More Memorial Day Photos
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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SIXTH YEAR
Class of 2017
Track Advances to Section Finale Page 15
Pages 7-10
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, may 31, 2017
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 22
Memorial Day in Belle Plaine A large crowd filled the upper level of Veterans’ Memorial Park for a solemn Memorial Day ceremony Monday. (Above) Guest speaker Sgt. 1st Class (Retired) Jeremy Nagorski of the Minnesota Army National Guard spoke of the sacrifices soldiers and their families have made for their country. He thanked members of the community for looking out for his family during his three deployments. (Right) American Legion Auxiliary President Molly Moonen and VFW Auxiliary President Tricia Burmeister placed wreaths at the symbolic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during the ceremony.
Belle Plaine Will Bid Farewell to Class of 2017 BPHS’s 112th Commencement Exercise Sunday
If people are looking for a cookie-cutter group of young adults, generally speaking, the Belle Plaine High School Class of 2017 is likely not the first option. Sunday (June 4) this unique group of high school seniors will join the ranks of Belle Plaine High School alumni. The Class of 2017 – approximately 110 strong – will graduate Sunday in Belle Plaine High School’s South Gymnasium. The school’s 112th commenceBPHS senior Branda Tran will leave her mark at the senior high school -- a mural on the wall ment ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. outside the principal’s office. Tran is one of 110 members of the school’s Class of 2017. The class and its leaders have a unique flair to them, said school administrators. Jack Larson enjoys wearing a suit decorated like an American flag. The class’s song is “Wreck She is soft-spoken and shy, a is not in her comfort zone. The uct. Revisions are common in of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” The young lady easily overlooked only person Tran wants to com- the creative process, Orr said. class flower is not the typical in a crowded room. But her pete against, she said, is her- However, they are generally talent will tell a story of Belle self. done by choice. Plaine High School for years to The mural is apropos during “To me, this is so much better. come. a school year when the school Her revision is just gorgeous,” Branda Tran is the talent- district’s leaders have stressed Orr said. ed Belle Plaine Senior High the importance of all students Tran doesn’t plan to sign her School student who is paint- participating in at least one artwork, so there won’t be a He’s one of those rare cases ing a mural on the wall outside school activity. Kreft’s primary small signature in the corner of where a person gets to choose Principal Dave Kreft’s office. input was the design should the piece. She signed the work how the story ends. Ryan It is a highly visible area and be all-inclusive. The finished in her own way. The mural in- Dungey walked away on top, visitors to the school will see product will no doubt meet the cludes an artist, palette in hand. No. 1 in his sport. Tran’s mural for years. principal’s expectations. The artist, she said, is Tran. Now it’s time to write a new This week, Tran is working to “She is so conscientious,” he The tiny artist is located just chapter, the next chapter. complete the project she started said. “She was so particular on below the Tiger’s mouth. “It Dungey recently announced earlier this spring. She wants to it.” looks like it’s going to eat me,” his retirement from motocross wrap it up before accepting her she said. and supercross motorcycle racdiploma Sunday (June 4). If Tran was working on the ing. His announcement came Better the Second Time mural over the Memorial Day after winning the season chamThe mural depicts the wide Tran started the project in array of activities Belle Plaine weekend, it was only to avoid pionship with a fourth-place March. She drew the figures Junior-Senior High School stuthe stress of a last-minute race finish in the season’s final race and then began to trace them on dents have available to them to complete the project. The in Las Vegas. There was little the wall outside the principal’s centered around the school’s mural is the largest scale proj- time to fret a decision. The mooffice. In April, a custodian new logo. From the gridiron to ect Tran has ever tried. She tocross season begins in only a was asked to do some touch-up the classroom, the arts studio to draws and paints for relaxation. few weeks. painting around the figures. But the clay pigeon shooting range, Tran also enjoys origami. “It’s hard to believe that this the directions were misunderTran and her visual arts teacher, Tran is an honor roll student day has come but after a lot of stood and the entire wall was Carol Hannon-Orr, have made who has earned a scholarship thinking and praying over the painted. sure all students’ in-school opto the University of Minnesota. last several months, today I “It was completely an accitions are included. Her plans include studying bi- announce my retirement from The daughter of Julie Lam and dent,” Orr said. “We felt ter- ology with a goal of one day racing professional supercross Brandan Tran, Branda drew the rible about it.” being a pharmacist or maybe a and motocross. This decision Tiger using a Japanese style The mishap sent Tran back to doctor. has not been an easy one. I’ve known as anime. She learned it the drawing board. With some Tran expects her studies at the achieved more than I ever could input from Orr and her younger from her grandmother. U of M will keep her very busy. have imagined or dreamed of, Recognizing Tran’s talent, Orr brother, Brian, they used the She’s not sure if she’ll be back and for all of this I am incredrecruited her to seek a position accident to make some chang- to see how her work is holding ibly humbled and honored,” he on the school’s visual arts team. es to Branda’s mural. Brian up. She likes the notion that said during his farewell press But Tran quietly declined. She helped her develop ideas and people will see it as they walk conference earlier this month. isn’t interested in having her mix paints to form the desired into Belle Plaine High School. “I’ve gone as hard as I can for artwork judged. Competition, colors. She knows she’ll be back when as long as I can but the reality even a low-key version of it, Tran and her teacher agree the Brian’s graduation day arrives. revised version is a better prod-
Quietly Leaving Her Mark
Senior’s Mural Will Tell a Story of BPHS
rose or carnation, but rather a tiger lily. “They don’t necessarily follow the status quo,” said Laurie Green, Belle Plaine High School’s senior counselor. However unique, the group’s members enjoy good, clean fun. At Friday’s yearbook signing during the lunch hour, John Morrison attempted to consume a 36-inch sub sandwich. “It’s pretty harmless and adds to the culture of the school,” Principal Dave Kreft said of the class members’ approach to inschool frivolity. “I don’t worry about the decisions they’re going to make.” Compared to smaller schools, Belle Plaine students have been able to establish their own identities, Kreft said. Groups of students enjoy their own sense of individuality, but without being in conflict with others, he said. He noted a group of students who studied computer-aided
drafting (CAD). They took the nickname, “CADets. During the holidays, they sent out a video the group had worked on featuring students and staff in fun activities.
Changes Aplenty
The seniors have seen many changes in popular culture and the use of technology. When members of the Class of 2017 entered kindergarten, YouTube was in its infancy. The explosion of the Internet, capabilities of cell phones and notebooksized computers like the ones they carry each day are the obvious choices for the most dramatic changes that have taken root since this year’s seniors started school. When they went off to kindergarten in 2005, the most popu-
Class of 2017
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Having Retired, Dungey Writing Life’s Next Chapter
Ryan Dungey and his wife, Lindsay. is that our sport is tough. The seasons are long and it takes a huge amount of sacrifice, hard work and discipline to stay on top.” But the decision had already been made. Dungey and his wife, Lindsay, are at peace with the path they had set. Whether he won the title or not, the season finale in Las Vegas earlier this month would be his final competitive race. The fourthplace finish and season championship were the perfect ending
to a storybook career. “It just topped it off. In my heart, I’ve put a lot of work and we’ve put a lot of work into this,” he said. “I’m content with my decision.” Luckily for Dungey, who spent much of his youth growing up in Belle Plaine, the story ends well – at least this part of the story. Now it’s time to write the next chapter, to move forward. Dungey is not certain exactly what that chapter will be. He and his wife, Lindsay, are taking their time in the ‘writing’ process. He knows it will involve some association with supercross motorcycle racing. Maybe he’ll help develop young riders by passing along his experience to develop the next Ryan Dungey. His work will likely involve an association with KTM, the sport motorcycle company that has sup-
Dungey
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