The Bear Facts
September 13, 2014

Good morning! I’m Emily Marlow!

I’m Whitney Hovey!

And I’m Mark Fakler! Thanks for joining us for the “Bear Facts”, your weekly radio update from Bishop Garrigan High School.

Last Tuesday we had a special guest at Garrigan. We were pleased to welcome Sam Marder, who at age twelve was shipped to a Nazi concentration camp in what is now Ukraine. His father died in the camp, and Sam Marder spent three years there surviving by foraging for potatoes in nearby fields. He made his way to the United States after World War II, and he is one of the few survivors of the Holocaust who is still alive today.

Marder spent an hour speaking to the whole school about prejudice and understanding of other people. He showed slides of the Holocaust and answered questions from students about all he has endured in his life. Marder is a professional musician, and he also spent time in Garrigan’s music classes, where our choir performed for him. Later he visited social studies and religion classes.

Marder’s visit was one of several special assemblies we’ve had this year at Garrigan. One of the main points of a Catholic school is teaching us to live out our faith. To help us do that, our principal, Christy Peterson has chosen to spend this year focusing on the theme “Be the good—it’s who we are”, and most of our assemblies have centered on how we can be the good in the world.

The annual Garrigan calendar drive wraps up next week. Every student from grades 5 – 12 has been selling raffle calendars to help raise money for our transportation fund. Last year we used profits from the calendar drive to buy a new Chevy Traverse, and through calendar funds we’ve updated several buses and suburbans over the years.

Calendars cost $30 each. They’re full of color pictures, and they list all the school events through next summer. In addition to getting a calendar, every purchase enters the buyer in a raffle, where you have 365 chances to win cash prizes. The top prize is now $1,000, and there’s hundreds of smaller prizes as well. If you haven’t bought your calendar yet, find your favorite Golden Bear this weekend to buy one.

Today the Golden Bear cross-country team is running in the CYO Meet at Holstein. This meet runs backwards from most, with the varsity boys running first, with the JV later in the day. Both the boys and girls cross-country teams have been doing well so far this season, and they should be competitive at CYO.

Tony Kollasch has been leading the boys’ team so far this season, while Emily Riesenberg is the core of the girls’ team. Zach Kollasch, Kelsey Hovey, and Tyler Schnurr have taken home medals from meets earlier this summer. Seniors Jess Marlow, Mark Fakler, Morgan Frideres, and Taylor Illg; sophomores Ben Fogarty and Josh Hamilton, and freshmen Trevor Darling, Livia Miller, and Lexi Berte have also been running hard for the team. Good luck at CYO, cross-country!

The volleyball team was the first group of Golden Bears to compete in the North Iowa Conference, and so far they’re undefeated in conference play. They’ve won in three straight over Mason City Newman, North Iowa, and West Hancock. They also made a respectable showing in the Algona tournament last weekend, and they’re hoping for a big day in the Emmetsburg tournament today.

Johanna Vaske has been the Bears’ leading scorer so far this season, while Emily Marlow has been dishing out assists. Kaitlyn Fogarty and Patricia Brandt have led the defense. Others at the core of the varsity team include seniors Cassidy Vitzthum, Paige Berte, Betty Straub, and Taylor Frideres; and juniors Olivia Vaske, Nicole Zeimet, Carolyn Baxter, Avriel Miller, and Emily Baumann. Good luck to the volleyball team as they compete in Emmetsburg today!

Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Nick Kayser. Here to tell you about him is Emerald Shipler.

Nick Kayser is a St. Joe native who is one of our Homecoming king candidates. Nick is a football captain who is also active in choir, speech, drama, intramural basketball, and Christian Leadership in Action. As a senior he was elected co-president of the Class of 2015. Away from Garrigan you might see Nick working at Fareway. He plans to major in business at UNI, and we wish him good luck in the future.

Thanks, Emerald! On our Golden Bear calendar this week, there’s CYO cross-country at Holstein today, and the volleyball team has a tournament in Emmetsburg. Tomorrow is the fall festival for Parish Families Against Hunger.

Also tomorrow the Izaak Walton League is holding their fall shoot, and several of Garrigan’s target shooters will be participating. Monday we’ll have a flu mist clinic. That night there’s cross-country at Emmetsburg, JV football at Newman, and JV volleyball at Lake Mills.

Tuesday the volleyball team hosts North Union and Lake Mills. Wednesday there’s an early dismissal for teacher inservice. Thursday the volleyball team has a triangular with Osage at Forest City, and Friday the football team plays at Mason City Newman.

That’s the “Bear Facts” for this week. Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to join us again next week when we’ll have a special preview of Homecoming Week here at Bishop Garrigan High School.