SchoolTalk

The calendar has turned, the holidays have passed, and January marks a new beginning. However, for students in Fargo Public Schools, January isn’t just the start of a new year; it’s also the finish line for the first semester and the launch pad for semester two. Families are encouraged to finish semester one strongly and begin semester two with momentum.

Read more about why attendance in January is so important and what families can do to improve attendance this month in this Feature Column by Assistant Director of Student Support Services Dr. Jen Sahr.

Congratulations to Ben Franklin Middle School students who placed in the top-10 of the VFW Post 762 Patriot's Pen Essay Contest! This year's essay theme was "How are you showing patriotism for your country?" The winning students were Mari Puppe, Claire Stokka, Kylie Olson, Bryson Klimek, Ahlamm Binte Yasir, Cherish Schussler, Sam Erdmann, Anna Branson, Brynne Gadberry, and Aurelia Schneider.

Congratulations to Explorer Academy Physical Education Teacher Tyler Hetland on being named the SHAPE Central District Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year!

Hetland joins the teachers of the year from three other districts as a finalist for National Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year. The National Teacher of the Year will be announced at the 2026 SHAPE American National Convention in March in Kansas City.

Congratulations to Ben Franklin Middle School Math Teacher Melissa DeMull on becoming a National Board Certified Teacher in Career and Technical Education!

National Board Certification is a voluntary, advanced teaching credential — widely seen as the "gold standard" in education — that recognizes accomplished teachers through rigorous national standards, portfolio evidence, and a computer-based assessment focused on student learning, subject mastery, practice, reflection, and community engagement.

Congratulations to Horace Mann Roosevelt Second Grade Teacher Emily Netland on being the first Fargo Public Schools educator to complete Catalyst Certification in 2026! Netland completed her Whole Group certification on the first day back from Winter Break.

The Catalyst Approach is a comprehensive professional development and implementation model based on observation of more than 50,000 classrooms and school-wide common spaces. It aims to accelerate deep implementation of skills that lead to the creation of improved classroom and school leadership, relationships, and culture.

Congratulations to Special Education Teacher Janie Schroeder, Instructional Coach Amy Anderson, and Paraeducator Meredith Muhs on being the first Catalyst certifications of the school year in Early Childhood Special Education at Longfellow Elementary School! Schroeder certified in 1:1 Academic Processing, Anderson certified in Whole Group Classroom Leadership, and Muhs certified in both Supporting Whole Group Classroom Leadership and Small Group Foundations.

The Fargo Public Schools Human Capital Department wants to shine a spotlight on its valuable employees who have a tremendous positive impact on the District's students, staff, and families. The District's educators are crucial to achieving our goal of educating and empowering all students to succeed and are dedicated to the idea that we are stronger together. HC has selected FPS staff members who are deserving of greater recognition and will highlight them each week. Meet Delivery Driver Troy Kenkel in this week's Employee Spotlight.

Fargo Public Schools high school and middle schoolers, this is your chance to design a Fargo Police Department Squad Car! High school and middle school students are invited to submit artistic designs for wraps for two School Resource Officer squad cars starting the beginning of second semester.

Designs will be submitted no later than 4 p.m. March 6. One winning middle school and one winning high school design will be applied to the winning school’s SRO squad car for the 2026-27 school year. This project is being funded by the Fargo Police Foundation.

Design options are limited only by the imaginations of the student artists. The artwork may incorporate any designs or color schemes using the existing FPD graphics. Fargo Public Schools Administration has authorized the use of school-specific logos as part of their designs. School specific or FPS logos cannot cover original FPD graphics. There can be no changes to the End of Watch graphic on the back, or the United States flag on either side. Design templates can be picked up from each SRO or downloaded here.

Designs will go through a selection process involving school administrators, school resource officers, FPS Superintendent Dr. Cory Steiner, and FPD Police Chief David Zibolski, with final winners chosen through a public vote.

To honor the history and legacy of our elementary schools and celebrate the journey toward their consolidation into a single new facility, the District will host a series of History Harvest events at Horace Mann, Roosevelt, and Madison Elementary Schools.

These community-centered events are designed to gather stories, artifacts, and memories from alumni, students, families, staff, and residents. Information and materials collected will be preserved in a digital time capsule and may help inspire elements within the design of the new elementary school. Learn more about the History Harvest Events on the FPS website.

Event Dates:

Horace Mann Elementary School

• January 15 from 5:30-7 p.m.

Madison Elementary School

• January 22 from 5:30-7 p.m.

Roosevelt Elementary School

• February 17 from 5:30-7 p.m.

The District invites all community members to participate, contribute, and celebrate the legacy of these beloved schools. Voices gathered through the History Harvest will help ensure that the history, culture, and traditions of Horace Mann, Roosevelt, and Madison continue to shape the next chapter in public education for our students.

To maximize both family time and valuable learning time, we encourage families to plan vacations during school breaks. View the Vacation Planning Guide to help plan your vacation.

• Extended School Breaks: January 16-19, March 16-20
• School Out Days: February 16, April 3, May 25

AD-Ventures is a district publication intended to help families find activities for their children throughout our community. It is published on the first of each month during the school year (September through May).

AD-Ventures for Kids is for youth in grade levels K-5.

AD-Ventures for Teens is for youth in grade levels 6-8.

Horace Mann Elementary School’s administration invited the community to bid farewell to a school that has served students in Fargo for more than a century. The community was invited to take a walk down memory lane inside the historic building on December 29. Opened in 1915, it will be demolished following the completion of this school year.

There will be future tour opportunities from noon-4 p.m. Saturday, April 11 and from 5:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 13.

Fargo Public Schools, with administrative assistance from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Red River Valley, will now oversee an expanded Fargo Youth Initiative. FYI, originally created by the Fargo City Commission, has met regularly since 2013 to discuss opportunities and share input on issues facing young people in the community and provided input to the City Commission and City of Fargo staff.

The Fargo City Commission felt it would no longer have the capacity to continue leading FYI and worked with FPS to transfer leadership to the District. As it moves forward, FYI will now work with the Fargo Board of Education and the Fargo Park Board in addition to the Fargo City Commission.

Read more about the Fargo Youth Initiative, its transition to Fargo Public Schools, and plans for its expanded future in this Feature Story.

The “true love” of the protagonist of “The 12 Days of Christmas” spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on their near-two-week display of affection. This December, the third, fourth, and fifth graders in the gifted services math groups at Clara Barton Elementary School worked to calculate exactly how big their Christmas present budget was this December.

Using PNC Bank's "Christmas Price Index," the third and fourth graders calculated that the cost of purchasing each present in the song is $218,542.98 and the fifth graders learned how to take that data and put it into a spreadsheet and create charts.

Discovery Middle School’s Be The Change Club collected donated items from Discovery students, staff and families before winter break. Items such as shelf-stable food, ice scrapers, winter hats, winter gloves and other urgent needs items were donated to YWCA Cass Clay.

Thank you to the Essentia Health Cancer Center for the donation of winter hats, mittens, gloves, snow pants, and other winter gear to Kennedy Elementary School! Essentia employees collected the essential winter items to help students who do not have winter gear of their own and need it to stay warm.

Families across the region now have access to CredibleMind, a digital platform that provides a wealth of peer-reviewed and evidence-based mental health resources, including expert-vetted and rated videos, podcases, assessments, apps, books and articles.

Parents, caregivers, students, teachers and staff can explore topics ranging from stress, anxiety and depression to sleep, resilience, time management, parenting and healthy relationships. All materials can be accessed at any time, from any device, and without the limitations of transportation, cost, location, or stigma. The new regional platform can be found at SoutheastND.CredibleMind.com.

2026 brings an election year for the Fargo Board of Education. The application period for the June 9, 2026 ballot is now open.

Candidates interested in running for one of five positions on the Fargo Board of Education may submit an application until Monday, April 6 at 4 p.m. Applications must be submitted to the Fargo Public Schools Business Office by the deadline at the Fargo Public Schools District Office, 700 7th Street South in Fargo.

For more information on the election, please visit https://www.fargo.k12.nd.us/school-board/board-election

North High School math teacher Val Walker, Chief of Clan McMath, was kilted as the winning clan chief of North's Spartan Tartan fundraiser. Rebecca Dura played the bagpipes during the ceremony. The Spartan Tartan raised $1,378.14 to donate to the open door.

The Clans McMath, McScience, McHistory, McEnglish, and McPolis competed to see which could raise the most money to donate to the school's Open Door pantry to help students in need. Each clan had a plaid-clad jar in the classroom of their clan chief, with the jar raising the most money declared the winner. (Photos courtesy Jessica Geir)

Email: comments@fargo.k12.nd.us
Website: www.fargo.k12.nd.us
Location: 700 7th Street South, Fargo, ND
Phone: 701.446.1000