Dakota Adventist Academy

Mission

Dakota Adventist Academy cultivates a Seventh-day Adventist, Christ-centered life by providing academic and vocational education preparing young people for commitment to God, service to society, and citizenship in heaven.

Philosophy

Dakota Adventist Academy has been established for the education of the whole person. The philosophy of Christian ethics, emphasis on character development and Christian decision making is held in common with other schools in the Seventh-day Adventist school system. The Bible is considered to be the source of truth and is given the highest place in education. The academy strives to provide not only mental discipline and physical training but also emphasizes the development of character that is marked by integrity, loyalty to God and country, self discipline, tolerance, reverence, civil responsibility, and good work habits.
True education means more than the pursuit of a certain course of study; it means more than a preparation for the life that now is; it has to do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental and spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world, and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come. Education, p.13

Objectives

To Develop:

• A personal experience with the Master Teacher and Creator, Jesus Christ
• Love for God and man which will be expressed in unselfish service
• Christ-like charactaristics of courtesy and culture as a genuine part of the personality
• A devotional life of prayer and Bible study that strengthens the spiritual life, enables the mind to be perceptive, receptive, and creative, developing qualities of intelectual excellence with the ability to make meaningful decisions and contributors

Accreditation

Dakota Adventist Academy is accredited with the Association of Seventh-Day Adventist Secondary Schools and Colleges. The Academy is one of the eight affiliated secondary schools operated in the Mid-America Union Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists. It is approved by the state of North Dakota as a secondary school.

Location

The academy is located on approximately 1,300 acres fourteen miles northwest of Bismarck, North Dakota on the Missouri River. It is one the most northerly academies in the continental United States and has the distinction of being on the Lewis and Clark Trail. To locate the Academy drive north from Bismarck on Highway 83 for three miles to Highway 1804 and turn left. Continue for eleven miles on Highway 1804. You will see the Missouri River on your left a few miles from the Academy. DAA is on the right side of the highway. Turn right onto Plainview Avenue and proceed up the hill. The administrative offices are located on the main floor through the center doors.

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The History of Dakota Adventist Academy

Dakota Adventist Academy has a rich heritage beginning with the operation of Elk Point & Plainview Academy in Redfield, South Dakota in 1902 and Sheyenne River Academy that opened its doors in 1904 at Harvey, North Dakota. In the fall of 1977, students enrolled in the new school still under construction near Bismarck, North Dakota now known as Dakota Adventist Academy. DAA was closed for the 1987-88 school year. With renewed dedication and sacrificial giving the academy was reopened in August 1988. This monumental feat was accomplished through generosity of constituents, conference financial support, and the highly publicized "DAA Advance".

April 11, 1976 was the originally scheduled date for ground breaking of Dakota Adventist Academy. A site near Menoken, ND, near the interchange on Highway 94 had been surveyed and selected.

In the latter part of May, 1976, work began on the new academy, at a new site north of Bismarck along the Missouri River. "A long green line of tractors equipped with scrapers went to work on the site of the new academy complex building and worked day after day, leveling the site." The tractors were manned by volunteers from North Dakota churches, and completed the task in two weeks.

Einstein Associates Incorporated, structural, professional and architectural designers from Skokie, Illinois, were designated by the DAA Board as the architectural firm to design and oversee the building. Mr. James Stuart was the associate to Mr. Einstein, and the project architect for DAA.

Wallace Carlson of Carlson Construction Company was contracted to build the building. Wallace had worked with Einstein on projects previous to the building of DAA. He said; "I feel certain that the architectural firm of Einstein Associates will give our people the maximum value for their investment dollars as well as an attractive, well designed, educational institution appropriate for the Dakota Plains."

On June 28th, 1976, the General Conference Building Plans Committee, after careful study, gave approval with only a few suggestions to the blueprints for the academy. The Borrowing of Funds Committee gave similar approval to the financial plan developed by the conference to pay for the new building.
Construction began on July 22nd, 1976, with the pouring of the concrete footings for the dormitory wings. At the time, the proposed man-hours included: 12 masons working a total of 110 days each to lay the 350,000 bricks and 175,000 blocks.

A well was drilled in late July of 1976, and it yielded abundant and "very drinkable" water. By late September, 1976, construction was well under way. The dorm walls had reached ceiling height.

On Tuesday, September 21, 1976, the land originally intended as the location for DAA was sold at auction for $63,000. This was about $15,000 more than was expected.

Favorable weather that autumn had construction workers optimistic about meeting their goal of having the school enclosed by winter-time so that inside work could continue to go on. By late december, the dormitories were in place, and a great portion of the steel in the swimming pool, gymnasium, and industrial arts area was erected or on site. The lobby area of the auditorium was at that time under excavation, and the classroom footings were also being poured.

By mid-January of 1977, work on the central portion of the building (the classrooms, cafeteria, administrative offices, library, and music areas) was well under way, as was the chapel area.The dormitories were heated and work on the floor and room partitions was progressing well.

In mid-summer of 1977, the move from Sheyenne River Academy to Dakota Adventist Academy started to take place. The school began to advertise in the Union paper for the upcoming 1977-78 school year.

Construction crews raced to complete all the essential areas of the academy complex in time for the start of school on August 28, 1977. In mid-August, carpet was being laid and drapes hung. Applications for the first year of DAA poured in from all over the United States and Canada. Sufficient classroom space was available, the cafeteria was complete except for some finish work, and work had been started on the industrial building by Bill Bender of Bismarck.

On August 28th, 1977, Dakota Adventist Academy opened its doors, commemorated by a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:00 am., attended by a large crowd of enthusiastic parents, students, and well-wishers. Following speeches by Elders Bailey, Willison and Watts, and prayer by Elder E.L. Marley, the newly elected Northern Union President, Mrs. Watts, Mrs. Bailey, and Mrs. Wallace Carlson cut the ribbon and the registration process began.