Grand Forks school district and Northrop Grumman celebrate their partnership's 10-year milestone
May 3—GRAND FORKS — Grand Forks students have benefitted from mentorship and collaboration opportunities — and exposed them to potential STEM careers — because of the public school system's decades-long partnership with Northrop Grumman.
That was the overarching theme of the special event Thursday, May 2, the The Hive to mark the 10th anniversary of the partnership.
Representatives of Northrop Grumman, a leading global security company, and Grand Forks Public Schools marked the 10th anniversary of their partnership with a summary and slide show, presented by Eric Ripley, executive director of career and technical education and technology with the school district.
Attendees were invited to the event to hear first-hand accounts of the initiatives and financial support that have positively impacted the Grand Forks community. The occasion featured key stakeholders who reflected on the partnership, and the resulting collaborative efforts and substantial outreach support.
Bolstered by support from Northrop Grumman, Joe Ostgarden said his VEX robotics team at Red River High School has won the state VEX robotics championship eight times. Ostgarden is a science teacher and VEX robotics coach at the school.
In a video message, Broden Diederich, a graduate of RRHS who is now a junior at the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis, told the group that STEM experiences, which began when he was in middle school in Grand Forks, fueled his interest in pursuing a career in aerospace engineering.
As a student in Grand Forks, Diederich benefited from working with mentors at Northrop Grumman; he was offered three summer internships and will be starting a fourth internship very shortly, he said.
He was selected, as a seventh-grader, to attend Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, where he was "absolutely blown away, watching the simulations," he said. "It was absolutely fascinating to me."
Diederich spent all four years in high school in the VEX programs, which reinforced his interest in design, programming and engineering, he said. Ripley said, "You're a great example of someone who's taken advantage of all the opportunities that Northrop Grumman has offered in school." He noted especially the impact of the HIP, or High School Involvement Program, and Project Lead the Way, a national initiative to promote STEM education.
The Career Impact Academy, now under construction in northwest Grand Forks, will further expand STEM learning opportunities, Ripley said.
Because of the partnership with Northrop Grumman, Jay Johnson, an eighth-grade automation and robotics teacher at South Middle School, said his students are gaining valuable hands-on learning experiences with technology that have been made available to him and his colleagues in similar roles at Schroeder and Valley middle schools.
Based on his nine years in this role, he said students "are seeing the opportunities that are out there, and you can almost see their minds work — and you think, where are these kids going to end up."
Ripley said, "Ever since the beginning of Grand Sky, Northrop Grumman has extended their outreach programs to strengthen and expand STEM-based opportunities for students."
The opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the past ten years of the collaboration this week "is significant."
The partnership has facilitated numerous educational programs, mentorship opportunities and technological advancements, enriching the learning experiences of students and educators alike, Ripley said. "Through strategic investments and hands-on involvement, both entities have contributed to the growth and success of the community."
Mike Fridolfs, site director for Northrop Grumman at Grand Sky, said preparing skilled engineers is about "more than just smarts."
"You guys are producing good people," Fridolfs said, noting especially the school district's career counselors and STEM teachers.
"For the next 20, 30 or 40 years — or however long it lasts — it is going to be such a great ride."
