Thursday, May 18, 2023
Vol. 158, Issue 20
Decorah, Iowa 52101 www.decorahnewspapers.com
One Section email: news@decorahnewspapers.com
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Decorah teachers retiring after combined 70 years of service
Scott and Lori Pierce reflect on their careers
South Winn celebrates the Class of 2023
ABOVE- Kalissa Schmelzer, Billie Wagner, Megan Hageman, Aubrey Hageman and Quinn Kruckman show off their decorated caps prior to South Winn’s commencement Sunday. RIGHT- All smiles after graduating in the gowns and decorated caps are Alison Heying (left) and Josie Hageman. (Driftless Multimedia photos by Becky Walz)
Scott and Lori Pierce stand in the hallway at Decorah High School. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Roz Weis) LEFT- Scott and Lori Pierce are pictured in a vintage DHS Viking Yearbook. By Roz Weis
South Winn graduate Kaden Bullerman shares a surprising expression with his niece Kiptyn Sunday afternoon. Leah (left) and Hailey Riehle walk down the hallway together.
Pen Pals Celebration offers face-to-face meeting RSVP hosted the end of year celebration Wednesday, May 10, for the participants of the very popular Pen Pals program at Decorah Lutheran Social Hall in Decorah. RSVP Director Deana Hageman announced, “We started with 52 students, and in our third year we have up to 260 students from Decorah Carrie Lee Elementary which will be with us today, and Allamakee and Howard County Elementary schools as well.” The volunteers who wrote letters to one or two students over the school year were invited to attend to meet their pen pals face to face. Hageman added, “RSVP Pen Pals is done, but all pen pals can individually decide if they want to continue with their students on their own.” She noted there were a few volunteers still writing with their original pen pals from last year’s kickoff of the program. Andrea Homstad noted this was her second year as pen pal, this time to two young girls: Dora and Emerson. “My first year was during COVID, so we never were able to meet face to face. I’ve had fun with the pen pals pro-
gram. I’m sorry that it’s done,” noted Homstad. Retired Postal Worker and Decorah Councilperson Kirsten Olson had even delivered the Pen Pals’ letters to the schools in his official way,
Pen Pals
The yearbooks at Decorah Community School District (DCSD) won’t be the same after this year. There will be several missing faces in the pages of the Viking keepsake, among them two veteran teachers/ coaches. Scott Pierce and Lori Pierce of Decorah will retire this spring. Combined, they retreat with 70+ years of teaching; and a total of 97 seasons of coaching between them. That’s a fulfilling, challenging career for the record books. Scott has been with the Decorah schools for 26 years and Lori has dedicated 25 years to DCSD. Scott, a Decorah native and graduate of the DHS class of 1984, and Lori, a 1983 graduate of Elgin-Millville High school in Elgin, Minn., met while students at Luther College. Scott earned his BA at Luther in 1988 and his two Master’s Degrees from Viterbo University in 2003 and 2006. Lori earned her BA at Luther in 1987, and attended graduate school at Northwest Missouri State in the early 1990s to add a special education licensure. They were married in August 1988, just before beginning their teaching and coaching careers. A lot has happened since the late 1980s for the Pierces. Their career path took them to
a few schools in the Midwest, eventually landing in Decorah. They are parents of two grown children, Breanne (her husband is Cole) and Bryce (his wife is Kristin). Both of their kids graduated from Decorah High School and went on to Luther College for higher education where they both met their spouses. Scott’s first years of teaching were with East Union Junior and Senior High School in Afton. He taught physical education (PE), world history, American history and geography. His coaching duties included head football, head baseball, head boys track and junior high girls basketball. During his years at DHS (1997 to 2023) he taught American government, economics and computer technology. He coached freshman football for 26 years, girls golf for 16 years and middle school boys basketball for four years. Lori’s coaching career started in Stewartville, Minn., and continued in East Union Schools. She then taught in Creston and Waukon before starting her teaching career in Decorah in 1998. She has taught special education, reading, PE and also coached middle school girls’ track. Other coaching duties over the years were middle school girls’ basketball, cross country, track and high school girls’ basketball.
Challenges When asked what some of the challenges over the years have included, they agreed that the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic were unparalleled and defied description. Throughout the pandemic, they did not hesitate to continue pushing their students to succeed throughout all the unknowns. “COVID was brutal as a teacher,” Scott commented. “Trying to assist kids from sunup to sundown and beyond was difficult and stressful. Not having that human interaction and not being able to see firsthand what students were actually attempting to complete made for a tough go for all parties involved.” Lori said they were not dissuaded by the pandemic as educators. “I’m glad that we crafted a plan for remote, digital, required learning for the DHS students,” Lori said. “I believe our attempts to deliver education in this method helped them be ready for the next chapter in their lives.” Other challenges along the way included juggling parenthood with teaching and coaching responsibilities. “Lori was a rockstar during the era of coaching DHS
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Pictured are Becky Kamm with her pen pals Ellie LaBelle and Lincoln McCall at the May 10 Pen Pals Celebration.
70 years of service
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The Decorah Lutheran Social Hall was filled with eager anticipation as the students arrived to meet with their pen pals face to face for the first time. They had been corresponding throughout the school year. (Driftless Multimedia photos by Kate Klimesh)
continued on page 4
Bid rejected for Airport Hangar and Terminal Building Project
By Denise Lana
A public hearing was held during the Decorah City Council’s May 15 meeting to discuss bids for the Decorah Municipal Airport Corporate Hangar with attached Terminal Building Project. Plans and specifications were approved in early May, but no award was granted at that time. Contractors were given an extension to put together bids for the project, resulting in only one contractor submitting a bid for consideration. The initial engineer’s estimate was $1.8 million, with a recent re-estimation of $2.33 million. Wicks Construction submitted a bid
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2023!
of $2.74 million, but that bid would cover construction costs only. According to City Manager Travis Goedken, the city does not have the funds to cover a bid difference of this magnitude. “With $857,494 over the initial estimate, we would have to make up the difference by local match or grant funding,” Goedken explained. Dave Jones with McClure Engineering addressed the council, explaining that he has seen the same issues come to light with several other airport hangar projects, citing the increased prices of steel and fiberglass as the main culprits of exorbitant cost increases.
Jones added that an estimated 50 contractors were contacted regarding the project bids, and although there was a great amount of interest from subcontractors, no contractor came forth to submit a bid. Options were discussed, including getting rid of the terminal portion of the project and focusing on the hangar only, or possibly varying the terminal portion to a smaller footprint. The bid was ultimately rejected unanimously by the council due to being 46 percent higher than what was budgeted. The project will proverbially be sent back to the drawing board for review and possible redesign.