The South Dakota Beef Industry Council (SDBIC) has announced the fifth class of the Junior Beef Ambassador program, a program giving area youth, ages 5 to 18, the opportunity to share their beef story. Among the new ambassadors is Custer County’s Millie Paulton, who is a student at the Elk Mountain School.
This year’s Kids Write History Essay Contest award ceremony featured two Hill City Elementary School (HCES) students, Witten Gardner and Linden Bodensteiner.
Kids Write History (KWH) is a fourth grade essay contest created by the West River History Conference (WRHC) in 2022.
Custer School District superintendent Mark Naugle was recently honored at the Black Hills State University Swarm Days with the BHSU Alumni Award for Excellence in Education. Naugle attended Black Hills State College (now University) from 1984 to 1988. The Black Hills State Alumni Association presents the award to its alumni for their achievements in the education field.
The alumni relations director, Tom Wheaton, informed him of the award back in May, much to his surprise.
A community vigil to honor and remember Autumn Hernandez has been organized for 6-8 p.m. at the Custer High School track and football field. this Sunday, Oct. 13. People are asked to come together as a community and walk the track in Autumn’s honor.
There will be luminaries to write messages and wristbands to purchase at the vigil. At-will donations are welcome.
Custer School District has a new messaging system, as well as a new app, to keep students, families and patrons up to date on anything they need to know for school and activities.
“When there is a snow day, for example, with the new system, administration can send one notice and it will instantly post to the district’s website live feed, to Facebook, as well as send a text, email and phone call to all staff and student families at the same time,” said superintendent Mark Naugle.
With the new school year at Custer School District comes eight new teachers in Hermosa, Custer Elementary and Custer Jr./Sr. High School.
Custer Elementary School welcomed three of those teachers, Jamie Neugebauer, Susan Ostenson and Kristin Seidler.
After five years away, 2019 Custer High School graduate Neugebauer is back to Custer, this time as a teacher.
“I wanted to teach here to be closer to family and be back in this community. I’ve missed the Black Hills and am glad to be back,” said Neugebauer.
Summer is soon coming to an end, and with that comes the 11th annual Young Life Archery Tournament Saturday, Aug. 31, five miles west of Hill City on the Deerfield Road.
The state’s high school band directors have offered a plan that they hope will allow for live auditions for students trying out for All-State Band. The plan was approved at Thursday’s meeting of the South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA) board of directors.
In the past, the association has used the state airplane to fly judges to audition sites across the state over two weekends in January. On the third weekend judges were driven to the audition site.
At the age of 15 Kieara Babcock is working five days a week at Sprockets Fun Foundry in Keystone to save up for the trip of a lifetime.
Babcock was a freshman when she was nominated by her teacher, Laura Hagen, for the South Dakota Ambassadors of Music Tour. Nominations are based on maturity, character, leadership and musicianship.
Babcock is excited about the trip, which gives students an opportunity to travel to Europe for 15 days to learn about the cultural aspects of five different countries and give musical performances in each.
Young Life is a global ecumenical ministry with areas in 112 countries. It began in 1941 in Texas as a way for teenagers to have fun, hang out, be themselves and hear a message.
“It’s a ministry for adolescents, and the mission of Young Life is to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith,” said Hill City Young Life area director Sarah Weischedel.
