Six Decorah FFA members traveled to Manchester on Friday, September 8th, for the state FFA dairy cattle evaluation, dairy handling, and milk quality competitions.
In the contest of dairy cattle evaluation, Brody Courtney, Kiele Eberling, Anders Lovstuen, and Creed Monroe placed second overall as a team with a gold rating. They also placed 1st place in the oral reasons class as a team. Lovstuen received first place in the oral reasons class and received second place overall in the individual competition. These students evaluated six classes of dairy cattle, gave a set of oral reasons, and took a test on dairy cattle production and management.
Logan Frye represented the Decorah FFA in the dairy handling competition and received a bronze rating. This contest is a dairy showmanship contest where members are evaluated on how they handle and present the animal for show.
Braunwyn Darrington represented the Decorah FFA in the milk quality and products contest. She placed 14th overall as an individual, evaluating a variety of cheese, milk, and milk product items. She also took a knowledge test and completed a milk pricing problem.
The Decorah FFA Dairy Cattle Evaluation team of (left to right) Anders Lovstuen, Brody Courtney, Creed Monroe, and Kiele Eberling placed second overall as a team and 1st place in oral reasons at the Iowa FFA State Dairy Evaluation Contest.
Anders Lovstuen of the Decorah FFA received first place for oral reasons and placed second overall in the state FFA dairy cattle evaluation contest.
Logan Frye represented the Decorah FFA in the dairy handling competition and received a bronze rating.
Braunwyn Darrington competed in the state FFA milk quality and dairy products evaluation contest and received 14th place as an individual.
For the third year in a row, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Decorah High School as the second-best high school across Iowa. This marks the fifth consecutive year in the top two spots.
Principal Brad Hurst remarked, “This prestigious recognition is not the work of any individual but the result of a collective effort. It honors the achievements and performances of our students, who continually embrace academic challenges and consistently excel. In addition, significant preparation and pride are invested to ensure that each student at Decorah High School maintains access to a rigorous, world-class education. This monumental task is made possible by the dedication, commitment, and hard work of our entire staff—our teachers, counselors, administrators, office staff, para professionals, custodial staff, nutrition service staff, and bus drivers.”
Hurst continued, “We are also immensely grateful to our colleagues across different schools who have been instrumental in establishing and maintaining the foundation of rigorous learning and the high expectations we maintain for our students at Decorah High School.”
More information about the ratings can be found at https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/iowa.
Seven students from Decorah High School–Lucas Arendt, Aidan Nalean-Carlson, Peter Essa, Aya Hawthorn, Mason Myers, Alexis Walker, and Henry Weis–have been selected as a College Board National Recognition Program awardee. Margret Zook, a former DHS student, also received this honor. All recipients received the National Rural and Small Town Award (NRSTA).
These students earned this recognition because of their academic achievements in school and outstanding performance on the PSAT/NMSQT®, PSAT™ 10, and/or AP® Exams. They’ve accomplished these milestones during a demanding period of their high school career.
“We’re thrilled that our students have earned this recognition. We are very proud of them for their achievements in their classrooms and on College Board assessments,” said Pat Trewin, DHS guidance counselor. “These programs help students from underrepresented backgrounds stand out to colleges during admissions.”
“We want to honor the hard work of these students through the College Board National Recognition Programs. This program creates a way for colleges and scholarship programs to connect directly with underrepresented students who they are hoping to reach,” said Tarlin Ray, College Board senior vice president of BigFuture. “We hope the award winners and their families celebrate this prestigious honor.”
Photo ID
Front row (l-r): Alexis Walker, Aya Hawthorn
Back row (l-r): Aidan Nalean-Carlson, Peter Essa, Lucas Arendt, Henry Weis, Mason Myers
On Friday, September 1st from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm, the Decorah Music Boosters will be hosting their annual Chili Supper in the cafeteria of Decorah High School. Tickets are available online at https://decorahschools.ludus.com/index.php or can be purchased at the door. The cost is $8 for adults and for students K-12. Preschool children may eat for free.
Proceeds from the chili supper are used to provide scholarships to students and to assist in helping to purchase items beneficial for the music program and its students.
Thanks to the efforts of Chad Elliott, Nutrition Director and Culinary Specialist for Decorah Schools, the Decorah Community School District was awarded a Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) grant in the amount of $149,998.00 from Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK). This grant will allow the purchase of processing equipment and local food to assist in preparing scratch recipes, improving the nutritional quality of school meals. Equipment that will be acquired includes new ovens for Decorah Middle School and Carrie Lee Elementary, frozen yogurt machines for Decorah High School and Decorah Middle School, an immersion blender for Decorah Middle School, food processors for every school, and a new grill/smoker and a patty forming machine for the district.
Elliott shared, “Scratch recipes using local foods gives us the advantage of controlling costs, salt, sugar, and fat. Using proper equipment will allow us to add flavor punches to food without adding any additional ingredients at all. Honoring the food by cooking with the proper method and intensifying the flavor will be one of the ways we will preserve the food’s integrity.”
“Efforts to improve the quality of Decorah School District’s food are always on my priority list. Increasing local food purchases allows consistency of product and the ability to gradually introduce more scratch recipes each year to reduce sugar and sodium. For instance, the new grill/smoker will add a tremendous amount of flavor to smoked pulled pork, BBQ smoked pork ribs, grilled summer squash, grilled chicken sandwiches, grilled asparagus, smoked salmon, grilled pork chops, carnitas, and grilled-glazed carrots–all while adding zero salt, fat, or sugar,” Elliott continued.
The nutrition department was also awarded a Local School Food II grant of $8,000.00 to purchase local meats and vegetables for this school year’s school lunch. Combining this grant with the HMI grant, the district will receive $31,254.00 worth of free local food this year. Elliott commented, “These funds will be used to increase consumption of our district’s local food items. Two to three times each year, we purchase local beef raised by up-and-coming local farmers through our food hub, and then our local Winneshiek Cattlemen bring their grills to the school and cook the hamburgers for our district free of charge. This day is an exciting day for students and staff as they can see and smell the burgers cooking as they enter the buildings. Participation is always very high these days. Pizza is our second-highest participation day, and we will introduce a completely scratch version of our pizza to students for breakfast and lunch using locally grown and milled wheat from an up-and-coming young grower.”
The HMI grant will also support Elliott’s attendance at a training conference. He stated, “We gain so much knowledge and confidence seeing other districts doing what we do. Networking with peers and sharing our success stories with others encourages everyone to succeed.”
The Healthy Meals Incentives grant is part of an allocation of nearly $30 million by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service to 264 schools across 44 states and the District of Columbia.
“Offering healthier school meals is key to helping our nation’s kids get the nutrients they need today and for their long-term development,” said Action for Healthy Kids CEO Rob Bisceglie. “Through this historic investment in school nutrition, we will help school districts across the country overcome challenges and develop solutions to provide nutritious foods for the children they serve.”
“Students in every community deserve access to healthy and nutritious meals,” said USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. “Today’s announcement demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to creating healthier, brighter futures for our children. With these funds, small and rural school districts will be able to modernize their operations and provide more nutritious meals, helping students succeed in the classroom and beyond.”
Action for Healthy Kids is dedicated to improving children’s health and well-being by bringing together and mobilizing educators, families, and other key stakeholders to help children lead healthy lives. Through its core programming and family-school partnerships, AFHK has impacted more than 20 million children in 55,000 schools nationwide to address systemic challenges in underserved communities. To learn more about its growing network of volunteers and champions, visit www.actionforhealthykids.org.
The Decorah Community School District is proud to welcome sixteen new teachers and ten new paraprofessionals. The new teachers include Kendall Reagan – John Cline Special Education, Makenzie Olson – Carrie Lee Social Worker, Grace Syverson – Decorah Middle School English/Language Arts, Addie Sadler – Decorah High School English/Language Arts, Sarah Christopher – St. Benedict Special Education, Megan Slessor – 1st Grade John Cline, Julie Giese – English Language Learners (ELL), Sara Blake – Carrie Lee Special Education, Savanna Mosbach – 4th Grade Carrie Lee, Amanda Huinker – Decorah High School Reading, Annika Krieg – 3rd Grade Carrie Lee, Felecia DeJong – Decorah High School Special Education, Megan Reinhardt – John Cline Special Education/Interventionist, John Fretham – Decorah High School Social Studies, Caleb Barnes – Decorah High School Business, Joshua Fenske – Decorah High School Social Studies.
Serving as new paraeducators for the district include MiKenna Martin, Alec Zwanziger, Ashley Smith, Amy Danielson, Joshua Stello, Dawn Kinson, Jaclyn Zidlicky, Carrie Hovey, Amber Fogle, and Danial Dawley.
New teachers for the Decorah Community School District
Front Row (l-r): Kendall Reagan – John Cline Special Education, Makenzie Olson – Carrie Lee Social Worker, Grace Syverson – Decorah Middle School English/Language Arts, Addie Sadler – Decorah High School English/Language Arts
Middle Row (l-r): Sarah Christopher – St. Benedict Special Education, Megan Slessor – 1st Grade John Cline, Julie Giese – English Language Learners (ELL), Sara Blake – Carrie Lee Special Education, Savanna Mosbach – 4th Grade Carrie Lee, Amanda Huinker –Decorah High School Reading, Annika Krieg – 3rd Grade Carrie Lee, Felecia DeJong – Decorah High School Special Education
Back Row (l-r): Megan Reinhardt – John Cline Special Education/Interventionist, John Fretham – Decorah High School Social Studies, Caleb Barnes – Decorah High School Business, Joshua Fenske – Decorah High School Social Studies
New paraprofessionals for the Decorah Community School District
Decorah High School students Lucas Arendt, Connor Evelsizer, Gabriel Hiner, Anders Lovstuen, and Aiden Nalean-Carlson earned a trip to New Brunswick, Canada, to represent Iowa in Envirothon international competition by earning the outright highest scores in the aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and speech categories at the state contest. Teams from fifty-one states, provinces, and countries were all vying for top honors at the international contest. Decorah finished in a very respectful nineteenth place, and the team knows if they had answered just two more questions correctly, they would have finished in the fifteenth spot.
The Envirothon is a five-member team competition for high school students which tests their knowledge of natural resources. Whether in the field or the classroom, students are challenged to use their knowledge and critical thinking skills to conduct hands-on investigations, solve real-life scenarios, and answer written and hands-on questions covering five categories: Aquatics, Forestry, Soils, Wildlife, and a current environmental issue.
The international experience proved invaluable as far as team bonding, meeting new students from around the world, navigating a complicated travel situation, and making memories. The International Envirothon competition changes locations every year, and this year proved to be a phenomenal destination site: New Brunswick has the highest tides in the world.
Allysen Lovstuen served the team as an invaluable assistant advisor. Without her help and guidance, keeping everyone on a tight schedule would have been much more difficult. As an added bonus, she kept the families back home supplied with daily updates and pictures.
Very generous contributions were made to the DHS Envirothon program from the State Envirothon committee, making the trip to New Brunswick possible; donors include Smithfield Foods, Conservation Districts of Iowa, Barb Schroeder and the Winneshiek County Conservation Board, Decorah Lions, Decorah Booster Club, Kevin and Leslie Sand, and Marc Nichols.
Coach Larry Berland stated, “I cannot express adequately how much I enjoy working with the Envirothon students. Although they found the questions a bit tougher at the international level of competition, it was overall a very successful journey.” Berland added, “The number of participants and their results indicate an awesome display of our Decorah students’ concern and awareness of their natural environment around them. Living in this community is advantageous for these students because so many parents and residents model excellent stewardship of their surroundings. We are grateful to all of our sponsors and for the positive support from family and friends. Finally, a big thank you goes out to all the administrators and teachers in the district who have helped develop these fine students. The students’ success is directly proportional to their never-ending efforts.”
Envirothon state winners travelled to Canada for international competition. From (l-r): Gabriel Hiner, Connor Evelsizer, Anders Lovstuen, Lucas Arendt, and Aiden Nalean-CarlsonEnjoying the sites of Canada. From (l-r): Coach Larry Berland, Lucas Arendt, Aiden Nalean-Carlson, Connor Evelsizer, Gabriel Hiner, Anders Lovstuen, and assistant advisor Allysen Lovstuen
Proudly representing Iowa. From (l-r): Coach Larry Berland, Gabriel Hiner, Aiden Nalean-Carlson, Lucas Arendt, Anders Lovstuen, Connor Evelsizer, and assistant advisor Allysen Lovstuen
