April 2019 News & Notes

Awards Night 2019

With May upon us, we are only a week away from the 2019 Williston Coyote Foundation Awards Night. This year, we have 60 students who will receive scholarships to further their education. And with over 100 scholarships to give away, it is sure to be an amazing night for all involved. Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of the Williston High School Class of 2019 on Wednesday, May 8th, at 7:00 pm in the Williston High School auditorium.

Gifts to the Foundation:
Ann Carns, in memory of Wally Hapip

Cheryl Nelson Harris, Calvin Nelson, and Curtis Nelson, for the Lavonne Lowe Nelson Memorial Scholarship

Paula and Russell Schilke, in memory of Delores Weyrauch, Joan Bekkedahl, and Olga Sundet -- for the Todd Gaudreau Memorial Scholarship

Robert Erdahl, for the WHS Class of 1968 Memorial Scholarship

Jean "Jamie" MacMaster Quinlan, in memory of Verona Wegley Lechler -- for the Neva MacMaster Memorial Scholarship and the Bud MacMaster Memorial Scholarship

Stan and Amy Reep, in memory of Marion Olson and Cheryl Nelson

Luella Krabseth, in memory of Marion Olson

CCP Properties, in memory of Dr. Bob Olson -- for the Bob Abernethy Memorial Scholarship

Gerald and Aileen Behm, in memory of Olive Kirby Larson

Ann Holmen, for the Gene and Elsie Delorme Memorial Scholarship

Boone and Susan Herring, in memory of Harold Tvedt

Little Scholars Preschool, to create the Lexi Meduna Memorial Scholarship

Larry and Elaine Doeden, in memory of Cleo Lowe -- for the H. L. Pedersen Memorial Scholarship

Richard Ness

Marlene Teske, in memory of Cheryl Nelson

Jay and Amy Wells, in memory of Lexi Meduna, Todd Gaudreau, Bob Olson, and Cleo Furuseth

Neff, Eiken, and Neff Law, PC., for the Neff, Eiken, and Neff Law Scholarship

Gayle and Arlan Arnson, in memory of Lexi Meduna and Joe Jackman

Merri Jo Hendrickson, for the Arlo Hendrickson Memorial Scholarship

Sarah Sando, to create the Anderson Family Scholarship

Wayne and Jennifer Anderson, to create the Anderson Family Scholarship

David and Jean Nelson, in memory of Cheryl Nelson

Donna and Wayne Barke, in memory of John Fougner

Mike and Lori Erickson, in memory of Harold Tvedt

Upper Missouri United Sportsmen, for the UMUS Scholarship

Margaret Conlin, in memory of Viola TeSoro, Wally Hapip, and Olive (Kirby) Larson -- for the WHS Class of 1968 Memorial Scholarship

Mikaela Rehak, for the Leslee Bublitz Memorial Scholarship

Joyce McCoy and the Potluck Girls, in memory of Cleo Lowe

Lewis and Clark PTO, for the Lewis & Clark Explorers Alumni Scholarship

Amanda Simard & Alexa Stevens, to create the Doug Stevens Memorial Scholarship

Larry and Maureen Laqua, in memory of Harold Tvedt

Alumni Deaths:
Kevin Bercier, Class of 1981, died 4/11/2019, in Williston, ND https://www.willistonherald.com/obituaries/kevin-bercier/article_abb2ddb6-6076-11e9-aae5-17c2dedbfff8.html

Susan Brostuen, Class of 1979, died 4/9/2019, in Denver, CO https://www.willistonherald.com/obituaries/susan-elaine-brostuen/article_cbc40a22-5f3f-11e9-bc96-f73bd64a5395.html

Alexis "Lexi" Meduna, WHS student, died 4/7/2019, in Williston, ND https://www.willistonherald.com/obituaries/alexis-lexi-meduna/article_08b92262-5bd7-11e9-89f7-c313e5a5454d.html

Cheryl (Wang) Nelson, Class of 1963, died 3/31/2019, in Minot, ND https://www.willistonherald.com/obituaries/cheryl-nelson/article_546f5eb4-57e1-11e9-9013-2f75054de77a.html

Tim Wentz, Class of 1989, died 4/20/2019, in Carolville, ND https://www.willistonherald.com/obituaries/timothy-tim-wentz/article_d092c432-65e1-11e9-b9d9-fb95c4bc33eb.html

Wally Hapip, Class of 1971, died 3/27/19, in Bismarck, ND
https://www.willistonherald.com/obituaries/wally-hapip/article_da9c34ca-524c-11e9-95ed-bb0b739a2041.html

Marion Olson, Class of 1951, died 3/29/19, in Williston, ND
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/marion-olson-obituary?pid=192036110

Student Spotlight: Skills USA

Students in the Williston High School Construction Trades and Auto Technology classes competed at Skills USA in Wahpeton, ND, this April. Multiple students placed 1st or 2nd in their events.

Construction Trades:
-Teamworks A. took 1st: Alex Lund, Joe Leonard, Tucker Jackman, Darion Sims.
-Team B. Took 2nd: Trevyn Sundby, Izrehias Diaz, Braden Decker, Dawson Tangedal.
-Seth Brunelle took 1st in Plumbing
-Jorge Sanchez took 1st in Electrical, Edgar Gutierrez took 4th
-Ethan Jones took 15th in Carpentry

Auto Tech:
-Corbin Peter's took 2nd, Riley Kemp 16th, Zach Holland 22nd.

Congratulations to all of these hard-working students! What a great accomplishment for them!

Bond Referendum Fails --
District Forced to Wait Full Year Before A New Vote

Falling just shy of reaching a "super majority," the Williston Public School District #1 bond referendum to build 2 new elementary schools and add on to the high school failed and cannot legally be brought back to the public for 365 days.

School board members and school officials are now left to come up with temporary solutions to fix the over-crowding in the district's schools. One way they will attempt to relieve some space issues is to apply for a $3.1 million grant from the state of ND. See the full article in the Williston Herald below.

WPSD #1 Asks State For Help

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!