Category: Luther College and Decorah Schools

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Twenty-one Decorah FFA members participated at the Northwest Sub-District FFA Leadership Development Events on Monday, at Crestwood High School. The chapter competed in nine leadership development events and one quiz contest. 

The chapter advanced in six contests, with five of those contests receiving first place and one contest receiving second place.  Contests receiving first place with a gold rating and advancing to districts include Ag Broadcasting: Kiele Eberling; Ag Sales: Anders Lovstuen; Conduct of Meetings: Gabe Monroe, Brinlee Courtney, Madelynn Dahl, Andrew Carolan, Mara Lovstuen, Hadley Alexander, and Aiden Helgerson; Extemporaneous Speaking: Kamryn Werges; and Job Interview: Creed Monroe.

The chapter parliamentary procedure team received second place with a silver rating and also advanced to districts. Team members include Rylee Averhoff, Jerikah Dodd, Lyla Lovstuen, Annika Schmelzer, and Thea Zidlicky.

The chapter also competed in the following leadership development events: Chapter Program: Travis Nordheim and Eden Scheidel – 3rd place, silver rating, alternate to districts; Creed Speaking: Jackson Irwin – 4th place, gold rating, alternate to districts; and Public Speaking: Braunwyn Darrington – silver rating.

The Decorah FFA had one member participate in the Greenhand Quiz, an FFA knowledge exam. Isabella Schnitzler received second place in the Greenhand Quiz contest.

The Decorah FFA will now compete at the District FFA Convention on Saturday, March 9^th at Waukon High School. The convention will begin at 9 a.m., and the public is invited to attend. 

Photo ID:

Front row (l-r): Lyla Lovstuen, Madelynn Dahl, Hadley Alexander, Brinlee Courtney, Andrew Carolan

Second row (l-r): Anders Lovstuen, Braunwyn Darrington, Eden Scheidel, Isabella Schnitzler, Mara Lovstuen, Aiden Helgerson, Kamryn Werges, Kiele Eberling

Third row (l-r): Rylee Averhoff, Jerikah Dodd, Annika Schmelzer, Travis Nordheim, Thea Zidlicky, Jackson Irwin, Creed Monroe, Gabe Monroe

Decorah High School musicians from the 7 O’Clock Jazz Band, directed by Matthew Cody, will be joining forces with the Middle School Jazz Band, directed by Emily Hahn, to share their talents at a Jazz Coffeehouse Friday, March 1, in the high school cafeteria. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. and music starts at 7 p.m. 

Coffee from Impact Coffee and desserts prepared by Decorah Community School District Executive Chef Chad Elliott will be available. A free will donation with a suggested price of $5 for one dessert and a beverage is appreciated to support music in Decorah schools. The public is cordially invited to join in the fun, relaxed atmosphere.

In January the Decorah High School Concert Choir and Claiborne Treble Singers performed as the featured choirs at the Wartburg College Meistersinger Honor Choir Festival. The choir performed for 600 Midwest high school singers and their teachers in the finale concert; present was a collective audience of 1200. Each year at the festival a reputable guest high school choral program is selected by college officials to sing solo performances at the concert, sing in the festival chorus, work with Wartburg choir directors, and learn from the featured composer. This year’s featured composer was Craig Hella Johnson, a professional composer and choral director based in Austin, Texas. He is the Grammy award winning conductor of the professional choir Conspirare. 

Decorah High School choir director Jason Rausch commented, “Our students had a truly meaningful experience at Wartburg College. They were incredible people and musicians throughout the day, leaving a positive impression on all. I could not have been prouder. Thanks to all who made this day possible at DHS and Wartburg.”

Lee Nelson, Director of Choral Activities at Wartburg College, wrote this in an email the following day to the DHS singers: “It is rare to come across a group of people, especially from one high school, who share such a deep passion for music paired with the requisite work ethic to create the level of performance and, more importantly, the clarity of message you so beautifully displayed at the finale concert. You displayed a level of maturity, poise, and musicality that was a model for all of us. You sang with depth of tone, beautiful phrasing, and careful attention to expressive musicality. But what was most remarkable to me was the sincere kind hearts, grateful smiles, and humble spirits that I encountered when I visited with you.”

Claiborne Treble Singers

Concert Choir

(l-r): Decorah Choir Director Jason Rausch, Wartburg Choir Director Nicki Toliver, Composer Craig Hella Johnson, Festival Coordinator Sarah Bouska, Wartburg Choir Director Lee Nelson

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DECORAH, IOWA—Gnome is where the heart is for Luther College’s Giving Day, which  returns for its ninth year on Thursday, March 7. The annual event aims to celebrate the Luther community while raising  money for the Luther Fund, Luther’s unrestricted current fund that supports all students, faculty, staff and community endeavors on campus. 

“Giving Day at Luther remains one of my favorite events because we get the opportunity to see the generosity of our entire community,” Mary Duvall, vice president for development said. “Each year, we see beautiful notes come in alongside these gifts that honor faculty, staff, and others across the Luther community that have made an impact throughout the decades.” 

Luther College’s Giving Day returns March 7.

While all gifts made to the Luther Fund on Giving Day will be matched by the Gnome Team, a group of donors whose generosity supports the success of Giving Day, this year, some gifts will be tripled.

This year, some gifts will be triple matched during special “power hours.” For example, during the “Grounded and Global” power hours from 9–11 a.m. and again from 5–7 p.m. All donations made by members of the Decorah community and anyone living abroad will be tripled, in celebration of Luther as a school grounded in Decorah that sets students up for success all over the world. A full schedule of power hours is available on the Giving Day website. 

“I love Giving Day because of the way it brings together every person in the Luther community to have an impact,”Duvall said. “The fun and energy it generates is incredible, and this year, I’m especially looking forward to the Gnome-fluencers on social media.”

There are many ways to participate in Giving Day: 

• Join the Facebook event and see fun posts and videos leading up to and throughout the day. 
• When you make a gift in honor of Luther faculty or staff,  Luther staff will share your dedication with that person and connect you both in an email that same day.  
• New this year, those in the Decorah area can stop by The Landing Market for Luther Day at the Landing, a day in which 100% of all sales made at Justin’s and The Buzz will be matched with an equal gift to the Luther Fund.

Last year, Luther celebrated over $1.1 million raised at the end of Giving Day. These donations go toward essential financial aid, life-changing study abroad programs, and community-building student groups on campus, all of which shape Luther into a vibrant community filled with young adults ready to face a changing world. These donations make the Luther experience and shaping students as engaged citizens possible. 

About Luther College

At Luther College in beautiful Decorah, Iowa, students explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

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The Decorah Robotics teams finished their season by competing at their league tournament competition this Saturday at Peet Junior High School in Cedar Falls. The tournament featured 26 area robotics teams all competing in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) competition.

At the beginning of the school year, these FTC teams–comprised of high school students– were given an obstacle course scenario. Teams then designed, built, and programmed an 18 x 18 x 18 inch robot that they could control in order to score as many points as possible within that scenario.

This year’s competition is called Centerstage and required teams to place hexagonal pixels onto a slanted backdrop, launch paper airplanes into landing zones, suspend their robots onto trusses, along with many other scoring opportunities in both an autonomous and driver-controlled playing period.

The freshmen/sophomore Decorah team, Thor’s Thunder Squad, competed in their six qualification matches, going 3-3 and placing 12th at the competition. Their robot excelled at efficiently picking up pixels from the center using two widening pinchers, and the team could suspend their robot on the trusses using flexible hooks attached to two rack-and-pinion raised towers. Thor’s Thunder Squad also finished second in the Control Award category, which is awarded to teams who demonstrate innovative thinking to solve game challenges through the use of sensors, machine learning, and autonomous control. The team had programmed their robot to sense where a randomly-placed scoring element was located, using machine learning and a webcam on their robot that allowed them to score bonus points during their autonomous program.

The junior/senior Decorah team, The Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Men and Women, went 4-2 during their qualification matches, earning them a 6th place finish. They were the first team drafted in the playoff round but lost to the eventual league champion team, the Falcon Bots from Parkersburg. The Wacky Wavers designed their robot to funnel pixels through two boot flywheels into a 3D printed box. The box was then raised up on a set of drawer slides and dropped onto the backdrop using a servo motor to tilt the box. The junior/senior team finished in second in the Connect Award category, which is awarded to teams who best connect with their local STEM community. The team did outreach events throughout the year with Boeing engineers, Gemini, Inc., and the high school freshmen, along with livestreaming many of their practices and competitions.

“I am very proud of our teams this year as both placed high in the standings and ranked higher than we ever have in their two award categories,” says Brett Wilker, the Decorah Robotics coach. “Many of the students in our robotics programs are interested in pursuing careers in engineering, robotics, or computer science; and through this program, they are given the opportunity to learn the skills that will make them successful in these fields.”

Photo IDs:Thor’s Thunder Squad poses in their pit area. From (l-r): Joey McFarlane, Evan Madsen, Alec Fleshner-Einck, Eden Scheidel, Keagan Steines, Elias Sassaman, Owen Rix, and Jack Hammel

The Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Men and Women pose in their pit area. From (l-r):

Seated: Emily Myers and Montana Jump-Gerleman.

Middle Row: Chloe Sabin, Andie Gegax, Quinton LaBelle, Brock Christensen, Bryce Elsbernd

Back Row: Mason Myers, Cody Carolan, Jerald Thompson, Phuong Doan, Kellen Roffman, Travis Nordheim.

Pre-Match:

Members of the Decorah Robotics teams prepare to compete together in a qualification match.

Two Decorah High School groups were selected as banner recipients at this year’s All-State Speech Festival held in Ames over the weekend: a Musical Theater performance of “tick, tick…BOOM!” and a Radio Broadcasting performance entitled “KWAK.” This is the first time in school history that Decorah has won a banner in the area of Musical Theater and the second time in school history that Decorah has won a banner in Radio Broadcasting.

Approximately 90 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.

Sixteen Decorah High School events were nominated as outstanding performances and joined other elite speech students from across the state to share their performances with a professional critic.

At the All-State Speech Festival, 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. In the eyes of the critic, the banner winner represents a “state championship” quality performance that stands out above the rest.

Cast members of the musical theater performance of “tick, tick…BOOM!,” directed by Gabriel Twedt and Carrie Kauffman, include Libby Phillips, Hayley Stowe, Gwen Thompson, Oliver Brummel, Ezra Vorvick, Connor Evelsizer, Lucas Hanson, and Bethany Hanson.

The critic praised the musical theater cast for their creative storytelling, dynamic musical acting skills, and a “performance that stuck with her throughout the day.” The critic was curious about how the story of “tick, tick…BOOM!” would be told, as it is not traditional musical theater storytelling. The critic loved the way that the focus was on the ensemble, even though most of the songs are traditionally written for 1-3 performers. This piece told the story of musical theater writer Jonathan Larson while exploring the themes of living a life governed by love and passion instead of by a fear of failure.

Cast members of the Radio Broadcasting “KWAK,” directed by Gabriel Twedt and Carrie Kauffman, include Tommy Hammel, Hannah Arendt, Lily Sandhorst, Alex McGohan, Jerald Thompson, Addison Wicklund, and Camryn Holland.

The radio broadcasting follows the Waddleton duck family as they deliver news from the pond at the “quack of dawn.” However, as the broadcast unfolds, the family starts to fall apart, all while delivering fowl-related news and commercials for duck dating apps. The critic praised “KWAK” for the memorable writing, perfect vocal delivery, and delightful sound mixing. The critic explained that once they heard the performance, “there was no other choice for the critic’s choice. It was undeniable. Perfection.”

“It is incredible to be able to tell stories that make an impact. Whether it’s the tragically beautifully story of an important musical theater writer or the pun-filled adventures of a family of ducks, our students work hard to deliver memorable storytelling,” speech directors Molly Holkesvik, Gabriel Twedt, Carrie Kauffman, Rachel Breitenbach-Dirks, Lyra McKnight, and Annika Krieg shared. “A big thank you to all involved in the fire truck parade, the ringing of the victory bell, and for supporting all of our performances throughout the season. Saturday night was a true celebration of our entire speech team.”

“Tick, Tick…Boom” photo ID

Front row (l-r): Hayley Stowe, Bethany Hanson, Gwen Thompson, Libby Phillips

Back row (l-r): Oilver Brummel, Ezra Vorvick, Lucas Hanson, Connor Evelsizer

“KWAK” photo ID

(l-r): Addison Wicklund, Lily Sandhorst, Hannah Arendt, Camryn Holland, Tommy Hammel, Alex McGohan. 

Absent from photo: Jerald Thompson

On Saturday February 10^th several students from Decorah High School and Decorah Middle School traveled to Waverly to participate in Wartburg College’s 25^th annual Unified Sports Day through Special Olympics Iowa. The Unified Sports program is a way for Special Olympic athletes to learn new sports skills and participate in games alongside general education students.

At this event the Decorah students explored sports they know like basketball, soccer, baseball, volleyball, and pickleball; as well as sports that were new to them such as golf and bocce ball.  Throughout the day, the students rotated through stations with Wartburg students to participate in each of the sports, capping off the day with a Unified Sports basketball game with members of the Wartburg basketball team.

Photo ID:

Front (l-r): Kamryn Leuenberger, Johnathan Bean, Sky Pasche, Daniel Bean, and John Lippe

Back (l-r): Donnie Hrdlicka, Essa Miller, Jude Ryan, Haley Stinson, and Braden Ramstad