On Saturday February 10th several students from Decorah High School and Decorah Middle School traveled to Waverly to participate in Wartburg College’s 25th annual Unified Sports Day through Special Olympics Iowa. The Unified Sports program is a way for Special Olympic athletes to learn new sports skills and participate in games alongside general education students.
At this event the Decorah students explored sports they know like basketball, soccer, baseball, volleyball, and pickleball; as well as sports that were new to them such as golf and bocce ball. Throughout the day, the students rotated through stations with Wartburg students to participate in each of the sports, capping off the day with a Unified Sports basketball game with members of the Wartburg basketball team.
Photo ID:
Front (l-r): Kamryn Leuenberger, Johnathan Bean, Sky Pasche, Daniel Bean, and John Lippe
Back (l-r): Donnie Hrdlicka, Essa Miller, Jude Ryan, Haley Stinson, and Braden Ramstad
The Decorah FFA will celebrate National FFA Week from February 17 through . Throughout the week, FFA members, alumni, sponsors, and chapters all over can raise awareness about the FFA organization and the daily impact it has on its members. Agricultural education allows FFA members to achieve premier leadership, personal growth, and career success.
There are currently sixty-nine members in the Decorah FFA. The chapter organizes programs all year to help grow leaders, build communities, and strengthen agriculture. The Decorah FFA will have its annual FFA Awards Program on Thursday, , to honor all the year’s accomplishments. The general public is invited to attend. More information can be obtained by contacting any Decorah FFA member or the Decorah FFA advisor, Joni Bruvold.
The Decorah FFA Chapter works to create a positive impact on the members’ futures by preparing them with leadership skills, personal growth opportunities, and a successful career. Members have opportunities to participate in career development events and leadership development events. This past year, members have competed in various activities and contests including dairy cattle and dairy products evaluation; parliamentary procedure; conduct of meetings; public speaking contests; floriculture; livestock judging; record keeping; and attending district, state, and national convention.
Photo ID: (l-r) 2023-2024 Decorah FFA Chapter: Row 1: Creed Monroe, Brody Courtney, Annika Brynsaas, Anders Lovstuen, Jeramiah Rediske, Travis Nordheim, Derek Tieskoetter Row 2: Madelynn Dahl, Hadley Alexander, Elora Schnitzler, Lyla Lovstuen, Andrew Carolan, Mason Brumm, Aiden Helgerson, Michael Clement, Nick Farley, Karlee Bullerman, Ryan Rocksvold Row 3: Kiele Eberling, Ryan Bigler, Mara Lovstuen, Kamryn Werges, Mara Wyatt, Ciara Wedmann, Karlie Einck, Peyton Schultz, Rylee Averhoff, Annika Schmelzer Row 4: Isabella Schnitzler, Brinlee Courtney, Eden Scheidel, Lauren Holthaus, Thea Zidlicky, Jerikah Dodd, Austin Helgerson, Kale Christopher, Kolton Werges, Cade Averhoff, Jordan Sims Row 5: Gabe Monroe, Braden Hemesath, Logan Frye, William Kruse, William Hahn, Toby Schnitzler, Henry Brynsaas, Dominick Duffield, Jake Teslow, Kaid Headington Not pictured: Brooke Anfinson, Caiden Bruns, Camren Darling, Braunwyn Darrington, Ayden Guevara, Jacob Hageman, Noah Heiselman, Tristan Hunter, Jackson Irwin, Christopher Larson, Kaylee Larson, Blaine Leidahl, Raleigh Lensing, Rashell Lippe, Karter Orris, Hunter Quandahl, Kayleigh Smith, Haley Stinson, Gracie Thompson, Olivia Wyatt
We are excited to introduce the DCSD Digital Backpack, a paperless platform designed to streamline the distribution of non-district information throughout the school year. The Digital Backpack serves as a centralized hub where you can find a variety of resources, including summer camp opportunities, sports leagues, after-school activities, and upcoming events.
With the Digital Backpack, you can easily access new activities every week, providing your student with a wealth of opportunities to explore and engage with their interests outside of the classroom.
Note that all events submitted for inclusion in the Digital Backpack will be subject to approval in accordance with district policy. The posting of any event does not imply endorsement of the program by the Decorah Community School District. For more information on our distribution policies, please refer to our website: http://tinyurl.com/DCSD-DBP
We encourage you to take advantage of this convenient resource and explore the diverse array of opportunities available to our students.
Winneshiek County residents! Did you hear you can earn a home composter for no cost this year? See the details listed below to find out if you are eligible. Composting your food waste helps reduce pressure on our landfill. It also creates healthy soil that can be used as fertilizer in your garden! Click on the “Composting” tab in the top right corner to learn more about the home composter or to order a container.
If you are not a Winneshiek County resident, you can still order a bin for approximately $55. Supplies are limited. The order form will be closed when supplies run out.
Conditions for earning a bin for no charge:
1. You must be a Winneshiek County resident
2. You must attend a compost training (sessions are listed in the order form)
3. Limit of one free composter per household
Questions about this program? Contact Evan Neubauer at wildrecycling@winneshiekwild.com.
Thanks to grant funds, Winneshiek County residents now have the opportunity to bring home a free home composter (pictured above) after attending a compost training put on by Winneshiek County Conservation’s Recycling & Waste Reduction Educator, Evan Neubauer. While home composters are only available for free to Winneshiek County residents while supplies last, non-residents are also welcome to order a composter for $55. The order form and more information about compost trainings can be found at https://www.winneshiekwaste.com/compost.
The goal of the Winneshiek County Composting Program is to promote backyard composting and to help our community reduce pressure on our landfill to extend its usage for as long as possible. The Winneshiek County Sanitary Landfill serves Winneshiek, Howard, and Clayton counties and the municipality of Postville. Organic matter in the landfill, such as food waste and yard clippings, breaks down, creating methane gas that can pose a hazard unless vented properly. With collaborative efforts of all households in our communities, we can minimize the amount of food waste, yard clippings, and other organic matter that enter the landfill. Instead, this organic matter can be converted to compost and added to gardens and lawns to create rich, healthy soil.
Winneshiek County Conservation offers educational programs on composting, recycling, waste reduction, and more to local schools, community groups, and civic organizations. If you are interested in scheduling a program to learn more, visit https://www.winneshiekwaste.com/programs-and-tours#.
Want to see a home composter for yourself? Currently, there is one on display at the Decorah Public Library and at Decorah City Hall. There will also be a home composter available for viewing at the Earth Day Festival on Saturday, April 20th at the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds.
Hongxiao Yu took her students to local businesses, like Pulpit Rock Brewery, as part of her curriculum.
DECORAH, IOWA—Hongxiao Yu, assistant professor of management at Luther College, won the inaugural Excellence in Collaboration Award this year for forging connections between the college and Decorah businesses like Impact Coffee, Pulpit Rock Brewery and the Landing Market.
“Visits to local companies allows Luther students to hear firsthand the success stories and community-centric values of these businesses,” Yu said. “I want to connect the academic curriculum with real-world experiences for students.”
The award, presented by Luther and the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce, honors collaboration between Luther and the Decorah-area community. For the past two years, Yu has brought students from her management classes to meet with local companies to gain insights on how businesses operate.
“Professor Yu is extremely intentional about connecting subjects in class to local businesses,” said Samuel Scott, a senior management major who took Yu’s marketing class in spring 2023. “Her efforts to link classroom material to real life application has been integral to my learning in the management department.”
Yu also invited local managers and business leaders to share work experience with Luther students. For example, Linnea Carlson Rahlf, class of 2020 and marketing director of Decorah Area Bank & Trust Co., gave students practical advice to help guide their professional journeys.
“As a Luther alumni and Decorah employee, sharing my real-world career experience with the students was rewarding. Creating connections between the classroom and our community helps all of us grow,” said Rahlf. “Their questions were insightful, and I enjoyed the opportunity to hear what interests today’s Luther students. In life and work, we’re all always learning from each other. I appreciate Hongxiao reaching out and making the connection.”
Yu also took students to Impact Coffee.
Yu has also hosted a Lunar New Year celebration for the past two years at the Landing Market to foster cultural exchanges, where she cooked traditional Chinese food for community members to ring in the holiday. During the 2023 celebration, the event sold out.
To continue to strengthen the college and community connection, Yu joined Luther’s Center for Ethics and Public Engagement (CEPE) Advisory Board. The CEPE designs opportunities for Luther students and the community by inviting speakers, organizing book groups and hosting events.
Yu was one of 12 nominees for the award, which focused on collaborative projects between the campus and community in areas like career services, historic preservation, cultural heritage, manufacturing, small businesses, safety, tourism, research, internships and experiential learning that expanded services, added skills or enhanced the Decorah experience. Nominations for the 2025 award will open in the fall.
About Luther College
At Luther College in beautiful Decorah, Iowa, students explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.
ASAA hosted the first Dashain Festival, a Hindu festival in Nepal, at Luther College.
DECORAH, IOWA—Luther College’s Asian Student Association and Allies (ASAA) continues to celebrate 40 years on campus with a series of events including lectures, performances and a Center Stage Series concert this spring. The organization was founded in 1984 by students who were largely from Southeast Asia.
Adrianna Tam
“Today, Luther has 58 international students from 13 Asian countries, as well as Asian-American students,” said Adrianna Tam, assistant professor of music and faculty advisor to ASAA. “As a second generation Asian-American myself, I am impressed by these and all of our international students not only because I have studied abroad myself, thousands of miles from home, but also because my parents first came to this country to pursue higher education.”
Events
Campus Ministries will host an ASAA celebration chapel at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 16, in the Center for Faith and Life’s Main Hall. Brian Caton, professor of history at Luther, will speak on the history of ASAA and Tam will provide musical selections.
At 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17, in Noble Recital Hall, Luther’s music department will ring in the Lunar New Year with A Thousand Tongues: An AAPI Recital with highly acclaimed AAPI musicians from the Twin Cities area along with Aurora and Collegiate Chorale. The program will celebrate Asian and Asian-American identities through song and storytelling.
Grace Ji-Sun Kim will give the Sihler Lecture, “Theology of Visibility,” at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 5, in the Center for Faith and Life’s Recital Hall. In 2021, she published “Invisible,” a book on theology. Kim is also the host of Madang, a podcast which discusses topics such as Christianity, religion and culture.
Lydia X. Z. Brown will give the Price Distinguished Lecture, “Until We All Are Free: Disability Justice Interventions in Queer, Trans, Feminist Movements,” Wednesday, March 13, at 6 p.m. in the Center for Faith and Life’s Recital Hall. Price is a queer, disabled and East Asian advocate, organizer, attorney, strategist and writer. They also serve as the director of public policy at the National Disability Institute and are the founding executive director of the Autistic People of Color Fund.
Small Island Big Song will perform for the final Center Stage Series concert of the year at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in the CFL’s Main Hall. The collective is composed of artists and performers from 16 island nations across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Tickets are available to purchase through the Luther Ticket Office.
History of ASAA
The ASAA was founded Feb. 14, 1984, as the Asian Student Association as a way for Asian students, who, at the time, were largely Southeast Asian refugees and first-generation immigrants from countries like Laos and Cambodia. The organization’s members aimed to advocate and organize for themselves on Luther’s campus.
The students came to Luther through an English as a Second Language (ESL) program, which was designed to help students access Luther’s liberal arts education.
The ASAA wanted to showcase their members’ cultures to the campus and Decorah community. In 1984, they organized the first Ethnic Arts Festival, featuring food, music and other performances. This event was so popular that it was celebrated annually until 2020. In the early 2000s, the group added “allies” to their name in order to include a wider audience on campus.
About Luther College
At Luther College in beautiful Decorah, Iowa, students explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.
Liudmyla Skorlupina is a Ukrainian English teacher, currently living with her son Zhenia in the US. They are from Bucha, Ukraine, and were able to participate in the “Uniting for Ukraine” Federal humanitarian program, which allows them to spend up to two years in the US with a host sponsor family.
Liuda is a Ukrainian native, and has lived with her family in Bucha (Ukraine) for over a decade – a suburb of about 60,000 just 20 miles the Capital city Kiev.
When the Russian invasion of Ukraine ramped up in February of 2022, Bucha became a cross roads of invading Russian troops, with intense fighting now known as the “Bucha Massacre”. These brutal attacks on the people of Bucha led to hundreds of civilian and prisoner of war deaths, with documented torture, rape, and mass graves left in the wake of the Russian forces. When Bucha was retaken by Ukrainian forces in late March 2022, the full extent of the atrocities came to light, with US President Biden calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin to face war crimes charges. An outrage across the world was sparked, marking even more severe sanctions against Russia by the US & Allies.
While many recovery efforts have been made in Bucha since the Spring of 2022 (as much of the fighting has moved into Eastern Ukraine), the City, along with Liuda’s family, are still facing many daily challenges. We thank Liuda and Maryna for helping share these stories with our listeners and our region – and hope that Liuda and Zhenia’s first trip to the upper Midwest was a positive one.
0:46:12 – Andy Van Der Maaten – County Attorney
Re: set Public Hearing and bid procedures for Freeport land sale, discuss/act on CTI
agreement and A/V issues, legal questions regarding agenda & other issues
1:15:45 – Michael Kueny – County Engineer and/or Mike Weis – Technician
Re: W14 funding and project options & other road department updates
Re: 5-Year Plan and long term budget planning workshop
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The award, presented by Luther and the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce, honors collaboration between Luther and the Decorah-area community. For the past two years, Yu has brought students from her management classes to meet with local companies to gain insights on how businesses operate. 
