The North Dakota Retired Teachers Association will hold its annual convention hosted by the Minot Area Retired Teachers Association on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 13 and 14, at the Grand Hotel.

Keynote speaker will be Nick Archuleta, ND United president, who will speak Tuesday on the future of the teachers’ pension plan and other crucial issues in education in North Dakota today.

Other topics on Tuesday include genealogy, know your cell phone, lawn and plant care and wine-o-logy. Vendors and authors also will be present.

Wednesday presentations will include Josh Askvig, AARP N.D. State director; Denise Weeks, retirement program manager; and Chad Roberts, the newly hired executive director/chief retirement officer at the Teacher Fund For Retirement in Bismarck.

Breakout sessions the second day include “Celebration of the Years,” “Understanding Hearing Loss and Its Treatment” and “House and Car Care.” Sara Medalen, Minot Public Schools and 2020 N.D. Teacher of the Year, who was recently awarded a 2023 Global Learning Fellowship with the NEA Foundation, also will be present.

Other convention activities include a banquet with entertainment from the Minot Heritage Singers and speaker Chuck Repnow; Silver Apple Awards and the Ethel Percy Andrus Meritorious Service Award; and a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the National Retired Teachers Association.

The convention was postponed in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic, and the original theme of “Retired Teachers have 2020 Vision” was changed to “2020 + 2 Our Vision Refocused.”