A publication for the Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools community & alumni. Volume XXXVIII • Issue 3 • May 2019
SIOUX FALLS CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IS NOW
NEW NAME! SAME GREAT EDUCATION!
FROM THE ALUMNI OFFICE I am filled with emotions as I write to say goodbye (for now), as my husband and I will be moving to Colorado in the next few weeks. For the past 24 years, I have loved being the alumni director for Cathedral and O’Gorman graduates. I have been so blessed to have gotten to know so many of you over those years and have been touched by your stories, your support, your prayers and your love. I’ve laughed with many of you, cried with you, prayed with you, attended the funerals of your loved ones and celebrated life’s joys with you. Many of you have become dear friends and, for that, I will always be incredibly grateful.
Our mission... to form a community of faith and learning by promoting a Catholic way of life through Gospel values and academic excellence. Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools 3100 W 41st St Sioux Falls, SD 57105
I’ve also loved being a part of the Sioux Falls Catholic Schools community, now Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools. It has been so fun to be around the students and watch them grow from kindergarten through graduation and then later to be able to announce their weddings and babies in the Re-U-Knight-er news. I’ve loved spending time and sharing stories of the many dedicated teachers of our school system, and sharing the good news of our school system’s successes with you. I’ve loved being part of every single Dakota Bowl and Extravaganza and GO GIVE OG Day and Golf Classic (even when the weather didn’t cooperate).
President: Kyle Groos
THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! And a huge thanks to Dr. Tom Lorang for hiring me way back when. Even though I’m sad to leave, my heart is full. You will all remain in my prayers.
Alumni Director/Editor: Carol Barnett Nesbitt ‘80 605.575.3360
SO—where does that leave the Alumni Office and Community Relations? Well, we’re looking (preferably) for an O’G grad with a passion for people, someone with creative writing skills, great attention to detail, is a self-starter and someone who is enthusiastic about Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools. Is that you? Someone you know? Apply online at: sfcss.tedk12.com/hire
Director of Development: Susanne Halverson Gale ‘94 605.575.3342 Executive Director Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools Foundation: Michelle Meinen Katen ‘87 605.575.3362 Admissions / Recruitment: Jenni Struck 605.575.3358
www.sfcss.org
GO DIGITAL!
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Please feel free to contact our HR Director, Sharon Hurley, at shurley@ogknights.org or call her at 605-575-3350. Blessings,
- O’GORMAN COMMUNITY -
Please come say
Carol Barnett Nesbitt ‘80 Alumni Director
FAREWELL
to Carol
Wednesday
JUNE
19
5 — 8PM
OPEN HOUSE R Wine Bar
322 East 8th Street Downtown Sioux Falls Cash Bar Available
In an effort to save money and a few trees, we are asking those who receive a paper copy of the Re-U-Knight-er to consider going digital. If you would like to move to a digital version, please email cnesbitt@ogknights.org or call 605-575-3360. If you received a digital copy but would prefer a paper copy, you can also contact Carol at the above phone and email. After our last appeal, more than 800 people were moved to e-issues. That’s incredible! Not only do we save on printing, but postage as well. Thank you to those who switched.
ANNOUNCING…
For the past year and a half, ad hoc committees made up of over 100 parents, alumni, staff and stakeholders met to consider whether a system name change for the Sioux Falls Catholic Schools was warranted. The goal was to have a system name that reflected the cohesive education available from preschool through high school that a student could receive when enrolled in our schools, and it wouldn’t matter whether a student moved to another part of town and switched schools because the curriculum would be the same. We wanted the name to help our families understand that they are all part of an extraordinary school system and a very special community, whether their children are in preschool, 4th grade, 7th grade or in high school. Our teachers and administrators get to know our families throughout their journey in our schools, which benefits both families and staff. “It’s important for people to know that we serve many more communities than just the Sioux Falls population and would like our system name to reflect that we welcome them all,” said Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools President Kyle Groos. Students attend our schools from many cities and towns across the southeast part of the state and even into Minnesota, including Brandon, Harrisburg, Tea, Lennox, Canton, Hartford, Humboldt, Dell Rapids, Montrose, Crooks, Renner, Valley Springs, Beaver Creek, Canistota, Hurley, Lyons, Madison, Parker, Worthing and Sioux Falls. Also— as the city of Sioux Falls continues to grow and expand to the south, there is potential to actually build a school outside of the city limits. When the decision was made to look at potential new names which would be more inclusive to all families from the surrounding area, different names were considered, with two being chosen to present to Bishop Paul Swain. As a result, Sioux Falls Catholic Schools will now be known as Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools!
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“I suspect if Bishop Thomas O’Gorman were here today, he would personally bless this educational system and most importantly, the students” - Paul O’Gorman
Paul O’Gorman
Who was Bishop O’Gorman? Bishop O’Gorman was the state’s second Bishop, and was a true visionary in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. During his 25-year-long tenure as Bishop here, he increased the number of priests and Catholics in the diocese, and built numerous churches, schools and hospitals. He also dedicated our beloved St. Joseph Cathedral in 1919, 100 years ago. Education was very important to Bishop O’Gorman. And because of his extraordinary commitment to Catholic education, our school system remains proud and strong today. The announcement was made at a large press conference at O’Gorman Junior High on May 1st, a date especially meaningful because Bishop O’Gorman was installed as Bishop here in Sioux Falls on May 1, 1896. The date is not only the anniversary of his installation as Bishop, but is also his birthday! What a great way to celebrate his legacy. At the announcement, all students from O’Gorman Jr. High were present, as well as students and administrators representing all of our Catholic schools. At the other seven schools, students watched the announcement via livestream. Following the reveal, students were presented with Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools t-shirts and cookies. We know these students will proudly wear these t-shirts throughout the community, sharing the good news of our big announcement and our work to continue to expand past the city limits. We were especially pleased that day to welcome five members of Bishop O’Gorman’s extended family, including his brother’s great-grandson, Paul O’Gorman, two of Paul’s sons and two of his grandsons. Paul was able to share with our guests that day how much it would mean to the Bishop to have his impact honored in this way. “We can only imagine the joy Bishop O’Gorman would feel today, that his name and the legacy of his dedication to education are remembered here at Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools,” said Paul O’Gorman. “We, as the O’Gorman family, are honored to have our name represent excellence in Catholic education.” New signage on the O’Gorman campus has already been installed. Over the summer, we will transition to the new logo on everything from letterhead to updating our website. “I suspect if Bishop Thomas O’Gorman were here today,” said Paul O’Gorman, “he would personally bless this educational system and most importantly, the students.”
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A NIGHT FOR ALL KNIGHTS I am amazed by the Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools community! We started calling this event “A Night for All Knights” with the hope of getting all eight of our schools involved. This year it was so clear that we have a community like none other—we had supporters, volunteers and donors from every school in the system. This event is so important to our schools. Not only does it bring our community together, it also raises money to support all eight of our schools. Without this event, we would not have the funds to help so many of our families with tuition assistance or help us with our work to pay our teachers what they deserve.
This year’s event broke records. Here are a few highlights: DOLLARS FOR DRESS DOWN - Students/families could purchase dress down coupons. We broke last year’s record, raising more than $12,000! YOU’VE BEEN KNIGHTED - broke a record by raising $12,210! This FUN fundraiser had families from all over the Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools system picking up the “You’ve Been Knighted” signs and moving them to different yards! It was so much fun to follow all of these sneaky families on social media. SMALL SHIELD, BIG DIFFERENCE - New at this year’s event! Each shield had a dollar amount attached, and once the donation was made, the shield was flipped over to reveal a special message from a student on why he/she loves Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools and their teachers! All 80 shields were revealed, raising $4,840! But it gets better—gpac graciously agreed to match each donation! Our Small Shields, BIG Difference raised $9,680 which will truly make a BIG difference! Thanks gpac!
Drum roll please... our grand total from this year’s sold-out event is... MORE THAN $160,000—a record-breaking number! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We so appreciate everyone’s help and support of Extravaganza 2019. We will see you again next year! Susanne Gale, Director of Development
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A
THANK YOU!
You DID it! You did it, O’G/CHS community! While gifts are still coming in, we have already raised more than $55,000 for tuition assistance for this year’s GO>GIVE>OG effort. Isn’t that spectacular? GO>GIVE>OG Day is one of our favorite days of the year. We get to visit over the phone with folks from many different
alumni classes and decades and hear why it was important for them to give back. We had gifts come in from the Class of 1941 through a current high school student, as well as a number of alumni parents and current parents.
Many of the comments from alumni were inspiring, including: “I wanted to give back what I’ve been so freely given through the grace of God,” says John Walker ’66. Mary Stahr Lutz ’60 wrote, “I’m thankful someone helped me. I give with gratitude and appreciation for our days at CHS – priceless!” Ted ’54 and Bev (Abraham ‘62) Pins gave because they are strong believers in Catholic education. Nick Earley ’88 gave to help future generations of O’G grads. Jay Jorgenson ’99 and his wife Lisa ’99 (Gunia) gave because they “love the SFCS system—a great, faith-based education we want to support.” Some, including Bob and Connie Scott, whose second child graduated this May, gave in honor of teachers and staff their children had at O’Gorman. One alumni family—the Duerst family—made a gift together. Mary Duerst Hinman wrote, “All six of the Duerst kids graduated from O’Gorman: Gary ‘62, Sharon ‘64, Ken ‘65, Jeanne ‘68, Anne ‘70, and myself, Mary ‘73. We have decided to donate money in memory of our brother, Kenny Duerst, who passed away on September 10, 2018.” What a wonderful way to honor his memory—by helping kids. This was a record-breaking year and will help many families. A huge thank you to ALL who supported this important effort to raise $50K in ONE DAY. You did it. And then some. Way to go, KNIGHTS! Listing of donors is as of press time: C41 Herman Metzler C43 Rose Ann Aschoff Ryan C48 Dwane Pins C49/49 Don and Marilyn Forrette Barnett C49 Terrence R. Caster C50 Richard Poley C51 Patricia Gunn Behrends C51 Michael Cunningham C54 Robert Nadeau C54/O62 Ted and Beverly Abraham Pins C54 Rollin Wagner C55 Clarese Deruytter Espe C55 Patrick and Kathy McGreevy C56 Fr. James Bream C56 Roy and Lucille Fisher C56 Barbara Baker Kolb C56 Jack and RoseMary Holmes Shafer C57 Mary Arns Tuscher C58 Donn and Patricia Fahrendorf C58 Emmet and Mary Gayle Rogers
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C59 Albert Genetti C60 Jeannine Even Carlson - In honor of Carol Barnett Nesbitt C60 Mary Stahr Lutz C60 David and Ruth Vickers O62 Gary Duerst - In memory of Ken Duerst O62 Victoria Barnett Gero O62 Bob and Michele Thoen Miller O62 Merle and Mary Paa Plucker O63 James and Rita Daniels O63 Lloyd and Carolyn Pyper Koopman O64 Sharon Duerst Rose - In memory of Ken Duerst O64 Helen Rowley Martinson O64 Dave and Liz Schroeder Reimer O65 David and Linda Alexander O65 John and Kathleen Barnett Baldwin O65 Linda Davis Beulke O65 Michael and Gracia Gillespie O65 Mike Gould
O65 Dana Summy Mefford O66 Elsie Hey Baye O66 Joseph Bock O66 Patty Allington Gillen O66 Jack Griffin O66 John and Phoebe Naughton O66 Cheryl Garry Rynerson O66 John Walker O67 James and Laura Barnett O68 Richard Cota O68 Jeanne Duerst - In memory of Ken Duerst O68 Archbishop Thomas Gullickson O68/68 Dan and Jeanne Barnett Kangley O68 James Karpen O68 Christine Vicker Waldrop O69 John Davis O69 Gregory and Mary Barnett Hofer O69 Cheryl Jensen O69 Mary Weisbecker Retka
O69 Karen Berens Tratensek O70 Robert Agnew O70 Dennis and Elizabeth Barnett O70 Anne Duerst Merrill - In memory of Ken Duerst O71 Anonymous O70/71 Dan and Jean Schneider Murphy O71 Steve Donahoe O71 Greg and Deb Johnson O71 Tom and Deb Conway Montoya O71/71 Pat and Sue Cavanaugh Spillane O72/73 Curt and Barbara Adler Harris O72 Bradley Johnson O72 Thomas Snyder O72 Karen Lee Vig O73 James Fuller O73 Karen Gadbois Hausman O73 Mary Duerst Hinman - In memory of Ken Duerst O73 James and Lynn Josten O73 Richard and Cindy Koch O73 Colleen Callaghan Lecy O73 Tim Mulhair O73 John and Jane Ritter O73 Sue Elliason Scofield O73/73 Fred and Terri Kuhl Wehling O74 James, Jr. and Barbara Eppel - In honor of Carol Barnett Nesbitt O75 Andy Barnett O75 Donald and Kathleen Edman O75 Doug and Peggy Murphy Fischer O75 Margaret Callaghan Jarding O75 Tim and Gloria Koob O75 Shane and Terri McDonald O75 Steve and Bev Parezo O75 Timothy Smith O75 Jeffrey and Marie Winker O76 Jerry and Mary Stanton Bunkers O76 Bruce and Connie Konikson Ferrie O76 Michele Gengler O76 Nora Doyle Stafford O77 Neil Kelly O77 Wayne Klug O78 Robert Barnett O80 Jeffry and Sherri Timmer Alvey O80 Jon Connolly O80 Scott and Susie Donley Doetzel O80 Shawn and Stephanie Foy O80 David and Susan Hall O80 Kent and Patty Kleinsasser O80 Paul Michel O80 Martin Narveson O80 Curt and Carol Barnett Nesbitt O81 Gary and Suzy Jaeger O81 David and Julie Schweitzer O82 Anonymous O82 Anonymous O82 Julie Konikson Houchins O82 Timothy Koehn - In memory of Ron Koehn O83 Jeff and Jamie Barnett O83 Randy and Ann Jackson Cowan O83 Gary and Theresa Gaspar O83 Nancy Gellerman O83 Ken and Kimberly Rysavy Lambrecht O83 Sheila McGreevy O84/83 John and Katy Dougherty Billion
O84 Mary Hendricks O85 Joe and Kimberly Boyt O85 Mary McGreevy O85 Kristen Koehn Shomion - In memory of Ron Koehn O86 Bob and Kara Dougherty O86 Steve and Kelly Maloney Gellerman O86 Rob and Michelle Rysavy O86 Stephen Weiss O87 John Becker O88 Thomas and Mary Ann Auld O88 Brian Brenner and Emilee Fullenkamp O88 Nick Earley O88/87 Mike and Michelle Meinen Katen - In honor of Carol Barnett Nesbitt O88 Kevin McGreevy O88 Chad Reimer O88 Jen Shaeffer Schultz O88 Julie Leyba Sigourney O89 Alex and Mandra Connelly O89 Jess and Kristin Reimer Hamman O90 Corey and Joni Struck Blauwet O90 Cameron and Nicole Billet Sorensen O91 Brent and Kristina Benson Antonen O91 Sheila Gaspar Casiello O91 Nanette Hohn Litecky O91/93 Jason and Stephanie Hartmann Ollerich O91 Nancy Piatt O91 Mike and Kathy Kangley Rutten O91 Matthew Samp O92 Tony Hyronimus O92 Nicole Sturm Solberg O93 Heather Winkels Collins O93 Jared and Chantelle Friedman O93/98 Jeff and Maggie Connelly Oliver O93 Kathryn Strand O94 Aaron and Jennifer Reed Dykstra O94 Patrick and Susanne Halverson Gale O94 Robert Martinson O95 James, Jr. and Tina Barnett O95 Max, Jr. and April Barnett O95 Luke and Jackie Iacarella Henriksen O95 Angela Lofswold Saufley O95 Jeremy and Sara Smith O95 Joe and Betsy Weber O96 Theresa English O96 Josh and Pam Erickson Klein O96 Aaron and Kimber Severson O97/97 Jordan and Lisa Tarbox Baye O97 Ryan and Kari Reimer Wanke O98 Kenny and Kelly Kangley Kayser O98 Matthew Urban O99 Kevin and Rita Scruton Eggert O99/99 Jay and Lisa Gunia Jorgenson O99 Ben and Tricia Solomon O00 Angela Reisch Binfet O00 Mike Erickson O01 Shannon Johnson O01 Jessica Koch Mitacek O01 Ashley Swedean O02/O02 Matt and Ashley Pins Kayser O02 Matt and Amy Carr Muller O02 Philip Schulte O03 Jessica Kontz O03 Nathan and Rebecca Fields Madigan O03 Kelly Doohen Wicker
O04 Katie Cink Franke O04/04 Nathan and Christi Merideth Pease O05 Kyle and Maggie Baker Groteluschen O05 Katherine Palmitier O05 Andrew and Mary Klein Wuestewald O05/06 Matt and Stacy Richter Adamson O06 Mary Nichols O07 Traci Baar O07 Christopher Faundeen O07/06 Jordan and Laura Schulte Gerdes O08/10 Taylor and Madeline Fritz Juhl O08 Laura Klein O08 Joey Nesbitt - In honor of Carol Barnett Nesbitt O08 Brian and Ellen Schulte O08 Abigail Weppler O10 Andrew and Lindsey Gaspar O10 Debbie Schulte Jorgensen O10 Adam Kleinsasser O10 Kiah Schaefbauer O10 Tessa Munce Wegner O11 Samantha Kappenman O12 Molly Fritz O12/12 James and Josie Heisel Gaspar O12 Anthony Klein O12 Charles Solomon O12 Luke Witte O13 Michael Schulte O14 Samuel Breske O14 John Jarding O14 Isaiah Lamb O15 Daniel Fritz O15 Kimberly Schulte O15 Kaitlin Scott - In honor of Cathy Britton and Gwen Skar O17 Thomas Fritz O17 Teresa Schulte O18 Riley Katen O19 Levi Scott - In honor of Jeff Gordon O20 Shenghong Zhou Aaron and Lacey Benson Dennis and Marie Breske - In memory of Tom Breske Michelle Castle Shawn and Julie Cleary Paul and Kathryn Clinton William and Asella Crum Jeff and Hattie Edman David and Jennifer Edwards Shannon Fenner Daniel, Jr. and Katie Fritz Joe and Katy Gaspar John and Dawn Mohr Marian and Andrea Petrasko Leo and Lilibeth Sarmiento Jon and Nancy Schulte Robert and Connie Scott - In honor of Carol Barnett Nesbitt Tomasz and Cynthia Stys George and Stephanie Vandel
#GOGIVEOG
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KNIGHT NOTES
LEGO League Razorback Invitational The O’Gorman Junior High Robotics team “When Life Gives You Llamas” received 1st Place in Project Presentation at the international FIRST LEGO League Razorback Invitational in Arkansas. They competed against 70 teams from around the world!
New Playground Coming Soon! St. Lambert received a $36,000 grant from the Wellmark Foundation. This grant will help replace a 20-year-old playground with a safer place to play. The existing play structure will be replaced with a larger one that can hold more students.
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PJ's & Books! Over Lent, students at St. Katharine Drexel collected 126 pairs of pajamas and 105 books for kids in need throughout the Sioux Falls area. They wanted to celebrate Lent by giving back to others.
Walking Rosary Holy Spirit students took turns walking the hallways in April to pray a “walking” rosary for a fellow student who was having surgery to remove a tumor. They wanted to make sure he was getting the most prayers possible during his surgery.
Aviation Art Contest Four St. Michael students received honors as part of the Aviation Art contest through the Department of Transportation. Sarina Ellenbecker took home 1st place honors, while three others received honorable mentions. Sarina’s artwork will be displayed at the SD Airports Conference and on the DOT’s website: http://www.sddot.com/transportation/aviation/contest/2019.
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Aoud Malual Aray Akoi Olivia Marie Althoff Mallory Jane Arndt Brianna Bealaine Balzer SoHee Bang Jillian Sky Barkus Courtney Ann Baruth Annaliese Ella Bauers Elyce Mattea Bengford Rylee Jo Benson Hannah Elizabeth Berens Gena Eloise Bowers Bethanee Morgan Boyden Eva Marie Boyum Rebecca Imogene Clark Grace Elizabeth Costello Haden Lyn Cotter Brianna Sue Cox Kerigan Marie Davis Hannah Jayden Lee DeBondt Miranda Jean Ekern Gabrielle Nicole Elliott Anagail Elane Ellis Rachel Leigh Folde Abby Elizabeth Gaspari Bethelehem Mesafint Gebremedehine Kathryn Elizabeth Gerwer Tatiana Marie Gowlovech Yexi Guo Aubrey Starr Hagen Alexandra Kay Healy Lillee Ann Heisinger Mollie Kay Hight Jada Christine Hill Makenzie Marie Hoffman
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Alyssa Lee Holm Courtney Marie Holt Elle Ann Hove Paige Nikole Hoversten Jenna Kathleen Huemoeller Tabitha Carolann Hunt Jessica Marie Huver Maria Aliona Johnson Madisen Lynn Johnson Schmidt Kennedy Renae Kappenman Lauryn An Bixue Keyes Elizabeth Grace Kolb Jennifer Marie Kroon-Nelson Molly Marie Lacasse Serina Ann-Rose Leiss Bergen Elizabeth Lindner Sally Loki Lokolong Qiao Lu Elizabeth Anne Lubeck Margaret Marjorie Lynch Madison Elizabeth Mark-Carson Zoe Ann Matheson Ashley Marie May Allyson Marie McDonald Mary Claire McGreevy Erin Christine McQuade Halle Kate Meadors Rebecca Catherine Miller Halie Marie Mueller Abigale Rose Muller Brooke Lee Naber Ashley Nicole Nachtigall Madeline Thi Hoang Quyen Nguyen Emily Ann Nielsen Grace Irene Nielsen Ellee Nicole Ohnoutka
Anna Katherine Olson Madelynne Grace Otta Makilie Mae Paluch Misung Park Cecilia Rose Peery Bailey Jordan Petersen Melissa Nguyen Pham Anna Marie Rea Olivia Grace Reimer Jaime Marie Renshaw Abigail Rebecca Rhone Faith Elizabeth Rogers Camryn Jill Rustan Brianna Marie Rysavy Molly Ann Rysavy Sophia Keach Salter Rapelang Danielle Sebata Bailey Marie Severson Hope Regina Simon Coral Ann Skiles Amaya Elizabeth Smith Claire Alpha Sorenson Jenna Michelle Sutcliffe Saron Ghebregergs Tesfagergs Megan Marie Timmerman Holly Ann Tofte Olivia Faustina Tunge Kirsten Beth VanDenHemel Kaitlyn Ashley Vockler Sydney Colleen Walgenbach Madison Walker Allysa Maey Wallenberg Anna Josephine Westerman Jiaming Xing Elena Kiara Victoria Yellow Bird
Class of 2019 John Anthony Abdallah Bennett Chad Anderson Noah Douglas James Anderson Nathan Steven Angerhofer Alifu Arisilan Zachary David Bain Oliver Thaddeus Barnes Canyon Jackson Bauer Brady William Beck Channing Jackson Bentz Thomas Joseph Hubert Benz Beau James Blount Lucus Dean Brady Samuel James Breit Benjamin Michael Breske Cole David Bruhn Blake Trevor Brunz Adam Mitchell Catangui Ting Ching Cheng Jack Andrew Chontos Tycho Leland Clausen Mason Jon Crow Gabriel Ethan Dally Cade Andrew Damgaard Aiden Patrick Diedrich Ethan Michael Dingman John Albert Dohn Will Malachy Donelan Blake Martin Dornbusch Seamus Heaney Duffy Zane Kenneth Elsinger Ethan Adam Erickson Matthew Craven Fiegen Brandon Robert Fischer Luca Duncan Foglio Adonai Sisay Ghebrekidan Ethan Lee Glissendorf
Grady Douglas Gulbranson Tyler John Hackman Miles Palmer Hagen Seth Michael Hart Nathan Daniel Healy Peter Daniel Healy Skyler James Hernandez Cody Fredrick Hohn Luke Daniel Humke Caleb Scott Irvine Caden Robert Johnson Jack Paul Johnson Jeremy Ray Jones Derrek Parker Kennedy Lucas James Kneip Liam Gabriel Knigge Andrew Stephen Koep Daniel James Kooima YunSung Lee Garang Deng Longar Joseph Patrick Lund Abel Marquez, Jr. Aazum Mattu Nicholas Albert Maxwell Christopher Michael McCarty Wil Thomas McDowell Noah Steven Moon Jonathan Andrew Mor Marvin Moser Alexander Hamilton Muenster Benjamin Lee Nelson William Ngoc Nguyen John Andrew Nyangamoi Dylan Paul Ohling Stephen Kenwood Osterberg Parker Jacob Paluch Andrew Joseph Pujado
Ethan John Rausch Noah Russell Reeves Jordan Curtis Rentschler Michael Roberts John David Rogers Luke Donald Ronsiek Christian Joseph Schoppert Benjamin Jackson Schulz George Michael Schwebach Levi D. Natwick Scott John Martin Shea Anthony John Spader John Augustus Steele II Calvin Joseph Stukel Jon Bradley Suing Bowen Sun Joseph Henry Tappe Dante Alexander Tarabelsi Aidan Eric Thomas Jackson Adam Thompson Austin Ray Waltner Landyn Brian Welch Micah James Westendorf Davis Andrew White Garyn Thomas Wilcox Evan Alan Wittry Logan David Wolf National Honor Society South Dakota Regents Scholar President’s Award for Educational Excellence 4.0 or higher Grade Point Average (weighted or unweighted, after 7 semesters)
National Merit Finalist
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What’s up at STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS Congrats to the O’Gorman baseball team for winning the State Championship! The team is coached by O’Gorman grad, Danny Hughes ’09 who is the only coach in the state to win a championship both as a player and later as a coach!
The Knights boys’ basketball team was the runner up in the Class AA state tournament this spring. They played against Brandon Valley with a final score of 49-44.
The O’Gorman Boys Tennis team finished 2nd in the State tournament this year. They scored 613 points and had five singles finalists and two doubles finalists.
SUMMER MEDIA CAMP
Two O’Gorman students will soon appear on your TV screen! Elli Richardson (’20) and Ellen Dow (’21) were both chosen to be a part of KSFY’s Summer Media Camp. They will wrap up their experience on Friday, June 14 by producing their own five-minute newscast, which will air at the end of KSFY News at 5:00 and KSFY News at 6:00.
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US AIR FORCE ACADEMY
RETIRING O’G STAFF
The O’Gorman community is saying goodbye to some beloved teachers and staff this year. Doug Basche, Gary Siska, Tyone Kruse, Pam Gordon, Doug Lindner and Art Hagg are all retiring this year.
Aiden Diedrich (’19) was officially appointed to the United States Air Force Academy. He received the notification during Senior Awards Mass and it was presented by Lieutenant Colonel Jon Friedman, a 1996 OG grad and 2000 AFA grad.
NATIONAL MERIT FINALISTS
• Mr. Basche taught English at O’G for 38 years and also taught generations of students how to drive by teaching Driver’s Ed during the summer months. Basche plans on subbing on occasion. • Mr. Siska is retiring after 40 years as the art/pottery teacher and says he will now focus on his own artwork, especially painting and clay. • Mrs. Kruse is leaving the science department after 12 years and plans on spending more time with family and gardening, sewing, traveling, reading, and volunteering. • Mr. Lindner is leaving after 40 years at O’G. He says he hasn’t made any definite plans but intends to continue his hobbies and be active with his kids. • Mr. Hagg has been at O’G for 28 years in the Guidance Office and now plans on traveling the country with his wife, Cathy (former Christ the King teacher), and playing golf. • Pam Gordon is leaving after 22 years with the school system, where she worked first in the Development Office and later was attendance coordinator at the high school. Pam now plans to travel with her husband and spend more time with her family and friends. They will all be truly missed!
Three O’Gorman seniors were named National Merit Finalists this year! Seamus Duffy, Molly Rysavy and Michael Roberts were selected out of 16,000 semi-finalists nationwide.
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’53 Fanette Steele Stewart attended WSC in Colorado, then earned her BA at Sioux Falls College, and later attended the University of AK and Sheldon Jackson in Sitka, AK. She taught English and English as a 2nd language. She then worked for the WA State Legislature for 31 years. She volunteered 10 years at the Spokane Veterans’ Home and has been extremely active with the VFW—both on the state and local level. She has five children, four grandchildren and a great-grandson. Fanette is selling her home and moving to a senior apartment. Her email is: fanettes@hotmail.com ’64 Liz (Schroeder) Reimer and her husband, Dave, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary May 31, 2019. They have three children: Chad Reimer (‘88) and Errin CarlsonLewis, Kristin (‘89) and Jess Hamman, and Kari (‘97) and Ryan Wanke. Dave and Liz enjoy all of the benefits associated with being the grandparents of five: Austin, Jace, and Kolby Hamman and Brynn and Elin Wanke. ’74 Londa Ripley Sessions wrote, “My husband of 33 years died unexpectedly in 2017. In November of 2018, I married a wonderful man that we used to go to church with. He is also a widow. His name is Robert Podvin.”
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’77 Cheryl (Olson) Lester graduated with an associate’s degree in commercial art and a BA in art education from Northern State. She worked 31 years as a K-12 art teacher at Wall School. In 20172018 she received the Teacher of the Year award and retired this May. She is married to Terry and has two children, Erin and Andrea, and three step-children: Len, Clint and Kecia. ‘97 Sara (Halverson) Hanson and her husband, Chris, were blessed with baby tiebreaker, Evan Christopher on Dec. 28, 2018. He is joyfully welcomed by siblings Carter, Drew, Lauren and Ellie. ’98 Tierney Thoms White attended Colorado Mountain College and is owner of Green Diva Gardening and Landscaping in Aspen, CO. ’03 Brian “BG” Peterson lives in Littleton, CO. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations & Advertising. BG started the first Super PAC (www.alienpac.com) in the United States to lobby the Government for the release of classified and redacted files regarding off-world phenomena. He and Luke Loving ‘03 have met with a number of elected officials in pursuit of passing a new transparency bill.
’08 Nicholas James Wilka earned his BS in Biochemistry in 2012, then graduated from the Creighton School of Medicine in 2016. He was married to Daisy (Liberato) in August of 2018, and is completing his medical residency in June. He’ll begin as a hospitalist physician at Methodist Hospital in July of 2019. ’08 Matt George writes, “Kelsey and I have added a 3rd child, Barron Matthew, on October 23, 2018. He was born 370 days after his older twin siblings.” The twins are Kane Michael and Merritt Marie. ‘12 Alex Nelson married Alli Blow from Pierre on November 17, 2018. ’15 Shannan McQuade graduated in December 2018 from Benedictine College with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Evangelization and Catechesis. She is working for the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls as Director of College Ministry at Dakota State University. ’16 Jacob Otta had a hole in one for South Dakota State at the Hawkeye Invitational at Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City, Iowa. The ace was on a 196 yard hole.
Upcoming Class of 1954 - 65 Years – September 13 & 14
No, we’re not done yet! Those of us still alive and kicking plan to celebrate on September 13 & 14 in Sioux Falls. This may be our LAST, but it’s sure to be a BLAST. Details to come in a letter. Direct immediate inquiries to either Carolyn Bechtold Hagerman at 605-351-1747 or carolyn36@sio.midco.net or to Frank Barnett at 605-361-1541 or fjbarnett80@gmail.com
Class of 1964 - 55 Years – September 7 & 8
Mark your calendars and join us! September 7, 2019 at McNally’s Pub (69th & Western Ave) at 5:30 pm. Order off the menu from 5:30pm ‘til after your bed time. September 8th, will be a potluck picnic @ McKennan Park at the shelter on south side of the tennis courts from 1-4pm. RSVP to: Helen Rowley Martinson at 605-201-9627 or hfmartinson@midco.net or Mike Clark at 605-376-4937 or clarkmc@sio.midco.net.
Class of 1969 - 50 Years – September 20 & 21
The class will gather at the Turks and Caicos Cabana Grill at 5pm on Friday, June 20th. Saturday evening will be at the Ramkota at 5pm for Mass with Fr. Jerome Kopel, followed by dinner and music with Kevin King and his group. Cost is $65 per person. Send check to Tom Frankman, 206 W. 14th St, SFSD 57104. Need by August 1, 2019. Questions? Contact Anne Cannon Hajek at annehajek@gmail.com.
Class of 1974 - 45 Years – September 6 & 7
The Class of 1974 will be gathering over Dakota Bowl weekend. Casual gathering on Friday night with location to be determined. Saturday will include Dakota Bowl activities. A mailing will be going out with more details.
Class of 1979 - 40 Years – June 21 & 22
The O’Gorman Class of 1979 40th reunion is this coming year! Friday: Lake Madison Big Kahuna Cruise 3-5 pm. Bus will be available if we have enough who want to participate (or carpool) to Lake Madison events. Departs at 2pm Friday from the O’Gorman High School parking lot. Social hour/dinner following at 6pm. Saturday includes golf at noon at Elmwood golf course. Alternative events for nongolfers will be posted to our Facebook page: Sioux Falls O’Gorman High School-Class of 1979 or O’Gorman High School-Sioux Falls. If you want updated information, contact Colleen Walsh Stich at tandcstich@sio.midco.net.
Class of 1989 - 30 Years – September 6 & 7
The Class of 1989 will be gathering for our 30th reunion. September 6th will be at JJ’s with Chef Dominique’s Catering. Saturday, September 7th will include golfing in the morning at Elmwood for anyone interested. Later in the day, tailgating at Howard Wood Field with pizza catered by Pizza Ranch, then the Dakota Bowl game! After game party at the Crooked Pint. They are reserving space for us and people can order as they wish. We will be sending out invitations shortly with cost and times included. Contact Anne Leedom at chewie71@outlook.com.
Class of 1999 - 20 Year Reunion – July 26 & 27
Friday starts at 6pm at JJ’s Wine, Spirits & Cigars with appetizers and cash bar. Saturday includes a tour of O’Gorman at 3pm, followed by a short prayer service by Fr. Tschakert. Then we’ll head to Shenanigan’s for apps and a cash bar, then later head to Trevor Fitzpatrick’s house. Ogclassof1999@gmail.com is our contact email. We can’t wait to see you! More details coming soon.
Class of 2009 - 10 Year Reunion – August 24 & 25
It’s our first Class Reunion! Join us Saturday, August 24 from 4:30 to 9:30pm out at Great Bear. Adults only. On Sunday, we are doing Mass at O’Gorman at 10am for you and your family. Following Mass, we will be having a family picnic at Jefferson Park around 11:30am. Hope to see you there! Reunion contact is Kristyn Gebur at kristynng@gmail.com.
Class of 2010 - 10 Years – July 17-18, 2020 SAVE THE DATE!! More info to come.
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* Full obits can be found online at www.sfcss.org/alumni
ALUMNI: ’37 Phyllis Gleason Robertson Gould died January 22, 2019 at the age of 99. Survived by her sister, Ruth; children Kathleen and Donald; four grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by her husbands, and brothers George, Gerald and Clifford. ’41 Irene McGinty Winbourne died September 16, 2018. Children are: Mary, Edward, Jeffrey, Anne, Catherine and Christopher; 14 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren. Her husband, Edward, is deceased. ’43 Margaret “Peggy” Aylward Kemp died April 11, 2019. Survived by her children: James ’68, David ‘70, and Robert ’73; five grandchildren; three great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by her husband, Warren ’39. ’49 James “Jim” Daniels died May 1, 2019. Survived by his wife, Mary Lue (Barnett ’49); a daughter Bridget, and three grandsons. Preceded in death by siblings: Peggy ‘41, Sharon ‘54, and Richard (Dick) ‘46. ’50 Elizabeth “Betty” Smith West died May 16, 2019. Survived by her children: Shane ‘72, Michelle ‘73, Stephanie ‘75, Valerie ‘76, Kyle ‘77, Jay ‘81, Tallie ‘80, and Kitty ‘86; 14 grandchildren, 6 greatgrandchildren, her sister, Marjorie Tapken ’52. Preceded in death by husband, Richard, granddaughter, Angel and brother Jack. Betty also worked in the O’Gorman kitchen for 17 years. ’50 James T. FitzGibbon died March 29, 2019. Survived by his children: Thomas, Paul, John, Michael and Matthew and five grandchildren.
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’54 William “Bill” Kolb died May 4, 2019. Survived by his wife, Barbara (Baker ‘56); siblings: Tom ’64, Kathy (McMaster ’70). Preceded in death by siblings: Charlotte, Roberta ’55, James, and John Kolb ’62.
siblings, Val ‘68, Tom ‘68, Mike ‘71, and Marie “Meem”. ’68 Neill Stamp died December 18, 2018; husband of Kathy (dec.); father of Christopher and Amanda; grandfather of two; brother of Gene and Noni.
’54 Robert Smykle died March 30, 2019. ’68 Tom Thie died February 18, 2019. Survived by his twin brother, Richard (Dick) Smykle and his sister, Shirley Crane. Survived by his wife, Kathy; children: Chris, Corey, Ritchie, Tracy, Angela, ’56 Ed Callahan died Dec. 14, 2018. Clayton; 18 grandchildren, 4 great Survived by wife Mary, and his children, grandchildren; siblings, Tim ‘69, Ted ‘73, Molly and Andrew; his siblings Betty and Todd ‘76, Toby ‘77, Terry ‘79, Troy ’80, Patrick. Preceded in death by siblings Tracy ‘82, Travis ‘86, and Tanya ‘91. Tom and Mary Ann. ’69 Charles Patrick “Pat” Lyman died ’58 Lois O’Brien Zimmer died March December 13, 2018. Survivors include 6, 2019. Survived by her children: his wife, Mary; a daughter, Katy; siblings: Donald ‘81, Neal ‘89, Carl, Marbenette Barb ‘70, Mary ‘71, Janet and Tom. ‘79, Colleen, Laurie, Katie, and Cecilia ’75 Gerry Schneider died September ‘97; 27 grandchildren and 22 great2, 2018. Survived by his wife, Karen; grandchildren; siblings: Robert ‘56, Don, sons, Jason and Ryan; parents, Glen and and Vernie. She is preceded in death by her husband, one brother, Gerald (Jerry) Alyce; siblings: Dennis, and Janel ’79. ’60 and two infant sisters, Wanda Jean ’86 Mike Ronan died May 7, 2019. and Mary Kay. Survived by children: Elizabeth, Kaitrin, and Ellyana; his mother, Roberta Atkins ’61 Darrell Paulin died April 2, 2019. ’59; siblings: Kevin, Kathleen ‘80, Pat Survived by children: Annette ‘83, Angie ‘85, and Ryan; four grandchildren; sisters: ‘83, and Cary ‘84, Sasha (aka Susan) ‘88. Preceded in death by his son, Yvonna ‘60 and Donna. Preceded in death by his wife, Shirley (Henle ’63), and Christopher, and his dad, Neil. oldest son Robert ‘89.
’62 James “Jim” Flannery died February 22, 2019. Survived by his wife, Marleen (Nelson) ’63; children: Mary Fritz ’86, Patty Lucey ’86, Jim Flannery ‘88, Julie Allen ’90, Theresa Kramer ’94 and Michael Flannery ’00; 11 grandchildren; siblings: Barb, Jean ’64, and Joe. He was head custodian at O’Gorman in the 1960’s to early 1970’s. ’65 Carvell Trudeau died May 12, 2019. Survived by his wife, Lou; two daughters, Cara and Jennie; three grandchildren;
FAMILY OF ALUMNI: Gay Haber, our first female Dakota Bowl Chair; mother of Chad ’89, Heidi ’92, and John ’97. Memorials are being directed to Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools (formerly Sioux Falls Catholic Schools), 3100 W 41st St, Sioux Falls, SD, 57105. Gene Bentz, father of Jay ’78, Gina ’80 and Nancy ’82. Memorials are being directed to Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools (formerly Sioux Falls Catholic Schools), 3100 W 41st St, Sioux Falls, SD, 57105.
Teresa Boyum, mother of: Kathleen ’67, Sue ’81, Jim ’69 (dec.), Tom ’71, Mark, and Dan ’83. Memorials are being directed to Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools (formerly Sioux Falls Catholic Schools), 3100 W 41st St, Sioux Falls, SD, 57105. John Griffin, husband of Lisa; father of Matt ’09 and Taylor. Ron Koehn, father of Tim ’82, and Kristen Koehn Shomion ’85. Ed McGinn, husband of Mary Margaret (Gareb ’50); father of: Kellie, Patrick, Thomas and Maureen. Eugene Zimmer, husband of Marlys (Erickson ’43); father of Suzanne ’64, Beverly ’65, Patricia ’67, Kenneth, Anita ’70, Roger (dec.), Jacqueline (dec.), Gary, Nicolas (dec.) and Brian. Dennis Bump, former staff at O’Gorman; husband of Sally; father of: Lisa ’84, Brad, Niki ’89. Bob Parliman, son of Elaine; brother of Tom ’65, Sally and Nancy. Shawn Smith, son of Machelle Mavity Smith ’80 and Michael Smith (dec.); brother of Karina and Kristopher. Monica Weber, mother of: Jackie Stencil ‘75, Pam Lidel ‘77, and Brad Weber ‘80. Magdelon Beatrice LeMair, mother of: Mary JoAnn, Paul ‘60, Delores ‘61, Greg ‘66 and Jeffrey ‘72.
NEW FACEBOOK PAGE! @BishopOGKnights
Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools
O’GORMAN HIGH SCHOOL
@BishopOGKnights
O’GORMAN JUNIOR HIGH @OGJHKnights
@OGHSKnights O’Gorman High School - Sioux Falls
O’Gorman Junior High School
Many of our individual elementary schools also have their own social media pages as well, so be sure to check those out!
Thank you to everyone for making this year’s O’Gorman Golf Classic a success! Hosted by: O’Gorman High School Athletic Booster Club
Special thanks to our Corporate Sponsors:
Kathleen Tonner, mother of: Brent ‘81, Sheri ‘81 and Kristi ‘81.
®
SPLITROCK
LANDSCAPING& NURSERY, INC.
Vietnam Veteran Finds Impactful Way to Combat PTSD
Nearly 50 years after the Vietnam war, studies show that a ‘significant number’ of those who fought in the war still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Mark O’Connor ’69 was one of those. He served in the Army Infantry in Vietnam from 1970– 1971 on ‘search and destroy’ missions. 18
As someone who battled depression as a result of his service, Mark decided to go back to Vietnam in 2009 through an organization called Veterans Vietnam Restoration Project, whose mission was to help veterans come to peace with the war and their role in it. In an effort to make a positive impact there instead of what he experienced in the early 1970’s, Mark helped build an addition to a primary school. While in Vietnam, he decided to buy a bike for a young girl there. She worked in the hotel where he was staying and had to walk to work every day; she was worn out because of the long trip. After receiving the bike, she was so grateful, and he saw the huge impact his small gesture made. He vowed to do it again if he ever went back. By 2014, the Veterans Vietnam Restoration Project had sent 30 teams of veterans to the country. That year, Mark had brought enough money with him to buy 60 bikes for kids. He also built another addition to the school and painted another school. In 2015, he returned with enough money to buy 90 bikes; in 2016 – 123 bikes; in 2017 it was 160 bikes; and last year, he bought a total of 223 bikes. He bought well over 200 again this year, for a total of around 800 bikes. These bikes go to children in the mountains who live too far to walk to school, but with his gift, can make the journey. “These children
have never been to school. Their parents don’t care because they never went, either. If they didn’t have the bikes, they likely would never go to school because of the distance.”
“The kids almost don’t understand that someone is just giving them a bicycle. It’s like someone giving you a Rolls Royce.” A friend of Mark’s is married to a Vietnamese woman who works for the school district, and she helps identify kids who would benefit from a bike. With his friends, they line up schools and the number of bikes for each school, and then work with a local bike shop to deliver them right to the school. Then Mark and crew ride up on their motorcycles and spend a couple of hours playing with the kids and handing out bikes. “The kids almost don’t understand that someone is just giving them a bicycle. It’s like someone giving you a Rolls Royce,” says Mark. “It’s incredible to see the change in their attitudes when they get the bikes.” Mark says he has plans to search for more ways to raise money to purchase even more bikes, while looking to expand into other school districts. The feeling Mark says he gets from spreading joy through something as simple as a bicycle will never totally erase his PTSD, but he says it makes it much more manageable. He went from having anxiety attacks to finding real peace in Vietnam, something he never imagined was possible. “It was a mountain that was hard to get over… but since going back to Vietnam, it’s just like a molehill that you can get over very easily.”
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