THE BEAR FACTS
February 17, 2024


Good morning! I’m Violet Bode!

I’m Benjy Trainer!

And I’m Brendan Plathe! You’re listening to the “Bear Facts”, the weekly radio show from Bishop Garrigan High School.

This weekend about two dozen Garrigan students are heading down to the Des Moines area for the state DECA conference and competition. Garrigan has eighteen different events entered. Two of them are written entries that have already been prepared. Violet Bode and Zach Warren are competing with an entrepreneurship innovation plan, and Brooke Ludwig and Molly Peterson have an integrated marketing campaign.

There are six Garrigan team entries at state DECA. Ava Hough and Benjy Trainer are entered as an entrepreneurship team, and Daniel Meis and Reece Kemna are a travel and tourism team. There are two buying and merchandising teams—one with Avery Lichter and Brendan Plathe and one with Shiloh Trainer and Harper Nelson. The other two teams are in sports and entertainment. One features Sam Plathe and Ben Greteman, while the other includes Sam Greteman and Thadd Kollasch.



Garrigan’s other entries are individuals. Violet Bode will be competing in human resources management, Zach Warren is in restaurant and food service management, and Logan Nemmers is in automotive services marketing. Brooke Ludwig is in hotel and lodging management, and Molly Peterson is entered in marketing communications.

Hailee Reutzel will be competing at state DECA in the retail merchandising category, Matt Besch is in food marketing, and Cora Deardeuff is entered in principles of marketing. The final two entries are Kylie Capesius in principles of hospitality and Jaelyn Antoine in principles of business management. State DECA will be Sunday and Monday at Southeast Polk.High School. Good luck to all the Golden Bears competing at state.

Lent is here. We began the holy season with an Ash Wednesday service at school this past week. All through Lent we’ll also be celebrating the Stations of the Cross every Friday, with different classes leading the prayers. We’ll have a reconciliation service later in Lent, and we’ll end things up with a special Day of Reflection on Holy Thursday, March 28th.

Pops concert is right around the corner. The big event will be next Friday night, February 23, in Friedmann Auditorium. There will be selections by the full band and choir, special groups including the jazz choir, and lots of solo presentations. Most of this year’s pops concert has a country theme, going along with the music trip to Nashville next month. There’s just one chance to catch the pops concert—next Friday at 7pm.

Rehearsals are well underway for the Bishop Garrigan sprig play. Don’t Drink the Water is a comedy written by famous playwright and actor Woody Allen that is set in an American embassy somewhere in the communist world. The Garrigan production stars Sam Plathe, Violet Bode, Benjy Trainer, Elena Salinas, and Brendan Plathe; as well as Madelyn Bronk, Spencer Doerning, and Brooke Ludwig.

Rounding out the cast are Alaina Casey, Shiloh Trainer, Kylie Capesius, Cora Deardeuff, Griffin Geving, Alice Casey, Tate Foertsch, Amaury Thomas, Leo Snyder, Aidan Deitering, and Sawyer Herrick. The play is less than a month away. Mark your calendar for Friday and Saturday, March 15th and 16th to see “Don’t Drink the Water”.

Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Elena Salinas. Here to tell you about her is Ben Greteman.

With pops concert coming up, Elena Salinas will be very busy. She’s been in both band and choir all through high school. Elena has also been in lots of school plays and musicals over the years, and she’s even been part of community shows like The Little Mermaid. We wish Elena all the best after high school.

Thanks, Ben! On this week’s Golden Bear calendar, the big event tonight is the winter formal. Tomorrow state DECA begins down at Southeast Polk.

Track practice begins on Monday, and the pre-K through fourth grade spring concert will be that night. We’ll have mass Tuesday morning, and that night is the boys basketball district final.

There’s no school next Wednesday because of a teacher inservice. The girls basketball regional final will be that night.

Next Friday our seniors will attend a special presentation of the Cary Chapman Catt Award for voter registration. Then next Friday night is the annual pops concert.

That’s the “Bear Facts” for this week. Thanks for joining us, and be sure to catch the show again next week for more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.