Caption: Far left, Northern Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Mike Wanous stands with the winners of the senior math division from the 2023 math contest. From left in order of placing, Sami Winker, Catie Neumann, Max Lightfield, Cassidy Terwilliger, and Kate Conner.

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C Northern State University will host the 69th Annual Mathematics Contest on Thursday, April 18 at the Barnett Center, with an awards ceremony to follow at 1 p.m. High school students from around the area are invited to compete in one of four¡­

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C Northern alum Julie Melius Dvorak is taking the bench in South Dakota¡¯s 5th Circuit Court, which consists of Brown, Campbell, Day, Edmunds, Faulk Marshall, McPherson, Roberts, Spink, and Walworth counties. She was appointed by Governor Kristi Noem at the beginning of January. Prior to the appointment, Dvorak was an attorney in Aberdeen at Siegel, Barnett & Schutz.

Dvorak had been working in the legal field for 15 years before she started thinking of becoming a judge.

¡°I was inspired to seek this position because I want to make a difference¡­

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C Over 200 high school students from across South Dakota will be at Northern State University for the sixth annual Educators Rising South Dakota State Conference on Feb. 28. The event is designed for students who are interested in becoming educators and are involved with their school¡¯s Educators Rising chapter. At the conference, students will have the opportunity to engage in professional development while networking with peers from across the state, exchanging ideas, and sharing resources.

¡°Our ability to recruit and retain high-quality teachers¡­

Caption: From left to right, Suzi Fitterer (Corky), Meghan Sheets (Laura) and Ben Shortt (Norm) rehearse ¡°Meteor Shower.¡±

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C The Northern State University Theatre Program will present the play "Meteor Shower" by Steve Martin in the Johnson Fine Arts Center Black Box Theater. Performances will run at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 29, March 1 and 2, as well as at 3 p.m. on March 3.

Steve Martin¡¯s imaginative comedy, ¡°Meteor Shower,¡± pits two married couples against each other in a battle of wits and wills. When Corky and Norm have¡­

Caption: Dakotah Lindwurm celebrates her third-place win and qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics after the Marathon Team Trials in Orlando, Florida. Photo by Johnny Zhang, CITIUS MAG, all rights reserved.

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m so excited that I punched my ticket to Paris. I¡¯ve been dreaming and envisioning this moment for so long, and I can¡¯t believe my dreams are coming true,¡± said Dakotah Lindwurm.

Lindwurm, a Northern State University alum, qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics at the Marathon Team Trials in Orlando, Florida¡­

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C Internationally acclaimed Ruta Sepetys will return to campus for Northern State University¡¯s annual Larry and Julie Poeppel Family Common Read Lecture on Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. In 2017, Sepetys delivered the lecture on her novel ¡°Salt to the Sea.¡±

The lecture will be held in Harvey and Cynthia Jewett Theater in the Johnson Fine Arts Center. It is open to the public and free to attend.

¡°We are very excited to welcome Ruta Sepetys back to Northern for our 15th annual Common Read! Ruta was here in 2017 and we¡¯re fortunate that she¡¯s returning to¡­

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C In 2023, Northern State University launched the state¡¯s only 2-year degree in early childhood education. Initially, the Department of Social Services partnered with Northern to provide full-tuition scholarships for five students. Now, DSS has increased the number of Early Childhood Education Scholarships to 10.

The Early Childhood Education Scholarships will provide full tuition, fees, and books for students who commit to working in a childcare field for two years after completing the program. The deadline to apply is April 1, and awardees will be¡­

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C Dr. Lyncee Monson has been hired as Associate Dean of Nursing to launch and direct the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program at Northern State University.

¡°Dr. Monson is a welcomed addition to the College of Arts and Sciences. She brings a wealth of knowledge as a practitioner in the area as well as an educator at both a private and a public university,¡± said Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Alyssa Kiesow.

Northern recently received approval from the South Dakota Board of Regents to start the bachelor¡¯s degree program, in¡­

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C Northern State University¡¯s Chief Enrollment Management Officer Marcus Garstecki was named president of Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kansas.

¡°Dr. Garstecki has provided outstanding leadership and helped advance Northern. He will be an excellent president at Barton Community College,¡± said President Dr. Neal Schnoor. ¡°We are excited that he will remain on staff until June to help ensure a smooth transition for his successor.¡±

Garstecki started with Northern in early 2023. He will start his new role in July, following the retirement of¡­

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C The Northern State University Department of Music recently concluded its 2024 Friends of the Arts/Young Artist Competition. Almost 20 talented high school juniors and seniors from South Dakota and North Dakota submitted video recordings for the virtual competition.

The competition offered cash awards totaling $3,750, including $500 for first-place winners of each category, $250 for second-place winners, and $150 for third-place winners. Top music scholarships will also be available for those students who choose to attend Northern State University¡­