GRADUATION
EDITORIAL
Bowman and Scranton Graduation- Pages 9-10
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Graduates spread out for diplomas, awards as ceremony adapts to new pandemic
By Brad Mosher
bmosher@countrymedia.net
The four valedictorians stood on the stage Sunday afternoon in the Bowman County High School gym, socially distanced. On the gym floor in front of them were their classmates and parents, also socially distanced. In the stands, more relatives were also socially distanced. It was the first COVID-19 graduation for Bowman County High School. For the 26 graduates, it was the final time they were attending the school which had been their educational home for more than a decade. But since mid-March, the se-
niors closed out their final year of school working from home because of the pandemic. They also missed competing in springs sports and the events that were part of the final senior semester. Although high school principal Tyler Senn began to organize the graduation weeks ago, he had to wait until just a few days before the event to finalize the plan. “I thought given the circumstances, it came together pretty well,” he said after the graduates had left the gym. “I appreciate the senior class and their patience as we worked through the details... and the parents for their patience and understanding on some of the guidelines we had to
follow to be able to provide this ceremony for our kids.” Senn said he started working on the graduation several weeks ago. “I was just hoping we could be in the gym,” he explained when he started the planning. “As we got information from the state and the governor’s office, I just kept adjusting, updating and then when the school board said they’d allow each graduate five guests... that kind of finalized what we were doing.” He added that he was thankful for the others in the community that helped with the celebration, including the local radio station broadcasting it, On the gym floor, each gradu-
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Scranton students stroll down Main Street into future as newly-minted graduates By Brad Mosher
bmosher@countrymedia.net
It was a small but memorable ceremony for the graduating class of nine Sunday. It started in the late afternoon in the Scranton gymnasium in front of family members, but ended with the newly-minted graduates walking down Main Street from the school waving to dozens of cars and friends who were lining the street, shouting and waving signs. Salutatorian Connor Dilse was the class’ first speaker, starting off the event by telling those who are following behind the graduating seniors not to hold themselves back. “This pandemic has taken away the end of our school year,” he explained to his fellow seniors. He told them not to waste time thinking about what was taken away, like the prom or a normal graduation. “We are going to get up and keep moving forward, because life won’t let us just sit around. “It is going to keep knocking us down and we are going to keep having to get back up,” he added. “We will move on in life and become better men and women.” For co-valedictorian Quinn Mellmer, the story of the class and her classmates started years ago in Kindergarten. Over the years, she recounted some of her memories … including a long argument with
Obits.............................2 Classifieds.................6-7 Graduation...............9-10
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80º/60º The Cedar Chest in downtown Bowman has reopened for two days a week – Mondays and Thursdays. The hours will be from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., according to a spokesperson. There are plans to be open more once they have increased the staff. PHOTO/Brad Mosher
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By Robert L. Wilkie, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
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another classmate over how to pronounce Quebec. “He turned out to be right and as most of you know, I do not like to be wrong,” she said, drawing laughter from her classmates and friends. “Life is all about the perspective you have on it,” she added. “Every day in this world is not going to go the way you want it. There are going to be problems, ranging from inconveniences to major setbacks. But the most important thing to do is stress that it happened for a reason and overcome it. If you have a bad day, look forward to the next day.” If people focus on trying to always better themselves, they will find they have a better and happier life, she added. Later, Warrick Dilse, the other co-valedictorian, explained to the students, graduates and family attending the ceremony that times change. He recalled when he cried having to attending the first day of school. He recalled when he was happy to bring farming to the school with his pedal-powered tractor and of fond arguments over the proper way of doing things... “We have made tons of memories,” he said. Dilse also recalled how much of an adjustment seventh grade was for him … and his classmates. “It wasn’t before we were all doing the seventh grade sprint from our lockers to the classroom because we
VA Secretary praises veterans on Memorial Day
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MAY 29, 2020
Local businesses slowly reopening
Staff Report
As the state of North Dakota loosens its COVID-19 restrictions as part of its Smart Restart plan, the businesses in Bowman County have come out of their community hibernation with a new look. When it came to restaurants, several of the businesses closed their dining areas and shifted to include curbside service, taking phone orders and even making deliveries. Bowman Drug became more restrictive, closing its doors downtown to regular customers, but asked people to call ahead and arrange for curbside pickup. That has changed, with the drug store reopening again to customers May 20. Also downtown, the Cedar Chest closed completely and just recently reopened for limited hours on Mondays and Thursdays only. There are plans to
be open more in upcoming weeks once they have increased the staff, according to a spokesperson. The Wells Fargo Bank branch in Bowman is still open to drive up service only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while Dakota Western Bank recently reopened their doors to the lobby after restricting access. The Bowman Area Chamber of Commerce office downtown is also open and has seen the businesses adapt. “A lot of the businesses got innovative and pivoted their business models a little bit,” a chamber spokeswoman said. Changes At Next Door Pizza in both Bowman and Scranton, there have been some changes. “We have moved our tables, read through the recommendations and are getting ready to see some of
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Our country has been blessed with men and women whose sacrifices allowed us to flourish as individuals, as a society, and as a Nation. On Memorial Day, we pause to remember, honor and express our gratitude to all those Americans who lost their lives in uniform. The names of many of them are forever memorialized in our Department of Veterans Affairs, State Veterans, and American Battle Monuments cemeteries across our country and around the world. It is true that this Memorial Day is somewhat different. As we fight the Coronavirus pandemic, we do not gather as we normally would to honor our nation’s heroes. But we can still remember and honor them by spending a quiet moment paying homage to their courage and sacrifice. I also encourage all Americans to pay tribute to deceased Veterans by visiting the Veterans Legacy Memorial. This site contains a memorial page for each Veteran interred in a VA national cemetery. Starting May 14, online visitors will be able to leave a “tribute” text in memory and appreciation for a Veteran’s service. At the end of his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln asked that we remember the obligations our nation has to those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Civil War. His iconic speech, etched in granite at the Lincoln Memorial, still guides those of us privileged to work at VA today: “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan …” Those words are the basis of our VA mission to care for our
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