Fort Totten Public School District, DSGW, and CMTA Share Success of Award-Winning School at North Dakota School Boards Association Conference
Fort Totten Public School District, DSGW, and CMTA Share Success of Award-Winning School at North Dakota School Boards Association Conference
FORT TOTTEN, N.D. – Fort Totten Public School District is celebrating another accomplishment as the Four Winds Alternative and Career and Technical Education (CTE) Building earns first place in the ASHRAE Region VI Technology Awards! This award advances the Four Winds Alternative & CTE Building to the national competition.
The ASHRAE Technology Awards recognize excellence in building design, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and occupant comfort. What makes these awards meaningful is that projects must provide at least one year of actual operating data to prove their buildings perform as designed. The awards are based on real results, not estimates.
The competition has three levels, beginning at the local or state Chapter level, advancing to the Regional level, which includes multiple states, and finally to the Society level, where projects compete internationally. Only projects that qualify through the regional competition can advance to the Society level. ASHRAE recognizes first place, second place, and honorable mention in each of six building categories.
Four Winds Alternative and CTE High School earned first place in the 2025 ASHRAE Region VI Technology Awards, presented in 2026, and successfully advanced through Phase 1 of the Society-level competition. For our small school district on the Spirit Lake Reservation, this is something we are incredibly proud of. To see our school recognized alongside projects from across the country and around the world says a great deal about what our district, DSGW, and CMTA accomplished together.
Recently, Superintendent Jeff Olson of Fort Totten Public School District, Katherine Gerzina and Mike Laverdure of DSGW Architects, and David Vig Principal, Principal, Director of Mechanical Design, Mechanical Engineer of CMTA presented Investing in the Future: The Roadmap to Net-Zero Schools at the North Dakota School Boards Association conference. The presentation highlighted the planning, design, engineering, and financial decisions that went into creating the Four Winds Alternative and CTE High School.
Located on the Spirit Lake Reservation, the approximately 14,500-square-foot building was designed to produce as much energy as it consumes over the course of a year. The school uses geothermal heating and cooling, 239 rooftop solar panels, triple-pane windows, advanced insulation, natural lighting, and energy-efficient ventilation systems to reduce energy consumption and operating expenses. The building also includes occupancy sensors so that the heating, cooling, and light energy used is directed to the rooms with students.
What makes this project even more important to our district is the financial savings. Our annual energy costs are approximately $5,200, including demand and base fees. We have eliminated all natural gas/propane expenses. The building’s Energy Use Intensity is 15.87, compared to a national baseline of 52.4. The geothermal system also has an estimated eight-year payback period.
For Fort Totten Public School District, these savings matter. With approximately 99 percent of the land base being nontaxable, our district has the highest mill levy of any school district in North Dakota, but we only generate $14,000 general fund property taxes. Every dollar saved in operating expenses is a dollar that can be used to support our students, staff, and educational programs.
The building was also designed with students in mind. Educational displays throughout the facility show how the solar panels, geothermal system, insulation, and other building components work together. Students have an opportunity to see the technology in action and learn how the building uses energy.
As Superintendent Jeff Olson shared during the presentation, “This building is about the future. We’re not only preparing our students for the future, but we’re also designing this building for the future by using the earth respectfully and efficiently to power the school.”
The success of this project is the result of a great working relationship between Fort Totten Public School District, DSGW, and CMTA. Each brought their knowledge and experience to the project, helping us create a building that meets the needs of our students while keeping long-term operating costs in mind.
This recognition also comes at an important time for our district. As we continue planning for the expansion of Four Winds High School, we are looking at how the same energy-efficient design and building systems can be incorporated into our future facilities. We know firsthand the benefits these investments can provide, not only in energy savings but also in creating a comfortable, healthy learning environment for our students and staff.
We are proud that a small school district on the Spirit Lake Reservation is receiving regional and national recognition for its building design and energy performance. This project shows that schools with limited financial resources can still plan for the future, make responsible investments, and provide students with facilities that will serve them for years to come.
A huge thank you to DSGW, and CMTA on this recognition and the work that made it possible!