Building Local Community Through Arts, Cultural, and Recreational Events, and the Exchange of Goods and Services
Pulpit Rock Campground will begin accepting advance reservations for the 2025 camping season via the online reservation system on Saturday, March 1st at 8:00am. Please visit the website for additional policies and information regarding the upcoming camping season.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Decorah Street Department
Decorah, Iowa
Issued: February 11, 2025
Press Contact: Michael O’Hara, Public Works Director, 563-382-2157
The City of Decorah is notifying residents that a snow emergency will be in effect starting Wednesday, February 12th at 12:01 AM and will remain in effect until Thursday, February 13th at 8:00 PM. Due to another storm event on Friday, February 14th with measurable snow forecasted a second snow emergency will go in effect at 12:01 PM on Friday, February 14th and will remain in effect until Saturday, February 15th at 8:00 PM.
The City’s snow emergency parking policy requires that on even-numbered calendar days, all vehicles shall be parked on the side of the street where buildings have even numbers. On odd-numbered calendar days, all vehicles shall be parked on the side of the street where buildings have odd numbers. All vehicles need to be parked on the correct side of the street by 12:01 AM. Sometime between 8:00 PM and midnight, residents can move their vehicles to the other side of the street in anticipation of the following day’s parking requirement.
The City is also reminding residents that snow must be removed from sidewalks within 24 hours after a snow event.
Snow from driveways, sidewalks, and/or parking lots cannot be deposited into City streets or alleys unless prior approval is received from the City.
Please contact the Street Department at 382-2157 with any questions.
This is an official city press release. Modifications of any kind are prohibited without express written consent of the author. Any reprint or broadcast of this information must include this entire communication.
Decorah High School and Middle School Special Olympics team traveled to Waverly on Saturday February 8th to participate in the annual Wartburg Unified Sports Day. This event pairs Wartburg College students and athletes with Special Olympians from various parts of Northeast Iowa to participate in a wide range of activities such as pickleball, basketball, hitting in a batting cage, bocce ball, yoga, and musical chairs. The Decorah athletes enjoyed their day in Waverly participating at this event.
Decorah Special Olympians are next in action at the Northeast Iowa Regional Track and Field event at the UNI-Dome on Sunday March 2nd. Then on March 13th they will play in a Unified Sports basketball game during halftime at the Iowa Boys State Basketball Tournament in Des Moines against a team from Ankeny.
Front Row: Luke Thompson, John Lippe, Sky Pasche, Johnathan Bean, Daniel Bean, Brenden Tangen, Kamryn Leuenberger
Back Row: Braden Ramstad, Haley Stinson, Makenzy Hope, Donnie Hrdlicka, Wyatt Pleggenkuhle, Emily Green, Coach John Dunt
Decorah High School speech students hosted and participated in the State Large Group Speech Contest on Saturday, February 8th held at Decorah High School.
The performers had an excellent showing, earning 27 Division I ratings out of 31 total entries. The ninth-grade team performed in eight entries, and the varsity team performed in 23 entries.
“We are incredibly proud of our students for all they brought to Saturday’s contest,” stated the coaches. “We are also so grateful for all of the volunteers and workers who made this event possible. Our custodial staff, faculty, kitchen staff, volunteers, parents, and community members are so incredibly supportive. We couldn’t have events like this at Decorah High School without all of them. We would also like to give an extra shout out to Adam Riley, Denise Gulrud, and Jackie Hoyme for the hours of work they spent helping to make sure that the State Large Group Speech Contest ran smoothly.”
All State nominations will be posted after 5 pm on Monday, February 10th on the IHSSA website.
Cast lists for these varsity groups receiving a 1 rating at state contest are as follows:
Choral Reading “Emotional Warfare: Welcome to High School” was directed by Molly Holkesvik and Johanna Bergan.
Participants include Natalie Goodner, Tommy Hammel, Camryn Holland, Klaara Short, Klara Kelly, Ezra Harman-Wood, Ava Hanson, Jillian Volz, Jayden Lundtvedt, Emma Cline, Olivia Rissman, Lauren Severtson, and Margaret Hahn.
Ensemble Acting “How to Get Away with a Murder Mystery” was directed by Lyra McKnight.
Participants include Karmyn Bakken, Elliana Brodbeck, Klaara Short, Shawn Holzer, Alex Mercado-Arneson, and Ryan Northup.
Ensemble Acting “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” was directed by Kristen Underwood.
Participants include Elsa Christman, Nora Lesmeister, Isis Timm, Kaylie Wemark, and Margaret Hahn.
Ensemble Acting “These Shining Lives” was directed by Molly Holkesvik and Kristen Underwood.
Participants include Teagan Menke, Noah Potvin, Vivian Searcy, Grace Stockman, Olivia Volkmann, and Jillian Volz.
Group Improv was directed by Molly Holkesvik, Lyra McKnight, and Kristen Underwood.
Participants performed in three groups.
Group One: Oliver Brummel, Liam Chamberlain, Jack Sovern, Beau Newhouse, and Ansel Kowitz
Group Two: Jackson Irwin, Tommy Hammel, Grace Stockman, Kyle Pattison, and Landyn Hook
Group Mime “Family Bonding” was directed by Lyra McKnight and Kristen Underwood.
Participants include Elsa Johnson, Myla Leitz, Isis Timm, and Kaelyn Kuhn.
Group Mime “The Library” was directed by Lyra McKnight and Kristen Underwood.
Participants include Leah Suhr, Ariana Albert, Marley Harmening, Nina Sessions, and Teagan Menke.
Solo Mime “Flight Frenzy” by Clarence Nimrod – directed by Molly Holkesvik, Gabriel Twedt, and Carrie Kauffman.
Solo Mime “The Red Shoes” by Vivian Searcy – directed by Molly Holkesvik, Gabriel Twedt, and Carrie Kauffman.
Solo Mime “Miss Adventurfuls” by Margret Zook – directed by Molly Holkesvik, Gabriel Twedt, and Carrie Kauffman.
Musical Theater “Once” was directed by Gabriel Twedt and Carrie Kauffman.
Participants include Liam Chamberlain, Gwenyth Thompson, Mikayla Hiner, Jameson LaBelle, Caleb Johnson, Ezra Vorvick, Emma Cline, and Colin Thompson.
Musical Theater “Something Rotten” was directed by Gabriel Twedt and Carrie Kauffman.
Participants include Oliver Brummel, Spencer Christensen, Davis Coppola, Greta Jones, Andy Kruger, June Breitenbach-Dirks, Elsa Christman, and Kealy Hines.
One Act Play “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” was directed by Kristen Underwood.
Participants include Hannah Arendt, Elliana Brodbeck, McKenzie Riley, Ezra Vorvick, June Breitenbach-Dirks, Caleb Johnson, Noah Potvin, Elsa Johnson, Greta Jones, Grace Blikre, and Lily Sandhorst.
Radio Broadcasting “KREK” was directed by Gabriel Twedt and Carrie Kauffman.
Participants include Karmyn Bakken, Evynne Downing, Camryn Holland, Leah Suhr, Sam Cline, Lyla Lovstuen, Lulu Bellrichard, and Evan Madsen.
Radio Broadcasting “KMCD” was directed by Gabriel Twedt and Carrie Kauffman.
Participants include Asmere Jensen, Mason Myers, Jerald Thompson, Addison Wicklund, Gavy Smith, Stella Pole, Deborah Hougen, and Oskar Swanson.
Radio Broadcasting “KORN” was directed by Gabriel Twedt and Carrie Kauffman.
Participants include Grant Zilka, Ezra Harman-Wood, Lily Sandhorst, Eden Scheidel, Kamryn Steines, Kyan Oftedahl, Carter Riley, and Claire Storhoff.
Readers Theater “The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science” was directed by Gabriel Twedt and Carrie Kauffman.
Participants include Hannah Arendt, Davis Coppola, Annika Keefe, Ansel Kowitz, Andy Kruger, McKenzie Riley, Margret Zook, Grace Blikre, Mikayla Hiner, Jameson LaBelle, Nora Lesmeister, Kaylie Wemark, Lulu Bellrichard, Gwenyth Thompson, and Sawyer Courtney.
Short Film “Anxious” was directed by Molly Holkesvik, Lyra McKnight, and Johanna Bergan.
Participants include Thomas Davis, Jack Hammell, Evynne Downing, Asmere Jensen, Marley Harmening, Lyla Lovstuen, Jerald Thompson, Ariana Albert, Kylie Lemke, and Kyan Oftedahl.
Short Film “Cyber-Bully” was directed by Molly Holkesvik, Lyra McKnight, and Johanna Bergan.
Participants include Marri Feuerhelm, Drew Zwart, Deborah Hougen, Alynne Brandel, Will Robinson, and Gavy Smith.
TV News “Iowa Adventures: Cinema Road Trip” was directed by Molly Holkesvik and Gabriel Twedt.
Participants include Natalie Goodner, Jayden Lundtvedt, Clarence Nimrod, Beau Newhouse, Grant Zilka, Alynne Brandel, Marri Feuerhelm, Stella Pole, Will Robinson, Drew Zwart, Jack Hammell, Thatcher Brown, Sawyer Courtney, Olivia Rissman, and Oskar Swanson.
TV News “Iowa Cold Case: Decoding a Murder” was directed by Molly Holkesvik and Gabriel Twedt.
Participants include Elliot Berland, Ava Hanson, Kaelyn Kuhn, Naomi Kutz, Myla Leitz, Landyn Hook, Jack Sovern, Kamryn Steines, Carter Riley, Lawrence Christman, Nina Sessions, Claire Storhoff, Spencer Christensen, Sam Cline, and Lauren Severtson.
Cast lists for other varsity groups receiving a 2 rating at state contest are as follows:
Short Film “Fractured Connections” was directed by Molly Holkesvik, Lyra McKnight, and Johanna Bergan.
Participants include Chester Kvamme, Will Duder, Logan Smith, Patrick Gallagher, Shawn Holzer, Alex Mercado-Arneson, Ryan Northup, Hector Vargas, and Izzy Alley.
Cast lists for the 9th grade groups receiving a 1 rating at state contest are as follows:
Choral Reading “The Complete History of America (Abridged)” was directed by Molly Holkesvik and Johanna Bergan.
Participants include Poppy Bellrichard, Kennedy Carlson, Leah Garcia-Prats, Max Goodner, Kaya Johnson, Kora Kelly, Claire Ko, Charlotte LaBelle, Ana Leibold, Gavin Wilkins, and Cooper Ewing.
Ensemble Acting “The Substitute” was directed by Molly Holkesvik and Johanna Bergan.
Participants include Pranav Caton, Eva Hurley, Kaya Johnson, Rachel Weis, and Stella Witt.
Group Improv was directed by Molly Holkesvik, Lyra McKnight, and Kristen Underwood.
Participants performed in three groups.
Group Two: Isaac Bentley, Brody Darling, and Raelyn Newhouse
Radio Broadcasting “KHTL” was directed by Gabriel Twedt and Carrie Kauffman.
Participants include Kira Dowden, Emma Neebel, Evelyn Opheim, Kate Pattison, Cassie Stammeyer, Anders Wicklund, and Gavin Wilkins.
TV News “Iowa Extreme: The Land Hurricane” was directed by Molly Holkesvik and Gabriel Twedt.
Participants include Poppy Bellrichard, Isaac Bentley, Kira Dowden, Leah Garcia-Prats, Jay Jensen, Evelyn Opheim, Kate Pattison, Nils Peterson, Ava Burreson, Simone Downing, Ezra Hegdahl, Frankie Kollasch, and Cooper Ewing.
Cast lists for other 9th grade groups receiving a 2 rating at state contest are as follows:
Group Improv was directed by Molly Holkesvik, Lyra McKnight, and Kristen Underwood.
Participants performed in three groups.
Group One: Ava Burreson, Nils Peterson, Pranav Caton, and Eva Hurley
Group Three: Max Goodner, Matthew Burkholder, and Sophia McGee
Short Film “The Final Goodbye” was directed by Molly Holkesvik, Lyra McKnight, and Johanna Bergan.
Participants include Matthew Burkholder, Brody Darling, Jay Jensen, Ana Leibold, and Stella Witt.
Large Group Speech (LGS) participants in hallway in between performances: Naomi Kutz, Olivia Rissman, Jayden Lundtvedt, Emma Cline, Lauren Severtson
Speech participants listen to judges’ comments after performance: Vivian Searcy, Grace Stockman, Jillian Volz, Teagan Menke, Olivia Volkmann, and Noah Potvin
Once Musical Theater
Front Row: Emma Cline, Gwenyth Thompson, Mikayla Hiner, Caleb Johnson
Back Row: Jameson LaBelle, Colin Thompson, Liam Chamberlain, Ezra Vorvick
One Act Play
Front Row: Elliana Brodbeck, Lily Sandhorst, Hannah Arendt, McKenzie Riley, Greta Jones, June Breitenbach-Dirks, Kristen Underwood (Director/Coach)
Back Row: Noah Potvin, Ezra Vorvick, Caleb Johnson, Grace Blikre, Elsa Johnson
Agenda: Pledge of Allegiance 9:30 a.m. Michael Kueny – County Engineer Re: road updates 9:50 a.m. Miscellaneous …
Decorah High School has named Mason Myers as the recipient of the Norman C. Bradish Scholarship for the 2024-2025 school year. He is the son of Mindy Myers and Jim Myers.
Myers is currently deciding where he will attend college, but he plans to major in either mathematics or international relations. He has applied to Princeton, Carnegie Mellon University, and Yale. He has been very active at Decorah High School and in the Decorah community. He has successfully completed a multitude of college credit and AP courses and was named an AP Scholar with Honors, a National Merit Semifinalist, a Hagan Scholarship finalist, and received the National Recognition Award through the College Board Corporation. He has been involved in the Silver Cord volunteer recognition program, Envirothon, Robotics, Community Club/TAATU, Speech, Music Listening Contest, and National Honor Society.
“I feel very honored to receive this scholarship,” Myers stated. “I’d especially like to thank the Bradish Scholarship Trust for giving me this award. It will be instrumental in allowing me to pursue a brighter future, and it has inspired me to keep trying my hardest in high school, college, and beyond.”
Norman Bradish created a scholarship to be awarded to a graduate of Decorah High School who possesses high academic ability and curiosity, is liked by peers and adults, and displays high standards of character. The recipient must agree to attend a non-religious college outside the state of Iowa. In addition, the student must remain unmarried until finishing their studies.
Six art students from Decorah High School are recipients of Scholastic Art Awards, presented by the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. Those receiving Gold Key awards include Addison Maki, “Frederick the Frog”: photography; Ezra Hegdahl, “Knight/Chocolate Horse”: sculpture; and Dillan Johnson, “Untitled”: photography. Brooklyn Anderson received a Silver Key award for her drawing entitled “Black and White.” Receiving Honorable Mention are Evynne Downing for her mixed media entry entitled “Sisters,” and Shelby Jochola-Rodriguez for digital art: “Alcohol Abuse.” Gold Key works will be judged at the national level in New York City.
DHS art instructor Erik Dutcher stated, “I am proud of all the Decorah students that submitted artwork.”
Since 1923, the Awards have recognized some of the nation’s most celebrated artists and
writers while they were teenagers, including Stephen King, Kay WalkingStick,
José Parlá, Amanda Gorman, Joyce Carol Oates, and Andy Warhol. Dutcher added, “I’m so excited to count my students among these esteemed Scholastic Art & Writing Awards alumni!”
Scholastic Art Winners (l-r): Evynne Downing, Addison Maki, Dillan Johnson, Ezra Hegdahl, Shelby Jochola-Rodriguez, Brooklyn Anderson
Addison Maki, Frederick the Frog, Photography, Gold Key
Ezra Hegdahl, Knight/Chocolate Horse, Sculpture, Gold Key
Dillan Johnson, Untitled, Photography, Gold Key
Our spring registration is set to open on Friday, February 14th at 8:00am.
Tori Watson has been selected as the new elementary principal of both John Cline Elementary and West Side Early Childhood Center.
Watson brings over a decade of experience in education and currently serves as the principal of the Lied Education Center and director of special education at Waverly-Shell Rock Schools. In these roles, she provides leadership for a K-12 specialized behavioral program and oversees district-wide special education services. Watson has a strong background in elementary education and special education, with advanced degrees from the University of Northern Iowa.
As a leader, Watson has developed and sustained Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) frameworks and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to address the academic and social-emotional needs of students. She has also collaborated with families, educators, and district staff to design inclusive learning experiences and ensure adherence to special education regulations. Her involvement extends to district-level committees on strategic planning, facilities improvement, and service delivery models, reflecting her commitment to continuous school improvement and creating a positive school climate that nurtures both academic achievement and social-emotional well-being. She has led initiatives such as implementing restorative practices to build community, integrating life skills programs to promote independence, and piloting evidence-based curricula tailored to diverse learner needs. These initiatives have promoted student success, enhanced teacher satisfaction, and strengthened family partnerships.
“I am incredibly honored and excited to step into the role of principal at West Side and John Cline Elementary,” said Watson. “Decorah holds a special place in my family’s heart, and this opportunity is truly a dream come true for us. In a community as close-knit as Decorah, our schools serve as more than just places of learning–they are the heart of the town. I look forward to fostering strong relationships with families, staff, and community partners to ensure our youngest learners have the best possible foundation for success. My hope is to continue to foster an environment where every child feels valued, supported, and inspired. I am eager to get started and to be an active part of this incredible community.”
Watson will be relocating to Decorah with her husband Cleighton and children Riggins, Callahan, and Vienna.
The first two “Knowing Nature” quizzes challenged your fish and bird identification skills. Let’s switch to plants and see how well you know your coniferous (evergreen) trees next.
These are the trees that you notice keep their leaves all winter long – there’s more than just pine out there! When you finish this quiz, take a walk outside to find some evergreens near you. Maybe even make a pinecone bird feeder to attract some of the birds you learned with the last quiz.
For a fun challenge throughout the year, Winneshiek County Conservation will share several “Knowing Nature” quizzes. Each themed quiz will feature several species found in Winneshiek County. If you try all of the quizzes by the end of 2025, you will have experience identifying over 100 different types of plants, animals, and fungus!
Want to dive deeper into learning about the wildlife of Winneshiek County? Track seasonal changes and natural wonders with our YouTube playlist: “Noting Nature.”
Thank you to Luther College professor, Birgitta Meade, for compiling these “Knowing Nature” quizzes and allowing us to share them with the wider public. Most of the photos in these quizzes were taken by Winneshiek County Conservation naturalist Larry Reis.