Volume 51 Number 8 Brandon Valley High School - Brandon, SD 57005 Friday, April 26, 2013

The ‘South Pacific’

inspiring /page 3

Week promotes respect

David Jal (above) tells his story about life in an unstable Sudan. Assistant Principal Mark Schlekeway (far left) and his daughter Griffen, who has Down syndrome, take a picture together after a Be the Change Week assembly. He spoke about words and how they can hurt others. Senior Jack Kruger (left) sings a new rendition of “Sweet Home Brandon Valley,” tailored to fit the message of Be the Change Week.

Photos by Cylie Svartoien and Umaima Koch

Eggers shares World War II experiences

$8,000 raised for McGees

Photo by Kinnley Comeaux

Senior Josiah McGee watches the dodgeball tournament games at the fund raiser with friends from the Balla-holics. The event raised $8,000 for the McGee family.

Curt Eggers

By Kinnley ComeauxSports Editor

After senior Josiah McGee was injured during the last seasonal football game, the medical bills he faced were insurmountable. Brandon Valley High School and the community quickly tackled a way to help his family pay the bills.

“We have lots of medical bills from my surgeries and therapy which I will have to continue for another year,” McGee said. “I also needed a computer to skype my classes when I was on bed rest.”

The McGee family is to pay thousands of dollars due to Josiah’s surgeries, therapy and upcoming future surgeries.

As a starting lineman with the position to protect the quarterback, senior Chase Marso, McGee slipped into the splits on the wet field and dislocated his leg out of place. The dislocation tore his hamstring, glottis and the hip cartilage. His injury not only impacted his life and love for football, but also his team. He was done for the season.

Since then McGee has had two surgeries, one to fix the hamstring and the other to fix the shredded hip cartilage. Now, he

is in a painful healing process. McGee, who will receive a hip replacement at a young age, will walk differently.

“I was heart broken because we (football players) were doing so well for my senior year,” McGee

said. “I didn’t know it was this bad until I was told I could never play a sport ever again. That was when I broke down and felt the lowest I’ve ever felt.”

By Troy SmallCirculation Manager

For the 12th time, 89 year-old Curt Eggers, a sergeant

d u r i n g W o r l d War II, shared his e x p e r i -ences with h i s t o r y i n s t r u c -tor Diann Terpstra’s Amer ica

At War class. Eggers said he originally

signed up for the Marines to be deployed into the Pacific to fight the Japanese, but the Marines were full. He then signed up for the Army and was deployed to Europe to fight the Germans at age 17.

Eggers said the European Theater was better than fighting in the jungles of the Pacific.

Eggers said the uniform en-ticed him so much that he was drawn to entering the military.Because he was underage, he

had to have his parents’ con-sent. It was a rough thing to put them through, because he was asking them to allow him to sign up for the likely pos-sibility of being killed.

Eggers arrived in France of November of 1942 and his group relieved the 79th Division where he was pleased to find that the terrain was similar to South Dakota’s.

During the war, his weapon of choice was the M1 Garand rifle, and his job was to head a platoon of 40 men, the 114th Infantry, 44th Division. It liberated numerous concen-tration camps and captured Werner Von Braun, the fa-mous German rocket scientist, who came back to America.Over the course of the war, 97.3 percent of the men in his platoon were either captured, killed or wounded.

Eggers served for three of the 10 years he was due to serve in his tour of duty, and he fought alongside his men

McGee/cont. p. 3Eggers/cont. p. 3

By Umaima KochUpdate Editor

Learning to respect others, as well as making people realize that everyone has worth and value and deserves to be treated with dignity was the main goal of Be the Change Week, Principal Gregg Talcott said.

“Everyone deserves to be treated with respect,” he said.

Talcott and a volunteer committee of students and teachers organized Be the Change Week to remind students that they are more alike than different, Guidance Counselor Michelle Stemwedel said.

“I hope students realized we take great care in our school climate,” she said, “and want all students to feel safe and comfortable at Brandon Valley.”

Over the course of three days, students witnessed and participated in various activities including attending a number of assemblies focused on respecting others, watching a film and having a random lunch integrating students.

In order to make everyone more aware of the effects of bullying, Bully, a riveting documentary that tells the stories of four children’s battles with bullying, was shown.

At one of the assemblies, Assistant Principal Mark

Schlekeway introduced his four-year-old daughter Griffen, who has Down syndrome.

Schlekeway said words can and do hurt people, and even if people don’t mean what they’re saying, they don’t realize the effects it can have on those it hurts.

“I’ve just learned so much from her,” he said. “Through her disability I’ve become more conscious of people’s words.”

David Jal, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan who received the opportunity to settle into a new life in the United States, told students about his struggle to survive in what was a war-ridden Sudan. Jal, who had to learn to escape and survive, bore witness to horrors beyond his young age.

Jal wrote a children’s book, David’s Journey, depicting his own story so others may know about it.

Talcott said he wanted people to realize that everyone has a story and that the more people a person is exposed to, the more enriched they become.

“I hope that it caused them to think about the value that every life has,” he said. “I hope they will think about inviting some new people into their lives and consider healing some old wounds.”

Brandon Valley Echo Friday, April 26, 2013

Like for McGee, plans may change

The Echo is published monthly by the publications students of the Brandon Valley High School, 301 S. Splitrock, Brandon, S.D. 57005. Telephone number is 582-3211. It is a state and national award-winning publication affiliated with the South Dakota High School Press Association and the National Scholastic Press Association. News Editor........................................................................ Cylie SvartoienVoices Editor ......................................................................... Austin SadlerA&E Editor ............................................................................ Payton KnollSports Editors .................................Dustin Johnson and Kinnley ComeauxUpdate Editor .......................................................................Umaima KochPhoto Editors ............................ ..Madison McKeown and Casey KoutstaalAd Manager ..................................................................... Jessica MorrisonCirculation Manager .......................................... .......................Troy SmallAdviser ........................................................................Debra RothenbergerBrandon Valley Echo is a public forum. The editorial content of the Echo expresses the views of the newspaper and not necessarily of the administration, faculty or school board of the Brandon Valley School District. Bylined editorial content is the writer’s opinion and not necessarily of the staff, adviser or school administration. Signed letters to the editor are encouraged, but they may be rejected or edited for grammar, condensation, good taste and/or libel.

What do you think

about Be the

Change Week?

Underage drinking is problem

Echo editors encourage readers to submit letters to the editor, which must be signed. They may be rejected or edited for grammar, condensation, good taste and/or libel. They should be addressed to the Echo editors or dropped off in the publications room, 120.

Stop the WordSnow days Bombings

By Jessica MorrisonAd Manager

When teens talk openly about their illegal underage drinking escapades during the weekends, they show how underage drinking will always be a problem.

The average teen boy is 11 when he tries alcohol for the first time and girls, 13, according to dosomething.org. Teens having started drinking at the ages of 12-16 showed a greater risk of becoming heavy drinkers within the next three years, according to psychcentral.com.

To acquire alcohol, 42 per-cent of teens say they obtained alcohol from an adult for free in the past month. One out of four teens said they received alcohol from an unrelated adult. One out of six obtained it from a parent or guardian while one out of 12 obtained it from another adult family member. Estimated two-thirds of alcohol sellers do not ask for identification, therefore, poten-tially selling to minors, accord-ing to youthisallthat.org.

About half of junior and se-nior high school students drink alcohol on a monthly basis, ac-cording to the alcoholism guide. In 2012, 72 percent of students had consumed alcohol by the age of eighth grade according to do something. Twenty-nine

percent of seniors, 22 percent of sophomores and 11 percent of eighth graders have engaged in binge drinking according to youth is all that. Nearly half of 12th graders have used alco-hol in the past month, which is more than cigarettes and mari-juana combined.

Because the human brain con-tinues to develop until a person is around 25, underage drinking may impair this neurological development, causing youth to make irresponsible decisions, encounter memory lapses or process and send neural im-pulses more slowly, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Drinking alcohol increases the risk for many deadly diseases, such as cancer according to toosmarttostart.com.

Many consequences can result because of this illegal act. They include legal, physical, school and social problems,

specifically the changes in brain development that could have life-long effects, according to the Center of Disease Control. It can also lead to increased social stress and poor grades, according to Huffington Post.

Underage drinking costed society $68 billion in 2007, or $1 for every drink consumed, which included medical bills, income loss and costs from pain and suffering, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The three leading causes of death for 15-24 year olds are automobile crashes, homicides and suicides with alcohol as a leading factor in all three. In fact, alcohol has also been linked to up to 30-70 percent of drownings among young adults and adolescents.

Teenagers should not drink alcohol because it can hurt them physically, socially and financially.

“No one really changed, but it made me realize how much bullying is actually going on.”

- JuniorKourtney MacArthur

“It was a good experience for a whole school to go through to try and change.”

- JuniorLuke Laycock

“I thought it was a good message, and I really liked it.”

- Junior Jeffrey Lush

“I think it had a good message. It helps people understand the differences between people.”

- JuniorKenny Cooperrider

“It wasn’t as good as Challenge Day because Challenge Day was more personal.”

- SophomoreKarly Neuberger

“It’s going to work for two weeks and then it’s going to dissipate. People will go back to their normal lives.”

- FreshmanBen Lembcke

As graduation arrives, many seniors finalize their plans to continue their passion for what they enjoy, such as being musicians, artists, writers, athletes and more. But not for senior Josiah McGee.

“My plan was to go to college, play football and try to get a scholarship,” he said. “Now, I am planning on going into the agricultural business, which is different than what I thought, but I can’t do that much with the conditions my leg will be in for the rest of my life.”

McGee planned to take his football career up to the next level into college. But that quickly changed after one stormy football game.

During the cold rainy last season game, just seconds after the ball was hiked, McGee slipped into the splits, causing one of his hips to dislocate. His hamstring, glottis and hip cartilage tore completely. He lay on the field with no hamstring and unaware of what had exactly happened to him.

“Josiah’s injury happened so quickly, and when he didn’t get up, we knew something was terribly wrong,” McGee’s sister junior Emali McGee said. “It was a very emotional time for our whole family.”

The McGee family and the entire Brandon Valley fan section stood and watched as one of their top senior linemen was taken away.

Little did McGee know that it was a severe injury. He still thought he would definitely return to the football team and participate in the championship game. Since then, he has had two surgeries, one to repair the hamstring and one to fix the torn cartilage.

“I honestly didn’t know what to think when it happened,” senior Adam Bauer said. “I felt bad for Josiah and his family and I felt pain for our team considering we needed him.”

Although McGee will not be playing football in college, he will still attend football games and watch what he loves.

McGee’s story shows how quickly future plans can change.

Thumbs down to missed school days caused by the

blizzard. Due to whiteouts, icy roads and several inches of snow,

school was cancelled April 9 through April 12. The missed days will be made up Monday and at the end of the school year. The seniors’ last day is May 17.

Thumbs up to the Stop the Word banner. Stop

the Word is a campaign that aims to end the offensive use

of the R-Word. Students signed the banner in the commons in support of the event during Be The Change Week.

Thumbs down to the Boston Marathon bombing

last Monday. Two bombs detonated at the finish line, causing

three deaths and over 140 injuries. The suspects were brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Dzhokhar was captured and his brother died Friday during a police chase.

Brandon Valley High School Friday, April 26, 2013

‘South Pacific’ educational

Sailors introduce Bloody Mary (senior Ashlynn Boerhave) by singing “Bloody Mary.” Boerhave was a native islander mother. The cast consisted of 25 sailors and officers, 33 nurses and 16 islanders.

Photos by Cylie Svartoien and McKinnley Comeaux

Emile de Becque (senior Brian Albertson) expresses his love to Nellie Forbush (senior Malle Stephens).

Bloody Mary (Boerhave) sings of an island, Bali Hai, to Lt. Cable (sophomore Matt Skadsen).

Head Nurse (senior Haley Kunkle) yells at Luther Billis (senior Alex Rogen) for throwing a baseball at her. Onlooking sailors include senior Jack Kruger, junior Ryan Rykhus, seniors Cole Hensley and Tyler Tew.

McGee: Marso, Bender plan event

By Cylie SvartoienNews Editor

For the first time ever, the musical was performed for the entire student body because Principal Gregg Talcott considered its theme a learning opportunity.

“I chose South Pacific because I thought it’d be a wonderful educational experience because it deals with World War II and racism,” director Kevin Brick said.

Based on the book Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener, the story takes place on an island in the South Pacific Ocean where sailors and nurses await to be called to action in World War II.

Nurse Nellie Forbush (senior Malle Stephens) falls in love with a Frenchman on the island, Emile de Becque (senior Brian Albertson), who has two native children whom he fails to mention to Nellie.

When Nellie finds out, her racist upbringing emerges, and she cancels her engagement to the Frenchman, despite her love for him. When de Becque disappears on a life-threatening mission, Nellie realizes her attitude may cost her happiness.

Bloody Mary (senior Ashlynn Boerhave), Luther Billis (senior Alex Rogen) and Emile de Becque all preformed with accents.

“Bloody Mary is a hilarious, sleazy kind of character,” Boerhave said. “It was so much fun to develop fully into her.”

Over two dozen World War II veterans attended the performance.

“It made me feel fantastic,” Brick said, “that those who actually experienced it were here to see it.”

in the famous Battle of the Bulge, along with numerous other battles in Austria, Germany and France.

However, most of the time he was not fighting. During this time he wrote letters to his loved ones to let them know that he was

Continued from p. 1

Eggers: At age 69, he receives diplomaContinued from p. 1

alive and well. Unfortunately, the letters would take weeks to arrive. Eggers said he even wrote letters for a friend of his who couldn’t write to his family.

By the end of the war, Eggers had written so many letters to one family that he knew them as well as his own family.

When the letters did arrive, the military had already preread and censored parts of the letters.

Eggers said he was extremely happy to return home. Because he had to leave high school to go to war, he later earned his high school diploma when he graduated at the age of 69.

Marso thought of a way to help the McGee family by organizing a fundraiser through hosting a dodgeball tournament. The entry fee was $10 per person for high school students, middle school students and all staff members.

“I was aware of the consequences at Josiah’s injury and the burden on his family,” Marso said. “I felt like something could and should be done to help someone in this situation.”

Marso helped gather volunteers

and donors to make this event happen. He and senior Mason Bender organized the event along with the help of their parents. The football and wrestling parents in the Booster Club provided the soup, bread and dessert. Thrivant Financial donated $2,000 in matching funds, Coke Company provided all beverages, and Sunshine Foods provided more soup. Football coaches, wrestling coaches and teachers all volunteered to referee the dodgeball tournament.

“The fundraiser took a lot of

hard work,” Marso said. “But the smile on Josiah’s face and his family’s faces made all of the hours planning worth it.”

After a night of dodgeball fun and games, the participants in the Josiah McGee fundraiser raised $8,000 to help the family pay the medical costs.

“It was amazing that the community came together for me when I do not even know them,” McGee said. “They have not only helped me with finances but with saying hi and asking me how I was doing.”

Brandon Valley Echo Friday, April 26, 2013

Track team ready for Invite

Junior AJ Garrow runs the 300 meter hurdles. He placed ninth with 45.5 seconds.

Racing to the finish line, senior Emelia Sumner runs the 4x800 meter relay and places fourth.

Senior Adam Bauer triple jumps at the Lynx Invite. Bauer placed ninth with 24-04.75.

Photos by Jessica Morrison and Kinnley Comeaux

Baseball plays Tigers, Bobcats

Junior Cameron Holmes runs the 100 meter dash. Holmes placed fourth overall with a time of 11.2 seconds.

Brandon Bucks Gift Cards are a great gift idea for the graduates and teachers in your life.

Available at the Brandon Chamber of Commerce.109 N. Pipestone St. | buybrandon.com

Out of graduation gift ideas?

By Dustin JohnsonSports Editor

Varsity baseball team plays the Huron Tigers and Brookings Bobcats today in Brookings.

“I think that they’re two big games for us,” senior Tommy Gardner said. “I know Brookings is a good ball club and we’re going to have to play at our top level to be able to win.”

Gardner signed with Northern State University to pitch for the Wolves and plans to major in business.

The Lynx will face Sturgis Saturday in Valley Springs. This will be their only opportunity to compete against the Scoopers.

Leading up to this week, games and practices have been rescheduled and cancelled, making it difficult to stay in the swing of things.

“The past couple of weeks have been crazy,” coach Grant Hieb said. “We’ve been trying to get in the Avera Dome as much as possible and going to Legends in between, but it’s just not like

being outside.”Before the ice storms and

snowstorms, the team went to Rapid City and played two double headers April 5 and 6 against Rapid City Central and Stevens, respectively. The Lynx went 4-0 on the weekend and averaged nearly 17 runs per game and allowed only 12 runs all weekend.

In the season opener the team lost to Roosevelt 3-2 with only one hit the entire game, a double by senior Cole VanderBeek.

By Jessica MorrisonAd Manager

Track teams will compete in the Brookings Invite Saturday starting at 10 a.m.

At the Yankton Qualifier, junior Evelyn Jorgenson placed second in the 200 with 26.8. In the 100 hurdles, senior Emme Sumner placed first with 15.8 seconds. In the 800 relay the Lynx placed third at 1:53.4. In discus, senior Allison Koehn placed first with 133-5. In a three-way tie was sophomore Hailey Murray at 8-6 for pole vault. For shotput, Koehn placed fourth with 34-6.25.

For the boys, senior Adam Guthmiller placed first in the 200 at 22.8. Junior Cam Holmes won the 400 with a time of 49.0. In the 1600 senior Zachary Van Ede placed fourth with 4:41.9.

In the 110 hurdles senior Trey Etrheim was second at 44.8.

The 800 relays placed first with 1:31.1 and third with 1:35.7. The 1600 relays also placed first and fourth at 3:36.7 and 3:45.8. The medley relays placed first and third at 3:55.4 and 4:01.9.

Senior Adam Kirkus placed second in discus at 140-2. In the long jump, senior Matt VandeBerg was second at 21-1, and sophomore Alex Wilde third in the triple jump at 39-5.

At the Lynx Invite many placed against the 10 teams.

For the Lady Lynx, sophomore Sammie Peterson placed second with 13.6 in the 100. Eighth grader Elsie Zajicek placed seventh with a time of 28.7. In the 400 was second place Jorgenson at 1:02. In the 800, Murray placed second with 2:29.5. In the 1600 meter run was junior Kaija Nitz placing fifth at 5:46.

In the 100-meter hurdles, Sumner was first at 16.2. In the 300-meter hurdles freshman Arika Jacobson finished in sixth place at 52.5.

In the 400 relay Lynx placed fifth at 4:54, the 800 relay, first place at 1:51.1, 1600 relay second at 4:16, 3200 relay fourth at 10:32, and the 1600 meter sprint medley, fifth at 4:54.

In high jump freshman Hannah Paauw had five feet.

In pole vaulting Murray placed first at 9-00.

In long jump senior Courtney Herrick placed sixth with 15-04.5. In triple jump junior Courtney Bruget was seventh with 32-03.

Koehn placed third with 36-0.75 in shotput and first in discus with 127-00.

For the boys Holmes placed fourth at 11.2 in the 100, first in the 200 and in the 400 with 22.5 and 50.0. In the 1600 freshman Jacob Hegland place sixth with 4:55. Van Ede placed fourth in the 3200 with 10:05.3.

Etrheim placed third in the 110 hurdles with 16 seconds and seventh place in the 300 hurdles at 45.1.

In the 400 relay Lynx placed sixth in 47 seconds. The boys placed third in the 800 in 1:36, 1600 relay in 3:37, and the 3200 in 8:33.5. In the 1600 sprint medley the Lynx placed second with 3:53.4.

VandeBerg placed first in the long jump and triple jump at 21-07 and 43-08. Kirkus placed fifth in discus with 133-01.

Brandon Valley Echo Friday, April 26, 2013

Hard work pays off

Senior Austin Sadler forehands the ball to his Aberdeen Central opponent. He lost 6-7, 5-7.

Photo by Jessica Morrison

Senior Kara Anderson runs to first base against the Sioux Falls Blades. She went 1-2 with a double and a couple of runs batted in. The team won both games 5-4 and 15-12.

Photo by Jessica Morrison

Tennis team set for Quad

Softball batters up for Bobcats

Girls golf competes in Mitchell

By Dustin JohnsonSports Editor

Brandon Valley High School experienced a successful year in sports, yet the effort in reaching the achievement is overlooked.

In the fall four athletic teams captured an Eastern South Dakota Conference championship: football, cheer, dance and girls cross country. The football team won ESD for the third year in a row along with a state runner-up finish. The dance team was also the first runner-up at state. And the girls cross country team won its first-ever ESD title.

Athletic success continued through the winter. During the winter sports season senior Mason Bender became the first state champion wrestler since 1998. Also for the first time since 1998, the boys basketball team played in the state championship.

As the spring season unfolds, the teams all around are hitting their stride. The baseball team is projected to go deep into the state tournament and sporting their current 4-1 record. Boys tennis team looks to go deep in the state tournament as well as win an ESD title. Softball is starting as strong as ever before. Girls golf recently had two players finish in the top five at their last meet. And, although young, the track teams already have several state qualifiers.

Many people see the results, but fail to see the underlying work and effort of each team’s players and coaches.

Senior Chase Marso is a prime example of hard work and determination. During the winter of his junior year, he suffered a blot clot that swelled and caused him to miss the rest of the basketball season and discontinue his baseball career in order to recover. However, his rehabilitation process and motivation for a complete recovery proved to be successful. Marso was one of the best overall quarterbacks in the state last season as well as being a South Dakota Mr. Basketball nominee.

Bender also portrayed extra effort and hard work. He not only practiced rigorously throughout the season but also wrestled throughout the country or in the area during the summer to augment his abilities. An undefeated season and a state championship was the well-earned end result.

Also, senior Zach Van Ede ran all spring and summer before the cross country season started last fall. Rain or shine, he just ran. Building up his endurance and muscles, Van Ede pulled off a ninth place finish at state to help his team to a fifth place finish during the state cross country meet.

If there is a theme to this article, it’s the theme of hard work pays off.

Granted, a multitude of the sports listed and key athletes stated were not the sole reason for their successes. Many players and coaches in addition also had profound effects upon the success of all the athletic teams, but nobody can deny the talents that the seniors presented this year in athletics.

So now it’s up to the freshman, sophomore and junior classes. The seniors have set the bar high and expect to see continued Brandon Valley success after graduation. I challenge every athlete to exert even more than all the athletes mentioned and sustain the success.

By Madison McKeownPhoto Editor

Girls golf team competes today at the Mitchell Invite.

“The Mitchell Invite should be a good turn out, and we should play well,” junior Janae Paul said.

Two team members placed in the top five at their last meet against Washington at Brandon Municipal Golf Course.

“Our season is going well,” junior Alana Christianson said. “We only trailed the top team by four strokes against Washington,

Lincoln and Brookings.”Junior Alana Christianson scored a 92,

and junior Hannah Johnson, a 93.“It was a cold, windy day and we battled

through the conditions and ended up finishing four strokes from first,” coach Todd Geerdes said about his team’s results. “The final temp was 38 degrees with a north wind of 15-20 mph.”

At the team’s first meet of the season, the girls played at Elmwood against O’Gorman.

“Our first match went great for being

the first,” Christianson said. “We only had a week of good weather to practice at the course.”

The girls will have a great season if they can get some playable weather, she said.

“With the weather not cooperating this spring, we started doing stretching and yoga workouts,” Geerdes said. “From there we went on to spending some time reviewing the rules of golf and doing indoor putting and hitting drills.”

The golfers will compete at state May 21-22 in Yankton.

By Jessica MorrisonAd Manager

Girls softball team will play the Brookings Bobcats Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

“I am hoping the weather is good enough to play,” senior Julie Konz said, “as well as a solid defense to back up our pitching.”

The softball team won the doubleheader against the Sioux Falls Blades April 8. The first game was 5-4. Senior Jaysa Widmann and junior Hannah McIlravy both hit triples out to right center. Konz went 2-3 with two singles and a run batted in. Seniors Nicole Elster and Kara Anderson went 1-2 with a double and a pair of runs batted in as well.

In the second game the girls won 15-12. Konz went 2-4 with a single and a double scoring two runs batted in. Senior Brooke Merry collected three runs batted in with a double in the bottom of the second inning. McIlravy started the third inning with a hit to left center for a homerun in the park. She also had three runs batted in.

Anderson and sophomore Haley Andrews both battled through tough playing conditions to pitch the wins for the Lynx.

“Defensively the girls played tough no matter what the conditions are to help our pitching crew out,” coach Suzanne Carroll said.

The Lady Lynx beat the Sioux Falls Diamonds 7-4 April 6.

“Offensively we started out slow but came through in the bottom of the fourth inning scoring six runs,” Carroll said.

Widmann and senior Miranda Cain each went 2-3 at the plate collecting three runs batted in. Anderson and junior Brooke Becker split the win at the mound.

The girls won the second game 5-4.“Sophomore Katie Erickson played well

both offensively and defensively,” Carroll said. Erickson was two-for-two at bat with a run batted in and made some tough plays in the infield to keep the Sioux Falls Diamonds from scoring.

“Junior Hannah McIlravy also played well at third,” Carroll said. McIlravy turned a double play in the bottom of the fourth to get the girls out of the inning.

“Defensively the girls are playing really well, helping our pitchers,” Carroll said. “It’s early in the season with not ideal weather conditions so we have had to step it up and help the pitching crew out.”

The girls placed third out of 10 teams at the Lincoln, Nebr., Tournament March 29 and 30. Lady Lynx won 5-3 against the NE Aftershock. Junior Courtney Herll, who hit a double to centerfield, scored the game winning run.

Lynx won 4-1 over Iowa CC Fever 1. The girls lost against North Iowa Invasion

4-1. Senior Layne Waltner connected for the only run batted in.

By Jessica MorrisonAd Manager

Tennis team will compete in the Brookings Quad Saturday.

“Not being able to play, I worry about the consistency,” coach Mark Schlekeway said about the weather and competing in the tournament. “We have been in a holding pattern.”

Results were unavailable at press time for the Roosevelt match up Thursday.

Lynx beat Madison 7-2 last Tuesday. In singles, sophomore Billy Trevillyan won 7-6. Junior Drake Van Egdom lost his matches 5-7, 6-2 (10-7). Junior Lucas Mutschelknaus lost 10-6. Senior Austin Sadler won 10-2 against Madison. Junior Cooper Baltzer won 6-4, 4-6 (10-6). Eighth grader Nathan Mutschelknaus won 4-6, 6-3 (10-7). In doubles Trevillyan-Sadler won 6-4, 6-3. Van Egdom-Lucas Mutschelknaus won 6-7, 6-4 (13-11). Baltzer-Nathan Mutschelknaus won 7-5, 6-4.

Aberdeen Central beat the Lynx 6-3. Trevillyan dominated his

opponent 6-0, 6-0. Van Egdom beat Joey Crompton 7-5, 6-1. Wehrkamp lost against his Central opponent 3-6, 5-7. Sadler lost against opposing Dillon Prissel 6-7, 5-7. Baltzer lost against Alex Grandbois of Aberdeen Central 3-6, 5-7. Trevillyan-Sadler lost against doubles match up Lorenz-Crompton 7-6, 4-6, 6-10. Van Egdom-Wehrkamp defeated Zimmerman-Grandbois 6-3, 2-6, 10-5.

The boys won 7-2 against Aberdeen Roncalli. Trevillyan won 6-1, 6-0. Van Egdom defeated his opponent Kyle Martin 6-1, 6-1. Senior Tanner Wehrkamp lost 4-6, 5-7. Sadler beat Alex Bouefeuille 2-6, 7-5 (10-1). Baltzer won his match 6-4, 6-3, and Mutschelknaus beat Parker-Monson 6-2, 6-1.

In doubles, Trevillyan-Sadler lost against Goetz-Gellaaus 4-6, 6-3 (6-10). Van Egdom-junior Lucas Mutschelknaus won against Martin-Deiter 6-4, 6-1. Baltzer-Mutschelknaus beat Bouefeuille-Monson 6-4, 6-0.

Brandon Valley Echo Friday, April 26, 2013

Marching Lynx plays in Festival Parade

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FFAers compete at state in Brookings

n School will be on Monday tomakeupforausedsnowday.n Choir concert Thursday in thePerformingArtsCenter.n Fewer than 50 yearbooks areleft to be sold. To receive a 2013Lynxonian with a name stampedon the cover, Josten’s must receivepaymentbyMay3.The lastday topurchase a yearbook without thenamestampedonthecoverisMay10.To pay or verify payment, studentsshould go to jostensyearbooks.comor the BrandonValley High Schoolwebsite.Noextrayearbookswillbeorderedforfallsales.n Seniors Allison Koehn andChase Marso will be recognizedduring theMr. andMissBasketballbanquetat theRamkotaConventionCenterMay5at1p.m.n Instructors and staff memberswillberecognizedfortheiryearsofservice during a banquet May 7 at6:30p.m.inthecommons.Receivingcertificates are Matt Christensen,JessicaHenson,MarkSchlekeway,10years; KentAnderson, Kathy Hunt,Missy Johnson, Debra Kresak, JeffTrout,15years;andJoliBruggeman,25years.n HighschoolTeacheroftheYearnomineesarePatrickDonelan,AllenHogieandMarkStadem.n April/Maystudentsofthemonthare seniors Cole Boscaljon, MeganForster, Abigail Voigt, AndrewWaterfall; juniors Paige Wright,Zach Hansen; sophomores SummerRogers, Andrew Reinschmidt;freshmen Kayla Tibke and DawsonKremlacek.n High school/middle schoolorchestra concert isMay13 in thePerformingArtsCenter.

By Casey KoutstaalPhoto Editor

SophomoreMollieDrexlerandMaggieDrexler,’12,afreshmanatDordtCollege,both donated their hair to the Locks ofLoveorganization.

The sisters shaved their hair becauseof three family members with cancer:Grandma Marilyn, Aunt Rose and AuntJackie,whodiedrecently.

“We did it to show support for ourfamily,”Molliesaid.

Mollie said good-bye to 16 inches ofhair while Maggie shaved off 14 inches.Teninchesis theminimumlengthofhairLocksofLovewillaccept.

“We decided to get Mohawks to standout,”Molliesaid.“Notmanypeopleinthisschoolhavehairlikethis.

ThegirlsdecidedtomatchhairstylesbyhavingMohawks.

“Wewerealittlenervousatfirst.Wedidnotknowhowitwouldlook,”Molliesaid.“Weknew that if it didn’t lookgood,wecouldshaveitcompletelyoff.”

Drexlers cut hair for Locks of Love

Photo courtesy of Mollie Drexler

Maggie Drexler, ’12, and sophomore Mollie Drexler hold up the cut remains of the hair they donated to Locks of Love to support three family members.

By Madison McKeownPhoto Editor

Prom’sthemewasHowSweetItIs.“Themainfocusofthedecorationswas

cotton candy pieces, but there were alsoother candy accents as well,” organizerCarolynEbrightsaid.“Thethemewasverycolorfulandfestive.”

The prom committee consisted of thejuniorclassofficers.Theywere inchargeofvotingonthethemeandfiguringoutthedecorationsforthespace.

“I had a lot of fun,” junior HannahStensrud said. “It was neat getting to seeeveryonedressedupandalsoseeingallthedifferentdresses.”

Along with the candy theme instructorNaome Poppe’s advanced foods classesmade snacks. They included cake balls,mints,cheesecakebitesandanassortmentoffingerfoods.

“There was a lot of people that came,”juniorErinDonovansaid.“Itwasnice tohavewaterandsnacks.”

Photo Kinnley Comeaux

Juniors Abby Lusk, Kim Knochenmus and Kailyn Smith wear their dates’ jackets before prom. About 250 students attended.

How Sweet It Is prom

After thedancestudentshadtheoptiontogotoTailgatorstoeatpancakesandwindoorprizes.

“I’mgladtheyhadthepancakefeedafterprom,”seniorQuianaPardeesaid.“Itwasagoodwaytoendthenightwithfriends.”

FFAers competed against 72schools at state in Brookings April14-15.

“We competed against theagricultural best,” adviser GaryGriesse said. “The students didwell.Itwassomestudents’firsttimecompeting.”

FFAmemberswillbeparticipatingin the Tractor Drive today and theLoyaltyDayParadeMay5.

By Troy SmallCirculation Manager

TheNationalHonorSocietywillinductsixseniorsand60juniorsinthePerformingArtsCenterMondayat7p.m.

The senior inductees were NolaHallstrom, Sam Huntington, CollinLivingston,AmySteffen,SarahStroudandZachWoodward.ThejuniorinducteesareAshlinAnderson,EllianeAntrim,JenniferBaum,LukeBauske,JacqualynBerg,ZachBingen, Erin Buse, Alyssa Christianson,MariahClark,SabrinaDietz,JenaDreyer,

EricEigenberg,KateEllis,ColinEntinger,Shelby Fritz, Anna Fruehwirth, ShannonGacke, Alana Hall, Zachary Hansen,Shannon Hegland, Jonathan Heiberger,Spencer Heidbrink, Annika Hindbjorgen,Shelbie Holiway, Cameron Holmes,Alexis Hoover, Michael Horst, BenjaminJackson,DerekJohnson,HannahJohnson,NoahKlamm,BreanneKline,JohnHenryKnudtson, Maggie Kramer,Alexa Kruse,Emma Larson, McKenzie Lien, RebeccaLien, Rebecca Long, Abby Lusk, BrianaMartinmaas, Hannah Mcllravy, Taylor

Murtha,LucasMutschelknaus,KaijaNitz,CassandraOnnen,MatthewPearce,MeganPeltier, Kara Polasky, Adam Presler,Carson Pruett, Bailey Quanbeck, DesireeRohrbach,RyanRykhus,HoldenSjogren,Kailyn Smith, Drake Van Egdom, CodyWoessner,PaigeWrightandBradyZell.

To qualify for the NHS, students musthave completed an essay, maintained aGPA with a minimum of 3.4, as well asproventheirqualitiesasaleader.

NHSisasocietythatrecognizesnotonlyacademicexcellence,butalsocharacter.

66 students to be inducted to NHS

College for Kofi fundraiser May 5

MarchingLynxwillperformintheAmericanFestivalParadeMay5.

Allof thebandsperformedat theBandTurkeySupperfundraiserApril13.

“Some soloists that stood out,”director Jesse Miller said, “were(senior) Haley Ullom for theSymphonic Band and (senior)BrendanGallofortheJazzBand.”

After being postponed becauseof theblizzard, theRegionIILargeGroupBandContestwasWednesday.Results were unavailable at presstime.

The Red, Black and Symphonicbands will have their final concertMay9.

By Austin SadlerVoices Editor

Junior Kofi Gunu, an exchange studentfromGhana, isbeinggiven thechance toattendcollege.

“Heisoneofthebrighteststudentsinourbuilding,”instructorJustinLovriensaid.

KofiisenrolledinadvancedclassesandinvolvedwithScienceBowl,soccer,theater,classelectionsandlocalchurchgroups.

AfterKofiwasacceptedintotheHonorsprogram, Augustana College offered him

$28,000ayearforfouryears—oneofthelargestscholarshipsofferedtointernationalstudents.Theremainingcostforhiscollegeeducationis$10,000ayear.

However, as an international student,Kofi is not eligible for student loans,grants or work-study programs. Familyincome isn’t an option either consideringan average family in Ghana earns about$1,000peryear.

As a result, Lovrien and others areplanning a graduation party fundraiser,

College for Kofi, May 5 from 6 to 8 pmatCelebrationUnitedMethodistChurchinBrandon.

All students, staff and communitymembersareinvited.Forafreewilloffering,the hog roast will consist of a meal andactivities.Tendollarsissuggested.

Anyone willing to donate time andtalentsshouldseeLovrien.

“Ithinkhisstoryisagreatreminderforourstudents,”Lovriensaid,“regardingthevalueofeducation.”