Good morning! I'm Jessica Richter!
And I'm Louie Bode! You're tuned in to the "Bear Facts," the radio show where each week we bring you up to date with all the news from Bishop Garrigan High School.
Bishop Garrigan speech students brought home four Division I or "excellent" ratings from the district large-group contst last weekend in Graettinger. Most impressive, both of Garrigan's one-act plays received I's. The varsit one-act was called "What Are We Going to Do About Mama?" and told the story of a family trying to figure out how to care for their aging mother. The cast included Dan Bormann, Rachel Studer, Natalie Salz, Angie Weber, Tyler Struck, Katie Patterson, and Wade MacDonald. The freshman one-act was a more light-hearted show called "Three on a Bench" with Mandy Rahm, Adam Rahm, Rebecca McGuire, and Bob Brandenburg as the featured players.
Two freshman acting ensembles also earned I's at district contest. Bob Brandenburg and Mandy Rahm starred in "Eagles Scream Too," while the piece "If Men Played Cards as Women Do" included Adam Rahm, Mark Rasmussen, Michael Loebach, and Chris Kohlhaas. All four of these winning entries will now advance to the state contest, which will be held Saturday, February 6, at Spencer. Congratulations to all our award-winning contestants!
Tomorrow marks the start of an annual celebration--not only at Garrigan, but all over the country. It's Catholic Schools Week, the one week a year when we celebrate the difference Catholic schools make. This year's Catholic Schools Week theme is "Restoring Faith in Education". The week begins tomorrow with "Spirit Day", when all the Catholic churches in the area will be holding special masses for education.
At school, Monday is "Student Appreciation Day". Algona mayor Lynn Kueck will be on hand with a special proclamation for the week. Tuesday is "Family Appreciation Day", and we'll be celebrating with the traditional grandparents' lunch here at Garrigan. Wednesday is "National Appreciation Day", when Garrigan and Seton will join every Catholic school in America in celebrating mass at the same time. On Thursday the teachers will have a special breakfast for "Staff Appreciation Day", and the students get appreciated too with a special jeans day. Then Friday is "School Tradition Day", where we'll all dress in black and gold during t day and then pack the gym that night.
Some of the Catholic Schools Week posters talk about "the fourth 'R'." While we're all smart enough to know that in "reading, writing, and arithmetic", there's only one word that begins with the letter 'R', that fourth 'R' is supposed to stand for religion. At Garrigan this year four different teachers work hard to teach religion. It's a thankless job, because almost no one would ever admit to actually liking religion class. We all know it's important, though; it's really the whole reason our school is here to begin with. During Catholic Schools Week we'd like to thank Father Paul Eisele, Father Paul Bormann, Mr. Shannon Duffy, and Mrs. Phyllis Even for all the work they do.
Catholic Schools Week is also a good time to remember the history of our school. Garrigan was founded forty years ago when St. Cecelia's in Algona, St. Joseph in Wesley, St. Benedict, St. Michael's in Whittemore, and St. Joe--Bode all got together to form one central high school for Catholic students from around the area. They decided to name the school in honor of Bishop Philip Garrigan, who was the very first bishop of the Sioux City Diocese. Today our students come not just from the original five parishes, but from other area churches--both Catholic and Protestant.
While some private schools are just for the rich or elite, Garrigan's founders made a point that anyone would be welcome here. The area parishes treat the schools as a mission, and that has helped to keep tuition rates as low as possible. While it costs a lot more than it did forty years ago, Garrigan is still less expensive than almost every other school in the country. In fact, 97% of private schools charge more for tuition than Garrigan. There's also help for those who really need it. Over a third of our students take advantage of tuition assistance programs provided through the development office.
For Catholic Schools Week, our Senior Spotlight shines on Abby Rahm and Mike Reel. Here to tell you about them is Brandon Donahe.
Abby Rahm is probably best known for her work in music. Over the years she's won numerous awards, both in choir and band. She was part of the quiz bowl team that went to nationals last summer, and she's also been involved in speech. Abby fills her day with tough classes like advanced math and science. She'll be off to college next year. Good luck, Abby!
Mike Reel recently became an Eagle Scout. He is also a quiz bowl captain, and another member of the national tournament team. Mike was an award-winning football player who is also active in track. Mike will be off to Annapolis next year, where he received a commission to the U.S. Naval Academy. He plans a career in aviation, and we wish him all the best.
Thanks, Brandon! On our Golden Bear calendar , tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday, but the biggest game of the day will be in the Garrigan gym--the long-awaited intramural match-up between the Screaming Stus and the Fire Ants. We'll let you know who won on next week's show.
Also tomorrow Catholic Schools Week begins. Monday during homeroom the Mayor will address the school, and then on Tuesday we'll welcome our grandparents for lunch and a tour of the school.
Tuesday night the JV and varsity Bears play at Clear Lake. Then on Wednesday we'll all go to St. Cecelia's, where we'll join with the Seton students for the annual Catholic Schools Week mass.
Wednesday night the freshmen boys play at Mason City Newman. There are pops concert auditions Wednesday and Thursday, and also on Thursday we'll have a jeans day to raise money for the student Gala gift.
Thursday night there's JV basketball at Garner. Then Friday the freshmen host Emmetsburg, followed by varsity basketball, with the Bears hosting Webster City.
The music department will sponsor a soup supper at the games next Friday. Then finally next Saturday the speech students will head to Spencer for the state large-group contest.
That's the "Bear Facts" for Catholic Schools Week. Thanks for listening, and be sure to tune in again next week for more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.
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