The Bear Facts
March 22, 2014
Good morning! I’m Zac Kibby!
And I’m Devin Degen! Thanks for joining us for the “Bear Facts”, the weekly radio show from Bishop Garrigan High School.
Last Saturday the Golden Bear speech team had an outstanding day when they competed in the Iowa High School Speech Association state individual contest at East High School in Sioux City. Every Garrigan competitor earned a Division One rating, and the Bears ended up with Ones in thirteen out of fourteen events they entered.
Students earning Ones include Levi Bernhard in Storytelling and Improvisation, Hannah Bernhard in Expository Address and Prose, Christian Matthews in Musical Theatre and Poetry, Taylor Illg in Prose, Dorothy Kirsch and Levi Capesius in Muisical Theatre, Mark Fakler in Improvisation, Emily Riesenberg and Morgan Frideres in Storytelling, and Mariana Pacheco in Expository Address.
The top honor in speech is being named an Outstanding Performer, and Monday afternoon we learned that junior Mark Fakler earned this prestigious award in the field of Improvisation. Out of more than 4,000 people who competed in speech around the state, Mark is one of just 400 All-State honorees. This is the second time Mark has advanced to All-State. He will perform at the All-State Speech Festival in Cedar Falls on Monday, March 31.
A week ago Garrigan entered two teams in the regional Envirothon competition. The team of Morgan Frideres, Emily Riesenberg, Taylor Frideres, Kylie Fox, and Kirstian McGuire finished in first place overall, while the team of Zac Kibby, Andrew Lallier, Michael Condoleon, Joseph Espinosa, and Alex McGuire ended up third. Congratulations to all the Envirothon competitors, and to Coach Beany Bode!
Last Sunday we held our annual intramural basketball championship. The top two student teams competed, and it was a very physical game. The final score was 27 – 22. The winners were Jake Hamilton, Corey Weydert, Mark Fakler, Taylor Illg, Zach Kollasch, Tony Kollasch, and Nick Kayser. Congratulations, intramural champs!
Next Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29, the BGHS drama department will present Murder with Tomato Sauce, our 2014 spring play. Cast members include Morgan Frideres, Nick Bronk, Dorothy Kirsch, Emily Riesenberg, Zach Kollasch, Nick Kayser, Betty Straub, and Hannah Bernhard; as well as Mark Fakler, Erin Quinlin, Carolyn Baxter, Levi Bernhard, Brittany Kirsch, and Jake Hamilton. Rounding out the cast are Mariah Bronk, Tony Kollasch, Taylor Illg, James Quinlin, Levi Capesius, Johanna Vaske, and Chloe Garman. Curtain time is 7pm next Friday and Saturday.
Last Friday the quiz bowl team sponsored their fourth annual Community Quiz Bowl. Eight teams participated in this year’s tournament, which raised more than $400 to help pay the team’s expenses at the National Academic Championships in New Orleans. A new team won this year’s tournament. It included KLGA newscaster Joe Hall—Reppen, as well as Dr. Tony Trainer, Bernie Merrill, and Garrigan quiz bowl alumni Beany Bode and Anna Kollasch. Congratulations to them, and thanks to everyone who supported the community quiz bowl.
There’s more quiz bowl action today. Seven Golden Bears are over in Alta this morning for the Alta—Aurelia Invitational Tournament. The Bears won this tournament last year, and they’re hoping to make a good showing today as well. Competing today are senior Levi Bernhard; juniors Tony Kollasch, Zach Kollasch, and Hannah Bernhard; sophomore Devin Degen, and freshman Logan Capesius. Good luck, quiz bowl!
Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Courtney Blocker. Here to tell you about her is Ben
Vaske.
Courtney Blocker comes to Garrigan from the Bancroft area. In her years at Garrigan her biggest activity has been choir, and she’s also been involved in service projects. Her favorite class has been nurse’s aide, and she plans to continue studying nursing after high school. We wish Courtney all the best in the future.
Thanks, Ben! On our Golden Bear calendar this week, there’s quiz bowl today at Alta. Tomorrow afternoon the danz squad has tryouts for next year, and at 11:00 tomorrow night the band and choir return from their trip to Nashville.
Danz squad tryouts continue on Monday. That night the Diocese of Sioux City will hold a regional strategic planning meeting for all the parishes in our area. The meeting is at 6pm at the Rochleau Center.
Tuesday is the annual academic banquet, where we honor students with grade points of 3.5 and above. We’ll have a school mass on Wednesday morning. Finally next Friday and Saturday the curtain goes up on Murder with Tomato Sauce.
That’s the “Bear Facts” for this week. Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to tune in next week when we’ll bring you our 875th weekly show from Bishop Garrigan High School.
