>>>LADY CARDINALS wind down season
Pg. B3
The official newspaper of Cavalier County Theborderlandpress.com
In this issue:
Friday, May 24, 2024
Volume 3, Number 20
The end of an era concludes at end of the year banquet
Edmore Public School’s End of the Year Banquet and Awards Ceremony hosted Sunday By Hilary Nowatzki
Agriculture: New farm bill text has been released in the U.S. House. Pg. A3
Opinion: Maybe it’s a bomb; maybe it’s a hotdog radio. Pg. A4
On the evening of Sunday, May 19, Edmore Public School hosted their final end of the year banquet to honor their final class of students, especially graduating seniors Alexis Wilkie and Rayce Worley. Numerous family, friends, community members, and school staff gathered to honor these students and the end of an era for Edmore Public School. Guests were welcomed with flowers on the table and prime rib on their plates. After the meal was served, the program began. First up was Edmore's lone kindergartener Haisley Boehmer. As she took the stage, her teacher, Ms. Umali, accompanied her and spoke highly of her "ray of sunshine" student. Little Boehmer took the microphone and shared with the entire audience her favorite memories of kindergarten, what she has learned and the subjects she studies this year, as well as what some of her favorite things are. Afterwards, she was awarded her kindergarten diploma by Diane Martinson, principal and business manager of Edmore Public School. A group of 16 of Boehmer’s friends joined her in performing a sweet song to celebrate. Her 16 'friends' were her fellow 202324 schoolmates.
Community: Celebrating National Skilled Nursing Care Center Week at PNC. Pg. A5
Former Stables Restaurant potential host for agribusiness By Hilary Nowatzki
The first item at the most recent city commission meeting was ‘new business,’ and Abby Borchardt of Greenberg Realty kicked off the discussion surrounding a potential new agribusiness in town. Her question revolved around the building on the east side of town, formerly known as the Stables Restaurant. The building, which was at one point renovated into condos, has sat vacant for many years now. “Is there anything in city code that would prevent someone from putting up five hopper bins on that property?” she inquired. After a bit of discussion, Jerry Nowatzki, city commission president, thought aloud asking, “Is anybody ever going to buy that building?” “Well, it depends on what you guys say tonight,” exclaimed Borchardt. “This is a biggie. It’s a no if [the buyers] can’t do it.” Borchardt went on to explain that the building would potentially become the host of an agricultural business, which she said will utilize part of the building as office space. To the extent she knew, none of the exterior of the building would change; the buyers just need to add some grain bins on the east side of the property. Commissioners were concerned about limitations this lot may present to heavy truck traffic. However, the overall consensus was to approve the request. “I would hate to see that building go on not utilized,” said Nowatzki. The building is currently under contract, although the business has preferred to remain anonymous until the purchase is finalized.
Tammy Berg, who has lived in Edmore her whole life and had a profound impact on each soul in city limits, was the night’s guest speaker. The awards ceremony commenced, and students were honored for their various strengths and achievements throughout the year. Following the awards ceremony, Martinson gave a beautiful speech, as well as presenting a heartfelt slideshow she created of the highlights of this school year. She was then joined by three counselors from an organization called HOPE (Helping Other Professional Educators). These counselors saw students virtually throughout the year but drove all the way from Fargo for the occasion to see and cel-
Haisley Boehmer received her kindergarten diploma on Sunday night at Edmore's End of the Year Banquet. Photo by Larry Stokke.
Edmore Public School students for the 2023-24 school year. Back row (L-R) Alexis Wilkie, Cassidy Knoke, Tristen Fincher, Rayce Worley, Miles Fincher, Paige Carlson, Victoria Matthews, David Still, Uriah Mattis, Ava Carlson; middle row (L-R) Jasper Duletzke, Memphis Lowe, Makayla Carlson, Amelia Mattis, Odin Mattis; front row (L-R) Bentley Boehmer and Haisley Boehmer. Photo by Larry Stokke.
Photo by Hilary Nowatzki
ebrate the students on this very special day. Around 7:00 p.m. the tables were cleaned up, heartfelt ‘best wishes’ were shared amongst one another, and countless group photos taken to capture a moment where memories were forever made. Afterwards, Martinson took a moment to explain her sentiments on what she agreed was an emotional night for her and numerous others. She arrived at the school in 2008, and once staff began declining, she began accumulating the credentials needed to fill their roles. Eventually, she became the principal. “I believe so much in this building, in these students and these kids, and so I just wanted to try and keep our school going as long as we could,” she stated. “So it's hard; it's bittersweet.”
With 17 students K-12 total enrolled at Edmore Public School, some classes only have one student. Some grades have no students. They were the smallest school district in the state this school year. As much as Martinson says she will miss them, she understands the importance of social interaction in an educational setting. “I had a great run here with all of these kids,” she added. “I know they will be fine, I know they will.” Frank Schill, superintendent of Edmore Public School, noted that it was a “community investment” from the perspective of taxpayers to keep the school open as long as possible. He simultaneously acknowledged that with 17 students, the decision had to be made. Schill thought the night would be “business as usual,” but his heart strings couldn’t be spared from the concluding ceremony. “[At the banquet] normally you're
prepping for the next year, and now it's actually bringing things to a close,” remarked Schill. “It is somewhat emotional in the sense that I look at what's really happening in Edmore, and it’s affecting the people, and it's unfortunate.” Though unfortunate, Schill acknowledges that Edmore is not the first and will not be the last rural school in North Dakota to close down. Martinson added that in many cases, such as Edmore’s, “it's a small school, and people don't want to come to rural anymore.” Edmore students will be dispersed between schools in Langdon, Lakota, Munich, and Devils Lake. As poignant as it may be to see Edmore Public School close its chapter, there are still plans for the building to become a community center for the town. With exercise equipment on site, there are plans for an activity center with the nearest gyms in Lakota, Langdon, or Devils Lake - a 30 cont’d. on page B8
Munich students spend time at Wheatland Estates On Wednesday of last week, a group of kindergarten through 3rd grade Munich students took a field trip up to Langdon. They had a few stops to make, one being at Wheatland Estates to spend time with residents. The students kept residents company while enjoying snacks, watching cartoons, and playing bingo! Photos by Larry Stokke.