The Bear Facts
March 11, 2017


Megan: Good morning! I’m Megan Wadle!

Lexi: I’m Lexi Berte!

Caitlin: And I’m Caitlin Thilges! Welcome once again to the “Bear Facts”, the weekly radio update from Bishop Garrigan High School.

Megan: Last weekend the Golden Bear danz squad was down in Florida for the National Dance Association Contest of Champions. The Bears did outstandingly at nationals. They took first place in Class XS with both their pom and kick routines, which had also won the state championship last December. The girls also danced a lyrical routine at nationals. While that didn’t win first place, it did receive a superior rating.

Lexi: Former Golden Bear dancer Colleen Conway—Schiltz has coached the Bishop Garrigan danz squad for years, and she has led many teams to national championships. This year’s team includes seniors Courtney Noonan, Chloe Garman, and Danielle Plathe; as well as Aubrey McEnroe, Kat Willie, Olivia Hall, Grace Menke, Laurel Degen, Isabella Capesius, and Tabi Kollasch. Congratulations to the double national champion BGHS danz squad!

Caitlin: Today six Garrigan students are heading over to Sioux City for the Iowa High School Speech Association state individual speech contest. This group earned nine division one or excellent ratings at district contest two weeks ago, and they’re hoping to have similar success at state contest today.

Megan: Sam Trainer will be competing in Improvisation, and he’ll also tell the story of “The Ghost with the One Black Eye”. Logan Heying is presenting an After-Dinner Address called “STAR”, and he’s also competing in Radio News Announcing. Levi Capesius will perform in Musical Theatre with the selection “If I Can’t Love Her” from Beauty and the Beast, and he’s also acting a scene called “How to Get a Date without Joining e-Harmony.com”.

Lexi: Others competing today include Gabe Trainer, who’s telling the story of Rapunzel, Bryce Capesius, who’s reading a prose selection called “Girls”, and Caitlin Thilges, who is presenting a Literary Program called “Images of Women”. The students will be competing throughout the afternoon at East High School in Sioux City. Mary McCall and David Burrow coach individual speech at Garrigan.

Caitlin: Last Sunday we finished up the regular season of intramural basketball, with two short-handed teams fighting their way to victory. On the way junior Ben Degen broke the intramural record, scoring 83 points in one game. Ben’s team will be the #2 seed going into the championship. There will be a month’s break before they take on Ben Fogarty’s team on Holy Thursday.

Megan: Garrigan’s Christian Leadership in Action students recently made two different trips up to Minneapolis to help out at the Caring and Sharing Hands mission known to many as Mary’s Place. Students helping out at the mission include Andrew Thilges, Levi Capesius, Sam Harrington, Becky Bonstetter, Logan Capesius, Corutney Noonan, Ciera Hall, Megan Wadle, Whitney Hovey, Jenna Boelter, Chloe Garman, and Alisa Altman.

Lexi: Others helping at Mary’s Place were Miranda Book, Andrew Meister, Joel Vaske, Sam Bormann, Megan Brown, Gibson Behr, Chase Hatten, Donovan Berte, Gracie Behr, Danielle Plathe, Emory Miller, Parker Schiltz, and Grace Menke. The students helped to prepare and serve meals to homeless people and also got a tour of the facilities. The mission is located just west of Target Field in downtown Minneapolis.

Caitlin: Time is running out to register for this year’s community quiz bowl. This is the seventh straight year Garrigan is hosting the event, which is open to people of all ages from around the area. The competition will be next Friday, March 17, starting at 6pm. For more information visit bggoldenbears.org, or contact quiz bowl captain Ben Degen at 515-200-9356.

Megan: Trapshooting season is here. This year twenty-two Garrigan students are competing on the team sponsored by the Izaak Walton League. The Garrigan team includes seniors Matt Thul, Taylor Becker, Megan Brown, Alex Lichter, Chase Hatten, Mark Mather, and Grant Arndorfer. Juniors in trap shooting are Will Eggers, Jackson Rosenmeyer, Will Fox, Lexi Berte, Emerald Shipler, Trevor Darling, and Sam Trainer.

Lexi: The 2017 trapshooting team also includes four sophomores and four freshmen. The younger shooters are Silas Goche, Caden Bertte, Dylan Berte, Billy Erpelding, Lucas Hough, Cameron Baade, Jaden Becker, and Dillon Buscher. Good luck to the Golden Bear trap shooters!

Caitlin: Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on JaciBelle Weir and Rebecca Bonstetter. Here to tell you about her is Ben Degen.

Ben: You might have seen JaciBelle Weir’s picture in the Algona paper’s feature on Catholic Schools Week. She’s a second generation Golden Bear whose dad went to Garrigan back in the ‘80s. Belle is a Whittemore native, and when she’s not at school one of her biggest interests is horses.

We mentioned Becky Bonstetter’s name earlier as one of the Christian Leadership students who helped out at the Mary’s Place mission. She also keeps busy with band and large group speech, and she helps out behind the scenes at school plays. Becky will be off to college next year, and we wish both her and Belle all the best in the future.

Megan: On our Golden Bear calendar this week, there’s state speech today in Sioux City. Monday the middle school fundraiser ends, and Tuesday the personal finance class will visit a bank.

Lexi: Also on Tuesday criminal justice students will take a field trip to Des Moines. That night we’ll have the annual academic banquet. Then on Wednesday seniors will leave for their retreat in Cedar Falls, which was postponed by snow back in January.

Caitlin: There will be stations of the cross Friday morning, and that afternoon we’ll have our annual pickleball tournament in the gym. Then that night there’s the big community quiz bowl.

Ben: That’s the “Bear Facts” for another week. Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to join us again next week for more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.