The Raider Report

Can you believe we already have over a month completed of the 2023-2024 school year?! Time certainly flies when you are having fun! You many have noticed various pictures on the ORR Facebook page highlighting our FABULOUS staff wearing t-shirts that read “We Stand United.” I chose the theme “We Stand United” for this school year for a few reasons. First, this is the very first year as the ONE school district of Oldham-Ramona-Rutland, and we are working together to unite the processes and procedures that were once the Rutland way or the Oldham-Ramona way to becoming the ORR way. Second, this theme comes from Aesop’s Fable, “The Four Oxen and the Lion” – a story that illustrates how the oxen could only survive a lion attack if the oxen all stood together. Aesop’s message in this tale is the same message I want our teachers, students, and patrons of the ORR School District to focus on as we experience both the challenges and celebrations that come with merging school districts. Standing united to support a common goal that starts with meeting the needs of our students and ends with knowing that we are stronger together; we are smarter together – we are BETTER together – is a message and lesson that we can – and should – apply to all aspects of our lives. It is a lesson that – when learned and applied – will serve us, our students, and our communities well.

Go RAIDERS!

Article by: Cooper Merager

During the summer the ORR Raiders football team attended the St Mary’s football camp. We had 19 players during this scrimmage/camp. We still have a younger team with only 4 seniors. Then we went to Arlington for an individual/ team camp. The first half of the camp is individual position then we scrimmage other teams after the individual section. We had a couple of other camps lined up but we were not able to attend. Fall camp was successful we had lots of energy and we were ready to start the season. For the first game of the 2023 2024 season, we headed up to Arlington. We unfortunately did not come out with the win but we improved the final score was 40-12. The next week we had a bye week but due to the hot weather, we were inside most of the week. Then the Raiders headed to Corsica to play the Jaguars. That was not the Raider's best game losing 50-0 at halftime. The Raider's 3rd game was at home versus DeSmet. We came out with a lot of energy and scored on in the second quarter. The game ended 57-6. The following Monday the Raiders JV team went to Sioux Falls to scrimmage the Sioux Falls Lutherans JV team. This was their first-ever game on their new home field. They didn’t win but gained a lot of valuable experience and got a lot of minutes. That Friday the Raiders played Parkston. They are the number 1 team in the state of 9AA. The final score of the game was 58-0. The coaches and players appreciate the continued support and look forward to learning and growing as a team throughout the season.

Article By: Jordyn Reagle

The new school year 2023-2024 has started off strong for the Kindergarten class. The Kindergarteners have been working on their alphabet. They have been learning their letters in fun and creative ways. One of the fun ways that Mrs. Merager has been helping them study by taking them outside and create letters with objects they found in nature.

There have been some adjustments in the elementary classrooms this year at the Rutland site. Mrs. Reagle in the past has taught only 2nd grade. This year she is teaching 2nd and 3rd grade. After 10 long years Miss Krogman has finally passed 3rd grade and is now teaching 4th grade.

Over the summer there was 19 elementary students from the Rutland location who met their AR Summer Reading goal. Since they made the reading goal they got to have fun at KCK Wildfire in Brookings. After they played they got to have a pizza party as part of the incentive. Congratulations students, keep up the good work!

The preschool room is buzzing with excitement as 9 new preschoolers are in the building. The preschoolers are working on numbers and letter recognition. The preschoolers are also working on writing their names. Along with this they are learning the routines of school.

Overall it has been an exciting first couple of months at the Rutland elementary. It’s fun to see new faces of new students who have joined us and getting to see our friends from prior years. We can not wait to see where this year takes the youngest raiders.

Article By: Colter DeVaney

This year we have lots of people in the high school here in Rutland. The high schoolers are kicking off the year great so far. The students are all settling into the new school year and the changes that have happened since last year. The school had a ceremony on the morning of September 11th to honor 22 years since the September 11th attacks. The 8th-grade class got to have a Career Explorations guest speaker on September 20th. The speaker they had was Darbi Howell from the SD Department of Labor came and presented on Attitude which is a soft skill to work on for their future with employment.

The 6th grade ELA classes enjoyed taking their learning about prepositions and prepositional skills to another level. There were crumpled-up papers flying everywhere! When the paper ball landed, students then created a prepositional phrase based on its landing location.

ELA classes are preparing to write Patriot's Pen Essays and Voice of Democracy Speeches.

Earth and Space Science completed a mineral testing lab. Students worked to find the streak and luster of the minerals. Ag classes are working on learning about Land Judging. There are also some dual credit classes being taken, such as Spanish and Chinese. The tech classes being taken in High school this year are Web Design, Workplace Technology, and Intro to Technology Business. We are excited to kick off the 2023-2024 school year here at Rutland!

The OR 8th-grade life skills class went to the Ramona Post Office on Friday. We have been writing friendly letters and addressing envelopes. It was fun to get a behind-the-scenes look at our P.O. A big thanks to Theresa for showing us around!

On Monday, September 18, students from both sites went to SDSU for the Educators Rising Learning Expo to learn about how to become a teacher.

The Juniors at Ramona would like to thank Mr. Doug Riedel, his wife, Marcia, and their grandson, Jax, for joining us in the Boardroom and sharing some of their experiences before, during, and after Doug's service in the Army during the Vietnam war.

They met us first thing in the morning, and Mr. Riedel brought a picture album with some photographs of his overseas experiences with people and places he had been and memorabilia of his time during his service as a Military Policeman (MP).

Learning about his experiences was interesting because we're reading, "The Things They Carried," in class, and hearing first-hand some of the scary and graphic details of what that war looked like and felt like was quite an experience. He said he had some good memories, too, and that he made some great friends with whom he still is in contact to this day. He also recommends service in a military branch as a way to learn dignity, strength, gratitude, loyalty, and commitment.

Mr. Riedel attended Ramona School and graduated from high school in 1969, when the school mascot was the Rockets!

Thank you, Doug and family, for taking the time to share with us.

Article By: Bryer Hyland

This year we have a new teacher roaming the halls in the Rutland site. He is familiar to the ORR school as he was a student teacher over at the Oldham Ramona site. He was also a JV basketball coach for the 2022-2023 season.

Cole Siegfried or Mr. S is our teacher spotlight this month. He teaches k-7 physical education and 8 grade heath. He is also a para for 2-3 grade classes. Mr. S went to school at Brandon Valley where he played many sports. He played football for 4 years, basketball for 4 years, and baseball for 4 years. He went to college at Northern State University for one year where he redshirted in football, then transferred to DSU for education. When he got there he decided to play football for 2 years.

In his free time he enjoys hunting with a bow and throwing a line out for a big bass. He also has 1 dog. In his family are his mom, dad and sister who goes to USD. He loves the sunrise because it is always starts a great day to be alive in the 605. He learned that from one of his college coaches. His favorite color is green because it is the color of the great outdoors. His favorite type of music is country. He doesn't like to travel unless it is out to the river to do fishing or hunting.

I asked Mr. S what he thought was unique about the ORR school and he said that the old gyms are the coolest because when there is an intense game going on you feel the suspense of the game just because it is so close and the fans are right there and it is just awesome.

Article By: Izzy Pickard

The Lady Raiders spent lots of time in the gym this summer with JO and open gyms. The ORR girls practiced a lot in open gyms to get ready for this season. This summer the girls traveled to Harrisburg for an all-day tournament. This year the Oldham Ramona Rutland volleyball has been off to a great start. The Lady Raiders are about halfway through a successful season already. As of today, the varsity is 5-6. The Lady Raiders are led by the head coach (Cassy Geraets), Junior Varsity coach (Victoria Telkamp), and Junior High coach (Avery Hyland) we would not be where we are at so far this season. The Raiders Varsity volleyball team unfortunately lost their first game, but they came back with a win the second game against the Howard Tigers. This game the ORR Lady Raiders put in the effort and got 36 kills! This game was held in a full-house Rutland gym with a very supportive and loud crowd! Overall the ladies put in lots of effort in practice and that has shown in their games.

The ORR Raiders have had a short break over the past two weeks, but they are back at it again and ready to win the rest of the games for the season starting with Estelline Hendricks. On Saturday, September 16th, Woonsocket West Central came to town to play the Oldham Ramona Rutland Raiders. This was an intense game, and the Raiders got the victory and beat them in 4 sets. The ladies in this game got 122 digs! The crowd is very helpful in getting excited for every point we get and just helping the volleyball girls get the hype to win the game. September 19th the girls traveled to Freeman. In this game, the girls worked together and won the game in the first 3 sets. On Saturday, September 23rd the girls will be traveling to the Sioux Falls Pentagon where they will play 4 hard games in hopes to will them all.

The JH girls have been doing really well this year. A lot of these young girls are still learning and are passionate about their love for volleyball. The JH girls are learning how to work together and to communicate for the ball. The JV girls also traveled to Freeman but unfortunately, they lost, this game went into three sets. The JV has yet to win a game, but still striving every day for the win. We appreciate the support coming in and supporting each and every one of the ORR volleyball games.

Article By: Lacie Weber

“The ribbons will fade, and trophies will grow old, the wealth is soon spent, and fame soon grows old. The important things are not the awards. Sometimes, it’s really the loser who wins. The important things are the friends you make, the experiences you take with you, working as a team, and dedication to winning. They’ll help you become a mighty fine person; they’ll do more for you than a prize ever can.” - Unknown.

The South Dakota State Fair started on Thursday, August 31, and concluded on Monday, September 4. At the South Dakota State Fair, there were multiple events to participate in this year, whether you were competing or just visiting for the day, including checking out all the exhilarating rides and the fantastic food to be tried throughout the days. Pass Rutland Alumni John Eilertson and Karee Wicks were spotted at the Country Stop selling delicious food; John and his family own the Country Stop and their delicious ice cream on this hot fair. From ORR, many students participated in Static Projects through 4-H to show their livestock projects that they had been working on all summer.

We had students compete, from a 2nd grader, Brantley Jensen, to Junior Brayden Hanson. Each one of the students has learned different skills to help them in life through their project. There were many familiar faces in the Swine barn from ORR, as there were eight swine exhibitors. 7th Grader Clayton Weber won Overall Champion Purebred Barrow and Champion Duroc Barrow with his Barrow Royce at the Purebred Special Show at the State Fair. Also, in the sheep barn, there were two sheep exhibitors. There were lots of students that summited Static Project. Some projects included photography, home environment, foods and nutrition, and projects that consisted of Legos.

This year was the grand opening of the new DEX center that housed the open class and 4-H beef animals. There were many visitors walking through to see the new faculties and to get out of the heat, some, as it was a lot cooler there than outside or in other barns. There was lots of commotion in the FFA Adventure Center as everyone could see sows farrowing out piglets or a cow calving.

Everyone enjoyed the fair, even with the heat, even if they were up there for only a day or the whole time. Each one is excited to come back next year and see the new friends they met or to improve their latest projects.

Article By: Zayd Anderson

Our Cross Country (XC) team this year is really tiny. In fact, our team is even smaller than last year. It has four team members. The oldest and most experienced team member is Zayd Anderson, a junior and second year runner. The next oldest team member is Melody Gilkerson, who is also a junior, but is running XC for the first time. Our team also has two eighth grade runners—Sarah DeWulf and Ancora Gilkerson, both first year runners. Zayd and Melody Gilkerson have had a good mix of varsity and junior varsity runs. Ancora and Sarah, on the other hand, have had a mix of junior varsity and junior high races. Our eighth grade girls will be running their first varsity race on Saturday, September 23. Our XC team, despite being small, has seen a great deal of success. Melody Gilkerson, Zayd Anderson, and Ancora Gilkerson have all received medals in at least one Junior Varsity race so far this season. Sarah DeWulf has unfortunately not placed high enough to earn a medal, due in part to a hip pain she started experiencing early in the season. It seems Sarah has recovered (or at least mostly recovered) from this injury. In other news, Sarah DeWulf, Melody Gilkerson and Ancora Gilkerson are showing great progress and setting personal records (PRs) at nearly every race they attend. Zayd Anderson has yet to set a new PR for himself this season, but is showing improvement in terms of longevity and top speed.

• Monday, September 24- JH/JV Rootball vs Garretson @ Rutland
• Wednesday, September 27- Cross Country Meet @ Colman
• Thursday, September 28- JH/JV/V Volleyball vs Deubrook @ White
• Friday, September 29- JH/V Football vs Castlewood @ Ramona
• Saturday, September 30- JH VB DVC @ White
• Monday, October 2- Rutland Child Find Screening
• Tuesday, October 3- JH/JV/V Volleyball @ JVC
• Wednesday, October 4- Cross Country Meet DVC @ Hendricks
• Wednesday, October 4- Special Board Meeting @ Ramona
• Thursday, October 5- Southeast Tech Representative @ OR Site
• Thursday, October 5- JH.JV/V Volleyball vs DeSmet @ Ramona
• Friday, October 6- Friday School
• Friday, October 6- Football @ Sunshine Bible Academy