The Bear Facts
November 10, 2012
Good morning! I’m Grace Steil.
And I’m Allison Frideres! Thanks for tuning in once again for “The Bear Facts”, your weekly radio update from Bishop Garrigan High School.
Last Sunday there was a special benefit for Garrigan art teacher Steve Brosnan, who is recovering from myeloma, a severe cancer of the blood. The fundraiser was a huge success, with 703 lunches served. There was also a bake sale and live and silent auctions. Both people and businesses from all over the area donated for the event, and we want to thank everyone for helping out Broz.
Mr. Brosnan was on hand for the benefit. To keep from catching anything new, he wore a mask and was unable to shake hands with guests. He did speak with the people who attended, though, and noted his commitment to return to Garrigan as soon as possible. We continue to pray for a full recovery, and we look forward to having Broz back with us.
We’re also continuing to hold Garrigan President and baseball coach Eugene Meister in our prayers. Like Mr. Brosnan, Mr. Meister is battling myeloma. He had aggressive treatment back in 2010 and has been doing very well for the past two years. In fact, he’s improved to the point that he is able to undergo the same sort of stem cell replacement that Mr. Brosnan had earlier this fall. Mr. Meister is taking a leave of absence for his treatment. We’re looking forward to having him back, and we wish him a full recovery.
Basketball season is here. The Golden Bear girls begin play next Thursday at Emmetsburg. Coach Brandon Schwab’s roster includes seniors Chelsi Lanus, Sophie Behr, Haley Froehlich, and Aubrie Meyers. Juniors Kristin Condoleon, Aisha Miller, Nicole Behr, Kara Eischen, and Taylor Hovey will also be at the core of the team.
Sophomores Emily Marlow and Betty Straub are also in basketball; and rounding out the team are freshmen Olivia Vaske, Emily Baumann, Kelsey Hovey, Cady Steinman, Johanna Vaske, Mackenzie Keith, Makayla Cink, Maddie Sullivan, Nicole Zeimet, and Avriel Miller. Good luck to the Golden Bear girls!
The biggest returning player for the Golden Bear boys is John Burns. Joining him are fellow seniors Adam Hamilton and Dustin Miller. The core of the squad is juniors—like Michael Berke, Neil Koob, Brayton Loss, David Klein, Chris Loss, and Nathan Krieps. Among the younger players are sophomores Reece Wadle, Ben Vaske, Tyler Schnurr, Andrew Miller, Christian Matthews, and Jess Marlow.
There’s also eleven freshmen out for boys basketball this year. They include Zach Boelter, Cameron Langerman, Logan Besch, Zac Kibby, Logan Rosenmyer, and Alex McGuire. Rounding out the squad are Will Kellner, Devin Degen, Landon Studer, Michael Condoleon, and James Quinlin. Good luck to Coach Roger Froehlich and the boys basketball team.
The BGHS quiz bowl team competed at Algona High last Saturday, and for the third time this season they ended up among the top teams. This time the Bears were undefeated after preliminary rounds—having beaten Mason City Newman, West Bend Mallard, Humboldt, Clay Central Everly, East Sac County, North Iowa, Humboldt, and North Union. They lost by just 10 points to Ankeny in the semi-final round, but then beat Ft. Dodge St. Edmond in the consolation match. Congratulations to Levi Bernhard, Tony Kollasch, Jake Hamilton, Zach Kollasch, and Hannah Bernhard.
The Bishop Garrigan capital campaign continues to go strong. So far we’ve raised about $1.6 million of the $2 million we need before construction can begin on the addition that will include a new gym plus additional classroom and office space. Additional contributions beyond that will go to an endowment for improving staff salaries and tuition assistance. We encourage everyone to help out with our capital campaign. You can find out more about it on the school website—bishopgarrigan.org.
Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Melanie Mergen. Melanie is an Algona native who is active in many different activities. Over the years she’s participated in band, choir, speech, drama, basketball cheerleading, and track. She enjoys writing poems and stories, and writing and performing music. She’d like to attend either Iowa State or UNI next year, and she’s considering majoring in music composition, biology, and genetics. We know Melanie will do great in whatever field she pursues.
On our Golden Bear calendar, there’s the St. Cecelia parish dinner tomorrow at the KC Hall. Boys basketball practice starts on Monday, and Tuesday we’ll have the National Honor Society induction.
Thursday the magazine drive ends. Shawn Vaske and Jake Hamilton leave for the All-State Music Festival in Ames. That night the girls basketball team starts their season at Emmetsburg.
Finally next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Garrigan will host a Search retreat. High school students from all over the Sioux City diocese will be on hand for the retreat.
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.
