The Raider Report

February is the month we celebrate some of our country’s greatest leaders, so it seems only fitting that I draw upon the wisdom of great leaders from the past to write this month’s article.

This year has been one riddled with change, challenge, and disappointment – no one can deny that. However, Abraham Lincoln reminds us that the perspective we bring to any situation is a powerful thing! Honest Abe tells us “We can complain rose bushes have thorns or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” Perspective is a Powerful thing!

John F. Kennedy reminds us that we should not worry about pleasing the masses. In fact, he stated “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” This is a message that gives us permission to think differently than we have in the past. It encourages us to step outside of our (and others’) comfort zone as we seek to meet the challenges of today. Instead of clinging to the statement, “We can’t. It has never been done before.” Let’s instead respond with, “Why not? Let’s try it!”

One of my personal favorites comes from Thomas Jefferson: “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand still like a rock.” Anyone who gets to know me will know that I do not waver when it comes the values and principles that this great nation was founded on: Honesty, Integrity, Perseverance, and Independence. These are the values that still make this part of the country the greatest place to live and work.

Finally, Dwight D. Eisenhower provides us with an insight very applicable to not only our district but anyone striving to make their dreams come true: “Accomplishment will prove to be a journey, not a destination.” Be patient; enjoy the journey, and smell the roses along the way! J

Article by: Hattie Hanson

This month the ORR staff and students 6-12 answered a survey about February. The first question asked was what their favorite Valentine's day candy was. The most popular vote was chocolate. Another favorite was Fun Dip. One person said anything caramel, and another said they liked the suckers passed out for the prom fundraiser. When asked about their favorite flowers they had many different answers. Most people liked roses, sunflowers, or tulips. Other flowers like daisies, hibiscus, and hydrangeas were on there a few times. Someone said their favorite flowers were Lego Flowers. The next question was about the color they associate Valentine’s day with. Red and Pink were the two most popular answers. Red had a little over 50% while pink had a little under 40%. Some people said they associate it with white, or purple. When asked if they thought they weather would stay nice 65% said that it would. While 35% were less optimistic and thought the weather would change for the worse. The last question was what they were looking forward to this school year. Many said they were excited for spring sports like track, softball, and golf. A lot of people said they were excited of summer. While the staff said they wanted to hang out with their kids and teaching them more fun things. People are waiting for the warm weather, and longer days to come here. The seniors said they were excited to graduate. Thank you for answering my survey!

Article by: Julia Trygstad

Jessie Agnew is the daughter of Nicole and James Agnew. She is the middle child with a younger sister Ari Agnew and an older brother JJ Agnew. Throughout the course of her high school years, she has been involved in the One Act Play, All-School Play, Choir, Band, and Basketball. Jessie also spends lots of time working at the Colman Dollar General. Advice that she would like to share to all younger classman is “the harder you work, the better you will do.” When we asked Jessie what the highlight of her senior year has been, she commented “working as a class to get things organized and the joys of homecoming.” Jessie’s biggest role model that has made an impact on her life is Mrs. Chambers because she is always super happy and is ALWAYS willing to help. Her most influential teacher at Rutland is Mr. Myrvik because even though he can be tough and strict he is amazing at his job. This is one of the biggest things that Jessie is going to miss most about being a raider, leaving the most amazing teachers. When looking back on the Rutland School in her later years in life she will remember the kind acts of all the amazing teachers. A little secret she would like to share is the most creative excuse she has ever used to get out of an assignment and that is telling her teachers she will be going to a funeral. Another fun fact to know about our future graduate is the most embarrassing trend that she has been a part of and that was dabbing. When Jessie was a little girl, she always had the dream to grow up and become a cop or a teacher. If you know Jessie, she is always willing to help others. Her future plans have changed a bit since then, and now she is planning on continuing her education at Wayne State College in Nebraska for graphic design. What gets Jessie through her days is hearing the famous quote “life isn’t fair.” The dreams she has tomorrow for the world is for everyone to get along. Jessie is always happy to see her best friend Kiley Hanson because she constantly knows how to make her smile and laugh even when she may be upset. Lastly, the best for last, is what she can’t live without….her blanket because she dislikes being cold. I think everyone would have to agree with that. We are happy to have Jessie is our school and while there may only be 53 more days of seeing this positive attitude running around the halls we sure will make the best of it!!

Article by: Bella Malisch

On Monday, February 19 the Lady Raiders played Flandreau Indian for the first round of regions in Ramona and had a great night that ended with a win. Julia T, Brooklyn R, and Bailey H all had double-doubles and had points in double digits. The score being 75-41 this gave the Raiders confidence for the next night in Arlington vs Arlington at 6 pm. Sadly the Lady Raiders ended their season on Tuesday with a great game the score ending at 34-59. Julia Trygstad with 25 points and a ton of steals. The varsity team will miss the 2 influential seniors Julia Trygstad and Alivia Bickett. Julia Trygstad states that she “advises underclassmen to leave it all on the court and have no regrets as she has no regrets”. The team will miss their attendance on and off the quart. Alivia Bickett also has some words of wisdom stating “Push yourself and have no regrets because it will all come to an end, but with making great memories and having fun it will last a lifetime."

The boys varsity also heading into regions after their game vs DeSmet on Friday, February 16th in Ramona. They will play the first round on February 27 at 6pm when they take on the Castlewood Warriors. Last week between games was solely devoted to practice as some teams still had regular season games going. Coach Cole Siegfried says “Regions are going to be tough no matter who we draw in the first round. It has been a very fun season no matter what the score says next week. These boys have given me all they can offer to the game and I am extremely honored to be their coach. I hope that this year is a sign of things to come in the future here at ORR. Go Raiders!” Cole Siegfried is a first-season coach but has helped the boys gain confidence and build skills the ORR athletics appreciate his commitment. The boy's varsity team looks forward to seeing you at the games and listening to your encouraging charts and cheers

Rutland Location’s Student Council is putting on a Book Fair at the Rutland location. The fair is going to run from March 11th until March 13th during regular school hours. Rutland’s student council is going to be operating the book fair at spring conferences on the evening of March 12th from 3:30 pm-7:00 pm. Any and all ORR students and parents are welcome to come through the fair during that time.

If you have any questions, please contact Carly.Chambers@k12.sd.us.

Article by: Seth Weston

This past month, there have been several activities and events in the school. Currently, Ag Week is being celebrated with four dress-up days, for Tuesday students wore AG hats, for Wednesday students wore a color for their favorite tractor and some even drove tractors, Thursday students wore flannel clothing, and Friday students wore blue and gold clothing. The AG students are also getting prepared for CDEs coming up this March. The prom committee hosted a fundraiser selling candy suckers to help fundraise for prom. The juniors have met with the seniors and the senior project advisor Mrs. Trower to discuss what the juniors will be doing for their senior project. As a challenge for Valentine's day, the students each wore a heart. On one day the boys had hearts and if they talked to the girls they would lose their hearts and on the next day the girls wore hearts and if they talked to the boys they would lose their hearts to whoever they talked to. Whoever had their heart by the end of the day or the most hearts collected would win. In anatomy class, the students dissected sheep brains, looked for and identified parts of the brain, and analyzed the differences from a human brain. The government class researched court cases and discussed how they would have ruled if they were in charge. The 8th-grade global studies students are currently studying the artistic expressions of countries of their choosing. They enjoyed listening to radio stations from their countries and comparing/contrasting the music we listen to to the music listen to elsewhere. Next week they will begin the culinary experiences. The Publications class is creating yearbook content and pages as well as producing monthly newsletters.
Be sure to order your 2023-2024 Rutland Site Yearbook for only $25!

Article by: Jessie Agnew

Dayna Borah is Andy Borah's daughter. She has participated in volleyball, basketball, choir, and band. After high school, Dayna plans to attend cosmetology school. During her elementary days, she aspired to become a teacher. Dayna advises the underclassmen not to take Accounting 2, which can be overwhelming, and not to take everything too seriously. The highlight of her senior year was Homecoming Week. Dayna will miss the people at ORR the most, especially her classmates and friends. She cannot live without water because it is essential for life. Her life's mantra is, "Focus on the step in front of you, not the whole staircase."

Article by: Nick Bothwell

February has been an eventful month at our school, filled with activities and hands on experiences. Here are some of the things the elementary has done the past few weeks. The kindergartners marked their 100th day of school with a "Glow Day" celebration. The day was filled with fun and educational activities, including word tic tac toe, hopscotch, and a race to 100. The kindergartners also showed their creativity by making 100-day necklaces. In science, the 4th grade students had a project in biology. They had the fun opportunity to dissect owl pellets, getting the hands on experience and exploring the parts of the food chain. This activity allowed students to study the dietary habits of owls and learn more about ecosystems. The 2nd and 3rd graders studied soil layers in their recent science lessons. To end the unit, students got involved in a creative project by making edible soil cups! By identifying different foods to show each soil layer, The students not only learned about the composition of soil but also enjoyed a treat as a reward for their hard work. In 1st grade, the students each brought 100 items of something from home and then made books out of what everyone brought and made their own title pages to complete them. K-3 did on the 101st day we made hats that say "I'm 100 Days Brighter" that they colored to wear home.

Grades K-2 at the Ramona site finished up a 5 lesson Adopt a Cow series from the Lake County Extension Office. Students learned about dairy cows, care of dairy cows, milk and milk products. During the final session they made homemade ice cream. Thank you to Jen Hayford from the extension office for bringing this program to school!

Article by: Zayd Anderson

As basketball season comes to a close, students prepare for the outside activities that come with the warmer weather of spring. For those students who enjoy individual sports, golf and track & field are great options. The physically challenging requirements of track & field appeal to students who like to push their physical limits, while the precision-based game of golf appeals to those who like slow-paced, careful sports. For girls who enjoy team sports, softball is the perfect pick.

This year’s track & field team is expected to have between 25 and 50 participants, likely being somewhere in the low 30s. There are 15 track & field meets scheduled for the ORR team prior to the state meet. Track & field members are excited for the season to begin so they can get outside and start running.

This year’s golf team is projected to have between 15 and 20 participants. The team has 12 meets scheduled. The golf team has a new coach this year, Reece Simpson. The students believe he will be a great fit and wonderful addition to the team. They’re excited for golf to begin and think this will be a great experience.

As for softball, we currently project 10-15 players. There are eleven games scheduled for the season. The coaches, Crystal Hansen and Sammantha Hoyles, are ready and excited for the season to begin. Unfortunately for the boys, baseball is not a school-sanctioned sport. However, that hasn’t stopped a number of the boys signing up for a baseball club.

We’ve also added a new sport to the list. The trap shooting team already has 18 students signed up. Students will take turns shooting clay pigeons, then marking their scores online. Like JO volleyball and baseball, it is a club sport, meaning it is district-specific, but not school-sanctioned. In other words, students will be expected to pay for their own costs.

Time to get back outside and enjoy the warm weather. Spring sports are just around the corner and students are prepared to be more active. Although not ever sport is school-sanctioned, there are clubs available for students with other interests. It’s safe to say, this spring is going be great.

The Ramona High School and junior high students enjoyed a Valentine's Day party with cupcakes, a Valentine-making station, a Valentine's Day word find, and a gift bag station to share some love with a special person in their life or for themselves. A short video explaining St. Valentine's Day history gave one theory for how this holiday came to be in our lives, too.

Article by: Hyde Hanson

Last week, for a Valentine's Day activity, the Rutland students did a relay race in the gym to earn house points. Students competed in their houses to rush from one end of the gym to the other while balancing a candy heart on a popsicle stick. February 23rd was the first Raider Rally, where Ramona students came over to Rutland to meet with teachers and students in preparation for next year when we as 6-12 combine. It was fun to just be together as we enjoyed spending time with each other. For the Raider Rally we played dodgeball in the gym against other classes. For example, freshman versus sophomores, juniors versus seniors, etc. The junior class took time and met with Mrs. Trower about their Senior Projects during the rally. There was also a house activity which included an obstacle course in the gym as well as fun activities within our houses.
We are already looking forward to the next Raider Rally and spending time together as ORR!

• February 26- BBB Regions
• February 27- BBB Regions- ORR vs Castlewood in Castlewood, 6pm
• February 29- GBB SoDak 16
• March 1- BBB Regions
• March 5- BBB SoDak 16
• March 7-9- GBB State Tournament in Rapid City
• March 8- Friday School
• March 11- ORR Pops Concert in Rutland, 6:30
• March 12- Parent/Teacher Conferences
• March 13- School Board Meeting in Rutland, 5:30
• March 14- End of 3rd Quarter
• March 14-16- BBB State Tournament in Aberdeen
• March 18- FFA CDE in Tri-Valley
• March 19- Rutland Project Fair in the gym, 6pm-8pm
• March 21- FFA CDE in Flandreau
• March 25- FFA CDE in Howard
• March 26- BOND VOTE: Oldham Gym, Ramona Gym, Rutland Gym
• March 28- 8th Grade Junior Achievement Day @ DSU
• March 29- NO SCHOOL- Good Friday
• March 31- Easter
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