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St. Elizabeth’s Catholic School in Sykeston, ND, was built in 1914 for about $10,000, which was raised by parishioners who were dedicated to providing a good education for their children. Each farmer of the parish hauled six loads of stone and sand for the foundation. It was built solidly so that another story for a high school might be added in the future. The Presentation Sisters from Fargo staffed the school, which held eight grades. In 1947, a residence for the sisters was added to the school. Enrollment on opening day was 52 with a high of 102. More than 600 students graduated from St. Elizabeth’s, with the final graduation ceremony held on May 24, 1968.

I was one of those graduates, attending St. Elizabeth’s from 1958 to 1966. My first-grade teacher was Sister Patricia, who also taught my dad. We all have unique memories of our years there. Mine include piano lessons from Sister Rose in the Sisters’ residence; softball at every recess; learning to love writing, a...

I have been an artist since I was a little girl growing up in central North Dakota. My artistic pursuits of drawing, painting, writing, and singing have brought me great joy throughout my life. Hours fly by when you can lose yourself in doing something you love! I channeled my interest in writing and visual arts into a fairly successful career as a public relations professional and rose through the ranks in communications and marketing departments in energy, healthcare and higher education. My spare time was spent honing my skills as a painter and singer. My formal education focused on communications and business, but I took drawing and painting classes whenever possible from local and regional artists and online, as I searched for a...