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News for 11-10-2022

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11-10-22 front page

The Bullet Bar in Sherman has undergone an ownership and name change, the Sioux Empire Fair had nearly a half-million dollar profit, and County Commissioners Heiberger and Beninga talk about the Juvenile Detention Center, a building that needs either substantial renovation or a re-build by 2026. Plus, the Blue Dragon volleyball season ended during the second game of the quarterfinals last Thursday, and we meet two of the three Garretson High School exchange students that are part of the Blue Dragon family this year!


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The Bullet Bar in Sherman has undergone an ownership and name change, the Sioux Empire Fair had nearly a half-million dollar profit, and County Commissioners Heiberger and Beninga talk about the Juvenile Detention Center, a building that needs either substantial renovation or a re-build by 2026. Plus, the Blue Dragon volleyball season ended during the second game of the quarterfinals last Thursday, and we meet two of the three Garretson High School exchange students that are part of the Blue Dragon family this year!

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Congrats to Jepperson and Howe from First Bank

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            A BIG Congratulations to Cecilia Jepperson and Wyatt Howe for being the winners of our Kids N Coin Club scooter drawings.  On behalf of First Bank & Trust, we’d like to thank you for participating.  Hope you get lots of miles out of your new scooters. -submitted by Mary Ann Carlson, First Bank & Trust

Time Change = Different Commute Monday, Warns AAA

An extra hour of sleep means sun glare for the AM commute and darkness for the PM commute

SIOUX FALLS, SD – Nov. 3, 2022 – With the end of Daylight Saving Time, South Dakota motorists need to prepare for related changes during their commutes. AAA warns motorists to be prepared for sun glare during their morning commute and for earlier darkness and reduced visibility on the road during their evening commute. 

“Ninety percent of drivers’ reaction time is dependent upon their vision, which is severely limited at night,” said AAA South Dakota spokesman Shawn Steward. “Motorists should focus on night driving safety measures the moment the sun sets. It’s one of the most challenging times to drive because motorist’s eyes are frequently adjusting to the increasing darkness.”

AAA recommends wearing high-quality sunglasses and adjusting the car’s sun visors as needed. Late afternoon driving also presents a similar glare problem, so drivers should take the same precautions. Use of the night setting on rearview mirrors can reduce glare from headlights approaching from the rear.

The time change can disturbed sleep patterns, and when combined with the earlier dusk and darkness during the evening commute, become a formula for drowsy driving and fatigue-related crashes.

Sleep-deprived drivers cause traffic crashes that can lead to death and debilitating injuries on American roadways each year. Research by the AAA Foundation estimates that drowsy driving is a factor in an average of 328,000 crashes annually, including 109,000 crashes that result in injuries and 6,400 fatal crashes.

“While many will enjoy an extra hour of sleep this weekend, few commuters and motorists realize the added dangers that can come as the result of a time change – especially when they are behind the wheel,” continued AAA South Dakota’s Steward. “Although we gain an hour of sleep, our sleep patterns are disrupted. This can result in drowsy driving episodes and it is unsafe to drive when we are feeling sleepy.”

Symptoms of drowsy driving can include having trouble keeping eyes open, drifting from lanes or not remembering the last few miles driven. However, more than half of drivers involved in fatigue-related crashes experienced no symptoms before falling asleep behind the wheel. 

Motorists are also urged to be more cautious of deer sightings and crashes. November and December are among the most dangerous months of the year for motor vehicle collisions with animals. A collision with a deer or other animal can put a serious dent in your vehicle, if not destroy it completely, and could result in serious injuries or fatalities. 

AAA tips for drivers: 

  • Get plenty of rest before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle. If you do begin to feel drowsy while driving, pull over immediately and rest or call a family members, friend or 911 for assistance.
  • Reduce speed and increase following distances 
  • Turn on your headlights to become more visible during early morning and evening hours.
  • Keep vehicle headlights and windows (inside and out) clean.
  • Do not use high beams when other cars or pedestrians are around.
  • Yield the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks and do not pass vehicles stopped at crosswalks.

AAA tips for pedestrians and bicyclists: 

  • Cross only at intersections. Look left, right and left again and only cross when it is clear. Do not jaywalk. 
  • Avoid walking in traffic where there are no sidewalks or crosswalks. If you have to walk on a road that does not have sidewalks, walk facing traffic.
  • Evaluate the distance and speed of oncoming traffic before you step out into the street.
  • Wear bright colors or reflective clothing if you are walking or biking near traffic at night. Carry a flashlight when walking in the dark.
  • Avoid distracted walking. This includes looking at your phone or listening to music. If you must listen to music, make sure it is at a low volume so you can hear danger approaching.
  • Bicycle lights are a ‘must have’ item for safe night riding, especially during the winter months when it gets dark earlier.

AAA tips to help prevent a crash or to reduce damage from an animal collision:

  • Pay attention to road signs. Yellow, diamond-shaped signs with an image of a deer indicate areas with high levels of deer activity.
  • Keep your eyes moving back and forth. Continuously sweep your eyes across the road in front of you for signs of animals and movement. Animals may also be alongside the road, so make sure to look to the right and left, as well. While the most likely crash is you hitting an animal, on occasion they might also hit you by running into the side of your car.
  • Be especially attentive in early morning and evening hours. Many animals, especially deer, are most active from 5-8 a.m. and 5-8 p.m. – prime commuting times for many people.
  • Use high beams when there’s no oncoming traffic. You can spot animals sooner. Sometimes the light reflecting off their eyes will reveal their location.
  • Slow down, and watch for other deer to appear. Deer rarely travel alone, so if you see one, there are likely to be more nearby.
  • Slow down around curves. It’s harder to spot animals when going around curves.
  • One long blast. A long blast on your horn may frighten animals away from your vehicle.
  • Resist the urge to swerve: Instead, stay in your lane with both hands firmly on the wheel. Swerving away from animals can confuse them so they don’t know which way to run. It can also put you in the path of oncoming vehicles or cause you to crash into something like a lamppost or a tree.
  • If the crash is imminent take your foot off the brake: during hard braking the front end of your vehicle is pulled downward which can cause the animal to travel up over the hood towards your windshield. Letting off the brake can protect drivers from windshield strikes because the animal is more likely to be pushed to one side of the vehicle or over the top of the vehicle.
  • Always wear a seatbelt. The chances of getting injured when hitting an animal are much higher if you don’t have your seatbelt on.

About AAA

AAA provides automotive, travel, and insurance services to more than 63 million members nationwide and more than 100,000 members in South Dakota. AAA advocates for the safety and mobility of its members and has been committed to outstanding road service for more than 100 years. AAA is a non-stock, membership corporation working on behalf of motorists, who can map a route, access a COVID travel restriction map, find local gas prices and electric vehicle charging stations, discover discounts, book a hotel, and track their roadside assistance service with the AAA Mobile app (AAA.com/mobile) for iPhone, iPad and Android. For more information on joining or renewing a Membership, visit www.AAA.com.

Follow Us on Twitter: @AAASDNews

On to the ‘ship, 5th/6th grade plays at Augustana

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by Tyler Erickson, GHS Blue Ink and staff reports

            With the 2022 5th-6th grade football season coming to an end, their last game was on Sunday the 30, at 1:00 at Augustana.

            But it wasn’t just an end of the season game, the boys in blue were battling for the Championship.

5-6 grade football graphic with team photo
The future is bright for Garretson football. The fifth and sixth grade boys found themselves in the championship game for the second year in a row. The Garretson boys (led by their guardian angel, Benton Howe) were joined by a few players from Pipestone, and their contributions have been key to this team’s success. Front Row: Connor Fetter, James Scholl, Mason Snyders, Chase Costello, Gavin Coburn, Colton Buchholz, Kaden Hoogland, Thor Zell, Zach Hermanson, Caleb Miller, Beckett Trudeau, Maddox Melcher; Middle Row: Lane Longhenry, Gabe Coburn, Noah Lexen, Parker Adelman, Oliver Sterud, Ayden Koprek, Max McGunegill, Carson Polchow, Grayson Petrick; Back Row: Coach Cory Buchholz, Head Coach Lance Zell, Coach Andy Hermanson, Coach Jacob Snyders. Photo by Kia Leigh Photography Bottom photo: Zach Hermanson takes the handoff from quarterback Colton Buchholz and runs the ball around the outside, taking advantage of the spacing thanks to a good block by Gavin Coburn (#28). Photo graphic from the GHS Blue Ink.

            Sixth graders Thor Zell, Gavin Coburn, Zach Hermanson, Colton Buchholz, Kaden Hoogland, and Chase Costello were asked about how their season went, their strengths, and their weaknesses.

            Buchholz said, “We could’ve done better, but overall we did pretty good.”

            All the others said that they did better than their other two or three years that they played. The team ended their regular season 5-1. Their only loss was to a Brandon team in the final seconds of the game. Even with that stellar record, there is still room for improvement.

            “On 2 is what we are probably the worst at,” said Zell and Hermanson.

            Coburn also said, “The whole mental part of the game is what we aren’t the best at.”

            The team’s strengths are running the ball and on-side kick.

            “Our strength is Gavin running 26 power,” said Kaden Hoogland.

            When asked if they are ready for next year's step up to junior high, they all said yes.

            The 5th and 6th graders squared off against Lennox in the championship on Sunday. In a game that kept the audience on the edge of their seats, Garretson was edged out by Lennox in a last-minute score of 20-22 for the Junior Division Championship win.

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GHS Dragons vs. Madison Bulldogs

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UPDATE 11/2/22: The Blue Dragons pulled off the win against Dell Rapids on Tuesday, sending them into the second round of the quarterfinals against Sioux Falls Christian in Sioux Falls on Thursday, Nov 3 at 7:00 p.m.

            On Tuesday, October 25, Garretson Volleyball played its final game of the regular season in Madison against the Bulldogs. While the two teams were evenly matched, Garretson gave as good as it got and took home the win after five sets.     

GHS Volleyball
Sydney Olson on the dig as Aleah Wagner looks on.

            The Lady Dragons took the first set after coming out of the gate roaring, snatching the first 6 points to Madison's 3. The Bulldogs didn't take kindly to the score, and caught up to the Dragons 8-8 before taking the lead. The Bulldogs continued to lead until the gap grew to 18-13, making it seem as though Madison might take the set. The Dragons didn't allow this to stand, and held the Bulldogs back as they tied the score back up at 19-19 and quickly pulled ahead. The Dragons closed the set on a failed serve by Madison, 25-21.

            Set two continued in the same vein, with the two teams trading the lead until Madison again pulled ahead 9-14. They maintained that lead and widened the gap as Garretson struggled to pull the game back together in their favor. With the competition looking at the set point, the Dragons rallied to 20 points, then 22, driving hopes they would take the comeback win on the set. Madison pulled off a line drive that landed just inside of bounds, ending the set 22-25 in favor of the Bulldogs.

            Madison took the lead early in set three, causing the Dragons to play catch-up. However, the Bulldogs widened that gap and dashed the Dragons hopes of snatching the third set at 13-25.

            Assistant Coach Kelsey Buchholz wasn't going to allow her players to lose this game, and rallied the Dragons during the set break, helping them to break out of the gate swinging in set four. The competitors matched point-for-point until they were 6-6, when Garretson grabbed the ball and the lead. They broke away and widened the gap as Madison continued racking up service errors. The Bulldogs obtained its final point of the set on a line landing with the score at 22-14, allowing Garretson to snatch the win when they gathered the final three points.

            The decisive fifth set saw Madison pull ahead and keep the lead 5-10 until a Bulldog kill went out of bounds. The Dragons then began to rally and closed the gap, tying the game 12-12. The powerhouse team grabbed the lead on a ball that landed in the net, and headed to the set point 14-12. They won the game on an ace with a net ball served by the Dragons.

            With that 3-2 win and an overall season win-loss record of 18-7, the Lady Dragons headed into the quarterfinals to face off with Dell Rapids on Tuesday and took the win after five sets. The winner of that game plays tonight in Sioux Falls against the winner of the Sioux Falls Christian (25-7)/West Central (5-16) game.

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Garretson awarded three new electric buses through Infrastructure Law grant

by Carrie & Garrick Moritz, Gazette

            Last year, the Garretson School District purchased two new propane-fueled buses to take advantage of the Diesel Emission Reduction Act, which provided up to a 35% cost reimbursement if a school purchased a new bus with the reduced emissions diesel engines or the new propane fueled buses.

electric bus by Blue Bird
Blue Bird's electric bus (photo courtesy of Blue Bird)

            Last week, the school learned they were the recipients of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, which provided $3.6 million dollars from the recently-implemented Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to school districts around the United States.

            Garretson was one of only six communities in the state to be awarded the rebate funds, which will help the school districts purchase ten clean school buses (nine electric-powered and one compressed natural gas). The EPA stated this will accelerate the transition to zero emissions vehicles and produce cleaner air in and around schools and communities.

            The other five communities included Alexandria, DeSmet, Lower Brule, Viborg and Volga.

            Of the six, Garretson was awarded enough funds for three electric buses, while the other communities were awarded funding for 1 or 2 buses. In total, the school district will receive up to $1,185,000 for the three vehicles.

            Just before the special meeting last Wednesday regarding the athletic complex and potential opt out, Gazette Editor Garrick Moritz asked Superintendent Guy Johnson about the potential of these new buses.

            “The district certainly won’t turn down potential resources,” he said. “However, we did just acquire two new, propane fueled buses and they’ve worked out excellently so far, and our drivers really like them."

            The EPA stated that the investment will better protect children’s health, as well as drive demand for American-made batteries and vehicles, boosting domestic manufacturing and the creation of good-paying jobs.

            “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering cleaner air and healthier environments for school children in communities across the Mountains and Plains region,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker.  “These zero-emission electric buses will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and eliminate exposure to harmful pollutants such as soot, fine particulates, and nitrogen oxides. We look forward to expanding these efforts through future rounds of clean bus awards for our school districts.”

            "These new electric buses are certainly interesting," said Superintendent Johnson. "Talking with other superintendents who’ve used them, they’re very cost effective. It costs us about 38 cents per mile for a diesel bus, and these electric ones run at about 16 cents per mile, so that is some real potential savings on fuel costs for the district."

            However, there are some concerns about battery life and performance in the middle of the cold winter months.

            "My big worry is how well they’ll do during January and February in the cold South Dakota winter," said Supt. Johnson. "How fast the batteries will drain, and how well they’ll stand up to the winter conditions.”

            According to the Norwegian Automobile Federation (NAF), electric vehicles (EVs) can lose approximately 20% of their range in colder climates, and EVs do charge more slowly in cold environments.

            However, this range loss is compared to the World Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), which measures ranges of 23 km (14.3 miles) in summer temperatures and laboratory conditions, which doesn't necessarily correlate with real-world usage. The NAF also pointed out that vehicles can be installed with winter edition equipment, which includes heat pump and battery insulation, which can impact range.

            Blue Bird, which manufactures most school buses in the area, states that their electric bus fleet has a 120-mile range and a battery that charges in 8 hours on a standard Level 2 charger. The company also states that schools would see a significant reduction in maintenance costs due to fewer moving parts, as oil changes, spark plug replacements, and transmission maintenance is not required.

            Lifetime battery length was not pointed out, which is another concern for EVs. Batteries will only last so long before they no longer hold a charge, and their manufacture does utilize heavy metals that are not only toxic to the environment but have humanitarian concerns as well, since many of those metals are mined in high-poverty nations with lower regulations. Car and Driver points out that for regular EVs, battery life has consistently lasted 8 to 10 years.

            “President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is accelerating our nation’s transition to electric and low-emission school buses while ensuring a brighter, healthier future for our children,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “As many as 25 million children rely on the bus to get to school each day. Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration, we are making an unprecedented investment in our children’s health, especially those in communities overburdened by air pollution. This is just the beginning of our work to build a healthier future, reduce climate pollution, and ensure the clean, breathable air that all our children deserve.”

            In May, the EPA announced the availability of $500 million for its Clean School Bus Program. Given overwhelming demand from school districts across the country, including in low-income communities, Tribal nations, and territories, the EPA nearly doubled the amount of funding that will be awarded to $965 million. The rebate application period closed in August with an outstanding response from school districts seeking to purchase electric and low-emission school buses across the country.

            Those school districts who received an award will be able to proceed with purchasing new buses and eligible infrastructure, according to the EPA. They also state they are partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Transportation to provide school districts with robust technical assistance to ensure effective implementation. Another $1 billion will be made available in 2023 for more buses.

            The following amounts were made available to the six South Dakota communities: Alexandria, $395,000, 1 bus; DeSmet, $395,000, 1 bus; Garretson, $1,185,000, 3 buses; Lower Brule, $395,000, 1 bus; Viborg, $440,000, 2 buses; Volga, $790,000, 2 buses.

            Supt. Johnson said he was interested in the prospect of the award money and the program.

            "Obviously, we’ll be talking about this at the board level and I certainly think it will be an interesting prospect," he said.

School Board hosts special meeting to review plans for sports complex renovations and potential opt-out

by Garrick Moritz, Gazette

            This Special Meeting of the Garretson School Board was all about future planning. The two topics for discussion were a possible tax opt out and the plans to renovate the athletic complex where football, track and soccer are hosted.

GHS Football
The Garretson Athletic Complex, which hosts football, soccer, track, and several school events, is in need of extensive repairs with a baseline quote of over $1 million. (file photo)

            “In a lot of ways, these projects are tied together,” said School Board President Shannon Nordstrom. “We can’t really move forward with one, if we don’t make some progress on the other. Under state law, we’re allowed to dip into some of our Capital Outlay funds to supplement our General Fund balance, but if we make the repairs and renovations we need at the complex, then we will have less of the Capital Outlay funds for discretionary purposes.”

            Jessica Satiroff of Infrastructure Design Group gave a large presentation to the board. Phil Gundvaldson, also of Infrastructure Design, was present to answer questions.

            Infrastructure Design Group was the original engineer on the project when the complex was built, which means they have firsthand knowledge of the ground and the project’s history.

            Satiroff’s presentation was extremely detailed, listing everything from the different types of turf available to the solutions to the soil problems that have been uncovered since the facility was built. Superintendent Guy Johnson and Athletic Director Kevin Steckler also fielded questions and made comments about the state of the field. In essence, the field has had drainage, swelling, dipping and rut incidents. They have made patchwork repairs to keep the field safe for use, but it has been an issue and repairs have been needed every year on a constant basis for several years now. This, combined with cracks in the concrete that the school’s insurance provider has mandated that the school fix as soon as possible, means that work will have to be done soon.

            “Don’t get us wrong, it’s still a great facility, but these issues aren’t’ going away and will only get worse,” said Johnson.

            Satiroff laid out all the options and her company’s recommendations for soil replacement and material reinforcing fill that would mitigate the problems. The project will also include installation of a sidewalk and the erection of new bleachers on the guest side of the field. Options for a new scoreboard and improvements to the parking lot were also discussed.

            “It’s plain for all our patrons to see, that any time we have significant rain, the parking lot becomes a washed-out mess,” said Supt. Johnson.

            Options from more dirt being added, to more gravel to even asphalting all or just some of the lot were on the table, though the board didn’t like the pricing for asphalt. The engineers from Infrastructure Design Group agreed that much of the soil that would be removed from the field could be directly utilized in the parking lot.

            Satiroff gave the board a full range of cost estimates, from bare bones of fixing what was required to maximum quality repairs and renovations. The total prices ranged from $1.2 million to $2.3 million for the project.

            Her firm’s recommendation of the options on the table was to use Vertex Prime FTVT-65 turf, (at an estimated cost of $558,600) and to subgrade using the option #6 she laid out, which would be to subcut (remove) 16 inches of soil below the bottom of the turf, placing geotextile fabric, and fill with 16 inches of granular base course at an estimated cost of $230,100. (This includes putting the excised dirt as fill for the parking lot.)

            New drainage would likewise be installed, with two drains going the whole length of the field (estimated cost of $28,300). Concrete repairs to the existing facility ($16,900), new sidewalk to the guest section ($68,500), and the addition of angle frame bleachers to the guest side ($63,500). Her firm also recommended a new scoreboard ($250k, which included a live video option) and gravel with grading added to the parking lot ($297,500).

            As to how it should be bid out, Satiroff recommended a base bid package which would remove and replace turf, resurface the track and perform the concrete repairs. The base bid package would have an estimated cost of $1,527,800. An alternate bid package with their secondary priorities would be for visitor bleachers, a visitor walkway, scoreboard and parking lot. The total additional cost for the alternates package, which did not include parking lot estimations, would be $450,900.

            This puts the total estimated cost of the project somewhere between $1.5 million to $1.978 million, depending on how the alternates shake out, and not including gravel work in the parking lot.

            Supt. Johnson said this will be a topic for discussion and debate over the next several months, but that if the board wanted to move forward on the project, voting to put out the bids by the December meeting should be their aim, as then the district would get the best prices possible as contractors were working to fill out their summer schedule.

            Next, the board discussed the potential opt out for the district. Supt. Johnson gave the board a large presentation that he and business manager Jacob Schweitzer had prepared.

            This is a topic that has been covered many times in this newspaper and much of this summary was given over to the explanation of the history and details of the district’s past opt outs.

            In brief, the state funding and educational per student & per teacher formula is more or less broken and the legislature is in no hurry to fix it, as the system favors school consolidation. By law, school operates with three funds, Capital Outlay, General Fund and Special Education funds. The county, state and federal governments set these funds, and control how much money the school gets and how the funds are used. Because the funding system from the state is not a fix all, many schools in South Dakota (42% of them) choose to do a tax opt-out. Garretson is one of the schools that is just on the cusp of being in a bracket that could get more dollars in state funding, but falls short.

            “We’ve definitely been here before,” said Board president Nordstrom. “We’re about in the same place that we were back in 2016. We’re not in full blown panic mode yet, but we are deficit spending again. We made real and discernable progress in fiscal responsibility and student enrollment increases for several years, but factors beyond our control over the last two years, like the pandemic, set our student numbers back. We did get a lot of supplemental dollars for our general fund because of the pandemic, and we used that money effectively.  Our first opt-out was for $500k. We did that for two years, and then were able to take less, which was appreciated by our patrons. When that opt-out expired we passed another one, and brought it to a vote. We won that vote by a single vote, but the election did have procedural issues. Rather than have any question to its integrity, we asked a judge to have it annulled and voided. The pandemic was terrible, but financially it did help the district supplement its general fund. Now we find ourselves back in familiar territory. I’m hopeful for the future. Looking at our student numbers in the elementary, we’ve got a large group of kids coming up in kindergarten. With the added housing projects in Garretson, the new daycare facility and its expansion, we’re confident and hopeful our student numbers will continue to increase over time.”

            This year there was a net loss in student numbers overall and that also has played a contributing factor.

            Supt. Johnson said that the soonest the board could pass an opt-out resolution would be the January meeting, the first meeting of 2023 for the district. He also shared the following numbers based on current valuations in the district.

            For every $100,000 in opt out, the levy would be: Ag property - $0.138 / $1,000. Owner-Occupied - $0.309 / $1,000. Other (business and utilities) - $0.639 / $1,000.  Ag valuations are based on a somewhat complicated formula that includes an olympic average of the gross productivity of the land. Using this formula and data from the Dept of Revenue, farm land in our district is valued at $2,884 per acre. Using these figures, it would translate into each hundred thousand in opt out requiring taxes of $0.397 per acre.

            Though the district may pass a tax opt-out resolution without a public vote, Board President Nordstrom said that he felt the board should not even consider doing so.

            “Speaking for myself, I don’t think it makes any sense to me not to have a public vote, and I don’t think I could ever support not having a public vote on this issue.” he said. “The public has supported us in the past and I think will do so again. We made mistakes last time we had an opt-out vote certainly, but we learned from those mistakes and will not repeat them. I would love to see us make progress on both of these issues in the coming months.”

            As the purpose of the meeting was informational and presentational, they came to the end of the night and adjourned.

            Documentation from both presentations is available at the school office for anyone to claim and there are copies available at the Gazette office as well.

Garretson’s best singers represent their school!

            This was a special year for the South Dakota High School Activities Association's All-State Choral and Orchestra performance, as it was their 70th year. Over a thousand students from 140 schools across the state gathered in Sioux Falls on Friday and Saturday under the direction of Choral Conductor Sarah J. Catt and Orchestral Conductor Dr. Alexander Fokkens to practice and learn more about their music.

2022 All-State Choir attendees

            Garretson High School was represented by four students and were part of the 920-student choral ensemble under Director Erika Brown. Pictured are Jayden Davis, Calvin Larson, Gracie Fiegen, Director Erika Brown and Elizabeth Roth. (Photo courtesy of Erika Brown)

Elementary Honor Choir attendee

            As part of the Honor Choir experience, the South Dakota Music Educators Association held their Elementary Honor Choir concurrently, which invited students from 4-6th grades to practice their own music and perform for both the high school students and a full audience. The Elementary Honor Choir was last held in 2019, and reconvened for its 25th year under Choral Conductor Sarah Papoulis on Saturday. Fourth grader Leif Moritz (Pictured above) represented Garretson Elementary for the choir. There has not been an elementary honor choir since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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