Esther Noe joins Chronicle staff

Award-winning journalist Esther Noe is the newest addition to the Custer County Chronicle team.
Since moving to Custer in 2021 with her family, Noe (pronounced “no”) has been working for the Hill City Prevailer News as an office manager, journalist and photographer.
“A lot of people ask me if I moved for the job, but really the job found me. A friend left a copy of the Chronicle sitting on the kitchen counter the day we moved in, and the job listing was inside. After reading through the paper, I was pretty much hooked. Ten days later, the job was mine. It was a total God thing,” said Noe.
Two months earlier, Noe graduated from Thomas Edison State University online with a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and a 4.0 GPA. Through the degree program, Noe studied writing, communications, literature, child development and business.
“After studying everything from marketing to conflict management to creative writing to the intricacies of children’s literature, I have a diverse educational background, and it has served me well as a journalist. I was hired to be a ‘Jack-of-all-trades’ for the newspaper, and I quickly fulfilled that role. Whenever something needed to be covered, I got it done and enjoyed doing it,” said Noe.
After her first year, Noe was named the South Dakota NewsMedia Association’s Outstanding Young Journalist for weekly newspapers in 2022. This was the first of several individual and group awards Noe has received during her time as a journalist.
“Being a journalist can be hard some days. You’re always rushing to meet the next deadline, and sometimes people don’t like what you reported. Overall though, I’ve found it to be really fulfilling. It’s allowed me to make a difference in the community, capture memories for family members to save and help people express what’s in their hearts on the page,” said Noe.
Before moving to South Dakota, Noe grew up in a south suburb of Minneapolis, Minn., where she was homeschooled from kindergarten through 12th grade. To pay her way through college, Noe taught ballet classes at a home school co-op for several years before transitioning to working at a daycare where she was quickly promoted to the role of lead infant teacher.
“I’ve always loved working with children, so getting paid to rock babies was a dream come true. It was a nice break from studying too,” said Noe.
Here in Custer, Noe is continuing to use her teaching skills as the director of her church’s nursery, and in between, she sings on the worship team.
Noe is also the treasurer for Southern Hills Shotokan Karate which meets at Lo-Ru West Dance Studio on Thursday evenings. She transitioned to doing karate with her brothers and sisters a few years ago after 13 years of ballet. Now, Noe is continuing her karate training as a first-degree purple belt.
When not writing, Noe can usually be found hiding in the pages of a book, playing worship songs on her guitar, crafting something out of nothing, going for walks in the woods and playing with her pet bunny, Mr. Darcy. Yes, from Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Chronicle team. Hill City was amazing, and I’ll always be grateful for my time there. Even so, Custer is my hometown now, and I’m excited to become a part of the community. If you see me around town, please say hello and introduce yourself. I’ll do my best to learn everyone’s name in time,” said Noe.
As a journalist, Noe’s role will not change too much. She will still be writing stories, taking photos and attending events. In addition to that, Noe will be taking over the Athlete of the Week YouTube videos, laying out the Hill City Prevailer News and updating the website along with  myriad other things.
“I’m guessing I’ll always be a ‘Jack-of-all-trades,’ but that’s just fine with me. I love what I do, and I’m happy to be here,” said Noe.
Custer County Chronicle general manager Jason Ferguson said Noe will make a great addition to the Chronicle staff.
“Esther is smart, thorough, a quick learner, good at her job and never complains,” Ferguson said. “She did a great job for us in Hill City, as she will here. We have no doubt the community will fall in love with her, just as we have.”