The Bear Facts
December 14,2013
Good morning! I’m Cassidy!
And I’m Zac! Thanks for tuning in to the “Bear Facts”, the weekly radio show from Bishop Garrigan High School.
Last week the Golden Bear danz squad competed at the state dance championships at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Garrigan has sort of a dynasty in dance. Again this year they competed in Class I kick and Class III pom, and once again they won the state championship in both events. The dancers are evaluated on appearance, choreography, execution, technique, and showmanship, and the Golden Bears received nearly perfect marks in every category.
Not only did they win their divisions, but the Garrigan girls’ score for their kick routine was the highest of any dance team in any class in the state, and the pom routine would have placed third among more than a hundred twenty teams competing in all divisions. In addition to the state championships, the Garrigan danz squad also received special awards for community service and academic achievement.
Coleen Conway-Schiltz and Barb Stence coach dance at BGHS. This year’s danz squad includes Anna Hohmeister, Mallory Schiltz, Mariah McCall, Jacquelyn Origer, Patrica Brandt, and Megan Lappe; as well as Kaitlyn Fogarty, Sophia Grandgenett, Kassidy Schiltz, Hailey Kollasch, Corttney Noona, Chloe Garman, Sarah Skilling, and Danielle Plathe. Morgan Muller and Nicole Walker are the managers. Congratulations to the state champion Golden Bear danz squad!
The past couple of weeks have been busy for the BGHS quiz bowl team. After participating in the nationwide 3—2—1 competition last week, the Bears competed at the Spirit Lake Invitational. Garrigan ended up in the top three in both the varsity and JV competitions at Spirit Lake. The varsity team had the top seed going into playoffs, having defeated Spirit Lake, Central Lyon, North Union, and Hartley Melvin Sanborn in preliminary games and racking up 200 points more than their nearest competitor. They were upset by North Iowa in the semi-final match.
There’s more quiz bowl action today. Eight Golden Bears left early this morning to travel over to Paullina for the South O’Brien Wolverine Invitational. Zach Kollasch, Tony Kollasch, Devin Degen, and Taylor Illg will be playing varsity for the Bears today, while the JV team will inclue Joseph Espinosa, Logan Besch, Levi Capesius, and Ben Fogarty. We’ll let you know how things went in the competition on next week’s show.
The Bishop Garrigan math team is also in action today. They have their home competition right here at Garrigan. In math competition students work both individually and in teams to solve difficult problems. Garrigan competes in the Great Plains Math League, and Coach Daryl Kohlhaas is in charge of the team. Competing today are Jake Hamilton, Dorothy Kirsch, Brittany Kisch, Kaitlyn Fogarty, Danielle Plathe, Josh Hamilton, and Kylie Fox. Good luck, math team!
Last weekend was a special celebration for Garrigan math teacher Daryl Kohlhaas and his wife, junior high teacher Kathy Kohlhaas. The weekend began with Mr. Kohlhaas receiving an award as Cross-Country Coach of the Year in Class 1-A, a recognition for the outstanding achievement of his Golden Bear team this past year. Then after mass on Sunday both Mr. and Mrs. Kohlhaas had a special reception to commemorate the combined 75 years of service the two of them have given to the Garrigan and Seton.
In thanksgiving for their service, former students, fellow staff members, and family have joined together to send the Kohlhaases on a special pilgrimage. They’ll be at the Vatican next April when Pope John Paul the Second is canonized a saint. They’ll also be seeing several famous sites in Rome and around Italy. Congratulations to the Mr. and Mrs. Kohlhaas, and thanks to them for their many years of service.
Christmas shopping season is here. We want to remind you to use scrip when you make your holiday purchases, anywhere from 2 to 20% of the money you spend goes back to help pay for school tuition. You can choose a specific student you want to benefit, or you can give the bonus to the general tuition assistance fund. For more information about scrip, contact either Jill Book or Barb Stence here at Garrigan.
Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Mariah McCall. Mariah has won state and national championships in dance and a state championship in cheerleading. She was also honored with the All-American Dancer award. Mariah has also worked as a basketball manager, and she enjoys intramural basketball. Over the years her other activities have included HOSA, publications, and student council. Mariah is a certified nurse’s aide, and she works as a lifeguard. She’ll be off to college next year, and we wish her all the best in the future.
On our Golden Bear calendar today there’s a Great Plains Math League tournament at Garrigan, and the quiz bowl team is in action at South O’Brien. Tonight the faculty has their annual Christmas party.
The third week of Advent begins tomorrow, and we’ll have Advent prayer on Monday morning. Monday night there’s varsity basketball at Pocahontas.
Tuesday there’s a basketball quad at Clear Lake. Wednesday we’ll have our Christmas mass. Then on Thursday the freshman and JV boys play at Pocahontas.
Next Friday is the last day before Christmas vacation. The Christian leadership group will have the annual Christmas customs presentation that afternoon, and we’ll dismiss at 2:15. Friday night is the big Algona—Garrigan game. This year the JV plays at home and the varsity is at Algona High.
That’s the “Bear Facts” for this week. Thanks for listening, and be sure to join us next Saturday for a special Christmas edition as we celebrate the holidays here at Bishop Garrigan High School.
