DHS Newsletter

MISSION

Our mission is to prepare all learners for life-long success through a safe, collaborative, and innovative learning community.

VISION

Success for all!

DHS ADMIN

• Jeff Brandt, Principal - jbrandt@dpsnd.org
• Randy Cranston, Asst. Principal - rcranston@dpsnd.org
• Holly Schild, Asst. Principal - hschild@dpsnd.org
• Guy Fridley, Athletic Director - gfridley@dpsnd.org

Hello DHS Families,

I am so happy to welcome everyone back to another school year! The first few days of school have been extremely busy but successful!

I wanted to alert you to a few changes that have occurred that you may have heard of. First, to facilitate our collaboration with Southwest Area Career and Technical Education campus, as well as supervise lunch more effectively and efficiently, we have one lunch period. This period is 50 minutes with transitions. There have been a few instances that we are working through to ensure students have adequate time to get through the lunch line and eat. However, for the most part, students have more than enough time to eat and visit with their friends. Also, to maintain a safe environment, we have been closing the gates to the pods at lunch. This allows more consistent supervision during the lunch period.

Another change is that we have eliminated the semester test exemption policy. There are a couple of reasons for this. However, the main reason is to protect instructional time with our students. With the semester test exemption, we were losing two days per semester of instruction time. This is valuable time that our staff does not get with ALL students during semester testing.

You may be seeing and hearing the saying, “We A.R.E. DHS!” throughout our halls or in communications. Our staff has worked hard to develop Dickinson High School’s Essential Behaviors. Those behaviors are Accountable, Respectful, and Engaged. These are standards and expectations that we hold students AND staff members accountable to. In communications home, our staff will be highlighting the behaviors that your student(s) are, or may not be, exhibiting in the classrooms, halls, or around the building. Our goal is that we are creating a culture and an environment where students AND staff are ACCOUNTABLE, RESPECTFUL, and ENGAGED.

I want to thank all of you for your continued support of Dickinson High School’s students and staff. We are committed to creating a safe, supportive, and collaborative environment where ALL students and staff can be successful!

Jeff Brandt,

Dickinson High School Principal

Sept 4th - Picture Day

Sept 25th - Parent Teacher Conferences

Sept 30th - No School

Oct 1st-5th - Homecoming Week

Oct 2nd - Picture Day Re-Takes

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent Teacher Conferences will be September 25th from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. No appointment needed to meet with teachers.

This school year, we are excited to announce that we will include student-written articles in our monthly newsletters! Nareen Trent is a sophomore at Dickinson High School. She enthusiastically came to Principal Brandt with the idea of writing articles for the newsletter, and he was delighted to include her. Nareen is planning on making Journalism her future career, and DHS is happy to have her!

Keep an eye out for her articles throughout the school year!

The practice of book banning is a measure that attempts to bar or censor certain members of the public from reading certain pieces of literature. The history of book banning can be traced as far back as 213 BCE, in China, where emperor Qin Shi Huang had every book (with the exception of those within his library) with no relevance to agriculture or medicine banned. Within the context of schools, however, censorship is more generally accepted, seeing that there are simply some books are just inappropriate for younger audiences. But sometimes, who determines what is inappropriate gets dicey. While most of the time, school boards know very well what they are doing in regards to barring content from schools (which is a separate discussion altogether), there is sometimes the occasion where somebody, or a group of somebodies, overanalyzes text just a little too much. In no particular order, here is a list of 5 banned books – the reasons of which, range from somewhat absurd to extremely ridiculous.

1.The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank

Throughout the annals of history, the presence of this book on school library shelves has been challenged, largely due to references to explicit content. However, in 1983, the Alabama State Textbook Comittee aimed to have the book banned because it was “a real downer”.

2.The Merriam-Webster Dictionary

The dictionary, a book that one would assume is a staple in every school for practical, reasonable, educational purposes, has been deemed by some school districts to be “too explicit” for children to read. Surprisingly, there are multiple incidents in which the dictionary has been banned.

3.Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White

Many students are able to recall the story of Wilbur and Charlotte being read to them in classrooms. It is considered to be tame enough to regale to school students. Largely uncontroversial, one would assume. Nevertheless, it landed a spot on this list due to the fact that a parent group in Kansas found the anthropromorphized animals “blasphemous”.

4.Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? – Bill Martin Jr.

There is no explicit material within this book, no rebellious themes, no offensive imagery. An innocuous book with no hidden messages whatsoever. In 2010, the Texas State Board of Education mistook the children’s author, Bill Martin Jr. for the Marxist theorist, Bill Martin, who penned Ethical Marxism. Oops.

5.Ban This Book – Alan Gratz

The irony is not lost on this one. Ban This Book by Alan Gratz is a story about a fourth grade girl who created a banned books library in response to her school district’s literary censorship practices. In 2024, the Indian River County School Board debated pulling the book from library shelves for promoting rebellious ideation. However, banning a book called Ban This Book seemed to feel just a tad too meta. The board eventually overruled the district committee. Ban This Book is the one book on this list that failed to be a banned book.

Currently, girl’s wrestling is the fastest growing sport in the US. The country’s participation numbers doubled from 2022 in 2023. Currently 45 of the 50 states have a sanctioned state tournament. College programs continue to be added each year and NCAA will host a sanctioned National Tournament in 2026. The USA is climbing the ranks internationally as well. Our Olympic team, lead by Coach Terry Steiner (a Bismarck Century grad) posted a record-breaking year at the Olympics by bringing home 4 medals in only 6 weight classes (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze).

In the 23-24 season the DHS girls wrestling compiled a 12-4 dual record, finishing 4th in the Western Region and 5th in the State Dual Tournament.

The Lady Midgets qualified 10 wrestlers for the State Tournament, one of which was WDA Champion Clancy Meyer. Of the 10 State Qualifiers, we had 4 Placers and 4 nearly placing, falling just one win short.

DHS was represented by 5 wrestlers on team North Dakota at National Duals this summer and had one wrestle at USA Individual Nationals in Fargo.

This Summer 17 team members traveled to Iowa City for a 5-day camp at the University of Iowa in July.

The DHS Girls Wrestling program has grown from 11 girls in 2023 to 26 in 2024. This year they are projecting to have a team of 35 wrestlers.

2024 State Placers

Natalie Meyer - 3rd

Kolbi McElwain - 6th

Breanna Erickson - 7th

Clancy Meyer - 8th

Attention Dickinson High parents! The Social Studies Department is excited to present an incredible opportunity for your child to experience history, government, and civic engagement like never before—the Close Up Program!

Imagine traveling to Washington, D.C., where your child will walk the halls of Congress, explore historic landmarks, and witness the democratic process up close. They will also be traveling to New York, and to see sights like the Times Square, Broadway, and Central Park this a great chance to dive deep into the heart of our nation’s capital and see how the lessons from social studies classes come to life in the real world.

The Close Up Program isn’t just another field trip—it’s a transformative experience that will connect them with students from across the country, challenge thinking, and inspire your child to become an active and informed citizen. They'll participate in debates, meet with lawmakers, and gain a front-row seat to the workings of our government.

This program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn, grow, and make lasting memories. Whether your child is interested in politics, history, or just looking for an unforgettable experience, Close Up is the perfect way to expand their horizons and get involved.

The Social Studies Department strongly encourages you to take advantage of this unique opportunity. Spaces are limited, so don’t wait—join us for the Close Up Program and be part of something truly special. Sign up today and get ready for an adventure you’ll never forget!

Use the QR codes attached to join the remind app for more information.

In a time where people are quick to pessimism, it is imperative that you remind them that there is a silver lining to everything, if you contemplate it hard enough. Despite the many ills of academic life (waking up early, eight hours a day spent in a building of sweaty teenagers, having to actually work…), the one thing that DHS can boast confidently is the people. Students or staff, the individuals who are truly passionate about what they do shine more conspicuously than a safety vest under flashlight.

I interviewed a handful of students and staff at DHS, asking them which student or staff member they think best exhibits of the greatest parts of DHS. Here’s what some of them had to say. It was almost impossible to just select one person, particularly because the answers were so varied. Between responses ranging from “absolutely nobody” to “everyone here is a gift”, here are some of the more insightful pickings.

“Mrs. Ware,” said Visual Arts teacher, Cassy Gebhardt, “she encourages her students to always do their best. It’s not coming from a bad place, it’s coming from where she wants you to succeed.”

“Mrs. Kensinger puts so much of herself into her relationships with her students and the material that she’s teaching. When you go into her classroom and watch her, you, oh my gosh, You see that she puts her heart and soul into what she’s teaching. Everything is for her students,” Gebhardt added.

“Mrs. Pankowski,” answered an anonymous student.

“I would say Mr. Dobitz comes to mind because he’s been here a long time,” staff member, Mrs. Tooz replied. “So that would be one person… so there would be a lot of teachers. That’s a hard one.”

The Academic Learning Center (ALC) is available all day long to provide students with assistance in subject areas in which they are struggling, or if they are absent and just need assistance with the material they missed. They are also available to monitor tests they missed because of an absence. The students just need to communicate with their teacher so that they know to put the test in the ALC.

The ALC is open daily at 7:40am and during the lunch period. The gates are closed at this time but just let a staff member know that help is needed in the ALC and they will let the student through. They are also open after school until 4:00pm for assistance and make-up testing.

• Call 701-456-0030 and choose option 1 for attendance.
• Give us your student’s name and requested dismissal time.
• PLEASE notify us at least 2 hours before requested dismissal time. We cannot guarantee your student be released on time without sufficient notice.
• Phone calls must be placed by a parent or guardian.
• At the time of dismissal, your student is free to leave campus. Parents do not need to enter the building.
• All medical appointments require medical documentation to be considered excused.

Like our Facebook Pages and follow our Snapchat to stay up to date on upcoming activities!

• https://www.facebook.com/DickinsonHighND/
• https://www.facebook.com/people/Dickinson-High-Activities/100063692525106/
• Snapchat - dhighschool6