Good morning! I’m Allison Frideres!
I’m Erin Reedy!
And I’m Nathan Krieps! Thanks for joining us again for the “Bear Facts”, the weekly radio update from Bishop Garrigan High School.
Last week the Golden Bear danz squad went down to Des Moines for the state dance and drill team championships, and the girls made an outstanding showing at state. Garrigan won the state championship with their kick routine, which featured a Japanese ninja theme. They also finished in third place statewide with their more traditional pom routine. They also received a plaque honoring their community service achievements.
The danz squad won an even bigger award at state, though. That was the statewide Character Counts Award. Unlike the awards for dance routines, the Character Counts award is not classed. Bishop Garrigan was selected out of 273 schools of all sizes in the competition. The Character Counts award is given to teams that embody the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Congratulations to the danz squad on winning this prestigious honor.
The Golden Bear quiz bowl team also had a lot of success this past week. Last Saturday they competed in the Spirit Lake Invitational, and they ended up bringing home two trophies. Garrigan’s JV team—which featured Allison Frideres, Jake Hamilton, Taylor Illg, and Devin Degen—won the championship in their division. Meanwhile the varsity team—with Dustin Miller, Levi Bernhard, Tony Kollasch, Zach Kollasch, and Hannah Bernhard—took second place overall.
There was more quiz bowl action on Tuesday. Fourteen Garrigan students competed in the nationwide Knowledge Master. Points are scored in the Knowledge Master for both speed and accuracy in answering questions. Scores above 1000 are generally considered good, and this fall the Bears earned a score of 1,111 points. We’ll let you know how that score compared with other schools nationwide on an upcoming show.
The quiz bowl team is back at work today. They left at 6:30 this morning to head over to Paullina for the Wolverine Invitational at South O’Brien High School. Garrigan has both varsity and JV teams competing today, and they’re looking for more success. Good luck, quiz bowl!
Quiz bowl isn’t the only academic competition happening today. This morning the BGHS math team is hosting a qualifying tournament for the Great Plains Math League. Numbers are down for Coach Daryl Kohlhaas this year, but he’s still looking for the Bears to make a good showing in their home meet.
Math team involves working to solve problems, both individually and as part of a team. There are several rounds to math tournaments—which stress knowledge, speed, and creative thinking. We wish good luck today to everyone competing on the math team!
The holiday season is here, and lots of different Christmas events are happening. The junior high and high school bands had their holiday concert last Wednesday, with the art students putting on a show beforehand. Tonight the Garrigan faculty will be having their Christmas party, and then next Wednesday we’ll have the Christmas choir concert for grades 7 – 12. The concert will be at 7pm at St. Cecelia’s Church.
Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Grace Steil and Angelica Brosnan.Grace Steil is one of the most successful people on the BGHS trapshooting team, and she has won regional awards for her gun skills. Grace is also active in band and choir, and she an important part of the quiz bowl team. Grace would like to major in accounting at college, and we wish
good luck to both Grace and Angelica.
Angelica Brosnan will be leaving Garrigan after Christmastime. In her years at Garrigan she has been involved in a range of fine arts activities, and when she’s not at school you might see her working at the State Street Casey’s. We wish all the best after high school to both Angelica and Grace.
On our Golden Bear calendar this week, there’s a math tournament today at Garrigan, and the quiz bowl team is traveling to Paullina. Today is also the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and tonight the Garrigan and Seton staff have their Christmas party.
Tomorrow is the second Sunday of Advent. We’ll have Advent prayer again on Monday morning. Monday night the varsity basketball teams host Pocahontas, and then on Tuesday they’ll host Webster City.
Wednesday is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron of the Americas. We’ll continue a long-standing tradition by having mass in Spanish that day. Then Wednesday night we’ll have the Christmas choir concert at St. Cecelia’s.
Thursday night the freshman and JV basketball teams take on Pocahontas. Then on Friday the varsity Bears travel to Hampton—Dumont.
That’s the “Bear Facts” for this week. Thanks for joining us, and be sure to tune in again next week for more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.
