The Bear Facts
April 18, 2015

Good morning! I’m Emily Riesenberg!

I’m Taylor Frideres!

And I’m Kaitlyn Fogarty! Thanks for listening to the “Bear Facts”, the radio show where each week we keep you in touch with all the news from Bishop Garrigan High School.

We mentioned last week that the quiz bowl team had competed in the Think Fast Virtual Quiz sponsored by Iowa State University. We got the results this past week, and it turns out the Bears did really well. While Bishop Garrigan was the smallest of twenty-four schools registered for the tournament, they ended up answering more questions right than any other team. Speed is also a factor, and the Bears were slower than some other teams. Even so, they ended up in the top three overall. Congratulations, quiz bowl!

Last week we celebrated Gala 2015, and it looks like it was another very good event.. Final totals are still being determined, but we should have around $310,000 in income, which would be the second highest total ever. The live auction alone brought in over $107,000, which is half again as much as the entire first gala totaled twenty-six years ago. Jeanne Farrell, Mark and Bev Klein, Phyllis Robinson, and Marlene Heinen all won awards at this year’s Gala. 

There are always lots of big winners at Gala. Jared Poeppe was this year’s car winner, while Jim and Judy Fickbohm won the recreational vehicle raffle. Brian Tumey won the dream raffle, and Rich and Joyce Rosenmeyer won the last chance vacation raffle. Tricia Wartick, Brian Berte, and Karen Thilges were the first chance winners, and gas cards from the Key Club went to Andy Meyer, Mitch Buscher, Carey Kemna, and Sean Noon. Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to everyone who helped make Gala 2015 a big success!

Spring sports have begun. The girls track team set a new record last week. Avriel Miller, Livia Miller, Olivia Hall, and Johanna Vaske ran the shuttle hurdle relay in 1 minute, 12.99 seconds. The seniors on this year’s team are Emily Riesenberg, Kaitlyn Fogarty, Morgan Frideres, Taylor Frideres, Cassidy Vitzthum, and Mariana Pacheco. Other returning veterans include iinclude Olivia Vaske, Gracie Behr, Miranda Book, Sam Bormann, Ciera Hall, Courtney Noonan, and Danielle Plathe. There are also nine freshmen rounding out the team.

At the core of the boys team are Zach and Tony Kollasch, who have committed to running in college. Other seniors out for track are Ben Vaske, Mark Fakler, and Tyler Schnur. The returning juniors include Will Kellner, Devin Degen, Logan Rosenmeyer, Jedd Magill, Zac Kibby, Landen Studer, Cameron Langerman, James Quinlin, and Logan Besch. There are also nine juniors and eight freshmen on the Golden Bear track team. Good luck, Golden Bear track!

This year the Golden Bear boys golf team is hoping to repeat their state championship. Junior Andrew Lallier and sophomore Logan Capesius have been the team leaders early in the season, but senior Lemuel Marlow is also back from the last year’s championship team. Other team members include senior Taylor Illg; junior Michael Condoleon; sophomores Donovan Berte, Charlie Stevens, James Burns, Andrew Thilges, and Nick Mergen; and freshmen Parker Schiltz, Zach Muller, and Tommy Kollasch.

Girls golf once again has a small team, but they’re also hoping for a great season. Seniors Emily Marlow, Brittany Arndorfer, and Emily Berte will be at the core of this year’s team. Their teammates are Chloe Garman, Lexi Berte, and Grace Menke. Good luck to Coaches Dean Lallier and Brandon Schwab and both the boys and girls golf teams!

Next Wednesday Garrigan will be participating in Giving Back Day. For twenty years now Garrigan has had an annual Stewardship Day where we’ve helped clean up the school and community, and for the past couple of years we’ve combined that with an activity sponsored by the chamber of commerce that also includes public school students. Teams of students will be working to clean things up in Bancroft, Whittemore, Wesley, and Sexton, as well as right here in Algona.

Also next Wednesday a group of Advanced Biology students will be taking a special all-day field trip. They’ll see the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge near Missouri Valley, which includes the wreckage of the steamship Bertrand. Then they’ll head to Omaha to see the world-famous zoo. Science teacher Beany Bode will be escorting the group on the trip.

Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Megan Lappe. Megan Lappe comes to Garrigan from the Wesley area. By far her biggest activity over the years has been dance. She’s won individual honors and has also helped lead the Golden Bear danz squad to multiple state championships. Megan also keeps busy with activities such as Christian Leadership in Action. She’ll be off to college next fall, and we wish her the very best of luck.

On our Golden Bear calendar this week, today we’re hosting state solo and ensemble music contest here at Garrigan. There’s also boys golf today at Spencer, and many students will be taking the ACT.

Monday the golf teams are playing at Garner. Tuesday sophomores are taking the ASSET test. That night there’s boys track at Belmond and girls track at Garner.

We’ll have mass next Wednesday morning. Then we’ll spend the day doing clean-up projects as part of Giving Back Day. Advanced Biology students will be on a field trip to Omaha that day.

Thursday the boys track team runs at North Iowa. Then Friday the golf teams play at Forest City, there’s boys track at Pocahontas, and the girls track team is at Esthervlle. Also on Friday there’s the North Iowa Conference Art Show at Waldorf College in Forest City.

That’s the “Bear Facts” for this week. Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to catch the show next week when we’ll be telling you about prom night 2015 here at Bishop Garrigan High School.