I have been impressed with how our students, teachers, and parents have adapted to the off-site learning that has been required since the schools were ordered to close in mid-March. We continue to receive feedback and we try our best to make adjustments as needed.
I am certain that there are still many questions in our community about the status of school activities. I can provide the information we have at this time, but there is still much uncertainty. We miss having the students in the building and are looking forward to when we can have them back in the school again. Below is an update on a few items that I am sure many in our community are wondering about:
When Will Classes Resume?
The short answer is we do not know when, or if, classes will resume this spring. We definitely miss having the students in the buildings and we are hopeful that we can have the students back in the building prior to the end of the school year. However, Governor Burgum has ordered all schools to be closed until further notice. We are expecting an update at the end of April or beginning of May. If things change and the Governor allows us to resume providing an education in our building we all need to be prepared for it to look different than what we have been used to. We would potentially have to look at implementing recommendations on how to follow social distancing guidelines in our buildings. We may not be able to have all grades/classes in the building at the same time, we may have to have smaller groups of students in the building for shorter periods of time, etc. We just don’t know what it might look like to bring students back into our buildings. So, even if it is announced that schools may resume please be prepared for it to look different than what we have been used to.
Extracurricular Activities
The North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) has postponed all high school extracurricular activities until at least May 1. Therefore, at this time our extracurricular activities are postponed until at least May 1. We will await further guidance from NDHSAA regarding our spring sports and activities.
Prom
Prom was supposed to be held on Saturday, April 18. We had announced earlier that we were postponing prom. We know this is an important event for our students and we are hoping that it can take place at a later date. We are looking at some dates in July that we may be able to hold prom. We are also exploring the option of having the annual Junior-Senior Banquet on the same evening as prom. We are working on surveying students to find out what dates might work best for them. More information will be provided as soon as it is available.
Class Night
Typically the school hands out scholarships and other awards at Class Night the week of graduation. Class Night will still take place this year, but how it will look has not been determined yet. Scholarships will still be awarded and students will be recognized though it will likely not be in the same format as previous years. It should be expected that the number of participants may be limited. More information will be provided as soon as it is available.
Graduation
We will plan to honor our seniors on their regularly scheduled graduation day at 2:00 PM on Sunday, May 24, 2020. We don’t know what that will look like yet, but will be keeping parents and the community informed as we get closer to that date.
I know this does not provide a lot of answers, but it is an update on the status of school activities at this time. Please know we will share additional information as soon as it is available.