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In our schools: Red River hosts interactive cultural event [Grand Forks Herald :: ]
[April 21, 2014]

In our schools: Red River hosts interactive cultural event [Grand Forks Herald :: ]


(Grand Forks Herald (ND) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) April 21--Several Nepalese students visited a recent Grand Forks School Board meeting as an invitation to the upcoming Celebrating Our Cultures event at Red River High School.

Winship Elementary School students Kritika Bhattarai, Ishmerika Sanyashi, Samana Tamang, Amrit Adhikari and Prabesh Rai completed a short dance Tuesday in full costume to the delight of members.

The multicultural event is free to the public and will be held April 29 at the high school. Free food and interactive cultural exhibits will be held from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. in the commons area. Students will perform songs and dances from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. in the performance hall.



"This is such a wonderful event for our schools and community," said Assistant Superintendent Jody Thompson. "It's an opportunity for our ELL students to take center stage and share about their customs, foods, dress and traditions." Residents who attend should enter through door No. 1, located on the southwest corner of Red River High School near Cushman Field.

Cavalier ready for renovation Cavalier (N.D.) Elementary and Middle School will soon break ground for a much-needed $6 million renovation project, according to Superintendent Jeff Manley.


The renovation will include updates to its heating and cooling system and a kitchen expansion, he said. Construction will finish up during the summer, he said.

"This is a big deal for us," he said.

Five EGF girls head to Girls State Five students from East Grand Forks and Sacred Heart schools will be heading to Minnesota Girls State in June, according to Pat Jacklitch, Girls State chairwoman for East Grand Forks American Legion Auxiliary Post No. 157.

The 68th annual Girls State, held June 15 to 20 in St. Paul, will follow this year's theme of "A Program in Citizenship for Young Women." The event helps high school seniors learn about the way government works at the local, county and state level through intensive study and participation. Students will hold campaigns, elections and mock trials among other activities, Jacklitch said.

East Grand Forks students Colleen Mochoruk and Abigail Plumley will be attending as delegates while Erin Olson will be attending as an alternate.

Sacred Heart High School students Hannah Modeen and Marina O'Leary will also be attending as delegates.

Learning Fair at West today West Elementary School's Parent Teacher Organization in Grand Forks is holding its annual Learning Fair today, according to Principal Ali Parkinson.

The goal is to encourage students to celebrate learning as they choose a topic and present it in front of judges, parents, teachers and students, she said. This year, 47 students chose a topic -- a wide range including diabetes and Wayne Gretzky -- and created a presentation at home.

While there are no winners at this event, students receive feedback from judges on their research, presentation skills and understanding of their topic, she said.

"This PTO event is truly a celebration of learning and a wonderful example of authentic learning driven by the ideas of West students," she said.

Larimore principal honored Larimore (N.D.) High School Principal Dave Wheeler said he was humbled to be recently recognized as the 2015 North Dakota High School Principal of the Year.

The High School Principal of the Year program annually recognizes outstanding school leaders who have succeeded in providing quality learning opportunities for students, according to the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Wheeler will be honored, along with a principal from each state, at a future event in Washington, D.C., according to NASSP.

"It's a huge honor," he said. "There's a lot of really, really good principals in this state, and there's some really, really good principals in this area." Wheeler is a graduate of Red River High School and UND.

Other news -- The Cisco Networking Academy has named Paul Zettler, an information technology instructor at Red River High School, an advanced level instructor. The designation is awarded to instructors whose teaching contributions and achievements are recognized in the top 25 percent of instructors globally.

-- The Associated General Contractors of North Dakota have scholarships available for high school seniors pursuing a career in construction. Scholarships of $1,500 are available at North Dakota State University and $500 scholarships are available at Bismarck State College and North Dakota State College of Science. Applications are due May 1 and can be found at www.agcnd.org.

-- The North Dakota Society of Professional Land Surveyors has announced it will offer scholarships ranging from $500 to $1000 for North Dakota high school seniors planning to attend two-year programs in land surveying and engineering technology at NDSCS or BSC. Applications are due June 1 and can be found at bitly.com/1sAIf8G.

-- Fisher (Minn.) Public School is looking for three tutors for the 2014-2015 school year. The school has been named a Minnesota Reading Corps and Math Corps site to help Minnesota students become successful readers by the end of third grade and become sufficient in math by the end of eighth grade. Those interested in the position should visit www.minnesota -- mathcorps.org or call (866) 859-2825.

-- The Grand Forks Youth Commission, made up of students at Grand Forks middle and high schools, recently completed its second annual "Youth Can Support Our Troops" campaign, which sent more than 200 care packages to troops overseas.

-- Kathryn Otoshi, author of "One" and "Zero," will visit Grand Forks elementary schools today through Thursday to share her work on healthy relationships and the power of choice, according to a press release by Grand Forks Public Schools.

-- The Icelandic Heritage Society is offering $750 scholarships to students of Icelandic descent who will be a junior or senior in an undergraduate program in the 2014-2015 school year. Applications can be received upon request by contacting Colleen Fitchner at (701) 837-0010 and must be submitted by Aug. 31.

Share K-12 education news at [email protected]; include "K-12 notebook" in the subject heading. To see more news, see links at GrandForksHerald.com. Herald Staff Writer Dani Meyer contributed to this column.

___ (c)2014 the Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.) Visit the Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.) at www.grandforksherald.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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