Author: Decorah Community School District

The junior/senior robotics club team from Decorah High School, named the Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Men and Women, competed in their Super Qualifier, sub-state competition in Bettendorf on Saturday. Because of their performance, they are headed to the state competition. Team members who competed include Cody Carolan, Quin LaBelle, Justin Berlage, Nathaniel Myers, Montana Jump-Gerleman, Brock Christensen, Aiden Burroughs, Ethan Stravers, Nathan Swarbrick, and Travis Nordheim. The rest of the team–Junior Battle, Henry Weis, Peter Essa and Anders Lovstuen–were representing Decorah High School at a different event.

The robotics club competes in a worldwide competition known as FIRST Tech Challenge, a program that helps prepare young people for the future through STEM education while building leadership and collaboration skills. Each September, teams of 7th – 12th graders are given an obstacle course scenario played on a 12-foot square playing field. Teams then design, build, and program an 18 x 18 x 18-inch robot that they can both run autonomously and be driver controlled to accomplish as many of the scenario’s tasks as possible. This season’s course is named Power Play and requires teams to place as many of their colored cones onto different pole junctions in an effort to connect circuits of their color across the field.

In January, the team won its league championship and earned a spot in the Super Qualifier event. After their six qualification round matches at the Super Qualifier, the junior/senior team finished in third place going into the playoff rounds. This gave them the opportunity to choose two alliance partners to play with them going forward.

The team chose the 5th ranked team UBett from Bettendorf High School and 10th ranked Xcentrics from Xavier High School to join them. The alliance won their semi-final competition in two matches and advanced to the finals to play against the 1st, 2^nd, and 9th ranked teams from Waterloo, Cedar Rapids and Pleasant Valley High School in a best of three series.

After winning the first match due to the other alliance having technical difficulties, the second match was a tight competition. The Decorah alliance would have only won by three points, but the opposing alliance accidentally knocked over a stack of 15 cones Decorah had made, incurring a 150-point penalty. The final score was 255 to 180, with the Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Men and Women leading their alliance to victory. The team also received third place honors for the Control Award given to the team who best explains and uses sensors, programming, and autonomous functions in their robot design. 

The Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Men and Women will be joining 47 other Iowa robotics teams competing again at the Iowa State Championship on March 3rd and 4th at the Xtream Arena in Coralville.

A Group Improvisation team from Decorah High School was selected as a banner recipient at this year’s All-State Speech Festival held in Ames over the weekend. This is the first time that Decorah has won a banner in the area of Group Improvisation.

Cast members of the Group Improv team include Anders Lovstuen, Jack Sovern, Ansel Kowitz, Adam Jones, and Alex Irwin. They were directed by Molly Holkesvik, Rachel Breitenbach-Dirks, and Lyra McKnight.

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.

Ten 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.

The Group Improv team performed a draw about washing windows on the Empire State Building. The critic praised the group for their creativity, willingness to trust, and their ability to “gift” each other with ideas.

“We couldn’t be prouder of these students! They worked hard to create a fun, witty, creative story that everyone enjoyed. They proved how effective the art of improv can be with the right amount of patience, persistence, and balance,” remarked the large group speech directors Molly Holkesvik, Gabriel Twedt, Carrie Kauffman, Rachel Breitenbach-Dirks, and Lyra McKnight.

A Group Improvisation team from Decorah High School was selected as a banner recipient at this year’s All-State Speech Festival held in Ames over the weekend. This is the first time that Decorah has won a banner in the area of Group Improvisation.

Cast members of the Group Improv team include Anders Lovstuen, Jack Sovern, Ansel Kowitz, Adam Jones, and Alex Irwin. They were directed by Molly Holkesvik, Rachel Breitenbach-Dirks, and Lyra McKnight.

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.

Ten 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.

The Group Improv team performed a draw about washing windows on the Empire State Building. The critic praised the group for their creativity, willingness to trust, and their ability to “gift” each other with ideas.

“We couldn’t be prouder of these students! They worked hard to create a fun, witty, creative story that everyone enjoyed. They proved how effective the art of improv can be with the right amount of patience, persistence, and balance,” remarked the large group speech directors Molly Holkesvik, Gabriel Twedt, Carrie Kauffman, Rachel Breitenbach-Dirks, and Lyra McKnight.

The coaches added, “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.”

Cristy Nimrod, head girls’ cross country coach at Decorah High School, has advanced as a finalist for the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) 2023 National Coach of the Year. Following a rigorous scoring process, she is now one of only eight national finalists for this distinction. 

Nimrod has coached girls’ cross country at Decorah High School for twenty-one years, and her success is notable: 17 consecutive conference championships, 11 regional championships, 16 state appearances, and five state titles. 

The National Coach of the Year will be awarded at the NHSACA National Convention in July in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Decorah Family, Educator, and Community Organization (FEC) recently hosted their first ever Elementary Family Dance Party.  Over 415 participants joined the fun between the lower elementary (preschool through second) and upper elementary (3rd and 4th grade) dance parties.  The event was made possible with the support of several Decorah High School students who assisted with balloon animals and face painting as well as the Luther Football Team who also kept the party fun and exciting.

Four Decorah High School students earned distinguished honors–and the highest designation earned by a team from Iowa–in the 2022 High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM). The team of Lucas Arendt, Gabriel Hiner, Anders Lovstuen, and Aidan Nalean-Carlson earned a Finalist designation, which places them in the top 7% and secures them an invitation to participate in the 9^th International Mathematical Modeling Challenge (IM2C).

A total of 854 teams, with up to 4 students each, representing 362 schools and 18 countries/regions competed in the 2022 HiMCM, made possible by the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP). All teams worked at their own schools within the contest window of November 2-15, 2022. Each high school team chose from two modeling problems offered, and then they constructed their solutions. The judges were impressed with all the teams’ creativity and ingenuity in mathematical modeling as well as their ability to explain their strategies and problem-solving techniques in clear terms. Results of the contest were recently released.

Decorah High School had a total of 23 students participate. Earning recognition as Successful Participants include Jacob Magner, Daniel Skrade, Ethan Stravers and Max Wilson; Elsa Christman, Mason Myers and Isabella Sailor; Justin Berlage, Peter Essa, Nathaniel Myers and Henry Weis; Elayna Hook, Hayley Stowe, Nathan Swarbrick and Abbie Valkosky; and Tommy Hammel, Reid Kuehner, Brenna Parker and Amelia Wadsworth.

This year all six teams chose to address the same question:­­­ “The Need for Bees (and not just for honey).” Requirements were to develop a model to determine the population of a honeybee colony over time, conduct a sensitivity analysis to determine which factors have the greatest impact on colony size, model and predict how many hives are needed to support pollination of a 20-acre parcel of land containing crops that benefit from pollination, write a technical paper communicating their solution, and create a blog or infographic sharing their information.

Four Decorah High School students earned distinguished honors–and the highest designation earned by a team from Iowa–in the 2022 High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM). The team of Lucas Arendt, Gabriel Hiner, Anders Lovstuen, and Aidan Nalean-Carlson earned a Finalist designation, which places them in the top 7% and secures them an invitation to participate in the 9^th International Mathematical Modeling Challenge (IM2C).

A total of 854 teams, with up to 4 students each, representing 362 schools and 18 countries/regions competed in the 2022 HiMCM, made possible by the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP). All teams worked at their own schools within the contest window of November 2-15, 2022. Each high school team chose from two modeling problems offered, and then they constructed their solutions. The judges were impressed with all the teams’ creativity and ingenuity in mathematical modeling as well as their ability to explain their strategies and problem-solving techniques in clear terms. Results of the contest were recently released.

Decorah High School had a total of 23 students participate. Earning recognition as Successful Participants include Jacob Magner, Daniel Skrade, Ethan Stravers and Max Wilson; Elsa Christman, Mason Myers and Isabella Sailor; Justin Berlage, Peter Essa, Nathaniel Myers and Henry Weis; Elayna Hook, Hayley Stowe, Nathan Swarbrick and Abbie Valkosky; and Tommy Hammel, Reid Kuehner, Brenna Parker and Amelia Wadsworth.

This year all six teams chose to address the same question:­­­ “The Need for Bees (and not just for honey).” Requirements were to develop a model to determine the population of a honeybee colony over time, conduct a sensitivity analysis to determine which factors have the greatest impact on colony size, model and predict how many hives are needed to support pollination of a 20-acre parcel of land containing crops that benefit from pollination, write a technical paper communicating their solution, and create a blog or infographic sharing their information.

Sponsor Allysen Lovstuen shared, “Once again, I am proud of all of the students who participated. This contest requires interdisciplinary thinking and perseverance. The students demonstrated strong problem-solving, critical thinking, and research and writing skills. That we had so many students willing to spend two days taking on this challenge speaks highly of them.”

Decorah High School has named Justin Berlage as the recipient of the Norman C. Bradish Scholarship for the 2022-2023 school year. He is the son of Jodi Enos-Berlage and John Berlage. 

Berlage is currently deciding where he will attend college, but he plans to major in mechanical engineering, with special interests in computer science and robotics. He has applied to Washington University in St. Louis, Northwestern, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Wisconsin.

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 a National Merit Semifinalist. He has been involved in Robotics (League Championship winner), Envirothon (2nd place in the state competition), High School Mathematical Competition in Modeling (HiMCM), soccer, National Honor Society, and chorus. He is also a member of the Madison 4Hers 4H club.

Berlage attended summer programs at NYU-Tandon School of Engineering and Carleton College Summer Program in Computer Science/Robotics. He shared that these were high impact programs and only possible through generous support from the Decorah Community School District Foundation. 

Decorah High School has named Justin Berlage as the recipient of the Norman C. Bradish Scholarship for the 2022-2023 school year. He is the son of Jodi Enos-Berlage and John Berlage. 

Berlage is currently deciding where he will attend college, but he plans to major in mechanical engineering, with special interests in computer science and robotics. He has applied to Washington University in St. Louis, Northwestern, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Wisconsin.

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 a National Merit Semifinalist. He has been involved in Robotics (League Championship winner), Envirothon (2nd place in the state competition), High School Mathematical Competition in Modeling (HiMCM), soccer, National Honor Society, and chorus. He is also a member of the Madison 4Hers 4H club.

Berlage attended summer programs at NYU-Tandon School of Engineering and Carleton College Summer Program in Computer Science/Robotics. He shared that these were high impact programs and only possible through generous support from the Decorah Community School District Foundation. 

Norman Bradish created a scholarship to be awarded to a male 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 his studies.

The Decorah High School mid-winter orchestra concert will be held Monday, February 13th at 7:30 in the high school auditorium.

For this concert, orchestra teacher Nicole Cody gathered a group of high school students who pondered the concept of the “in between.”  Poets, dancers, photographers, and other artists created pieces to enrich the music the orchestra students will play.  “The most meaningful part of this concert is that it is student work, student developed, and in many ways, student directed. Some of the students really dug into the idea, and they have created something that is really engaging and–I think–will be exciting to watch,” said Cody. 

“The past couple months, we have been discussing and exploring what it’s like to live in the “in between” – the feelings and experiences that come with uncertainty and gray areas,” shared Grace Blikre, one of the collaborators of this concert.

The songs that will anchor the art include the following: “Dreaming” by Brian Balmages; “Cumberland Cross” by Carl Strommen; “Chokfi’, Sarcasm for String Orchestra and Percussion” by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate; “Andante Festivo” by Jean Sibelius; “String Quintet No. 8 – Movements 4 and 5” by Dmitri Shostakovich; “Symphony No. 7, Movement II” by Ludwig van Beethoven; “Royals,” Lorde (Ella Yelich-O’Connor and Joel Little), arr. Kathryn Griesinger; and “Rest” by Frank Ticheli.

To build community between elementary and high school students, Sylvia and Lily Sandhorst created the Stuffed Animal Sleepover Project for all students in second grade at John Cline Elementary School. Each student chooses an animal to bring to the DHS library, and as a class they walk to the high school where they are met by high school volunteers, including National Honor Society members. The second graders get the opportunity to read with the high school students as well as share important information about their stuffed animal, including their names and how to care for them. 

When the second graders return across the street to John Cline, the high school students create and document “sleepover experiences” for the animals, including roasting marshmallows, reading books, playing games, and even catching the critters being unruly. Students have caught the animals taking pictures of their faces on the copy machine and ordering pizza online. 

To share the escapades of the animals with their owners, Sylvia and Lily Sandhorst, with the help of Britann Mettille, create a slideshow to share with each class.

Gabe Twedt, second grade teacher and high school speech coach, showed his students the slideshow and shared this with Shannon Horton, teacher librarian for Decorah High School and Decorah Middle School: “This was amazing. You brought so much joy to their faces. I loved seeing my high schoolers and 2nd graders intermingling with a love of reading.”

Horton added, “The high school students are clearly having as much fun as the 2nd graders!  It’s really such a privilege to have the elementary school in such close proximity.” 

“This has provided such a great opportunity for high school students to connect with those younger than them and take the lead on helping the second graders become more excited about all the opportunities in school. It’s a really great thing to be a part of,” remarked Lily Sandhorst.

Senior volunteer Britann Mettille shared, “I am glad to be part of this project because I get to share my love of reading and the high school library. But most of all, I love seeing the second graders’ faces when they describe what their stuffed animals like, don’t like, and their favorite hobbies. 

“I think my favorite part of this has been the opportunity to share the high school library with younger kids, said Sylvia Sandhorst. “It’s so different from the John Cline Library, and I love seeing the kids’ faces when they walk in. Yes, getting to take pictures of their animals is really fun, but getting to share one of my favorite parts of our school with them and getting them excited for high school (in a few years) has been my favorite part.”

Decorah High School speech students participated in State Large Group Speech Contest on Saturday, February 4th held at Waterloo West High School. Judges at the state contest selected ten of Decorah High School students’ performances as outstanding; these performances are honored with the coveted All-State Speech nomination. The DHS students comprising these groups will travel to the Iowa State University campus in Ames to perform at the All-State Festival on Saturday, February 18th. Complete results and ticket information can be found on the IHSSA website at https://www.ihssa.org/contests/large-group/all-state/.

“We are incredibly proud of our students’ accomplishments so far this season. Their talent and hard work are reflected in their nominations. We can’t wait to see them be recognized at the All-State Festival,” remarked the directors.

The All-State nominations are as follows:

Ensemble Acting “The Complete History of America (Abridged)” was directed by Lyra McKnight. 

Participants include Libby Phillips, Evon Leitz, Ezra Vorvick, Grace Blikre, Rebecca Kane, and Lucas Hanson.

Ensemble Acting “The Spot” was directed by Rachel Breitenbach-Dirks. Participants include Leslie Campbell, Peter Essa, Ethan Stravers, Danielle Rix, Gwen Thompson, and Elliana Brodbeck.

Group Improv was directed by Molly Holkesvik, Rachel Breitenbach-Dirks, and Lyra McKnight. 

Group One: Adam Jones, Anders Lovstuen, Ansel Kowitz, Jack Sovern, and Alex Irwin.

Group Two: Henry Weis, Abbie Valkosky, Joe Stammeyer, Tommy Hammel, and Brynn Storhoff.

Solo Mime “The Assis-STUNT” by Ramsey Zilka was directed by Molly Holkesvik, Gabe Twedt, and Carrie Kauffman.

Musical Theater “Come from Away” was directed by Gabe Twedt and Carrie Kauffman.

Participants include Gabriel Hiner, Libby Phillips, Jake Magner, Max Wilson, Rebecca Kane, Ezra Vorvick, Alex Kane, and Sally Laybourn.

One Act Play “New Normal” was directed by Rachel Breitenbach-Dirks and Gabe Twedt. 

Participants include Bella Bishop, Jenna Hartz, Alex Kane, Ada Lovelace, Ellen Rooney, Kathryn Kelly, Hayley Stowe, Elliana Brodbeck, McKenzie Riley, Margret Zook, Camryn Holland, and Danielle Rix.

Readers Theater “Starcatcher” was directed by Gabe Twedt and Carrie Kauffman. 

Participants include Bella Bishop, Sophia Christman, Carter Kowitz, Jake Magner, Michael Njus, Ethan Stravers, Sydney Kipp, Abbie Valkosky, Henry Weis, Oliver

Brummel, Greta Jones, Ramsey Zilka, McKenzie Riley, Grant Zilka, and Rebecca Anderson.

TV News “Iowa Wild: Off the Grid” was directed by Molly Holkesvik and Gabe Twedt.

Participants include Simon Kutz, Corina Timm, Paige Wrightsman, Easton Luzum, Liz Pritchard, Annaleissa Arnold, Lillian Jensen, Caden Branum, Jack Sovern, Brynn Storhoff, Luke Arendt, Ansel Kowitz, Paige Werner, Daniel Skrade, and Andy Kruger.

TV News “Vanished: The Search for Jodi Huisentruit” was directed by Molly Holkesvik and Gabe Twedt. 

Participants include Diep Doan, Kaeley Downing, Lily Iverson, Karmyn Bakken, Grace Neal, Ellen Rooney, Kamryn Steines, Thea Schissel, Kealy Hines, Bridget Bentley, Braunwyn Darrington, Sydney Kipp, Rebecca Bruening, and Addison Wicklund.

By Morgan Moen, Decorah FFA Reporter

The Decorah FFA will celebrate National FFA Week from February 18 through . Throughout the week, FFA members, alumni, sponsors, and chapters all over the country will 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.

“FFA has expanded from just being about agriculture and farming. Our chapter is always looking to pursue more activities and recruit new members. As a chapter, we encourage everyone to engage in FFA week activities,” said president Creed Monroe.

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 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; agronomy; food science; nursery landscaping; ag mechanics; floriculture; livestock judging; record keeping; soil judging; and attending the district, state, and national conventions. The chapter organizes programs all year to help grow leaders, build communities, and strengthen agriculture.

There are currently sixty-two members in the Decorah FFA. The group will have its annual FFA Awards Program on Thursday, , to celebrate 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.