Board Meeting

The March meeting of the Oakes School Board will be held on Tuesday, March 13th starting at 7:00 a.m. in the central office conference room of Oakes Public School.

School Not in Session

The Oakes Public Schools will not be in session March 30th.

School Board Openings

The Oakes Public School announces the annual school election will be held on Tuesday, June 5, 2018. The following directorships are open at this time. (1) a three-year term from the rural area east of North Dakota Highway #1, currently being held by Sonia Meehl and (2) a three-year term from the city of Oakes, currently being held by Jeremiah Undem.

Interested patrons wishing to file for the open positions need to file papers with the school district business manager in the District office before 4:00 p.m., April 2, 2018. The filing papers may be picked up by contacting Thomas Vanorny, Business Manager, Oakes Public Schools, 804 Main, Oakes ND 58474-1739, phone 701-742-3234, email tom.vanorny@k12.nd.us during regular business hours.

Oakes Public School Invites Hall of Fame Nominations

Oakes Public School invites submission of nomination petitions to be considered for induction to our Hall of Fame. Many worthy individuals have provided outstanding service or brought honor to Oakes Public Schools. Hall of Fame inductees must have made significant contributions to Oakes Public Schools and must have been separated from OPS for at least three years before induction. Nominees may have been students, staff, administration, school board members, volunteers, or the general public. They are not required to be graduates of Oakes Public Schools. The induction procedure calls for nominating petitions to be submitted to the school district office by April 1 of each year and for the school board to name inductees by

June 30 each year. All nomination petitions submitted to date have been retained for consideration in subsequent years. The Oakes Public School Hall of Fame was created in 2004 to recognize and honor the accomplishments of individuals in areas such as academics, athletics, fine arts, and achievement, as well as outstanding contributions and dedication to Oakes Public Schools. Seventeen people have been inducted to the OPS Hall of Fame since its inception. Information about all inductees may be found on the OPS website at http://www.oakes.k12.nd.us/hof-inductees/. Nomination forms are available on the Oakes Public Schools website (http://www.oakes.k12.nd.us/hall-of-fame/). Paper forms are available from Cari Haugen or Maureen Wentworth in the district’s Central Office. Nominations should be submitted by April 1, 2018, for consideration to be inducted this year.

Oakes Public Schools Welcomes Governor Burgum and Innovative Education Task Force

On Monday, January 29, Oakes Public Schools welcomed Governor Doug Burgum, North Dakota School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler, and the Innovative Education Task Force. Elementary students provided an enthusiastic greeting for everyone as they entered the Central Office Lobby before arriving at the library. The Innovative Education Task Force meets monthly in various locations across the state and is comprised of 15 members that are involved in education, youth development, business leaders, and community leaders. Oakes was chosen as the latest destination for the Innovative Education Task Force meeting because of the implementation of the innovative Flex-Mod Schedule in the High School. Superintendent Kraig Steinhoff welcomed everyone before Principal Brandon Bata gave a presentation on the Flex-Mod Schedule currently implemented at Oakes High School. Further presentations and discussions occurred throughout the day. 15 students from Oakes High School (grades 10-12th) were invited to join Governor Burgum, Superintendent Baesler, and the Innovative Education Task Force for lunch. Students were able to give their perspectives on the new Flex-Mod Schedule and answer any questions from the Innovative Education Task Force before returning to class. The Innovative Education Task Force, Governor Burgum, and Superintendent Baesler thanked the Oakes

“Educating Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s World” Newsletter Vol. 28 Issue 7

Phone: 701-742-3234 www.oakes.k12.nd.us

March 2018

Public Schools for their hospitality upon the conclusion of the meeting. Further comments included how impressed the Innovative Education Task Force was with our students, Flex-Mod Schedule, school, and community. It was truly a great day for our students, staff, and community!

Diggs named Presidential Scholar Candidate

Oakes High School Senior Marissa Diggs is one of 70 seniors across North Dakota to be named as a candidate in the 2018 United States Presidential Scholars Program. North Dakota School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler said 70 North Dakota high school students have been chosen as potential Presidential Scholars, which is one of the nation’s most prestigious honors for a high school student. The U.S. Department of Education this week named students from 29 North Dakota public schools and four private schools as candidates for the honor. The students were nominated by Baesler or chosen because of their exceptional performance on the ACT or SAT college entrance exams. From this group, one young man and one young woman will be chosen as North Dakota’s Presidential Scholars for 2018. Three of the 70 North Dakota candidates were chosen because of demonstrated promise in career and technical education, while another two were picked because of both their academic and CTE potential. “To be named as a Presidential Scholar candidate is one of the most impressive honors a high school senior can receive,” Baesler said. “These students, along with their parents, relatives, classmates, teachers and administrators, should be proud of these outstanding young people, and should celebrate their achievement.” Each year, the Department of Education chooses up to 161 high school seniors as Presidential Scholars, including one young woman and one young man from each of the 50 states. Being chosen as a candidate for the Presidential Scholar award is only the first step in the process. To be considered for the award itself, students must complete an application, which includes essay questions, and submit a transcript, letter of recommendation and other information. The application deadline falls at 5 p.m. Central time on Feb. 27. Once the applications are received, a review committee evaluates them and names a group of semifinalists, which usually happens in mid-April. The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars then reviews the semifinalists’ applications, and ultimately chooses one male and one female Presidential Scholar for each state.

Presidential Scholars receive an expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., in late June to meet with educators and government officials, and receive a medallion at a ceremony sponsored by the White House. There is no cash scholarship.

Academic All State Team

The 2018 North Dakota Academic All-State Teams have been selected. The high school seniors are nominated by their school principal and compete for the honor on a statewide basis in both Class A and Class B divisions. Student selection is based on overall grade-point averages, ACT or SAT test scores, extracurricular activities, community involvement and leadership qualities. The academic teams are split into Gold, Silver, and Bronze categories, as well as Honorable Mentions. Oakes High School senior, Marissa Diggs, has been selected to the Gold Class B Academic All-State Team! Marissa will be recognized during the televised “Parade of Academic Champions” on Friday evening (March 16, 2018) between the semifinal games of the State Class B Boy’s Basketball Tournament at the Bismarck Civic Center. Each team member will be presented a medallion from WDAY and Forum Communications. Congratulations Marissa on this honor!

MUSIC NOTES By Kathie Hay and Dareien Lund

Greetings everyone! It is hard to believe that March

is right around the corner and our busiest season is upon us! Please check your calendars to be sure these dates/events are included in your plans: March 20th @ 4:00 PM Region 6 Large Group Music Contest at Oakes March 23rd Oakes Concert Choir performance at NDMEA Conference at 3:30 PM March 26th Instrumental ELOE Festival at LaMoure Concert at 7:00 PM April 14th Region 6 Solo and Ensemble Contest at Kulm

We are excited for all of these upcoming performances and hope you will be able to join us for them.

As always, we thank you for your continued support of our Oakes musicians and their activities!

Concert Choir to Perform at NDMEA Conference in Bismarck

By Kathie Hay

The Oakes High School Concert Choir has been selected to perform at this year’s 2018 ND Music Educator’s Conference in Bismarck. North Dakota music teachers are invited to submit audition recordings of their groups as part of the application process. We were notified in September that we had been chosen as the Class B Concert Choir for this year. It is with much excitement and anticipation that we have been busy working on our concert program for this event. Our choir will be featured at the 3:30 concert hour on Friday, March 23rd, at the Bismarck Event Center. This performance is open to the public and we would love to see many of you in the audience!

ND All-State Music

By Kathie Hay and Dareien Lund

Congratulations to our senior musicians, Michael Spiese and Dillon Swanson, for their selection as ND All-State Musicians! Michael will be performing with the All-State Band and Dillon will be performing with the All-State Mixed Chorus. These performances will be held on Saturday, March 24th in Bismarck.

ND ACDA Honor Choir Participants By Kathie Hay

Congratulations to Isabelle Haring for representing our school so well at the NDACDA Honor Choirs Concert. Isabelle was selected to perform in the 2018 JH/MS Treble Honor Choir under the direction of Dr. Andrea Ramsey. Additional shout outs and congrats go to Marissa Diggs, Hannah Zantow and Hannah Damjanovic for your dedication and hard work in the 2018 Women’s Honor Choir under the direction of Phillip A. Swan. You also represented our community and school with such integrity and musicianship.

“Beauty Begins the Moment You Decide to Believe in Yourself”

This is the statement the students K-6 were presented with when Ms. Emily Paulson spoke to them Tuesday, February 20, 2018. Emily has a craniofacial disorder called “treacher collins syndrome. She spoke of always being kind no matter what they look like on the outside. Emily has a very positive personality and truly believes in herself. She was definitely an inspiration to our students and often heard comments such as “you are beautiful” and “I like you” from our younger kiddos.

Wilton Tournament Results By: Shawn Sagert

Elementary Girl 5th place Shayla Zimbelma 235 Elementary Boy 2nd Place Braysen Sagert 259 Middle School Girl 3rd Place Kaydence Brummund 272 4th Place Lily Wiek 268 Middle School Boy 1st Place Maxin Walock 274 2nd Place Noah Sundby 274 3rd Place Joey Burgard 263 High School Girl 5th Place Ainsley Helgerson 262 High School Boy 4th Place Andrew Hill 276 5th Place Michael Heim 273 Team Results Middle School Team 1st Place 3142 pts. High School Team 1st Place 2972 pts. Elementary Team 2nd Place 2493 pts.

Mathcounts By: Presley Forward

MathCounts is a competition that promotes math excellence among students. On February 8, the following junior high students competed in the Dickey County MathCounts competition in Ellendale: Samantha Hermes, Emma Muggli, Landon Ptacek, Laikyn Roney, Joe Schaefer, and Noah Sundby. The Oakes team finished in first place and Hermes earned the top individual score. All individual and team scores were then submitted to the region to be compared. In Region 6, 59 individual scores were submitted. The top score was 34. Hermes finished in 6th place with 27. Sundby finished in 12th place with 25. Schaefer finished in 18th place with 24, and Muggli finished in 22nd place with a score of 23. Eleven team scores were submitted to the region. The top team score was 31.25. Oakes finished in fourth place with a team score of 27.50. Hermes’s score qualified her to compete in the state MathCounts competition in Bismarck on March 5.

Oakes Music Department Receives Donation

Oakes High School has received an educational grant for $1000 from the Oakes Hometown Shoko Foundation to assist with the purchase of a new piano for the stage. Pictured are Dareien Lund, Instrumental Director, Jessica Jackson manager at Oakes Shopko and Kathie Hay, Vocal Director.

Friends of Fine Arts

February finished off with a bang as we celebrated students reaching their Star Math goals with Pizza at noon. Those classes receiving pizza were, 7th, 8th, 10, 11, & 12th grade. The ninth grade opted for an open mod. Congratulations to all students who achieved their goals! Now March is blowing in lots more excitement at the Oakes Public School. Things to watch out for: March 10, 17, & 24 - Speech Team competitions March 13 - A busy day for the Academic Team as they travel to compete in Milnor March 20 - Junior class will be taking their ACT March 20 - Oakes will once again host the Large Group Music contest. Performances start at 4:00 and everyone is welcome to come and listen to some wonderful music. March 23 - A huge honor as our Choir has been chosen to perform at ND MEA All-State Music March 26 - ELOE Instrumental concert in LaMoure @ 7:00pm and just for fun State Testing! Please remember we appreciate your support and would love it if you would follow us on Facebook at Oakes Friends of Fine Arts & Academics

It is okay to slow down.

By: Kraig Steinhoff

Slowing down is one of the hardest concepts for me to embrace. I’ve always strived for constant growth. One of my favorite sayings from my high school days is from a poster that was hanging in the weight room which said, “Bigger, Faster, Stronger”. The Oakes Public Schools has endured a lot of growth in the last several years. Along with the growth has been growing pains that affect our students, staff, and community. Although I believe that the growth has been an overall good thing, I think it is ok for us to slow down. Please note that I did not say that we want to stop growing. We should always be growing and moving forward but it does not need to be at warp speed. The idea to slow down should allow several of our district’s initiatives to reach fruition as we continually monitor progress. Slowing down will allow us to see more clearly the day in and day out activities that we do well along with those that need improvement. Slowing down also allows our bodies and brains to recuperate from the strain of hasty progress. The 2018-2019 school year at Oakes does not include major changes as of this writing. My plan as the superintendent is to use the upcoming school year for us to hone in on the basics and embrace doing the simple things well without adding additional initiatives for our students, staff, and community. Maybe this concept of slowing down from time to time is something we should embrace in our personal lives and set as an example for our students. Some days I feel like we are running ourselves and our children ragged. Progress is

no doubt addicting. When I think about the fast pace I struggle to have a solid answer on why I am pushing so hard. Am I heading for a finish line? Am I going to be happier once I get to the finish line? Am I going to regret not looking around and enjoying the time I spent in the race because I was solely focused on the finish line? Life will undoubtedly include seasons with different paces. The future is exciting; however, the present is here and I don’t want to miss a single minute of it. “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…..including you.” Anne Lamott

Kindergarten Screening

We will be conducting a screening for all children eligible to enter kindergarten in the fall of 2018. Parents please watch the mail for a letter with full information in the next week. Kindergarten Screening will be offered on Tuesday, April 10th. If you would like your child to participate in this screening please call the school at 742-3234. Appointments will be filled on a first-come basis and time slots are limited. When you come to your appointment please make sure to bring your child’s birth certificate and immunization record. The children will be accompanied by a staff member and will proceed through three stations, taking approximately 45 minutes. Parents may remain in the lobby area during the testing time. If you have questions or concerns please contact Anna Sell, Elementary Principal at anna.sell@k12.nd.us or 742-3234.

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SRCTC Tours Randal Brockman, Asst. Director On February 20th, SRCTC held tours for the Oakes freshman, along with the Ellendale and Sargent Central sophomore classes. The tours allowed these students an opportunity to see our current students in ac-tion and assisted them in determining which SRCTC class they would be interested in taking for the 2018-2019 school year. SRCTC will be offering the following three different types of clas-ses in 2018-2019: 1. On-Site: This class has the instructor and the students in the

classroom together, the typical teaching environment in education. 2. ITV: The instructor teaches class from their home school, and

the class is broadcast over the television to remote sites. 3. Online: These classes are taken on a computer . The student

logs in and completes the assignments online. The instructor cor-rects the work and corresponds with the student over the computer.

Following is a complete list of classes that will be offered in the 2018-2019 school year at SRCTC: Advanced Emergency Medical Technician/Parent Care Technician, Agricultural Mechanics, Introduction to Ag, Foundations of Ag, Agriscience, Exploring Agriculture, Introduction to Food Science, Au-tomotive Technology, Cyber Security/Mobile Applications, Emergen-cy Medical Technician, Entrepreneurship, Early Childhood Care and Education Services A & B, School-Based Enterprise, Sports & Enter-tainment Marketing, and Cooperative Work Experience. Our On-Line Companion Classes are: Introduction to Veterinary Science, Marketing Education II and Medical Terminology.

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DECA/MARKETING L. C. Kjelland DECA students will be attending their state DECA conference in Bismarck, ND March 11, 12, and 13. At the conference, students will compete in a number of different events including role plays and written pro-jects. The SRCTC chapter will be bringing 14 students to the conference including students from Oakes, Wahpeton and North Sargent High Schools. Students who finish top three in the state in their respective event will have the opportunity to compete against other top finishers from across the United States at the Interna-tional Career and Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in April. At the conference, the Southeast Region Career and Technology Center will also have a student candidate running for a state officer position for North Dakota DECA for next school year. Ryan Hermes is competing against other officer candidates from across the state for an officer position. As part of his candidacy, he will need to complete and pass a written test, create a cam-paign booth for the conference, conduct an interview with business representatives and former DECA offic-ers, and give a speech in front of all students at the state conference. The top seven students with the highest test scores, interview scores and student votes will be elect-ed as a state officer for next school year and will be re-sponsible for many things including planning and run-ning statewide conferences and activities. Last year, Bailey Skjefte and Aiden Ulmer were both elected as state officers, becoming only the 3rd and 4th students to

ever be elected to DECA state office from Oakes. They are currently serving as state vice-presidents, and both Bailey and Aiden have worked hard to plan the state conference this year and will be the leaders in running the conference in March. CHILD CARE Maryellen Homan February was CTE (Career and Technology Educa-tion) month. Oakes FCCLA members Matthew Iverson, Destiny Valdez, Marietta Privatt and Makayla Schafer did a great job volunteering in several capacities for the FCCLA Star Events held in Verona on February 7th.

Matthew also served as a student judge. FCCLA mem-bers from Edgeley participating were Allee Boyer who competed in her first STAR event for the Community Service National Program and Grace Buckeye who was a student judge. Edgeley student organizations FCCLA, FFA and FBLA collaborated to host an All-Staff Appreciation Breakfast on February 21st. Invitations were delivered and floral centerpieces and decorations were prepared. Members belonging to the Nutrition & Food Prep, FACS and Ag classes made delicious egg bakes, bran muffins, fresh fruit and beverages for 50 people to help express their gratitude to a dedicated and caring school staff. Presidents from each student organization - Haley Olson, FBLA; Taylor Mathern, FFA; and Grace Buck-eye, FCCLA - presented meaningful heart-felt talks to those in attendance. During FCCLA Week (February 11-16) in Oakes the members and students in Child Care classes were really thinking “red”. They were busy planning and preparing for a Valentine party, children’s assessments and wrap-

ping up the final week of pre-school. The little ones en-joyed a school bus ride “all around the town” in search of “forests” on the last

day of preschool. Special thanks to Mr. Warren for some exciting and sur-prising observations! The students’ final pro-ject for the first session of preschool was to pre-pare photo albums and progress reports for each child. Such excel-lent creative efforts were evident by the stu-dent teachers for these special keepsakes! More rainforest adven-tures begin for the sec-ond group of 16 pre-schoolers beginning February 26. Here we go again!

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March 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 5:00pm 5/6 BBB @

Lisbon (middle school) North Sargent Archery

Tourney

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7:00pm Adult Open Gym

VBBB Region Tourney @ Jamestown 4:30pm 5/6 BBB @ Sargent Central

VBBB Region Tourney @ Jamestown

12:30pm Teacher Inservice - Early Dismissal

VBBB Region Tourney @ Jamestown

5:00pm 5/6 BBB vs. Lidgerwood

Speech @ Valley City Wahpeton Archery Tourney 9:00am 5/6 BBB Jamboree

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Daylight Saving Time starts 7:00pm Adult Open Gym

7:00pm FFA - Meeting

Academic Competition @ Milnor 7:00am Oakes Bd Mtg 4:30pm 5/6 BBB vs. Sargent Central

7:00pm Hunters safety Speech @ Enderlin 8:00am Hunter safety 10:00am VTrack @ Concordia

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 12:00pm Hunters safety 7:00pm Adult Open Gym

FFA - State Winter Judging Contests First Allowable Baseball Practice 5:00pm 5/6 BBB vs. Lisbon

ND ACT Test-Jrs Only 8:30am Recycling Pickup 4:00pm JHTrack @ NDSCS 4:00pm Large Group Music Contest @ Oakes

ND MEA All-State Music 4:00pm VTrack @ NDSCS Indoor 4:30pm 5/6 BBB @ Milnor

ND MEA All-State Music State Archery @ Minot 5:00pm Pee Wee Wrestling Tourney-Both Gyms

3x3 BB Oakes Tourney Speech @ Kulm 10:00am Vtrack @ NDSU

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 7:00pm Adult Open Gym

First Allowable Golf Practice 7:00pm ELOE Instrumental @ LaMoure

8:30am NDSCS Campus Visit - Juniors 4:00pm Parent Teacher Conferences

No School-Easter Break

March 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 B: French Toast

Sticks & Fruit L: Super Nachos

B: Oatmeal & Fruit L: Cheese Pizza

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 B: Cereal & Fruit

L: Chicken Patty on a Bun

B: Bagel & Fruit L: Tator Tot Hotdish

B: Yogurt & Fruit L: Corn Dog 12:30pm Teacher Inservice-Early Dismissal

B: Cereal Bar & Fruit L: Soft Shell Taco

B: Oatmeal & Fruit L: Cheesy Breadsticks

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Daylight Saving Time starts

B: Cereal & Fruit L: Crispitos

B: Breakfast Burrito & Fruit L: Chicken Teriyaki

B: Build Your Own Yogurt Parfait L: Chicken Nuggets

B: Pancake on a Stick & Fruit L: Quesadilla

B: Oatmeal & Fruit L: Fish Sandwich

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 B: Cereal & Fruit

L: Meatballs

B: Breakfast Sandwich & Fruit L: BBQ's

B: Yogurt & Fruit L: Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

B: Muffin & Fruit L: Tornado Burger

B: Oatmeal & Fruit L: Cheese Pizza

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

B: Cereal & Fruit L: Italian Dunkers

B: Pancakes & Fruit L: Rib Sandwich

B: Yogurt & Fruit L: Chili

B: Omelet & Fruit Hot Dogs

No School-Easter Break

ACT Test for Juniors

All juniors across the state will take the ACT test

on March 20th. Oakes High School juniors are to report to the South Gym on March 20th no later than 8:30am. Attendance is required and will be recorded. All juniors are already registered and the test is paid for by the state. It is recommended that the ACT be taken 2 to 3 times in order to achieve the best score. For many students, this will be their first time taking the ACT. Please encourage your student to study, or at least familiarize themselves with the ACT prior to test day. This test can get them automatic acceptance to colleges and/or even thousands of dollars in scholarships. See the following link for some great test prep materials: http://bit.ly/2rViJP4. For more information see our school website, under the High School Counselor tab or click on the following link: http://www.oakes.k12.nd.us/act/. If your student would like to take the ACT again at a later date, they will need to register at act.org.

February Students of the Month

Oakes Junior and Senior High School January Students of the Month are pictured above: 7th grader Kate Harris daughter of Nick & Karen Harris, 8th grader Harry Tyre, son of Harry & Brenda Tyre; Freshman Sadie Hansen daughter of Steve & Judy Hansen; and Sophomore Ryan Hermes, son of Greg & Lona Hermes. The criteria for this month: This student is able to take feedback and move forward with it. Congratulations on a job well done!

February Elementary Students of the Month

Oakes Elementary Students of the Month are

chosen by house: Corraggio- Daniel Baasch son of Stacey & Angie Baasch, Bakwa- Ethan Simpson son of Shannon Simpson, Ohana- Elle Cline daughter of Lucas & Nicole Cline, Amistad- Paige Dorsher daughter of Tom & Lacey Dorsher, Reveur- Paige Bakke daughter of John & Amy Bakke, and Mahalo- Ellie Wolff daughter of Jason & Heidi Wolff. Congratulations on your recognition towards our commitment to Respect, Genuine Relationships, and Growth Mindset!

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