The Bear Facts
September 10, 2011
Good morning! I’m Alex Danger Boisjolie!
I’m Austin Salz!
And I’m Craig Kolhaas! Welcome once again to the “Bear Facts”, the weekly radio
update from Bishop Garrigan High School.
If you thought you saw pink at Garrigan’s volleyball and football games this
past week, it wasn’t because your eyes were tired. Garrigan hosted Cheer for a
Cure at the volleyball game last Thursday and the football game on Friday. The
athletes even got into the act, right down to the Golden Bear football team
wearing pink socks at their game. We also had a pink-out at school on Thursday
to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Cancer Foundation. Everyone was encouraged
to wear pink and donate a dollar or more. Many of us at Garrigan have familiy
members who have been affected by cancer, and we want to do all we can to help
find a cure.
If you check out back behind the school this fall, you’ll see a patch of tilled
soil where green sprouts are starting to shoot up. This is the school garden,
which was planted by some of Mr. Beany Bode’s science students. The garden is
part of the Healthy Kids Iowa project, which Garrigan has been a part of for the
past year. This fall students broke and plowed the ground and planted it with
fast-growing vegetables. Geri Reising and the cafeteria staff will be
incorporating those fresh veggies into our lunches later this fall. Not only do
will we enjoy the tasty food, but we’re also learning how to grow vegetables on
our own.
Another project that Mr. Bode’s classes keep busy with is recylcing. Garrigan
has recycled paper for years, but it’s always been kind of a hassle to do it.
About once a month students in the Ecology and Biology classes would go around
and empty teachers’ paper into big wastebaskets, that they’d then haul to the
big recycling bins in downtown Algona. Especially in winter, recycling was a big
chore to take care of.
Now, recycling at Garrigan is a lot easier. Garrigan is one of several area
schools that now has its own dedicated recycling dumpster. The new container was
provided by a foundation funded by NFL star Dallas Clark. Having it on-site
makes it a lot easier to recycle not only paper, but metal, plastic, and glass
as well. We want to thank Dallas Clark for making it easier for us to go green
here at Garrigan.
The annual calendar drive is now underway at Garrigan and Seton. Every student
in grades 5 – 12 is selling calendars. The calendars are full of color pictures,
and they have the full schedule of school events here at Garrigan. What’s more,
buying a calendar for $25 enters you in a raffle with 366 chances to win cash
prizes. The prizes range from $25 to $500, and there’s a new winner every day.
It’s also a great donation, with the money going to update the buses and
suburbans we use for transportation to school activities. The drive continues
through Tuesday, September 20. So find your favorite Golden Bear, and buy your
calendar today.
Enrollment is up by almost twenty students at Garrigan and Seton this year—the
biggest increase we’ve had in several years. While our schools are in Algona,
about half of our students come from the surrounding area. In addition to
Wesley, Whittemore, St. Joe, and Bancroft, in recent years we’ve drawn more and
more students from the Emmetsburg and Humboldt areas. As more and more schools
merge, a lot of families prefer sending their kids to a smaller school, and they
also like the friendly atmosphere we offer. We’re glad to see new faces, and we
know they’ll help to give our school a bright future.
Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Emily Bell. Here to tell you about her
is John Richter
When the cross-country team held their Senior Night festivities last Friday,
Emily Bell was the lone senior honored. Emily is a year-round athlete who has
also been successful at softball, basketball, and track. Emily is active in
Christian Leadership in Action, and you may have even heard her announcing here
on the “Bear Facts”. Emily will be in college next year, and we wish her all the
best in the future.
Thanks, John. On our Golden Bear calendar this week, there’s CYO cross-country
today in Holstein. The volleyball team is playing in a tournament today in
Emmetsburg, and several choir students are at an all-state clinic over in
Belmond.
Monday the cross-country runs in the Emmetsburg Invitational, and there’s JV
football that night at Eagle Grove. Tuesday is picture day for seventh through
eleventh graders. That night the volleyball team plays at Iowa Falls.
We’ll have an all-school mass next Wednesday. The volleyball team plays at
Algona that night, and the swim team is also at home in Algona. Then next Friday
the football team travels to Moville to play Woodbury Central.
Finally this week we want to acknowledge this week the tenth anniversary of the
attacks on September 11, 2001. While we were only in second grade ten years ago,
the world we live in was shaped by that tragedy. On this anniversary we offer
our heartfelt prayers for our country and our world.
That’s the “Bear Facts” for another week. Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to
catch us again next week for more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.
