2020 May Re-U-Knight-er

A publication for the Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools community & alumni.

Volume XLI • Issue 3 • SPRING 2020

e h t g n i r o n o H

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Two of my favorite words are “gratitude” and “inspiration” because these concepts provide strength and courage as we face some of life’s greatest challenges. We become resilient survivors when we can give or receive gratitude … and we are lifted up when we are inspired by the beauty and love that we see in others. I am witnessing both here in our community as we share in the many hardships unfolding in this crisis that has overtaken our lives.

Our mission... to form a community of faith and learning by promoting a Catholic way of life through Gospel values and academic excellence.

President: Kyle L. Groos Alumni & Communications Specialist: Malorie Adamson ‘07 605.575.3360

Gratitude: I am grateful for our students, parents, faculty and staff who have picked up the pieces of our educational program and tried to make the very best of a difficult situation.

I appreciate the dozens of emails from parents who are filled with gratitude for the efforts we make to connect and celebrate our Knights, albeit virtually. I am grateful for our pastors who thrived to connect with each of us through their prayers, weekly online masses and uplifting videos.

Inspiration: I am inspired by our emergency daycare for first responders, Grab-N-Go meals for our families and the philanthropy shown by our current families and alumni. We cared for children whose parents are on the front lines. We are providing meals to meet the nutritional needs of our students. And, our current families and alumni are providing future opportunities for students and families seeking a Catholic education by graciously giving of their time, talent and treasure. Our mission is very much intact!

God Bless,

Director of Development: Susanne Halverson Gale ‘94 605.575.3342 Executive Director Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools Foundation: Nicole R. Bruning 605.575.3362 Admissions / Recruitment: Jenni Struck 605.575.3358

Kyle L. Groos President

GO DIGITAL!

GO DIGITAL!

GO DIGITAL!

Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools 3100 W 41st St Sioux Falls, SD 57105

www.ogknights.org

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If you would like to move to a digital version of the Re-U-Knight-er, go to www.ogknights.org/alumni/contact-form.

You can also email madamson@ogknights.org or call 605-575-3360. A big thank you to those who have switched to e-issues already. Not only do we save on printing, but postage as well.

The class of “My favorite high school memory has to be Homecoming Weeks: dressing “The secular world portrays high school as a place you can’t leave fast enough. In my experience, it is somewhere I can’t stay nearly as up each day, the variety show long as I want to. It is the community here at O’Gorman that has with the student council skit, shaped this perspective. My four years here have undoubtedly and the electric football game influenced the person I am for the rest of my life. to culminate. It was always a This closure has tested all of our limits, and it made me realize how much we took for granted at O’G. The last few week that truly showcased months may have been taken from us, but the community we and celebrated our community built, the lessons we learned, and the memories we cherish can at O’Gorman, not to mention never be stolen.” - senior, Madison Thie. that everyone in the building Senior year is a time when so many memories are made. Time spent in was in on the fun.” activities, hanging out with friends and just enjoying the last of your high school experience become cherished lifelong memories. You forever remember your friends and all the fun times you had with them. You remember the athletic, artistic and academic achievements you made and the dedicated teachers, coaches and staff that helped you achieve them. The people you meet through your high school experience and the bonds you form with them not only become lifelong memories but shape you into the person you are.

- Madison Thie ‘20

The class of 2020 has been a spectacular bunch of students! From athletic and artistic talents to prestigious academic performances, this class has it all. This class is bursting with talent! Unfortunately, due to school closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the class of 2020 didn’t get the opportunity to finish out all those experiences. To those seniors, this issue is dedicated to you.

GO KNIGHTS!

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Graduation from high school is a “rite of passage,” an event shared with your high school classmates here and throughout the United States. The phrase “rite of passage” simply means “a ceremony that marks the transition from one stage of life to another.” And that is certainly true for you.

For you, this “rite of passage” is something that couldn’t arrive fast enough during your high school years. You thought graduation would never come. And as we approached the beginning of spring, a global pandemic turned everything on its head. And here it is… and here you are.

Most do not need to experience a pandemic to know that this was tough on you. Those of us who work in schools do so because we care. That caring does not stop once you leave O’Gorman High School. In situations like these, we worry more about you. There’s nothing I, or anyone, can say to make up for the experiences you lost in what is supposed to be one of the best years of your life.

But I can offer some encouragement. If twenty plus years in education has taught me anything, it’s that people your age are resilient and innovative. Your generation can navigate multiple worlds and bounce between physical and digital spaces with ease.

For your parents, this “rite of passage” is a bittersweet moment of recognition and pride that their young daughters and sons have grown up, their lives will start to take a whole new direction from this point on. But they are still and always will be your daughters and sons. You will always need each other. Never forget that!

For your teachers, this is a time of achievement: they have successfully mentored another group of students through adolescence to a celebration of academic accomplishment. You now join the proud ranks of O’Gorman High School’s great alumni.

Congratulations to the graduating Class of 2020 and to your parents and grandparents, your families and your teachers. I want to say one more thing: “There are three things that last forever – faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13: 13).”

May this message stay with you!

Kyle L. Groos President

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Matthew Schroder Adams

Akoi Malual Akoi

Claire Isabella Alt 

Kaylyn Renee Alton

Macy Jean Andresen 

Noah Joel Arends

Dominic Jay Arnett

Julia Mary Baker 

Emma Katherine Bakken 

Rangsimun Bargmann 

Sage Ann Barnard 

Mary Kaye Barnett 

Sarah Jane Barnett 

Maaza Desalegne Behone

Taryn Elizabeth Bennett 

Sydney Johnna Benson 

Lucas Benton Berthelsen 

Keira Mae Boetel 

Aliyah Taylor Burke

Selam Fekir Bushen 

Jacob Dean Byrd 

John Charles Cartwright 

Kathryn Margaret Cassidy

Yibo Chen 

Alison Marie Ching 

Madelaine Ann Christensen 

Joshua Michael Cogley

Allison Nicole Crouch 

Zachary Blake Curd 

Jordan David Dahl

 National Honor Society  South Dakota Regents Scholar  President’s Award for Educational Excellence  4.0 or higher Grade Point Average (weighted or unweighted, after 7 semesters)

Josiah Carmelo Davis 

Nate Joseph Davis 

Maggie Gilson Derner 

Katherine Gebel Dinsmore 



National Merit Finalist

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GIRLS BASKETBALL The girls basketball team has seen much success throughout the 2019-2020 season with many achievements and notable standout players.

The team achieved their first-ever undefeated season earning them the spot of the #1 ranked team going into the state tournament. Although they didn’t get to play in the state tournament this year due to cancellations, they were a force to be reckoned with on the court and had high hopes for the state championship title. They finished the season with a 21-0 record, which also earned them the school record for number of consecutive wins.

“What a fantastic year this basketball team had! To go 21-0 against a great schedule shows their dedication, commitment, hard work and love for the game. They were truly 15 strong and played with a lot of heart. We are very proud of their many accomplishments!” said Coach Kent Kolsrud.

Seniors on the team include Emma Ronsiek, Carly Kunkel, Allison Crouch and Sophonise Nielson.

“These four seniors have meant so much to our basketball program. They have always been tremendous kids on/off the floor. They have accomplished so much and gave us great senior leadership this year. They will be greatly missed, but not forgotten. We wish them the best and know they will be extremely successful in all future endeavors!” said Coach Kent Kolsrud.

Emma Ronsiek has had an incredible athletic career at O’Gorman High School as a standout volleyball and basketball player. She has earned herself a long list of accolades for basketball including 2020 Gatorade Player of the Year, 2020 Argus Leader Player of the Year, 2019 and 2020 Midco Class AA Player of the Year, 2020 Sanford Pentagon/KELO Media Group Player of the Year, 2020 Jr. All Star Player of the Year, 2020 Class AA All-State Player of the Year, 2019-20 SD Miss Basketball and Metro AllConference. She is also the leading scorer in O’Gorman girls basketball history with a total of 1,390 points! She has helped the Knights make it to the state tournament all four years of her high school basketball career, being a varsity player since she was a freshman. She will join the Bluejays next year at Creighton on a basketball scholarship.

Carly Kunkel has been a 3-year starter for the Knights who also had a fantastic senior season making the Metro All-Conference Honorable Mention as well as being a member of the 2017 state championship team. Carly is a fiery competitor who did a great job leading the team at the point guard position. Allison Crouch was another dynamic senior player for the Knights. She has been a very important member of the team and a very valuable “6th man” on the court. Sophonise Nielson was also a very important senior player. She has helped propel the team to some very impressive accomplishments.

Congratulations Lady Knights on a FANTASTIC season! Your accomplishments, hard work and dedication to the sport is truly admirable.

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Jacob Christopher Doeden 

Emily Kay Leone Dougherty

Abby Marie Duffek 

Clare Francis Dvoracek 

Daniel Joseph Hoon Eager 

Philip Matthew Enderson 

Samuel Russell Eng

Zakkary Arthur Evers

Christina Rae Fanciullo 

Tyler John Fick 

Anna Yi Finnegan 

Anna Patrice Fischer 

Ethan Palmer Floren 

Mariah Elizabeth Flynn 

Lane Michael Giovannettone 

Kristina Ann Glazier 

Carter Alan Gordon 

Olivia Rose Gulseth 

Megan Marcella Gusso 

Kaden John Hackman 

Madison Elizabeth Hagan 

Lauren Elaine Hanson

Cole Brenon Hardie 

Michael Alwyn Harvill 

Emily Catherine Hedge 

Preston Clark Heitkamp 

Joseph Leo Henkhaus 

Jakob John Hermsen

Quinn Eileen Hilber 

Alex Arlyss Hove 

Brennan James Hurd 

Aaron Thomas Ideker 

Rima Fady Jamous 

Creighton Russell Janklow

Sophie Marie Jansa 

Grace Ann Jessen 

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BOYS BASKETBALL

“Cherish the Journey” was more than the team motto for the 2019-2020 boys’ basketball season, ironically it has become what they now live by going through the memories of a season cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is no doubt the Knights’ season came to a screeching halt back in mid-March, but one can’t help but to look back and cherish so many positive moments that characterized this O’Gorman Knights basketball team. The Knights went 14-7 with arguably the toughest schedule in ‘AA’ basketball! After losing their first game at home against Roosevelt and losing their first two out of three games to begin the year, the Knight’s rattled off nine straight wins to establish themselves as one of the state’s premier teams. Highlighted by wins at Yankton, at Washington, against Roosevelt (in the Pentagon), and at Lincoln, the Knight’s ended the season with a convincing playoff win against Watertown to earn their 6th straight State Tournament berth. When the season ended, the Knights were certainly looking forward to competing in one of the most talented and evenly matched state tournaments in recent history. Hoping to bring the school its seventh state title in the last 15 years!

The Knights had a plethora of talent, led by our seven seniors! “We are so thankful to have had seniors, Akoi Akoi, Jack Cartwright, Cole Hardie, Jack Kolbeck, Cade Mikuska, Zach Norton and Jonah Wuebben, part of the OGHOOPS culture! What a group of successful young men!” said Coach Derek Robey. The Knights had four athletes, Jack Cartwright, Cole Hardie, Cade Mikuska, and Jonah Wuebben, earn “Academic All-State.” Two athletes were named to the All-Metro Team including Akoi Akoi and Jack Cartwright. Akoi Akoi was also named First Team “All-State,” Argus Leader Second Team and was a finalist for SD Mr. Basketball.

“Looking back, it was such a fun and challenging year. We had a bunch of guys that seemed to really rally together. Obviously our guys will always remember this season as the one cut short due to COVID-19, but, I believe, they will also look back and remember the journey. The time together.

The sacrifices, the practices, the hard work.

They will remember every moment they spent together. There is no doubt they will “Cherish the Journey” which will allow them to learn and grow!” says Coach Derek Robey.

Congratulations Knights on all your accomplishments! You all have such bright futures ahead.

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Molly Jo Johnson

Samuel David Johnson 

Gunnar Winton Jones 

Logan Johnathan Jones 

Sophia Frances Jones 

Jacob Michael Jorgensen 

Taylor Katherine Junker 

Jordyn Faith Kajer 

Taerin Kim

Carson Rhodes Kocmick 

Lindsay Marie Kokenge 

Jackson Ryan Kolbeck 

Rose Wan Koob 

Alex Michael Kopp

Lauren Ambur Kouri 

Isaac Thomas Kovash 

Alexander David Kowalczyk 

Andrew James Krouse 

Hadley Layne Krueger 

Elizabeth Cecelia Kubista 

Carly Allison Kunkel 

John Thomas Kunkel 

Mallory Dianne Lamb 

Seth Alan Larson 

Alexandra Ryan Laughlin 

Benjamin Howard Lee

Macy Leigh LeGrand

Siyanna Marie Leiss

Wang San Richard Lester 

Carine Liu

Samuel Dennis Loecker

Chloe Anne Loving

Minh Quang Lu

Sydney Keegan Lynch

Ava Leigh Manning

Isabella Claire Marino

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BAND O’Gorman’s band program had a very successful run this school year. Many of the ensembles and individual band members have been recognized for their musical achievements.

Seniors in the band this year were Dominic Arnett, Selam Bushen, Kathryn Cassidy, Allison Crouch, Clare Dvoracek, Jacob Englert, Lane Giovannettone, Olivia Gulseth, Madison Hagan, Michael Harvill, Emily Hedge, Quinn Hilber, Samuel Johnson, Mallory Lamb, Seth Larson, Samuel Loecker, Sydney Lynch, Hope McMaster, Sara Mersha, Shelby Olson, Athen Ortega, Mark Petrasco, Jonah Picasso, Veronica Pitzl, Jake Scheafer, Scott Shlanta, Avery Starr, Caleb Stork, Gabriel Van Wassenhove, Victoria Wilson and Dean Workman.

These students worked hard to achieve many successes and notable accomplishments. Gabe Van Wassenhove, Olivia Gusleth, Sydney Lynch, Emily Hedge and Mark Petrasko were all selected to All-State Band this year, and Olivia Gulseth was recognized as a 4-year member. Gabe Van Wassenhove was selected to All-State Jazz Band for his 2nd year, and Olivia Gulseth, Shelby Olson, Mark Petrasko and Gabe Van Wassenhove were all selected to the All-State Orchestra. Additionally, Gabe Van Wassenhove won 1st place in the Northern State University Young Artist Competition and 2nd place in the South Dakota Symphony Young Artists Competition.

In jazz band, Clare Dvoracek was one out of four that was named an Outstanding Soloist at the University of Nebraska-Omaha Great Plains Jazz Festival. At the same festival, Shelby Olson and Gabe Van Wassenhove won Musical Achievement Awards.

At the annual Region Solo Contest, Superior ratings were earned by Selam Bushen, Emily Hedge, Sydney Lynch, Shelby Olson and Athen Ortega. Perfect scores were achieved by Olivia Gulseth, Mark Petrasko and Gabe Van Wassenhove.

Collectively, O’Gorman had 24 students who received superior rankings for solos and 3 ensembles which received superior rankings.

Beyond the high number of individual awards received this year, our ensembles were also recognized often. Jazz I took 2nd place at the Augustana University Jazz on the Upper Great Plains Festival and had a feature performance at the evening concert of the Palace City Jazz Festival. The marching band took home many awards as well. Drum majors, including senior Olivia Gulseth, were noted as Outstanding Drum Majors at multiple competitions. The Marching Knights took 1st place at the Orange City Dutchmen Field Championships where they marched in the snow in justabove freezing temperature! They also won 2nd place at the Marshall, MN, Pursuit of Excellence Competition and 2nd place at the Luverne, MN, Tri-State Band Festival.

At Tri-State they also achieved Best Color Guard, Best Drum Majors and the People’s Choice Award for their production entitled, Curtain Up! This group of upperclassmen was also part of last year’s Symphonic Band which was accepted to play at the State Bandmasters Convention which is a very high honor, with groups being selected by a statewide audition.

Congratulations to the band seniors who have clearly left a legacy of excellence in O’Gorman’s band program.

We wish them well on their next journey!

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Madison Taylor Marsh 

Colton Gage Masloski

Joseph Hale Mattecheck 

Atong Kual Mawien

Eve Renae McInerney

Tory Lynn McKee

Hope Noelle McMaster 

Sara Gebeyehu Mersha 

Jackson Jeffry Meyer 

Matthew Paul Meyer 

Jonathan Paul Micka 

Cade Jonathan Mikuska 

Jordan John Miller 

Madelynn Elizabeth Munce 

Taylor Nicole Neely 

Isaac Christopher Nelson

Samuel Patrick Nelson 

Sophonise Josias Nielson 

Zachary James Norton

Stella Andrew Nyangamoi 

Shelby Amelia Olson 

Athen Michal Ortega 

Katherine Lea Pals 

Katherine Jane Pardy 

Mark Francis Petrasko 

Olivia Kate Pfeifle 

Jonah Jae Picasso

Veronica Kathryn Pitzl 

Brandon James Poirier 

Quinton Cole Porter 

Jamison Riley Randazzo 

Daniel Joseph Ratzloff 

Madeleine Rose Rausch 

Tip Jackson Reiman 

Karla Del Carmen Reyes

Walter Burton Richardson IV 

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CHOIR The O’Gorman choirs had many talented seniors this year including members in both Honor Choir and All-State Choir. Seniors this year include Julia Baker, Selam Bushen, Alison Ching, Katie Dinsmore, Clare Dvoracek, Sophie Jansa, Sophie Jones, Isaac Kovash, Sydney Lynch, Matthew Meyer, Sophonise Nielson, Katie Pals, Elli Richardson, Grace Ronan, Sam Schmidt, Libby Schoenfelder, Scott Shlanta, Macy Spader, Payton Steffensen, Grace Thuringer, Sami Turner, Mary Wilka and Jenny Woll.

Molli Schlenker and Anita Schulte made the South Dakota Senior Honor Choir 2019. All-State Chorus Fall 2019 included Griffin Aasen, Jonathan Baye, Nora Dahle, Abby Dingman, Clare Dvoracek, Aiden Geiver, Henry Heyer, Caleb Kanable, Anisah LaPlante, Sydney Lynch, Matthew Meyer, Jacob Olson, Molli Schlenker, Anita Schulte, Scott Shlanta and Maggie Wolf. National Association for Music Educators (NAFME) National Honor Choir 2019 included Elli Richardson. American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) North/North Central Regional Honor Choir 2020 included Allison Kassing, Hayley Mausbach, Natalie Rutten and Molli Schlenker. American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) South Dakota Jr. Honor Choir 2020 included Cece Bender and Anisah LaPlante.

This was another tremendous year for our choral department and we know our seniors have very promising futures ahead of them!

DRAM A The theatre department missed out on their biggest production of the year, the spring musical. This year’s musical was going to be Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Unfortunately, due to the current pandemic, they did not get a chance to perform this year’s production.

Seniors that were cast before the play’s cancellation include Elli Richardson, Matthew Meyer, Jordan Miller, Brady Van Overschelde, Isaac Kovash, Sam Schmidt, Julia Baker, Sophie Jones, Libby Schoenfelder, Abby Dingman, Grace Thuringer, Katie Dinsmore, Josiah Davis, Mary Wilka, Scott Shlanta, Avery Starr, Shenghong “Danny” Zhou, Clare Dvoracek, Maryn Shaefbauer, Selam Bushen, Alison Ching, Anna Fischer, Kate Trader, Katie Pals, Lingxi Zhou and Maddie Hagan. Senior tech crew members include Dean Workman, Dominic Arnett, Colton Masloski, Carter Gordon and Sage Swenson (costumer).

Senior pit band members include Olivia Gulseth, Emily Hedge, Shelby Olson, Athen Ortega, Katherine Pardy, Mark Petrasko, Gabe Van Wassenhove and Victoria Wilson.

The oral interp program had one of its most successful years as well! They qualified 12 students who were to compete in Albuquerque, NM in June but will now participate in an online competition. The team was led by an outstanding group of seniors including Rima Jamous, Taylor Junker, Atong Wawien, Sydney Benson, Elli Richardson, Katie Dinsmore, Grace Thuringer, Libby Schoenfelder, Matthew Meyer and Mary Wilka.

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Suellin Jeanne Richardson 

Madison Elizabeth Roemen

Gabriel Eduardo Rojas 

Cody James Rokusek 

Bailey Ann Roman

Grace Elizabeth Ronan 

Emma Grace Ronsiek

Katelyn Rae Rush 

Mateo Lalo Sanchez 

Broc Anthony Schaefbauer

Maryn Rebekah Schaefbauer 

Teegan Mitchell Schafer 

Jake Donavon Scheafer 

Ellie Elizabeth Schelske 

Samuel Jon Schmidt 

Elizabeth Terese Schoenfelder 

Shayla Kristine Shaver 

Scott Anthony Shlanta 

Grant James Smith 

Joseph Demlo Sommervold

Liam Lloyd Sorensen 

Macy JeeAe Spader

Avery Blake Starr 

Jack Ryne Starr 

Mary Katherine Statz 

Jonas Alexander Steele

Payton Ruth Steffensen 

Caleb Michael Stork 

McKenzie Lynn Struck 

Veronica Aniela Stys 

Georgina Francis Anne Sugrue 

Tyler Keith Swartz

Sage Victoria Swenson 

Elizabeth Catherine Theobald 

Madison Margaret Thie 

Paige Scott Thornton 

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TRACK AND FIELD

Track and Field was one of the many spring activities cancelled due to the current pandemic. The Knights had many promising athletes that won’t get the chance to compete and exhibit their talents this year. For many it would be the last time they would have been able to compete during their high school careers.

Seniors on the Track and Field team include Ronnie Bargmann, Taryn Bennett, Lucas Berthelsen, Josh Cogley, Jacob Doeden, Mariah Flynn, Cole Hardie, Dylan Hilger, Alex Hove, Gunnar Jones, Logan Jones, Alex Kowalczyk, Joe Larson, Jackson Meyer, Zach Norton, Jonah Picasso, Veronica Pitzl, Daniel Ratzloff, Karla Reyes, Burton Richardson, Gabe Rojas, George Sugrue, Elizabeth Theobald, Paige Thornton, Ashton Vavra, Sydney Wambach, Patrick Wilde and Brady Wilson.

Sydney Wambach is a very skilled jumper who placed 3rd in the Long Jump and 2nd in the Triple Jump at the 2019 State Track meet. She would have been one of the top jumpers in the state this year had she gotten the opportunity to compete. Karla Reyes helped the Medley team place 2nd in the 2019 State Track meet, running the 200 meter leg. In 2019, the girls track team was just two points away from being the state champions and they would have had almost all those points back this year.

Jackson Meyer had one of the top times in the 2019 season in both the 800 and 400 meters. Due to an injury during last year’s season, he only ran in the 4x400 in the 2019 State Track meet which he placed at. Cole Hardie placed 3rd in the 800 meter at the 2019 State Track meet. Gunnar Jones, Logan Jones, Zach Norton, Brady Wilson, Alex Hove, Dylan Hilger, Alex Kowalczyk and Joe Larson all had a hand in helping the boys team place in every relay in the 2019 State Track meet.

Unfortunately, these kids will have to go their senior year without getting to compete. These athletes have had great high school track careers and we wish them all the best with their future endeavors!

“My track and field experience at OGHS was wonderful. The coaches are amazing and very supportive. They weren’t focused on getting us faster but enhancing athleticism. The coaches are the best and they provide numerous opportunities to learn. The team was like family, we all had each others’ back and supported one another every race. I will miss running for the Knights.

There is something special about wearing the O’Gorman Knights uniform that I will truly miss.”

- Karla Reyes ‘20

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Grace Elizabeth Thuringer 

Kate Morgan Trader 

Theresa Tuyen Tran 

Samantha Lynn Turner

Brady James Van Overschelde 

Gabriel Cain Van Wassenhove 

Ashton Rose Vavra 

Elizabeth Marie Viehweg 

Sydney Noel Wambach 

William Joseph Washenberger 

Genevieve Mary Westerman 

Patrick William Wilde 

Mary Catherine Wilka

Brady Robert Wilson 

Victoria Grace Wilson 

Tate Timothy Wishard 

Jacob Daniel Wolf 

Jennifer Nicole Woll 

Dean William Workman 

Jonah Michael Wuebben 

Jacob Michael Wuestewald 

Michael Amin Yousef 

Lingxi Zhou 

Shenghong Zhou 

 National Honor Society  South Dakota Regents Scholar  President’s Award for Educational Excellence  4.0 or higher Grade Point Average (weighted or unweighted, after 7 semesters)

Natalya Kathleen Zieske



National Merit Finalist

Not pictured: Jacob Michael Englert  Kadus Gebremedhin Gebreziabher

Always in our hearts… Mali Anne Farmer

15

GIRLS GOLF

The girls golf team had two seniors this year, Carly Kunkel and Sophie Jansa. Both started in 7th grade and have been on the varsity team since 8th grade. They are both three-time defending state team champions, both have been four-time City and Conference team champions.

Photo: Argus Leader

Individually, both girls have been All-City, All-Conference and AllState for the past four years. Carly has been individual State runnerup twice and she was the 2018 Argus Sports Girls Golfer of the Year.

“The team was very much looking forward to going for a fourth consecutive State Championship this spring, especially our two senior leaders. Beyond the Championships and individual honors, we will miss spending time together as a team, road trips and stops at Culver’s.” says coach, Tom Jansa.

BOYS TENNIS The O’Gorman tennis team has seen many talented players throughout the years. Senior, Michael Yousef has been a standout tennis player for the Knights throughout his high school tennis career. He has been playing for the varsity team ever since he was a 7th grader! He would have been the #1 player for the Knights this year with a very promising shot at the state title. Congratulations Michael on a wonderful high school career in tennis! We know you will go far in the future.

Photo: SDPB

Photo: SDPB

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“Playing tennis at OGHS meant having a group of friends that I could practice, compete, and hang out with.

My favorite memory would have to be my first state tennis tournament. It was a whole new experience for me and also a lot of fun. I am planning on continuing playing tennis competitively at St. Olaf.”

- Michael Yousef ‘20

SCHOLARS O’Gorman High School is no stranger to academic excellence. The school is a three-time Blue Ribbon award winning school that prides itself on it’s students high academic performance.

This year was no exception. This fall, twelve O’Gorman students qualified as National Merit Semi-Finalists. Those twelve students include Scott Shlanta, Katie Pardy, Jacob Wolf, Jackson Meyer, Mark Petrasko, Selam Bushen, Olivia Gulseth, Brennan Hurd, Jacob Jorgenson, Hope McMaster, Madison Thie and Josiah Davis. Eleven of those twelve students have advanced and qualified for the finalist spot!

More than 1.5 million high school juniors from about 21,000 high schools around the country entered the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program. Semi-finalists were selected by obtaining one of the highest scores in their state on the 2018 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. To earn the finalist position, applicants were required to have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by an official from their high school, write an essay and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm their earlier academic performance. As a finalist, they will be eligible for around 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million to be offered next fall as students head off to college.

In addition to the National Merit Scholars, the class of 2020 had a long list of National Honor Society inductees. This year’s inductees include Grace Abdallah, Reece Arbogast, Brynn Askew, Julia Baker, Ella Barnard, Ella Bender, Mason Bierema, Charles Bills, Shia Bintliff, Madeline Brooks, Mara Brown, John Brunner, Amran Bushen, Luke Casey, Sofia Cinco, Rachel Clark, Daphne Clausen, Thomas Clinton, Gavin Cotter, Abigail Dardis, Ellen Dow, Daniel Eager, Maria Evans, Doreen Flannery, Kendall Fogarty, Ethan Fredrickson, Thomas Free, Abbigail Gant, Nicholas Gauer, Joseph Gellerman, Kathleen Gellerman, Emily Gerner, Emily Goldammer, Gabriel Gonzales, Elizabeth Gould, Taitlyn Gowlovech, Walker Haber, Kianna Healy, Abigail Hericks, Haley Hoffman, Alex Hove, Harrison Hueners, Alexander Irvine, Erena Jain, Camden Johnson, Allison Junker, Allison Kassing, Katherine Kolb, Rose Koob, Jessica Kruse, Carson Langston, Grace Lent, Elizabeth Longo, Elaina Lubeck, Joseph Lynch, Lyla Mattu, Shannon McCormick, Emma McKay, Elizabeth Meert, Edward Meylor, Andrew Moen, Hayden Muirhead, Josie Niedringhaus, Brooke Oberbroekling, Rachel Oines, Taylor Opitz, Peyton Paa, Conor Pavelko, John Pellman, Raegen Reilly, Benjamin Renshaw, Zachary Ridl, Elizabeth Ripperda, Graham Sanders, Maggie Satter, Anita Schulte, Michael Shea, Carly Starr, Payton Steffensen, Patryk Stys, Benjamin Sweetman, Victoria Tams, Ellie Thie, Pimthong Thongtad, Allison Tschetter, Luke Tunge, Grace Waage, Erin Weber-Reistroffer, Bridget Wilde, Matthew Winterton, Zihan Yu and Simon Zimprich.

Congratulations to these seniors on this tremendous achievement! We know you all have such promising futures ahead of you and we can’t wait to see what wonderful things you will accomplish in the years to come.

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INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROGRAM

Many students come to O’Gorman from an international student program each year. This year, international students included the following seniors; Yibo “Bobby” Chen from China, Taerin Kim from South Korea, Lingxi “Lindsay” Zhou from China and Shenghong Yibo Chen “Danny” Zhou from China.

Taerin Kim

“High school gave me a completely different taste of the world and it is just a starter. O’Gorman is like a dream builder for me as I will venture out to college as an international student pursuing my dream in aviation.

Although school is closed, O’Gorman nevertheless offers that hope we can finish senior year and the future is still ours despite COVID,” said Yibo “Bobby” Chen about his experience at O’Gorman High School.

These students not only experienced high school in a different country but also experienced it during a global pandemic, far away from their family and friends back home.

Lingxi Zhou

“Since I’m from China, I felt like double jeopardy. Firstly, I worried about my family a lot but, thanks to globalization and my host family, I never felt hopeless and feel more or less just bad. Now, ironically, the situation flip-flopped. I more or less feel the same but I am just amazed by the fact I had already traveled this far to O’Gorman to learn and there is a whole globe out there for me to explore after COVID ends. This COVID also made me feel like I do not really have a “home” anywhere in this world but I can trust my parents to have my back,ww” said Chen.

O’Gorman is privileged to host many wonderful international students with various dreams, goals and aspirations for their lives. We look forward to seeing what these four seniors will go on to achieve in the future.

Shenghong Zhou

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SENIOR SALUTE - MILITARY SENIORS

As many seniors graduate and look ahead to their futures, many go the traditional route of going to college but a select few feel the call to service of their country. These fine men and women dedicate their lives to their country and their countrymen by serving in various branches of our armed forces.

This year, seniors Matthew Adams, Dominic Arnett, Zachary Curd and Jordan Dahl have committed to military service upon graduating from high school. Dominic and Matthew have committed to service in the United States Marine Corps, Zachary has committed to the United States Air Force Academy and Jordan has committed to service in the South Dakota Army National Guard.

Zachary Curd earned a tremendous honor by being accepted into the US Air Force Academy. The US Air Force Academy is one of the top universities in the country and develops outstanding leaders and officers of character who exemplify courage, dedication and a desire to serve others. Applicants must meet high academic, physical, character and medical standards to be eligible for appointment. Cadets at the United States Air Force Academy receive a world-class education that prepares them for careers as leaders working for the most advanced air force in the world.

Cadets pursue futures as pilots and engineers, cyber specialists and space operation officers. In doing so, they’re able to make an immediate impact and shape the future of this country.

All four of these young men are about to embark on an extremely honorable journey. We wish them all the best in their military careers and all their future endeavors. May God bless and protect you in all that you do. We salute you!

Matthew Adams

Dominic Arnett

Zachary Curd

Jordan Dahl

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“My experience at O’Gorman has been very memorable, something I don’t think I could forget even if I tried. Those four insane years we all go through can either torture us or be the happiest years of our lives, I mean I had a little bit of both but overall they were some of the years I’ll cherish forever. I met some of the best, and most intelligent people who taught me things I never expected to learn. Now that it is over I’m realizing how much I’ll be able to take away from all of my different and incredible experiences I had. These are the years that we grow the most as individuals and the years that teach the most about life in different aspects. I feel I was able to learn more about myself in this time and am somewhat prepared for what life throws at me next. I am beyond grateful for the memories I made here and of course the teachers and counselors that provided me with so much love and support through the difficult times—crazy my high school journey has come to an end so quickly, and unfortunately can’t get a traditional graduation or last moments with friends but I am thankful for every relationship I made with the people there and what I was taught about life. I assure you I can’t express that enough.

We’ll be okay, I have a lot more to look forward to in my lifetime.”

- Aliyah Burke ‘20

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When we come together, we can do amazing things.

A

THANK YOU ! #GOGIVEOG

GO>GIVE>OG Day 2020 was a success! Although we didn’t reach our $50K goal, we still raised over $37,500 to help support families in need of tuition assistance. The best part is donations are still coming in!

Many of you rallied together to make that possible. We were able to visit with our alumni as they called in with donations and hear some of the reasons why they give back. From alumni, alumni parents and even current parents, we had many generous donations towards this wonderful cause. Because of your generosity, we will be able to help students attain the Catholic education many of you also received.

Here are some of the reasons why our alumni/donors support tuition assistance at Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools.

“I give because my 4 years at O’Gorman gave me a great foundation for life. I have great memories and friends that stick with me after all these years.”

- Chris Piatt ‘96

“I received tuition assistance and did work study at O’G and I want students today to receive the same benefits today so they can receive high quality Catholic education.”

- Nate Sotebeer ‘15

“We donated because our kids go to St. Mary and we want to help the school family.”

“I donate because I can.”

- Eric and Katie (Hexamer) Hanson ‘93

- Nick Earley ‘88

“I believe I share the same feelings as my six brothers and four sisters, that we are extremely blessed to have had parents who were dedicated Catholics. All 11 of us attended Catholic school from 1st to 12th grade. Our family moved several times between 1940-1949 when we settled in a home within the shadow of the Cathedral. All of us graduated from Cathedral or O’Gorman. All of us went on to graduate from college, and several to earn a Master’s degree. I believe our success in life was/ is greatly a result of our education by the Sisters and Priests at Cathedral and O’Gorman. The reason for my contribution is gratitude for that opportunity and the hope that Catholic education will always be available to everyone.”

- Peter Barnett ‘58

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KNIGHT NOTES

OGJH Orchestra Achieves Division I Ranking This is the highest ranking they have received. The newly launched Orchestra program at the junior high is seeing much success! Way to go Knights!

Grab-N-Go Lunches

Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools staff worked hard to make sure students’ nutritional needs were met during the COVID-19 pandemic by offering Grab-N-Go meals for students during the current school closures. Families were able to pick up lunch and breakfast every weekday at the junior high throughout the end of the school year.

Emergency Worker Childcare at Holy Spirit Elementary

Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools offered a childcare resource to emergency workers in our schools’ community. Medical staff, emergency responders and many other essential employees utilized the service during the current pandemic. To those parents, we want to say THANK YOU for all that you are doing for our community during this time!

Palm Monday Parade St. Michael Elementary celebrated the start of Holy Week with a Palm Monday Parade at the school on Monday, April 6th.

Teachers lined the sidewalks (6 ft apart) with signs and palms to greet students and their families as they drove by in the parking lot. Families’ vehicles were decorated with signs and greetings for their teachers. Deacon John Devlin was also there to give a blessing to the families as they drove by.

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Knight Pride Parade St. Katharine Drexel Elementary held a Knight Pride Parade on Tuesday, April 7th to celebrate the school’s community. Teachers and staff greeted students and families from the sidewalk as they drove by in the parking lot. Vehicles were decked out in Knight Pride with signs and decor. The schools’ resource officer, Off. Runyan, and Dwight both made an appearance as well! Go Knights!

Mr. Manning's Surprise Birthday Parade Holy Spirit Elementary Principal, Regan Manning, celebrated his birthday on Friday, April 17th with a surprise birthday parade! Holy Spirit staff, students and families joined in a car parade past his house with birthday greetings. Happy Birthday Mr. Manning!

May Day Parade Thanks to a generous donation, Holy Spirit Elementary was able to put on a May Day Parade for their students and families on Friday, May 1st. May Day garden stakes were put out on the school’s campus for families to come grab between 4-6pm that day. The May Day packages with the garden stakes included gift cards to local businesses as well as a pack of flower seeds to plant at home together as a family.

Crowning of Mary Parade St. Michael Elementary held a Crowning of Mary Parade on the evening of Tuesday, May 5th. The event was held to celebrate May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Students and their families decorated their cars in flowers and drove through the school’s parking lot to observe the crowned statue of Mary outside the school and received a blessing as they drove by.

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What’s up at MRS. MAHONEY’S SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARADE

Assistant principal, Alex Anderson, coordinated a surprise birthday parade for principal, Joan Mahoney’s, 60th birthday on April 22nd!

O’Gorman High School staff, students and families joined in a car parade past her house to give birthday greetings and wishes as they drove by. Dwight even made a special visit to celebrate! Happy Birthday Mrs. Mahoney!

PRESIDENT OF SD FBLA

2019-20 SD MISS BASKETBALL

Junior Emma Roth, has been elected as the 2020-2021 President of South Dakota FBLA! She took her oath of office on Thursday, April 16th and will serve as the SD FBLA President for the 2020-2021 school year. This is an amazing accomplishment! Congratulations Emma!

Emma Ronsiek has been honored with many awards this year for her accomplishments in her high school basketball career. Most recently, she was named Miss Basketball presented by Hansen Anderson Basketball and voted upon by the state’s basketball coaches. After leading the Knights to a 21-0 record for the season, Emma has had a very decorated senior year. She has committed to playing for the Bluejays at Creighton next year as she begins her college career. Congratulations Emma!

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STUDENTS RECEIVE HONOR FOR ASPIRATIONS IN COMPUTING

Madison Roemen

Ryleigh Tupper

Katherine Pardy

Michaela Weinacht

Emma Roth

Kyra McIntyre

Six O’Gorman High School students achieved recognition from the NCWIT for their aspirations in computing! Award winners include Madison Roemen, Ryleigh Tupper, Katherine Pardy and Michaela Weinacht and honorable mentions went to Emma Roth and Kyra McIntyre. These award recipients were selected based on their aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing, as demonstrated by their computing experience, computing-related activities, leadership experience, tenacity in the face of barriers to access and plans for post-secondary education. OGHS teacher, Tara Johanneson, was also selected as the 2020 Aspirations in Computer Science Educator Award recipient from NCWIT! Way to go Knights!

COACHES HONORED

SHARING IN FAITH VIRTUALLY Coach Kolsrud

Head Coach Kent Kolsrud and Assistant Coach Barry Matthies were both award winners in the 2020 Region Basketball Coaches of the Year Awards! Kolrud was named the Head Girls Coach Of The Year for Region 5 and Matthies was named Assistant Girls Coach Of The Year for Region 5. Congratulations Kent and Barry!

Campus Ministry head, Brian Stai, has been connecting with students virtually to keep up with prayer groups along with praise and worship sessions for students. They connect virtually on zoom and through Instagram to continue celebrating their faith together.

SHED BUILDING PROJECT

SD PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR

Assistant principal, Alex Anderson, and custodial staff finished building the shed on the O’Gorman campus in the absence of the Industrial Arts class students there to finish the project. The newly completed shed is located next to the O’Gorman practice field and will house various athletic equipment.

Senior Katherine Pardy was named a SD Presidential Scholar by the US Department of Education. The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects honored scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic and technical excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.

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‘48 Terrence “Terry” Caster has partnered to help Sharp HealthCare nurses reach their full potential.

Founder of Caster Group, Terry, is an active philanthropist who also founded, alongside his now passed wife, Barbara, the Terrence and Barbara Caster Institute for Nursing Excellence scholarship program to assist nurses with scholarship assistance during their pursuit for medical degrees and certificates in nursing.

‘64 Michael and ‘64 Diane (Fonder) Gallagher celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 2nd! They were married May 2, 1970 at St. Joseph’s Cathedral. They have 3 children Karla (Mark) Ploehn, Brian (Lisa) Gallagher, Karen (Grant) Pyron; and 6 beautiful/handsome grandchildren - Henry, Gavin, Khloe, Luke, Dakota and Kahli. ’65 David Alexander and his wife, Linda, moved back to South Dakota from Kentucky to be closer to family.

David writes, “After 25 years away from Sioux Falls (working, living and retiring in Kentucky), we have moved back. Seeing grandkids and family more often led the list of positives while the weather was on top of the negatives list.” ’68 Mary Beth (Eisnebraun) Henning has moved back to the midwest. She now resides in Willard, MO. Her email is: olecluck49@gmail.com. ’72 Mary (McKillip) Wells is now retired.

Her email is: mmwdjw@gmail.com.

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‘88 Thea (Fanning) Fryer, Lianne (Groth) Cates, Marcia King, Jennifer Ellis, Tammie (Cink) Olson and Paula (Wick) Hagen have been meeting via the virtual meeting software, Zoom, to stay connected. “We took to Zoom to start celebrating entering our fantastic 50s! Socializing while social distancing!” said Paula Hagen.

‘89 Aaron Ferrie will be the principal at Blessed Maria Assunta Pallotta Middle School (grades 6-8) in Waterloo, IA beginning in the 2020-2021 school year.

‘91 Rachelle (Walsh) Vettern has been promoted to full professor at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. ‘99 Jacquelyn (Miller) Hurd and Brandon Hurd welcomed Keatun Sylvester Hurd into the world on March 20, 2020. He joins brothers, Kellen (12), Korbin (10), Kipton (18 months) and sisters, Kamryn (7) and Kadian (3.5).

‘02 Andrew Elson graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2006 and the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 2010. He then completed radiation oncology residency training at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He

and his spouse, Celine Marie, now live in New Orleans practicing radiation oncology and psychiatry, respectively. They are the proud parents of a baby girl, Adelie Marie (Addy), born May 29, 2019.

‘04 Nathan and ‘04 Christi Pease welcomed a new addition to their family. Jonah Allen Pease was born January 28, 2020 weighing 9 lbs 2 oz and measuring 20.5 inches long. He has two older sisters, Charlotte (5) and Audrey (3). “Having a newborn during a pandemic is something I obviously never anticipated but Jonah has definitely been our bright spot and he reminds us to remain hopeful.

He is such a smiley, happy baby,” writes Christi.

‘05 Michael Elson graduated from the Creighton University College of Business in 2009. He also participated on their tennis team throughout his collegiate career. He then started employment with the federal General Services Administration, Kansas City, and completed his MBA at UMKC. He and his spouse, Claire Elizabeth, a clinical pharmacist at Children’s Mercy Hospital, are the proud parents of three children: Charlie, age 4; Leo, age 2; and baby Eleanor Elizabeth (Elle), age 8 months.

They enjoy regularly seeing other OG grads in the KC area, especially cousin Olivia Rauschenbach (‘09) DDS!

’05 Blair (Van Overbeke) Poppens and husband, Danny, welcomed Sloan Louise Poppens into the world on January 29, 2020. ’06 Levi and ‘06 Beth (Rysavy) Pole welcomed their fifth child, Samuel Thomas Pole, into the world on October 11, 2019.

“He is getting lots of love from his siblings!

Aden 7, Camden 6, Emma 3 and Cooper 1 ½,” writes Beth. ’07 Nathan Truex and wife, Samantha, welcomed son Elijah William Truex into the world on February 8, 2020.

‘12 Danny Mohama, MD graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School-matched Internal Medicine at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN. ‘12 Chandler (Nielsen) Jansen, MD graduated from USD Sanford School of Medicine-matched Dermatology at The University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC.

’07 Chelsi Gunderson married Dan Mancini. They had a destination wedding in Mexico on February 24, 2020.

‘08 Chloe Goldade was named the South Dakota Assistant Coach of the Year! She has been helping coach the Knights in Speech and Debate for the past five years.

’12 Cassie Wilka rang the closing bell at Nasdaq headquarters in New York City for the UNITAS Foundation on January 30, 2020. Cassie works closely with the UNITAS Foundation through her job on the Nickelodeon Location Based Experiences team at ViacomCBS.

‘12 Anthony Rauschenbach, MD graduated from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, matched emergency medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN. ‘12 Laura Rezac, MD graduated from USD Sanford School of Medicine, matched dermatology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MI. ‘12 Luke Witte, MD graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, matched dermatology at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO.

‘12 Lukas Pitzl, PA-C, graduated from Des Moines University; Joining the cardiothoracic surgery team at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, MN. ‘12 Michael Andreone, MD anticipated graduation in May 2021; Michael is currently planning on matching in internal medicine, with plans for a fellowship in either GI, oncology or critical care.

However, he is keeping his options open at this point.

‘12 Aaron Tarnasky, MD anticipated graduation in May 2021; Aaron plans to match in either anesthesiology or internal medicine, with a fellowship in critical care medicine.

Former O’Gorman High School Choir instructor, Cathy Britton, was recently named the National Federation of State High School Associations National Citation. Cathy spent 38 years as a vocal director and she has served on the ACDA board for the South Dakota Chapter and North Central Region. She has also been honored by the ACDA with an Encore Award and Lifetime Achievement Award.

SAVE THE DATE! BISHOP O’GORMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION

Sporting

$175 INDIVIDUAL • $700 TEAM For registration and sponsorship information, go to www.ogknights.org/about/events/sporting-clays-shoot Space is limited, so secure your spot today!

CLAYS SHOOT TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 HUNTERS POINTE SHOOTING COMPLEX

Contact the Foundation at 605-575-3343 or foundation@ogknights.org with any questions.

All funds raised will support the Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools Foundation operations.

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A NIGHT FOR ALL KNIGHTS

E X T R AVA G A N Z A 2 0 2 0 VIRTUAL FUNDRAISING EVENT & AUCTION

Truly “A Night for All Knights” This year’s Extravaganza was originally scheduled for April 4, 2020. With the COVID-19 virus impacting all events in the city, we were forced to cancel our in-person event. After much consideration we decided to have a virtual event on April 25, 2020. The night turned out to be a huge record-breaking night raising over $166,700 to help support our staff salaries and tuition assistance. WAY TO GO KNIGHTS! Thank you to everyone that donated, bid on items, posted on Facebook and watched the event! It was so much fun to see how everyone was celebrating with their families and friends while still social distancing. We definitely missed being together in person but we also felt our community come together virtually to support our Knights!

During our event we had a virtual paddle raise to support tuition assistance in all eight Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools. Due to technical difficulties during our live event, we were unable to see the names of people donating. When the system finally started working we were overwhelmed with the generosity of so many! We had donations of $5,000 down to $50 all to support tuition assistance. It was obvious that our community was stepping up to help those that will need tuition assistance in the future. We also had a matching donation of $10,000 from Miles and Lisa Beacom to get our paddle raise started. I am super excited to report that we raised $41,275 in that effort! Thank you to EVERYONE that donated!

I could not have done this event without the help of my chairs, Tricia Solomon and Joni Blauwet, and my co-chairs, Brooke Wegener and Brenda Moore. Thank you again for helping plan this year’s Extravaganza!

And lastly, a special thank you to Ben Koch and Alex Anderson for doing such a fantastic job emceeing the event and making us all laugh!

Go Knights!

Susanne Gale, Director of Development

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Upcoming Class of 1960 – 60 Year Reunion – POSTPONED!

Thanks to all who responded, but it was decided to postpone the 60th reunion because of the coronavirus. Details to come next year.

Looking forward to seeing all of you!

Class of 1968 – 70th Birthday Celebration – CANCELLED!

Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, the 70th birthday celebration scheduled for September 18th - 20th in the Black Hills for the class of 1968 has been cancelled. Thanks to all those who responded so positively to this event!

Class of 1970 – 50 Year Reunion – POSTPONED!

After communicating with the reunion committee, it has been decided to postpone the reunion until next summer. The projections for Sioux Falls, and probably your individual locations, pretty much carry us to and through the time period planned for the reunion.

Having it later in the fall does not lend itself to a safer time period either. Inevitably, our reunion will be our 50+1 reunion and allow us to connect with each other safely next summer. I pray that all of you find a little peace in all this craziness. Stay Safe! For updates, please contact class president, Jim Hargens, at Ogormanhs70@gmail.com.

Class of 1980 – 40 Year Reunion – September 11-13, 2020

Save the date! The class of 1980 will be having their 40-year reunion on September 11-13, 2020. Details are yet to be determined but more information is to come! Email Tom Jansa at tjjansa@gmail.com with any questions.

Class of 1990 – 30 Year Reunion – September 11-13, 2020

The class of 1990 will be celebrating their 30-year reunion on September 11-13, 2020. Events will include a social gathering on that Friday night with a location yet to be determined and on Saturday tailgating at Dakota Bowl! If you are interested in helping plan the reunion, please contact Michelle Curley Shields at mshields@ogknights.org.

Class of 2000 – 20 Year Reunion – August 1, 2020

Save the date! The class of 2000 will be having their 20 year reunion on August 1, 2020. More details to come!

Class of 2010 – 10 Year Reunion – CANCELLED!

After much consideration, the class of 2010 has decided to cancel the 10 year reunion. The committee will reevaluate this fall about rescheduling something in the future. If you have any questions, please contact Liz Bunkers at liz.bunkers@gmail.com or Molly Donohue at mollyd747@gmail.com.

REGIONAL REUNION ALL CLASSES – Denver, CO – CANCELLED!

Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, the all-class Denver reunion has been cancelled. We will look at doing it next year so look out for details in coming issues of the Re-U-Knight-er!

PAST REUNION Class of 1965 - 55 Year Reunion

The class of 1965 met for a virtual reunion via Zoom on Wednesday, May 6th. Alumni met digitally over the virtual meeting software to talk and catch up with one another and even sing a few tunes.

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* Full obits available at www.ogknights.org/alumni/in-memoriam

FORMER STAFF:

Marilyn Sudbeck passed away on February 7, 2020. She was a teacher for over 40 years with a majority of that time spent teaching at Christ the King Elementary. Marilyn is survived by her daughters, Kim ‘87, Julie Kolbeck ‘88 and Mitzi Vitale ‘95. Memorials are being directed to the Dennis & Marilyn Sudbeck Family Endowment for Teacher Salaries fund at Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools Foundation, 3100 W 41st St, Sioux Falls, SD, 57105.

Robert “Bob” Denny passed away April 10, 2020. Robert was a longtime volunteer for O’Gorman High School. He ran the clock for home basketball and football games for many years. He also dedicated much time to record game records for the O’Gorman High School athletic department. He is survived by his wife, Jane; and his children, Robert ‘77 and Michael ‘78.

ALUMNI: ‘43 Marlys (Erickson) Zimmer passed away on March 21, 2020. Carrying her memory forward are seven of her ten children: Suzanne Jimmerson ’64, Beverly Underwood ’65, Patty Zimmer ’67, Kenneth Zimmer, Nita Carey ’70, Gary Zimmer and Brian Zimmer; her 18 grandchildren; and her 26 greatgrandchildren. Marlys was predeceased

by Gene, her husband of 74 years and 9 months; three of her children, Nicholas Zimmer, Roger Zimmer and Jacqueline Halbritter; her sister, Colleen Futrell ‘50; and her brother, Robert Erickson ‘47. ’44 Maurice Gillespie died on March 17, 2020. He is survived by his children, Pamela ‘68, Larry ‘69, Patricia Gillespie-Walter ‘73, Joan ’77 and Robert; 13 grandchildren; and 19 greatgrandchildren.

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‘47 Barbara (Burke) Eilers passed away on August 9, 2019. She is survived by her children, Burke, Erin, Chris and Mark; husband, Bob Schwarz; and nine grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her brothers, Jack ‘37, Jim ‘39, Tom ‘45 and Frank; and two sisters, Eileen and Mary ‘42. ’50 Maureen (McManus) Regan passed away on February 11, 2020. She is survived by her children, Jean Stokke ‘73, Teri Everson ‘76 and Stephen Wheeler ‘78; two grandsons, Matthew Stokke, Sean Stokke; two step-grandchildren: Melissa Jones ‘10 and Erik Everson; four great-grandchildren; and five step greatgrandchildren. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

‘50 Connie (Sommers) Wheeler died on April 8, 2020. She is survived by her children; Jean Stokke ‘73, Teri Everson ‘76 and Stephen Wheeler ‘78; and two grandsons. Connie was preceded in death by her siblings, Lorena Corcoran, Maurice Sommers, Mary Olson, Robert Sommers ‘39, Richard Sommers ‘40 and Joan Kaiser ‘48; her parents Gilbert and Mae Sommers and many cousins and close childhood friends. ’52 Leroy Reiter passed away on March 11, 2020. He is survived by his children, Tony ‘77, Josh ’80 and Jill Gates ‘83; 16 grandchildren; and 9 great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Karen; and sons, Timothy and Kim. ’53 Mary Ann (Futrell) Ketter died on November 28, 2019. She is survived by her husband of 56 years, John Ketter; three children, Laurie Ann, Nicholas Joseph and Fr. Daniel Ketter; and three grandchildren.

’53 Patricia Matthews died on March 13, 2020. She is survived by her husband, Acie; son Jim; granddaughter Sarah Ann. She is preceded in death by her parents; siblings, Betty Jean ‘51, Jimmy Don, Colleen Constance Miller ’54. ’54 Ted Pins passed away on March 11, 2020. He survived by his wife, Beverly (Abraham) ’62; daughters, Jessie Schmidt and Treva Barlow; son, Jud; daughter-in-law, Lori Rymerson; siblings, Mary Wolf ‘54, Dick ‘56, Pat ’66; grandchildren, Sam Schmidt, Sydney Schmidt, Ashley Kayser ‘02, Justin Pins ‘04, Cassie Baar ‘05, Traci Baar ‘07, Andrew Baar, Vannessa Dixon, Kayla McGill, Johnathan Barlow and Dylan Rymerson.

‘65 Robert Thury died on April 2, 2020.

He is survived by daughter, Andrea; granddaughter, Olivia “Ollie” Castro; mother, Mildred “Millie”; and sister, Carol Person. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lana Thury; father, Norbert Thury; father-in-Law, Maurice Wipf; and brother-in-laws, Cory and Danny Wipf. ’66 Viola (Andersen) Robertson died February 16, 2020 of pancreatic cancer. She is survived by her husband, Dan; daughters Keli and Megan; two sons-in-law; and grandson Shepherd.

In addition to her twin sister Vicki (Andersen) Brown ‘66, Vi is survived by one other sister, Joyce Steineke; and by her six brothers, Ken, Wayne, Gene, Lyle, Jerry, and Mark. She was preceded in death by her sister Sheila (Andersen) Kennedy ‘64. ’66 Michael Bruggeman passed away on February 29, 2020. He survived by his wife, Cathy (Brzica) ’68; children, John, Jenny Howard and Ellen Johnson; grandchildren, Connor Bruggeman,

Cassidy Deuring, Samantha Duering, Charlie Howard, Ben Howard, Cabhan Bruggeman, Molly Howard, Julian Johnson and Layla Johnson; 2 greatgrandchildren; and brothers, Joe ‘76 and Matt. He is preceded in death by his daughter, Anne Elizabeth; parents, Clete and Patricia; sister, Margaret; and brother, Patrick ‘73.

‘68 Larry Zimmer died on April 29, 2020. He is survived by his wife Peggy ‘68; children Jennifer ‘90, Becca Jo Laverty (Gene Strote), and Paul; 4 grandchildren Isabella, Ethan, Jake and Elissa; his son-in-law Wallace Enman; mother, Ethel; brothers Jack ‘67, Dan ‘69, Rick ‘72, Greg; sisters Kathy Navrkal ‘69, Terri Becker, Lisa Blankman; inlaws Marcy Zimmer, Pat (Sheehan) ‘66 and Rick Nearman, Mike ‘72 and Cindy Sheehan, Sue (Sheehan) ‘73 and J.T. Haas; his aunt Geraldine Zimmer; and many beloved cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Ray; brother, Jeff; niece, Megan; in-laws Dave and Bess Sheehan; brother-in-law Jeff Sheehan ‘79; his sonin-law Sean Laverty.

FAMILY OF ALUMNI: Lorraine Pierce, mother of Robert, Marla Richard, Kathleen Piercemogen, Roger, Roland ‘72, Rodney ‘74, Marleen Brown ‘76, Rory ‘78 and Jaqueline ’80. Memorials are being directed to the Hanlon Family Memorial Scholarship fund at Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools Foundation, 3100 W 41st St, Sioux Falls, SD, 57105.

Delores Staebell, mother of Ron ’63, Jean Ollerich ‘66, Tom ‘68 and Mark ’75; and mother-in-law of Jerry Ollerich ’66 and Katie (Weisbecker) ‘68.

Troy Farmer, husband of Colleen (Devaney) ’83.

Ricky Erway, wife of Ted Brooks ’67.

Denny Merritt, husband of Susan (former teacher) and father of Matt ‘95, Sam ‘97 and Angela ‘01.

Richard Harr, spouse of Aurelia “Rae” (Williams) ’55; and grandfather of Andrew ’01, Ryan ’03 and Sam ’08.

Aidan David Anderson son of Pamela (Benson) ’79.

Carl Zimmer, brother of Katie, Marbenette ‘79, Don ‘81, Neal ‘89, Colleen, Laurie, and Cecelia ‘97; and son of Lois (O’Brien) ‘58 (deceased).

Marcella Effertz, mother of Scott Effertz ‘79.

Gene Fritz, husband of Larae (Woefel) ‘55.

Carol Lee (Fokken) Beard, daughter of Patricia (Donahoe) ‘46 (deceased); and sibling of Mike, Denny ‘68 (Mary Beth), Mary Griffith, Steve (Rhonda) and Pat (Neili).

Ertis Osterberg, father of Jodi Beck ‘77, Jeff ‘78, Lisa Christensen ‘82 and Jim ’86.

Sara Urban, daughter of Mary Anne (Weibers) ‘69 and sister of Rev. Anthony ’03 and Matthew ’98.

RESCHEDULED! Sept. 21 @ Willow Run Golf Course Afternoon • 18-Hole

Four Person Scramble Team & Individual Prizes Monsignor Andraschko Award Hosted by: O’Gorman High School Athletic Boosters

TO REGISTER:

NEW! Online: www.OGGolf2020.givesmart.com

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