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Darla (Odens) Van Gerpen graduated from Avon High School in 1981 and Mount Marty College in 1985 with a degree in Chemistry and Secondary Education. She began her teaching career in 1985 at Parkston High School and was also assistant girls basketball coach. For many years, while her daughters were in elementary school, Darla was a volunteer coach for the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade elementary girls basketball program in Avon. From 2002-2012, Darla taught and coached in the Avon School District. Darla is married to Doug Van Gerpen, also a 1981 graduate of Avon High School, and they have three daughters (all graduates of Avon High School) and seven grandchildren (currently attending Avon Elementary School). Lindsey is married to Danny Fathke, they have two children, Daxton and Addisyn. Leslie is married to Branden Baade, they have three children, Rex, Brynn, and Burk. Lanae is married to Jay Kriz, they have two children, Royce and Rollins. Darla enjoys attending her grandchildren’s events, teaching Sunday School, taking part in many outdoor activities, and watching basketball. Darla is humbled by this award and is thankful to live in a community where people matter and the growth of each student/youth is nurtured by the community and through school activities and academics.
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Wagner Chamber of Commerce held their annual Easter Egg Hunt at Wagner Lake on Saturday morning, April 19.
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Spring is finally here, and for many of us that brings the joy of returning to outdoor activities, planning summer vacations, and… well, allergies. Depending on the allergen, people can suffer from allergies any time of year, but spring is a particularly common time in our part of the world to hear my patients complain of seasonal allergies.
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There are currently more than 1.6 million children that face unique challenges from their parent’s military experiences. April is designated as the Month of the Military Child in an effort to recognize the unique sacrifices, service, and resilience of military children and their families. Among the challenges that military children face are constant moves, family separations and potential exposure to the aftereffects of war. In light of the Month of the Military Child, Wagner’s own Jazlyn Lhotak shared her experience as a military child of a deployed soldier.
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Those of us who make our homes in the rural midwest understand that we face medical challenges our countrymen in more populated areas don’t. For example, there are two pediatric rheumatologists in the whole state of South Dakota. . . and they are both based in Fargo. In contrast, there are 10 in the Twin Cities with the University of Minnesota alone. In Winner South Dakota, you are nearly 150 miles away from emergency access to a neurosurgeon, assuming you can go by air. No matter where you are in Connecticut, that help is no more than 50 miles away.
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The Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award is an annual award given by Bausch & Lomb and the University of Rochester. This award was established in 1933 and has been given out annually since and is awarded at the international level. In order to be considered for this award, a student must be a high school junior, display academic excellence in science, take a rigor of courses in science, earn excellent scores in either the PSAT Math, SAT Math and or ACT Math/Science, and be nominated by a teacher.
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