Teacher Appreciation Week is a special time dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the incredible educators who shape our district and make a difference in the lives of our students each day. Your dedication and commitment to our students is inspiring. Each of you plays a vital role in our mission of educating and empowering all students to succeed. I am grateful for everything you do for Fargo Public Schools. Thank you for investing your endless efforts and energy into helping our students achieve success and ensuring every child receives the outstanding education they deserve.

The FPS Communications Department has created a video highlighting just a glimpse of the impact you have every day. You can view it below.

Fargo Public Schools' libraries are transitioning from their current Destiny library catalog system to Insignia Library System — a move that will bring improved features, streamlined management, and meaningful cost savings for our District.

Read more about the transition to Insignia in this Feature Column by Library Program Facilitator Jen Hess.

Thank you to all of Fargo Public Schools' American Sign Language Interpreters! Yesterday, May 7, was National Interpreter Appreciation Day. FPS has eight interpreters who help bridge the gap between spoken language and ASL. They work hard to ensure deaf/hard of hearing students have equal access across their school environments.

Thank you to all of Fargo Public Schools' school nurses! Yesterday, Wednesday, May 7, was National School Nurse Day! FPS expresses its gratitude to the school nurses across our District for all they do to help keep our students safe and healthy. Please take time to thank your school nurse this week!

Congratulations to North High School's Chinmay Gopi, who was selected to participate in the University of Mary Young Entrepreneur & STEM Talent Search, held June 8-11 at the University of Mary main campus in Bismarck. At the talent search, students will showcase their skills meet accomplished leaders in STEM and entrepreneurship, and have the opportunity to win a prize of $5,000 cash.

Davies High School DECA participated at the International Career and Development Conference from April 25-28 in Atlanta. Congratulations to Karson Phillips, Isabella Tesch, Jaelyn Jackson, Brynn Braaflat, Sarah Clark, and Asher Lange on receiving the Certificate of Achievement by placing in the top 30% internationally in their competitive events!

The South High School Philanthropy and Youth Club hosted a bake sale during lunch runs and raised $632 to donate to the Red River Children's Advocacy Center. The RRCAC provides services to children victimized by abuse and aims to reduce the trauma associated with reporting child abuse.

The South High School Drone Racing Team completed its first season at the Fenworks Drone Racing Regional Tournament on May 3-4 at North Dakota State University. The tournament featured teams from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. Team South Drone 1, consisting of Drake-Robert Remington, Roman Winters, and Connor Gallagher placed second in Team Simulator, and Gallagher reached the semifinals in Solo Simulator, placing seventh.

Congratulations to the Discovery Middle School students who were nominated and selected to participate in the Minnesota State University Moorhead Beginning Band Honor Band on April 30! Thirteen Discovery students participated in the band under the direction of Dr. Benjamin Druffel.

Selected students were Dayrak Bawa, Hakima Abdullahi, Lennox Gieseke, Addie Schlenner, Brady Behr, Olivia Gaylah, Myles Frederick, Quinnley Wilcox, Markell Garrett, Elias Ernest, Carlos Nissko, Elyse Netland, and Parker Sundquist.

Congratulations to the winners of the inaugural Fargo Public Schools Middle School Band Composition Contest! Students from Ben Franklin Middle School, Carl Ben Eielson Middle School, and Discovery Middle School used guidelines from their second-semester composition project to craft new tunes for the contest. One composition from each grade was awarded the winners and there were two honorable mentions.

• Sixth Grade: Quinn Kadrmas, Ben Franklin, composed "Starry Night"
• Seventh Grade: Jayden Calixte-Kajtaz, Discovery, composed "Star Board"
• Eighth Grade: Mac Campbell, Discovery, composed "Campbell Bassoon Concerto No. 1"
• Honorable Mentions: Clara Gruchalla (Ben Franklin eighth grade) composed "Ocean Breeze" and Hannah Nunyama (Discovery sixth grade) composed "Spring"

The Fargo Public Schools Human Capital Department wants to shine a spotlight on its valuable employees who have a tremendous positive impact on the District's students, staff, and families. The District's employees are crucial to achieving our goal of educating and empowering all students to succeed. HC has selected FPS staff members who are deserving of greater recognition and will highlight them each week. Meet Davies High School History Teacher John Johanson in this week's Employee Spotlight.

With the rising numbers of Measles cases in the United States, Fargo Cass Public Health would like to remind students, parents and staff of some important information regarding Measles. Measles can be very serious, causing serious health complications, including hospitalization, brain damage, and even death. Click here to read more important information about Measles.

We want to hear from you! Help FPS improve how we serve our students and stakeholders by taking our Climate and Culture Parent Survey. The survey data will guide decision making, parent engagement, District and school improvement, and influence Strategic Plan decisions. The survey closes May 19.

If you are a parent of a student enrolled in FPS, please click here to complete this survey. You may complete the survey for each student enrolled at FPS. The survey is anonymous and demographic data is optional.

North High School presents the musical Les Misérables this week, May 8-11 at North High School. Thursday-Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m. with the Sunday performance at 2 p.m.

A modern classic based on Victor Hugo's novel and featuring one of the most memorable scores of all time, Les Misérables is an epic tale of passion and redemption in the throes of revolution. In nineteenth century France, Jean Valjean is released from years of unjust imprisonment, but finds nothing in store for him but mistrust and mistreatment. He breaks his parole in hopes of starting a new life, initiating a lifelong struggle for redemption as he is relentlessly pursued by police inspector Javert.

Tickets are $6 for students and $8 for adults and can be purchased on the Fargo Public Schools Online Theater Box Office website.

Join the Fargo Public Schools team and make a difference! Fargo Public Schools is now hiring paraeducators at Kennedy Elementary School and more rewarding positions. Click here to view open positions and apply.

AD-Ventures is a District publication intended to help families find activities for their children throughout our community. It is published on the first of each month during the school year (September through May).

AD-Ventures for Kids is for youth in grade levels K-5.

AD-Ventures for Teens is for youth in grade levels 6-8.

Join Fargo Public Schools educators and professionals for a conversation about “The Anxious Generation” and the effects of cell phone and social media use on the mental health of students from 6-8 p.m. next Tuesday, May 13 at the Fargo Public Library Dr. James Carlson branch.

Jonathan Haidt’s book has cemented itself in the New York Times best-seller list each week since its release in March 2024 and has inspired conversation and legislation related to youth smartphone and social media use. Caregivers and community members are invited to be part of the conversation about how society’s “rewiring” from play-based childhoods to phone-based childhoods has harmed children and what strategies can be used at home and in school to help curb these impacts.

A free copy of “The Anxious Generation” will be available for up to 70 attendees. Learn more about the book and the author.

The Fargo Public Schools Virtual Academy is now enrolling students in Grades K-12 for Fall 2025. Online learning opens the door to a flexible, personalized education right from the comfort of your own home.

Online learning is more than just logging into a computer - it's a structured, engaging, and student centered experience. Successful online learners are self-starters, organized, responsible, confident communicators, tech-savvy explorers, flexible, and resilient.

With the right support from home, students of all ages can flourish in an online learning environment. Pre-enrollment is open now at virtualacademy.fargo.k12.nd.us.

The Fargo Public Schools Self-Directed Academy is now enrolling students in Grades 5-8 for Fall 2025. Students who may be a good fit for SDA possess intrinsic motivation to learn, set personal goals, and take ownership of their own learning.

The Self-Directed Academy learning model is built on the principle that learning should be self-directed, competency-based, and not confined by traditional time constraints. Project-Based Learning is embedded throughout the program, empowering students to have choice and voice in what they learn. It emphasizes mastery of concepts through personalized learning pathways facilitated by students, teachers and cutting-edge technology.

Learn more at the Self-Directed Academy website. Interested parents should contact SDA Principal Dr. Kelly Dietrich at 701.446.3004 or dietrik@fargo.k12.nd.us for more information or to take a tour.

Light up your summer! Spark your creativity, radiate confidence, and focus the spotlight on you at Trollwood Performing Arts School this summer with performing arts classes and performance opportunities for students currently in Grades K-12. Trollwood summer registration is now open.

Trollwood offers a full array of classes, performing opportunities, and technical theater experiences for every skill level, from elementary to middle school to high school. Learn more about Trollwood's summer programming in this special edition of SchoolTalk.

The Fargo Public Library is hosting its month Paws for Reading event for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade to practice their reading skills to a dog at 10 a.m. on May 10. Participants may bring their own books or choose on from the library. Also, the deadline for the library's Northern Focus photography project for teens is coming up on May 31. Visit the Fargo Public Library website for more information about these events and more.

In early April, the Fargo Board of Education traveled to Atlanta to attend the National School Boards Association’s annual conference. This experience allowed board members to deepen their shared commitment to public education and strengthen their advocacy for policies that support all students. It was also a valuable time to connect with one another and grow as a team dedicated to serving our community.

Read more about how the Board learned and grew at the conference in this Board Column by Board President Katie Christensen Mineer.

Seventh graders from Ben Franklin Middle School, Carl Ben Eielson Middle School, and Discovery Middle School participated in Careers on Wheels on May 2. More than 20 local businesses and organizations showcased careers that rely on mobility and innovation. They saw everything from emergency response vehicles to agricultural equipment to drones. This immersive event is part of Fargo Public Schools’ larger work-based learning initiative engaging students in career exploration. Students completed related classroom activities before and after the event to reflect on their experiences and connect them to future education and/or career paths.

Email: comments@fargo.k12.nd.us
Website: www.fargo.k12.nd.us
Location: 700 7th Street South, Fargo, ND
Phone: 701.446.1000