How They Connect

Twelve miles northeast of Bismarck, where the pavement gives way to gravel, a small school has quietly kept its lights on for 140 years. Naughton Elementary School has been teaching children since 1886, through a world that has changed almost beyond recognition since the day it opened. “It’s a hidden treasure out in the middle of nowhere,” says Shirley Ryberg, Naughton’s Business Manager. What hasn’t changed is what a school like this means to the people around it: not just a building where kids learn, but the heartbeat of a community that would be a little less whole without it.

That’s a feeling BEK understands, because we live it too. As a cooperative, our employees are your neighbors. We’re raising families, coaching youth sports, and shopping at the same stores in the same small towns we serve, including the communities around Naughton. Being a good corporate citizen isn’t something we advertise; it’s something we practice, by showing up for the schools, families, and businesses that make these communities worth calling home.

The relationship between the school and BEK goes back decades. “We began our relationship with BEK with telephone services at the school, then internet and fiber, and we just keep going,” Shirley says. In fact, when Shirley’s daughter started kindergarten at age five, the school already had BEK phones. Her daughter is now 56 years old.

That long history shapes how Shirley thinks about working with BEK today. “When BEK comes to talk to our Board of Directors, they always take time to explain in detail what BEK can offer,” she says. “The board trust them because they can fully understand how the products can benefit the school, so they feel like they can make important decisions.” And for a small school with limited funds, that matters. “BEK has always worked with us in keeping things in our budget,” Shirley adds. “When we have a need, we go to BEK.”

BEK Fiber Internet

Shirley says they love having their own dedicated fiber line, and says they now have fewer internet issues than ever before. “Everything we do is connected somehow to the internet — forms for the state, teaching and learning, messages to families,” Shirley says. “Without it, we’d be lost.” With so much confidential student and family information passing through the school’s systems, Shirley says security is non-negotiable.

BEK Secure Access

Naughton added keyless entry just last year, made possible through a Homeland Security grant. Before that, the school relied on keys alone. With school violence a growing concern nationally, Shirley says the board decided that both the main school building and the new portable should have a controlled door access system. This way, school leaders can control who can get inside. For Shirley and the board, the investment carries real weight. “Some larger city schools have had issues, and we realize it could happen here, so we want to be proactive.”

BEK Watch Surveillance

Naughton has had cameras on campus for several years, and they’ve already proven their worth. When a vehicle drove through the property and caused minor damage, the school was able to look it up using camera footage. Not every use is quite so serious. “Our principal uses the cameras to check snow conditions outside in the winter,” Shirley notes.

Ask Shirley about working with BEK, and the conversation quickly turns to the people. “We’ve had other services, and it’s not the same,” she says. “We never have any trouble with our services. When we have a question, we can just pick up the phone and call. If we can’t figure it out by phone or virtually, they’ll send someone to he school. Everyone we’ve worked with has been kind and easy to talk to.”

Shirley says that relationship stood out most during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Naughton shifted to online learning. At the time, BEK provided the school with a no-cost conference call line, understanding how important it was for school leadership to keep meeting and making decisions for students and families without interruption. “One of our families didn’t have internet access at home, and BEK stepped in to make sure that family was connected so their kids could keep learning. They went above and beyond,” Shirley says.

Looking back over the decades of service, Shirley sums it up simply: “Thanks to BEK, our students, staff, and families feel very safe, and that’s a great recipe for teaching and learning.”

Have a story about how your business connects with BEK? We’d love to feature you in an upcoming edition of How They Connect. Reach out to your BEK representative to share your story.