Education News

Kindergartners through sixth graders at West End Elementary, Falls Elementary and St. Thomas School spent Tuesday morning learning about logging with staff from Boise Inc. for Arbor Day.
Students learned about machines used for logging in the past and today during a presentation given by Dave Austin, of Boise.
They then met “Jake,” 7, and “Duke,” 9, two Percheron horses owned by Joe Mann, of Ericsburg. The horses showed how loggers transported trees to a paper mill before modern trucks.

Mini Me Quilters event teaches the art to a new generation

The art and tradition of quilting was revealed to 21 West End Elementary first graders last week.
Kim McDonald brought students from her class to a spring quilting retreat at Thunderbird Lodge. The special “Mini Me Quilters” event was offered by Quilters on Rainy Lake.
The young quilters would make pot holders as a Mother’s Day gift.
“This was better than successful,” said Carolyn Napper, retreat organizer. “I think we have some future quilters here.”

Gov. Tim Pawlenty, along with the Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee, launched the CivicFest Walleye School of Fish Competition, a statewide artistic competition open to Minnesota students interested in designing a 4-foot birch flat-board walleye decorated with materials specific to individual U.S. states or territories.
Winning designs will be displayed in an exhibit at CivicFest: A Very Minnesota Celebration, which will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center Aug. 29-Sept. 4, in conjunction with the 2008 Republican National Convention.

We Agree: Creating a Parenting Plan, is a 90-minute workshop

University of Minnesota Extension and the Working Family Resource Center are offering an online training on May 21 for parents. “We Agree: Creating a Parenting Plan” is a workshop for parents who care for their children in separate homes.

Associate professor of Ojibwe awarded a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship to write book

Bemidji State University Associate Professor of Ojibwe Anton Treuer has been awarded a fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation to continue his work to develop the first grammar manual of the Ojibwe language. Treuer is thought to be the first BSU faculty member to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship in the 83-year history of the Fellowships.

Members of student senate elected
The student senate at Rainy River Community College elected several new members to next year’s senate. Tyler Borgen was elected president, Monica McAllister was elected vice president and Autumn Arch was elected as a senator.
Borgen said his goals are to revive the student council, have students more involved in the community, re-starting spirit week and improving the fine arts. He said he also wants to update the commons lounge area with high definition television and new couches.

L-BF program receives grant

The 44th president of the United States will be sworn in Jan. 20 on the steps of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. And Indus School eighth grader Ginger Freden-Bahr will be there to see the inauguration of the country’s president.
Freden-Bahr said she’s excited and can’t wait to go to the five-day Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference. A part of the conference includes watching the inaugural parade, the inauguration of the president and attending a black tie gala inaugural ball.

Three Falls High School students participated in the state Spanish “finalist oral” interviews, based on their results in the National Spanish Exam in levels one and two.
Eighteen FHS Spanish I and II students took the National Spanish Exam. Student finalists include Sarah Manka, Martin Murcia and Alex Ringhofer.

Students participate in BSU conference
Emily Halla, Tara Houglum and Curtis Turban, all of International Falls, participated in the ninth annual Student Scholarship and Achievement Conference at Bemidji State University.
Halla is a senior majoring in mass communications.
Houglum is a senior majoring in mathematics and math education.
Turban is a senior majoring in criminal justice.
All three presented exhibits at the conference. Nearly 160 students presented exhibits, posters or performances on subjects related to their majors.

BSU to offer filmmaking course

Indus Staff Report

When a predicted snowstorm hit the area this weekend, many people hoped that this storm, too, would pass over and leave little or no precipitation in its wake.
But when Indus high school students woke Saturday morning to a foot of snow and more on its way, their biggest fear was that their junior/senior prom would be cancelled and rescheduled. Those who were planning to attend prom had already purchased their dresses, rented their tuxes, ordered their flowers, and, in some cases, arranged for a day off work. The thought of rescheduling or postponing was impossible