Plea from a mother: ‘I want Hunter to be able to walk the halls one more time’ – Wahpeton Daily News

Can you hear them? asked Tracy Medenwaldt of Hankinson. My kids are yelling at each other.

To each other, at each other, its the same noise. Today, Medenwaldt is both mom and teacher, joining thousands of parents across North Dakota thrust into this role after Gov. Doug Burgum closed public schools indefinitely because of coronavirus.

While trying to talk on the phone, she sent her kids outside to jump on the trampoline and get rid of their excess energy. I have to mark down on a sheet of paper they have their physical education in for the week, she said. Im so glad they can go outside.

Home schooling could last a few weeks or the rest of the school year. Medenwaldt is betting this virus isnt giving up any time soon and her children will be homebound until the end of the school year.

She and her husband Aaron have seven children five are pre-school and up. Her oldest, Hunter, 17, is a high school senior, while youngest, Rhubee, is one, almost two. The newest Medenwaldt is days away from coming into the world as she is pregnant and will be induced this week.

There are events her children are missing out on because of coronavirus Hunter may finish his high school career at the kitchen counter if schools dont reopen, so graduation ceremonies are still an unknown. Oaklee is completing his confirmation, another ceremony put on hold because of COVID-19, while birth of baby No. 8 wont have the typical fanfare with visits from family and friends, or even a big baptism since churches put mass gatherings on hold during this global pandemic.

Even the Medenwaldt children cant see their new sibling until he/she comes home since children are not allowed to visit in hospitals.

Medenwaldt said shes saddened by how much her children are missing, especially her oldest son.

I want Hunter to be able to finish off his senior year, to walk through the halls of Hankinson High School one more time, to say goodbye. I am hoping they get to walk through graduation, even if its June or July. They need to have their big ceremony. Its a big accomplishment for these seniors, and for the parents weve been waiting to watch our kids, we have been waiting for this moment, she said.

The Medenwaldts are trying to do their part during this period of uncertainty. She has to make more frequent runs to the grocery store since her children are home and they are going through more milk than normal. This provided a unique opportunity.

The elderly are told to remain isolated since they are at more risk for developing severe symptoms from coronavirus, so Medenwaldt and her daughters put care packages together for about 10 senior citizens in the Hankinson community.

These care packages included paper towels, toilet paper, small packets of coffee, word book games, anything they could think of to make this time more bearable, she said. Medenwaldt hopes her children are learning to take care of the people around them, she said, that something good will come from this moment in time.

The restaurant industry in North Dakota has been severely impacted by coronavirus after the governor shut down everything other than curbside, take out or delivery.

Many restaurants laid off staff. Greg Paulson owns Hotcakes Cafe and Lodging in Hankinson. He opted to keep staff and change his business plan, he said.

Once the word came down, I talked to my staff. Do you want to keep your hours? Should we stay open? What do you want to do? he said.

The vote was to stay open. Instead of competing with the other restaurants in Hankinson, Hotcakes, EDJ and Docs Pub decided instead to create a schedule throughout the month in which one restaurants menu is being featured each day.

Docs Pub was up first Monday, March 23, followed by Hotcakes on Tuesday. Paulson offered fried chicken and already had six orders by mid-day.

He planned to stay open three hours at night. Typically, Hotcakes was open for breakfast and lunch, but since the restaurant closure went into effect, his mornings have been slow. Thats where hes taken the biggest financial hit, he said. Paulson figures people are more apt to make their own breakfasts, so hes offering expansive items like omelets or specialized breakfast sandwiches.

Paulson and staff also are deep cleaning the restaurant to remain virus-free. This time also gives him a chance to remodel since he hadnt wanted to close Hotcakes for remodeling. That isnt a problem now since the dining room is closed.

Business wise, we have the opportunity to refocus. Weve decided to do more take outs with soups and salads. Why werent we doing this in the first place? Paulson asked.

Hotcakes offers homemade food and is selling items like quarts of fresh soup for $7. Tuesday morning, they had a big batch of potato salad, all made from scratch, Paulson said.

He is worried about how coronavirus is going to affect his business. When all is said and done, will he still have a business? My fear is whenever the doors do open and everything is back to normal, what will happen then? Paulson asked.

The News Monitor will continue to cover this public health threat. Look to the coronavirus section on our website for more information.

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Plea from a mother: 'I want Hunter to be able to walk the halls one more time' - Wahpeton Daily News