The Bear Facts
January 11, 2019

Good morning! I’m Abbi Heying!

Amanda Miller!
 

And I’m Meredith Tigges! Welcome to the “Bear Facts”, where we just finished up the first semester here at Bishop Garrigan High School.

Most Garrigan students were dressed casually during semester tests, instead of wearing our normal school uniform. That was part of a project to raise money to supply goats to the twin parish for our area churches, Sainte Jeanne de Chantal in Haiti. Garrigan and Seton students both contributed to the project, and some matching funds also added to our contributions. All together we raised more than $11,500, which is enough to provide more than 125 goats.

The goats are an ongoing help to the people in Haiti. For many years they will provide milk and cheese that people can eat each day, and they will also help out as work animals. Then once they are past being able to help in those ways, they will still provide nutritious meat. We’re glad our funds can provide goats that are so helpful overseas.

For many years now St. Cecelia’s has been twinned with Sainte Jeanne de Chantal, and volunteers from both the church and from Garrigan have gone on annual mission trips to Haiti. This year Bryce Capesius, Layah DeLange, and Gabe Trainer will be part of the mission group heading to Haiti. They’ll help with a medical clinic, tour the area, and do what they can to improve the lives of the villagers. The week-long trip starts on January 29.

With the new semester starting next week, things will be very different for Garrigan senior John Meis. John was selected to serve as a page in the Iowa Legislature, and next week he’ll be heading down to Des Moines to assist state senators. John will be working forty hours a week, splitting time between the bill room, the journal office, the sergeant-at-arms desk, the telephone switchboard, answering requests from senators, assisting them in committee meetings, and handling senate supplies.

To become a page John had to fill out a lengthy application, supply a resumé and letters of recommendation, and go through an interview process. It’s a paid position, but there is a lot of work involved. While he’s in Des Moines, John will be completing his final classes at Garrigan online. Congratulations to senate page John Meis. We know you’ll do a good job and learn a lot of useful things to help in the future.

2019 marks a very special time for Bishop Garrigan High School. All through this year we’ll be celebrating the school’s diamond anniversary. The doors opened at Garrigan in 1959, so this Class of 2019 will be the school’s sixtieth graduating class. The 60th anniversary celebration will officially begin at the end of January, with Catholic Schools Week. We’re inviting all the graduates of from the school’s first graduating class to come to the all-school mass Monday afternoon, January 28.

Our diamond anniversary will continue from Catholic Schools Week through next year’s Homecoming. The biggest part will be this summer, when we’ll invite back six decades of Golden Bears for a special outdoor mass on the new track, followed by a big barbecue. We’re proud of the long tradition we have here at Garrigan, and we hope to keep it going long into the future.

Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Alec Studer. Here to tell you about him is Reese Rosenmeyer.

Alec Studer is a Wesley native who is one of the biggest fans of Golden Bear activities. You’ll always see him in the crowd at football and basketball games cheering everyone on. Alec is part of the crew that maintains the student website, and you can see his work on bggoldenbears.org. He’ll be off to college in the fall, and we wish Alec all the best of luck in the future.

Thanks, Reese. On our Golden Bear calendar this week, today the Bears are making up a quad with Mason City Newman that was postponed due to weather in December. The JV girls game will start at noon, and the varsity games will begin around 2:15 at Garrigan.

Tonight is the big winter formal, an event that started as a Sadie Hawkins dance. Then tomorrow the Knights of Columbus will sponsor their annual free throw contest.

Monday the second semester begins. That night the JJV boys basketball team will travel to Lake Mills. On Tuesday the JV and varsity boys and girls will host a quad against Lake Mills. The junior class will serve a meal at the games to raise money for after-prom.

We’ll have mass on Wednesday. The senior retreat is next Wednesday and Thursday in Cedar Falls. Also on Thursday the JJV basketball teams host Mason City Newman.

Report cards go out next Friday. That night there’s a basketball quad, with the Bears traveling to Eagle Grove. Then next Saturday there’s district large group speech at Manson.

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