Good morning! I’m Jake Hamilton!
I’m Kara Eischen!
I’m Taylor Hovey!
And I’m Brittany Kirsch! Thanks for joining us for the “Bear Facts”. Happy Halloween from everyone here at Bishop Garrigan High School!
Every fall sport at Garrigan is advancing in playoffs, which will make the coming week a very busy one for the Golden Bears. We’ll start with cross-country, where the Golden Bear boys will once again be running at state. Garrigan finished second out of twenty teams at the state qualifying meet last Thursday in Eagle Grove, which earned them a team appearance at the state meet in Ft. Dodge next Saturday. Junior Tony Kollasch led the team and also qualified for state individually, with a 5-K time of just 16 minutes, 56 seconds. While the girls just missed making it to state, they also did well, finishing in fifth place out of fifteen teams in the meet.
The Golden Bear volleyball team began regional play last Tuesday with a tough match against North Iowa. It took five games, but the Bears came out on top. With the win they advance to take on Corwith Wesley Luverne. The Bears will host that match next Tuesday. A win that night would move them into the regional semi-finals, which Garrigan will also host next Friday night.
The Golden Bear football team will also be playing at least one game in the state playoffs, and we’re hoping they advance well beyond that. We had to record this show before last night’s game at Lake Mills, but we’re hoping that a win there guaranteed the Bears a home game next Wednesday in the playoff opener.
It’s not just sports that are busy at Garrigan. Today is a big day for ten members of the choir. They’re at Storm Lake High School today auditioning for the All-State Music Festival. Bass singers Jake Hamilton and Nick Bronk; tenors Christian Matthews and Levi Capesius; altos Erin Quinlin, Dorothy Kirsch, and Mariah Bronk; and sopranos Carolyn Baxter, Morgan Frideres, and Sophia Kaduce will all be competing today to earn the top honor in music. Jake Hamilton made the All-State Chorus as a junior last year, and we’re hoping others will join him in 2013.
At all-state auditions singers perform difficult arrangements in groups. This year’s music includes “The Roof”, “Tambourines”, “Lightly Stepped a Yellow Star”, “Zadok, the Priest”, “Let All the World in Every Corner Sing”, “Abendlied”, “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, and “America, the Beautiful”. Those who are selected will participate in the All-State Music Festival November 21st through 23rd in Ames.
Last Saturday Garrigan had made an extremely good showing in their home quiz bowl tournament. Three Golden Bear teams were among the top sixteen, and another Garrigan team just missed making playoffs. The Bears’ top team—with Levi Bernhard, Jake Hamilton, Zach Kollasch, Hannah Bernhard, and Tony Kollasch sailed through preliminary rounds undefeated, scoring 325 points more than their nearest competitors.
The Bears won their first three playoff games to advance to the championship game. They led for most of the game, but had to settle for second after they chose a difficult lightning round and their opponents had an easier option. Luck is part of quiz bowl, though, and we’re proud of the Bears for taking second place overall.
A second Garrigan team—featuring Kara Eischen, Taylor Hovey, Sean Hart, Kristin Condoleon, and Sophia Kaduce—ended up in 12th place overall in the tournament; while the team of Taylor Illg, Devin Degen, Dorothy Kirsch, and Joseph Espinosa finished 16th. Reece Wadle, Ben Vaske, Chris Loss, Zach Boelter, and Andrew Miller just missed making playoffs.
Next week Garrigan students Morgan Muller and Vanessa Arndorfer will be in Louisville, Kentucky for the annual FFA Convention and Expo. This is one of the largest conventions held anywhere in America, with thousands of youth who are interested in agriculture. Both Morgan and Vanessa have served as officers in the Algona FFA, and they’ll represent that club in Louisville.
The annual Garrigan magazine drive is coming soon. There was a delay in starting the drive this year because the company didn’t deliver sales materials on time. Students should have them soon, though, and you can order all your favorite magazines—as well as books, music, and a wide range of gifts.
If you prefer to order online, we’ve got you covered. You can go to bottom of the “What’s New” page on the Garrigan website and go straight to the Great American sales site. You can pay with a credit or debit card there, and you can choose exactly what student you want to earn credit for the sale. All purchases through the magazine drive help support the BGHS student council, which gives money to a wide range of student activities and service projects.
Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Lydia Reding. Here to tell you about her is Erin Quinlin.
Lydia Reding is a Whittemore native whose biggest school activity is Christian Leadership in Action. She is also active in 4-H, where she serves on the county council and the fair board. Lydia was honored last summer as the Palo Alto County fair queen. Her favorite classes include Spanish and Business Law, and she enjoys watching movies and golfing for fun. Lydia plans to attend Iowa Lakes and then transfer to Iowa State, and we wish her all the best in the future.
Thanks, Erin! On our Golden Bear calendar this week, there’s All-State auditions today in Storm Lake. Tuesday the volleyball team hosts Corwith Wesley Luverne in regional action, and Wednesday the Bears should be hosting a football playoff game.
Next Thursday is Halloween, and Friday is the Feast of All Saints. Friday night we’ll host the volleyball regional semifinals, and finally next Saturday there’s state cross-country at Ft. Dodge.
That’s the “Bear Facts” for October. Thanks for joining us, and be sure to tune in again next week for more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.
