North Dakota Nature: Four Opportunities for Students
Students thrive in nature. I learned this while studying and teaching PreK curricula, which is chock-full of hands-on experiences and nature-inspired connection. During my research, I found students who weren’t exposed to the outdoors at an early age were less prepared and, more gravely, less successful in school. Fortunately, we have exciting NEW opportunities right […]
So Much To Be Said
Where Do I Start? For that past 3 years my wife Sue and I have volunteered to deliver Thanksgiving baskets. The list of names we receive are gathered and vetted through a local agency. I am a member of the Magic City Lions, one of many groups who contribute money to purchase and deliver baskets. […]
Gratitude Shifts that Stick
Thanksgiving is a little like Valentine’s Day. Stay with me. Every February, someone inevitably says, “I don’t need a holiday to remind me to love my spouse,” or “We should love each other every day.” And they’re not wrong. But also… after 12 months of routines and responsibilities, sometimes it’s nice to have a day […]
American Education Week
In honor of American Education Week from November 17th-21st, I write this Letter of Thanks to our students, educators, and community: Thank you, students, for continuing to learn, grow, and thrive amidst an ever-changing political climate in which parents/guardians may inadvertently share their frustrations. Your focus and drive to excel has not gone unnoticed, as […]
43 Times In A Row
Congratulations …to the crew of Air Force Security Police who man the front gate(s) at Minot Air Force base. Today, which is Tuesday, November 18th, 2025, you eclipsed the record. What record you ask? The record of being greeted 43 times in a row with a warm smile and a friendly greeting as I entered […]
The importance of the newspaper
As a lifelong journalist, I’m always going to be partial to newspapers. After all, my paycheck throughout my professional career of 31 years came from newspapers where I held various positions. And, in past articles, I’ve described how a newspaper is important because of weddings, births, obituaries, high school sports reports and so on. This […]
The first newspaper
A question came up the other day asking do you know the name of the first newspaper in Dakota Territory?Between 1861, when Dakota Territory was established, until statehood in 1889, 160 newspapers sprang up in the territory. That’s kind of remarkable, but then, the territory included all of present-day South Dakota as well. But the […]
Not a Hard Story to Tell-or Are They?
When this edition of the Northern Sentry arrives in homes and businesses the activities of Veteran’s Day 2025 will be over. On the 11th hour of the 11th Day of the 11th month of 1918, the Armistice was signed to end World War 1. As it was explained to me when I was younger, Veteran’s […]
National Veterans and Military Families Month – Connect with One Another
November is important, because it is officially recognized as Natonal Veterans and Military Families Month. In fact, the President signs a proclamation each November honoring the sacrifices and contributions of service members and their families. Around the time of this publication, two Veterans Day assemblies will be held on November 7th, 2025, at our Dakota […]
Farmers Market and Growers look forward
New leadership and a new vision was on display during the recent North Dakota Farmers’ Market & Growers Association’s local foods conference held in Carrington. It was the first time in its 21-year history that the conference was held in the fall rather than late winter. Attendance was down because some farmers’ markets were still […]