On Wednesday April 9th, the Avon High School choir and band attended the large group music contest in Vermillion. The choir performed a total of four songs. Two were performed by our all-women's choir;theyperformedthesongs “ISingBecauseI’mHappy”and “What Happens When a Women,” with Ashley Tolsma singing a solo. The other two songs were performed by the entire choir, and they performed “North” with soloists Kinley Doom and Jaydon Driesen. The final song performed was called“OverMyHead.”Allfour songs got a rating of 1, which stands for Superior.
Read moreIt is no surprise that spring is a very busy season for all students, coaches, and teachers, especially those heavily involved in all of the activities AHS has to offer. There are a number of students currently playing softball, track, or golf, and a few students who are even participating in all three sports simultaneously! They somehow tackle all of these responsibilities while still maintaining their grades/doing their best to stay on top of their academics. We, at the Jolly Roger, would have loved to interview them for this article, but ironically, it is not easy to catch them actually in school!
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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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Wagner Chamber of Commerce held their annual Easter Egg Hunt at Wagner Lake on Saturday morning, April 19.
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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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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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