Education News

The University of Minnesota Horse Team is offering a fall regional horse owner education program in Bemidji from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Northwest Technical College (doors open at 12:30 p.m). The program will offer researched based information and knowledgeable speakers identified specifically for that region by a committee of local horse experts and enthusiasts. 
Speakers for these programs include University of Minnesota faculty, local veterinarians, and horse professionals. Topics and speakers for the program include:

By MICHELLE INGLE, KOOTASCA Head Start

There are many choking hazards in the world for small children. These choking hazards are not a new threat to children and parents can prevent most choking incidents by following some basic safety measures.
The following foods are considered high choking hazards for children under 4 years old:
Hot dogs, nuts and seeds, large chunks of meat and cheese, popcorn, gum, hard and sticky candy, raw vegetables, chunks of peanut butter and whole grapes.
Household items that pose a high choking hazard to small children include:

Student receives doctor of philosophy
Robert Congrave received a doctor of philosophy degree in applied management and decision sciences with a specialization in finance from Walden University.
Congrave resides at Forest Point.

Arts Center to hold info session
The Perpich Center for Arts Education is scheduled to conduct an information session for educators, students and parents interested in the arts high school.
The informational session is scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 11 at the Duluth Comfort Suites in Canal Park.

Littlefork-Big Falls officials are looking at MACCRAY model

CLARA CITY, Minn. (AP) — The MACCRAY school district began its money-saving experiment with a four-day week this year, and so far it’s been a hit with students.
‘‘Awesome,’’ said sophomore Darren Westerman when asked to describe the first three weeks of the district’s new schedule.
His principal, Gary Sims, agrees. ‘‘It’s going really well,’’ he said.

Local officials express concern about declining enrollment

Rainy River Community College is among the Minnesota colleges that are showing a decline in enrollment, leading local officials to express concern about the future of the smallest community college in the state.
RRCC enrollment is down 60 students from last year, with a total enrollment of 260 students this fall.

The Falls High School homecoming pepfest and coronation will be held from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1. The public is welcome to attend the event, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday.

Students in fourth through 12th grade are invited to enter the 2009 Letters About Literature essay contest, sponsored by the Minnesota Humanities Center, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Minnesota Council of Teachers of English.
The contest asks readers to write a letter to an author describing how his or her work touched their life in a personal way. Authors can be of any genre or time period and can come from any country.
The deadline for the contest is Dec. 6.

By TIFFANY MADSEN, Invest Early

Confused? Startled? There are so many skills that go with literacy and it takes a ton of them before you can actually read. Take some nights to play around with books — literally. You don’t need to read the words to learn from a story. You will be surprised how much it will help when the time comes to read the words.
• Discuss book care:
What are books for? (Relay messages, tell stories, help you learn something).
How do you take care of books?
Why do we want to respect books? So we can share them with others.
• Play search and find:

Student graduates
Krystal Glowack, daughter of Jan and Terry Glowack of International Falls, graduated from Concordia University in St. Paul Sept. 11 with a master’s degree in criminal justice leadership.
She is employed in Minneapolis at Hennepin County corrections. She is a 2001 graduate of Falls High School and a 2005 graduate of the University of Minnesota, where she received a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice and sociology.

BSU dean named
Elizabeth Dunn was named as the interim dean of Bemidji State University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

By TIFFANY MADSEN, Invest Early

Are you looking for a way to show off your 3 1/2-year-olds talents to those who will be impressed and amazed? At your local early childhood screening, there are three fantastic professionals — teachers, nurses and speech clinicians — who are eager to meet you and your child.