Knutson

Currently in his second year as principal of Little Flower School in Rugby, Jorgen Knutson has his name on a very prestigious wall.

In June 2013, Knutson joined a pantheon of North Dakota educators, school staff, administrators and community members who have won the highest award for participation in the Roughrider Health Promotion Conference: the Roughrider Award.

“It’s a very prestigious award. It influences other people coming into the program,” Knutson said. “It also helps reinforce goals we have for the school and it shows you’re on the right path.”

The conference is a four-day event held in Medora. The mission is to promote concepts of a healthy lifestyle and share, learn and develop plans for healthy communities and schools. It is full of physical activities, as well as presentations on various topics, including after-school programs, drug-free schools, personal wellness, school/community collaboration and risk prevention. Conference participants are expected to come up with an action plan they can take back to their schools and communities, one that is feasible and based on an expanded knowledge of health and prevention initiatives.

“It’s a really good conference. There are really good programs for physical education and getting kids involved,” Knutson said.

Knutson attended the conference this summer too. At the time he won the award, he was co-op’ed with a delegation from the Dunseith school system.

Before coming to Little Flower, Knutson served as a principal in Dunseith for more than 10 years, and in Rolette and Belcourt for five years each. He started working as an educator in Sykeston.

Kelly Dockter, of Ashley, was the winner of the Roughrider award at the 2014 conference.