Making music in Ulen

Scuffling sneakers and bouncing basketballs will be replaced by jazz and folk music this year in Ulen, Minn.

The Ulen-Hitterdal School District is hosting a performing arts series in a renovated theater that used to be a gymnasium.

Here's the line-up for the series:

• Oct. 15 - Four Shadow (men's a cappella group).

• Nov. 12 - The Hard Bop Sax Quartet (bebop and jazz)

• Jan. 14 - Kathie and the Ministry of Jazz (New Orleans Jazz)

• Feb. 18 - Chuck Suchy (folk singer)

• March 11 - Poitin (Irish band)

• May 6 - The Fantastic Convertibles (popular music from the 1950s and '60s).

A season pass costs $40. A ticket for an individual show costs $15. For more information, contact the school at (218) 596-8853.

The theater is used mainly for high school concerts. The district figures the performing art series - aimed in part at older district residents who might not want to drive far for entertainment - will help make fuller use of the theater, renovation of which was completed last year.

The music series is an ambitious project for a rural school district, said Therese Vogel, Ulen-Hitterdal's community education director.

The district hopes to offer the music series again next year if this year's season goes well, she said.

Nancy Tisor, a counselor at Fargo's Lincoln Elementary, is one of four finalists for North Dakota Teacher of the Year.

Other finalists are: Donna Nestoss, a sixth-grade teacher at Bismarck's Roosevelt Elementary; Fred Strand, a mathematics teacher at Hatton School and Jane Pole, a secondary English teacher at Bismarck High School.

The winner of the award will be announced at the North Dakota Education Association instructional conference Oct. 20.

The state teacher of the year has come from Fargo the last two years.

Six people will be inducted Oct. 8 into the Moorhead High School Hall of Honor.

Tickets for the ceremony cost $20 and must be purchased by Monday. Call (284) 284-2345 or (218) 284-2346 to buy tickets.

This year's inductees are Fred Behling, Patrick Benedict, Allan Carlson, Byron Gigler, Alan Hopeman and Warren Magnuson.

For more information on nominating people to the hall, go to www.moorhead.k12.mn.us .

Students at Oak Grove Elementary School in Fargo will receive oak trees today in honor of their new school.

Sharon Bartels of the North Dakota Forest Service will teach students how to care for the trees. Each year the Forest Service sponsors a school tree program. The agency also will give the school three two-foot oak trees for landscaping.

Forum reporters Jonathan Knutson can be reached at jknutson@forumcomm.com and Erin Froslie at efroslie@forumcomm.com .