The Bear Facts
March 27 2021

Good morning! I’m Mya Kemna!

I’m  Riley Rosenmeyer!

And I’m Marguerite Fakler! You’re listening to the “Bear Facts”, the radio show where each week we keep you in touch with everything that’s happening at Bishop Garrigan High School.

Next Monday twenty-one Garrigan students will be down in Des Moines to perform at the state jazz contest. Garrigan’s Viva Voce jazz group already earned a Division I state rating. This contest pits them against the other top singers in Iowa, with competitors vying for the top places in the state. Garrigan won the state jazz title in 2019, and since there was no contest last year, that makes them the defending champions.

The jazz competition show includes the songs “All of Me”, “Take Five”, and “Fields of Gold”. At the core of the group are seniors Kelle Bormann, Joey Trainer, Derrick Kirsch, Aric Laubenthal, Ava Bartolo, Jack Snyder, and Noah Bronk. Viva Voce also includes Meredith Tigges, Ella Muller, Savannah Waechter, Marguerite Fakler, Isabel Casey, and Xander Darling.

Audi Crooks is also in jazz choir, as are Maggie Vaske, Ava Eisenbarth, Benjy Trainer, Hollis Bode, Nate Bronk, and Drew Casey. Riley Rosenmeyer plays percussion for the group. Best wishes at state to director Antonia Rupert and the all the members of the BGHS jazz choir!

The Golden Bear quiz bowl team is competing today in what will likely be their last tournament of the school year, the Iowa Quiz Bowl League spring championships. While the tournament is hosted by Central Academy in Des Moines, like all the quiz bowls this year, it’s a virtual event taking place online. The Bears’ varsity team includes Joe Trainer, Aric Laubenthal, Meredith Tigges, and Gavin Swift.

Garrigan will also have a JV team entered in today’s tournament. Competing in that division are Jacob Ward, Sam Plathe, Ben Greteman, Benjy Trainer, and Nathaniel Darling. Good luck to Coach David Burrow and the quiz bowl team!

There were no track or golf meets held in 2020. Those teams have been practicing throughout March, though, and in just a week and a half they’ll be competing again. The Golden Bear boys golf team is small, but mighty. At the core are seniors Kyle Schaaf, Austin Von  Bank, and Adyn Rowlet. Joining them are juniors Joe Schumacher and Jacob Leerar, and freshmen Ben Greteman and Ethan Kuper.

Anna Berke and Kelly Baade are the only seniors on the girls golf team. They're joined by Meredith Illg, Olivia Arndorfer, Riley Rosenmeyer, Ava Eisenbarth, and Molly Bormann. The girls golfers also include Lexi Galligan, Annie Burns, Ella Muller, Avery Lichter, and Morgan Antoine. Good luck to Coach Victor Berte and the golf teams.

We wouldn’t have time to mention everyone in track, but we will highlight the seniors who are out. On the girls’ side the returning seniors include Reese Rosenmeyer, Gracie Elsbecker, and Gracie Rosenmeyer. The senior veterans on the boys team are Joe Meis, Joseph Bonstetter, Mitch Buscherfeld, Kellen Murphy, Joey Trainer, Noah Bronk, and Aric Laubenthal. Good luck to Coaches Marty Wadle, Dave Schnurr, and Jared Montag and everyone in track!

Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Aric Laubenthal. Here to tell you about him is Veronica Capesius.

We’ve already mentioned Aric Laubenthal three times on this week’s show. That’s typical, because he’s a very busy guy. Choir is probably his biggest activity, but he’s also been to nationals in quiz bowl, he’s competed in math team, and he’s helped with plays and musicals both on and off stage. Aric plays baseball, he’s in track, and he was a manager for the cross-country team. You probably also know him as one of our most frequent announcers here on the “Bear Facts”. Aric will be attending South Dakota State University next year, and we wish him all the best in the future.

Thanks, DDDDD. With Easter coming up, we’re going to look at two weeks on our Golden Bear calendar. Today the quiz bowl team is competing in the Iowa Quiz Bowl League championships. Then on Monday the jazz choir will be competing at state in Des Moines.

There’s parish busing all next week, because most of the week the Algona Community Schools aren’t in session. Tuesday several students are taking a field trip to the police academy in Des Moines.

Thursday we’ll have our annual day of reflection, and we’ll also have elections that day for next year’s student body presidents. We’ll dismiss early next Thursday, and there’s no activities next Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

Monday, April 5, the golf teams play triangulars—with the girls at Humboldt and the boys at Spencer. The first track meet of the season is Tuesday, April 6, with the Golden Bear girls running at Clear Lake.

We’ll have a school mass Wednesday the 7th, and the whole school will be together at church for the first time in more than a year. That night the dance squad has try-outs for next year’s team.

There’s girls track at Eagle Grove on Thursday the 8th, Then Friday the 9th there’s a co-ed golf meet with Garrigan and Lake Mills playing at Eagle Grove. That night is the preview party for Gala 2021.

That’s the “Bear Facts” for March. We’ll be off next week because of Easter break, but be sure to catch the show again two weeks from now for more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.