Good morning! I'm Sarah Schmitt!
I'm Steven Kellner!
I'm Sarah Erdman!
And I'm David Murphy! Welcome once again to the "Bear
Facts", the weekly radio update from Bishop Garrigan High
School.
Do you know what animal was featured on the cover of Elvis' Don't Be Cruel album? ... Who was the first President to have a doctoral degree? ... or What style of art was Picasso known for? If you guessed "hound dog", "Woodrow Wilson", and "cubism", you should be in
quiz bowl. Today over 300 students from all around northern Iowa will be answering those questions and hundred more as they compete in the 12th Annual BGHS Quiz Bowl. Again this year the Garrigan tournament will be the largest in Iowa and one of the biggest in the country, and we hope it will be a good day for everyone involved.
Garrigan has six teams entered in today's tournament. Team captains today include seniors Joe Hellman and Eric Fouarge, juniors John Kohlhaas and Amber Golwitzer, sophomore Jesse Bode, and freshman Amanda Golwitzer. Other players include seniors David Murphy, Nick Dahlhauser, Mike Blocker, John Stetzel, Jeff Hellman, Rosalind Kirsch, Steven Kellner, and Zac Lickteig. Juniors on the team are Adam Cink, Kris Sutter, Mason Elbert, Scott Stence, Josh Broesder, and Tyler Rolling.
Sophomores Anthony McGuire and Jacob Richter are also in quiz bowl, and there's a big group of freshmen out for this year. Competing at today's tournament you'll see Jeff Lappe, Bridget Doughan, Brandon Rowley, Spenser Rahm, and Tim Lind; as well as Jude Studer, Seth Rogers, Jennifer Vaske, Joe Rahm, and Noah Devine. Good luck to everyone who's competing!
The quiz bowl tournament is one of the biggest events Garrigan hosts each year, and it takes a lot of people to make things run smoothly. According to tournament director David Burrow, fifty-four different people will be working at the quiz bowl tournament today-reading questions, judging who signaled first, posting results, and setting up rooms for competition. Some are parents, some are Garrigan teachers, and others are alumni of the quiz bowl team or just friends of the school. There are also twelve current students who are helping out for the day. It's a cooperative effort that we hope will lead to another great tournament.
While it's quiz bowl time this weekend, last week the big event was state marching
band. The band had their best showing in over a decade, getting straight division one, or superior, ratings from the judges. The flag corps also earned a one, giving the overall performance the best possible rating. Director Dennis Freking lived up to a promise he had made to the band and shaved his beard to celebrate the band's success. Congratulation to him and to all the Solid Gold Marching Band!
Now that contest is over the band is looking forward to next May, when the whole Garrigan music department will be traveling to New York City. They're doing a variety of fundraisers to earn money for the trip. Among them is a can drive. The music department is collecting drink bottles and cans. If you bring the containers to Garrigan, they'll turn them in, and the deposits will help pay the cost of the trip.
There's one other fundraiser around the corner, too. Next Wednesday we'll begin the annual BGHS magazine drive. Prices are just as low as offers you'll get in the mail, but by renewing your subscription through the school, 40% of the money stays right here. Money from the magazine drive goes to the Bishop Garrigan student council, which in turn helps out almost every student organization in the school. Every Garrigan student will be participating in the magazine drive, so we encourage you to find your favorite Golden Bear and renew your magazines through BGHS.
Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Justin Fickbohm and Maria Paterson.
Maria Paterson is Garrigan's first-ever varsity competitor in swimming. She has lettered in track, basketball, cheerleading, and speech. Over the years she has sung in choir, played the saxophone in band, and been a class representative on student council. Maria plans to major in elementary education at college, and we wish her all the best.
Justin Fickbohm is one of the top athletes in the Class of 2003. He has won all-state honors in football and basketball, and he holds the record for best free throw percentage ever. He also placed four times as a sprinter at the state track meet. Justin enjoys playing guitar, and he is also active in choir, publications, and youth council. In the future he'd like to have a career as a sports agent. Good luck, Justin!
On our Golden Bear calendar this week there's the big quiz bowl tournament at Garrigan today. Also this weekend the cheerleaders are on a special trip to Des Moines.
Tomorrow is the Bishops Dinner for the Diocese of Sioux City. Steve and Marilyn McCall will be honored as "Best Friends of Education" at the dinner, while Garrigan teacher David Burrow and Seton teacher Mary Foth are finalists for the Lawrence Soens Educator of the Year Award.
Monday night Garrigan will be hosting volleyball playoffs, with the Bears taking on Sentral. Also that night there's freshman football at Algona High.
Wednesday the magazine drive begins. Thursday there will be no school, due to a teacher in-service. That night the cross-country team runs in districts at Eagle Grove. Friday the first quarter ends and the football team takes on South Hamilton.
That's the "Bear Facts" for another week. Thanks for listening, and be sure to join us again next week for more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.
