WILLISTON, ND (KUMV) – Classes have resumed at Williston Middle School’s central campus.

The facility consists of three buildings in downtown Williston. The Bakken-Ridge Center, formerly Bakken Elementary, houses fifth and sixth grade students. The Coyote Center, formerly Williston Middle School, serves as the primary classroom for seventh and eighth grade students. Finally, the ASB Center, formerly Innovation Academy, is for electives. More than 1,600 students were in attendance on the first day of school on Wednesday.

“They were chaotic but fun. I saw all my friends and my teachers are really nice,” said Brooke Wenko, an eighth-grader.

This is the second year the Williston Basin School District has used this configuration, with several changes made to improve safety and reduce congestion. This also includes new leadership, as former Innovation Academy and Hagan Elementary principal Audra Zimmerman is now the central campus’s executive principal.

“I think we have put in place a lot more systems for behavior and academic performance this year,” Zimmerman said.

One of these systems requires students to turn in their cell phones at the beginning of the school day. The devices are stored in a locker and only returned at the end of the day. It’s a decision that divides students.

“It helps kids avoid distractions when they’re not on their phones during class,” says Asher Mosley, an eighth-grader.

“I think it helps those causes, but we can use cell phones for many other things as well, and I think we should start doing that because cell phones are part of everyone’s daily life,” Wenko said.

Another focus is lunch. Zimmerman said there will be four lunch breaks instead of three to better accommodate the large number of students.

This constellation is to remain in place until the opening of the new primary school in 2026.

Zimmerman said her teaching positions are filled with the help of five permanent substitute teachers and several foreign teachers.

All rights reserved.