Author: Decorah Community School District

John Cline Elementary School and the Decorah Public Library recently hosted the Pumpkin Literacy Project.  Preschool through second grade students were invited to choose a pumpkin from the John Cline “Pumpkin Patch.”  They were then encouraged to read a favorite book with their families and decorate their pumpkin to represent the book. The Decorah FEC (Family, Educator, and Community Organization) assisted in sponsoring this event.  

Nearly 300 students and families participated in Decorah Elementary’s Fall in Love with STEAM Family Event.  The evening was filled with an abundance of science, technology, engineering, art, and math-themed activities hosted by John Cline and Carrie Lee Schools as well as community partners, including Luther College, NICC, Decorah Bank and Trust, Keystone Area Education Agency, the Decorah Fire Department, Winneshiek County 4H, Winneshiek County Conservation, and Eagle Bluff Nature Center. The event was sponsored by the Decorah FEC (Family, Educator, and Community Organization).  

An entertaining adventure awaits audiences in “Mr. Frazzle’s Fantastic Field Trip,” Decorah High School’s 2022 Variety Show. 

Mr. Frazzle and his students find themselves exploring the human brain on a hilarious, family-friendly jaunt that ties together 18 vocal, instrumental, and dancing acts presented by DHS students. The script was written entirely by the cast.

“Mr. Frazzle’s Fantastic Field Trip” performances are Thursday, Nov. 10, Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the DHS auditorium. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for students, and are available online at https://decorahschools.ludus.com/index.php and in the DHS office. The box office will also open an hour before each show with house doors opening 30 minutes before showtime. 

The cast and show writers include Elliana Brodbeck, Ella Grouws, Gabriel Hiner, Adam Jones, Andy Kruger, Sally Laybourn, Ada Lovelace, Jake Magner, Libby Phillips, Kamryn Steines, and Ethan Stravers.

Presenting variety show acts are Julia Alberts, Annaleissa Arnold, Raven Battle, Jr., Quinn Baumann, Doug Bentley, Ashley Bjork, Ben Bockman, Ethan Bockman, Grace Blikre, June Breitenbach-Dirks, Elliana Brodbeck, Rebecca Bruening, Leslie Campbell, Liam Chamberlain, Sophia Christman, Davis Coppola, Chloe Chyle, Braunwyn Darrington, Kathleen Delphey, Evynne Downing, Amelia Dugger, Bryar Duwe, Connor Evelsizer, Natalie Goodner, Ella Grouws, Sydney Hageman, Erik Hjelle, Bethany Hanson, Lucas Hanson, Ezra Harman-Wood, Nev Harper, Jenna Hartz, Aya Hawthorn, Gabriel Hiner, Mikayla Hiner, Kealy Hines, Elayna Hook, Avah Hove, Alexandra Irwin, Lily Iverson, Caleb Johnson, Elsa Johnson, Adam Jones, Greta Jones, Alexandra Kane, Rebecca Kane, Kate Kelly, Sydney Kipp, Jackson Knoke, Jensen Korsness, G. Carter Kowitz, Brinley Krivachek, Andy Kruger, Sally Laybourn, Franklin Lesmeister, Ada Lovelace, Jake Magner,  Carson Merritt, Sami Mount, Beau Newhouse, Michael Njus, Kylie O’Hara, Libby Phillips, Elizabeth Pritchard, Mya Redenius, Ellen Rooney, Sylvia Sandhorst, Elias Sassaman, Julia Schwarz, Chloe Sheffield, Annalise Skrade, Daniel Skrade, Hope Stahl, Joseph Stammeyer, Kamryn Steines, Brynn Storhoff, Hayley Stowe, Robin Suhr, Gareth Sweet, Gwenyth Thompson, Kiah Tweten, Abbie Valkosky, Elias Vorvick, Ezra Vorvick, Adam Walter, Henry Weis, Camielle Wiedow, Rorie Wiedow, Max Wilson, and Margret Zook.

Crew members include Stage Manager Karmyn Bakken, Ariana Albert, Raven Battle, Jr., Grace Blikre, Cody Carolan, Elsa Christman, Sophia Christman, Kealy Hines, Camryn Holland, Abbeke Jensen, Madysen Lippe, Maran Martin, Amelia Pankow, Elizabeth Pritchard, Lily Sandhorst, Sylvia Sandhorst, Ryan Sibley, Annalise Skrade, Kera Walter, Addison Wicklund, and Max Wilson.

Directors for “Mr. Frazzle’s Fabulous Field Trip” are Chris Hadley, Jason Rausch, Karen Trewin, and Kristen Underwood.

On Saturday, October 22 at Independence High School, 43 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 schools.

Fifteen students were selected as members of the 2022 ensembles: Cedrik Beiwel, viola; Oliver Brummel, bass; Jenna Hartz, alto; Gabriel Hiner, bass; Mikayla Hiner, soprano; Simon Kutz, cello; Sally Laybourn, alto; Ada Lovelace, soprano; Michael Njus, tenor; Libby Phillips, tenor; Mairi Sessions, tuba alternate; Gareth Sweet, tenor; Elias Vorvick, trombone; Ezra Vorvick, string bass; and Rorie Wiedow, alto.

The Decorah High School volleyball team participated in a fundraising effort for the Step UP and Reach Out Suicide Awareness Walk by pledging to donate $2.00 for every Decorah kill, dig, and ace serve occurring during the NEIC match against Charles City. Several other families also donated, and over $500 was raised for this worthy cause.

The Step UP and Reach Out Suicide Awareness Walk is important to bring friends and families together in remembrance of loved ones lost to suicide and to offer hope to those who may be struggling. All proceeds will go towards support, materials and suicide prevention education in area schools as well as local communities through Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health.

Decorah High School will host a Veterans Day breakfast and program for veterans and their families on Thursday, 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. Decorah High School graduate Mark Kappelmann, Colonel in the United States Army and Senior Army Advisor to the Iowa Army National Guard, will be the featured speaker.

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.k12.ia.us. 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 is Friday, November 4^th.   Those with any questions can contact Denise Gulrud at Decorah High School, 563-382-3643.

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 Luther College Nordic Choir, Decorah High School Concert Choir and Decorah Chorale will join together for a concert on Sunday, October 30 at 4:00 p.m. in the Luther College Center for Faith and Life. The concert will feature each choir in solo performances and conclude with the ensembles combining to perform “O, My Luve’s Like a Red, Red Rose” by René Clausen and “I’ll Be On My Way” by Shawn Kirchner.

A free-will offering will be collected to benefit the Decorah Community Food Pantry.

The Luther College Nordic Choir enjoys national and international stature as one of the premier collegiate choral ensembles in the United States. Concert Choir is an auditioned ensemble of juniors and seniors from Decorah High School. The Decorah Chorale is an adult mixed choral ensemble with members from Decorah and five surrounding communities.

The Nordic Choir is led by Andrew Last, and the DHS Concert Choir and Decorah Chorale are led by Jason Rausch. Collaborative pianists for the concert are Peggy Beatty and Mary Beth Bouska. Guest instrumentalists are Erik Sessions, violin and Simon Kutz, cello.

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The 36^th annual Northeast Iowa Holiday Craft and Bake Sale, sponsored by the Decorah Music Boosters, will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 29 and 30, at Decorah High School. This is one of the largest craft sales in the tri-state area, featuring nearly 80 vendors. Doors will be open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. There is no admission charge.

This is a terrific opportunity for people to do their holiday shopping without having to leave town. A wide range of crafts and gift ideas for early Christmas shoppers will be available.

Raffle tickets for a TV will be available at the door for only $2 each.

The Decorah Music Boosters is a group that works to support the music programs of Decorah Community Schools. All proceeds from this craft sale will go toward student entrance fees and admissions to various music contests and festivals throughout the year.

The Decorah Music Boosters is a 501.c3 organization with all donations being tax-deductible.

Students from Decorah High School recently toured Gemini in Freeport and came away with a deeper understanding of the manufacturing process as well as a generous donation of $10,000 for the school’s robotics team.

Lindsey Moellers, Senior Human Resources Manager, has been a member of the Decorah High School CTE (Career and Technical Education) Committee for quite some time, and Gemini has partnered with the high school to provide students with both work study and internship opportunities. Over the past few years, they have also provided some financial support for STEM-related equipment and the robotics program. The company gives 2% of their profits to local nonprofit organizations as part of their stewardship core value.  

Moellers stated, “Gemini believes in stewardship and supporting the communities we serve in areas of education and training in manufacturing. Our partnership with the Decorah High School not only helps us build a network of future talent but also gives our Gemini team members an opportunity to develop their mentorship skills and engage with our community.  We enjoy interacting with the students on the robotics team and are excited to see what projects they have planned for the upcoming year!”  

Brett Wilker, math instructor and robotics team coach shared, “The students who went on the tour are all interested in pursuing some type of engineering field after high school. Gemini’s tour provided them with a view of what an engineer does in real life and how they tackle problems on the job. Through these types of visits and Gemini’s financial support, Decorah High School has been able to provide students with more first-hand experience in engineering and advanced manufacturing and to inspire them to seek careers in the growing STEM career field.”

“We cannot begin to thank Gemini enough for their ongoing and generous financial support of Decorah High School and our CTE programs and robotics team,” remarked Brad Hurst, DHS principal. 

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/.