The Bear Facts
April 28, 2012
Good morning! I’m Savannah McNertney!
I’m Jason Reding!
And I’m Hannah Boisjolie! Welcome once again to the “Bear Facts”, your weekly radio update from Bishop Garrigan High School.
As the end of the year approaches, there are several big events coming up next week. Monday is a big day for Garrigan’s freshmen. That night Bishop Nickless will be in town for the Sacrament of Confirmation. The freshmen have been preparing all year for the event, and they’ll be confirmed as full members of the Catholic Church Monday night at 6:30 at St. Cecelia’s.
Next Wednesday Garrigan students will join our friends from Algona High for Community Clean-Up Day. While having all the area high school students involved is new, Garrigan has been participating in a similar event we call Stewardship Day for almost twenty years. Every year different groups of Golden Bears help clean things up around the school as well as in area parishes. Starting last year we expanded the day to include helping the Chamber of Commerce with projects around town.
As part of Stewardship Day, several student council members will conduct their semi-annual Adopt-a-Highway project. Twice each year since 1992 student council has picked up trash along highway 18 for one mile either side of Sexton. We’re pleased to say that overall there’s less litter than there used to be, though still enough to keep the group busy.
Adopt-a-Highway will be the last major duty for this year’s student council. Next week students from eighth through eleventh grade will be electing new student council officers to serve in through 2013. For the second straight year there will be no election at the top of the ticket. Just like Grant Reding and Alex Boisjolie last year, this year Dustin Miller and Amelia Golwitzer are unopposed and will be the new student council co-presidents. Also unopposed are Thomas Bradley and Jake Kollasch, who will be the new senior class co-presidents. Congratulations to them.
In the Class of 2014 there are three pairs of candidates running for the top slots in the class: Nathan Krieps and Nicole Behr, Kara Eischen and Kristin Condoleon, and Dillon Walker and David Klein. In next year’s sophomore class Andrew Miller and Ben Vaske will take on Christian Matthews and Mark Fakler in the Presidential election; while in next year’s freshman class Zach Boelter and Stephen McCall are running against Michael Condoleon and Andrew Lallier.
In addition to the Presidential candidates, several other students are running to be class representatives. In the Class of 2013 the candidates include Melissa Kellner, Kendra Reothler, Noelle Vitzthum, and Elliot Boisjolie. Candidates in next year’s junior class are Neal Koob, Taylor Hovey, Connor Garman, and Nick Bronk. Cassidy Vitzthum is running in the Class of 2015, and in the Class of 2016 the candidates are Devin Degen, Blake Elsbecker, and Joseph Espinosa. Good luck to everybody running for student council.
Next Friday Garrigan and Seton will be hosting Grandparents Day. At Seton students will go to mass with their grandparents, while at the junior high and high school we’ll enjoy a special lunch with them. Not everyone has grandparents who can make it to the event, and those who don’t have the opportunity of inviting other older people who have made a difference in their lives. We’re glad to honor our grandparents and all senior citizens on Grandparents Day.
Also coming up this week is the annual spring concert and art show. This year’s show should be especially good, because it will feature award-winners in both music and art. The Bishop Garrigan chamber choir earned an Outstanding Performance citation at the state solo and ensemble contest, while Jeanne McCall received one of the top three awards at the North Central Conference Art Show. Be sure to check out them and all the other Garrigan musicians and artists next Wednesday at 7pm.
Today is a very special day for Garrigan senior Addison Miller. Addison is the top hurdler on the Golden Bear girls track team, and she’s the first Golden Bear in many years to qualify for the Drake Relays. Addison will be running at Drake this afternoon, and we wish her the very best of luck.
Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Brandon Schiltz. Brandon is one of the stand-outs on the Golden Bear golf team. In addition to golfing all through high school, Brandon is a National Honor Society member who has also been part of the quiz bowl team. Brandon would like a career in landscaping, and next year he plans to study at Des Moines Area Community College. Good luck, Brandon!
On this week’s Golden Bear calendar, the girls golf team is hosting the BGHS tournament today. Then tomorrow Garrigan students who come from St. John’s in Bancroft will have their baccalaureate mass.
Monday our freshmen will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. Then on Tuesday we’ll hold class president elections. That night the golf teams play Clarion and Hampton and there’s boys track at Algona High.
Wednesday we’ll be cleaning things up for Stewardship Day. There’s cheerleading try-outs after school that day, and at 7:00 Wednesday night we’ll have the spring concert and art show.
Student council representative elections will be next Thursday. That night the Garrigan boys will host the Adam Sundall Relays, and there’s also girls track at Eagle Grove.
Friday is Go the Distance Day, and we’ll all participate in special physical activities. We’ll also celebrate Grandparents Day, with a special luncheon with our grandparents and special guests. There’s a rosary that afternoon, and that night the boys and girls golfers face West Bend Mallard.
Garrigan will be hosting state large group music contest Friday night. Then next Saturday the boys golf team plays at Hampton Dumont.
That’s the “Bear Facts” for April. Thanks for joining us, and be sure to tune in next week when we’ll be bringing you more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.