1/25/2006 – News
Volume 122, Number
Oberon native honored in Carrington for helping others
BY ALLEN V. STOCK The Independent Carrington
NDEditor’s note: The following article concerns Holly Zieman of Carrington, a 1966 graduate of Oberon High School. She is the daughter of Gilmen and Vivian Hegland of Sheyenne, formerly of Oberon. Her husband, Rod, is the son of Dorothy Zieman of Billings, Mont., formerly of Sheyenne, and the late Al Zieman.
Thirty-five years of devotion to and working with people has labeled a Carrington registered nurse the recipient of the Foster County Independent’s "Heart of Gold Award" for 2005.
Holly Zieman, who says she enjoys being with and just helping others, was selected over some 25 other nominees to win this year’s first-ever award.
Zieman’s nominators reflected her character as did several other area nominators who spoke highly of residents in and around the Carrington area.
However, Zieman’s work and comments stated by those who nominated her were among the best in the eyes of the judges.
As a registered nurse from her opening years out of college, Zieman has always been there for people.
"I started my career in 1971 at the Veterans Hospital in Fargo and was that ever an awakening in my life," she said.
"Had it not been for one doctor there who really helped this rookie along, I don’t know what would have happened. But I got through two years."
In 1973 she and husband, Rod, a member of the ND Highway Patrol, moved to Carrington where Rod had been assigned.
Holly began working at the Carrington Hospital in 1973 as a registered nurse and continued there until 1981.
She then was a clinic nurse at the Foster County Medical Center from 1981 to 1990 with Dr. Ron Wagner and Candace Kreiter.
Then came full-time service at the Carrington Health Center Long Term Care and CHC Home Health along with hospice care on a part-time basis until 2002.
She took her RN duties to the Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd at New Rockford from October of 2002 until July of 2003 when she signed on with Golden Acres Manor where she puts in a full-time weekly shift of 35 hours.
But that means there are more hours in the week and Holly has found additional work through her spiritual self to help others while administering the code of a registered nurse.
She is also a part-time parish nurse with Brenda Loken at Trinity Lutheran Church.
"This is where you have to work to balance emotional, physical and spiritual lives and I just love it," Zieman said in a brief time between appointments at the church last week.
"You know, it just isn’t here at the church where it has to be done, it’s in all nursing that one needs to fulfill this obligation to people and patients," she said.
Zieman talked about her nursing duties at Golden Acres Manor and noted "these people have very little they can bring along to a nursing home when they come here."
"But one thing most of them have with them is their own Bible, some tattered and torn, special notes and clippings inside their treasured book and that’s what I mean about being a full-service nurse to those people.
Some of them need to just talk," Zieman said.
In working with the elderly, working with hospice and the everyday tasks that a nurse confronts, Zieman said she has learned and accepted the fact that being with terminal persons is why, she believes, she is still working.
"The older I get, the longer I’m a nurse, the more I’m drawn closer to people who are dying. You need to be a good listener and have a kind heart," she said. "Through the good and bad of it all, it still warms my heart to be with those people."
It is through her faith and knowledge of nursing that Zieman makes it through these sometimes difficult situations.
And, for Holly, there have been other difficult situations as well.
Husband, Rod, who spent many years with the ND Highway Patrol, was injured on duty and following many surgeries and recuperation time, was unable to continue his job.
"He still has trouble sitting, standing, he’s in pretty bad shape," Holly says.
But it didn’t take long after Rod’s retirement for Holly to realize she would have to step up for the family to pull through. "I realized I would have to be the breadwinner and carry the load," she said, "and you know, everything works out through prayer and faith."
Still, with her two jobs today, Holly finds time to send cards and letters to servicemen who are serving abroad.
She has a reason. Her son, Reed, spent a tour on duty in Iraq with the ND National Guard 141st, something she said, "Scared the dickens out of me."
When first hearing that Reed was scheduled to be deployed, she went to him, as a mother would do, and asked many questions.
Reed’s reply was, "Mom, it’s my job, I’m a soldier. Who would you rather send?"
That, she said, put her mind at a bit of ease . . . if there ever is an ease for a mother who was about to see her son go off to war.
When Reed’s tour of duty was over, it was one of Holly’s happiest days of her life.
"I was just overwhelmed when I saw him come walking home alive and breathing."
Reed is now a student at NDSU in Fargo.
And for that and other reasons, Holly sends cards and letters to servicemen, offers thanks and tells them everything about what’s happening at home.
Holly calls her spare time "the few hours I get to spend outside in my flower garden . . . I love that . . . and camping in the mountains."
Her other spare time is being with her grandchildren from daughters Nerissa and Eric Zink of Reno, Nev. and Nikole and Mitch Page of rural Carrington.
Holly’s nominators for the award included a couple of "this is who she is"
paragraphs such as these:
"This (her work) in itself would make for a full week for most people but I KNOW that Holly does the same thing for other parishioners at the church.
Holly is so kind and just makes you ‘feel good all over’ after visiting with her. She even helps with medications and advice to people that are not members of the church."
"Holly certainly has a ‘Heart of Gold’ for the elderly, any who are sick, all who need a listening ear and any that are apart from family. The unnamed Good Samaritan was really about Holly Zieman. Look at the odometer of her car — license plate ‘cgmago.’ You know she goes that extra mile."
And that’s why Holly Zieman, 660 5th Ave. North, Carrington, is this year’s "Heart of Gold" recipient.
Holly Zieman with a bouquet of flowers she received upon being named the "Heart of Gold" award winner at Carrington. She is a native of the Oberon area.
Bee contestants
Noah Engels, a 7th grade student at the Maddock School won the school-level competition of the National Geographic Bee Jan. 13. He now has a chance at a $25,000 college scholarship. He is the son of Joe and Merritt Engels. The school-level bee, at which students answered oral questions on geography, was the first round in the 18th annual National Geographic Bee. The bee is sponsored by the National Geographic Society. Students who competed in the school-level competition were, left to right, front row, Kristen Smith, daughter of Gregg and Karen Smith; Kaleb Westad, son of Denise McGath and Willard Westad; Kelsey Smith, daughter of Keith and Cindy Smith; Zachary Eyl, son of Michelle Eyl and Morgan Eyl; and Erik Broten, son of Shelly Broten and Duane Vetsch. Back row: Noah Engels; Ben Backstrom, son of Dennis and Priscilla Backstrom; Mitchell Olson, son of Marnie Stadum and Brent Olson; and Jenae Johnson, daughter of Jerry and Bonnie Johnson. Not pictured is John Sears, son of Jerry and Marianne Sears.
Music students
Music students of the quarter at the Leeds Elementary School are Andrea Jorgenson, seated, and standing, left to right, are Andrew Bowman, Kaylee Lybeck, Jeni Swanson, Clay Kitzmann and Lane Ritterman.
Band students of the quarter at Leeds are Kassie Baker, left, and Meghan Jorgenson. Elementary music and band (grades 3-6) are taught by Lucia Jacobson.
Buehler takes third in state
Hunter Buehler of the Maddock School placed third in the state finals of the Elks Hoop Shoot in the 8-9 year age group for boys. He is the son of Todd and Nadley Buehler of Oberon.
4-H leaders honored at banquet
The 54th annual 4-H Leaders and North Central Soil Conservation District Recognition Banquet was held at the Minnewaukan School on January 8. The event recognized 4-H Leaders of Benson County for their dedicated years of service to the 4-H program.
Honored were BC Blazers 4-H Club leaders Bonnie Erickson, Kathy Martin and Jon and Kim Ness; Cuatro Haches Grupo 4-H Club leaders Ron and Tami Keller and Val Olson; Farm & Home Improvement 4-H Club leaders Priscilla Backstrom, Merritt Engels and Diane Randle; Happy Helpers 4-H Club leaders Diane Keller, Willard Westad and Marie Williams; Leeds Town & Country 4-H Club leaders Greg & Marlys Bauer, Sheila Hoffert and Lori Nelson; Mavericks 4-H Club leaders Sheri Diehl and Roxanne Gillespie; and Tomorrow’s Leaders 4-H Club leaders Lori Cline, Linette Yri and Curt and Terry Yri.
This year’s Senior Overall Livestock Showmanship award recipient was Jordan Backstrom and the Junior Overall Livestock Showmanship award recipient was Janna Rice. Two 10-year 4-H members were recognized, Brian Grondahl and Erin Maddock. Anne Backstrom received the Key Club award. The 2005 Conservation Achievement Award recipient was Ron Erickson of Esmond.
This year’s entertainment was provided by Blake Krabseth, magician/comedian. His acts included a lot of audience participation.
Left to right are magician Blake Krabseth; John Martin, 4-H parent; Diane Randle, Farm & Home Improvement 4-H Club leader; and Dwain Brown, Benson County commissioner.
Left to right are Jacob Martin of the BC Blazers 4-H Club, magician Blake Krabseth and Cooper Knoke of the Leeds Town & Country 4-H Club.
Left to right are Rep. Dennis Johnson of Devils Lake and magician Blake Krabseth.
Oberon readers honored
Students from the Oberon School who were awarded prizes for completing their required September reading assignments were, left to right, front
row: Mckenzie Scott, Levi Thumb, Larissa Dunn, Jaden Whitetail, Louis Blacklance Jr. and Jace Feather. Second row: Jason Feather, Sierra Charboneau, Raylene Scott, Tiana Thumb, Thomas Brown, Shawn Charboneau, Canisha Keo and Tristian Whitetail. Third row: Bailey Thumb, Cheyenne Whitetail, Darica Deckert, Emily Thumb, Shaylee Scott, Mikellene Applebee and Brock Azure. Fourth row: Chelsea Hook, Jami Jetty, Lacey Brown, Dakotah Greywater, Myron Wanna Jr., Tanisha Thumb and Sarah Hook. Back row: Tanya Twohearts, Cody Greywater, George Brown, Alfred Littlewind and Cyril Shaw.
170 teachers attend NESC classes
More than 170 local teachers spent January 16 at Lake Region State College in Devils Lake taking in a variety of educational workshops.
The day of educational sessions was presented by the Northeast Education Services Cooperative (NESC). This is the second-annual in-service sponsored by the NESC.
Classes ranged from all-day sessions of Practical Classroom Strategies for Differentiating Instruction to half-day courses on computer software programs and brain-based teaching, to smaller workshops on software, writing skills, bullying and aggression, at-risk students and food safety.
Through the use of teacher and administrator feedback, the NESC has been able to put together an in-service that meets the needs of the educators in the area, said Joel Braaten, superintendent of the Leeds School, an NESC member.
"As the in-service continues to grow in participation, we hope to provide an even larger variety of professional development opportunities for educators," Braaten said.
The NESC, formed in January of 2002, has 17 member school districts. Member schools benefiting from the NESC include Adams-Edmore, Bisbee-Egeland, Cando, Dakota Prairie, Devils Lake, Four Winds, Lakota, Langdon, Leeds, Maddock, Minnewaukan, Munich, Rock Lake, Rolette, Starkweather, Warwick and Wolford. Lake Region State College, Cankdeska Cikana (Little Hoop) Community College and Lake Region Special Education Unit serve as cooperating partners.
Braaten said the NESC will carefully examine the teacher feedback from this last in-service and use that data to enhance the professional development opportunities for next January’s in-service as well as for a planned August NESC in-service.
"I heard many positive comments from educators in our building about the quality of the professional development activities presented at this year’s in-service," he added.
Cooks, kitchen staff, administrators and wellness teachers took in a session on school wellness policies by Sue Milender from the ND Dept. of Public Instruction.