Minot Public Schools at long last will be entering a new era in the 2024-2025 school year, with the opening of the new Minot North High School.

The dream of a second high school in Minot began to come to fruition after the sale of the former Cognizant building to the district in 2020 and the passage of a bond issue funding the project in December 2021. Ground was broken on the project the next fall, and new Principal Harlson Johnson expects the facility to be ready this month for students.

“When you put up a 280,000-square-foot facility, not every little thing is going to be done. We always knew when we were opening this facility that we wouldn’t have the theater, and we wouldn’t have the pool come semester time — just because of the sheer complexities of everything that needs to go with certain things,” Johnson said. “We’ll have punch lists probably for the next year or two just make sure, what did we miss? What didn’t get done? As far as progress goes, it’s going great. Is it ever as fast as you want it to be? Absolutely not.”

Johnson said there have been some small agonies and headaches involved in ensuring everything behind the scenes is in place for the upcoming year, such as advanced placement classes and a working internet. With the finer details nearing completion, temporary occupancy has been allowed for the academic side of the Minot North building, but registration will be conducted at the nearby Minot Area Workforce Academy. Johnson said the district is planning an open house shortly before classes start, but no firm date has been set. But more than anything, Johnson said, he is looking forward to being involved with the opening of a brand new high school.

“That just doesn’t happen very often. My biggest fear is that we forget something. Like I say to everyone, it’s exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. I’ll never see something like this again in my lifetime, at least to the scale of this facility,” Johnson said. “I’m thankful to the community, our constituents, for their foresight in seeing this was something that we did need. And for our kids, they’re going to have the opportunity to have things like two lead bass players, five more kids that get to start on the football or basketball team and have a chance to play.”

Johnson was looking forward as well to the class format the new alignment is creating in the district, providing more time for educators and students to get to know each other over the course of the four years each class will have in high school.

“Last year we had close to 600 freshmen. You get to learn over half of your kids brand new every year, and it takes a little while to get to know those kids. So I think we’ve done a good job of managing that weird format in Minot for many years. Now we get to have those kids for four years and build those relationships,” Johnson said. “I’m really looking forward to watching that upper class leadership guide our lower class. We just haven’t had that.”

While Minot North is still a part of Minot Public Schools, Johnson is eager to forge a distinct identity for the Sentinels from that of Magicians.

“It was weird at Central because some kids would be walking around in Sentinel gear and others with Magician gear. There was a little jab here and there and that was fun to see. But now, that rivalry is about to really heat up. We’re going to have to compete against each other. In that regard, that’s going to be a good thing for our community,” Johnson said. “I”m so excited for our students to come into this facility. I’m super excited to be their leader. I hope that together we can build the culture that they want and we want for our building and community.”