Reading Month Wraps Up At Stanley Elementary
April was reading month at the Stanley Elementary School. This year’s theme was superheroes.
On Thursday, May 30, comic book author Mark Mindt came to visit with each of the grades throughout the day. Mark Mindt is an enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Sioux Nation of North Dakota. As a certified educator in North Dakota, he has served as a teacher and school administrator for over two decades. While his expertise is in the K-8 grade levels, his gifts as an artist and storyteller have allowed him to create the comic book superhero, KODA the Warrior. He’s the author, illustrator and creative storyteller of KODA.
Mindt has written several comic books featuring KODA Two Hearts, a fictional character from the Pony Gulch Universe. In his world, he’s a college student who discovers his superpowers as a teacher and protector of the communities. He travels throughout North America learning about the many diverse Indigenous Tribal Nations. While he has the physical powers to fly with the eagles, run along side a bison herd, jump across valleys, and lift a school bus back on the roadway, his true power is Education and Learning. His greatest superpower is “learning and teaching” and this pays off as he is beginning his teaching career back on his home reservation community.
This year, students were challenged to meet their reading goals for a chance to hit their teachers and administration with silly string.
The annual wrap up was held on Friday, May 1 with students getting to cheer on their superhero teachers as they competed in races showing how they could fly, run or throw. Then some lucky students were able to hit teachers and administration with silly string. The teachers, however, got their revenge at the end as they also hit the students with some of the extra silly string.
Then it was time for the serious business: announcing the reading month winners. The top readers of the month were Cooper Weyrauch, Ledger Uran, Makenna Evensvold, Kingston Basic, Chandler Harper, Slate Stout and Charley Reum.
Ms. Weed’s kindergarten and Mrs. Stafslien’s third grade classes were the winners of the pool parties. Mrs. Stafslien’s third grade was also the winner of the free recess.
Aniyah Honrud was the winner of the $75 Barnes and Noble Gift Card. Majestic Watkins was the winner of the $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card.