Month: March 2022

After 21 years of service to Decorah Community Schools, Kim Sheppard has informed the DCSD Board of Directors  and Decorah High School staff, families, and students of her intention to retire at the end of the current school year.

Mrs. Sheppard reflected, “I am especially proud of the work of the Decorah High School staff as we researched and implemented a variety of new classes, including those that are rigorous and challenging; developed a new class schedule based on the needs of our students; and put interventions in place designed to assist our students in the development of the skills needed to be successful beyond the high school setting.”

“Mrs. Sheppard is one of the finest educators with whom I have had the pleasure of working. She is dedicated to success for each student and is tireless in her efforts to create high quality learning and extra-curricular experiences. I am incredibly grateful for her service to our district.” said Decorah Superintendent, Mark Lane.

Early Dismissal Tuesday, March 8

School will be dismissed at 12:30 pm next Tuesday, March 8 to allow students and staff to attend the boys’ quarterfinal round game in the state basketball tournament. The game will be played at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Semi-final games are scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday, March 10, and the class 3A championship game will be played at 5:00 pm Friday, March 11. 

Superintendent Mark Lane said, “This is our school’s first trip to the boys’ state basketball tournament in over 40 years. We appreciate the great support our community gives our students, and I hope as many people as possible are able to attend.” 

Like weather-related closures, early dismissals and/or cancellations related to state tournament participation will impact the student instructional hours for the current school year. Once the tournament is over, the District will share an update on the end-of-year calendar.

CDC Ends Masks on School Buses Requirement

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ended the federal requirement of wearing a mask while on a school bus. With this change, the District will align guidance for buses to their current guidance in district buildings: individuals are encouraged to wear an appropriate mask when physical distancing cannot be consistently maintained. The District appreciate everyone’s efforts to keep our students and staff safe and healthy.

Decorah Middle School 7th and 8th graders will be presenting their “Night of Plays” on Thursday, March 10, at 7:00 pm in the Carrie Lee Auditorium. The students will perform the plays “Discount Phone Line,” “Psycho Psychic Network,” “Baitline News,” and “Beowulf on a Budget.” The public is cordially invited to attend this light-hearted evening of fun.  There is no admission charge for this event.

Decorah High School’s individual speech participants—coached by Molly Holkesvik, Gabriel Twedt, Carrie Kauffman, Rachel Breitenbach-Dirks, and Lyra McKnight—competed Saturday, February 26th, at Dysart Middle School. Around 50 students participated in the contest.  Out of Decorah’s 59 performances, 52 received I (excellent) ratings.

The directors shared, “We are excited for our students to keep showing their great performance and speaking skills at State Contest in two weeks. We are proud of everything they are bringing to the table.”

Individual Speech State Contest will be held at Clear Lake High School on Saturday, March 12th.

Results for Decorah Speech Performers Grades 10-12 Receiving a I (excellent) rating:

Original Oratory: Nat Roberts, Evon Leitz, Nadia Johnson

Public Address: Jenna Hartz, Anya Lovstuen, Kathryn Kelly

Expository Address: Ellen Rooney, Annika Franzen, Gabriel Hiner

Storytelling: Hayley Stowe, Nadia Johnson, Ramsey Zilka

Prose: Danielle Rix, Sophia Christman, Wyatt Hackman

Poetry: Jensen Korsness, Kathryn Kelly, Koryn Bakken

Review: Braunwyn Darrington

Literary Program: Alex McGohan, Grace Bachelder

Solo Musical: Dylan Muhlbauer, Ella Grouws, Mikiah Krieg

Acting: Ada Lovelace, Ellen Rooney, Alex Kane

After Dinner Speaking: Joe Stammeyer, Landan Folkedahl

Spontaneous Speaking: Anya Lovstuen, Landan Folkedahl, Michael Njus

Radio News: Simon Kutz, Rebecca Anderson

Individual Improv: Nat Roberts, Jake Magner, Cori Timm

Results for Decorah Speech Performers Grades 10-12 Receiving a II (good) rating:

Literary Program: Samantha Reilly

Review: Lexi Walker

After Dinner: Madi Castro

Radio News: Junior Battle

Results for Decorah Speech Performers Grade 9 Receiving a I (excellent) rating:

Original Oratory: Natalie Goodner, Gwen Thompson

After Dinner: Ezra Vorvick, Davis Coppola

Prose: Evynne Downing, Margret Zook

Literary Program: Alex McGohan

Improvisational Acting: Jack Sovern

Solo Musical: Gwen Thompson

Radio: Karmyn Bakken

Public Address: Grace Blikre, Andy Kruger

Poetry: Elsa Johnson

Expository Address: Elliana Brodbeck

Storytelling: Margret Zook

Review: Grace Blikre

Results for Decorah Speech Performers Grade 9 Receiving a II (good) rating:

Acting: Elliana Brodbeck, Becca Kane

Expository Address: Klaara Short

District COVID-19 Active Positive Cases

• Total number of students and staff in isolation (currently positive) for COVID-19: five (5)
• Current district facilities with known positive cases: Carrie Lee Elementary, Decorah Middle School, Decorah High School

DCSD reports COVID-19 data in alignment with the direction of the Iowa Department of Public Health. The full guidance can be found at the link below.

IDPH Information Sharing Guidance for Schools and Local Public Health

Kindergarten Enrollment Meeting

Thursday, March 3, the district will host an informational meeting for parents with children who will be eligible to enroll in kindergarten for the 2022-2023 school year. Children must be 5 years old on or before , to be eligible for kindergarten. The informational meeting will be held in the Carrie Lee Elementary Auditorium beginning at 6:00 pm.

Proposed 2022-2023 Academic Calendar

The Board of Directors set the date of March 14 at 5:30 pm to hold a public hearing regarding the proposed 2022-2023 Academic Calendar. Like the past two years, the proposed calendar is an hours of instruction-based calendar and is similar in structure to the past two years.  The regular board meeting will follow the public hearing where the Board will discuss and/or approve the final calendar. Interested parties can review the draft 2022-2023 academic calendar at the link below.

DRAFT 2022-2023 Academic Calendar

Two Decorah High School groups were selected as banner recipients at this year’s All-State Speech Festival held in Ames over the weekend: a radio broadcasting entitled “KCTS” and a television news broadcast entitled “Iowa Adventures: Haunted Road Trip.”

Approximately 70 Decorah High School students made the trip to Ames over the weekend to perform at the festival at the Iowa State Center on the ISU campus. Eight events were nominated as outstanding performances and joined other elite speech students from across the state to share their performances with a professional critic.

Each critic selects one performance at the end of the day and awards a banner to that entry, signifying them as “best of center” in that category. The banner winner, in the eyes of the critic, represents a “state championship” quality performance that stands out above the rest.

Cast members of the Radio Broadcasting “KCTS,” directed by Gabriel Twedt and Carrie Kauffman, include Drew Berns, Morgan Dhly, Nat Roberts, Sylvia Sandhorst, and August Witt.

The radio broadcasting follows the Johnson family on their trip to the deserts of the American Southwest. However, the cactus-ridden landscape proves to be a little too much for the Minnesotan family. The critic praised “KCTS” for its originality, polished technical aspects, and engaging storyline. The critic explained that once they heard the radio broadcast, “There was no other choice for the critic’s choice.”

Cast members of Television News “Iowa Adventures: Haunted Road Trip,” directed by Molly Holkesvik and Gabriel Twedt, include Annaleissa Arnold, Caden Branum, Bella Bishop, Sophia Christman, Chloe Chyle, Braunwyn Darrington, Simon Kutz, Paige Lange, Easton Luzum, Kailyn O’Gara, Thea Schissel, Brynn Storhoff, and Paige Werner.

The critic praised the “Iowa Adventures: Haunted Road Trip” cast for their professionalism, attention to detail, and captivating writing. The travel style broadcast focuses on the hauntings and tourism opportunities found in the Iowa towns of Van Meter and Villisca. The critic was blown away by the level of quality of this production, as well as the production of the 9th grade televisions news that also performed at All-State. 

“Although the All-State nominations and subsequent banner wins are amazing, the true mark of our success lies in the joy in our students’ faces and hearts as they performed at all levels throughout this season,” large group speech directors Molly Holkesvik, Gabriel Twedt, Carrie Kauffman, Rachel Breitenbach-Dirks, and Lyra McKnight remarked, at the conclusion of the weekend’s events. “A big thank you to all involved in the fire truck parade, the ringing of the victory bell, and for packing the house at all our performances throughout the season. Saturday night was a true celebration of our entire speech team.”

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Decorah High School is extremely excited to have our Boys Basketball team play in the 2022 State Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena.  We look forward to the continued support of the community and fans for our students just like in all of our activities.  In order to help those planning to attend this great event, we want to provide some information to help everyone prepare for a great experience and support the staff at Wells Fargo Arena with the management of the event. 

• Decorah vs. Central DeWitt in the State Quarterfinal
  • 5:30 PM on Tuesday, March 8 at Wells Fargo Arena

• Tickets can be purchased in advance online at the link below or at Wells Fargo Arena.
  • 3/8/22 – State Basketball Tickets
  • $10.00 – Cost of Ticket – General Admission for All Games on 3/8/22
    • Service Fees will apply for Online Transactions

• Hawkeye Stages Community Pep Bus Offered through Decorah High School
  • $60 Cost – Includes Game Ticket – Checks can be made out to Decorah High School
    • Call or Visit Decorah High School Office (563-383-3643) between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM to reserve a spot. 
    • Any student K-8 must be accompanied by an adult. 
    • Deadline – 4:00 PM on Monday, March 7. 
  • Bus will load at 12:45 PM and leave at 1:00 PM from Circle Drive at Decorah High School. 

• Wells Fargo Arena has a Clear Bag Policy
  • Maximum Size of 12” x 6” x 12” is permitted.  Exceptions will be granted for medical, family or child care bags no larger than 4.5”x6.5”

• All Spectators will enter through the south gates of the arena and exit through the north gates. 
  • Decorah will be the Home Team and spectators will sit directly behind the scorer’s table and team benches. 
  • Decorah Students will sit behind the Decorah Bench immediately to the right of the scorer’s table while facing the floor. 
  • Please follow the directions of Wells Fargo Arena Staff for plans to spectators leaving one game and entering for the next game.  (Enter from the left and leave to the right after awards presentations.) 

• Please remember to enjoy this experience provided for our school and community. 
  • Express gratitude to the staff of Wells Fargo Arena and the IHSAA for their work to provide a great environment for us to participate in. 
  • Display positive sportsmanship and encouragement for all schools and officials. 
  • Wear Red and Blue!
  • Be Loud and Proud to show others what the Decorah Community is all about!