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Letter from the Publisher Page 4 “The Cats of East Alma Township” by Sara Goodman Page 4 “See You on Page 4, Not Page 2” by Matt Mitzel Page 4 Jake’s Take on Sports Page 6 The History of Numedahl, North Dakota, Part 2 Page 7
Community Opinion Agriculture Sports History Education Obituaries/Church Classifieds Public Notices
Volume 1, Number 12
‘Their little lady’: Couple Welcomes Baby Prematurely
In this Issue:
Index:
Friday, April 1, 2022
Pages 2-3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Pages 7 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Pages 13
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"Her birth was the worst, yet best day of my life…” By Melanie Thornberg "Everything happened so fast. Literally in the span of three hours, it went from me thinking 'I have a stomach ache' . . . to 'Oh no, something is wrong! Please, God, don't let me be losing our baby!' . . . to 'I can't believe we're becoming parents today!' I don't think either one of us thought she would cry, but she did as soon as she came into the world. Anthony and I locked eyes at that moment and each had a single tear roll down. It was one of the most intense and beautiful things I'd ever experienced.” When Christina "Tina" Calvillo of Fargo suddenly gave birth to her daughter, Adelaide Claire, she knew it was way too early for Adelaide to be born, like three months too early! Adelaide was born on Friday, February 25, 2022, when she was just 28 weeks old. She weighed in at 2 pounds, 8 ounces, and was 13.7 inches long. Tina's husband, Anthony Calvillo, was raised in Walhalla and graduated from Walhalla High School in 2007. His recollection from that scary Friday morning? "Her birth was the worst, yet best day
of my life. The loss of control had me silently reeling. Waiting to get into the operating room while they prepped Tina was the longest 30 minutes of my life. All I remember walking into the room is someone telling
Sanford Hospital in Fargo: "That next day was rough for both of us. The adrenaline had worn off, we weren't able to hold her, and we were both processing the traumatic experience of our daughter's early birth. We hadn't gotten to do any parental duties at this point outside of hold her hand, and we didn't have the c o n f i dence to do much more than that anyway. I cried a lot
quieted, and I just immersed myself in that moment and cherished that sense of peace." Tina added more thoughts from those first few days of Adelaide's life. "Not getting to hold her until she was three days old was incredibly difficult. At one point, I was alone in my room recovering and could hear all the other mothers in my wing comforting their crying newborns. Mine was on a different floor, and all I had been able to do at that point was hold her hand. I curled up and just cried. Later that night when I was visiting her, she had her first temper tantrum, and not being able to comfort her during it was agonizing. When I finally did get to hold her, well, I just don't have the words for that. She was so incredibly tiny, but she curled up on my chest, and all the tears, fears and doubts that I'd had leading up to that point . . . just disappeared." And how is Adelaide doing after four weeks in the NICU?
me, 'Don't touch anything blue.' Everything moved quickly after that, and we heard a small cry when they pulled Adelaide out. Tina and I locked eyes and shed a few tears of joyful relief," Anthony said. Anthony continued his recollections from that time in the NICU area at
that day, p r o cessing the gravity of our current situation, and longi n g to hold our child. I didn't get to hold her until day three. That was the most wonderful experience. I was definitely grinning from ear to ear. All that we were going through for that moment
"She is so fiesty. She's had a few minor setbacks, but she always rallies and bounces back. She keeps blowing away her doctors and nurses with her progress," Tina said. As of Monday, March 28, their little lady - as they have dubbed her - is up to 3 pounds, 10.9 ounces, and she is closing in on 16 inches in length. Tina added, "It's funny how she reacts to each of us. If it's me, she settles in pretty quickly and calms down. When she hears Anthony, she will open her cont’d. on page 14
Fourteen years ago, Mindi Lill was fresh out of college at Valley City State and attending some of her very first job interviews. Although Valley City State University was not known well for their art program, they did have a renowned educational program. On top of that, Lill said that she was really lucky to have some amazing professors in art that she learned so much from.
Art Program STUDENTS AT LANGDON SCHOOLS Facilitates Mental Wellness for
By Hilary Nowatzki
having an outlet and that place to feel like you belong is super important,” Lill explained.
Lill grew up in Hillsboro, ND, but as she was making the drive to Langdon for an interview to be an art teacher, she said she felt like she already knew this was where she belonged. As soon as she made it into town, she said it already felt like home. After she was offered the position, Lill immediately took it and has been a proud Langdon resident since.
Elephant art created by Addison Schill.
“I tell everyone they’re stuck with me here, but they don’t seem to mind. I love it,” Lill said. Lill’s intuition was exactly right during that drive for her first job after college. She has since planted roots here and has no plans on leaving. Lill is the art teacher at both Langdon Area High School and Langdon Area Elementary School. She spends her mornings with the junior high and high school students and then her afternoons with the younger students. Her mission and purpose are entwined with the youth that come through her doors every day. When a student walks into her classroom, they aren’t greeted with a stereotypical gray or cream colored four walls surrounding them. Instead, Lill’s room is decorated from wall to wall, ceiling to floor, and everywhere in between. The pieces hung all over represent 14 years worth of art work and décor Lill has gathered herself to make the area feel brighter, happier, and more welcoming for students.
Students Hailee Hakanson (top) and Thea Johnson (bottom) in their own pieces of art.
Mindi Lill, K-12 art teacher at Langdon Area Schools.
Her room even has a nostalgic smell that will remind any adult of the simpler days of finger painting and opening their first pack of crayons.
This does not mean that any other subject or sport is less important but does mean that art should be seen as equally important. N.D. does not require art to be taught in school, unlike many other states. Although kids will generally participate in some other outlet such as sports or an extra curricular, they may not succeed as well without the creative space that is provided with an art program.
“Art is vital. It’s a part of your everyday life; it’s not just looking at a pretty picture. Someone designed your chair, your sweatshirt, buildings, your car - it’s literally everywhere you look, and if we do not provide the creative space for students to develop those interests or discover interests they didn’t know they had, these professions will go by the wayside.”
“There are so many kids who don’t fit in as well in these core subjects, they aren’t athletic, or they are athletic but can’t compete, and in today’s world,
Lill is also a big advocate that everyone, especially students, should try something they have never done before or they may think they are bad at. “I hear students come in all the time and say they aren’t good at art or they can’t or don’t know how to draw, and I tell them that’s exactly why they are here!” Lill gives an example: what if a student, later in life, sees a shed and wants to attempt to build it on their own; they may be able to look at a few of these past experiences and reflect - I tried this creative thing once before and failed, yet, I learned more about my subject matter, didn’t let defeat overpower me, reached out for help when I knew I needed it, and eventually I was successful. Now why not do the same with the shed? Better yet, how well of a model is the shed for life? Every student will inevitably become an adult who is thrown into this scary world on their own. It’s the educators, parents, and community that are here in order to prepare them for it. Although forms of problem solving are ingrained into a student’s general curriculum, they are taught how to solve these problems in a rigid, specific way. Art, instead, gives them a space for creative freedom - a place to make mistakes, a place to experiment with something they assume they aren’t good at, a place where there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Lill recalls a recent instance where they were learning weaving, and a young girl said she couldn’t figure out how to do it right. Lill told her that there is no right, just weaving and creating. The final piece turned out beautifully once the girl
was able to let her creativity free. Not only does art assist these students with various problem solving skills but art has been shown to significantly promote and facilitate mental health well-being. Lill stated that throughout the rest of the school year, they will be promoting the Golden Rule Ambassador mental health program which takes place every Monday. They utilize a portion of their class to watch a video on various topics such as coping mechanisms, perseverance, mental illnesses/wellness, self-care, or resiliency. The class then has a discussion about what they watched, how they’ve been feeling about themselves, and talk about ways that art could ease these struggles. It does not take painting the next Mona Lisa to utilize art as a coping mechanism. Simply putting a pen or brush to paper, with no true direction in mind, is the freedom and autonomy that Lill wants her students to experience. This idea of putting any media on paper with no forced direction or outcome calms the mind at times of high stress, anxiety, or depression. Creating and becoming secure in the idea of doing so without constraints can help students think autonomously and enhance their confidence. Introducing these coping skills at a young age will help students build a foundation of ways to ease intense negative thoughts while replacing them with positive emotions. In this day and age, most people are familiar with the acronym STEM which stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This acronym first emerged around the 1960’s and was an outline for a curriculum that would enhance students’ abilities to obtain a job in a world where technology is evolving faster than humans are. Within the last decade, cont’d. on page 14