Good morning! I’m Steven Kellner!
I’m Jeff Hellman!
And I’m Sarah Schmitt! You’re listening to the “Bear Facts”. We were off last week due to weather, but we’re glad to be back again today bringing you all the news from Bishop Garrigan High School.
Last Saturday marked the eleventh year for Garrigan’s largest fundraiser and one of the biggest annual events in northern Iowa. Hundreds of area residents saw the gym transformed into a luxury ship as they went “Cruising through Time” at Gala. While lot of Gala-goers found this year’s auctioneers annoying, but they did seem to have what it took to make people part with their money. The final totals are not in yet, but preliminary indications show that financially this should come close to being the best Gala ever—with receipts possibly even topping the $200,000 mark.
It takes literally hundreds of people to make Gala a success every year. Heading up all the workers were development director Diane Elbert and her staff, and Gala chairs Charlie and Sara Kollasch, Kim Thilges, and Melinda and Mark Erpelding. Helping out were the student waiters, the alumni auction spotters, and a large group of faculty, parents, and community members who help out with decorating, construction, dishwashing, table setting, bartending, and clean-up. Hundreds of other people helped out by donating gifts throughout the year. Thanks to everybody who helped make Gala 2000 and outstanding fundraising event.
Many of the Gala decorations are still up in the gym. They’re being recycled into the background for Prom Night 2000. This year Garrigan’s prom-goers will enjoy “A Night in Paradise” as they dance the night away. After Prom is over, the fun continues with the annual after-prom party. The after-prom features “Summertime Fun”, including games, prizes, and a master hypnotist. It should be a wonderful evening, with the fun lasting all the way until 4am.
Prom will cap off a very long day for some Golden Bears. Seven of the school’s top scholars are down at Cedar Falls High School today for the Iowa Mathematics League state championship. Juniors Angie Kohlhaas and Lynn Kohlhaas are at the core of the team; backed up by sophomores Bob Brandenburg, Jenny Faber, and Rebecca McGuire; and freshmen Rosalind Kirsch and me, Steve Kellner. Last year Garrigan took second place in the state among schools with less than 700 students, and coach Daryl Kohlhaas says the team stands a good chance of placing again this year. Good luck to the math competition team!
Many members of the math team were also busy yesterday at the annual Model United Nations. Twenty-five Garrigan students were at UNI representing Norway and Nicaragua in the general assembly. Seniors in Model UN include Eric Becker, Louie Bode, Tyler Struck, Angie Weber, Brandon Donahe, Wade MacDonald, Ed Elbert, Nathan Frideres, Dennis Gisch, and Melaney Johnson.
The Model UN group also includes five juniors: Amanda Freking, Marian Studer, Andrew Hellman, Sarah Kollasch, and Lynn Kohlhaas. The sophomores in the group are Bob Brandenburg, Nolan Thilges, Rebcca McGuire, Mike McAlpine, Cathy Hellman, and Jennifer Faber. There are also four freshmen in Model UN. They include Joe Hellman, Matt Studer, Autumn Thompson, and me, Sarah Schmitt. Tony Tindall is the Model UN moderator at BGHS.
Track season is here! The girls’ track team finished third out of 8 teams at the CYO tournament in Sioux City last Sunday. Julie Collison and Joe Elbert are coaching the girls this year. The team includes returning state champion Angie Froehlich, as well as fellow senior Abby Gervais. Top juniors include Angie and Deanna Kohlhaas, Sara Seeley, Heather Stence, Marian Studer, Andi Kramer, Mandy Roethler, and Molly Meyer.
The girls’ track sophomores include Ashley Arndorfer, Jenna Becker, and Allison Courtney; as well as Monica Studer, Jamie Roethler, Emily O’Kane, and Teresa McGuire. Other sophomores in track are Shelly DeVries, Alison Dornbier, Jamie Loebig, Cathy Hellman, Hannah Krahenbuhl, and Melissa Lancaster. There are also nine freshman girls out for track. They include Molly Bartolo, Sylvia Weber, Nellie Fowler, Autumn Thompson, Amy Rahm, Janel Richter, Hillary Frideres, Maria Paterson, and Nikki Loebig. Good luck to the girls’ track team!
One of the biggest upcoming events at Garrigan is the intramural basketball championship. Four teams remain in the intramural play-offs. Chad Mescher’s team of juniors is still undefeated—with a perfect 7-0 record. There are also three teams made up mostly of seniors, which are captained by Eric Becker, Jake Kohlhaas, and Jason Geving. The intramural semi-finals will be on Easter Monday, starting at 1:30pm, and the championship game will be played at the end of the school day on Wednesday, April 26.
Here to tell you about our seniors is Jenna Hansen.
This week’s Senior Spotlight shines on Bethany Miller and Melissa Blocker. Bethany is a National Honor Society Member and a DARE role model. She’s been in several activities, but her top one is probably student council, where she serves as a senior representative. Bethany enjoys tough math and science classes. She’ll be off to college next year, and we wish her all the best.
You’ll probably be hearing Melissa Blocker’s name quite a bit throughout the spring. She’s one of only two seniors on the Golden Bear girls’ track team. At school Melissa some of Melissa’s favorite classes are in the art department. She’ll also be a college girl next fall, and we wish her the very best of luck.
Because of the Easter holiday next week, we’ve got two weeks of news on our Golden Bear calendar. It starts today with the state math championships and then Prom Night at BGHS.
Tomorrow is Palm Sunday. Then on Monday the lots of brave Golden Bears will be giving the gift of life as the Bloodmobile comes to Garrigan.
Monday night the gold teams face Clear Lake. Then Tuesday there’s the North Central Conference Art Show at Algona High. Tuesday night the boys’ track team runs at Spirit Lake while the girls’ team is at Garner.
Wednesday the golf teams take on Iowa Falls and the boys’ track squad runs at Pocahontas. Thursday morning we’ll have a special multimedia version of the Stations of the Cross, and then we’ll dismiss early for the Easter holidays.
There are no school activities on Good Friday, Holy Saturday, or Easter. There’s no school at Garrigan Easter Monday, although the Algona Community Schools will be in session. That afternoon we’ll have the intramural semi-finals.
Also on Easter Monday the golf teams play Humboldt. Then Tuesday, April 25, the girls’ track team runs at Forest City while the boys compete in the Emmetsburg E-Hawk Relays in Estherville.
Wednesday the 26th we’ll have the annual service day at BGHS, where students will help out tidying up the community. We’ll end the day with the intramural championships, and after school there’s golf versus Eagle Grove and girls’ track at Humboldt.
On Thursday, April 27th, we’ll dismiss at 12:45 for a teacher in-service. Then on Friday the 28th there’s boys’ track at Hampton, and the golf teams face Algona High.
Finally this week, all of us at Garrigan would like to extend our sincere sympathy to the family of Kari Westberg, to all her friends, and to all the students at Algona High. Kari’s death came as a shock to all of us, and we’d like all her friends to know that we’re keeping her in our prayers.
That’s the “Bear Facts” for this week. We’ll be off next week for Easter, but be sure to join us two weeks from today for more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.
