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Society news and notes

WSC, MSU evaluate interest in social work degrees

Williston State College and Minot State University are looking to assess regional residents’ interest in pursuing a degree in social work through their institutions.

To gather as much information as possible, they are asking individuals interested in the social work field, or other related areas, to fill out a brief survey. The survey is 15 questions long and will only take a couple minutes to complete.

The survey can be accessed at (willistonstate.edu). All responses must be gathered by Wednesday.

For more questions or further information on potential social work programs in the area, please contact Kim Weismann at

Kimberly.weismann@willistonstate.edu or 774-4503. For other information regarding Williston State, visit (willistonstate.edu), call 1-888-863-9455, or stop by 1410 University Ave., Williston.

WSC student Evenson national contest finalist

Williston State College sophomore Krystal Evenson is a finalist in the 34th annual College and High School Photography Contest through Photographer’s Forum magazine. There were 16,600 entries in the contest, which saw submissions from students around the world.

The photo is of Evenson’s friend, Felicity Kindt, and was taken at the Fairview Lift Bridge in McKenzie County.

The College & High School Photography Contest is sponsored by Nikon, USA, and more than $11,500 in cash grants and equipment were awarded this year. Selected works, including Evenson’s, will be published in the hardcover “Best of College & High School Photography 2014.”

Evenson’s finalist submission and more information on the 34th Annual College & High School Photography Contest can be found at (pfmagazine.com).

Evenson plans to enter the next Photographer’s Forum contest and has made a submission to the North Dakota Waterways Photography Contest.

Evenson will graduate from Williston State College this spring and plans to attend the Art Institute in Denver to major in photography. Her goal is to be a photojournalist.

Minot Camera Club April contest winners announced

The Minot Camera Club recently announced winners of its April competition, “Night Shots.” Steve Silseth of Minot won the color category with his photo, “Northern Lights.” Betty Nordstrom, Minot, won in monochrome with “Night Life.” Kyra Hanson of Minot won the artistic category with “Shadows.”

Other members having photos that placed were LaVonne Carlson, Minot; Richard Debertin, Berthold; Arlene Schelling, Mohall; and Ardelle Schmidt and Elaine Feland, both of Antler.

The judge was Aaron Hughes from Hint of Whimsey, Minot.

Society news and notes

MSU grad named Minn. district judge

A Minot State University graduate was recently named to a district court judge seat in Minnesota. Eric P. Schieferdecker was appointed April 4 to a seat on the bench of the 9th Judicial District by Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton.

“Throughout his career, and through service to children and victims of crime, Mr. Schieferdecker has demonstrated his strong commitment to justice and to the betterment of his community,” said Dayton in a press release. “I am confident he will be an excellent judge.”

Schieferdecker is a former assistant attorney general for the state of Minnesota, primarily prosecuting murder, drug and implied consent cases. After graduation from MSU, he then graduated from the University of North Dakota School of Law.

He currently resides in Bemidji, Minn.

Niewoehner remains on funeral board

North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple has announced the reappointment of Dale Niewoehner, Rugby, to another term on the North Dakota State Board of Funeral Service. The term, his third, will run from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2018.

The state board is made up of the North Dakota State Health Officer and three practicing funeral practitioners appointed by the governor. The board is the licensing and disciplinary agency for the profession.

Niewoehner operates the Niewoehner Funeral Home in Rugby, which he founded in 1972. He has funeral practitioner licenses in North Dakota, Minnesota and Illinois. He is a 1963 graduate of Upham High School and graduated from Worsham College of Mortuary Science-Chicago in 1967. He is also a 2002 graduate of Minot State University-Bottineau. He is a member and past president of the North Dakota Funeral Directors Association and served as its executive secretary for 10 years, among various other offices and honors held.

Niewoehner served on the Rugby Park Board, Rugby City Council and as mayor, totaling 30 years in municipal government. He is an active member of the Rugby Lions Club and an advocate for Amtrak services in North Dakota.

Magnuson to speak at Minot library

Award-winning author and journalist Stew Magnuson of Arlington, Va., will speak at the Minot Public Library April 21 at 6:30 p.m. about his new book “The Last American Highway: Journey Through Time Down U.S. Route 83: The Dakotas.”

Descending 1,885 miles down the center of the U.S. from Westhope to Brownsville, Texas, is U.S. 83, one of the oldest and longest of the federal highways that hasn’t been replaced by an Interstate. Magnuson’s book takes readers on a trip down the road and through the history of the Northern Great Plains. Explorers Pierre de la Verendrye, Lewis & Clark and Jedediah Smith are encountered, along with Chief Spotted Tail of the Brule Lakotas, TV sensation Lawrence Welk and rodeo superstar Casey Tibbs. The murderers, settlers, ballplayers and rail barons from yesteryear meet today’s truckers, oil rig workers and ghost towns as Magnuson launches his own Voyage of Discovery in a beat-up 1999 Mazda Protege.

Magnuson is also the author of “Wounded Knee 1973: Still Bleeding,” and “The Death of Raymond Yellow Thunder: And Other True Stories from the Nebraska-Pine Ridge Border Towns,” which won the Nebraska Nonfiction Book of the Year for 2009 and earned ForeWord magazine’s bronze medal in the regional nonfiction category. The Center of Great Plains Studies nominated the work as the Great Plains Book of the Year and the Writers’ League of Texas its nonfiction Book of the Year.

A native of Omaha and a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Magnuson is a former foreign correspondent who has filed stories from Mali, Japan, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Thailand and Indonesia.

He has traveled to all 50 U.S. states and visited or lived in 48 countries, including the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, where he served in the Peace Corps, and Peshawar, Pakistan, where he worked with the Afghan resistance in the late 1980s.

He has worked as a reporter for The Cambodia Daily, the Asahi Shimbun, Kyodo News Service, Space News, Education Daily, and is now managing editor of National Defense Magazine. He also contributes to other publications and maintains a blog, “The Highway 83 Chronicles at (ushighway83.blogspot.com).

Historical group hosts meal, cleaning day

RUGBY – The Geographical Center Historical Society in Rugby will kick off its 2014 season with a sausage, dumpling and kraut dinner and a program on Teddy Roosevelt on Sunday, April 27, at the Rugby Eagles Club.

The free will community dinner, featuring sausage, dumplings, sauerkraut, carrots, rolls and kuchen, will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fargo cartoonist and historian Steve Stark will give his Illustrated History presentation on “The Cowboy President” at 1:15 p.m. The program is free and open to the public.

Stark, who has performed as Teddy Roosevelt since 1985, will illustrate his tales of T.R. on a 20-foot roll of paper. Stark is known by school children as “Mr. History.” His appearance at last year’s spring kick-off was so popular, the historical society decided to bring him back, according to a press release.

Event sponsors include the North Dakota Humanities Council, Ramsey National Bank and Trust, and the Geographical Center Historical Society, which operates Prairie Village Museum in Rugby. Historical society vice president Linda Lysne is doing the cooking.

On Sunday, May 4, volunteers will gather from noon to 5 p.m. for the fourth annual Cleaning Day at the Prairie Village Museum in Rugby. Workers will help clean the 30 buildings that make up Prairie Village Museum, which opens for school tours on May 1 and to the general public on May 15.

Volunteers are encouraged to bring their favorite cleaning tools, including lawn rakes. Cleaning products will be provided.

“With everyone pitching in, and with lots of good food to keep us going, it’s a fun day,” said museum director Cathy Jelsing in a press release.

Service clubs and helpers of all ages are welcome. Museum membership is not required to participate. The event is hosted by the Friends of Prairie Village Museum.

Forgiveness program for STEM grads

College graduates employed in science, technology, engineering or mathematics-related occupations in North Dakota may be eligible for student loan forgiveness through the STEM Occupations Student Loan Program coordinated by the North Dakota University System and the Bank of North Dakota. STEM-related occupations include jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The program provides loan forgiveness of up to $1,500 per year for up to four years. To qualify as an applicant for loan forgiveness, applicants must have completed an approved, STEM-related program of study through a board-approved college; have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 grading system, hold a qualifying federal student loan or Bank of North Dakota DEAL Loan that is not in default; have been employed on a full-time basis in North Dakota in an approved STEM occupation for 12 months following graduation, beginning at least by July 1, 2013.

Applicants who meet these qualifications will be considered based on the date their application is received by the North Dakota University System. Applications will be accepted beginning May 1 through June 30. Award recipients will be notified by July 31. Applicants must re-apply annually for continued or new funding.

The STEM Occupations Student Loan Program was approved by the 2001 Legislative Assembly. The application materials and program information can be accessed online at (ndus.edu).

Society news and notes

Banquet set

to honor seniors

Area high school seniors who are graduating with honors will be honored at the annual Minot Area Chamber of Commerce Honors Banquet at 6:30 p.m. April 23 at the Holiday Inn-Riverside.

Seniors being honored include Abigail Berg, Rachel Birdsall, Jessi Johnson, Taylor Kunz, Bethany Limke, Wyatt Limke and Wyatt Nichols, all Berthold; Brieann Backes, Meagan Behm, Macy Christianson, Austin Eggl, McKenna Finley, Jacob Magnuson, Nora Rimatzki, Alexandra Smith, Hannah Thom and Abigail Wilhelmi, all Minot Ryan; Alex Davy, Courtney DeGree, Jocelyn McCormack, Ethan Moen, Madison Munday, Cole Peterson, Samantha Redding, Leah Runyan, Jennifer Schaefer, Kara Scheresky, Austin Schestler, Austin Ulberg, Courtney Vogel, All Des Lacs-Burlington; Dylan Adams, Taran Albright, Andrew Arnold, Austin Artz, Joseph Audet, Shelby Barrett, Maleyna Beale, Emily Beck, Garrett Becker, Alexis Benno, Justin Bergeron, Tricia Berggren, Sarah Bogenrief, KC Braaten, Cody Braunberger, Theresa Buch, Tayte Bullinger, Jordan Busch, Sean Connolly, Shelby Cross, Shawn Danielson, Tina Dillas, Ban Dodin, Rachel Frei, Megan Gladback, Micaela Haider, Jennifer Hamilton, Cole Hanson, Carson Held, McKenna Hodenfield, Kelsey Hoffart, Jacob Holmen, Rachel Holmes, Ashley Holzer, David Hurteau, McKaya Johnson, Cole Jones, Taylor Jundt, Ryan Keller, Shane Keller, Jersey Kelly, Kathryn Kelly, Hannah Kempher, Amanda Kraft, Quintin Kragh, McKenzie Kranz, Jordan Krill, Cody Kuntz, Cheyanne Larson, Kolton Larson, Nicholas Lee, Benjamin Love, Linnea Maxfield, Paige Melby, Mason Morelli, Reed Moseng, Jayden Moum, Shania Murphy, Else-Marie Nelson, Taylor Novak, Kyler Olson, Monica Olson, Joseph Rensvold, Erin Richards, Chloe Rickards, Wyatt Rusch, Madison Rutten, Emma Sandy, Jacob Schmidt, Kelli Schmidt, Brock Severson, Emmalee Stach, Kayla Stevens, Ryan Swartwout, Jacey Taylor, McKenzie Turner, Chandler Vercher, Kourtney Wehrman, Kortney Wickum, Kelley Wu and Kelsey Ziegler, all Minot High; Paul Eapen, McKenzie Fettig, Tariro Makoni, Sarah Peterson, all Our Redeemer’s Christian School, Elayne Deibert, Kayla Foley, Brittany Kummer, Kali Miller, Emily Schmidt and Hannah Stockie, all Surrey; Myrena Denelsbeck, McKenzi Faul and Kristofer Hochsprung, all Sawyer.

Educators being honored for 25 years of service include Tracy Ross and Troy Ross, Berthold; Melessa Bosch and DeAnna Reynold, Minot Ryan; Sheila Guvakosky and Kathy Garbe, Des Lacs-Burlington educators; Phyllis Sanders, Des Lacs staff; Lana Anderson, Melessa Bosch, Jesse Cook, Cindy Cook, Angelina Edison, Patty Folk, Janice Gietzen, Natalie Haagenson, Colleen Hodenfield, Steven Kuske, Todd Larson, Tami McNally, Sue Olafson, Kim Phillips, Pamela Schmidt, Edward Sehn and Todd Sivertson, all Minot Public Schools educators; Margaret Engleson, Lynn Jensen, Leslie Merck, Pamela Rodman, Lori Stauffer, Byron Wahl and Lila Weltikol, all Minot Public Schools staff; Judy Drader, Charles Soper and Margaret Steig, all Sawyer educators; Lyall Krueger and Susan Thompson, Surrey educators.

MCEF accepting grant applications

The Minot Community Endowment Fund will be giving out almost $68,000 in grants to local organizations that support Minot and surrounding communities. Applicants must be designated by the IRS as 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax exempt groups, or government agencies. Groups without such designation seeking to apply may enlist a fiscal sponsor.

Application forms and more information are available online at (NDCF.net/

Minot). Applications are due by May 31 and should be mailed to the Minot Community Endowment Fund, c/o Bremer Trust, 20-1st St. SW, Minot, ND 58701. The Minot Community Endowment Fund advisory committee will discuss the applications and determine grant awards.

Last year’s grant recipients included the Northern Lights Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Community Action Partnership, Dakota Boys Ranch Association, Junior Achievement, the Lillian and Coleman Taube Museum of Art, the Minot Area Homeless Coalition, the Minot Commission on Aging, the Mouse River Players, Village Family Service Center and the YMCA, among others.

The Minot Community Endowment Fund was established in 1981 and is a permanent endowment fund managed by the North Dakota Community Foundation. Earnings from the fund are given as grants every year to organizations that support Minot and the surrounding area.

Donations to the fund are welcomed and accepted at any time of year to help grow the endowment fund. Certain donations may qualify for a 40 percent state tax credit. For more information, contact the North Dakota Community Foundation at 222-8349.

Society news and notes

MSU hosting hearing conference today

Minot State University’s chapter of the National Students Speech Language Hearing Association is holding its 2014 spring conference today in the Conference Center, Student Center, third floor, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The keynote speaker is Anne Whitney, a speech-language pathologist and educator at University of Colorado, Boulder.

“For more than 20 years, the MSU chapter of NSSLHA has held conferences. The students plan, organize and execute a nationally renowned conference, which is attended not only by MSU students, faculty and staff, but also by practicing speech-language pathologists from Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, Saskatchewan and Manitoba,” said Lesley Magnus, associate professor of communication disorders.

This year, the emphasis is on language learning disabilities. Whitney will present “Last Minute, Right on Time! Addressing Adolescent Literacy Needs.”

On-site registration is $100. The conference is free to all MSU students, faculty and staff.

For questions, contact Jenna Singbeil at jenna.singbeil@my.minotstateu.edu or Lesley Magnus, communication disorders associate professor, at lesley.magnus@minotstateu.edu.

Area schools excel at science contest

Area schools won awards at the regional Science Olympiad held March 25 at Dakota College at Bottineau.

Science Olympiad is a program for American school-age children in which they compete in teams with the overall goal of increasing student interest in science. Along with stimulating student interest, the program also recognizes outstanding accomplishment and enhances the quality of science education.

There were two divisions with 15 events in each division. Events ranged from lab activities to construction events, which included robots, gliders, and helicopters. Langdon, Bottineau, Williston, Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood, Rolla, and Turtle Mountain High School competed. Division C results were as follows: first place, Bottineau; second place, Rolla; third place, Langdon; and fourth place, Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood. Division B results were as follows: first place, Bottineau; second place, Langdon; and third place, Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood.

DCB director named to state committee

Jan Nahinurk, director of the Learning Center at Dakota College at Bottineau, has been appointed to serve as a member of the statewide Early Childhood Education Advisory Committee. Nahinurk was appointed by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

The Advisory Committee will help guide the Department’s efforts to design and implement various program initiatives based on the findings and recommendations from an early childhood care and education study. As a committee member, Nahinurk will be provided information on study recommendations for policy consideration and/or initiatives to implement to the department.

Dakota College’s Para-Professional Educator and Caregiver programs are under the direction of the college’s Learning Center. As such, Nahinurk has a working knowledge of the child care topic and is in a position to lend practical applications to the committee’s work.

Surveyors promoting with scholarship

The North Dakota Society of Professional Land Surveyors, an organization of licensed and registered professional land surveyors in the state of North Dakota, is promoting the profession of land surveying.

Land surveyors in the state are in high demand. The society wants to educate the public about land surveying and encourage young individuals to consider a career in land surveying.

For the past 19 years, its Education Assistance Program has been offering monetary awards to college and university students enrolled in a land surveying curriculum. This year, the group has decided to also offer a separate award for all North Dakota high school seniors in the range from $500 up to $1,000. The eligibility requirements for this award are as follows: 1) Applicant must be a North Dakota high school senior; 2) Applicant must be qualified for enrolment in a North Dakota land surveying curriculum approved by the NDSPLS-EAP Committee; 3) Upon receipt of notice of award, applicant must provide copy of registration from a North Dakota college or university.

Applications must be received in the NDSPLS Administrative Office no later than June 1. The application can be downloaded from the NDSPLS website at (ndspls.org) and selecting “scholarships,” then “EAP high school award form.”

Society news and notes

WSC taking passport apps

The Williston State College Foundation-Passport Acceptance Facility now accepts passport applications on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. The office is located at 721 E. Highland Drive, Suite D, located in the same office as the DMV, in Williston. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays.

The fee for a passport book is $110 for adults and $80 for children age 15 and under. The fee for a passport card is $30 for adults and $15 for children ages 15 and under. There is an execution fee of $25 for each application processed for books and cards. Photos can be taken at the office at a cost of $15.

More information about passport requirements can be found at (www.travel.state.gov).

DCB elects student officers

Dakota College at Bottineau elects student officers for the 2014-2015 term.

Blayd Sanders, currently the head delegate at Dakota College at Bottineau, was elected student affairs council representative.

Keagan Johnson, vice-president-elect at Dakota College at Bottineau, was chosen to serve on the mental health sub-committee.

Eli Thomas and Tommy Tray both ran for NDHESCAP. By-laws forbid two students from the same institution to serve, but officers are hoping a suspension of the bylaws will be approved and Thomas and Tray can both be elected.

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