The Bear Facts
October 11, 2025


Good morning! I’m Alyssa Haugland!

I’m Emmi Bartolo!

And I’m Hailee Reutzel! Thanks for tuning in to the “Bear Facts”, the weekly radio show from Bishop Garrigan High School.

Today is the state marching band competition. Bishop Garrigan’s Solid Gold Marching Band is heading down to Ft. Dodge this morning. They’ll be performing for a rating at 10:00 down at Dodger Stadium. This year’s field show is called “Crazy”, and it features the songs “Let’s Go Crazy”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, “Crazy in Love”, and “Crazy Train”. Good luck at state to the Garrigan band!

Last week, for the first time this season, the Golden Bear cross-country team had a full team score in a meet. Due to injuries, the Bears haven’t fielded a full team most of this season, but last week at Eagle Grove Rosanne Curtis—Ricke, Shiela Reding, Julia Swift, Rachel Kahle, and Emma Kollasch combined to score 172 points. That placed them right in the middle of an eleven-team field.

Next Monday the cross-country team will finish their regular season with a meet at Forest City. Then on Thursday they’ll compete in the Top of Iowa Conference meet in Mason City. We hope to have the same girls team competing; and Corbin Darling and Caiden Buckner should be running for the boys. Good luck, cross country!

Two Garrigan girls have been busy this fall competing as part of the Algona Bulldog swim team. Cora and Abby Deardeuff swim for Algona. They’ve been in meets in Spencer, Perry Boone, Ft. Dodge, Mason City, Johnston, and Decorah. The Garrigan girls help the Algona swimmers in the fall, and this winter a group of Algona boys will join our Bishop Garrigan boys swim team.

Next Wednesday six Bishop Garrigan seniors will be installed as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion in the Catholic Church. Addison Kuper, Ava Roethler, Alyssa Haugland, Tate Foertsch, Kayden Graves, and Gabe Swift have gone through training and will be installed as Eucharistic ministers at our school mass next Wednesday. They will serve both at school masses and in their local churches.

Garrigan students are holding a new fundraiser that will help you get ready for the holiday season. To help raise money for after-prom, they’re selling Christmas wreaths and greenery. In addition to traditional wreaths, you can also get swags, crosses, and garlands. You can order by going to the Garrigan Facebook page or student website and scanning a QR code. Orders will be taken through October 27, and delivery will be the week of December 17. Brighten your home for the holidays and help support our after-prom activities.

The Bishop Garrigan music department is planning a trip for next spring. Next March the choir and band will be heading to Florida. They’ll be leaving on their trip on Wednesday, March 18 to take charter buses down to Orlando. The trip will last through Sunday, March 22. We know all the musicians will have a great time on their trip.

The Golden Bear quiz bowl team is getting ready for competition. A week from today they’ll begin their season by hosting the 35th annual Bishop Garrigan tournament. Competing on this year’s team are seniors Tate Foertsch, Amaury Thomas, and Gabe Swift; juniors Marshall Bormann and Eva Kohlhaas; and sophomore Bryden Morse, and freshman Lucy Eisenbarth. Good luck, quiz bowl!

Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Carter Schwab. Here to tell you about him is Lucy Eisenbarth.

Carter Schwab has been honored this fall as one of the Beck's Players with Heart.  He is a year-round athlete.  You probably know him best for football (where he leads the team in blocks and tackles) or basketball (where he's started all through high school).  He also plays first base and is one of the top hitters on the baseball team, he's a thrower in track, and he plays golf for the Golden Bears.  Away from school Carter works for Steier Ag.  Next year he'd like to play football in college.  We wish Carter all the best in the future.

Thanks, Lucy. On our Golden Bear calendar, there’s state band in Ft. Dodge this morning. There’s also a swim meet today in Johnston. Then Monday there’s no school because of a teacher inservice.

Monday night the cross-country team runs at Forest City, and the JV football team hosts St. Ed’s. Tuesday the volleyball team plays at Algona High, and there’s also a swim meet in Spencer that night.

We’ll have mass Wednesday morning, with the installation of Eucharistic ministers. The school board meets on Thursday, and that afternoon there’s the conference cross-country meet at NIACC in Mason City.

Friday the football team will host West Bend—Mallard for Senior Night. The dance team will host a chili supper at the game. Finally next Saturday is our home quiz bowl tournament.

That’s the “Bear Facts” for another week. Thanks for joining us, and be sure to catch the show again next week for more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.