Good morning! I'm Amanda Shaw!
And I'm Amanda Golwitzer! This is the "Bear Facts". Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at Bishop Garrigan High School.
Last Tuesday seventeen juniors and two seniors were honored by being inducted into the Garrigan chapter of the National Honor Society. NHS is an organization that recognizes students with outstanding scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Students need to have a 3.25 grade point average to even be considered for NHS. After that teachers look at their accomplishments and narrow the list from there. The seniors recognized this year were Rose Mayer and Ashley Shaw.
Joining them were juniors Ashley Waller, Samantha Arndorfer, Kayla Reding, Tara Trenary, Samantha Arndorfer, and Lizzie Mayer. Also inducted were Alison Brandenburg, Allison Even, Gavin Freking, Kelly Schmidt, Monica Schiltz, and John Reding. Rounding out the new inductees were Jeff Lappe, Melissa Hilbert, Jacob Hellman, Eric Goodman, and Amanda Golwitzer. The new members join fifteen second-year honorees. They include president Matt Courtney, Vice President Matt Vitzthum, treasurer Kristi Reding, and secretary Renee Taphorn. Other returning members are Amanda Thompson, Andrew Berte, Theresa Reising, Holly Lancaster, Samantha Kirsch, and Miranda Boekelman; as well as Katelyn Besch, Brianne Donahe, Nicole Reding, Emily Salz, and Lindsay Schiltz. Congratulations, NHS members!
The Golden Bear quiz bowl team made another good showing last weekend. The team competed for the first time ever at the Aplington-Parkersburg Invitational, and they kept their record perfect by once again making play-offs. Garrigan ended up in fourth place overall at A-P, but the only team they lost to all day long was Class 4-A Ankeny. Matt Courtney, Alison Brandenburg, Jacob Richter, and Amanda Golwitzer represented the Bears in the tournament.
There's more quiz bowl action today. Garrigan has two teams entered in the Little Dutch Quiz Bowl at MOC/Floyd Valley High School in Orange City. Varsity players include Matt Courtney, Jeff Lappe, Gavin Freking, and Jacob Hellman, while the JV team is made up of JoAnn Kirsch, Amanda Cruise, Joe Dailey, Ben Golwitzer, Brent Kajewski, and Chad Lambert. Right after Thanksgiving everyone in quiz bowl will compete in the computer-based Knowledge Master, and then there's yet another tournament, this time in Spirit Lake. Good luck, quiz bowl!
The Golden Bear danz squad is also hoping for a great year. They started things off well in October when Jenn Vaske earned a Division One rating at the state solo dance contest in Pella. Two weeks from now the danz squad will compete as a group in the state dance and drill competition in Des Moines. Good luck to Coach Colleen Schiltz and the danz squad.
Six of Garrigan's cross-country runners are in Des Moines today for the annual Living History Farms run. The 10-K race is a true cross-country event, including fording streams and running through mud and brush. Winners in various divisions earn such seasonal prizes as turkeys and Cornish game hens. Chris Scobba, Scott Kollasch, Maria Kohlhaas, Kelli Black, Kelly Schmidt, and Tami Lallier will be giving it their best. Good luck to them.
The cross-country team held their awards potluck last Sunday. Matt Courtney won the Adam Sundall Award for four years of dedication to the sport. Brandon Rowley, Chris Scobba, and Maria Kohlhaas were the Most Valuable Runners; and Kelli Black, Tami Lallier, Scott Kollasch, and Chris Cassmann were the Most Improved Runners. Samantha Kirsch, Bridget Doughan, and Donnie Monson won the Coaches' Appreciation Award; and Allison Even, Marisa Spain, and Seth Rogers received the Courage Award. Carrie Courtney and Krissy Kohlhaas were the Rookies of the Year; and Matt Courtney, Jacob Hellman, Kelly Schmidt, and Alison Brandenburg were named honorary team captains. Congratulations, cross-country award-winners!
Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Jacob Richter. Here to tell you about him is Brandon Rowley.
Jacob Richter is in Ames today performing at the All-State Music Festival. You can see him on TV Thanksgiving night, when the festival concert will be broadcast on Iowa Public Television. This Wesley native has been one of the most accomplished members of the Garrigan choir all through high school. Jacob is also active in quiz bowl, speech, and drama, and he enjoys intramural basketball. He'll be off to college next year, and Jacob wish him all the best.
Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, we have two weeks of events on our Golden Bear calendar. Today the quiz bowl team is in Orange City, and there's cross-country at Living History Farms in Des Moines. Tonight Jacob Richter, Bridget Doughan, and Rose Mayer will perform in the All-State Festival Concert in Ames.
Sunday is the Feast of the Presentation, the feast day of the order that has served Algona's Catholic schools for over a century. That night the football team will have their awards potluck.
Monday several students will be making a trip to the Mall of America as one of the prizes from the calendar drive earlier in the year. That night the girls basketball team begins their season at Sentral.
Tuesday the girls basketball team hosts Eagle Grove. Then on Wednesday we'll have a K-12 mass at Garrigan for Thanksgiving. At the liturgy we'll also honor all the deceased alumni of our school.
We'll dismiss at 2:15 Wednesday for the Thanksgiving holiday. There's no school Thursday or Friday, but the boys basketball team plays in a jamboree at Graettinger Friday night.
Advent begins Sunday, November 28. We'll have a prayer service to begin the season at school the following Monday. That night the boys basketball team hosts Sentral. The girls team will host a dinner before the varsity game.
Tuesday the 30th we'll have a penance service at St. Cecelia's. After school that day the freshman quiz bowl players will compete in the Knowledge Master. The varsity will have their Knowledge Master competition on Thursday, December 2nd. Also that night the freshman boys basketball team plays at Emmetsburg.
Friday December 3rd the varsity basketball teams play at Iowa Falls. That night the danz squad leaves for state contest in Des Moines. Then on Saturday the quiz bowl team will play at Spirit Lake.
Finally this week we'd like to offer our prayers for Garrigan transportation director Richard Krapp. Dick has a fall and was hospitalized this week, and we're all hoping for his speedy recovery. Get well soon, Dick!
That's the "Bear Facts" for November. We'll be off next weekend because of the Thanksgiving holiday, but be sure to catch our show two weeks from today when we'll be back with more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.
