Iroquois, SD

Our electronic sign is finally in and running!! What a fantastic addition to our town. If anyone is coming our way from out of town, slow down a little and check it out. Some landscaping needs to be done yet but we have some gals trained on using it and following our annual Sports Day we’ll get the necessary downloads and it will be ready for community posting. Right now we’re using it to advertise the schedule for the Sports Day weekend, July 11, 12 and 13th. This sign is a direct result of our Horizons Study Circles and the assessment of community needs that resulted from that. Thanks to all participants in those Study Circles. Great things DO happen when people get together and discuss things.

As I am writing this, we are in the process of painting a house for a gentleman who is disabled. Volunteers are scraping the house, getting it ready to paint. One of our Community club members has a paint sprayer and has volunteered to paint it.
A beautiful cool evening last night allowed us to get a good start.
As part of our strategic plan, we want to beautify our little town, one house at a time.
Flowers have also been planted around town to help spruce up the town.
We want to have everything done in time for our sports day events that will be held in July.

There will be a Memorial Day Program on the 26th of May at 10:00 A.M. in the South Gymnasium.

Gunner Baatrap, former State Legion Commander, will be the featured speaker.

After the program the procession will go to the Maplewood Cemetery, where flowers will be placed on the Servicemen’s Memorial. While the names of deceased Veterans will be read. Followed by a Gun Salute.

The Legion will serve a meal at the Legion Hall following the service.

Brandi Blue, Hillary Bohlander, Brittney DeJong, April Leichtenberg, Kendall Leichtenberg, Shelby Matthews, Casey Miller, Lindsey Miller, Eric Schoenfelder, Melissa Schortzmann, Jordan Vaudrin, and April Nuese were Confirmed by Bishop Swain at St Paul, Iroquois on Wednesday, April 2, 2008.

Those receiving their First Communion on April 27th were: Kenzie Blue, Raysia Culver, Makayla DeDeyne, and Josh Keating.

And the Graduating students were honored at a Graduation Mass at St. Pauls on Sunday May 4, at !!:00 A.M.
Those graduating were: Megan Keating, Emily Lynch, Christopher Schortzmann, and Michael Whirledge.

We went on our field to trip DeSmet to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder sites.  We didn’t let the wet weather dampen our spirits.  At the LIW Society, we toured the Surveyor’s Shanty, Brewster’s School, and the house that Pa built.  We ate our sack lunches at the homestead site before continuing our tour.  We got to make butter, grind wheat into flour, shell corn off the cob, make rope and corncob dolls, and twist hay.  But…the most fun of all was riding in a covered wagon to the country school.  Each one of us had a turn to drive the team, even Mrs. Wienbar!  The horses’ names were Skip and Barnum, just like Almanzo’s.  We’ll remember this day for a long time to come!

We posed for this picture without smiling, just like pioneers!

ON Sunday, May 5th, our Horizons group decided to sponsor an open house to showcase our beautiful school. It was a beautiful day. Several local people showed up to take the tour and to look at the exhibits that were on display at each classroom.
We had several new families come and take a look around and possibly enroll their students.
Our group served refreshments during the tour. We also provided free bussing to the open house for those families that live in Huron.
We think it was a success, and we plan to have another open house again this August when we are ready for school.
New carpet is being installed this summer in the elementary end, and some painting and cleaning will be done by then.

How can your community sustain the changes it has already made in its leadership? By continuing to encourage active involvement from the whole community. The more people involved the better off our community will be. Those in leadership will hopefully sustain if they know they have the help and support of others. And the community will thrive if we get everyone involved.

What structural changes have been made in how the community does its work / makes decisions? The community has discovered the value of getting everyone involved in the decision making process. When you get more involved in making decisions, it is easier to get those people involved in doing the work. If they have a part in the choices, they want a part in getting a favorable outcome. When you can get an idea that people are excited about, it is easier to get volunteers for the project.

What structural changes have been made so that your community leadership sustains partnerships with others? All the community organizations began meeting jointly to share ideas and resources with each other. Then, each group knows what each other are doing and can help each other out.

Iroquois middle school students heard opportunity knock and answered the door. The Junior Class put on A Treasured Night last Friday complete with a pirate’s theme flaunting a pirate’s ship, a treasure chest, treasure and rocky waters under a full moon.  The Treasured Night was not exclusively enjoyed by just the high school students attending Prom nor did it last just one night. Middle School students held a middle school dance, with chaperones, taking advantage of all the prom decorations and enjoyed karaoke into the night as well as group dancing. Refreshments were enjoyed and student’s carriages arrived at 11:00 to take them home.

This year’s Sports Day will be held July 12 and 13 in Iroquois. We are once again going to have a Town and Country Showcase in the Fire Hall. If anyone is interested in setting up a booth, please contact Marlys Peskey at 546-2359 or 546-2426. We would love to have you be a part of this year’s summer event.
In addition to the T & C showcase, there will be lots of exciting things happening in Iroquois that weekend. A parade will kick off the day on Saturday starting at 10 am with the theme, ” Small town, big dream”. there will be mud drag races, bed races, kid’s games, just to name a few.
Last year’s event was very successful.

Students at Iroquois School participated in this year’s South Dakota Reading Council contests and were chosen as Pony Hills Regional winners.  Their entries will advance to the state level.         

In the Young Authors contest, each grade was given a writer’s prompt.  Young Authors selected from the elementary were 2^ndgraders Makayla DeDeyne, Avery Shumaker, and Gracelyn Fast, in 3^rd grade, A.J. Royal, and Nikka Lamont, and in 4^th grade, Lacey Bich, Allison Bich, Emily Hanson, and Michael Hofhenke.  Young Authors selected from Iroquois High School were, 9^th graders, Brent Matter, Carrie Bornitz, Stephanie McNutt, Tanya Sutton, and Jacob Langland.  Tenth Grade winners were Brandi Blue, Dakota Tschetter, and Kendall Leichtenberg.  In Eleventh Grade Hillary Bohlander, Brittney DeJong, and Melissa Schortzmann were chosen.  And in Twelfth GradeShane Geyer, Chase DeJong, and Emily Lynch were winners.  As Young Illustrators, the students were asked to draw a scene from their favorite book.  Any art medium could be used.  Winners in this contest were from 2^nd grade, Kenzie Blue, Avery Shumaker, and Gracelyn Fast, in 3^rd grade, Hannah Wehlander and Tiffany Miller, from 4^th grade, Justin Maas, Allison Bich, and Michael Hofhenke, and from 5^th grade, Dana Wipf, Marshall Wallum, and Kelsey Blue.       

The Reading Challenge began last September.  Students kept track of the number of pages they read through March.  Pony Hills Reading Challenge winners were in 1^st grade, Colton Schweigert, Cassie Hofer, and Adam Keating, in 2^nd grade, Makayla DeDeyne, in 3^rd grade, Cauy Hofer, and Hannah Wehlander, in 4^th grade, Allison Bich, and from 5^th grade, Britney Moeller. 

        These Pony Hills Reading Council winners will be honored in Huron at the next meeting.  They will also be honored at the South Dakota Reading Council convention at Pierre in August.