The Raider Report

The month of November finds us recalling significant events that cannot help but bind us together as a community. During this month we commemorate Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and World Freedom Day – holidays that remind us of the threads of unity, gratitude, and civic responsibility that connect us all.

Each November 11th, we stand united in gratitude to honor the men and women – neighbors, family members, friends – who have selflessly served our nation and who embody the spirit of sacrifice and commitment to preserving freedom for all. Thanksgiving Day provides us with the opportunity to gather around tables filled with abundance so we might enjoy a delicious meal while sharing the warmth of home with family and friends. It reminds us to reflect on the blessings that surround us each day and nudges us to share our wealth, time, and kindness with others.

On November 9th we commemorate World Freedom Day – a lesser-known federal holiday that reminds us of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism in Central and Eastern Europe. The Berlin Wall stood for nearly 30 years, separating families, and communities, and it serves as a powerful symbol of the barriers that can be overcome when people unite for a common cause.

As we contemplate the significance of November and what this month calls to mind, consider the words of John F. Kennedy: “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.” Let us never deny that we are called to embrace a sense of community, gratitude, and civic responsibility. We are called to live in a way that reflects our values and ideals. We are called to make choices that demonstrate our appreciation and the blessings in our lives. We are called to integrate gratitude into the very fabric of our existence, influencing how we treat others and how we navigate the world.

Wishing you all a November filled with abundant blessings!

Superintendent Hoeke

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Article by: Izzy Pickard

The start of the second quarter has been busy here at the Rutland site, students and classes are very busy with everything from welding projects to book reports. There is never a dull moment here at the Rutland sight. On the 7th of November, students at Rutland came together for their yearly food challenge. For the last couple of years, Mr. Myrvik has been trying to find unique food or beverages that we could try from around the world. This year the food came from Iceland, it is called Hakarl, which is a national dish of Iceland that is fermented shark meat. The students that were dedicated (crazy) enough to try this had mixed reviews. In an effort to bring the readers the best stories in this newsletter, I went undercover to experience the shark. I can confirm to you, “It is not good, not at all.” The Veteran's Day was another huge success thanks to the students and staff who played a part in it. The 6-12 Rutland band started off the program by playing the Star Spangled Banner, then the 6-12 choir sang “A Tribute To The Armed Services.'' During this song, Mr Johnson announced the branches and the veterans who served stood up to get honored for their sacrifices. Brock Eppe read a prayer, and Hattie Hanson read the Missing Man Table. Kali Strenge, Madi Merager, Lacie Weber, and Kim Trygstad read their Voice of Democracy essay or Patriots Pen essays. The 8-12 choir ended the Veterans Day program by singing the “Song of the Unsung Hero.” Over the course of two weeks, the student council did a penny war fundraiser for an honor flight. This was done by students and staff putting their change in jars with the teacher's name that they would like to see pied in the face. The student council raised a total of $1,310.67! A big thanks to the students, staff, or people around in the community who helped to donate. We wouldn't have been able to have this opportunity without you! The Rutland Publications class has been busy working on both this monthly newsletter as well as the 2023-2024 Rutland site yearbook. They are currently for sale for only $25! The 8th grade Career Explorations Class has recently had two guest speakers come in. Jessica Anderson came in and spoke of the many opportunities that are out there and available through engineering. Morgan Schmidt RN, BSN came in and talked about nursing and the importance of health care workers. Thank you both for your time!

It is hard to believe that we are already to Thanksgiving Break! I hope everyone has a great break!

The students and staff at the Rutland site participated in a fundraiser for the Midwest Honor Flight. The idea was to place money in the jar of the teacher you would like to see pied in the face. Together, over $1,300 was raised! Mr. S, Mr. Hanson, Mr. Myrvik, and Miss Shay had the most money in their jars so they automatically qualified to receive a pie facial. Mrs. Merager was also lucky to be pied for having the least amount of money in her jar. While it was a fun afternoon of watching the teachers get pied in the face, it was also heartwarming knowing that we made such a huge impact on the Midwest Honor Flight!

Article by: Lacie Weber

On October 31st, six ORR FFA students headed to Indianapolis, Indiana, to participate in the National FFA Convention. The students on the trip included Senior Logan Trygstad, Juniors Brayden Hanson, Brock Eppe, Dillon Renaas, Garet Wicks, and Sophomore Lacie Weber. They toured the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, on the way down. The students arrived at the hotel around 10:30 pm and settled in for the next three days of exciting events.

The following day, the students arrived at the convention center, where they could look through different booths of businesses offering massive support to the FFA organization colleges from different states, go to workshops, and do FFA apparel shopping. That day, they went to the first opening session of the National Convention. After the session, the six students got ready for the Lainey Willson concert. They all enjoyed their first day of the National FFA Convention and were ready to see what the rest of the days would consist of.

On the second day, they went around the different booths again, as there were so many that it was impossible to see them all in one day. Junior Brock Eppe, who experienced the National Convention for the first time, said, “This opportunity was fun, packed with FFA members and Advisors. The national convention was an exciting experience. There was no shortage of FFA, that is for sure, and in the expo center, vendors stretched as far as the eye could see.” They attended the second session, where they saw other South Dakota chapters receive their National Chapter Award and listened to the retirement address speech from Central Region National FFA Officer Karstyn Cantrell. On this day, District 2 went out to eat as a district for supper to interact with each other more and build more friendships with students from other chapters.

On the last day of the National FFA Convention that they would be attending, the students finished visiting any last booths that they had yet to see. The students finished their wonderful experiences, and at 2:00pm, they headed to tour their last place before returning home. The last tour they went to was Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where they were driven out onto the track and listened to a documentary on the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; they stopped right by the finish line, where they took a few pictures and had the opportunity to kiss the bricks, which has become a tradition to whoever wins the race. Each student enjoyed the National Convention and was excited to bring experiences and new ideas back to their chapter.

Article by: Jordyn Reagle

The second quarter has started off strong for the elementary here in Rutland. As it’s getting closer to the end of the semester, students have been learning about new things.

Mrs. Merager, and the Kindergartners read the story “Turkey Trouble” and then did a fun art project that reflected the book they read. After reading the book the students brought home turkeys that they would disguise at home. The Kindergarteners put a lot of thought into their Turkeys and enjoyed finding supplies at home to disguise them with their families.

Ms. Geraets and her first graders enjoy having senior Caelan Anderson come into their classroom and help with fun projects. As Thanksgiving is coming up soon, Caelan led the students in making turkey hats. The first graders had a ton of fun getting to use their crafting skills to make these.

In the second and third grade classroom Mrs. Reagle has been teaching them how to use Pages on their ipads. These students are getting familiar with some of the features that Pages has to offer. They are learning how to change the font, size, and color. The second and third graders are also learning how to search for images and import them into a document. The students have been searching for images and writing about using Pages. They have learned what it means to be a good digital citizen while they are using the internet while using their technology. With their new found abilities and skills they worked on typing up stories and bringing in pictures like seen above.

The fourth graders had a speaker from SDSU Extension Lake County 4H come in and teach them about force. During this, the students were grouped up to brainstorm ideas on how they would create a catapult. This process included planning and designing how their catapult would work. After going through these steps they then tested what they had designed. The fourth graders then did a pumpkin launching contest, as well as recorded the results and analyzed how they would further adjust their designs.

Just as the junior high and highschool teams are starting up basketball, the elementary teams have started practice as well. Look for elementary schedules and come out and support our little RAIDERS!!

The students performed at the veterans day program. Each class had either had a song or a reading that showed honor and respect to those who put their lives on the line.

As the month of October came to an end, the Rutland students walked around dressed up in their Halloween costumes for the annual Trunk or Treat. This year because of the weather, the Trunk or Treat was moved indoors. All the students still had a ton of fun getting to dress up and walk around with some of the other students they don’t get to see during the school day. Special thanks to everyone who decorated a table and handed out candy.

The 2nd & 3rd graders at the Ramona site worked together to make a "Turkey" quilt. They pretended they were the turkeys and wrote "Don't Eat Me" persuasive letters explaining their reasons and point of view. Shown on the right is a group photo with the turkey quilt and below are some of the quilt squares.

Article by: Cooper Merager

The ORR Raiders football team's season didn’t go as they all would’ve liked. The final record was 1-7. By the end of the year, they were down to 16 players. With only 7 players on the sideline, the starters had to play most of the game. They worked hard all season with who they had. Unfortunately not ending the season with a winning record, but a lot of hard work was shed on the field and in practice.

The Raiders started off their season with a couple of summer camps. The first camp was hosted by Arlington. This camp is put on by DSU and it is an individual/team camp. In the morning you break off with your position and do individual drills. This was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the attention the instructors put forth to help you get better-Cooper Merager. Then after that, you meet with your team and scrimmage the other teams at the camp for the remainder of the day. This brings in the team aspect of the camp.

The second and final camp the boys attended was the Dell Rapids St. Mary’s camp. This camp is just a JV varsity scrimmage. The varsity run 8 plays on offense then 8 on defense. The JV millrun 4 on offense and 4 on defense.

At the end of the season we lost 4 seniors. Logan Trygstad wearing number 98 an offensive and defensive lineman for the raiders. Collin Reidel wearing number 66 an offensive and defensive lineman for the raiders. Caden Hojer wearing number 86 an offensive and defensive lineman for the raiders. Kayden Jensen wearing number 15 a wide receiver and defensive back for the raiders. These seniors were a big asset to the team and will be missed next year. We had our awards night an many of our players received Caden Hojer received Most Valuable Lineman. Garet Wicks and Rylen Olsen AKA Terry received the most improved player award. Cooper Merager received the Most versatile player award and Most Valuable Player Award. The Unsung hero awards go to Dayton Olson and Brody Westall. Dayton Olson ran all the livestreams for the raiders, he even commentated on most of our games. Brody Westall received this award because no matter what he would always brighten the mood and always would bring the energy. Our volunteer coach Taylor Bult received SDFBCA Friend of Football. Taylor spent a lot of his personal time to come and coach us and we all appreciate it. Caden Hojer won the Dakota Valley All Conference and Cooper Merager was the Honorable Mention. Logan Trygstad and Caden Hojer made the Academic All State. The team was awarded the Academic Achievement Team Award. In order to qualify the team needs a combined GPA of 3.0 the raises combined GPA was 3.43. This years squad champions were the Terrinators(named after Rylen Olson AKA Terry). Then members include Junior High: Ben McGuire, Cody Strenge and Kalle Serfling. The Highschool members include Dylan Sievers, Boyd Pooler Rylen Olson(AKA Terry), junior captain Brennon Bickett and their captain Cooper Merager. Throughout the season Coach DeRungs and the other coaches preached having fun.

Although to record did not show it we all had fun and made the best out of the season. You only get 4 years ofd high school football so you better make it something you will remember.

Article by: Lacie Weber

On November 11th, ORR FFA members headed to SDSU in Brookings to compete at the Jackrabbit Invitational in Leadership Development Events (LDEs) for their first time this year. Thirteen students were competing in LDEs this year. There was lots of success at this event, as 8th grader Brooklyn Willson finished 7th in AG Broadcasting, 7th grader Clayton Weber finished 11th in Ag Broadcasting at his first ever FFA event, Sophomore Lacie Weber finished 6th in Employment skills, and Junior Kaelie Lindholm finished 28, in Extemporaneous Speaking.

Others who competed and did their best were Brooklyn Willson, who finished 38th, Jaylynn Highbear, who finished 45th, and Cadance Wentworth, who finished 56 in creed speaking; they all did their best and now know what improvements need to be made before Districts. In addition, Garet Wicks finished 36th, and Rori Hartman finished 47 in Employment Skills. New members went for experience to learn about LDEs and to have time to practice as a team before presenting at Districts. On November 20th, ORR FFA members headed to Brookings High School to compete in Districts to try their best and make it to State LDEs held in Rapid City. There was lots of improvement and success at this event. The Ag Issues team returned with first place and is improving the script and portfolio before heading to State. The members of this team were Brayden Hanson, Dillon Renaas, Cooper Merager, Lacie Weber, and Clayton Weber.

Brooklyn Wilson finished 4th in Ag Broadcasting, and Clayton Weber finished 3rd, qualifying for State. In Employment Skills, Garet Wicks finished 2nd, and Lacie Weber finished 1st, punching their ticket to the State competition. In Extemporaneous Speaking, Rori Hartman finished 4, her first time competing in this event. In Creed Speaking, Thomas Maguire competed. Two ORR FFA officers applied for District Officer: Lacie Weber and Melody Gilkerson. Lacie was elected Student Advisor for District Officer. Melody enjoyed the experience she had while interviewing.

Congratulations to Brayden Hanson, Dillion Renaas, Cooper Merager, Lacie Weber, Clayton Weber, and Garet Wicks on making it to State LDEs. Excellent job to all those who competed and worked hard for their results. Good luck to those who made it to State LDEs; keep working hard and improving before heading out to State LDEs on December 3rd and 4th in Rapid City.

Article by: Hattie Hanson

The 2023 Oldham-Ramona-Rutland volleyball season is sadly over. The girls worked hard these past few months. They had some tough games that they fought through. The volleyball team had three seniors this year, Julia Trygstad, Kailey Pearson, and Alivia Bickett. They were an essential part of the team and will be missed next season. The season unfortunately ended on October 31, the first night of regions. They lost to Castlewood, who ended up getting fourth in the state. Although the play-offs didn’t go as planned, the girls still had a great season. Their record was 11-16. They played some hard teams, and if they lost they pushed forward towards the next game. They also got a new coach this season, Cassandra Gaerets who teaches first grade here. They enjoyed all the support from fans and hope to see everyone here next year. Junior Bella Malisch said “We had a great season with our great seniors who have started since 8th grade. It will be sad to see them go.” The girls are hopeful for next season and want to win more games. Thank you for all the support you have provided. See you next year!

For the 2023 season, our ORR Oral Interpretation Team was Kaelie Lindholm, Melody Gilkerson, Emma Powell, Hanna Coomes, and Lucas Wall.

They each added their own special qualities to their spoken word pieces and represented our school district with poise and excellence.

Many Congratulations to the Oral Interpretation Team of 2023, and thank you for your teamwork, performances, and decorum!

Ms. Woolston

• November 22-24- No School-Thanksgiving Break
• November 27- 1st Day of Boys Basketball Practice
• December 1- State Oral Interp, Harrisburg
• December 1- GBB vs Great Plains Lutheran at Rutland
• December 2- FFA State Leadership, Rapid City
• December 5- OR Christmas Concert, 6:30
• December 6- ORR 6-12 Drug Enforcement Presentation, Rutland
• December 7- GBB vs Iroquois/Lake Preston at Iroquois
• December 8- Friday School
• December 8- BBB vs Iroquois/Lake Preston at Iroquois
• December 9- Arabian Nights Winter Formal, Ramona
• December 10- Christmas in Ramona
• December 11- Rutland Christmas Concert, 6:30
• December 12- District Bond Vote

The ORR Senior Student Council members traveled to Pierre on Friday, November 17 to decorate a tree for Christmas at the Capitol! The tree is filled with class and staff photos and decorations made by the student council members.