By Garrick Moritz, Gazette Editor
Editor’s note: About a month ago I had a very nice visit from two staff members of Senator Mike Rounds.
We talked a lot about a lot of different issues, but one of the things they wanted to talk with me about specifically were the proposed newsprint tariffs. I very much enjoyed speaking with them. Senator Rounds, along with Congresswoman Kristi Noem and Senator John Thune, have all stood up for the free press, testifying at the trade commission that the tariffs for both newspapers and Ag producers are hurting business in South Dakota. I applaud each of them for standing up for South Dakotans! I will repeat what I told these two staffers to tell Senator Rounds, keep fighting for South Dakotans every minute of every day!
Now, one of these staffers, Jennie Hegge is also a Garretson native and GHS Graduate... So, in exchanging emails with her post visit, we worked out a Q&A interview for all of my readers to enjoy!
Moritz: First, a little background about you. Where you’re from originally, parents, family etc.?
Hegge: My sister, brother and I were born and raised in Garretson; Joe (Sundvold) is currently in the 8th grade. Both my parents still live in Garretson and my dad actually was born and raised there too, leaving only for a short time to get his college degree at SDSU, go Jacks!
My grandparents, Elmer & Janet Hegge, live out on a farm by Eros Data Center that has been in the family since 1873. I hope to live out there someday.
Moritz: Next, school and growing up. Tell me about your time in school here, who your favorite teachers are and what your favorite subjects were, what your favorite activities were, and what you found most re- warding about your education?
Hegge: It’s hard to pin who my favorite teachers were because I never really had a teacher I didn’t like. In elementary I had: Mrs. Peterson, Mrs. Benedict, Mrs. Schultz, Mrs. Bly, Miss Nelson & Mrs. Klumper- loved them all.
I learned something from each of them that still stick with me today (even though they are silly). In Mrs. Peterson’s class I learned that I didn’t like not being able to switch shoes with my classmates, in other words, the word “no.” In Mrs. Benedict’s class I learned lockers were cool. In Mrs. Schultz’s class I learned crutches are not for the playground and my painting skills needed work. In Mrs. Bly’s class I learned I was good at math. In Miss Nelson’s class I learned I liked to read and talk about what I read. & lastly, in Mrs. Klumper’s class I learned you cannot talk during the Dakota Step Test, even if you are done. You will get sent to the principal’s office.
Mr. Bennett, Mr. Bohl & Mr. Hughes were my favorite in middle school for no particular reason other than I learned a lot from each one of them in subjects I enjoyed; history, math & reading.
But, it was in journalism class with Mrs. Buchholz and art class with Mrs. Granberg that I found to be the most rewarding in terms of my future. I only took those classes as filler classes and was not excited about either of them at all. It was throughout the course of the year that I realized I was good at painting and I was good at writing. They be- came classes I looked forward to each day and ultimately led to my decision to major in journalism and minor in studio arts at SDSU the following fall. (Shout out to Buchholz & Granberg).
Moritz: Your time after HS graduation, where did you go to further school and what did you do there?
Hegge: After high school I attended South Dakota State University from 2014 to 2018: majoring in journalism with a public relations emphasis and minoring in studio arts. (Continued on Page 2)
