STURGIS BROWN HIGH SCHOOL

Meade School District will have a two-hour early release for students to give our staff time to practice district safety drills and reunification procedures. These drills are an important part of our safety planning and help us stay prepared to protect our students and reunite families quickly in the event of an emergency.

Monday 11/03/2025

SBHS Volleyball: vs. RC Central; 4:30 PM (9A)/4:30 (JV)5:45 (9B)/5:45 (C)/7:00 (V)

SBHS Spanish Club: Movie Night @SBHS Library; 5:30 PM

Tuesday 11/04/2025

SBHS Debate: Novice @ Spearfish HS TBD

SBHS Volleyball: vs. Douglas @ SBHS; 4:30 PM (JV)/4:30 (9A)5:30 (C)/7:00 (V); SENIOR NIGHT

Wednesday 11/05/2025

EARLY RELEASE

Thursday 11/06/2025

SBHS Veterans Day Program: West Gym @ 9:30 AM

Friday 11/07/2025

SBHS Debate: Sturgis Scoopers Invitational; Cafeteria/All Classrooms; 2:00 PM

SBHS Football: Playoff Game vs Yankton @ Yankton; 7:00 PM (CST)

Saturday 11/08/2025

SBHS Debate: Sturgis Scoopers Invitational; Cafeteria/All Classrooms; 8:00-4:00 PM

November 4: Are you a proud American? Do you want to join the largest Conservative Movement in the country and get involved in Turning Point USA? Then you should join Club America at Sturgis Brown High School If you’re interested in joining or just want to see what it’s about, please come to the student interest meeting at 7:15 AM in the Choir Room (Room 141). Donuts will be provided.

November 5: Early Release@ 1:05 PM

November 6: SBHS Veterans Day Program; West Gym @ 9:30 AM

After School Program schedule for Nov. 4-6:

Tuesday, Nov. 4 - in library as usual
Wednesday, Nov. 5 - NO ASP due to early release
Thursday, Nov. 6 - in Room 159 (Mr. Mott's room)

November 7: – SENIORS ONLY: Baby picture due for the senior slideshow.

November 10: National Honor Society Induction; 5:30 PM

November 10: Deadline for seniors wanting to participate in the Senior Art Show must sign up with either Mrs. Somervold/Mrs. White. Works can vary from projects completed in school to works done outside of school. All mediums welcome!

November 13 & 14: End of the Trimester. Students will have an abbreviated Schedule for testing days.

November 14: FCCLA Ironman Volleyball Tournament. Check your Google Classroom for more information and to sign up your team.

December 15: – SENIORS ONLY: Senior yearbook picture due (uploaded through Google Classroom; see Mrs. Craig with questions.

ASVAB Test: Junior or Seniors interested in taking the ASVAB test, stop in Student Services to sign up. The ASVAB test is free, and is a multiple-choice test that measures aptitude and knowledge for career paths in military and other vocational fields.

Tuesdays ONLY:

FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). Meets Tuesday mornings 7:15 AM in Room 124, Mrs. Keffeler’s Room.
Chess club will meet on Tuesdays after school in Room 151, Mrs. Stevens’ room.

The 2025 Competitive Cheer season has officially wrapped up for Sturgis Brown High School, and the Scoopers set a new school record with a strong 8th-place finish at the State Championships, earning an impressive 249.5 points—marking the highest score in program history.

Coach Wuebben credited the success to the team’s dedication and perseverance throughout the season. The athletes continually pushed themselves to elevate their skills and teamwork.

In addition to the record-breaking performance, three athletes received notable individual honors. Congratulations to Kathleen Cook and Sarah Bestgen on their All-State nominations, and to Lola Anderson for earning official All-State recognition.🖤📣

Sturgis Brown High School’s Yearbook and Newspaper staffs achieved outstanding success at the SDHSAA Annual High School Publications Contest, an event that celebrates excellence in journalism across South Dakota. Competing against schools statewide, SBHS students earned multiple awards for their outstanding work in writing and photography.

The contest evaluates publications and individual entries in categories such as newspaper, yearbook, news writing, and journalistic photography. Entries are ranked as Honorable Mention, Excellent, or Superior—the highest distinction.

Several SBHS students earned recognition for their efforts this year:

Alana Pritts – Excellent, Journalism Newswriting (Editorial); Excellent, Journalism Photography (School Activity)
Avery Anderson – Excellent, Journalism Newswriting (Sports); Excellent, Journalism Newswriting (Feature)
Sullivan Sigman – Excellent, Journalism Newswriting (Sports)
Hadlee Parsons – Excellent, Journalism Newswriting (General)
Trenton Graff – Excellent, Journalism Newswriting (General)
Leila Pritts – Excellent, Journalism Newswriting (Editorial)
Laila Clement – Excellent, Journalism Newswriting (Sports)
Hunter Scott – Excellent, Journalism Newswriting (Editorial); Superior, Journalism Newswriting (Feature); Superior, Journalism Newswriting (General)
Kayli Dahl – Superior, Journalism Newswriting (Feature); Superior, Journalism Photography (Sports)

In addition to these individual achievements, the Bear Butte Breezes, the school’s newspaper, received a Superior rating—marking it as one of the top publications in the state.

Left to right: Hunter Scott (11), Kayli Dahl (11) and Alana Pritts (11) pose with some of their certificates from the SD High School Press Convention award ceremony, held in Vermillion last week. The three journalists placed in Superior and Excellent categories for their photography and newswriting skills. Behind them is an issue of the school newspaper, "Bear Butte Breezes," which took a Superior rating under the tutelage of Shane Whidby, past journalism teacher.

Photo by Daleena Craig

he FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) chapter at SBHS will host the Ironman Volleyball Tournament on November14 at 12:00 PM in the West Gym, featuring teams of 4 boys and 4 girls with a $40 entry fee per team. Half of the proceeds will support the Crisis Intervention Shelter Service (CISS) in Sturgis, while the winning team takes home a cash prize. All are welcome to participate or cheer on the competition, and students can register through their class Google Classroom or contact Kielyn Aker with questions.

The Sturgis Brown High School FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) is hosting a food drive from October 24 to November 21. They are accepting unexpired, nonperishable food items, which will be donated to the local Kiwanis Food Pantry to support families during the upcoming holiday season.

AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY STUDENT CONTESTS

The Meade Sturgis American Legion Auxiliary Unit 33 is inviting students to participate in this year’s Americanism Contests, promoting pride in our country and appreciation for our freedoms.

Two contests are offered:

Poem Writing Contest – open to students in grades 3–6
Essay Writing Contest – open to students in grades 3–12; COVER SHEET & RULES

Both contests provide an excellent opportunity for students to express their patriotism through writing. Cash prizes are awarded at the local, district, state, and national levels for essay entries.

All entries are due February 1, 2026, and should be submitted directly to: Carol Edwards. Unit President, Meade Sturgis American Legion Auxiliary Unit 33.

Mail submissions to:

Carol Edwards, President

Meade Sturgis Unit 33

American Legion Auxiliary

20616 Maitland Road

Lead, SD 57754

Students are invited to take part in the NASA TechRise Student Challenge, a free national competition for grades 6–12 that gives students the chance to design and fly their own experiments on a Virgin Galactic suborbital spacecraft or a World View Enterprises high-altitude balloon.

Teams, guided by an educator, will submit experiment ideas for a chance to be one of 60 winning teams that receive $1,500 in funding, a spot on a NASA-sponsored flight, and technical support from NASA TechRise advisors. No prior experience is needed—just creativity and curiosity!

The challenge gives students hands-on experience with the same processes used by professional researchers, building real-world skills in science, technology, and innovation. In the 2024–25 challenge, over 530 students from all 50 states and territories transformed their ideas into working experiments.

👉 Learn More:

View last year’s winners and projects, including South Dakota’s Lower Brule High School, at NASA TechRise 2024 Gallery.
Educators can sign up for updates or download the challenge flyer at the NASA TechRise Website.
For questions or additional resources, email techrise@futureengineers.org.

This is a fantastic opportunity for SBHS students to reach for the stars—literally! 🌌

Key Dates & Information

Students interested in leadership, public speaking, law enforcement, or marksmanship have several exciting opportunities through the American Legion this school year:

Oratorical Contest – Students can showcase their public speaking skills by competing in the annual oratorical contest. Post-level contests must be completed by December 22, 2025, and district contests by January 26, 2026. Assigned topics and details can be found at legion.org or sdlegion.org/oratorical-scholarship.
Boys State – Scheduled for May 25–29, 2026, Boys State provides an immersive experience in government and leadership for high school juniors and seniors (who have not previously attended). Registration is online at sdlegion.org/boys-state. The $250 fee is paid by the local Legion post. Learn more at southdakotaboysstate.org.
Youth Trooper Academy – Taking place June 22–26, 2026, this program gives students a hands-on look at law enforcement careers. Applicants must have a valid driver’s license, and only 24 students statewide will be selected. Applications are due March 21, 2026, at sdlegion.org/sd-youth-trooper-academy.
Junior Shooting Sports – Open to male and female youth under 18 (or high school seniors up to age 20), this program promotes discipline and marksmanship using the .177 caliber air rifle. Participants can advance through postal matches to compete in the National Championship, held each July at Hillsdale College in Michigan. More information is available at sdlegion.org/shooting-sports.

These programs offer excellent opportunities for students to develop leadership, citizenship, and teamwork skills while representing their school and community.

Established in 1947, our Voice of Democracy audio-essay program provides high school students with the unique opportunity to express themselves in-regards-to a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay. Each year, nearly 40,000 9-12 grade students from across the country enter to win their share of $2.1 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the program.

The national first-place winner receives a $35,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school. A complete list of other national scholarships range from $1,000-$15,000, and the first-place winner from each VFW Department (state) wins a minimum scholarship of $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip Valley Forge. Want to apply? 2025-2026 Entry Form

VOD Deadlines:

Midnight, October 31, Entries to the Post: Nancy J Worth, nworth1971@gmail.com

November 20 - Entries due to the District

December 5 - District Winners due to the Department Chairman - Marc Calcaterra

Rules and Eligibility Requirements: VOD Rules / Eligibility

DO NOT mail District entries and required forms to State Headquarters. Mail them directly to the State Voice of Democracy Chairman!

SENIOR NEWS | Class of 2026

September 2025

Senior Class Advisors:

Kari Van Zee (kari.vanzee@k12.sd.us)
Jenece Holzbauer (jenece.holzbauer@k12.sd.us)
Stephanie Kaufman (stephanie.kaufman@k12.sd.us)

Information below is subject to change. Please watch the SBHS Announcements and the Class of 2026 Google Classroom for updates.

Preparing for Your Senior Year

The Class of 2026 is entering an exciting and busy year filled with important deadlines and memorable moments leading up to graduation. Below are key dates and reminders to help seniors and their families stay on track.

Fall Deadlines

October 2 – Deadline to order Cap & Gown and graduation merchandise. (Instructions available on the Class of 2026 Google Classroom.)
October 17 – Deadline to submit class poem, song, motto, and flower color nominations via Google Classroom.
- Songs must include printed lyrics, a YouTube link, and be school-appropriate.
- Poems must be original, appropriate, and will be read at graduation by the author if selected.
- Motto submissions must be cited appropriately.
November 3–7 – Online voting for poem, song, motto, and flower color.
November 7 – Baby picture due for the senior slideshow.
December 15 – Senior yearbook picture due (uploaded through Google Classroom; see Mrs. Craig with questions).

Spring Deadlines

February 1 – Many local scholarship applications open (check Student Services website).
April 1 – Most scholarship applications due (verify deadlines individually). Questions can be directed to Registrar Judy Weisz.
Week of April 13 – Make class awards in Room 303 during Scooper Times.
April 17 – Deadline to sign up for Graduation Speaker try-outs (via Google Classroom). Note: If your poem is chosen, you cannot audition.
April 23 – Graduation Speaker try-outs, Room 113.
April 27–May 1 – Online voting for Class Awards.
May 11 – Pick up Senior Checkout Sheet and complete Exit Survey.
May 13 – Senior Walk, last day of class, turn in checkout sheet and computer (during 5th period).
May 15 – Awards, graduation practice, and Senior BBQ (details TBA).

Graduation Day – Sunday, May 17, 2026

12:30 PM – Doors open
1:15 PM – Seniors line up
2:00 PM – Graduation Ceremony begins promptly

Dress Expectations:

Ladies: Dress, skirt and blouse, or dress pants and blouse. Shoes must have a back strap (no flip-flops or tennis shoes).
Gentlemen: Dress slacks or black jeans with a dress shirt. Shoes must have a back strap (no flip-flops or tennis shoes).

Adornments Allowed:

Honor cords, honor tassels, NHS and military stoles, military uniform (if basic training completed), eagle feather/plume, tribal beading, or star quilt on chair (SDCL 13-1-66).
No other hat decorations or gown adornments permitted.
See Mr. Wilson by May 15 with dress code questions.

This year is full of opportunities to celebrate your hard work and create lasting memories. Stay connected through the Class of 2026 Google Classroom and SBHS announcements to ensure you don’t miss important deadlines. Congratulations, Seniors—it’s your year!