The subject areas were:
Keynote session - ND National Guard with the ROPES presentation (working
together, building teamwork)
Session 1: Bullying
Session 2: Relationships/Boundaries
Session 3: Drug/Alcohol Addictions
103 grades 5-7 attended 2008 Safe Night. The theme was Las Vegas - What
Happens at Safe Night, Stays at Safe Night.
There were 55 kids that attended the fun fair. The booths were great! We will do it again in April 2009.
Cheryl Dupuis spoke about losing her daughter to a drunk driving accident.
Her daughter got in to her boyfriend’s car after he had been drinking and
he ran a stop sign. He walked away, but Danae did not and died in the
hosptial. The presentation was called Denae’s Song. The presentation was
for all 9-12 graders in Emmons County, held in Linton. Sponsors for the
Denae’s Song presentation was: Emmons County Interagency, Bank of Hazelton,
Security State Bank, Strasburg State Bank, Kem, and BNC. There is a
website to check out Denae’s song, it is www.danaessong.homestead.com
A grant through the Prevent Child Abuse of North Dakota. The month of
April was Prevent Child Abuse. We were given money for a speaker, which we
had Connie Sheehan for a section out of the Bright Beginnings: Brain
Development Infant through 5 years (I believe). Most daycare providers
attended this training. One daycare provider from McIntosh County also
attended. Pinwheels were given out to all daycares in Emmons County,
representing a postive effects of preventing child abuse. Our take on the
daycares was the children in daycare are being well taken care of and
daycare providers are mandated reports, so if they suspect child abuse,
they are to report it. We also put pinwheels at the court house, public
health, and Wic. Vehicle magnets were given to law enforcement, social
worker, daycares, and then given out in the bags for the children at the
Kids Fun Fair. The magnets say Prevent Child Abuse. Kindergarten through
second grade was given a pinwheel template with some child abuse facts on
the back to take home and make their own pinwheels. A booth at the Kids
Fun Fair was set up to make the pinwheels and information given to parents
in the bags for the children. There was a bill board along Hwy 83, south
of Linton with the Prevent Child Abuse logo on it.
The three high schools in Emmons County were nominated on behalf of the Emmons County Interagency for an award at the Region VII Safe and Drug Free Communities Coaltion Appreciation Banquet. The schools include:
Linton Public School, Steve Nelson, Superintendent
Strasburg Public School, Jim Eiseman, Superintendent
H-M-B Public School, Brad Rinas, Superintendent
The superintendents and staff of all three schools have been an important part of our local coalition in providing ATOD and Safe Community programs in our community. Through the school newsletters and parent bulletins we have been able to distribute information about upcoming programs or concerns to students and parents in a very efficient manner. We have been able to distribute the CHOICES Magazine through Parent/Teacher Conferences.
The schools have allowed us to use their facilities for Safe Nights, Kids Fun Fairs, school lyceums, among other programs. The schools have been very cooperative with each other in providing student bussing as we rotate the location of these events around the county. They make available the kitchen and kitchen staff when meals are being served during a program as well as janitorial staff to assist with set up and clean up after events.
Teacher and counseling staff are available to help students plan activities such as Safe Night during school hours. This arrangements allows easier access to involving students in planning activities and in the process, assists with developing leadership skills in our youth.
Our coalition would not be able to offer the level of programs in our community that we do without the support and cooperative working arrangement with our schools in Emmons County
June 10th was the day for the primary election. There is a city election as well as a county and a district election. This year was a change of scenery for voters if they applied for the vote by mail option. Total voters in Emmons County were 841 citizens. Of those 841, 200 voted in person at the Linton which is the county seat for Emmons County. 640 people used the vote by mail option. Each voter had to apply in late April. Applications were processed and ballots were sent out on May 6th. Vote by mail is essentially voting by absentee. Results of the cities of Hazelton, Strasburg, Linton , Emmons County Commissioner and national elections for Emmons County can be found at www.EmmonsCountyRecord.com.
Friday, June 6th is getting closer each day and the dairy and ag days committee met today. Current progress includes the Midwest Dairy Association who is looking for candidates, the Emmons County Farmers Union continuing organizing the parade, Emmons County Extension looking for someone who knows the art of balloon twisting, Linton High School FCCLA program organizing the lunch, Emmons County Record organizing the fundraising and advertising, the Linton Senior Citizens organizing the supper at the Knights of Columbus hall, the Linton Catholic cluster of Hazelton’s St. Paul and St.Michaels youth group organizing their beverage kiosk and the major instigator the Linton Chamber organizing games for the kids.
Linton, ND is a small town but not all kids have a parent at home after school. Although afterschool program are still a farily new idea in the Linton area, The Methodist church has been providing this service for a couple of years. Grades k-6 use this opportunity to make crafts, have a snack and perhaps finish homework on a busy homework day. Extension Agent Kristen Vetter occasionally provides educational opportunities for this service. This is an excellent opportunity that is safe for children to go to while parents finish their late afternoon hours at work.
Also, down the street is St. Anthony’s Catholic church that provides an afterschool opportunity for grades 7-12 that is also supervised. This environment provides a unique environment with security cameras and an adult volunteer that supervises them for the hours of afterschool until they go home. The recreation room has a kitchen table and chairs, a small refrigerator, a large sectional, 10 bean bags, a big screen tv with DVD and VCR players and vast array of DVDs. The area is carpeted with subdued colors for relaxing enjoyment. The room also dorns a foosball table, a pool table, a basketball hoop game with two hoops, and a ping pong table. The church is always looking for adult volunteers to supervise the students via security cameras while the JH/HS kids use the facility.
Lessons about corn and its origins were given at every school in Emmons County during the month of November. Corn was essential to the native way of life. The Native Americans educated pilgrims when they arrived about how to cook with corn and all its other far reaching benefits such as heat during the winter and artwork for enjoyment. One other item of interest is that the word ‘maize’ is a universal word for corn meaning ‘primary national crop’. For example the maize of China is rice. The maize for North Dakota is wheat. (although quickly changing to corn:) Back in the era of the Native Americans the maize of their nation was corn therefore pinning the name of maize to the modern word corn. The School children ages 5-13 in Hazelton, Strasburg, Linton and Bakker enjoyed the education as well creating ‘corn bracelets’, giant pieces of popcorn to hang from the ceiling and to not forget the real popcorn that was popped in the microwave for a snack:.) yum?yum!
In October of 2007, 8th grade Science Teacher Kevin Oien and Extension Agent Kristen Vetter partnered together to develop a geocache in Linton, ND. 8 visitors have come and checked it out over the winter. It is exciting to think that Linton may have new visitors over the summer too. Perhaps we have ‘closet geocachers’ in Emmons County. For those of you that don’t know geocaching is a sport that utilizes GPS equipment to find camouflaged treasures around the world. You can participate in this sport practically in all countries of the world to all counties in every state. Besides little treasures called ‘geocaches’ created by locals there are waypoints created by surveyors throughout history including Lewis and Clark. When the Louisiana Territory was surveyed they planted waypoints to mark various geographic borders such as the Canadian/US border. Locally waypoints that you may find are ‘right of ways’ marked for roads and railroads! Each geocacher hikes or drives to each point. After you find a manmade geocache/waypoint you can write about it online. If it was a manmade geocache, there is probably a notebook for you to sign, a little treasure for you to take, and perhaps you came prepared with a little treasure that you can leave…..like a keychain, a pen or something else about yourself.