• Category 1

    Selected in 2022

  • Grades: 9 - 12
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 350
    Student Enrollment: 124
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 4%
    Hispanic: 0%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 96%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:14
    % Reduced Lunch: 85%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1924
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Charles Anderson
  • CONTACT:
    400 Foussard Ave
    St. John, ND 58369
    701-477-5651
    paul.frydenlund@k12.nd.us
St. John High School
St. John, ND
"Our success is because staff are connected in services, accommodations, and support for students while still keeping expectations."
1. Tell us about your school’s success.
Graduation Rate is 95-100% every year for last 10 years. Our graduates have been deemed choice ready two of the last three years receiving the maximum amount of points. Choice ready is either post-secondary ready, workforce ready, or military ready. Our assessment scores have also increased since returning from the COVID Pandemic. We have had limited staff turnover which has allowed some consistency throughout our educational programs. Our biggest change has been our staff's willingness and ability to balance expectations and educational services with the needs our students walk in the door with. We have emphasized the importance of building relationships to be equally compared to educational services.
2. Talk about the greatest contributing factor(s) that promoted positive change in your school.
A literacy focus which includes: Core Plus Freshmen Literacy Class, ongoing literacy professional development for two years (Dr. Brenda Tufte, focused on Literacy Strategies across all Curriculum), hiring of a reading coach that specifically concentrated on those strategies during walk-throughs, and a literacy team that does the planning for high school literacy. I believe our biggest contributing factor is our staff being connected in services, accommodations, and supports for our students while still keeping expectations in tact. Our alternative classroom program and teacher has been instrumental in the success of our most at risk students and getting them to graduation.
3. How has ESEA funding supported the school's success?
ESEA funding have allowed us to reduce classroom sizes by hiring additional staff in the areas of math, counseling, and para professionals. It has also allowed us to support our staff with professional development in the following areas: literacy, understanding trauma and Native American students, understanding children that come from poverty, instructional strategies, dealing with our toughest kids, STEM and Math.
4. What professional development activities were used to improve teaching and learning?
Professional Develpment included:
Technology training on Microsoft teams that allowed us to continue education services through COVID.
Literacy across the curriculum focus with Dr. Brenda Tufte which focused on instructional strategies.
Continuous PD to understand where are students come from and the challenges they have outside of school.
Understanding the "tough" kids with Brian Mendler.
5. Talk about the cultural shift leading up to your school's success.
There has been a shift in our energy to teach and a dedication to do what we as a school need to do to make education successful for our students. By meeting our students where they're at, building relationships, and using differentiated instruction interventions, teachers are able to help students set goals and be a part of their own education. Our biggest culture shift has been an understanding of our students, where the come from, and what they need in order to be a successful student. It starts with relationship building.
6. How has community involvement strengthened your success?
Since COVID there has been more of a supportive feeling that has come from our families. As a school, we feel we handled the pandemic as well as we could. I believe our families appreciate that, understand the difficult circumstances we faced, and continue to be supportive and appreciative of the school, education, and services we provide. Our parents are proud of our school, appreciative of how we do things, and supportive of our expectations.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2022

  • Grades: 9 - 12
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 350
    Student Enrollment: 124
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 4%
    Hispanic: 0%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 96%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:14
    % Reduced Lunch: 85%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1924
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Charles Anderson
  • CONTACT:
    400 Foussard Ave
    St. John, ND 58369
    701-477-5651
    paul.frydenlund@k12.nd.us