OGHS Knight Letter March 2018 From the Principalogorman.sfcss.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/march-knight-letter.pdf · vine Mercy Chaplet during the lunch periods. Please encourage

OGHS Knight Letter March 2018

1 OGHS, 3201 S Kiwanis Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD 57105 ~ 605-336-3644

Dear O’Gorman Parents & Students:

As we continue our Lenten journey, I want to remind you of the many opportunities for prayer and worship

that our students have throughout the week. Morning Prayer is held every morning at 7:50 AM in the chap-

el. Mondays we also pray the rosary during the lunch periods followed by Catholic Culture. Tuesdays and

Thursdays we have Mass and confession offered during the lunch periods. ENDOW and Guys Group also

meet Thursday morning at 7:00 AM in Campus Ministry. Wednesday is our large group liturgy in the

Lorang Theatre at 10:15 AM. Friday morning we have Adoration at 7:00 AM along with Mass and the Di-

vine Mercy Chaplet during the lunch periods. Please encourage your students to take advantage of these

opportunities to grow in their faith, especially during this Lenten season.

We want to thank all of our parents who took the time to stop by and visit with us during our parent-teacher

conferences on Thursday, February 15. We are fortunate to have parents who are involved in and dedicated

to the academic success of our students. We realize that our partnership with you is essential for the success

of each of our students and our school as a whole.

March is another busy month as we transition to our spring sports and activities. We hope to see many of

you at our annual Empty Bowls Soup Supper on Wednesday, March 7. This event is an annual Lenten

fundraiser for Sioux Falls organizations that support the poor and homeless in our community.

The Boys and Girls State Basketball Tournaments will be held March 15-17 at the Denny Sanford Prem-

ier Center. Both teams will play this coming weekend (March 2 & 3) for a chance to qualify for the state

tournament. There will be no school for students on Thursday and Friday, March 15-17. Thursday is an in-

service day for staff.

The Winter Band Concert will be held on Tuesday, March 20th with All-State Band the following week-

end in Rapid City. Monday, March 26 we hope you will join us for the Choral Department’s Capers which

will be held at O’Gorman High School this year.

We wrap up the month with Awareness Day on Thursday, March 29. This is a morning that we dedicate to

bringing in outside speakers to talk with our students about important issues facing them in today’s world.

The noon dismissal that day leads into our Easter Break. We return to school on Tuesday, April 3.

We are grateful for all of the prayers and support you have given us throughout this school year.

Joan Mahoney, Principal

From the Principal:



Essential Phone Numbers

Attendance: 575-3310 (Pam Gordon)

Counseling: 575-3320 (Sue Knight)

Lunch Accounts: 575-3356 (Carrrie Keuser)

Activities / Rentals: 575-3300 (Aaron Strand)

Knight Locker: 575-3391 (Betsy Weber)

IMPORTANT DATES

March 1-3 ………………………………………………..…Debate: Varsity State Tournament, Watertown

March 2………………………………………………………...Girls Varsity Basketball SDHSAA Playoff

March 3…………………………………………..…………….Boys Varsity Basketball SDHSAA Playoff

March 7………………………………………….....Empty Bowls Soup Supper 5-7 p.m. (OGHS Cafeteria)

March 13………………………………………. Freshmen Theology Parent Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Cafeteria

March 15-16-17……………………Basketball Varsity State Tournament, Denny Sanford Premier Center

March 15……………………………………….……………...Teacher In-Service, No school for students

March 16………………………………………………………………………….No school, Vacation Day

March 20……………………………………………...…...Band Winter Concert, 7:00 pm, Lorang Theatre

March 22-23-24………………………………………….………………..…….All-State Band, Rapid City

March 24……………………………………………………………..….Shamrock Run, McEneaney Field

March 26…………………………………..Capers Concert Choir Variety Show, 7:00 p.m. Lorang Theatre

March 29………………………………………………….…………………………...…….Awareness Day

March 29………………………………………………………………....Early Dismissal, Holy Thursday

March 30 - April 2…………………………………………………………….No school, Easter Vacation

April 4………………………………….………………………..All School Mass-National Honor Society

2017-2018 Yearbooks

The 2017-18 Knight Legend Yearbook is now

on sale. Go to Jostensyearbooks.com for more

information, or books may be ordered in room O-

204. The cost is $70 for a limited time only.

Checks should be made payable to SFCS.

April 1st Deadline

All financial assistance applications are due by April 1st, 2018.



PARENT INFORMATION

Attendance Matters

Attendance Tip of the Month: If your student is frequently tardy or absent from school, make a contract

with your child to improve his/her attendance and reward positive improvements.

Attendance is one of the strongest predictors of student performance at O’Gorman!

You can check the number of absences and tardies of your student on Infinite Campus by clicking

on the attendance tab in the left column.

A reminder that ten or more absences from a class in any one semester may result in loss of credit

for that class.

At this point in the semester, students who have more than three absences are at risk for going over

ten.

If your student is going to be gone for any reason, please contact Pam Gordon in the attendance office at 575-

3310. If your student is going to be absent one full day or more, please call the attendance office at least one

day prior to the absence.

Notable Teachers

Congratulations to Teresa Fester and her entire cast and crew for earning superior acting awards for every

single person involved with this year’s play at the State One Act Festival!

Congratulations to Skye Bork and the gymnastics team for winning the qualifying tournament and for taking

4th place overall at the State Gymnastics Tournament!

Congratulations to Sheila McQuade who took home an additional award at the SD Math and Science Teach-

ers’ Convention last weekend - Sheila received the Distinguished Service Award in addition to being named

the Daktronics Math Teacher of the Year!

Congratulations to Lynn Thomason who is a finalist for the Sioux Falls Public Schools Teacher of the Year

Award. Lynn teaches all levels of Latin at O’G on Thursday evenings. She is also a full-time teacher at Lin-

coln High School.



Participants sought for 2018 International Youth Camp in Sioux Falls

Are you interested in learning more about other countries and cultures? The 2018 Lions Youth Exchange

Camp will be held in Sioux Falls July 15-21 at Augustana University. There will be 25 youth exchange stu-

dents from around the world attending the camp, and 20 youth from North and South Dakota will be selected

to attend. Cost of the camp is $400, which includes all food, lodging, and activities. This is a unique oppor-

tunity to develop meaningful relationships with students from around the world.

Host families are also needed. International students will arrive July 8, 2018 and depart July 28th. Host fami-

lies provide a place for the student to live before and after the youth camp, as well as help the student learn

more about American culture. For more information, visit www.sdlions.org/youthcamp or call Jennifer at

338-0551.

PARENT INFORMATION

Summer School & Driver Education Registration

Summer school will run from Tuesday, May 29 through Friday, June 22. Classes are in session from 8:00 AM to

12:00 PM daily Monday through Friday. The final determination for the course offerings will depend upon the

number of students who register for a particular course. If your student is considering taking a summer school

course, please keep in mind that students are not allowed to miss more than two days of summer school. If stu-

dents miss more than two days, they are removed from the course.

In addition to summer school, we will be offering driver education classes. The classroom portion of the driver

education program will run from Monday, May 21 through Friday, May 25. Class is in session from 7:30 AM –

1:30 PM each of these days to achieve the necessary thirty hours of classroom instruction. Specific dates and

times for the driving portion of driver education will be determined at a later date.

http://www.sdlions.org/youthcamp



Notable Knights

Congratulations to the following band students who participated in the Region Solo/Ensemble Contest:

DIVISION 3 (Good): Kathryn Gerwer, Andrew and Kathryn Gerwer duet, Jack McCarty, Kirsten

VanDenHemel

DIVISION 3 (Excellent): Selam Bushen, Taitlyn Gowlovech, Nicole Guo, Lucia Hofflander, Tabitha Hunt,

Sydney Lynch, Erin McQuade (flute solo), Shelby Olson, Elena Yellow Bird, Kirsten VanDenHemel and Ali

North duet, Claire Sorenson and Olivia Tunge flute duet

DIVISION 1 (Superior): Maddy Brooks, Luke Casey, Aubrey Hagen, Michael Harvill, Emily Hedge, Gerrit

Heyer, Courtney Holt, Shannon McCormick, Erin McQuade (piccolo), Rebecca Miller, Ali North, Anna Ol-

son, Nathaniel Pekas (horn and trumpet), Sam Peterson, Mark Petrasko (horn and trumpet), Abbey Rhone,

Anita Schulte (timpani), Olivia Tunge, Adam Catangui, Kennedy Kappenman, Gerrit Heyer and Ethan Ding-

man (sax quartet), Grace Nielsen and Sarah Eckerstorfer (marimba duet)

PERFECT SCORES: Ethan Dingman, Olivia Gulseth, Stephen Osterberg, Anita Schulte (snare), Claire

Sorenson, Gabe Van Wassenhove

Congratulations to the following OG Band students who were selected to participate in this year’s All-State

Band! Justin Boone, Ethan Dingman, Olivia Gulseth, Stephen Osterberg, Nathaniel Pekas, Claire Sorenson

and Gabe Van Wassenhove. Students are chosen by state-wide audition. The concert will take place in Rapid

City on Saturday, March 24.

Congratulations to Nathaniel Pekas who auditioned for and was selected to participate in the UNL Winter

Festival for Winds and Percussion. Nathaniel traveled to Lincoln in January to partake in the weekend-long

honor festival.

Congratulations to our six National Merit Finalists: David Berman, Theresa Fischer, Emily Kassing,

Michael Kovash, Angela Roberts and Conner Stearns.

Congratulations to the O’G Wrestling team for placing 4th at the regional tournament and advancing 7

wrestlers to the state tournament. The following wrestlers qualified for state: Aaron Ideker (1st place/

Regional champion - 120), Tigh Hight (2nd place-138), Tycho Clausen (2nd place –145), Zach Witte (2nd

place –170), Jon Binstock (2nd place –182), Kenley Lamberty (3rd place - HW) and Nick Hillberg (4th place

–195).

Congratulations to Zach Witte and Tigh Hight for the 5th place finishes at the State Wrestling Tournament.

Congratulations to the following students for their excellent National German Exam results: Anthony Rei-

land, Rylee Benson, Amran Bushen, Tabitha Hunt, Jennifer Kroon-Nelson, Jennifer Woll, Jake Scheafer,

Channing Benz and Angela Roberts for receiving the Above Average Achievement Award. Pimthong

Thongtad and Nathaniel Pekas for receiving the Distinguished Achievement Bronze Award. And, to Michael

Roberts for receiving the Distinguished Achievement Silver Award.

Debaters Seamus Duffy and Anjum Shaik qualified for the NSDA National Tournament in International Ex-

temp. Other O’G Debate place winners at the Qualifying Tournament were Anjum Shaik and Megan King,

1st alternate in Public Forum Debate, Nathaniel Pekas, finalist in Domestic Extemp and Brandon Poirier, fi-

nalist in International Extemp.

Notable Knights continued on next page



Notable Knights continued...

Congratulations to the Oral Interpretation Team for qualifying 9 students to the National Speech and De-

bate Association Nationals in Fort Lauderdale this June. Here are the results:

DUO: Bennett Anderson and Seth Hart (qualifier), Finalists– Miles Cowan and Sophia Salter

DRAMA: Nick Maxwell (qualifier), Cecilia Gillen (qualifier), Finalists– Seth Hart and Caryn Piatt

HUMOR: Carli Tomac (qualifier), Miles Cowan and Chan Bentz

INFORMATIVE: Taylor Junker (qualifier), Katie Dinsmore (qualifier), Finalists– Carli Tomac and Eliza-

beth Lubeck

ORIGINAL ORATORY: Sophia Salter (qualifier), Finalists - David Berman and Cecilia Gillen

PROGRAM ORAL INTERP: Nick Maxwell (qualifier but going in DI) and Caryn Piatt (qualifier)



O†G Campus Ministry

Live like Jesus!

O†Gorman High School

March 2018

Wednesday, March 7, 2018– Please consider donating a dessert

for this fundraiser. We rely on the generosity of our parents and

student to make this event a success. Desserts can be dropped off

the day of the event. See you with your bowl.

Pre-registration: Visit the OGHS Campus Ministry webpage or

see the flyer in this Knight Letter.

Empty Bowls - DESSERTS ARE DESIRED

O†G Retreat Day

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 - Retreats geared for each grade

level, 9th –12th. Each year your student will have the opportuni-

ty to get away and spend some special time with Jesus. Class-

specific details will be emailed out to parents, and discussed in

class with students closer to the retreat day. Please pray for stu-

dents to encounter Christ in a profound way!

Campus Ministry Calendar

Visit the OG Campus Ministry page for up-to-date calendar

events and changes. Here are some dates to look forward to:

3/7 –Empty Bowls, 5:00 p.m. –7:00 p.m. in the OGHS Cafeteria

3/21 –All school reconciliation

3/29 –Coloring Eggs @ LifeScape (school sponsored project)

http://ogorman.sfcss.org/faith-service/campus-ministry

O†G students witness, defend,

and protect life at all stages

while marching in Washington,

DC @ the annual March for

Life.

Catholic Schools Week

Lamb Radio interviews OG

students about faith in

“...this God has

revealed to us

through the Spirit.”

1Corinthians 2:10

Questions or comments?

Contact Nicole Wellington

EMAIL: [email protected]

PHONE: 605-575-3347

March for Life

Catholic Culture





COUNSELING DEPARTMENT NEWS

SENIORS should be putting the finishing touches on college plans. Many seniors have been offered scholarships of

various amounts. These students should inform the Counseling Office by completing the Senior Survey that will be

handed out to them in May. If a senior has not started the financial aid process, it is highly recommended that this be

done as soon as possible. The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is available on the web at

www.FAFSA.ed.gov. First, the student and the parent must create an FSA ID (www.fsaid.ed.gov). The FAFSA is used

by colleges to determine financial aid packages (scholarships, grants, loans, work study) for students. Colleges now use

prior prior year tax information (2016 for this senior class) for use with the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Stu-

dent Aid) and families can apply beginning October 1, which is a change from past years. The FAFSA website is

www.fafsa.ed.gov. DO NOT USE the .com website.

SENIOR ATHLETES who plan to participate in college athletics must register with the NCAA

(www.eligibilitycenter.org) or NAIA (www.playnaia.org) to confirm academic eligibility for college programs. See Mr.

Hagg for more information.

CAREER/COLLEGE INFORMATION: www.SDMyLife.com is an online college and career information system

available to all students. Students who need their login information should come to the Counseling Office. There is also

an ACT Prep program called Method Test Prep, check it out.

JUNIORS should plan to take the ACT in April or June (see dates and deadlines below). Next September and October

are also alternatives and good re-test dates. This spring and summer is a good time for juniors to be browsing college

websites and narrowing college choices. Plan a visit to a college campus and visit with the college reps that come to

O’Gorman.

COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVES SCHEDULED: These visits give students an idea of admission requirements,

costs, programs available, and timelines to follow. All college visits are listed in the daily student bulletin and message

boards, and posters are displayed with dates and times. The following colleges are scheduled at this time:

COLLEGE VISITS

ACT Register on-line at www.actstudent.org

It is recommended that students take the ACT for the first time during the spring of their junior year, preferably the

April test date.

O’Gorman High School is a National ACT testing site

O’Gorman’s School Code is 421-175 and our Test Center Code is 157-640

O’Gorman High School does not administer the July ACT test

COLLEGE DATE PERIOD

Grand Canyon Univ March 9 3

SDSU March 20 2

SDSU April 19 8

Test Date Registration Deadline Late Registration Period Photo Upload Deadline

April 14 March 9 March 10-23 April 6

June 9 May 4 May 5-18 June 1

July 14 June 15 June 16-22 July 6

http://www.fsaid.ed.gov

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

http://www.eligibilitycenter.org

http://www.playnaia.org

http://www.SDMyLife.com

http://www.actstudent.org



SAT Register on-line at www.collegeboard.com/sat

Seniors must take the ACT or the SAT for college admission. It is usually not necessary to take both tests. Jun-

iors and seniors interested in either of these tests should stop by the Counseling Office for registration information and

deadlines. Questions can be addressed to the Counseling Office at 575-3320.

SCHOLARSHIPS: The Counseling Office is continuing to receive scholarship information. Seniors and parents are

encouraged to check the counseling webpage every few weeks as new scholarships are posted as they arrive.

SFCS FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORMS are now available on the SFCS website at http://

www.sfcss.org/scholarships/. There are many scholarships available for students in grades K-12. High school students

will upload their transcript to the application. Transcripts are available on Infinite Campus, under “Reports”.

SUMMER SCHOOL

Tuition: $250. Fees for forms received by the deadline will be billed on your TADS account in April with payment

due by May 15. Fees for forms received after the deadline are payable by check or cash. Student tuition accounts

must be current prior to attendance in summer programs.

Attendance Policy: Content presented during each 4-week session is equivalent to instruction presented during one

semester. Attendance is very important. Maximum absences allowed for Summer School is 2 days. Students who are

absent more than two (2) days will be dropped from the class and will not receive a refund.

Registration deadline: March 28, 2018

How to register: Return the registration form to the OGHS Counseling Office. Students are placed on a first-come,

first-served basis. Some courses will fill. Students who need or want to take a specific course will want to register be-

fore the deadline. Courses may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment.

Cancellation Policy: There is a $50 non-refundable fee for withdrawals made in writing on or before April 27. $75

will be refunded if notification is made in writing after April 27, but on or before May 21. E-mail Sue Knight

([email protected]). Full refunds are available if classes are cancelled due to insufficient registrations.

DRIVER’S EDUCATION

Tuition: $325. Fees for forms received by the deadline will be billed on your TADS account in April with payment

due by May 15. Fees for forms received after the deadline are payable by check or cash. Student tuition accounts

must be current prior to attendance in summer programs.

Attendance Policy: Students will not be excused for family vacations, camps or extracurricular activities. Any/all con-

flicts should be noted on the registration form. Students who cannot commit to the required days for Driver’s Education

should not register. Students who are absent up to three (3) classroom hours will be required to make up the time

missed. Students who are absent more than three (3) classroom hours will be dropped from the class and will not re-

ceive a refund. Students may not miss any of the twelve (12) hours of in-vehicle training.

Registration deadline: March 28, 2018

How to register: Return the registration form to the OGHS Counseling Office. Students are not selected on a first-

come, first-served basis. Students who have a busy summer schedule may wish to register in late March, when they

have a better idea of their summer schedule. If you become aware of a conflict after your child has been scheduled to

drive, you will be responsible for trading driving dates with another driver.

Cancellation Policy: There is a $50 non-refundable fee for withdrawals made in writing on or before April 27. $100

will be refunded if notification is made in writing after April 27, but on or before May 11. E-mail Sue Knight

([email protected]).

Test Date Test(s) Registration Deadline Late Registration Deadline

May 5 SAT & Subject Tests April 6 April 25

June 2 SAT & Subject Tests May 3 May 23

http://www.collegeboard.com/sat

http://www.sfcss.org/scholarships/

http://www.sfcss.org/scholarships/



In-classroom instruction: Monday, May 21 through Friday, May 25 from 7:30 am to 1:30 pm.

In-vehicle training will take place during the 8 weeks following the in-classroom instruction. It is

absolutely essential for students to be at all in-vehicle sessions.

AP TESTING: Students will be given an AP exam order form in class to complete. Students must return the form to

the counseling office with the exam fee of $94.00 per test by 3:30 p.m. on Monday, March 26. If students are taking

an AP course for credit through Mount Marty, they normally wouldn’t take that AP test. AP tests are scored 1-5 with

a score of 3 or higher required to get college credit. STUDENTS SHOULD CHECK WITH THE COLLEGES

THEY ARE CONSIDERING IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE SCORE REQUIRED FOR CREDIT AT

THAT COLLEGE.

The schedule for AP tests this spring is:

Week 1 Mon, May 7 Tue, May 8 Wed, May 9 Thu, May 10 Fri, May 11

Morning 7:30 a.m.

Chemistry Spanish Lan-

guage and Cul-

ture

English Literature

and Composition

United States Gov-

ernment and Poli-

tics

German Language

and Culture

Spanish Lit-

erature and

Culture

United States His-

tory

Afternoon 11:45 a.m. Psychology Physics 1 Physics 2

Week 2 Mon, May 14 Tue, May 15 Wed, May 16 Thu, May 17 Fri, May 18

Morning 7:30 a.m.

Calculus AB English Language

and Composition World History

Human Geogra-

phy

Afternoon 11:45 a.m. Statistics Latin







2018 All Knighter News

Opportunities for volunteering that evening are still available and prizes are still needed.

It is time to really start thinking about the event we want to host for our graduates!

The event is dependent upon the funds collected from each participant, as this money pays for food, inflat-

ables, entertainment, security, etc.

Many of the prizes awarded that evening are made possible by generous donors.

Finally, we still need volunteers for that evening!

Please consider signing up for a shift or two.

Thank you to everyone who has paid the All Knighter fee of $100!

Payments can still be made by mailing a check to: SFCS, 3100 W 41st Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57105, Attn:

Michelle Katen. Please make checks to “2018 All Knighter.”

The 2018 All Knighter chairpersons will be calling anyone who has not yet paid, to inquire whether or not

their child will be attending the All Knighter. If you know your child will not be attending, please call or

email Melissa or Debbie. (Melissa Howes: 376-0134; [email protected] **This is a new email)

(Debbie Witte: 376-4952; [email protected])

Prizes wanted!

Prizes are awarded to the graduates throughout the night. The prize committee is looking for donations to sup-

plement our budget. A few popular examples of prizes from previous years include: a dorm fridge or TC, Dr.

Dre Beats, an I-pad mini, luggage, a tower fan, a blue ray player, or a Bluetooth speaker. Gift card donations

(any denomination) to restaurants or stores (Wal-mart, Target or Best Buy) can be dropped off at the high

school office in an envelope clearly marked : 2018 All Knighter/Attn: Trudy Billion. You may also call/email

Trudy Billion (prizes chairperson) at 212-2356 or [email protected] if you have questions about prizes or

donations.

2018 O’Gorman Senior Video Photo Request

Hello! My name is Patrick Kassing, and I am working on the 2018 senior video which will be played at the

All Knighter. I have been working with Mr. Basche and have all of the senior photos. What I am requesting

is 1 baby or early childhood photo from each of the members of the senior class. (Please name the file with

your child’s name) I am also asking that you submit 3-5 group shots with 3 or more current senior stu-

dents from JUNIOR HIGH UNTIL PRESENT DAY. (Please no elementary photos) The photos can be

sent direct to me at [email protected] or I have created a dropbox link at

https://www.dropbox.com/request/L5S94WuZPltmla1M8egG.

The deadline to get these pictures to me is April 13. If you have any questions, I can be reached at the

e-mail address above or on my cell at 605-366-0011.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Patrick Kassing





Documents

OGHS Knight Letter March 2018 From the Principalogorman.sfcss.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/march-knight-letter.pdf · vine Mercy Chaplet during the lunch periods. Please encourage