all students. The association has served more than 500,000 educators in communities across the United States and abroad.
For further information on the scholarships available through the Grand Forks Foundation for Education, please contact Foundation Executive Director Emilia Hodgson at 701.787.4866.
Examples of Excellence
- Congratulations to the following on being named to the 2021 All-EDC Boys' Golf Team: Saylor Kuenzel, Red River High School; Jake Grandstrand, Red River High School; Brady McGarry, Grand Forks Central High School; Zach Hinschberger, Red River High School.
- Congratulations to Zach Hinschberger (Red River High School) on being named the 2021 EDC Boys' Golf Senior Athlete of the Year.
- Congratulations to the following on being named to the 2021 All-EDC Girls' Soccer Team: Hannah Gray, Red River High School; Claire Hynek, Grand Forks Central High School; Hannah Hynek, Grand Forks Central High School; Madison Myrold, Grand Forks Central High School.
- Congratulations to the 2021 NDHSAA Class A Boys' Golf Top 10: Zach Hinschberger, Red River High School; Saylor Kuenzel, Red River High School; Carson Seng, Grand Forks Central High School.
- Congratulations to Hannah Hynek (Grand Forks Central High School) on being named to the 2021 Class A Girls' Soccer Second Team All-State!
- Congratulations to Ryan Muizelaar (Red River High School) on being selected to the 2021 Class A Baseball All-State Team!
- Congratulations to Zach Hinschberger (Red River High School) and Brady McGarry (Grand Forks Central High School) on being selected to the 2021 Class A Boys' Golf All-State Team!
Job Openings
Certified
- Health Teacher - Valley Middle School
- Behavior Intervention Coordinator - Lake Agassiz Elementary School
- Special Education Teacher - Autism - J Nelson Kelly Elementary School
- Special Education Teacher - Adult Transition Program - Community High School
- Special Education Teacher - district-wide
- Special Education Resident Teacher Program
- Create a Teacher Application
Support Staff
- Unlicensed Assistive Personnel
- Paraprofessonal - ENCORE Program
- Speech-Language Pathology Paraprofessional (SLPP)
- Paraprofessional - Early Childhood Special Education
- Paraprofessional - Secondary (6th-12th grades)
- Paraprofessional - Elementary (Kindergarten-5th grades)
- Custodian - Wilder Elementary
- Custodian - Valley Middle School
- Mechanics/Grounds I - Buildings & Grounds
Custodian - Nathan Twining Elementary & Middle School
Athletics
- Head Girls' Wrestling - Red River High School
- Head Girls' Wrestling - Grand Forks Central High School
- Freshman Volleyball Coach - Red River High School
- Boys' Soccer Head Coach - Elroy Schroeder Middle School
Upcoming Events
- July 12 - Grand Forks School Board Organizational Meeting (6 p.m., Mark Sanford Education Center)
- July 20 - Grand Forks Air Force Base School Board Organizational Meeting (12 p.m., Nathan Twining Elementary and Middle School)