Around the State: November 28, 2022

The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories.

Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state.

McKenzie school district test scores increasing

New nationwide test results show the students of McKenzie County School District No. 1 (MCSD) have contradicted the national trend of declining literacy levels and instead have been gaining ground toward literacy proficiency. This remarkable achievement is in direct contradiction to national numbers that have steadily been decreasing in recent years.

In October the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which calls itself “the Nation’s Report Card,” released data from the 2021-2022 school year that showed the literacy level of the nation’s students.

The NAEP shows a national decline of three percent over the last five years, with North Dakota’s numbers directly following that trend.

The North Dakota Statewide Assessment (NDSA), the North Dakota standardized test given to students each year, also shows the state-wide literacy levels have dropped three percent, but MCSD has averaged an increase in literacy levels of nine percent over that same time period.

Watford City High School has had a dramatic increase from only 22 percent of students at proficiency levels in 2020-2021 to 43 percent proficient last year.

District officials say this trend is a direct result of the focus MCSD has put on literacy in all their schools and classes, regardless of the subjects being studied.

(Story by Kristen Jones, the McKenzie County Farmer)

State highways are short of plow drivers

There’s been a lot of talk around the community in recent days about how a labor shortage will play out as it relates to keeping area highways cleared.

The short answer is, we’ll all have to be patient.

“Motorists in the northwest corner of North Dakota should expect longer wait times for the snow to be cleared.”

That’s the word from the Department of Transportation (DOT) Director Ron Henke, as reported in a news release on November 8.

The Williston District DOT is short-handed, currently staffed at 75 percent.

(Story by Brad Nygard, the Journal, Crosby)

City owed a refund from garbage contractor

Kenmare City Council members were informed of an unexpected windfall at their November 9 meeting.

Waste Management owes the city a refund of $143,682.89, after over charging for garbage transfer to the Minot landfill for the past 58 months.

Waste Management informed the city of the error during the Garbage-Landfill-Grounds Committee meeting held the evening before, on November 8.

Jim Burud of the Garbage-Landfill Committee said, “Good for them. They owned up to us. We would have never caught it.”

(Story by Terry Froseth, the Kenmare News)

KPS News & Novels class publishes newspaper

Kris Zimmer, Librarian and instructor at Kenmare Public School, knew she wanted to have more for her Novels class students to do than just reading, so she came upon the idea of publishing a student newspaper.

With issues for September and October now published, Zimmer said, “I didn’t realize the amount of work that it takes. I thought we could do one every couple weeks, but there’s just no way.”

Along with the hours spent on interviews and writing, formatting the text, headlines, and photos on the pages of the letter-sized pages of the newspaper presents a big challenge as well. “It’s really hard to lay it all out, and figure out how it all fits,” Zimmer said.

All the time invested, however, has paid off with the six-page editions of the Honker Post being packed with interesting reading for the students, staff, and the general public.

Zimmer said the students brainstorm for ideas on topics, as well as covering the big events going on in school, such as homecoming and sports events.

“The students enjoy that they see a real product and are getting out in the community to see real people,” Zimmer said. “It gives them motivation, or a reason to write.”

(Story by Terry Froseth, the Kenmare News)

Round barn idea may have come from newspaper

The idea to construct a round barn on a farm in Coalfield Township, south of Noonan came from either one of two places, according to the application winning the structure a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, along with only nine other round barns in North Dakota.

It was either from a story published widely in area newspapers and magazines, or it may have been because the homesteader was acquainted with the people who made the kits to construct the barns.

A fatal fire, October 27, is believed to have killed both of the barn’s latest owners, bringing new attention to a structure that has attracted wide interest over the years.

(Story by Cecile Wehrman, the Journal, Crosby)

Absences already becoming issue this year

“Maybe I’m beating a dead horse,” said Divide County School District Superintendent Sherlock Hirning.

At a meeting recently, Hirning directed the school board’s attention, once again, to the number of student absences.

With several weeks yet to go in the first semester, already a number of students have exceeded eight absences - the level at which detention or other consequences could kick in.

According to data from each building, 18 students at the high school and 15 students from the grade school are at or exceeding eight absences.

At one point Hirning asked whether part of the problem is that parents don’t understand that excused absences are counted toward the limit.

Sick days, vacation days, appointments, hunting trips or any number of other absences may be approved by a parent and therefore excused. An unexcused absence is one for which no excuse is given. Both excused and unexcused absences count toward the eight-day limit.

Letters recently went out to parents of students on track to or already exceeding eight days of absences so far this semester.

(Story by Cecile Wehrman, the Journal, Crosby)