Knight News

Feb. 17th - NO SCHOOL - Professional Development

Feb. 18th - Family/Teacher Conferences - 4:00 - 7:00 PM

Feb. 19th - Early Release - 1:00 PM

Feb. 20th - 22nd - Winter Musical "Les Miserables" - 7:00 PM - Auditorium

Feb. 23rd - Winter Musical "Les Miserables" - 2:00 PM - Auditorium

Feb. 27th - Band Concert - 7:00 PM - Auditorium

Mar. 3rd - Choir Concert - 7:00 PM - Auditorium

Mar. 5th - Early Release - 1:00 PM

Mar. 6th - Orchestra Concert - 7:00 PM - Auditorium

Mar. 10th - 14th - NO SCHOOL - Spring Break

Mar. 10th - 8:30 AM - Driver's Ed Registration Opens - see information below for details

Mar. 18th - Knight Idol - 7:00 PM - Auditorium

Mar. 21st - End of Quarter 3

The second night of Family/Teacher Conferences will be held on Feb. 18th from 4:00-7:00 PM.

• Conferences will be face-to-face and are an open format where parents/guardians use their student's schedule to locate the teachers they would like to visit.
• There is no sign up or assigned times. Teachers will meet with families on a first come-first served basis as they are able.
• Student schedules will be available if your student is unable to attend or if you prefer to visit teachers without your student present.
• If your family prefers a phone or zoom conference, please contact each teacher directly to set that meeting up.
• Please enter using Door #1 (our Main Entrance) located on 115 N. 4th Street.

The teachers below will be unavailable for one or both nights. If a teacher is unavailable for only part of the evening, the time available has been noted.

Unavailable Tuesday, Feb. 18th

Matt Berglund - available after 6:00

Leah Brooks

Grant Kleberg - available 4:00 - 4:30

Kylie Laudal - available 4:00 - 6:00

Jamilee Morseth

Rick Thatcher

Prior to graduation, there are a number of items that need to be completed. The following is a checklist of all obligations/deadlines that must be met by each student before a diploma will be presented.

May 1st

• Senior photos and baby photos (baby photos are optional) for the yearbook are due on May 1st. Photos can be turned in any time prior to that date to Mr. Berglund or emailed to centralyearbook@mygfschools.org

May 14th

• Caps & gowns will be distributed in the main office beginning on this date. Students who have a hold on their cap & gown must satisfy all holds before it will be released. A hold may be placed on any student who owes: detention, classroom or library materials, misc. fees or fines, technology items, device damage fees, athletic uniforms, other misc. items or if there is an academic concern. No personal additions will be allowed on caps, gowns, or honor stoles without prior permission from administration.

May 16th

• Deadline for all bills, fees, and fines to be paid (such as lunch accounts, media center, athletic equipment, lab equipment, or book damages).
• Deadline for all independent study, online and correspondence course work to be completed.

May 21st

• Deadline for completion of the Senior Survey. The survey will be sent to student email accounts in early May. Teachers will notify students when the survey is open.

May 23rd

• Deadline to opt out of participating in the graduation ceremony. Students who do not want to walk in the ceremony must notify Kristin Wilcox in the main office by this date. You do not need to notify anyone if you are walking, only if you are not. We must know exactly which students are walking so there are no gaps in the lines and names match up to students as they walk across the stage. Students who opt out may pick up their diplomas and/or caps and gowns in the main office beginning on Monday, June 2nd.

May 27th

• The final day of classes for seniors is May 27th.
• All course work, tests, and detention time must be completed by this date.

May 30th

• Mandatory graduation practice is scheduled for Friday, May 30th at 8:00 a.m. at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. All graduating seniors who wish to participate in the ceremony must attend practice and must arrive no later than 7:45 a.m. If you have a school sponsored event that conflicts with graduation practice, you must inform Mr. Strandell prior to May 30th that you will miss practice.

June 1st

• Graduation Ceremony begins at 4:00 p.m. at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Students must report to the holding area no later than 3:15 p.m. All students who participate in the commencement ceremony are expected to dress in an appropriate manner.
• The cap, gown, tassel, and shoes are all required. No personal additions will be allowed on caps, gowns or honor stoles without prior permission from administration.

Only students who have completed their graduation requirements will participate in the graduation ceremony. Graduation requirements include not only the academic requirements, but also completion of detention hours, payment of all fees and fines, the return of all classroom and library materials, technology items, athletic uniforms and equipment, miscellaneous uniforms and all other loaned materials.

The list of students who will be participating in the ceremony will be finalized on Wednesday, May 28th.

Applications for the North Dakota Scholarship (previously called the ND Academic and CTE scholarships) are open. The application website will remain open until Friday, June 7. Current seniors will apply for the scholarship online. GFC students can access their progress toward the ND Scholarship via PowerSchool - scroll down the left hand side of the screen and choose Choice Ready Dashboard, then Scholarship Ready. Please send WorkKeys scores to Joe Kolosky at the ND Department of Public Instruction - jkolosky@nd.gov

Season start dates are listed below. Preseason team meeting dates/times/locations are announced in the daily student announcements. Tryout information and other expectations, team schedules, etc. will be shared during the team meeting. Players may also contact the coaches below by email with any questions.

Boys Track & Field: First Practice is Feb. 24th

Boys Head Coach: Sean Allan

sallan070@mygfschools.org

Informational Meeting: Feb. 21st @3:05 p.m. in the Media Center - see flyer below

Girls Track & Field: First Practice is Feb. 24th - 3:45 PM - GFC Track

Girls Head Coach: Lindi Chadwick

lchadwick070@mygfschools.org

Informational meeting: Feb. 18th @ 3:30 p.m. in the Media Center - see flyer below

Softball: Tryouts March 17th - 19th, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. in the lower gym.

Parent meeting will be March 20th

Head Coach: Greta Tetrault

gtetrault070@mygfschools.org

Baseball: Season Begins March 17th

Head Coach: Danny Marto

danmarto3@hotmail.com

Girls Soccer: Season Begins March 24th

Head Coach: George DuBois

gdubois050@mygfschools.org

Girls Tennis: Season Begins March 31st

Head Coach: Tom Wynne

wynnert@hotmail.com

Boys Golf: Season Begins April 7th

Head Coach: Alex Barta

abarta200@mygfschools.org

Grand Forks Public Schools Driver Education registration will be opening for 2025 summer classes on Monday, March 10th @ 8:30 AM for students in 8th - 12th grade Three 8-day sessions with morning and afternoon time slots will be offered. These classes will be held Monday – Thursday. Driver instruction includes classroom curriculum, simulated driving experiences, and behind-the-wheel training. All instructors are licensed Driver Education teachers in North Dakota. Session dates and times can be found Here

The session fee for 2025 is $350.00. Registration will be available at MySchoolbucks.com or on the MySchoolbucks App.

You must have an account in MySchoolbucks and your student added under your account prior to purchasing a session. Sessions sell out fast, so please have your account created before March 10th.

Driver Education students must be 14 years old. Driver permits are encouraged, but not required to take driver education. Students must be in attendance every day during the session and time selected. Please choose sessions for your son or daughter with mandatory attendance in mind. If you are not able to make the session you selected after registration, please be aware that moving to another session may not be possible. If you have any questions, please contact us at (701) 795-2777.

Terry Bohan ~ Driver Education Director

Lizette Miller ~ Driver Education Administrative Secretary

GFPS Driver Education Office

500 Stanford Rd

The 2025 Junior/Senior Prom will be held Saturday, May 10th. All tickets will be sold using an online ticketing software called Ludus, the same program used for prior dances and all GFPS theater performances. The tickets will be emailed to the buyer of the tickets and will need to be saved to scan the tickets for entry to the dance.

GRAND MARCH

Grand March will be held in the auditorium in two sessions. There will be a 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM session.

Spectator tickets are purchased in advance $3 each and will be sold during 1st and 2nd lunch during the week before Prom. The cost will rise to $5 at the door.

Grand March will be live-streamed on the GFC Activities YouTube Channel. There will be an event link specifically just for Grand March posted on the GFC Activities YouTube site prior to Grand March. That link will be shared out closer to the date.

PROM

Prom will take place at Cloud 9 in downtown Grand Forks from 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM. Tickets for Prom are $25 each from April 28th - May 2nd and will raise in price to $30 from May 5th - 8th. Tickets will be sold during 1st and 2nd lunch during the week before Prom. Tickets will not be sold on Friday, May 9th.

Cloud 9 Information

• 322 Demers Ave
  Grand Forks, ND 58201

• Enter through the Olive Ann doors on N. 4th St.

• No readmittance: Once students exit the dance, they will not be permitted back in.

REMINDER THAT ALL STUDENTS MUST SERVE ALL DETENTION HOURS IN ORDER TO PURCHASE TICKETS AND ATTEND THE DANCE.

The following are Prom expectations:

• Behavior

• All school events are alcohol and drug free. Students will be required to take a breathalyzer test at the door.

• Appropriate Dancing

• Students are required to dance appropriately....period!!!

• Formal Dress is Required

• Formal prom attire may be classified as a tuxedo or dress suit, including a tie, bow tie, and a shirt, which may include a vest or cummerbund. Dress slacks, dress shirt, and tie are also appropriate attire. Shirts are to be worn at all times.

• Traditionally formal dresses may be strapless or may feature spaghetti straps. Bare or open backs are acceptable; however excessively bare stomachs or bare midriffs are not permitted. Under garments should not be visible. See-through apparel and gowns or dresses with slits that are above the mid-thigh area are not permitted. Garments that are extremely tight or extremely low-cut are also unacceptable. Dresses with glitter on them will not be permitted.

Prom is a school event and the same rules listed in the Student Handbook will apply.

If you have questions, please contact Trevor Lennon, at 746-2205 ext. 6145.

Calling all Central Knight Parents who want to join a super fun committee!

The Post Prom Committee will hold their next meeting at 7:00 PM on Monday, February 17th, 2025 by the Tavern in the Canad Inn. All parents and guardians are welcome to join!! This committee is to help organize prizes/donations and volunteer at the after prom party held at Northern Air on May 10th. If you are interested and can’t join us that evening, contact Laura Kendall at 701-330-8391 or Tera Vanyo at 218-779-5082.

Senior Planning

Seniors and parents/guardians are encouraged to review the materials from the one-on-one planning conferences with Ms. Loftus that were held January through May 2024. Please check your progress for planning your first step after high school with the checklist.

2025-26 FAFSA

The opening for FAFSA was December 1, 2024. The first step in the FAFSA is for students to get an ID number by going to studentaid.gov. Students have had the opportunity to get one-on-one help with the 2025-26 FAFSA at GFC five times so far this year. Please see Ms. Loftus if you would like this opportunity.

Choice Ready Scholarship Dashboard

Seniors should check their Scholarship Ready Dashboard to see their progress toward earning the ND scholarship. On the lower left side of the opening PowerSchool screen select Scholarship Ready. Students should check to see if they need to take ACT or WorkKeys to help them qualify for the scholarship.

Scholarships

Seniors should contact the financial aid office of their school and ask about scholarships. Many schools have scholarship application deadlines in February and March.

Seniors should go to the GFC counseling webpage and click on the scholarship listing every week. Other websites that list scholarships are finaid.org, collegeboard and fastweb.

Many banks in town have scholarships for their patrons. Seniors should check banks with whom they and/or parents have accounts.

The 2024-2025 yearbook will be sold online again this year on the Friesens website:

https://ybstore.friesens.com/403870.

The cost is $55.00 plus a $2.75 processing fee. All payments are processed by PayPal, but a PayPal account is not required to complete the purchase. At checkout, the purchaser can choose to pay with a debit or credit card instead of using a PayPal account.

• Senior pictures and senior baby pictures are due by May 1st and can be emailed at any time before that to: centralyearbook@mygfschools.org

All meetings are held in the GFC Library/Media Center (2nd Floor) at 7:00 pm.

March 3rd

April 7th

May 5th

Like so many others, we are in need of some fine folks to fill out our staff at the school known as The Finest in Dakota! Please follow the link below to view the open positions at Central (and all of the Grand Forks Public Schools) that include paraprofessionals and custodians. Be part of the work to make a positive change in a student's life at Grand Forks Central!

Mr. Jon Strandell - Principal

Dr. Gabe Dahl - Associate Principal A-K

Mr. Mike Wilber - Associate Principal L-Z

Mr. Tony Bina - Athletic Director

Main Office : 701-746-2375

Attendance Line: 701-746-2482

Main Office Hours 7:00 AM-4:00 PM

School Doors Open at 7:30 AM

Location:

115 N. 4th Street

Grand Forks, ND 58203

Follow us on Twitter: @GFC_Activities

Follow us on Instagram: gfc_activites

GFPS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GrandForksPublicSchools/