Submitted Photo Former Minot School Board member Jim Rostad, left, stands with North Dakota School Board Association past president Karl Lembke, right, after receiving the Steadfast Commitment Legacy of Service Award at the 2024 North Dakota School Board Association Annual Convention Oct. 24 in Bismarck.

BISMARCK – Former Minot School Board member Jim Rostad was recognized at the North Dakota School Board Association’s annual convention in October with the Legacy of Service award in the Steadfast Commitment category for his dedicated service to his local school board. Rostad had served for 24 years, which included a number of years as board president. He did not seek reelection this past June.

The NDSBA Legacy of Service Award was created in 2024 to honor North Dakota’s longest-serving school board members and the impact they have made on their local school districts, their communities and the State of North Dakota, according to an NDSBA news release. The award may only be received once in a lifetime and there are two ways in which a North Dakota school board member may qualify for the NDSBA Legacy of Service award.

To qualify for the Steadfast Commitment category, school board members, just retired or still serving, must have completed their 20th cumulative years of school board service to be immediately eligible and honored at that year’s NDSBA Annual Convention. School board members qualify for the Profound Impact category if they have completed their 15th cumulative year of school board service but leave the board prior to serving 20 years, yet have made a significant and recognizable impact on their district, within North Dakota education as a whole or with the North Dakota School Boards Association. Board members may be nominated by their district, themselves or any other individual. The NDSBA Board of Directors selects recipients annually based on merit.

Brad Bachmeier is the artist commissioned to design the Legacy of Service Awards. Bachmeier, a native of Anamoose, completed his Master of Fine Arts degree in ceramics from the University of North Dakota in 2007. In 2009, he was recognized with the prestigious N.D. Governor’s Award in Arts Education for his numerous, significant and continued contributions to the state and region. In 2013, he was granted the “Excellence in Research and Creative Activity” award at Moorhead State-University of Minnesota, where he is currently an art professor. Bachmeier’s work has garnered over 40 Best of Show awards and grants, including the national NICHE award.