A couple weeks ago, three very proud young people were the stars of their high school graduation at Dakota Memorial School. That was kind of a funny time of year for a graduation. It also doesn't sound like a very large graduation class.…
Education
The Midco Foundation awarded $1,000 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch to underwrite the additional costs (created by the pandemic) of safely operating the Bismarck campus of Dakota Memorial School (DMS), the on-campus school of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. Specific costs include purchasing masks for the children, disinfecting, Personal Protective Equipment for the teachers, and individual devices for the kids. Keeping kids safe, while providing the best possible care, is a top priority at the Ranch.…
Vocational Education began at the Minot campus many years ago with livestock, a corn crop, and honeybees. It has changed over the years to become Career and Technical Education, and now students learn and practice technicals skills like small engine repair, welding, carpentry, plumbing, facilities maintenance, and more.…
The Elmer & Kaya Berg Foundation awarded $1,000 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch to purchase school supplies for the residential and Day School children on the Ranch’s Fargo campus.…
Capital Electric Cooperative granted $2,000 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch toward the completion of a remodel of Dakota Memorial School—Bismarck, the on-campus school of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. Specifically, funds will be used to furnish and equip two classrooms that were created to increase the programming we offer and to better serve our current students.…
School is so much more than a place to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. In school, children learn how to work in teams, how to build relationships with their peers and adults, and how to manage their emotions and feelings when in a bustling and energy-filled environment. If kids in treatment can learn to operate within those environments, rather than isolated from them, they have a better chance of success when they leave treatment. School gives them a place to practice the new skills they are learning in a "normal" environment.…
Sam’s Club—Bismarck granted $1,500 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch to underwrite the cost of materials for the students at Dakota Memorial School. The granted funds, donated through Sam’s Club’s Community Grant Program, will be used to purchase textbooks and school supplies for the upcoming school year.…
Cass County Electric Cooperative granted $2,500 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch toward the completion of an innovative remodel of Dakota Memorial School—Fargo, the on-campus school of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. Dakota Memorial School is a fully accredited school designed to provide best-in-class trauma-sensitive education for at-risk children. The population includes the children in our psychiatric residential treatment facilities, as well as Day Students from public schools in the surrounding area.…
Anthony didn't plan to graduate from high school. For as long as he can remember, his plan was to drop out of school as soon as he reached the legal dropout age. Yet, he was one of six students to graduate from Dakota Memorial School (DMS) in May, and he gave a commencement speech during the ceremony. It was a proud moment for Anthony. "All the things I've been through, I never really thought I'd graduate," he said. Anthony's graduation was a dream come true for his parents an older brother. For Anthony, graduation was proof he can do and accomplish more than he even dared to dream.…
The education our kids receive at Dakota Memorial School is an integral part of the services we offer, both to our kids in the residential program, as well as to our Day Students from the surrounding communities. The teachers who come to work each day to provide an education for our students are some of the most special people. We wanted to give them a space to share stories of their experiences in the classroom, so we are excited to present to you: Teacher's Corner.…
The education our kids receive at Dakota Memorial School is an integral part of the services we offer, both to our kids in the residential program, as well as to our Day Students from the surrounding communities. The paraprofessionals (paras) in our schools are a critical component to the provision of exceptional special education services and support. They are an important aspect of the Trauma Learning Culture at Dakota Memorial School (DMS), as they model a positive and encouraging attitude. At DMS, paras help students learn academic and social skills, encourage positive behavior, and provide one-on-one instructional assistance to students under the supervision of a qualified teacher.…
The education our kids receive at Dakota Memorial School is an integral part of the services we offer, both to our kids in the residential program, as well as to our Day Students from the surrounding communities. The teachers who come to work each day to provide an education for our students are some of the most special people. We wanted to give them a space to share stories of their experiences in the classroom, so we are excited to present to you: Teacher's Corner.…
The education our kids receive at Dakota Memorial School is an integral part of the services we offer, both to our kids in the residential program, as well as to our Day Students from the surrounding communities. The paraprofessionals (paras) in our schools are a critical component to the provision of exceptional special education services and support. They are an important aspect of the Trauma Learning Culture at Dakota Memorial School (DMS), as they model a positive and encouraging attitude. At DMS, paras help students learn academic and social skills, encourage positive behavior, and provide one-on-one instructional assistance to students under the supervision of a qualified teacher.…
The education our kids receive at Dakota Memorial School is an integral part of the services we offer, both to our kids in the residential program, as well as to our Day Students from the surrounding communities. The teachers who come to work each day to provide an education for our students are some of the most special people. We wanted to give them a space to share stories of their experiences in the classroom, so we are excited to present to you: Teacher's Corner.…
Alana Wilhelm, art teacher at Dakota Memorial School, uses the power of art to inspire and heal children at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. Many Ranch kids are able to express their perspective, ideas, and feelings through visual metaphors and concepts in color, shape, and line--even when they are unable to express those feelings in words.…
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, Dakota Memorial School students picked up their pens and began writing stories of magnificent creations. Students wrote about dragons, sword fights, puppies, and big cities. They also wrote about their experiences surviving years of trauma, neglect, and abuse.…
Our on-campus school district, Dakota Memorial School (DMS), is a remarkable place. Teachers at DMS use trauma-sensitive approaches to learning in balanced learning environment classrooms. What does that mean? It means we understand that for most Ranch kids, school has been a place of failure. To survive amidst chaos and traumatic experiences most of us can't even imagine, they developed "undesirable" behaviors that make it hard to learn.…
Cher Baggett's classroom was a barnyard...literally. Hay, pine chips, heat lamps, and chickens. On the other side of Dakota Memorial School (DMS), the on-campus school of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, high school students were learning the math and science behind boat design and flotation, and ultimately, building a wooden boat!…
We've been talking about trauma-informed care and trauma-sensitive classrooms for a long time at the Ranch. But, for me at least, it's been difficult to grasp what exactly that means, and how to explain it. When I interviewed the teachers featured in this article, I saw very clearly that trauma-sensitivity is much more than talk and some cool furniture. Dakota Memorial School (DMS) teachers are trauma-sensitive from the tops of their heads to the very tips of their toes.…
When Adam, a Dakota Memorial School (DMS) day student, took his first art class a couple of years ago, he fell in love with photography.…
Shawn and Maddie share their inspiring stories--how they came to the Ranch, the barriers that got in their way, their ultimate success, and their plans. Read their stories of courage and perseverance.…
I’ve always known “Trauma-Sensitive Classroom” was an important concept in education, but I wasn’t exactly sure what it looked like in my lesson plans or day-to-day interactions with students. I’m going into the teaching field, and I consider myself a nice person—that should be enough to indicate that I’m considerate to students and their trauma, right? Wrong. My assumptions of what it means to react to student behaviors in a trauma-sensitive manner were way off base.…
When I walked into my classroom at Dakota Memorial School before school started, it hit me that this is the beginning of my career. This is where all the conversations start, “Well my first year as a teacher...” I feel a combination of ready to go and ready to run away. I’m both eager and terrified. I feel a huge weight to make an impact and be a superhero for my students. Knowing myself and my flaws, I feel as though I have already let them down.…
In just a few weeks, Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch will celebrate the graduation of 10 high school seniors! That may not seem like a large class. And for a regular public school, it wouldn’t be. But, for a school the size of the Ranch, with kids who have worked so hard and battled great odds, ten graduates is a really big deal!…
For many of the students at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, school has been a difficult experience. This is especially true for students who haven’t developed coping skills to work through their intense emotions. In most school environments, classes are large and the easiest way to deal with disruptive behavior is to remove kids from the classroom. Removing them from the classroom causes them to miss essential learning opportunities, which puts them at an increased risk for continued failure. So, at Dakota Memorial School (DMS), we strive to keep kids in the classroom as much as possible.…