The Bear Facts
October 8, 2016

Good morning!  I’m Miranda Book!

I’m Megan Wadle!

And I’m Caitlin Thilges!  Welcome once again to the “Bear Facts”, your weekly radio update from Bishop Garrigan High School.

There are three first place trophies sitting by the front entrance to the school—all of them thanks to band students.  Last weekend both the junior high and high school bands from Bishop Garrigan competed at Algona Band Day, and both bands did as well as they could in the event.  Both the junior high and high school bands were judged best in their division in the parade, and the high school also won first place in their class in the field competition.  Congratulations to directors Ken Ferjak and Katherine Simpson and the Solid Gold Marching Band!

While they’re proud of their band day wins, the real competition for the band is today.  Garrigan will lead off the competitors from Class 1-A at the State Marching Band Competition this morning.  They’re hoping to get a few more points than they earned on band day so they can add to their chain of division one ratings at state.  Garrigan will be competing just a few minutes from now down at Dodger Stadium in Ft. Dodge.  Good luck, band!





The annual Garrigan calendar drive was a very successful fundraiser.  We sold around 2,400 calendars, which brought in about $70,000 to help with school transportation.  Much of that money is earmarked to buy a new bus to help transport students to school activities.  We want to say a special thank-you to everyone who bought a Garrigan calendar.

The top seller in this year’s calendar drive was eighth-grader Reese Rosenmeyer.  She turned in 119 calendars, which was fifteen more than second place.  Others near the top were Levi Capesius, Miranda Book, Andrew Meister, Andrew Thilges, Aric Laubenthal, Colby Graves, Sam Vaske, and Whiteney Hovey.  The top-selling team was Mr. Wieland home base.  Congratulations to all the top sellers!

After several key players graduated last year, a lot of people figured this would be a rebuilding year for the Golden Bear football team.  There’s a long tradition in football at Bishop Garrigan, though, and this year’s team definitely took the slogan “Why not?” to heart.  After bearing Class 2-A Pocahontas and Southeast Valley, the Bears didn’t allow their opponents to score a single point in their first four district games.

The Golden Bears have been in the top three in Class A in pretty much every poll all season long.  Coach Wadle will be the first to tell you that polls don’t mean anything, but the team has been working hard to show they deserve the ratings they’ve gotten.  Gibson Behr has been the top player on offense this season, but fellow seniors Max Patkins and Joel Vaske are close behind.  

The defense has really come together as the season has progressed.  Grant Buscherfeld, Mark Mather, Jackson Rosenmeyer, and Drake Buscherfeld have made an almost impenetrable line, while Chase Winkel, Nick Mergen, Drew Bacha, and Zach Muller have been tough in the backfield.  Good luck throughout the rest of the season to the Golden Bear football team!

Tomorrow a couple dozen Garrigan students will be participating in the CROP Walk.  CROP has been called “the granddaddy of charity walks”.  Since 1969 millions of walkers have participated in the annual event to raise money to fight world hunger.  This year’s Algona CROP Walk will begin at 2pm tomorrow at the First Lutheran Church.  Anyone is welcome to join, but if you’re not can’t walk we encourage you to help out by sponsoring one of the walkers from Garrigan or any of the local churches that are participating.

Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Gracie Behr.  Here to tell you about her is Lexi Berte.

Gracie Behr has run at state track for three straight years, and she plans to head back to the blue oval this coming spring.  She is a basketball captain, and she also enjoys cheerleading.  Gracie is an honor student who has worked on the publications staff, and she’s also active in Christian Leadership in Action.  She wants to major in business at Iowa State next year, and we wish her all the best of luck.

Thanks, Lexi.  On our Golden Bear calendar, there’s state marching band today in Ft. Dodge.  Then tomorrow at 2pm there’s the CROP Walk to fight world hunger.

Monday the cross-country team runs in Forest City.  Also that night there’s JV football, with the Bears taking on North Union.  Then on Tuesday the volleyball team hosts Humboldt.

Wednesday we’ll have a school mass, and there’s an early dismissal that day for teacher inservice.  Thursday the sophomores will be visiting Wildhaven.  That night the cross-country team will run in the Top of Iowa Conference meet at NIACC in Mason City.

We’ll have a school rosary on Friday.  That night the football team hosts Hartley Melvin Sanborn.  Finally next Saturday the quiz bowl team will host their home tournament.

That’s the “Bear Facts” for this week.  Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to join us again next week for more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.