Seventh graders at Decorah Middle School are sponsoring their annual Water to Thrive fundraiser with a goal to reach $5,000 to support the building of a well in rural Africa. From May 8-12, all students at DMS can bring monetary donations of any amount to school. These donations can be made during students’ lunch shifts.
In class, DMS students learn how water can impact health, hunger, education, and poverty–creating inequalities. As a way to ‘be the change’ and address those inequalities, the students partner with Water to Thrive through which one well can be built for $5,000. That well can bring clean, safe water to over 500 people. DMS has funded four wells since 2018 and hopes by the end of this fundraiser will be able to fund a fifth well.
In language arts class, students read the book A Long Walk to Water. In this book, one of the characters has to walk for water twice a day to provide for her family. Although the character is fictional, the scenario is real.
On May 17th, students will leave from the middle school and walk indirectly to the Upper Iowa River to gather and carry water. 7th grade Global Studies teacher Carrie Reed remarked, “We do the water walk to gain a sense of empathy for those who face that reality every day. In the past, the community has offered smiles and words of encouragement as they see us walking through town. We’ve even had people stop us and hand us money to add to our fundraiser total!”
Reed added, “I always tell my students that this is truly the most meaningful teaching and learning that I have ever been a part of. In a world where negative stories are easy to find, it’s good to share the amazing things that our young people are making happen!”
7th graders gathering water to carry during a past Water to Thrive fundraiser.Recipients of a well which was funded by the DHS 7th grade Water to Thrive program celebrate its installation in rural Africa.
On April 28th in Arlington, Virginia, Decorah High School junior Simon Kutz competed with 100 other students from across the country in the United States Geography Championships and finished in 7th place. During the competition Kutz had to take a written exam covering the following categories: geomorphology, geography and current events, historical geography, cultural geography, economic geography, urban geography, biogeography, and climate geography. Then he took a test meant to assess the types of practical map skills and cartographic reasoning reflective of exam questions as well as field work examinations.
In addition, he was a finalist (8th place) in the National Varsity round of the International Geography Bee.
Kutz participated in both competitions last year, finishing 12th in the United States Geography Championships and 16th in the National Varsity round of the International Geography Bee.
More information about these contests can be found at https://geographychampionships.com/nationals/.
DHS Junior Simon Kutz takes 8th place in the National Varsity round of the International Geography Bee.
The Decorah Family, Educator, and Community Organization (FEC) recently held a Spell-A-Thon Fundraiser. Through generous donations from families and community members, they raised over $36,000 for the Decorah Elementary Schools (John Cline and Carrie Lee). This money will be used for field trips, extra classroom supplies, guest visitors, family events, teacher appreciation activities, and the like to support the elementary students, staff, and schools.
The FEC would like to thank the community for supporting this fundraiser and our schools.
To learn more or to volunteer with the FEC, follow them on Facebook or contact FEC President Shanna Putnam Dibble at shanna.putnamdibble@decorah.k12.ia.us.
Mr. Nesteby joins John Cline students for Popsicles to celebrate a great Spell-A-Thon!
Justin Berlage of Decorah High School has been named a semifinalist for the 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholars program, one of the highest honors bestowed upon graduating high school seniors in the country. He is the son of Jodi Enos-Berlage and John Berlage of Ridgeway.
Out of nearly 3.7 million graduating high school seniors from across the country, over 5,000 students were identified as candidates for the program, which originated in 1964 by executive order of the president. Application to the program is by invitation only. This April, 628 semifinalists were selected, including eight students from Iowa. Scholars are selected on the basis of superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character, and involvement in community and school activities.
Berlage plans to attend MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the fall to study mechanical engineering, with special interests in computer science and robotics.
Berlage is a National Merit Finalist and has played a key role in leading the Decorah Robotics team and a Decorah Envirothon team to regionals and back-to-back competitive appearances at state competitions. He attended summer programs at NYU-Tandon School of Engineering and Carleton College Summer Program in Computer Science/Robotics. He has also been involved in High School Mathematical Competition in Modeling (HiMCM), soccer, National Honor Society, and chorus. He is a graduate of St. Benedict’s K-8 Catholic School in Decorah. He is also a member of the Madison 4Hers 4H club.
For his application to the U.S. Presidential Scholars program, Berlage was required to submit a photograph of something of great significance. He chose a picture of a K’Nex roller coaster that he designed and built when he was eight years old. In his related essay, he explained how the many hours and years he spent building various items using K’Nex materials instilled creativity, testing of ideas, risk-taking, confidence, and joy—attributes that he later applied to robotics, engineering, and computer science. Other major influences described by Berlage included growing up in a household and community where education was highly valued, reading hundreds of books a year from the Decorah Public Library–further supplemented by Dragonfly Books–and growing up on a farm, which developed problem-solving skills, a strong work ethic, and an appreciation for the fragility of the natural world.
In his response to the essay prompt “If you could improve one thing in the world, what would it be, and how would you change it?”, Berlage focused on elevating environmental education at the K-12 level, intentionally integrating it as a required core subject in elementary, middle school, and high school, equal in importance to reading and math and taught in a similarly successive fashion. He emphasized that these changes to the educational system would give his generation their best chance of living in a sustainable future.
The Commission on Presidential Scholars, a group of up to 32 eminent citizens appointed by the President, will select approximately 160 U.S. Presidential Scholars program finalists. The U.S. Department of Education will announce the Scholars in May.
Margaret Aitken Haggerty, a Chair of the Commission on Presidential Scholars, remarked, “Regardless of the final outcome of the competition, it is a great honor and an exceptional accomplishment to have reached the semifinalist phase in this highly selective and prestigious program.”
Justin Berlage at 8 years old with the K’Nex roller coaster he created. He submitted this photo as part of his application for the U.S. Presidential Scholars program.Justin Berlage
Two Decorah Middle School students recently qualified for the National History Day competition which will be held June 11-15 at the University of Maryland.
Jayden Lundtvedt qualified with her exhibit titled Valentina Tereshkova: Frontier in Female Cosmonautics
Naomi Kutz qualified with her website titled Jane Bolin: Leading the Frontier for Equality in Law
This year’s theme was Frontiers in History: People, Places, and Ideas.
Decorah Home School Assistance Program (HSAP) student Eva Kriemelmeyer received first place in the junior (grades 6-8) individual performance category at the state National History Day competition in Des Moines on April 24. Her performance is titled “Marie Curie: Frontiers in Radioactivity.”
Kriemelmeyer will advance to the 2023 National History Day contest at the University of Maryland June 11-15, where she will compete alongside nearly 3000 other students from all 50 states, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Department of Defense Schools in Europe, and international schools, including several from Asia.
National History Day is a year-long academic enrichment program that challenges students to research, develop, and present projects about historical issues, ideas, people, and events related to an annual theme. This year’s theme is Frontiers in History: People, Places, and Ideas.
Eva Kriemelmeyer takes first place at National History Day state competition.
Lucas Arendt, Connor Evelsizer, Gabriel Hiner, Anders Lovstuen, and Aidan Nalean-Carlson, members of the “DNR” Envirothon team representing Decorah High School, took first place at the Envirothon state contest held April 24that the Jester Park Nature Center near Granger, Iowa. They will represent Iowa at the international contest to be held July 23-29, 2023, at Mount Allison University located in Tantramar, New Brunswick, Canada. Decorah’s “Team Skabush”–Justin Berlage, Peter Essa, Nathaniel Myers, Nathan Swarbrick and Henry Weis–finished in fourth place. Both teams tied for first place in the Current Environmental Issue category.
The Envirothon is a team competition for high school students, testing their knowledge of the natural world around them. In the field and classroom, teams of five students are challenged to use their knowledge and critical thinking skills to conduct hands-on investigations, solve real-life scenarios, and answer questions covering five categories: Aquatics, Forestry, Soils, Wildlife, and a current topic. This year’s current environmental issue, “Adapting to the Agricultural Changes Needed in a Changing Climate,” required each team to prepare and present a speech outlining a designed plan with recommendations and possible solutions to meet the current topic challenges.
Adviser Larry Berland remarked, “Have you ever been asked to determine the amount of sand, silt and clay in a soil sample by using only your hands? Do you have the desire to figure out the basal area of trees growing in a woodlot with a 10 factor prism? How about sighting in on the clarity of a water sample using only a Secchi tube or identifying turtles by the markings on their carapace? High school students in Decorah who have been participating in the school’s Envirothon program are ready for these challenges and more.”
“I am very proud to say that 70 awesome Decorah High School students participated in the Envirothon program this year–a new record,” Berland continued. “They offer hope for the Earth’s environment. I want to especially thank Adam Riley along with the entire Decorah system for their support, including the super help of John Kraus and Maggie Schwarz along with a very generous contribution made to our program from Barb Schroeder and the Winneshiek County Conservation Board.”
Envirothon team “DNR” and adviser pose by the victory bell in front of the high school after the team takes first place at state competition. Photo ID (l-r): Adviser Larry Berland, Aidan Nalean-Carlson, Lucas Arendt, Gabriel Hiner, Connor Evelsizer, and Anders Lovstuen
The Decorah FFA competed at the 95th Iowa FFA Leadership Conference on April 17th and 18th at Iowa State University in Ames. Twenty-two Decorah FFA members attended this year’s conference, including Brooke Anfinson, Annika Brynsaas, Brody Courtney, Kiele Eberling, Karlie Einck, Rashell Lippe, Anders Lovstuen, Morgan Moen, Creed Monroe, Justin Nierling, Travis Nordheim, Jeramiah Rediske, Chezny Ryant, Eden Scheidel, Hannah Schnitzler, Kayleigh Smith, Derek Tieskoetter, Ciara Wedmann, Addison Wemark, Kamryn Werges, Thea Zidlicky, and Dalton Zidlicky. The members participated in seven contests.
Results on State Qualifying Events
Addison Wemark, the 2022-2023 secretary of the Decorah FFA, submitted the Decorah FFA Secretary’s book for the state evaluation. The book received a gold rating and was awarded as the state champion. Wemark was recognized on the main stage and presented with a plaque.
Anders Lovstuen, 2022-2023 treasurer of the Decorah FFA, submitted the Decorah FFA treasurer’s book. The book received a gold rating, and Lovstuen was recognized on the main stage during the first general session.
Annika Brynsaas competed in the ag sales individual leadership development event. She received a gold rating and was recognized on the main stage during the first general session.
Jeramiah Rediske competed in the job interview leadership development event and received a silver rating.
State Ag Skills Career Development Event
The Ag Communications team–Eden Scheidel, Kamryn Werges, Kiele Eberling, and Rashell Lippe–received 9th place and a silver rating. Eden Scheidel was named the top individual in the journalistic writing practicum.
The Farm Business Management team received a silver rating. Members of this team include Addison Wemark, Dalton Zidlicky, Hannah Schnitzler, and Morgan Moen. This career development event is designed to provide the students an opportunity to display their agricultural knowledge and skills in the area of farm management.
Karlie Einck and Thea Zidlicky participated in the FFA Greenhand Quiz event. This quiz allows members to showcase their knowledge about the FFA organizations. Einck and Zidlicky both received bronze ratings.
Iowa FFA Degree
The Decorah FFA also had members earning individual awards and degrees. The Iowa FFA Degree is the highest honor a member may receive from the state. FFA participants who qualify have completed the three-circle model’s minimum participation requirements: Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), FFA, and Classroom/Laboratory. This year eight members of the Decorah FFA received this honor: Brooke Anfinson, Creed Monroe, Justin Nierling, Travis Nordheim, Chezny Ryant, Hannah Schnitzler, Ciara Wedmann, and Addison Wemark.
Stars Over Iowa
Justin Nierling was named the 2023 Star in Agribusiness winner. This award category is based on an entrepreneurship/ownership Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) program in a non-production agriculture area. Nierling keeps records from his business Nierling Custom Farming.
Additional Contest Results and Activities
The Decorah FFA Chapter earned a gold rating in the National Chapter Award Program, a contest designed to encourage chapters to plan activities and carry them out with a successful program of activities. Chapters are recognized for outstanding achievement in the areas of student development, chapter development, and community development. Brody Courtney accepted the award on behalf of the chapter during the second general session.
Members also took part in a variety of events that took place throughout the Iowa FFA Leadership Conference and attended the career show. Morgan Moen and Kiele Eberling played in the state FFA band, Creed Monroe and Kayleigh Smith served as state courtesy corps members, and Anders Lovstuen and Travis Nordheim served as the chapter’s delegates and attended the state FFA association’s business session.
Joni Bruvold, agricultural science teacher at Decorah High School, is the FFA advisor.
Twenty-two Decorah FFA members attended the 95th Iowa FFA Leadership Conference at the Iowa State University Campus in Ames. Front Row (l-r): Kamryn Werges, Chezny Ryant, Morgan Moen, Derek Tieskoetter, and Anders Lovstuen Middle Row (l-r): Eden Scheidel, Rashell Lippe, Karlie Einck, Brooke Anfinson, Addison Wemark, Annika Brynsaas, Brody Courtney, and Ciara Wedmann Back Row (l-r): Kiele Eberling, Thea Zidlicky, Jeramiah Rediske, Hannah Schnitzler, Travis Nordheim, Kayleigh Smith, Dalton Zidlicky, and Creed Monroe, Justin NierlingAddison Wemark received 1st place at State in the FFA secretary’s book competition.Eight Decorah FFA members received their Iowa FFA Degree. Pictured (l-r): Travis Nordheim, Addison Wemark, Creed Monroe, Chezny Ryant, Ciara Wedmann, Brooke Anfinson, Hannah Schnitzler, and Justin NierlingEden Scheidel was named the top individual in the Ag Communications Career Development Event Journalistic Writing Practicum. Justin Nierling was named the FFA Stars Over Iowa Agribusiness Winner. The Ag Communications Team placed 9th at state. Pictured (l-r): Eden Scheidel, Rashell Lippe, Kiele Eberling, and Kamryn Werges
Annika Brynsaas competed in the individual ag sales leadership development event. She received a gold rating and was recognized on the main stage. Anders Lovstuen submitted his treasurer’s book for the state contest. He received a gold rating and was recognized on the main stage. Jeramiah Rediske competed in the job interview leadership development event and received a silver rating at state. Photo ID (l-r): Hannah Schnitzler, Addison Wemark, Morgan Moen, and Dalton Zidlicky competed in the state Farm Business Management Contest. The team received a silver rating. Thea Zidlicky and Karlie Einck received a bronze rating in the Greenhand Quiz contest at the Iowa FFA Leadership Conference. Kiele Eberling and Morgan Moen participated in the State FFA Band at the Iowa FFA Leadership Conference. Travis Nordheim and Anders Lovstuen served as the Decorah FFA chapter’s delegates at the State FFA Business Session. Creed Monroe and Kayleigh Smith were selected to serve as courtesy corps members while at the Iowa FFA Leadership Conference.
The 2023 Stars Over Iowa winners were announced at the 95th Iowa FFA State Leadership Conference at Iowa State University on . A Star Over Iowa was selected in each of the four different areas: Agricultural Placement, Agribusiness, Agriscience, and Agricultural Production.
Justin Nierling of the Decorah FFA Chapter is the 2023 Star in Agribusiness winner. This award category is based on an entrepreneurship/ownership Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) program in a non-production agriculture area.
Justin is the owner and operator of Nierling Custom Farming, where he provides producers with services such as round baling and wrapping. In the summer of 2020, Justin was looking for something he could do to set himself up for a lifelong career. He looked at several options and ultimately decided to buy a round baler to start his own custom round baling business. Throughout the years, his business has grown significantly, and he has gained great responsibility and learned many life lessons in running a business. Justin has baled 9600 bales in the lifetime of his business. He expanded services last year and bought a bale wrapper. He wrapped a total of 3700 bales within the last two years. Justin recently traded his baler for a brand-new one and bought a bale trailer to rent out to clients to speed up hauling round bales.
Justin had many people help him get started in custom farming over the years. One of the biggest ways he received clients was through advertising his services on social media and offering merchandise to the public.
In FFA, Justin received a gold rating at state with his proficiency. He also served as a committee chairperson in his chapter. After graduation, Justin plans to slowly start taking over the family farm. He also plans on picking up more crop ground to farm and to grow his business in providing producers with more custom services.
“This is a very prestigious FFA award that is based on outstanding supervised agricultural experiences (ag work-based learning) and FFA accomplishments,” commented Decorah FFA Advisor Joni Bruvold. “We are so proud of Justin on this amazing accomplishment and look forward to watching him continue to grow and expand his agricultural business.”
Justin is the son of Matt and Jolene Nierling. His chapter advisor is Ms. Joni Bruvold. His high school principal is Mr. Brad Hurst, and his superintendent is Dr. Tim Cronin.
The 2023 Stars Over Iowa winners were announced at the 95th Iowa FFA State Leadership Conference at Iowa State University on . A Star Over Iowa was selected in each of the four different areas: Agricultural Placement, Agribusiness, Agriscience, and Agricultural Production.
Justin Nierling of the Decorah FFA Chapter is the 2023 Star in Agribusiness winner. This award category is based on an entrepreneurship/ownership Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) program in a non-production agriculture area.
Justin is the owner and operator of Nierling Custom Farming, where he provides producers with services such as round baling and wrapping. In the summer of 2020, Justin was looking for something he could do to set himself up for a lifelong career. He looked at several options and ultimately decided to buy a round baler to start his own custom round baling business. Throughout the years, his business has grown significantly, and he has gained great responsibility and learned many life lessons in running a business. Justin has baled 9600 bales in the lifetime of his business. He expanded services last year and bought a bale wrapper. He wrapped a total of 3700 bales within the last two years. Justin recently traded his baler for a brand-new one and bought a bale trailer to rent out to clients to speed up hauling round bales.
Justin had many people help him get started in custom farming over the years. One of the biggest ways he received clients was through advertising his services on social media and offering merchandise to the public.
In FFA, Justin received a gold rating at state with his proficiency. He also served as a committee chairperson in his chapter. After graduation, Justin plans to slowly start taking over the family farm. He also plans on picking up more crop ground to farm and to grow his business in providing producers with more custom services.
“This is a very prestigious FFA award that is based on outstanding supervised agricultural experiences (ag work-based learning) and FFA accomplishments,” commented Decorah FFA Advisor Joni Bruvold. “We are so proud of Justin on this amazing accomplishment and look forward to watching him continue to grow and expand his agricultural business.”
Justin is the son of Matt and Jolene Nierling. His chapter advisor is Ms. Joni Bruvold. His high school principal is Mr. Brad Hurst, and his superintendent is Dr. Tim Cronin.
The Stars Over Iowa program is made possible with support from Beck’s Hybrids through the Iowa FFA Foundation. The National FFA Foundation sponsors cash awards for the overall star winners.
Stars Over Iowa (on stage)
Pictured (l-r): Joni Bruvold, Sam Martin (2022-2023 State FFA President), Stars Over Iowa Sponsor Representative from Beck’s Hybrids, Justin Nierling, Jolene Nierling, and Matt Nierling.
Justin Nierling of the Decorah FFA was selected as the 2023 Iowa FFA Stars Over Iowa Agribusiness Winner. Justin Nierling of the Decorah FFA
