12/10/2008 – News
Volume 125, Number
Hannah Anderson continues remarkable comeback
BY TERESA HAMRE Towner County Record Herald Cando, ND
Hannah Anderson is a 16-year old girl from Leeds who was involved in what could have been a fatal car accident a year ago on Nov. 12, 2007. She is the daughter of Duane and Lisa Anderson of Leeds.
She and three of her friends had decided to spend the afternoon at Hannah’s grandparents’ home (Virgil and Amy Anderson) watching movies. Virgil and Amy live about four miles east of Leeds. Hannah was the driver and did not see the oncoming westbound vehicle. Hannah’s car was struck on the driver’s side between the wheel and the driver’s door, basically hitting Hannah directly. Her car was heavily damaged, and it took the rescue crew 45 minutes to finally pull an unconscious Hannah free. The other three passengers were not seriously injured in the crash.
Hannah was transported to the Heart of America Medical Center in Rugby and later transported to Trinity Medical Center in Minot where she was placed in an induced coma. Two days later, she was moved by air ambulance to Minneapolis, Minn. She was taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center which is classified as a Level 1 Trauma Center, specializing in pediatric brain injuries. During the crash, Hannah experienced something called "brain shearing." This is damage that occurs when the brain moves inside the skull and disconnects the "wires" from the brain to the extremities.
This injury affects everyone differently, so there is no guarantee on how much Hannah will gain back, or how long it will take.
After showing signs of improvement, Hannah was subsequently transferred to the Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare Center in St. Paul, Minn. on Dec. 14, 2007. Due to the significance of the brain injury, Hannah could no longer talk, eat, write, walk, hold up her head or move her arms or legs. The things we all take for granted, the things we consider second nature, Hannah had to completely relearn. She now had to start from square one at age 15.
During her stay at the hospitals, she was visited by many local faces and even some famous ones. Ms. Minnesota came to visit one day. They did a little craft project together that Hannah said was really fun.
The Minnesota Wild hockey team also paid her a visit. They took a picture with her and made it into a poster that she has hung with pride on her wall. The team also gave her a team throw blanket that she has close at hand at all times. Hannah’s room is filled with stuffed animals, cards, blankets and many other things that came from the community in a show of love and support.
Amazingly, her stay at Gillette Healthcare Center only lasted about six weeks. Hannah’s parents were shocked. "They carried her in on a stretcher and she walked out on her own two legs!" said Lisa.
On January 24, 2008 Hannah was discharged from the hospital and was cleared to go home. At this point Hannah wasn’t the only one who had to learn to do things on her own, her parents also had to go through a learning process. Lisa and Duane had to learn how to take care of her and to transport her from place to place safely when they would go out for family activities. Lisa admitted she was nervous about being home so soon. "There were no nurses, no therapists, nothing. But things went well." Hannah attended therapy in Devils Lake three times a week, and also had therapy in school. The school has been absolutely fabulous in helping Hannah with her needs. And the kids have been great. Everyone is looking out for her.
Hannah was assigned a "para," which for her was someone to sit next to her and help with her assignments. Since Hannah’s memory was affected, she couldn’t always remember what she was supposed to do.
The para would restate the assignment and get Hannah back on track. Since she could no longer write, the para was her writer. She would say the answer to the homework assignment and the para would write down the answers.
Today, I had the opportunity to meet and talk to Hannah myself. If I hadn’t heard most of the story from her and Lisa, I would have never guessed what had happened to her. She is the typical All-American Teenager, happy-go-lucky as ever.
She used to teach Sunday school at her local church, but now helps her mom with her class consisting of six first and second grade students. Hannah doesn’t have her full strength back for her voice, so raising her voice to be heard is not yet an option.
As for school itself, well, she came back this year without the aide of a para, much to the surprise of her therapists and doctors. She felt well enough to attempt it, and has never looked back. Thankfully she is doing very well. Some assignments are shortened and some tests are modified, but for the most part she is back at full-strength, just like the rest of her class. Her therapists and doctors just can’t believe how far she’s come in such a short time.
Hannah is even back in sports. Before the accident, she played volleyball and basketball, but since the accident, she lost her coordination and is slowly making her way back. However, her reflexes are still a bit shaky. The team has given her new assignments.
Whenever possible, she is now the videographer. Even though she’s not on the floor handling the ball, she is still part of the team and busy with them in a new way. Everyone is happy to have her along again and be included like she used to be. But school is nothing compared to her biggest excitement today!!
Hannah is going to live out one of her childhood dreams. She has been selected to participate in the Miss North Dakota Teen USA Pageant November 28-29 in Fargo. The pageant is held at NDSU Festival Concert Hall. The pageant consists of a swimsuit competition, evening gown event, photo shoots and interviews. Considering it took her over two months to learn how to walk, you will now see her strutting around in high heels! She has been busy practicing this before she takes the stage in Fargo. Hannah has chosen Traumatic Brain Injuries as her subject platform. This will be the topic that the judges will interview her on. If she were to win the competition, she would travel and speak about her accident at schools, events, etc. Hannah would be informing people of how important it is to pay attention to the road and what’s around you, keeping distractions to a minimum.
Getting into this pageant was no small feat. Hannah submitted a photo (like one with this story) and application, along with having an interview over the phone that lasted more than 45 minutes. Only then was she chosen to compete.
Local businesses and close friends have been supportive in sponsoring her during this new exciting time. Tracy’s Market, BTR Elevator, United Community Bank, her grandpa and grandma Anderson, Jan’s Stall Mall, All Your Smile Needs Dental Office, Alvin Kenner, B&H Oil, Mark and Cindy Swanson, and Grandma Monica have all teamed up to help her compete.
Hannah thanks everyone for their continued love and support with everything. She is doing better than ever and couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help along the way.
This article by Teresa Hamre is supplemented by additional information after the pageant.
It’s been almost two weeks since Hannah walked the runway at the Miss North Dakota Teen USA Pageant in Fargo, but the memories are still vivid. Not bad for a young woman who struggles with short term memory loss from her accident.
Hannah’s mother, Lisa said the two-day event in Fargo not only fulfilled a childhood dream for Hannah, but had the added benefit of helping her recovery.
There were 24 young ladies competing for the Miss Teen title and 16 for Miss USA. Besides the various pageant competitions, the ladies visited at the VA Hospital in Fargo and got to eat at a local sushi restaurant.
During the pageant competitions no one was allowed backstage but the contestants and pageant officials. Hannah worried about the stairs she would have to hurriedly take between competitions. She has not mastered stairs 100 percent yet, but was assured there were ushers to help should she or any of the girls falter.
Lisa admits to being teary-eyed when her daughter walked down the runway and announced, "I’m Hannah Anderson, Miss Leeds Teen USA." She said Hannah didn’t miss a step and there was no indication that a year ago she was in a coma.
The miracle girl from Leeds didn’t place in the pageant, but gained more than a crown would have given her. She had the time of her life and loved feeling like a normal teen again. Having to do everything herself, and realizing she could, gave a confidence boost that everyone needs now and then.
So with her new-found confidence Hannah’s taking on her next challenge — cheerleading. The therapeutic, occupational and physical benefits will be great, but not nearly as great as the emotional benefit of feeling like a normal teen again.
A year ago Hannah Anderson was in a coma. This year she was able to compete in a teen contest.
The Anderson family at the pageant. Left to right are Lisa, Hannah, Michael and Duane Anderson. Hannah has come a long way from the accident that nearly claimed her life.
Hannah Anderson is shown at the pageant.
Benson County officials sworn in
The Benson County commissioners began their meeting December 3 with swearing-in ceremonies conducted by Clerk of District Court Lana Johnson. Sworn in were County Recorder Rhoda Pfeifer and commissioners Jason Lee of Maddock and Davey Davidson of Fort Totten Mrs. Pfeifer was appointed county recorder following the resignation of long-time County Recorder Doris Randle, who retired and moved to Fargo. Mrs. Pfeifer was deputy recorder 14 years before being elected county recorder in the November election.
Lee was re-elected to represent District 2 on the commission. District 2 is in the center portion of the county and includes the towns of Maddock and Minnewaukan. Davidson defeated incumbent Dwain Brown to represent the 4th District, which is composed of the Fort Totten area, Twin Tree Township and all but Section 1 in Wood Lake Township. Davidson is a construction teacher at Four Winds School in Fort Totten.
Witnessing the swearing in ceremony were commissioners Mike Steffan of St. Michael, Lowell Haagenson of Leeds and Curtis Hvinden of Maddock and County Auditor-Treasurer Bonnie Erickson.
Benson County Highway Superintendent Gene "Shorty" Hager and Todd Laverdure, who will take over Hager’s position on January 1, gave a report to the commissioners.
Hager said a state audit of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) projects for 2001 turned out fine. One problem was that Arne Township did not turn in a bill on a culvert project in that township. FEMA allowed $1,473 on this project and the money is still in the county’s account. Arne Township will have to turn in the proper documentation to prove the project has been completed. If it does not, the county will have to return the money to FEMA.
In addition $4,561 in administrative funds were not properly accounted for. Hager said his office will gather the documentation to prove the funds were distributed properly. "It’s not a big problem," he said. "We’ve got the documentation to back up the use of the funds. It’s just a matter of gathering up the paperwork."
Steffan expressed his concern about a road in Wood Lake Township that may be hazardous. It was decided this road is a township road and the county has no responsibility. However, Wood Lake Township officials will be contacted to urge them to do something about the road.
Commissioners discussed bills owed by townships to the county. The mill levies the townships bring in aren’t enough for most townships to cover their expenses in taking care of roads. The county has imposed debt to county levies on some townships, but this is not enough to cover the debt. Commissioners agreed the state needs to increase state aid to townships, but those townships which are not levying sufficient funds to cover their expenses should do so at their annual meetings in March. There were two applicants for the vacant Benson County Veterans Service Officer position, which was held by Jo Dahlen, who resigned. Lisa Wold of Minnewaukan and David Daeley of Maddock applied for the job. Commissioners felt both applicants were well qualified for the position, but with some reservations. Wold is not a veteran and Daeley turned in his application after the deadline. Daeley and his wife, Kathy met with the commissioners.
Erickson was instructed to telephone the ND Department of Labor and the Department of Veterans Affairs for advice. The ND Department of Labor said appointing Daeley could invite a lawsuit from Wold. The Department of Veterans Affairs said it preferred a veteran, but being a veteran is not mandatory to hold the position.
Since all commissioners felt it was important to have a veteran fill the position, it was decided to re-advertise the position with a closing date of December 15 and make a decision at the December 17 meeting. Commissioners will also be filling the Department of Emergency Management position at this meeting and at least two commissioners expressed hope that Wold will apply for that job.
Clerk of District Court Lana Johnson introduced her new deputy to commissioners. She is Nicole Hanson of Devils Lake, who replaces Melissa Buckmier, who resigned.
Commissioners appointed Mike Steffan to the Benson County Job Development Authority Board to replace Dwain Brown. Two commissioners must serve on this board. Davey Davidson was appointed to serve on the North Central Planning Council to replace Brown. Joe Mayer of Butler Machinery Co. of Minot stopped in to visit commissioners.
Newly-elected officials were sworn in at the December 2 meeting of the Benson County commissioners. Left to right are new commissioner Davey Davidson of Fort Totten, who will represent the Fort Totten area; Rhoda Pfeifer of Minnewaukan, new county recorder; and commissioner Jason Lee of Maddock, who returns to office to represent the central portion of the county. Administering the oaths is Clerk of District Court Lana Johnson, right.
Klevens honored
The NDSU Harvest Bowl honorees from Benson County are Oscar and Gloria Kleven of Maddock. They are pictured with NDSU president Joseph Chapman, left. The Klevens have a Simmental and Red Angus cow/calf operation and grow wheat, barley, canola and alfalfa. They were nominated for ND Rancher of the Year in 2007 and are Honorary FFA Chapter Farmers. They are both NDSU graduates and ND State Fair delegates representing Benson County. The Klevens are members of the ND Stockmen’s Association, the ND Beef Cattle Improvement Association, Farm Bureau and Farmers Union. Oscar has served on the board of the Benson County Co-op Credit Union and the Benson County School Reorganization board. Gloria is a 4-H club leader and judges 4-H fair exhibits. She served on the Maddock School Board and the Vocational Education Board. They are the parents of two grown children.
Sportsman of Year
Jaycee Howard of Bismarck, daughter of Darryl and Marcie Howard of Bismarck, formerly of Minnewaukan, was voted "Sportsman of the Year" at Burleigh County 4-H Awards Night. At the age of 11 she is the youngest to be honored with the award. Her club is horse-based and consists of about 50 members. Grandparents are Eugene and Bernadine Howard of Rugby, formerly of Minnewaukan, and Aaron and Marlys Newcomb of Devils Lake. Great-grandparents are Mike and Agnes Haman of Devils Lake and Rose Howard of Minnewaukan and the late Wilson Howard.
Portray Pilgrims
The second and third grade classes at the Leeds School learned about the Pilgrims and their voyage to the New World and religious freedom, their friendship with Squanto, the Thanksgiving celebration and then they presented a play for family and friends. Ryan Wangler, Hailey Gunderson and Luke Pepple look like they just stepped off the Mayflower.
Pilgrims, left to right, back row, are Arnikka Thompson, Dani Schwanke, Cody Dickey, Ryan Wangler, Garrett Johnson, Keaton Nelsen and Braydon Follman. Front row: Reganne Ritterman, Kim Nelsen, Camee Wangler, Ashley Thayne, Callie Lawrence and Caitlyn Blazer.
Playing the part of Native Americans were, left to right, back row, Evan Follman, Luke Pepple and Nathan Elverud. Front row: Declan Ritterman, Hailey Gunderson and Rochelle Hansen.
Athletes honored at athletic banquet
2008 Minnewaukan-Leeds Lions volleyball award winners were honored at the fall sports banquet.
Letterwinners were Denage Braaten, Kayla Bingham, Shelby Desjarlais, Beth Beecroft, Ashley Manley, Brenna Stone, Sadie Vallier, Allison Manley, Chandra Anderson, Kendra Leibfried, Jeni Swanson, Chace Engstrom, Meghan Jorgenson, McKenzie Silliman, Lacey King – stats, Alyssa Anderson – stats, Chelsi Olson – stats and Hannah Anderson – video.
Award winners were: most kills, Denage Braaten; most assists, Shelby Desjarlais; most digs, Denage Braaten; most aces, Allison Manley; most blocks, Allison Manley; MVP, Denage Braaten; high serving percentage, Denage Braaten, Ashley Manley, Kendra Leibfried and McKenzie Silliman; seventh woman, McKenzie Silliman; practice player, Denage Braaten; most improved, Kendra Leibfried, McKenzie Silliman and Shelby Jorgenson; rookie of the year, McKenzie Silliman; Lion pride, Denage Braaten and Mylie Herman; all-district player, Denage Braaten.
North Central Benson football award winners were also recognized at the banquet.
Letterwinners were Brad Nelsen, Zylar Follman, Dustin Paulson, Matt Swanson, Brady Blazer – video, Michael Urness, Alex Beecroft, Elliott Gunderson – stats, Blake Darling, Cody LaRoque, Kyle Britsch, Cody Hoffert, Jacob Cline, Thomas Urness, Daniel Luhman, Darren Young, Kyle Jorgenson, Josh Owens, Mark Tregub and Marcel Boberschmidt.
Award winners were: most valuable player, Daniel Luhman; most valuable lineman, Kyle Britsch; most valuable back, Dustin Paulson; most improved, Cody LaRoque and Blake Darling; coaches’ award, Brad Nelsen; hardest worker award, Alex Beecroft; All-Region 4, Daniel Luhman and Kyle Britsch; Region 4 honorable mention, Brad Nelsen and Cody LaRoque.
Lions football team members who were honored at the athletic banquet were, left to right, front row, Brad Nelsen, Blake Darling and Alex Beecroft. Back row: Daniel Luhman, Kyle Britsch, Dustin Paulson and Cody LaRoque.
Lions volleyball team members honored at the athletic banquet were, left to right, front row, McKenzie Silliman, Shelby Jorgenson and Mylie Herman. Back row: Denage Braaten, Allison Manley, Ashley Manley and Kendra Leibfried.
Four Winds-Warwick girls finish fourth and Minnewaukan-Leeds fifth at annual Lake Region Invitational Tournament in Devils Lake
BY COACH TRAVIS RISOVI The Minnewaukan-Leeds Lions girls’ basketball team won the consolation championship at the Lake Region Invitational Girls’ Basketball tournament held in Devils Lake December 4-6.
The Lions opened the tournament with a first round loss to the Devils Lake Junior Varsity team 55-43. Denage Braaten led the way for the Lions with a 21 point, 12 rebound effort in the loss.
The second round of the tournament paired the Lions against the Lakota Raiders. The Lions got off to a slow start, but outscored Lakota 26-10 in the second half. The Lions came away with a 51 to 30 victory to raise their season record to two wins and one loss. Dorothia Santos provided 23 points and seven steals in the victory.
In the consolation championship game the Lions faced the Adams-Edmore Prowlers. The game was a hard fought, back and forth game throughout the 32 minutes. The Lions were able to pull out the victory by outscoring the Prowlers 17-9 in the fourth quarter. The final score of the contest was Minnewaukan-Leeds 42 and Adams-Edmore 36. With the win the Lions improved their season mark to 3-1. Once again Santos led the way for the Lions with a 21 point, eight steal performance.
The following is added to Coach Risovi’s summary of the Lions’ tournament performance for a complete view of the game scores for all the teams and the stats for the Lions and the Four Winds-Warwick Lady Indians.
Thursday, Dec. 4
Dakota Prairie defeated Lakota 65-28 in the opening game at the Sports Center.
Stats for the Devils Lake Junior Varsity 55-43 win over Minnewaukan-Leeds are as follows:
M-L 8 16 28 43
DLJV 8 24 36 55
M-L: Braaten 21, Santos 6, Brittany Omen 4, Allison Manley 4, Kayla Bingham 4, Kylee Rallo 3, Brenna Stone 1.
DLJV: Jacklyn Knowski 14, Haley Prozinski 11, MacKenzie Wade 7, Kasi Eisenzimmer 6, Chelsea Kurtz 5, Hannah Elshaug 4, Krissy Larson 3, Ashli Whalen 3, Kelly Olson 2.
In game three of the day Larimore won out over Starkweather-Munich 65-36.
Four Winds-Warwick held a comfortable lead throughout its match with Adams-Edmore and advanced with a 61-51 win.
FW-W 14 35 46 61
A-E 7 13 35 51
FW-W: Jessica Hale 18, LaShawnda Fassett 12, Christina Gourd 11, Karly Ironshield 11, Miranda Belgarde 5, Rochelle Littlewind 2, Ashley Brown 2.
A-E: Jamie Kendall 18, Amber Hefta 11, Kasey Aune 8, Callie Bylin 7, Mary Bylin 3, Britney Pesek 2, Sarah Milliken 2.
Friday, Dec. 5
Stats for the Lions 51-30 consolation win over Lakota are:
M-L 8 25 34 51
Lakota 13 20 23 30
M-L: Santos 23, K. Bingham 8, Allison Manley 7, Braaten 5, Omen 4, Stone 2, Rallo 2.
Lakota: Brooke Calderwood 13, McKenzee Riley 5, Cassie Devlin 5, Ashley Sundeen 3, Erica Anderson 3, Karlie Matejcek 1.
Adams-Edmore defeated Starkweather-Munich in the second consolation game 59-40.
In the semifinals match Dakota Prairie advanced to the championship game by outscoring the Devils Lake Junior Varsity 63-49.
Four Winds-Warwick kept pace with Larimore, but their eight points in the fourth quarter weren’t close enough to Larimore’s 12.
FW-W 12 21 30 38
Larimore 18 22 32 45
FW-W: Hale 11, Gourd 10, Fassett 7, Ironshield 7, Belgarde 3.
Larimore: Jessica Pearce 15, Cassandra Molina 10, Malanie Russell 10, Megan Yahna 4, Alyssa Wiegandt 4, Taylor Morten 2.
Saturday, Dec. 6
Seventh place in the Lake Region tournament went to Lakota when they defeated Starkweather-Munich 44-40.
In the Lions fifth place win over Adams-Edmore, stats were:
M-L 10 17 25 42
A-E 9 15 27 36
M-L: Santos 21, K. Bingham 9, Rallo 6, Allison Manley 2, Kendra Leibfried 2, Braaten 1, Omen 1.
A-E: C. Bylin 10, Aune 9, Pesek 6, Kendall 4, M. Bylin 4, Milliken 3.
Four Winds-Warwick finished fourth behind the Devils Lake Junior Varsity 46-34.
FW-W 5 12 26 34
DLJV 14 27 40 46
FW-W: Fassett 10, Gourd 8, Ironshield 6, Hale 6, Belgarde 3, Littlewind 1.
DLJV: Eisenzimmer 14, Kurtz 12, Prozinski 11, Elshaug 4, Larson 2, Knowski 2, Meghan Thomas 1.
Winners of the 2008 Lake Region tournament were the Larimore Polar Bears with a 53 to 34 decision over Dakota Prairie.
Tournament awards included the most valuable player to Jessica Pearce of Larimore and the free throw contest win to Kasi Eisenzimmer of the Devils Lake Junior Varisty. The all-tournament team consists of Jessica Hale of Four Winds-Warwick; Dorothia Santos of Minnewaukan-Leeds; Brooke Calderwood of Lakota; Cassandra Molina and Malanie Russell of Larimore; Haley Prozinski and Chelsea Kurtz of Devils Lake Junior Varsity; and Maddi Lamb, Sabrina Rude and Tory Engen of Dakota Prairie.
Denage Braaten and Kayla Bingham accept the fifth place trophy.
Members of the Minnewaukan-Leeds Lions basketball team which took fifth place at the Lake Region Invitational Girls’ Basketball Tournament in Devils Lake are, left to right, back row, Asst. Coach Matt Swanson, Dorothia Santos, Allison Manley, Brittany Omen, Kayla Bingham and Head Coach Travis Risovi. Middle row: Jenny Swanson, Ashley Manley, Kylee Rallo, Denage Braaten and Brenna Stone. Front row: Jessica Bingham, Sadie Vallier and Kendra Leibfried.
Freshman Dorothia Santos was named to the 2008 Lake Region all-tournament team
Studying volcanoes
Leeds sixth graders have been learning about volcanoes. After they completed the lessons, they were able to construct volcanoes and make them erupt. Sixth grade girls pose with Andrea Jorgenson’s volcano before she makes it erupt. Left to right are Paige Johnson, Julissa McGarvey, Sara Galbraith and Andrea Jorgenson.
The sixth grade boys watch as a volcano erupts. Left to right are Riley Lawrence, Timber Morgan, Aidan Ritterman, Austin Blazer, Kalvin Slaughbaugh, Carlito Woods and Austin Thorpe.
FFA gives to fund
Levi Slater, Maddock FFA president, presents a check to Corinne Stadum who represents the Maddock Bleacher Fund. The check is a result of a grant from the North Dakota FFA Foundation for $300 and $225 earned from a fund-raising event. The Maddock A.S. Gibbens Chapter of FFA is known for its service to the Maddock community.
Shoots big buck
Michael Nilson of West Fargo shot this big buck with a magnificent rack west of Maddock.
Nutrition lesson
Jenny Steinhaus from the NDSU Extension office teaches a nutrition lesson to the Leeds first graders. Left to right are Madi Dulmage, Alea Manley, Jenny Steinhaus, Jacob Pfeifer and Tristin Burtchell.
Esmond native has new CD on the market
Sophia Engkvist (aka Nancy), daughter of Alice Engkvist of Maddock and the late Douglas Engkvist, has released her debut CD entitled "What If A Day." She graduated from the Maddock High School in 1980 and lives in Sequim, Wash. Her mother is currently visiting Sophia and her daughter, Diane for the holidays and to celebrate the CD release.
Sophia grew up passionate about music and played the piano and flute and sang. She has been writing music for years and wrote all the songs on the CD except for "What If A Day," an early English piece that she has been singing since the age of 14. She says the lyrics of "What If A Day" are profound and that she sang it often a few years back when the big tsunami hit. At that time she decided it would be the title song on the CD she planned.
She feels she has been creating this project all her life, but has only been working in the recording studio the past three and a half years. She describes her music as New Age and Spiritual.
Working with co-producer and pianist Jeremy Cays of Sequim, Sophia sings and plays quartz crystal singing bowls. Also featured are Grammy Award winner Nancy Rumbel on the English horn and other musicians who play percussion, cello, electric bass, concert harp, alto flute and zither.
Her favorite songs on the CD are "Let There Be Peace" and "A Beautiful World," because the lyrics are relevant to what is happening in the world today. She wrote "A Beautiful World" the day before, the day of and the day after the US went to war with Iraq.
A long-time fan of figure skating, Sophia would love for skaters to use her music. She recently attended "Skate America" in Everett, Wash. where she gave copies of her CD to skaters, including Scott Hamilton, Johnny Weir and US ice dance champions Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto.
Sophia’s CD is available online at www.sophiasongfire.com or in Maddock at the Business & Technology Center and Thrifty White Drug.
Sophia Engkvist
Conduct food drive
The Tate Topa Middle School Leadership Team sponsored a food drive contest among the classrooms for two weeks. The class that brought in the most items was Mrs. Wolsky’s sixth grade class which brought 216 items. The total for the Middle School was more than 600 items.
Pictured are students from Mrs. Wolsksy’s class with the food collected by all the middle school students. Left to right, back row: Oliver Gourd III, Todd Richotte, Cody Fassett, Mrs. Wolsky and Brandon Harrison. Front row: Ariel Greene, Zoe Azure, Noah Herman, Heather Belgarde, Awashtay Comer, Sherea Lenoir, Vernon Spottedbird Jr. and Chris Wilson. Not pictured: Trista Dauphinais and Sloane Davis.
