December 2018 News and Notes

Happy New Year from all of us at the Williston Coyote Foundation: Board Members John Schmitz (president), Tate Cymbaluk (vice president), Jill Haugen (secretary), Mark McGinley (treasurer), Taylor Olson, Marilyn Olson, Scott Studsrud, Jessica Bingeman Vestal, Brandon Johnson, and Arlan Arnson, and Executive Director Codi Austreim.

We hope your 2019 is filled with happiness and health. We can't help but be grateful for all the blessings that were bestowed upon us in 2018 thanks to our generous donors. Here's a look back at some of the ways your thoughtfulness allowed us to continue our mission of promoting and supporting Williston Public School District #1.

#givingbacktotheorangeandblack

10. Music Room Makeover:
This spring, thanks to the Chuck Johnson Fund, we were able to help Bakken Elementary turn the old WHS art rooms into two separate music classrooms. The transformation allowed them to free up some much-needed classroom space and provided nice large spaces for the music program.

9. Math Counts
Thanks to a grant from ONEOK, we were able to help bring in a MathCounts program for the elementary schools!

8. Close-Up Trip
With help from the Leon B. Olson Recognition fund, we helped with transportation costs for the students at their annual Close-Up trip to Washington, D.C.

7. National Honor Society
Again thanks to the Leon B. Olson Recognition fund, we were able to donate to the WHS National Honor Society program!

6. Teacher Scholarships & New Teacher Grants
We awarded teacher scholarships this year to WPSD #1 employees who are continuing their education. We gave out the following:
Bud MacMaster Memorial Scholarship
Neva MacMaster Memorial Scholarship
Wally LaRose Memorial Scholarship
Jim Haugen Memorial Scholarship
(coming in 2019 -- the Mary Persson Pursuit of Excellence Scholarship)
And, thanks to the George Amsden Memorial New Teacher Grant, we were able to provide stipends for classroom supplies to all the first year teachers who began their teaching careers with WPSD #1.

5. Drama Department
The WHS Drama Department received a grant from us for new audio equipment for their plays and productions!

4. Legends Field
With the help of some dedicated alumni, we were able to facilitate the naming of the new football field at WHS to Legends Field, as a way to pay homage to the outstanding alumni who have paved the way for success both in the classroom and on the playing fields!

3. Lunch Account
Because of multiple generous donors, we have been able to ensure that no student goes hungry or receives an "alternative meal" at lunch time in WPSD #1

2. Senior Awards Night
60 WHS grads from the class of 2018 were awarded scholarships from our outstanding scholarship program -- to the tune of $62,350! We are blown away that we gave out 98 scholarships this year!

1. Maker Space
With grants from Crescent Point Energy, Equinor, Hess, Nalco Champion, an Ecolab Company, and an in-kind donation from Triangle Electric, we were able to create the "Maker Space" at Bakken Elementary! This cool interactive classroom has been a hit, and we can't wait to watch it grow and spread to other schools in the district in 2019!

In Loving Memory:

Gifts to the Foundation:

  • M & J Kaiser Foundation , for the WHS Class of 1980 Memorial Scholarship
  • Kay Stepanek, in honor of the WHS Class of 1960
  • Richard and Angela Palmer, in memory of Joan Amsden
  • Charlene Strand, in memory of Joan Amsden
  • Sonny and Pat Hanson
  • John and Cathy Schmitz, for the Legends Field project
  • Arlen Dominek, for the T.C. Ritter Memorial Scholarship fund and the Leon B. Olson Recognition Fund
  • Fred and Coral Whisenand, in memory of Myron Rose and Darlene Lee
  • Thomas Pedersen, son of H.L. Pedersen, for the Legends Field Project
  • Bruce, Terry, Curtis, Tim, and Jim Kaiser and Carol Anderson, in memory of Joan Amsden
  • Daniel and Susan Herring, in memory of Dr. Bob Olson
  • Kim and Patrick Hennessy, in memory of Dr. Bob Olson
  • Tom and Helen Carey, in memory of Donna Rockney and Sonny Sandaker
  • Gary and Leora Sukut, in memory of Joan Amsden
  • Gary and Leora Sukut, for the Nadine Sukut Bloomquist Memorial Endowment, in memory of Diane Bervig
  • Del and Lorna Easton, in memory of Joan Amsden
  • Gloria Jordan, from the Marv Jordan Memorial Bowling Tournament, for the Taylor Nelson Memorial Scholarship
  • James and Carol Anderson, for the Taylor Nelson Memorial Scholarship
  • John & DaVee MacMaster, for the Bud and Neva MacMaster Memorial Scholarships, in memory of Luella Carscallen, Ron Oster, Darlene Lee, and Dr. Bob Olson
  • Fred and Marlene Roberts, in memory of Dr. Bob Olson, Diane Bervig, Darlene Lee
  • Michael and Lynne Edstrom, for the Rita Anseth Memorial Scholarship
  • Robert and Sharon Herman Family Foundation, for the Robert and Sharon Herman Memorial Scholarship and for the WPSD #1 Food Program
  • WHS Class of 1978, in honor of their class
  • Ryan and Theresa Hegge, in memory of Dr. Bob Olson
  • Jamie Quinlan, for the Nadine Sukut Bloomquist Memorial Endowment
  • Wanda and Marty Hanson, for the WHS Class of 1968 Memorial Scholarship
  • Christopher Monson, in memory of Todd Gaudreau
  • Arlan and Gayle Arnson
  • Tim and Jill Kleven, for the Jim Haugen Memorial Teacher Scholarship
  • Daniel and Susan Herring, in memory of Delores Wehrman
  • Noel and Geri Hanson
  • Jon Hauser, in memory of Todd Gaudreau
  • Mary O'Mara
  • Peggy Conlin, for the WHS Class of 1968 Memorial Scholarship, in memory of Larry Hanson
  • Deb Kemp, for the Leslee Bublitz Memorial Scholarship, in memory of Todd Gaudreau
  • Kari Jones, for the WHS Class of 1984 Memorial Scholarship, in memory of Todd Gaudreau
  • Randy and Leslie Hanson, for the Ron Martin Memorial Baseball Scholarship
  • Rod St. Aubyn, in memory of the deceased members of WHS Class of 1971
  • Craig McIvor, for the Ben McIvor Memorial Scholarship, in memory of Todd Gaudreau, Grant Archer, Dr. Bob Olson, Ron Oster, Darlene Lee
  • Lynn Caruthers, in honor of Jack Snyder, for the Eleanor and Jack Snyder Sr. Memorial Music Scholarship
  • Larry Hanson
  • Rolf Gjorven, for the George Amsden Memorial New Teacher Grant
  • Marvene Larvick
  • Joann Olson, for the Dr. Jerry Olson Memorial Scholarship
  • Kim and Patrick Hennessy, in memory of Todd Gaudreau
  • Jeff and Shariese Long, for the WHS Class of  1984 Memorial Scholarship, in memory of Todd Gaudreau
  • Linda Stordahl, for the WHS Class of  1984 Memorial Scholarship, in memory of Todd Gaudreau
  • Dennis & Larene Grondahl
  • Leininger Family Giving Fund, a Donor Advised Fund of Reaissance Charitable Foundation

Did you Know??? 

We do so much more than scholarships at the Williston Coyote Foundation. We also look for ways to help the schools through unrestricted funds donated to our Foundation, grants written on behalf of the schools, and donor-specific gifts.

We are thrilled to announce that we have set up two qualified charitable endowments through the Williston Coyote Foundation:  The Nadine Sukut Bloomquist Memorial Endowment and the John and Cathy Schmitz Endowment for the Betterment of Williston Schools.  The State of North Dakota offers a tax credit for donations of $5000 or more to a qualified endowment, and we would be happy to discuss how your donation can be utilized in the best possible way for both you and the schools, students, and teachers at WPSD #1! 

​If you or your company would like to know more about ways you can help Williston Public Schools, please feel free to contact us at the Williston Coyote Foundation. We would love to visit with you about how your donation can be used for the benefit of the schools, students, and staff of WPSD #1.

As always, your donations are tax-deductible and very much appreciated. You can donate conveniently online or can mail any donations to our address listed below. We could not continue our mission of promoting and supporting Williston Public School District #1 without the help of our generous donors! ​