On Saturday, October 21 at Independence High School, 50 Decorah High School musicians participated in the Iowa All-State Music auditions. The students prepared difficult musical selections and then competed for spots in the All-State ensembles with students from East Central and Northeast Iowa, including Dubuque and Cedar Rapids area schools.
Fifteen Decorah students were selected as members of the 2023 ensembles: Lucas Arendt, viola; Aitor Cuevas, trumpet; Connor Evelsizer, tenor voice; Gabriel Hiner, bass voice; Liam Huang, violin; Andy Kruger, tenor voice; Naomi Kutz, violin; Simon Kutz, cello; Alex McGohan, percussion; Lauren Severtson, violin; Ezra Vorvick, string bass; and Grant Zilka, baritone saxophone (alternate)
The concert will be broadcast on Iowa PBS on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 23 at 7:00 p.m.
Front Row (l-r): Liam Huang, Violin; Grant Zilka, Baritone Saxophone Alternate; Andy Kruger, Tenor Voice; Luke Arendt, Viola; Lauren Severtson, Violin; Naomi Kutz, Violin
Back Row (l-r): Simon Kutz, Cello; Alex McGohan, Percussion; Connor Evelsizer, Tenor Voice; Gabe Hiner, Bass Voice; Aitor Cuevas, Trumpet; Ezra Vorvick, String Bass
Derek Anderson, author and illustrator of over 30 books for children, recently visited Decorah elementary students in Transitional Kindergarten through 4th grade. Some of Anderson’s works include the Croc and Ally series, Benny McGee and the Shark series, Gladys Goes Out to Lunch, and Story County. He is also the illustrator for the Little Quack series and the Hot Rod Hamster series. He grew up in Ames, Iowa, and now lives in Minneapolis. The Decorah FEC (Family, Educator, and Community Organization) generously funded this visit.
The students enjoyed the amazing opportunity to hear from Anderson about his work as an author and illustrator. In his two presentations, he shared with them the process of creating, that it’s okay to make mistakes, and to never give up. He also demonstrated how he draws his character Ally.
To help get the students excited about Anderson’s visit, the Oneota Valley Literacy Foundation generously donated 310 of his books, allowing each student in Transitional Kindergarten through 2nd grade to receive one of his books.
Teacher Librarian Michaela Seeman remarked, “Decorah elementary students are incredibly fortunate to have such a supportive community to provide these unique opportunities.”
Mrs. Delaney’s second graders show off their new books.
Derek Anderson speaks to Decorah elementary students.
Walking around the commons area at Decorah High School now offers a history lesson of schools from the surrounding area. From Bluffton to Burr Oak and Nordness to North Winneshiek, thirteen regions are honored with photo collages displayed on the pillars of the DHS cafeteria and gym entrance.
Adam Riley, Associate Principal and Activities Director, wanted a way to pay tribute to the schools in our area. He knew contacting Elizabeth Lorentzen, currently on the board of directors at the Winneshiek County Historical Society and formerly a Decorah art teacher for 42 years, would be just the person to help him with this project. “We can’t thank Elizabeth and others from the Historical Society enough for the work that was put in to help this vision become a reality. Our commons area is a place where people from all over our school district come to gather, and we hope these photo boards can continue to help our students stay connected and have pride in the areas that their families come from,” Riley said.
Lorentzen does research for the Historical Society, teaches the public about the architecture of Decorah, and writes for the society’s newspaper. For this project she spent twenty-five hours researching each area and finding photos to represent them. “I really liked Adam’s idea,” Lorentzen remarked.
According to Lorentzen, there used to be community bands, baseball teams (from the 1890s to the 20s and 30s), and other events that drew people together. Gathering authentic photos helps with the identification of each of those places. She also shared that during the 1850s Winneshiek County had 225 country schools until a 1960s law forced consolidation of the schools. Locust School was in use the longest in the state of Iowa.
Elizabeth Lorentzen knows well the history of the area schools and was invested in the project because it was for the high school. “The photos are important because those areas still have a very personal feel for those residents,” commented Lorentzen. “They are proud of where they come from.”
Elizabeth Lorentzen by one of the photo collages
A close up of a section of the Highlandville collage
West Side Early Childhood Center and John Cline Elementary School recently hosted the Pumpkin Literacy Project. Through generous funding from the Decorah Public Library and the Decorah FEC (Family, Educator, and Community Organization), they were able to create a school pumpkin patch.
Students picked a pumpkin from the patch, read a favorite book, and then decorated their pumpkin to represent the book. Over 160 families chose to participate in this event.
The Decorah elementary schools and early childhood center recently hosted a Family STEAM Night. Over 300 participants enjoyed STEAM-based activities, including coding, physics demonstrations, dance, math activities, art projects, STEAM challenges, robots, special snacks, a construction zone, and special guest visitors which included baby tortoises and giant hissing cockroaches.
Many organizations came together to make this event a success, including Keystone AEA, Crave Dance Studio, the Luther College Physics Department, 4H, Winneshiek County Conservation, Decorah Bank and Trust, and Wartburg College.
Students enjoyed making clay creations and 3-D cards.
Students practiced their coding skills.
Lots of awesome critters were in attendance, including lizards, baby tortoises and cockroaches.
Representatives of the Luther Physics Department brought awesome hands on materials to explore.
Decorah High School will host a Veterans Day breakfast and program for veterans and their families on Friday, November 10.
Breakfast will be served to veterans and their family members in the high school cafeteria starting at 8:30 a.m.
The Veterans Day program will be held in the high school auditorium at 9:45 a.m. The VFW Color Guard will post the colors, and the DHS Wind Ensemble and the DHS Concert Choir will perform throughout the program. A special feature of this year’s program will be a video montage of local veterans, filmed by Mr. Josh Fenske’s government class and produced by Mrs. Molly Holkesvik’s media class.
An important part of the breakfast and program is to recognize military men and women who have a connection to Decorah. Those who would like to submit a photo of a family member who has served or is serving in the military to be added to the “Wall of Veterans” should bring a copy of a photo (no larger than a 5 x 7) to the Decorah High School office. Pictures can also be emailed with information to denise.gulrud@decorah.school. The following information should be included:
Name of person
Military branch
Years served or serving
Wars or conflicts fought in
The deadline to submit photos and information is Friday, November 3rd. Those with questions can contact Denise Gulrud at Decorah High School, 563-382-3643, or at denise.gulrud@decorah.school.
Parking will be available in the parking lot located on the west side of the high school. Veterans and their family members can enter through either the auditorium doors or the doors located off the west parking lot.
The Decorah High School Drama program is proud to present “The SpongeBob Musical” Thursday and Friday, Nov. 9-10 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 11 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the DHS auditorium.
Audiences will enjoy the plunge into this exciting all-singing, all-dancing, dynamic stage show, featuring familiar characters from the Nickelodeon animated series. When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble home, SpongeBob and his friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world. With lives hanging in the balance and all hope lost, a most unexpected hero rises up. The power of optimism really can save the world!
“The SpongeBob Musical” features original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants, and T.I. as well as songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny, and Andy Paley.
NHS present Lunch with the Cast Nov. 11
Decorah’s chapter of the National Honor Society is hosting a pre-matinee lunch on Saturday, November 11. The Decorah High School cafeteria will be transformed into the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob’s place of employment in Bikini Bottom. The menu for lunch is a choice of hot dog or hamburger with curly fries, pineapple garnish, and milk. Guests will be able to meet and take pictures with characters from the show during the event.
Tickets
Tickets to the show are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Cost of the pre-matinee meal is $5 per person, and tickets for the meal must be purchased by Monday, November 6.
Tickets to the show and to the pre-matinee lunch will be available online through Ludus beginning Saturday, October 28 using this link: https://decorahschools.ludus.com/index.php.
Through the generosity of the Decorah Music Boosters, one adult ticket and children’s tickets are available for families who would like to attend the matinee but do not have the resources to purchase tickets. Please contact Shanna Putnam-Dibble at shanna.putnamdibble@decorah.school for assistance in obtaining tickets for the show and/or pre-show lunch.
Production staff, cast, and crew The production staff includes Jason Rausch, music director/conductor; Karen Trewin, producer/co-director; Kristen Underwood, stage director/costume designer; Chris Hadley, technical director; Karmyn Bakken, stage manager; and Jackie Reckward, box office manager. Principal choreographer is Decorah High School senior Jensen Korsness, with additional choreography by Laurie Walter of Crave Dance Studio. Set design is by Matt Spencer of Singing Hammers Construction.
Cast members include Libby Phillips as SpongeBob, Oliver Brummel as Patrick Star, June Breitenbach-Dirks as Sandy Cheeks, Gabriel Hiner as Squidward Q. Tentacles, Liam Chamberlain as Eugene H. Krabs, Ezra Vorvick as Sheldon J. Plankton, Jensen Korsness as Karen the Computer, Vivian Searcy as Pearl Krabs, Joseph Stammeyer as Perch Perkins, Annaleissa Arnold as the Mayor, Elsa Johnson as the Foley Artist Fish (sound effects), Gwenyth Thompson as Mrs. Puff, Jameson LaBelle as Larry the Lobster, Caleb Johnson as Old Man Jenkins, Davis Coppola as Patchy the Pirate, Andy Kruger as Buster Bluetang, and Nathaniel Roberts as the French Narrator. Playing multiple roles as Bikini Bottom residents and other characters are Grace Blikre, Spencer Christensen, Davis Coppola, Mikayla Hiner, Greta Jones, Andy Kruger, Kamryn Steines, and Hayley Stowe.
Ensemble members are Ariana Albert, Elliana Brodbeck, Elsa Christman, Emma Cline, Esteban Fernandez, Natalie Goodner, Bethany Hanson, Lucas Hanson, Ezra Harman-Wood, Ella Jacobsen, Kaelyn Kuhn, Nora Lesmeister, Teagan Menke, Beau Newhouse, Clarence Nimrod, Noah Potvin, Elizabeth Pritchard, Olivia Rissman, Chloe Sheffield, Gavy Smith, Grace Stockman, Brynn Storhoff, Robin Suhr, Colin Thompson, Abbie Valkosky, Jillian Volz, and Kaylie Wemark.
Technical crews working on lights, sound, and backstage are Hanna Arendt, Elizabeth Bjork, Cody Carolan, Kathleen Delphey, Evynne Downing, Patrick Gallagher, Ava Hanson, Kealy Hines, Camryn Holland, Jayden Lundtvedt, Amelia Pankow, Olivia Paulsen, Nathan Rhodes, McKenzie Riley, Lily Sandhorst, and Kera Walter.
Creating the undersea melodies, harmonies, and rhythms are orchestra members Luke Arendt, Caden Branum, Thatcher Brown, Brian Brummel, Aitor Cuevas, Mikael Havens, Jay Hawthorne, Loren Hendrickson, Ansel Kowitz, Evan Madsen, Alex McGohan, Alex Mercado-Arneson, Aidan Nalean-Carlson, Brenna Parker, Susan Potvin, Spencer Rix, Nina Sessions, Julia Severtson, Lauren Severtson, Steve Smith, and Grant Zilka.
“The SpongeBob Musical” is produced with generous support from the Decorah Music Boosters.
(l-r): Oliver Brummel, Gabriel Hiner, Libby Phillips
(l-r): Front row: Noah Potvin; Middle row: Greta Jones, Hayley Stowe; Back row: Nora Lesmeister, Clarence Nimrod, Andy Kruger
(l-r): Front row: Evynne Downing, Kealy Hines; Back row: Karmyn Bakken, Camyrn Holland, Lily Sandhorst
Three senior members of the Decorah High School’s Robotics Team, their coach Brett Wilker, and principal Brad Hurst traveled to Gemini’s plant to take a tour of their facilities led by engineer Ben Woita. “I love going on tours of Gemini’s facility with the students because of the amazing technology they use at their plant. The students were able to discuss the real-world engineering problems the company was facing, and Ben was able to describe what they were doing to solve them, just like the students will be doing when they go off to college to study engineering. The students even brought back to the Robotics team solutions to problems to try to implement on our robots,” said coach Brett Wilker.
Along with the tour, Gemini presented the representatives of Decorah High School a check for $10.000. Through Gemini’s generous donations, the Decorah Robotics Club has been able to expand to supporting two teams at the school–a freshman/sophomore and junior/senior team–that includes more than 30 students. The funding will also allow the purchase of the latest parts and more sophisticated technology to work with as well as the continuation of developing the outreach opportunities the club can provide to the school and community.
The Decorah Robotics Club competes in the international competition known as FIRST Tech Challenge. Each fall students are presented with an obstacle-course style scenario where they are asked to design, build, and program a robot that can complete the different tasks assigned. This season competition, named Centerstage, requires robots to perform a variety of tasks, including picking up hexagonal “pixels” in order to stack them on a slanted board, launching paper airplane “drones” into target zones, using sensors to determine the random positions of different obstacles, and lifting their robots off the ground by hanging from a suspended pipe.
The teams have been getting more successful each year, with the junior/senior team winning their league competition and sub-state competitions last season. Both teams are hard at work designing, building, and programming their robots for this season as their first competition is on November 11th at Waverly High School.
Gemini gives 2% of their profits to local nonprofit organizations as part of their stewardship core value.
Megan Martin, business partner for Gemini shared, “Gemini is committed to our employees and the communities we live and work in. Our charitable contributions committee has had the opportunity to partner with Decorah Schools to further advance their STEM and Robotics programs. We pride ourselves on living out our core value of stewardship, providing students the opportunity to tour our facilities and engage with our team members to better understand the career pathways available at Gemini. We’ve enjoyed developing a partnership with the students to increase their knowledge of advanced manufacturing and help build on their skills as they prepare to enter the workforce.”
Gemini is a wholesale manufacturer of solutions that identify, direct, and protect the world. For over 55 years, Gemini has been an industry leader producing made-to-order dimensional signage, plates, plaques, cast bronze memorials, industrial protective cases, and plastic parts. Gemini is a second-generation family-owned business headquartered in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, with production facilities throughout North America. For more information, visit https://geminimade.com/signage/.
Photo ID (l-r): Gemini engineer Ben Woita; Contribution Committee Member Lauryn Breitsprecher; Robotics coach Brett Wilker; DHS senior robotic club members Nathan Swarbrick, Montana Jump-Gerleman, and Brock Christensen; DHS Principal Brad Hurst; and Contribution Committee Member Jenn Zweibohmer.
On , the DHS Pride of the Vikings Marching Band performed at the Iowa High School Music Association’s Marching Band Festival in Waterloo and the Muskie Marching Invite in Muscatine.
The Iowa High School Music Association’s Marching Band Festival is a divisional rating festival with scoring ranging from poor (Division V) to superior (Division I). The Pride of the Vikings Marching Band performed well, scoring their 21st consecutive Division I rating. At the Muskie Marching Invite the band placed 5th in Class 3A out of 11 bands and 10th out of 23 overall. The band also was awarded Best Drum Majors in class 3A.
The marching show is entitled “Thor’s Hammer” from composer Randall Standridge. Soloists include Lucas Hanson, trombone; Aitor Cuevas, trumpet; Amelia Wadsworth, mellophone; Brenna Parker, alto saxophone; Jensen Korsness, color guard; and Alex McGohan, snare drum. The color guard choreography was created by Abigail Toussaint, Jensen Korsness, Evon Leitz, and Kiele Eberling. The drill was designed by Andrew Classen from Drake University.
The Pride of the Vikings Marching Band is under the direction of Dustin Bliven, Matt Cody, and Emily Hahn. The drumline is under the direction of Kassidy Steines, and the color guard is under the direction of Laurie Walter. This year’s drum majors are Elizabeth Pritchard and Grant Zilka.
Mr. Bliven states, “This was one of the best marching bands I have had the privilege of working with in my 22 years as a teacher. They worked hard every rehearsal and really bought into the show this year. Having the opportunity to compete this year was educational for this ensemble. We were able to watch other groups we haven’t been able to see perform before and learn from how they performed, which was the biggest reason for attending a new festival and competing. We were completely honored to place 5th in our class, to receive the Outstanding Drum Major award, and to receive our 21st superior rating. It truly was a wonderful day for this group, and our success really stems from our outstanding students.”
