Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 63
BEMIDJI -- Summer Crow was interested the moment she first heard of an emerging computer-programming club for girls. "I was intrigued instantly," said the seventh-grader, who attends Schoolcraft Learning Community. She wasn't alone. When Jennifer Theisen, a programmer/analyst at Bemidji State University, founded the northern Minnesota chapter of Girls Who Code earlier this year, she initially hoped that maybe 10 girls would be interested in joining. She now maintains a roster of around 50 girls...
BEMIDJI -- As Cass Lake-Bena High School was named among Minnesota's highest-performing schools on Wednesday, the announcement capped off a remarkable transformation. "I knew when I came in that this team was ready to lift off," said principal Bryan Hackbarth, who was named principal in 2013. "You're not going to find a more highly skilled, trained staff, someone who has been through the regiment that this staff has." Four years ago, Cass Lake-Bena High School was identified as one of the state's persistently lowest-achieving schools and obtain...
Adam Fortunate Eagle is awaiting another film crew, expected to arrive later in the week. This particular group, coming from Frankfurt, Germany, to his Nevada home, wants to talk to him about the loss of the "shoe tree," a decades-old Cottonwood that was out in the middle of the Nevada desert, 50 miles from civilization, decorated with hundreds of pairs of shoes, his own wife's among them. "Four years ago, some jerk cut it down," he said. Thus is the life of Adam Fortunate Eagle, born Adam...
BEMIDJI - As John Poupart began his hourlong presentation on how to incorporate American Indian values into research methodologies, he offered a short story about a young man who asked an elder a question. "(He asked,) 'How come old people don't tell us the things we need to know?' and the old man says, 'You never asked,'" Poupart said. "That's kind of the Indian way of learning. ... We have to remember that going to the source of the information is critically important to understand the Indian...
BEMIDJI -- A health care summit will be held here next month in hopes of bringing people together with a shared goal of improving the health of American Indians. The Collaborative Research Center for American Indian Health will host its annual summit -- this year titled "Making Relatives for Community-Based Research" -- June 11 in Bemidji. Featuring nationally known speakers, the summit focuses on a range of topics aimed at addressing the health disparities for American Indians. It will provide information on using the latest strategies for...
BEMIDJI -- Ranae Seykora, an assistant principal at Bemidji High School, temporarily stepped away from a meeting on how to increase graduation rates when she ran into a student and asked for the student's input. "Without even hesitating, she said, 'Courage. I need encouragement, courage, and I need to know I'm not alone,'" Seykora said Wednesday, speaking at a daylong symposium at Wells Technology. Seykora was one of about 30 area professionals, school officials and nonprofit leaders who came...
CASS LAKE - At the end of the robotics season last spring, Mariah Reyes asked one of her coaches, "Why don't we have an all-girls team?" Now they do. Cass Lake-Bena High School made its mark last weekend when it took not just one, but two teams to the FIRST Robotics North Star Regional competition at the University of Minnesota. The Regulators was an all-boys team and the Accelerators an all-girls team. According to assistant coach Matthew Wendland, it was the first high school in the state to...
KELLIHER - When it comes to measurements, smaller school districts have advantages and disadvantages. Smaller pools of students mean you can more easily garner higher results, but it also means you can more easily garner lower results, as well. Tim Lutz, superintendent of Kelliher Public School, alluded to that this week when asked about the high school's increasing graduation rates. Kelliher in 2013 reported a graduation rate of 91.7 percent, an increase from 76.5 percent in 2012. Lutz said the...
BEMIDJI — Seized: 425 grams of methamphetamine;1,433 dosage units of pharmaceuticals; 15 pounds of marijuana and 238 marijuana plants; 17.7 grams of heroin; 46 firearms, including handguns, assault rifles and stolen weapons; and $63,683 in cash. You don’t always hear the immediate results of activities conducted by local law-enforcement taskforces, but their 2013 statistics are staggering. “It really is a true team effort,” said Gary Peterson, an investigator who oversees two regional task forces. The Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force is one...
BEMIDJI – Becky Secore today takes over a new position within Beltrami County. Secore, most recently the social service division director, was unanimously approved Tuesday to be the new director of Beltrami County Health and Human Services. She replaces Mary Marcel, who resigned last year to take a position with another county. County Administrator Kay Mack said six applicants were interviewed for the position; three internal and three external applicants. “Becky has some real strong strengths in the mental health and social service side of Hea...
BEMIDJI — Since there is no school Monday, area youth are encouraged to take part in an afternoon event that day to weigh in on issues related to student success and graduation rates. The youth summit is planned for 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) at BSU. Registration is encouraged through mnyouth.net. The District 7 Bemidji Youth Summit aims to gather youth and adults to discuss issues that impact Minnesota’s dropout rate and achievement gap, including bullying, drug and alcohol abuse and crime/safety/gangs. “Now, more t...
BEMIDJI — A special school board meeting on Wednesday focused on how to close achievement gaps. Bemidji Area Schools principals presented their anticipated recommendations for closing the achievement gaps for American Indian students, special education students and those receiving free or reduced lunch. “This was really important,” Superintendent Jim Hess said following the meeting. “I have looked forward to this night for some time ... (Administrators) are really invested in their proposals and they feel pride. They’ve worked with their sta...
BEMIDJI, Minn. – A patient is best served when she has a team of medical staff working in tandem to address all of her medical needs, says Dr. Valerie Fox, a Sanford Bemidji family physician. That is the goal of Sanford One Care, a team-based initiative that aims to improve health care delivery for patients with chronic health concerns. “What we’re trying to do is identify how we can improve our ability to serve our patients … in the most effective manner,” said Dr. Read Sulik, Sanford Health’s senior vice president for Behavioral Health Serv...
BEMIDJI - Ten-year-old Marcus Boe wonders if he should take his blanket for a "test drive." Marcus, one of several Central Elementary students making no-sew, or tie, blankets to be donated next month to the homeless, wants to be sure his is going to be warm enough for those who will receive it. "I want it to be warm," Marcus said. The tie blanket project started with fourth-graders enrolled in Bemidji Area School's 21st Century Program, an after-school program that provides enrichment for...
BEMIDJI - Alyssa Beaulieu offered a package of gifts Tuesday to a senior apartment resident, wishing her a merry Christmas on behalf of the Salvation Army and BiCAP YouthBuild. The woman happily accepted the gift - a package of tissues, chapstick and sugar-free candy; a Salvation Army magazine; and a decorative wall-hang - and smiled. "Thank you very much," she said. "Have a great day! And merry Christmas to you too!" The whole exchange lasted mere moments, but was repeated dozens of times as...
BEMIDJI — Choosing whether to cancel school, delay classes or simply proceed as scheduled is not an easy decision to make, the superintendent here said Wednesday. Bemidji Area Schools was among several districts that opted to delay the the start of school Wednesday because of dangerous windchills hovering at about 40 below. “A kid standing at the bus stop for more than 10 minutes with wind chills that are that cold, it can be dangerous for them,” Superintendent Jim Hess said. Hess said he talks with Greg Liedl, transportation director, betwe...
The 87th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will air 9 a.m. to noon Thanksgiving Day on NBC. NEW YORK CITY -- Selena Jourdain, a 12-year-old Red Lake girl, remembers when she first started dancing; it was almost as soon as she started walking. "It's just the one thing that I really like to do," she said. Now, thanks to her dancing skills, Selena, the daughter of Trudy and Chris Jourdain, is about to take her place in the New York City spotlight as she appears in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade....
CASS LAKE - "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Arnold and Matthew, partners for life." And, with that, what is believed to be the first gay marriage on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation was complete as longtime partners Arnold Dahl and Matthew Wooley were wed Friday afternoon by Judge Paul Day, chief judge of Leech Lake Tribal Court. "This is the most important person in the world to me," Arnold said, minutes before the ceremony began, his voice slightly breaking. The couple, who will s...
BEMIDJI - Lyz Jaakola welcomed students in Ojibwe on Wednesday morning, greeting fifth-graders as they entered Debbie Miller's classroom at Northern Elementary. "I notice when I come to Bemidji there are lots of signs in Ojibwe and that makes me feel really good, that the language is valued here," said Jaakola, an American Indian musician and educator. Jaakola, who lives on the Fond du Lac reservation, spent the day at Northern, teaching students about Ojibwe music as an artist-in-residence...
BEMIDJI — When Brenda Cassellius, the state’s education commissioner, asked a roomful of 4-year-olds how many legs does a spider have, the answer came very quickly. “Eight.” Cassellius, in the area this week touring several successful schools, smiled and then proceeded to read a story, “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” written and illustrated by Iza Trapani, to 20 youngsters at Bemidji’s Jack and Jill Preschool. Cassellius, formerly a teacher herself, was at ease with the children, asking them question...
CASS LAKE — A hallway tucked into the back of Leech Lake Tribal College’s Cedar Hall has shelves full of diapers, baby products and personal care items. There also is a rack with suit coats, women’s dress clothes, shoes and children’s winter coats. Then, at the end of the hallway, is Dawn Plumer’s office. “I just leave the door open, and just let the students decide,” said Plumer, director of LLTC’s Wellness Center. “If they want to come talk to me, great, if they don’t want to come talk to me,...
BEMIDJI — Vince Beyl is encouraged by the recent discussion at the Bemidji School Board table. Beyl, the director of American Indian Education for the Bemidji School District, was one of about a dozen school leaders who met last week to brainstorm ideas on how best to narrow existing achievement gaps, the disparities in student performance for specific subgroups. Minnesota school districts, under the waiver from No Child Left Behind, has until 2017 to narrow in half achievement gaps, based on 2011 numbers, for subgroups, such as American I...
BENA — As one of only two such schools in the nation, the Niigaane school is drawing attention for the right reasons. The Niigaane Ojibwe Immersion School, its own school within Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig school, opened in 2004 to revitalize the Ojibwe language. "This is us 10 years later," said Leslie Harper, director of the school, as she spoke last week before a room full of visitors, staff and students. Harper was among a group of devoted volunteers who donated their time a decade ago to found N...
BEMIDJI — TrekNorth High School, for the third year in a row, has been recognized as a Reward School by the Minnesota Department of Education. “It’s nice to have our work validated by the state,” said Dan McKeon, executive director of TrekNorth. The MDE released Tuesday its annual report on school accountability. Statewide, the 2013 Multiple Measurement Ratings were reported to show “substantial progress” as 27 schools previously identified as priority and focus schools — those schools with...
BEMIDJI -- Supporters say a new Chief Bemidji statue should be positioned in a way that depicts him overlooking Lake Bemidji. After a unanimous vote Tuesday by the Bemidji City Council, they've gotten their wish. The council approved a $40,000 platform to be constructed as a focal point along the trail that runs through Library and Paul Bunyan parks, creating an overlook above Lake Bemidji. "This proposed location looks perfect," said Councilor Jim Thompson. "I think it's pretty spot on,"...