Portrait of a Small, Rural School: Sweet Briar, North Dakota

While the two buildings that make up Sweet Briar sit windswept and isolated on a narrow gravel road southwest of Bismarck, North Dakota, life at this small, K-8 school is anything but lonely or foreboding. Well before school officially starts (there is no need for bells at a school of 29 students), most students are braving the cold early morning October gusts to joyfully play against a backdrop of grassy, rolling hills. The sudden appearance of the RSC team and Michael Heilman, RSC North Dakota Regional Hub lead and the area superintendent, cuts play short as kids flock to the man known for bringing sweet treats whenever he visits.

After a brief, cordial, and energetic debate, two students emerge victorious in claiming the honors of leading the tour. While at first glance it might not seem like there’s much to tour– two buildings, one old, one new, both small– Sweet Briar’s diminutive footprint belies the massive innovation and positive forces at work. The ‘elementary’ building, which consists of a single first-floor classroom and basement room, is where Sweet Briar’s youngest students learn from K-2 teacher Clarissa Kruger. As second grader Haley shows off Clarissa’s classroom, it’s evident that lots of love and intention goes into every aspect of the space and each day’s lessons.

The new, two-classroom 3rd-8th grade building that Aunalaye displays is equally inspiring, and a testament to the community support and backing that has seen Sweet Briar grow its numbers to the point where administration needed to pause the school’s open enrollment due to reaching full capacity. Sweet Briar received, for instance, over $25,000 in donations to support building a new playground, and parents and community members frequently lead lessons related to their careers, help out around the building, and drive and chaperone fieldtrips. For a school staff of four teachers, with no bus drivers, custodians, or cooks, family buy-in and community involvement are essential.

Mary McHugh, who teaches 5th-8th grade and also serves as school director, notes the wide net of support: “even the larger community is wonderful. We have a fall festival. We have a Christmas program, we have a spring program. And they come and shower a lot of praise on the kids. You know, just that, it makes them feel really good when you have somebody that's maybe not even your relative, but they're coming up to you and just saying, like, ‘hey, I noticed you do a good job.” Week in and week out, the community offers, as Mary puts it, their “time, talents, and treasures” to keep Sweet Briar thriving.

Part of the success at Sweet Briar is due to significant shifts in the day’s schedule and learning structure, which came in part as a result of pandemic-era changes that Mary saw as an opportunity to make the most of small, multi-grade classrooms. Mary notes that the school has moved to interdisciplinary, project-based learning, sharing that her and her team are “really looking at the ways that you can do integrated learning. Maybe the kids are, you know, making applesauce. We have math going in, we have health going in, we have science going in, and they're writing a reflection. Being able to take more of a project-based approach, and just apply it can be really, really nice.” The only word of caution from the students on this approach? Avoid the applesauce recipe they tested with lots of salt.

The changes to the schedule have been equally successful. While Sweet Briar students do receive some traditional instruction in the form of a teacher leading class at the front of the room, part of their day is independently constructed utilizing personalized task boards. Resembling something of a choose-your-own-adventure bingo board, these sheets offer them the opportunity to work on their reading, writing, mathematics, or other projects when they choose to, which has had a big impact on engagement and ownership of their learning. On Fridays, students have ‘genius hour,’ where they research and pursue anything of interest, such as piano, fishing, or muffin-baking.

Anton, an 8th grader who also attended Sweet Briar before the new schedule, notes that he is much happier and learning better under this student-centered system. “People like more independence– especially for me, I like to decide, ‘today, I’m going to do this.’” His reading, in particular, has seen a big jump because of it. He modestly reflects that “I’m not the best reader. Before we got this new school /schedule, I always had to have the book picked for me, before we had independent time. Now I can choose what I want to do. I learn a lot better when I pick what I want to do– my mind thinks, ‘ooh, I want to do that!’ Now, I’m intrigued by that. If I just have to do math and [then] have to do reading, I’m not really wanting to do it.” Emmett, a 4th grader, concurs: “When you have your alone time, then you can regenerate your mind.”

The schedule changes also dovetailed with a seemingly radical, but highly practical change made by Mary and her fellow teachers: they do not give formal grades until the end of the year. “I don't need to figure out how many points I'm giving you for this applesauce recipe project and then determine that you've got 18 out of 20–some of that just seems so arbitrary to me. And so not having to do that, and just focusing on the learning that there has been, and what standards we are addressing through that learning, and where you're doing with how you do with those standards, has been really helpful.” The end of year grades do reflect standards-based assessments, and the data shows that the new system is working for student achievement.

Students still receive indicators of how they are doing in each class, but Mary notes that the shift away from grades allows students to focus on constructive and affirmative feedback, not the letter grade itself. “We try to give as much feedback as possible. . . we feel like that change, that shift, has really opened up the possibilities for differentiation, really opened up the possibilities for that focus on learning. We have some really high fliers, and so it's very easy to just say, like, okay, great, here's the next thing. And nobody's saying, well, I already have an A.” This is especially functional in a multi-grade classroom, where age does not always equate to where each student is at on their learning journey across each subject.

While the schedule and assessment changes have made a world of difference, everyone agrees that at Sweet Briar, the foundation to success is built upon a close-knit community and family atmosphere. Students describe that this comes both from the teachers and their peers. Anton offers that “If we’re down, or for me, I sometimes feel down and think that I can’t do anything. But my teacher says ‘think positive, do positive messaging.’ They try to keep everyone up.” Maggie, a 5th grader, sees that same support in her classroom: “Everybody follows the same rules, and nobody really fights. We all just know each other. . . If someone spills something, everybody goes and cleans up.”

It’s plain to see, then, why enrollment is up and in a state where small districts without a high school have to fight against consolidation, the faces at Sweet Briar are all smiles. Rebecca Griffin, the 2nd - 4th grade teacher, recently earned her teaching license after working in Sweet Briar as a paraprofessional. When asked what makes Sweet Briar special, she doesn’t hesitate: “Sweet Briar is home to me. I went to school here, and then I sent my kids here. And so it's just that close, family-kind of atmosphere that it has.” It’s no wonder that so many students were jumping at the opportunity to show off the school that they, too, call home.

Our gratitude extends to North Dakota Regional Hub lead Michael Heilman for bringing the RSC team along on this visit, and to the Sweet Briar K–8 community for opening their doors and sharing their stories.