Washington Elementary

2025 Valley City Public Schools Teacher of the Year

🎶 Join us for an evening of music at the Spring Band and Choir Concert, featuring talented students from Washington Elementary and Valley City Junior High. 📅 Date: Monday, May 5, 2025 🕖 Time: 7:00 PM 📍 Location: HAC (High School Activity Center) Come support our young musicians as they showcase their hard work and dedication. We look forward to seeing you there! 🎵

👏 Shoutout to our April 2025 Jr. High Students of the Month! 👏 We’re proud to recognize these outstanding students from Valley City Jr. High: 🌟 7th Grade: Camden Larson & Rylee Gray 🌟 8th Grade: John Oakland & Kaitlyn Wangrud These students were chosen for showing strong character, working hard, being honest and dependable, showing up, and staying active in school life.

📚🍎 National Educators Appreciation Week is coming up! 🍎📚 The Times-Record wants to highlight the amazing teachers and staff in Barnes County — and they need your help! 💬 Share a message of appreciation for a teacher or school staff member who’s made a difference in your life or your child’s. 🗓 Deadline: Noon on Wednesday, May 7th 📰 These shout-outs will be featured in next Thursday’s paper! Submit your message here 👉 https://www.times-online.com/site/forms/teacherappreciation/teacher_appreciation/ Let’s show our educators how much they mean to us! 💙

🎉 Happy National School Principal Day! 🎉 Today we’re celebrating the amazing principals who help make our schools a great place to learn and grow. Thank you for your leadership, support, and all the hard work you do every day! ⭐ Becky Goven ⭐ Chad Lueck ⭐ Travis Peterson ⭐ Rob Hunt We’re grateful for all you do to make our schools a great place to learn and grow! 💙📚

🎶 Washington Elementary 6th Grade Concert – "Summer Camp"! 🎶 Join us on May 1, 2025, for a fun-filled performance by our 6th graders! 🎤🎼 📅 Showtimes: 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM 📍 Washington Elementary 🎥 Watch it live on the Hi-Liner Activity Network using this link: 🔗 https://www.youtube.com/@valleycityhi-lineractiviti9057 Come support our talented students as they bring "Summer Camp" to life! ☀️

🎨 Come Check Out the 7–12th Grade Art Show! 🎨 We’re excited to invite you to the VCPS Art Show on Thursday, May 1 from 5:00–7:00 PM at Valley City Public Schools! Come walk through and see all the awesome work our students have created this year — featuring art from: Junior High (Quarters 1–4) High School Art 1–4 Community Art classes It’s a great way to celebrate all the creativity and hard work from our talented students. Hope to see you there! 🎨🖌️

📣 Reminder: Nominate a Teacher Today! We’re looking for your help to choose the 2025 Valley City Public Schools Teacher of the Year! 🍎 Since 1983, this award has honored outstanding teachers, counselors, and librarians who make a real difference. 👉 Submit your nomination here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FWQ8LYT Nominations are open through Wednesday, April 30. Help us celebrate the amazing staff who make VCPS a great place to learn!

🎶 Concert Season is Here! 🎶 We have a lot of exciting performances coming up — mark your calendars! 🎺 Tonight! Senior High Band & Choir Concert – "Spring of '25" 📅 Tuesday, April 30 🕖 7:00 PM 📍 Hi-Liner Activity Center (HAC) 🐰 Thursday, May 8 Kindergarten Musical – "Bunnies: A Hopping New Musical" 🕑 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM 📍 Jefferson Elementary Gym 🏕️ Wednesday, May 1 6th Grade Musical – "Summer Camp" 🕑 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM 📍 Hi-Liner Activity Center (HAC) Come out and support our talented students — you won’t want to miss it! 🎤🎼

📬 Absentee Ballots Mailing Out May 1! Valley City Public Schools will begin mailing absentee ballots on May 1 to those who have completed and submitted their absentee ballot application. If you still need to apply, you can find the application and full instructions here: 🗳️ https://www.hiliners.org/o/vcsd/page/voting-absentee Completed applications can be returned by mail, in person, via secure dropbox, fax, or email. Reminder: Absentee ballots must be returned or postmarked by 5:00 PM on June 9, 2025, to be counted. Questions? Contact Jackie Cordie at 701-845-0483.

🎉 Big Congratulations to Sarah Lerud! 🎉 We’re excited to share that Sarah Lerud, a teacher at Valley City Jr/Sr High School, has been named the 2025 Barnes County Teacher of the Year! State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler honored 47 educators across North Dakota for their outstanding work — and now, Sarah is in the running for North Dakota Teacher of the Year, which will be announced this September. In the words of Superintendent Baesler, “All North Dakotans should be grateful for the work our educators do to help develop our state’s new generations of citizens.” We couldn’t agree more! We’re proud to have Sarah representing VCPS — thank you for all you do for our students and school community! 💙🩵🤍 https://www.nd.gov/dpi/news/baesler-celebrates-2025-nd-county-teachers-year

🎓💰 VCHS Students Save Over $174,000 in College Tuition/Fees in 2024–2025! Thanks to a strong dual credit partnership between Valley City High School and Valley City State University, VCHS students are projected to save $174,274 in college tuition and fees during the 2024–2025 school year! By the end of this year, students will have completed 817 college credits across 38 dual credit courses—each saving over $213.31 per credit that totals up to $174,274 in college tuition and fees cost savings for our VCHS students. Check out the full NewsDakota article here: 🔗 https://www.newsdakota.com/2025/04/24/vchs-and-vcsu-strengthen-partnership-through-dual-credit-program/ A big shout-out to our hardworking students, dedicated dual credit teachers at VCHS, and our partners at VCSU. Way to go, Hi-Liners and Vikings!

🎨 Congrats to Our Amazing Student Artists! 🎨 Five Valley City Jr/Sr High students were selected for the ND Juried Student Art Show (Governor’s Show) — and their artwork will travel the state in a year-long exhibit! 👏 Shoutout to: Addie Tufte (8th) – Thunderbolt 1003 Trenton Giesler (9th) – Deer skull & sunset drawing Rachel Drummond (8th) – Climbing Through Childhood Abby Pederson (7th) – Victorian Adventure Alivia Even (11th) – Virescent self-portrait We’re proud of all 25 VC students who entered! ✨🎨✏️

🍎 Now Accepting Nominations: 2025 VCPS Teacher of the Year! 🍎 Starting today, we’re looking for nominations for the 2025 Teacher of the Year at Valley City Public Schools! Since 1983, this prestigious honor has recognized outstanding teachers, counselors, and librarians in our district — and we need your help to choose the next one! 💬 Nominate someone you believe makes a difference: 👉 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FWQ8LYT 🗓️ Nominations are open through Wednesday, April 30. 📄 Prefer a paper form? Contact or stop by the District Office. The winner will be announced during Educators Appreciation Week (May 5–9, 2025)! 👏 Help us celebrate the incredible educators who make VCPS a great place to learn!

📣 Public Meeting Reminder 📣 Join us for our first informational meeting about the proposed new school on Tuesday, April 22 at 6:30 PM in the VCHS North Gym. 🗂️ Updated Frequently Asked Questions (now version 2.0) — including how ESSER funds were spent: 👉 https://www.hiliners.org/o/vcsd/page/frequently-asked-questions 🎥 New video added: Hear from the Experts featuring ICON architects: 👉 https://www.hiliners.org/o/vcsd/page/informational-videos Thank you for all of your great questions. If you aren't able to attend this meeting tomorrow night, there will be more opportunities in the next 7 weeks to learn more before June 10th. You can also send us an email to or call us at 701.845.0483.📞✉️

🎨 Valley City Student Wins Top Honor in ND Junior Duck Stamp Contest 🦆 Big congratulations to Francesca “Cheska” Flores Gagarita, a senior at Valley City High School, who earned 🏆 Best of Show in the 2025 North Dakota Junior Duck Stamp Contest for her beautiful colored pencil drawing of a pair of Northern Shovelers. Inspired by her own birding photo 📸, Cheska’s piece stood out for its detail and emotion — and will now advance to the national contest on April 22 in Falls Church, Virginia 🇺🇸. Valley City High School was well represented with several other students earning top honors: 🥇 1st Place – Elly Tombarge & Layni Bakalar 🥈 2nd Place – Charlize Trullinger 🎖️ Honorable Mentions – Audrey Jacobson, Kinley Larson, Alivia Even, Claire Shanenko, Kiyah Hayes, Leah Hochhalter, Shonte Gonzales, and Tessa Kinney 📅 Awards Ceremony 🗓️ Saturday, May 3 | 🕜 1:30–3:00 PM 📍 Heritage Center, Bismarck Open to the public — come celebrate these amazing young artists! Cheska, who plans to attend the Minneapolis College of Art and Design 🎓 this fall, shared advice for young artists: “Do not wait to take an art class! It changed everything for me.” For more on the Junior Duck Stamp Program ➡️ www.fws.gov/program/junior-duck-stamp

🐣🌸 Easter Break Reminder! 🌸🐣 Mark your calendars—April 18 & 21, 2025, there is no school. 📌 The District Office will be closed on April 18. Enjoy your break and have a wonderful Easter weekend! 💙🐰

🎉 Congratulations to Ms. Jill Kvilvang! 🎉 The VCPS Culture Committee is proud to recognize Ms. Kvilvang, 2nd Grade Teacher at Jefferson Elementary, as our Quarter 3 One Smart Cookie award winner — sponsored by Wild Prairie Bakery! Earlier today, she was surprised by her students and colleagues in celebration of this well-deserved honor. Ms. Kvilvang is known for going above and beyond to meet each student’s needs, trying new and innovative ideas in her classroom, and volunteering her time to make a difference in the lives of young women across the region. She truly is a difference-maker at Valley City Public Schools! 💙 Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations — we look forward to announcing our Quarter 4 winner soon!

🎉 New Nike Apparel + Limited-Time Deal! 🎉 Now’s the perfect time to refresh your gear! Valley City Public Schools’ Sideline Store has new Nike apparel, and you can save 20% on orders over $100 now through April 20! Just use code TEAM20 at checkout to score the discount. From tees and hoodies to hats and bags, there’s something for everyone — students, parents, fans, and staff! 🛍️ Shop now: https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/north_dakota/valleycity/valley-city-public-schools Don’t wait — gear up, show your Hi-Liner pride, and save!