Go Big Red: DCHS Weekly Message

Week 34: Prom 2023

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Decatur County Community High School

605 E Commercial St, Oberlin, KS 67749

April 23, 2023 (Schedule at the bottom, Skip What You Want)

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Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Oberlin294/

Decatur community,

This past Saturday was my first Prom here in Oberlin, one that I will never forget.

Prom, unlike other dances, is almost a 24 hour experience.

The day begins by waking up with the excitement and expectation of the experience early in the morning. Generally the attendees spend the first part of the day making sure that their hair is ready, nails and makeup just right, and their attire perfected.

In the early afternoon, families take individual pictures, followed by the the gathering of close friends and Prom dates taking photos together in a variety of locations.

Late afternoon usually leads to larger groups, meeting up for whole class photos, generally at a local hotspot (Sappa). From there, find your date, the group you are rolling with, and get ready for the festivities to officially begin.

When the whole crew is ready, the Promenade begins, this year with the addition of the automobile-appetizer as the guests cruised down Penn in the cars they were arriving in. Then the students walk down Penn with their date for the night in front of hundreds of spectators. Parents, extended family, and local supporters line the street on both sides with wide smiles coming from everyone as they look on at those that were not so long ago standing right there on the same side of the street that they are now.

After the Promenade, it's dinner time, a catered experience at the Gateway where Prom sponsors, sophomore servers, school board members, and school staff are there to enjoy the pre-Prom meal with the guests.

The dance lasts three and a half hours and is loaded with extravagant decorations, a live dj, and loads of snacks and beverages.

When the dance is over, it is time for Post-Prom, a late night lock-in that has more music, more food, games, prizes, and final a opportunity for many students to hang out together as a school group one last time. At 3:00 am, the experience comes to an end, and students can begin their much needed rest.

I just hope they're not still asleep come Monday morning!

SHOUTOUTS

This week, I am going to hit the Prom Shoutouts pretty hard.

Shoutout to our Prom Sponsors Libby Fort, Brandon Hardwick, and Gina Witt. This group worked together to organize, plan, and supervise this year's dance. There is a lot that goes into planning an event like this, a lot of time and effort. This trio spent countless hours on the dance, and I can only imagine that they are looking forward to passing the baton to the next group.

Shoutout to the junior class for their efforts in making Prom all it could be. The junior class spent all day Friday decorating the Gateway. The Hawaiian theme worked well and I particularly liked the waterfall and volcano.

Shoutout to the sophomore servers. I was impressed with how seriously they took their job. They worked the Tiki Bar, served the meals, and bussed the tables. It was a great experience for them, and it gave them a glimpse of what it would be like for them next year.

Shoutout to all of those in the community and beyond that donated prizes and money toward the Post-Prom activities. Memories like these are built on the support and generosity of a strong community that deeply cares about their children and giving them the fullest experiences in life. No senior went away unsatisfied.

Shoutout to sophomore Weston Barnes and junior Maci Weigel. The bouncy house was the biggest hit of the night. It was one of those challenging styles where you had to make it to the other side without falling. Weston gets the nod for making it look the easiest, and Maci gets the nod for doing it the most and with the most effort.

Shoutout to every parent that made the journey through the night and into the 3:00 am hour at Post-Prom. It has been years since I stayed up all night, and I can only assume that there were others that were in the same boat.

Shoutout to every student that took the State Math Assessment this past week. There is no doubt that the math assessment is the longest of the assessments. Having said that, the students were putting forth their best efforts this past week. The amount of scratch paper that was used and the time that each student spent on the tests showed that they were giving it their best shot. That's all we can ask for.

Shoutout to 8th grade students Cowen Anderson, Caden Shaw, and Mason Tally for placing 3rd in team Livestock Judging in Hays this past week.

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JH Boy's Track Takes 1st at St. Francis

Shoutout to the JH Boy's Track Team.

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It was another great day for DCHS Junior High Track. The boys’ team won the Rawlins County Invitational with 122 points, and the girls’ team came in 5th.

Placing first were Mitchell Wasson in the 100m and 200m hurdles, Caden Shaw in discus, and Gage Williby in triple jump.

Placing second were Caden in shot put, Gage in 100m dash and high jump, Josiah Pattangall in 400m dash and discus, the girls’ 4x200 relay (Sarah Wright, Makayla Marshall, Kiomi Jackson, and Dash Warren), and Kaden Sowers and Elsie Larson in pole vault.

Winning bronze medals were the girls’ 4x100 relay (Makayla Marshall, Jori Fortin, Aniston Andrews, Dash Warren), the boys’ 4x200 (Caden Shaw, Grant Anderson, Bentley, Sutherland, and Kaden Sowers), Rustin Bailey in shot, Jori Fortin in pole vault, and Brady Gehring in triple jump.

Oberlin Placers:

100 Meters

Boys

2nd – Gage Williby 12.46

5th – Josiah Pattangall 13.09

6th – Rustin Bailey 13.18

200 meters

Boys

5th – Rustin Bailey 28.44

Girls

6th – Kiomi Jackson 32.42

400 meters

2nd – Josiah Pattangall 1:01.55

5th – Conner Kier 1:02.47

Girls

6th – Kira Burmaster 1:16.63

800 meters

Boys

5th – Conner Kier – 2:41.58

1600 meters

Boys

6th – Job Kliewer 5:58.70

3200 meters

Girls

6th – Misty Kliewer 15:31.56

100m Hurdles

1st – Mitchell Wasson 18.46

200m Hurdles

1st – Mitchell Wasson 29.74

4x100 Relay

Boys

4th – Oberlin (Gage Williby, Josiah Pattangall, Conner Kier, Rustin Bailey) 53.95

Girls

3rd – Oberlin (Makayla Marshall, Jori Fortin, Aniston Andrews, Dash Warren) 1:01.99

4x200 Relay

Boys

3rd – Oberlin (Caden Shaw, Grant Anderson, Bentley Sutherland, Kaden Sowers) 2:05.92

Girls

2nd – Oberlin (Sarah Wright, Makayla Marshall, Kiomi Jackson, Dash Warren) 2:16.12

4x400 Relay

Boys

6th – Oberlin (Trenton Wahlmeier, Trevor Witt, Job Kliewer, Grant Anderson) 5:37.18

Girls

5th – Oberlin (Lauren May, Ella Williby, Jenna Fuentes, Kira Burmaster) 5:46.60

Shot Put

Boys

2nd – Caden Shaw 37-2.75

3rd – Rustin Bailey 37-00

Discus

Boys

1st – Caden Shaw 109-01

2nd – Josiah Pattangall 92-00

High Jump

Boys

2nd – Gage Williby 4-10

Girls

6th – Elsie Larson 3-10

Pole Vault

Boys

2nd – Kaden Sowers 9-2

6th – Cowen Anderson 6-8

Girls

2nd – Elsie Larson – 6-6

3rd – Jori Fortin 6-0

4th Lauren May – 6-0

Triple Jump

Boys

1st – Gage Williby 32-10

3rd – Brady Gehring 29-4

Girls

4th – Jori Fortin 28-9

Boys Team Scores

1. Oberlin 122

2. Rawlins County 98

3. St. Francis 67

4. St. Patrick (McCook) 63

5. Quinter 58

Girls Team Scores

1. Rawlins County 153

2. Quinter 119

3. Golden Plains 92

4. Cheylin 56

5. Oberlin 45

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Three Take Home Medals at State Powerlifting

Shoutout to our Powerlifters

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All three of our lifters are State Medalists:

Franklin Smith (senior) - 2nd in bench with 335 pounds

Theo Butterfield (freshman) - 4th in squat with 370 pounds

Conner Holladay (freshman) - 6th in bench with 225 pounds

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Golf Takes 2nd at Grinnell

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Congratulations to the DCHS Golf Team. They placed second at the Thunderhawk Invitational in Grinnell.

Freshman Koen Oien and sophomore Davin Jensen tied for 7th place by shooting 93’s. Senior Gavin Seller tied for 15th place with a 98.

Senior Teague Morford – in his first year of golf – shot a 101 and placed 20th out of 42 golfers. Sophomore Jesse Hendrickson came in 28th with a 108.

Team Scores:

1. Greeley County – 361

2. DCHS – 385

3. Quinter – 390

4. Hoxie – 390

5. Sharon Springs – 405

6. Plainville – 407

7. Northern Valley - 520

Things You Should Know

PROM 2023

As I mentioned already, Prom was a success. Here are just a few samples of the many pictures that were uploaded to our Facebook page.

Please visit our FACEBOOK page to see all of the photos!

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Prom King and Queen

Shoutout to Seniors Josh Juenemann and Gabbie Vontz. Juenemann and Vontz (Pictured) were chosen as the Prom King and Queen.

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PROM 2023

What will we do without these two?

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Prom 2023

Ms. Fort and Reid.

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Prom 2023

She Taught their parents as well.

Bryant Addleman, Gavin Seller, Teague Morford, and Josh Juenemann.

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Prom 2023

Junior boys representing well. Reid Fort, Parker Stragey, Jaden Capuzzo, and Lukas Zodrow

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PROM 2023

Gavin Seller posing with our Prom sponsors Ms. Fort and Mrs. Witt.

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PROM 2023

School Board President Roger May and his wife Susan were on hand for this year's Prom.

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PROM 2023

Seniors posing with Mrs. Breth.

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PROM 2023

Vice President of the School Board Zach May and his wife Regan come back 10 years after their own Prom in 2013.

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April is State Assessment month. This week 8th and 11th grade students at DCHS will be taking the Kansas Science Assessment. These tests are very important, because it is an opportunity to really see how well our students have gained the knowledge that the state has deemed necessary. The assessment gives us information that we can use to improve teaching strategies and lets us know how we compare to other schools across the state.

The Science Assessment is scheduled this week for Tuesday.

GO BIG RED

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Though there are similarities to what Prom was like at my 6A high school back in my day, it was truly incomparable to the experience that our students and families get here in Oberlin, a personal, family, and community experience full of small town tradition!

Until next week,

Jeremy Holloway

Go Big Red!