High School Highlights
BHS
* 2009 Spring - Boys and girls track
and field teams won state championships - The boys 6th consecutive.
* 2009 Fall - Boys and girls cross
country won state championships
5th consecutive for boys and 3rd
for the girls. Christian Brown Otter
won the state cross country
individual title.
* Boys cross country team ranked
24th in the USA.
* 2009 Fall - Boys football team went
undefeated and won state championship 2nd year in a row.
* 2009 Fall - Girls volleyball won the
West Region regular season.
* 2009 Fall - Boys soccer team finished 3rd at the state tournament.
* 2009 Fall - Boys tennis finished 4th
at state and Grant Bakke won the
state individual championship.
CHS
* Michael Folkers, Brittany Gefroh
and Johannes Mahlum - Semifinalists in the 2010 Merit Scholarship
Competition.
* Boys tennis -WDA Champs.
* Carrie Sandstrom - placed second,
at the West Student Congress
Invitational.
* Boys tennis - 3rd at state.
* Boys soccer - WDA Champs.
* Girls and Boys cross country teams
WDA Runner’s Up. Boys - Brett
Kelly, Champion.
* Congratulations to Brett Kelly
2009 Western Dakota Association
Outstanding Senior of the Year!
* Girls swimming/diving won state
championship.
* Girls volleyball - WDA Champs.
Thank you...
Garske Produce
Bank of North Dakota
Dakota Community Bank
US Bank
Wells Fargo
Basin Electric
Benefits for Success LTD
McElhaney Cattle Co.
Toni & Marti Janes
Tim Holtan
Retired Teacher
Donald Jakes
John & Linda Westbee
Flash Printing
Retired Teachers Bis/Mdn
Alumni
Report
Fall 2009
www.bismarckschools.org • 806 N. Washington St. • Bismarck, ND 58501 • (701) 323-4093
BHS Hall of Fame inductees 2009
FRANK BAVENDICK:
BHS graduate
1948, UND
graduate 1952.
Bavendick
began his career
in oil and gas
exploration
with a major
oil company,
serving in
the accounting and land
departments throughout
the Rocky Mountain region.
Returning to the state in 1964,
Frank established his own
private company dealing in oil
and gas exploration properties,
as well as farming and real
estate in North Dakota. He
has served many organizations,
such as University of Mary,
Bismarck State College,
Theodore Roosevelt Medora
Foundation, the Tom and
Frances Leach Foundation, and
the UND Alumni Association,
to name a few. Bavendick has
received countless awards and
has helped fund the Salvation
Army building in Bismarck, as
well as the soccer field at the
Community Bowl and the new
YMCA Wellness Center.
ANNE MAHLUM:
BHS Class of
1999, master’s
degree in
political
communication
from American
University in
Washington,
DC, in 2003.
Anne is the founder and
president of Back on My
Feet, a unique nonprofit
organization that promotes the
self-sufficiency of the homeless
population by engaging them
in running as a means to
build confidence, strength
and self-esteem. In two short
years, the organization has
grown to 170 members with
650 volunteers in Philadelphia
and Baltimore, and plans to
launch its third chapter in
Washington, D.C., next year.
Mahlum was named one of
CNN’s Top 10 Heroes of the
Year and has raised more than
$1.2 million for BOMF. She
also has her own marketing
and communications firm and
was Director of Outreach and
Marketing for Philadelphia’s
premier political watchdog
organization. An avid runner,
Anne has completed eight
marathons on five continents
and plans to run a marathon
on every continent before the
age of 30.
MARILYN MITZEL:
1971 BHS
graduate.
Mitzel began
her broadcast
career at
KFYR-TV
in Bismarck
as a general
assignment
reporter and anchor. Three
years later, she went to WRTV
in Indianapolis, then WSVN
in Miami, where she found her
niche in medical and investigative
reporting. Marilyn has received
first place news awards from
United Press International and
the Associated Press and earned
an Emmy Award for her halfhour special, “A Matter of Life and
Death” and an Emmy nomination
for her series, “Hope Never
Dies.” She has interviewed five
U.S. presidents and worked for
the White House Press Advance
Corps under the first Bush
administration. She recently
rejoined KFYR TV as morning
anchor.
GORDON WEISS:
BHS Class of
1967. Weiss
has established
himself as an
accomplished
actor on stage
and screen,
appearing in
numerous film,
TV, Broadway,
Off-Broadway, and regional
productions. His television
credits include Law & Order,
Third Watch, Spin City, and
SVU: Special Victim’s Unit. He
has appeared in such films as
Company Retreat, Imaginary
Heroes, Awakenings, and Reversal
of Fortune. One of Weiss’
Broadway productions includes
Ghetto, for which he received the
Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award
nomination for Best Featured
Actor in a Play. Gordon and his
wife live in New York.
(Continued on page 2)
BISMARCK PUBLIC SCHOOL FOUNDATION
www.bismarckschools.org
806 NORTH WASHINGTON STREET
BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA 58501-3623
PERMIT #419
BISMARCK,
ND 58504
PAID
NON-PROFIT
US POSTAGE
BPS Foundation Board:
John Westbee - President
Stifel Nicolaus
Gerald Skogely - Vice President
Retired Chief Financial Officer
Pat Senger - Treasurer
Senger & Associates
Marcia Olson
Bismarck School Board President
Inductees...
SAMUEL SHELTON
WESTGATE III,
(1944-2008): BHS
graduate of 1962;
BA from Stanford
and Ph.D. from
U.C. Berkeley.
Dr. Paul Johnson
Bismarck Schools Superintendent
Karen Bjella
BPS Foundation Exec. Director
Pat Brown
Brady Martz & Associates
LeeAnn Barnhardt
Education Coordinator
ND Supreme Court
Brian Bergeson, attorney
Schulz, Geiermann & Bergeson
Renae Hoffmann Walker
School District Public Relations
Patsy Thompson
Community Volunteer
Richard “Dick” Weber
Community Volunteer
Jean Beyer
Community Volunteer
Kelvin Hullet
Chamber of Commerce
Danni Askew & Theo Betting
Student members
BPSF Advisory Board:
Frank Bavendick
Businessman
Connie Sprynczynatyk
N.D. League of Cities Exec. Dir.
Mayor John Warford
Orthodontist
Rita Johnson
Retired Educator
Tim Herrmann
Pre-Sort Plus
BPSF Newsletter Advisors:
Sonna Anderson
District Court Judge
Dr. Doug Litchfield
Ophthalmologist
Mike Gilbertson
Teacher, BHS
Dick Karlgaard
Retired Activities Director
Ev Miller
Retired Educator
Mark Thompson
Business Owner
Jenny Wheeler Buell
Community Volunteer
Third annual Apple Dash raises funds
After receiving his degrees,
Dr. Westgate taught in Saudi
Arabia. He was brought back
to this country by North Dakota
Senator Quentin Burdick as
the State Department’s U.S.
Information Agency’s Foreign
Service Officer. Fluent in seven
languages, Westgate served 22
years in Thailand, Switzerland,
Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia and
Germany as Consul General.
Before he retired, Samuel served
as U.S. Acting Deputy Director
for Public Affairs for the African
Nations.
CHS Hall of Fame inductees 2009
Academics/Athletics:
Steve Burian,
athlete,
scholar and
businessman.
Burian is
known at CHS
for setting the
school record
in shot put his
senior year,
as well as earning numerous
conference and state places.
Steve was a National Merit
Finalist, earning a 4.0 GPA at
Century while completing 14
college credits, leading to his
valedictorian status. Burian
attended UND from 1986-1990,
where he was a track and field
standout, lettering four times
and earning All-American
honors, placing in the top three
in shot put and discus at North
Central Conference meets all
four years. As CEO of Advance
Engineering and Environmental
Services in Grand Forks, Steve
has grown the company from
a 2-man firm to a 100-person
company with eight offices in a
three-state region.
Arts/Business:
Kim (Adams)
Deneault,
volunteer. Kim
began studying
graphic art
at CHS and
Bismarck Junior
College (now BSC) in the late
1970’s. After she married in
1982, she became a full time
mother and volunteer. She
has promoted the arts in public
school systems in the United
States and in orphanages in
Indonesia. Kim applied her
talent for art and design into
quilting, and created a unique
technique called Raggedy
Reverse Applique. Deneault
travels across the country
conducting workshops and
lectures, marketing her patterns,
book and DVD, and appearing on
HGTV programs. She currently
lives in North Carolina.
Educator:
Larry
Otterson, first
CHS principal.
While an
assistant
principal at
Bismarck High
School, Larry
was named
principal at
Century prior to it opening
in 1976. During the 14 years
that Otterson was principal,
CHS established its reputation
of excellence throughout the
state. Otterson helped parents,
students and staff members
embrace the new high school and
his attitude was infectious. The
Century Patriots created new
traditions and a vibrant school
spirit radiates through the halls
today.
Science:
Jeremy
Jacobs, NASA
engineer. After
graduation
from CHS in
1991, Jeremy
served three co-op terms at
NASA in Houston, Texas. He
then graduated Summa Cum
Laude in 1995 from NDSU with a
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical
Engineering and was hired by
NASA as an engineer. In 1999,
Jacobs graduated Summa Cum
Laude with a Master of Science
degree from Texas A&M in
Mechanical Engineering and
Materials Sciences. He is also
an activist for children diagnosed
with cancer, helping his daughter,
Ava, survive the disease.
Special:
Frank
Bavendick,
philanthropist
and community
leader. A child
of the Great
Depression,
Frank never
shied away from work in any
realm. As a champion on the
track field in 1948, he learned
to work hard. After graduation
from UND, Bavendick delved
into the oil business. As an
individual consultant and
contractor, and as a real estate
and mineral properties investor,
his astuteness and foresight paid
off. By age 48, Frank transferred
his energies from work to serving
the community. He has dedicated
time and money to numerous
boards, including the Bismarck
Community Bowl.
Over 300 participants from
all Bismarck Public Schools and
the community helped raise
over $12,500 in the BPS Foundation’s Third Annual Apple
Dash Run/Walk for education.
The half-mile and one mile
non-competitive and the 5K
walk/run is a family focused
fitness fundraiser with proceeds
going toward Bismarck Public
School teacher mini-grants.
Highland Acres Elementary
won the Apple Dash trophy for
participation with more than 16
percent of the students participating. All the public elementary, middle and high schools
were represented.
“We could not have asked for
more enthusiastic participants,
and we were really excited for all
the young families that came out
and participated,” said Foundation director Karen Bjella. The
BHS and CHS
boys and girls
cross-country
teams helped
lead the
events and
monitor the
course. There
was music,
face painting,
inflatables,
carnival games, Starbucks
coffee, grilled hamburgers,
caramel apples and a National Guard helicopter landed on
the field prior to the start of
the events.
Memorials/Honorariums - a lasting gift
Giving a memorial is a
special way to remember and
honor someone. When the BPS
Foundation receives a memorial, a prompt and appropriate
acknowledgement is sent to
the honoree or the bereaved
family. Your gift to the BPSF
is deductible for income tax
purposes, in accordance with
IRS regulations.
Recent memorials/honorariums include:
In memory of Virginia
Schultz Hassoon, BHS ‘54,
anonymous gift.
In honor of Rita A. Johnson
In memory of Aldeen
& Ann Vadnie given by Michael
Paris Welsh Taylor, BHS
Vadnie.
‘30, given by Frank Welsh.
In memory of Nancy PeterIn memory of Stan Weeks
son Heising given by Doug &
given by Paul Johnson &
Letty Dunahay.
Teresa Monicken.
In memory of Marilyn Keller
In memory of Viola Bohn
& Virginia Lester, BHS ‘55,
Rolfson given by Pat & Dick
given by Paula Sanders BernKarlgaard.
stein.
In memory of Richard
In memory of Brad J Melby
Pfeifle given by Thomas
given by Michelle Garot.
Pfeifle.
In memory of H. Charles
In honor of Rita Johnson
“Chuck” Boyd-Snee given by
given by Margaret Olson.
Rancy Boyd-Snee.
Please remember the BPS Foundation
in your estate planning!
Thank you donors!
If you were a recent contributor
and you do not see your name,
please let us know so we can include it in the next Alumni Report!
Schmidt Insurance Services
Y93/FM
Subway
MVP Inc.
Qwest
H.A. Thompson & Sons
Scheels
Brady Martz
Kirkwood Mall
Burger King
Bobcat
Best Buy
Tesoro
NISC
Starbucks Coffee
Wells Fargo
JT’s Inflatable Games
Gold’s Gym
Rita Johnson
Bruce Perry, MD PHD
Connie Hofland & Dr. Craig Johnson
Jesperson Orthodontics
Starion Financial
BlueCross BlueShield of ND
Ressler Chevrolet
J2 Studio
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
United Tribes Wellness Program
Cornerstone Bank
Dan’s Super Market
Kadrmas Lee & Jackson
Northern Improvement
Lynn Moser
Sue & Sybil Wezelman
Kirk Lanterman
David & Karen Gayton
Darl E. Palmer
Ev Miller
Harry Pearce
Gerald & Marilyn Skogely
Brian & Karen Bjella
Lonnie & Dianna Kindseth
Pat Conlin
Frank Welsh
Michelle Lindblom
Henry Herr
(Continued on page 4)