Fans urged to show support for Wolverines

PAULLINA-South O'Brien High School wants to pay homage to its spring sports.

To do so, it will host its annual Pride Week, Monday-Friday, May 4-8.

"It's very similar to what people do for Homecoming Week in the fall," said guidance counselor Connie Flynn. "We do it again in the spring to recognize the spring sports."

The week will kick off at 4:30 p.m. Monday, when the South O'Brien girls and boys golf teams host Sergeant Bluff-Luton at Primghar Golf & Country Club.

Be sure to arrive early, though.

The first 100 fans will receive a free Wolverine water bottle.

Paying tribute to the boys and girls track teams, the school will host a "Pack the Track," starting at 5 p.m. Friday, May 8 at the Wolverine Relays that South O'Brien hosts at Cherokee High School.

Again, the first 100 fans will be rewarded free water bottles.

And, just like Homecoming Week, the South O'Brien Student Council also has packed the week with fun-filled activities at the high school.

At 2:45 p.m. Friday, students will be dismissed from classes to participate in Wolverine Games.

"There will be class competitions in everything from sack races and sleeping bag pulling races to tug of war," Flynn said.

If getting out of class for 45 minutes is not incentive enough, the winning class will claim the competition trophy.

During last year's Pride Week, the student council implemented a fundraising campaign. Due to its success, the school will do so again, in the form of a class competition.

"We'll be collecting change for Pennies for Patients," Flynn said.

As a benefit for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, students will be urged to bring in pennies, dimes, nickels and quarters throughout the week. The high school class that brings in the most change will be rewarded with a pizza party.

Along with Pennies for Patients, the school also will sponsor three children who are recovering from leukemia and living in the area.

"We're not sure what communities they are from, just that they are from northwest Iowa," Flynn said. "We will be writing letters to them during our homerooms."

If nothing else, she hopes each student takes pride in the events they partake in during the week.

"The week is designed for the students to take pride," Flynn said. "Pride in their school, pride in the activities they participate in and pride in helping others in the community."

This article appeared in the May 2, 2009 edition of The N'West Iowa REVIEW.

Cleaning ladies reprise roles

OKOBOJI-Jackie Carpenter and Barb Worth had a hard time narrowing down selections for their original music review.

"Blue Moon," "Tea for Two," "It Had to Be You," "Mak'in Whoppie" - they all sounded good.

Especially when the music of the 1930s and 1940s made lasting impressions on the two.

Both Jacki and Barb have been involved with the Lakes Community Theatre for 22 years.

"At the beginning of each show, when we would go out and do promotions, we would dress up as cleaning ladies and pretend we were cleaning up after a show," Jackie said. "We would ask the audience why they were still there, because we were told to come out and clean then. That's how we would promote some of the other shows we've done."

Jackie's husband, Bill, had an idea.

After developing a script for an original music review, deemed "Music and Memories," Bill still needed a way to introduce each song in a way that would take audience members back to the 1930s and '40s.

"He said, 'Why don't you two become the cleaning ladies?'" Jackie said.

Jackie and Barb agreed, also taking on director, producer and costume designer roles.

The review, which will take the stage Friday, May 1-Sunday, May 3 at the Pearson Lakes Art Center, will begin with Rosie and Aggie, played by Jackie and Barb, coming on stage following a present day punk rock concert.

"We will come out and complain about how dirty the ballroom is," Jackie said. "While we're busy complaining and cleaning up, we will begin thinking about the way it was when we were young."

Cue the music.

While romance is the main theme of the review, Barb said to expect a compilation of 19 "cutsey" songs.

"it was so hard to narrow it down," Barb said. "So much beautiful music came out of that time period."

This article appeared in the April 25, 2009 edition of DISCOVER! Magazine.

Ocheyedan school to close doors

OCHEYEDAN-May 29 is bound to be an emotional day at Ocheyedan Elementary.

The fourth-graders will pack up their book bags for the last time at the Ocheyedan building. That happens on the last day of school every year.

The end of this school year will be a little different, though.

The teachers and support staff also will collect their belongings, and the third-grade class at Ben Franklin Elementary in Sibley will not be looking forward to attending a different school in the fall.

Instead, Ocheyedan Elementary, which educates preschoolers and fourth-graders, will be closing at the end of the school year.

More than 100 district residents met Monday evening in the high school auditorium in Sibley to hear the Sibley-Ocheyedan District School Board of Education vote 401 in favor of closing the Ocheyedan school.

While district superintendent Jeff Herzberg is not attached to the Ocheyedan building emotionally, he understands the many Sibley and Ocheyedan residents who are.

"It's a grieving process," he said. "Anytime a school building is closed, it's like a family member passing away."

Because of decreasing enrollment and budget losses, Sibley-Ocheyedan School District officials began exploring the option of moving fourth-grade classes to Ben Franklin Elementary and determining where the preschoolers would go during a special meeting held in December.

Herzberg said enrollment drives school budgets. The district receives about $5,400 in state aid for every student. This school year, the district saw a decline of 45 students, creating a loss of about $240,000 in its budget.

"We weren't ready to lose 45 students this year. We thought we'd be down five or even up a little," Herzberg said. "We know we're also going to lose about 30 students from the senior/kindergarten exchange next school year."

He said a mobile society is partially to blame for the declining enrollment. Sixteen families with three or more students moved out of the district prior to the 2008-09 school year.

That drop is an issue that the Iowa Department of Education predicts the district will continue to deal with in the near future, he said. Besides the number of students lost between this year's graduating seniors and next year's incoming kindergarteners, projections show the district enrollment dropping by about 50 more students over the next five years.

At the December meeting, Herzberg cited a number of reasons the district would save money by closing the Ocheyedan site. He said having the building open will cost the district about $143,000 this year. Closing the building would save the district an estimated $106,500. He said keeping the building open also would likely force the district to spend $90,000 to repair a boiler in the near future.

Prior to making its decision, the board allowed for three Ocheyedan residents to voice their concerns about the school closing at Monday night's meeting.

Brett Kleve said he was concerned that if the board voted to close the school, it might consider building projects with the left over money already allocated in the 2009-10 school year budget.

"I don't want to see any construction," Kleve said.

Board president Kyle Grimes assured Kleve that the money would be placed in the general fund and no new construction would take place.

Sherie Kleve was more concerned that the board has not spent adequate time on the issue.

"Many nights, I have woken up furious about what is going on," she said. "The 2009-10 school year budget is already set and it includes the Ocheyedan school. If that is so, why are we here? Five months is not adequate time. It's not fair to the kids. The dollar is what's talking here, not the kids' welfare."

Chris Kruger confronted Herzberg about a discussion he had with her husband, Mark, a member of the Ocheyedan City Council, four years ago.

"You said that if and when something happened with the school, we would have a two-year notice," Kruger said. "I ought to tell you Jeff, I thought you'd take more consideration to this than five months."

Herzberg did not deny having the conversation, but said no one could have predicted the economic crisis the nation is facing.

"I did mean that you all would have a two-year notice until we had our count day on Oct. 1 this year," Herzberg said. "I couldn't foresee to the extent the economy would be in. Nobody did. We had trouble forecasting that, and we weren't ready to lose 45 students."

After Herzberg answered their questions, Grimes opened the decision to the board members. Jeff Knobloch made the motion to close the Ocheyedan center, and Keith Newman seconded the motion.

"With decreasing enrollment, it does not make sense to keep the building open," Grimes said. "We are convinced there is ample space in Ben Franklin Elementary. The extra costs of keeping the Ocheyedan center open are no longer a luxury the district can afford."

Board members Knobloch, Newman, Grimes and Paul Feldkamp voted in favor of closing the building.

The lone vote against the closing came from Todd Ackerman of Ocheyedan.

"I don't know why we're doing this," Ackerman said. "It all comes down to what is best for the kids. That's not what I've been hearing. This decision all comes down to the money."

The district will retain ownership of the building after school is dismissed at Ocheyedan Elementary for the final time next month.

Arrangements will be made to occupy empty classrooms at Ben Franklin Elementary with incoming fourth-graders.

The future of preschool in Ocheyedan is yet to be decided, but Herzberg said keeping preschool at the Ocheyedan center is a possibility, as is renting out the space as a community building or office space.

This article appeared in the April 25, 2009 edition of The N'West Iowa REVIEW.

Project bringing more hope to abuse victims

SIOUX CENTER-It may be a heartwrenching story, but Shari Kastein felt she needed to share it.

Twenty-four years ago, Kastein was trapped in a violent marriage.

Each morning she awoke she would thank God to still be alive.

Eventually, Kastein mustered up the courage to leave, taking her daughter, Melissa, with her. With no place to go, the two resorted to sleeping in Kastein's car.

"I remember holding my daughter on my lap, curled up with a blanket, because there was no place to go," she said. "I carried around a bucket of coins with me, so I could go to the nearest pay phone and call my mom. I would sometimes fall asleep in my car with the pay phone in my hand and Melissa in her car seat."

Kastein and Melissa sought refuge in a condemned trailer. It might not have had any hot water or heat, but they were safe.

Or so Kastein thought.

The night before Thanksgiving in 1985, 1-year-old Melissa Aakers was abducted, severely beaten, molested and left to die in an abandoned car.

She was rescued but spent the next few days fighting for her life in a trauma center.

Neither of them would suffer from domestic violence again.

In 1997, Kastein interviwed for her job as director at the Family Crisis Centers of Northwest Iowa in Sioux Center. She was offered the position.

"When I got in the car, Melissa was waiting, and I said, 'Well, I got the job, but we're not going to go,'" Kastein said. "She said, 'But, why Mom?' and I said, 'The money, Melissa. We can't afford to stay here.' She innocently looked at me, only being in eighth grade, and said, 'But Mom, when has your work ever been about the money? I think we need to move to Sioux Center.'"

So they did.



More than 100 people - Family Crisis Centers board of director members, staff members, volunteers and community members - gathered Wednesday at New Life Reformed Church in Sioux Center for the groundbreaking ceremony and celebration of the organization's newest endeavor, Project Hope, an estimated $1.7 million project that will house shelter space, learning facilities and a long-term housing unit in the same building.

Kastein and the Family Crisis Centers Board of Directors began planning for the project about three and a half years ago.

While the building that has been serving the organization since 2001 already includes office space for counselors and administration and an emergency safe house for victims needing protection, more space was needed to serve the 350 people who seek the services annually.

The new facility, which will include more shelter space, more office space, a conference training center and a transitional housing unit for families seeking longer respite, will meet those needs and allow room for growth.

"This multilevel facility will be a safe haven for persons that sometimes leave in the middle of the night with just the clothes on their back," Kastein said. "Project Hope will be something that we all in this community and this region can be proud of."

Although the $1.7 million price tag seemed quite lofty only a little over a year ago, funding has poured in.

Last March, the facility was notified it had received a Community Development Block Grant for $600,000 - the maximum amount possible and the largest amount ever received in Sioux Center.

Project Hope also was awarded two $90,000 grants from the Iowa Financial Authority and a total of $233,000 in grants from an international foundation based in New York City.

Only $500,000 remains to be raised for the 10,000-square-foot facility.

"We're going to raise $500,000 to make this center the most unique and valuable agency in the state of Iowa, in the region and even in the nation," Kastein said. "If we go back to our Christian thinking, remember that Jesus walked on Earth as a human being for only 30-plus years, and in that time, he left with us a teaching. What we did with that is said that we are here to take care of each other. That is a memory I hold true. From the night when I was left with no place to go, I always remembered that somebody would care. Today, we are a group that cares for others. We can provide hope for those that are suffering from domestic violence and sexual assault."



Wednesday's ceremony aligned with this week being National Volunteer Week, today (Saturday, April 25) being Shelter Awareness Day and next week being National Crime Victims Rights Week.

While Iowa first lady Mari Culver was scheduled to speak at the event, she was not able to attend because she was in Newton, where President Barack Obama was appearing. Instead, Adam Gross, the Governor's Office outreach coordinator and volunteer liaison, spoke on her behalf and read a letter from Culver.

"Spring is here," Gross said. "This is a new day and a new opportunity to move forward and combat domestic violence."

Although Sioux County attorney Coleman McAllister has never suffered from domestic violence, he deals with those who have on a daily basis.

"My job as a prosecutor is a humbling job at times," he said to the crows Wednesday. "I get to meet people when they are most vulnerable. People that have been hurt oftentimes come to me, and my job is to be their voice - their voice in the court system and their voice to ensure justice. There are times when that's a very difficult job because they don't want to come see me, a lot of people really don't."

McAllister said several shelters have closed throughout the state of Iowa because there was not community support or the needed funding.

"We are lucky here in northwest Iowa," McAllister said. "We have people that support victims, and they put their money where their mouth is. I want to take the time to thank you all. Without your help, I can't do my job, and we can't do what law enforcement wants us to do - achieve safe and secure communities. That's what we're trying to do. That's what I try to do and that's what this helps us do."

Sioux Center mayor Dennis Walstra said the community supports the service that Family Crisis Centers provides to abused people in N'West Iowa.

"We appreciate your vision," he said. "This may not be the last step that the Family Crisis Centers takes. We certainly hope not."

This article appeared in the April 25, 2009 edition of The N'West Iowa REVIEW.

Global warming

New countries. New cultures. New experiences.

That's what participating in a student exchange program is all about.

Although Jan Engeman has never been an exchange student, she has been a community coordinator for Council for Educational Travel USA since 2005. And she became involved long before that.

Jan and her husband, Tom, served as host parents during the 1984-85 school year to a high school-aged German boy through Youth for Understanding, a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting international understanding and world peace through exchange programs.

Jan immediately was smitten with the idea, as she is a strong advocate for world peace.

"I've been to Europe three times," she said. "I love to travel, and I would like to see peace in our world."

And, while student exchange programs cannot sole-heartedly conquer that, Jan thinks they help.

"They help you get to know somebody," she said. "We wouldn't have gone to Iraq if anybody had any friends over there at all. Hopefully, this will make us think twice about starting a war."

CETUSA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Americans and those from other cultures to gain a better understanding of one another.

After becoming involved with the program four years ago, Jan has served as a supervisory figure for exchange students and host families.

"I talk to them every month and see them every eight weeks," Jan said. "I also check with the school, visit and see how they are doing there. Every month, I also do an evaluation of the student and send it into the organization."

She said the program houses around 8,000 students in the United States annually and has seen success throughout N'West Iowa. Last year, students from Poland, Belgium and Germany attended Sibley-Ocheyedan High School, which also was where Maria Stalinksi of Germany was placed this school year.

Jan is looking for placements for students, ages 15-18, for the 2009-10 school year. As the students would arrive in August, she would like to have them placed with a host family by May 1.

"I'm especially going to George-Little Rock, the Orange City schools, Hawarden and Boyden-Hull," Jan said. "Host families in those areas would be good."

Te program does not only work one way, though. Any student in N'West Iowa who wants to participate in an exchange program has the option through CETUSA by way of the outbound exchange program.

"We've never had an outbound student, but we offer a variety of study abroad programs," Jan said. "Programs are offered in France, Germany and Spain, although destinations are available upon request. Depending on the country and the students' goals, they can go for two weeks to 12 months."

The same with the standard exchange program, students have to be 15-18 years old and have a B- or better academic average.

Although Stalinski is the only student in N'West Iowa as part of CETUSA, two other exchange students have found their way to the area by way of other student exchange organizations — Christian Cichy and Linnea vanderAarde.

Each of the three wanted to experience life in the United States, but how they each got to that unified decision is quite unique.

Here are their stories:

Christian Cichy

Two years go, Christian Cichy went on a Florida vacation.

"It was the first time I had ever been to the United States," said the 17-year-old native of Brunswich, Germany.

He was hooked.

After participating in two two-week exchange programs in France, Cichy knew he wanted to participate in an immersion program for a full school year, and the United States was the place he was going to do it.

So, Cichy did just that.

Here as a part of Student American International, a Connecticut-based nonprofit student exchange organization, Cichy is staying with Dave and April Konz in Alton and attending MOC-Floyd Valley High School in Orange City, where he is a junior.

Although Cichy did not get to chose which part of the country he was placed, he was hoping for a small town as he is from a big city.

After his August arrival in Alton, he was quite bewildered.

"I was surprised," he said. "It's way different."

Upon beginning the school year at MOC-Floyd Valley, Cichy knew he wanted to take advantage of opportunities he would not be able to experience in Brunswick, particularly sports.

"When I think of America, I think of football," he said. "So I thought it would be good to play football."

Cichy did just that during the fall and joined the Quiz Bowl team during the winter.

Now, he is on the soccer team.

With his host family, Cichy has enjoyed taking trips to South Dakota and attending Dave's softball games and the couple's boating team events.

Cichy has kept in contact with his family and friends at home in Germany via the phone and by e-mail.

"I still miss them though," he said.

But, that will not stop him from coming back to the United States.

"I plan to come back for at least a semester while I'm at University," Cichy said.

Maria Stalinski

Maria Stalinski, a 17-year-old sophomore at Sibley-Ocheyedan High School in Sibley, came to the United States from Munich, Germany.

Although she had never been to the United States before, she became fascinated with the country when one of her friends came to visit during summer vacation.

That was when Stalinski knew she wanted to participate in a student exchange program.

"I was fascinated," she said. "I didn't have any other country in mind."

Stalinski, who is staying with Dr. Greg and Deb Kosters in Sibley, arrived in the United States in August and will not return to Munich until June.

Before she embarked on her journey, Stalinski tried not to have any preconceived expectations of how she thought life in Iowa would be.

"It's hard to have expectations when you've never been somewhere before," she said. "I didn't want to think it was going to be one way and not have it be that way."

One thing was for certain, though.

Stalinski wanted to make the most of her experience.

After starting school in the fall, Stalinski became involved in volleyball, band and speech and has now joined the track team.

And, she probably is one of only a handful of high school students that considers school fun.

"I thought it would be harder," she said.

After taking vacations to Los Angeles and Palm Springs, CA and the Black Hills in South Dakota, Stalinski has come to realize just how different the United States is from Germany.

"Towns are so spread out here," she said. "In Germany, we ride the bus or bike to other towns. It doesn't take as long."

Stalsinki also has been impressed with the number of her classmates who have cars.

"In Germany, you can't drive until you're 18," she said.

Sports are not school-related events in Germany, Stalinski noted. Rather, those interested must join athletic teams outside of school.

But, none of that is what Stalinski misses most.

"The food is different," she said.

After Stalinski returns to Munich this summer, she has two more years of school to finish, but she also plans to spend her free time researching green cards, so she can come back and visit in the future.

"I will definitely come back," she said.

Linnea vanderAarde

Linnea vanderAarde may have come to N'West Iowa as an exchange student from Lincoln, England, but her parents are originally from Iowa.

Her dad, Paul, was raised in Orange City, while her mom, Susan, is from Des Moines. Linnea, who is 16, was born in Maryland and was only 11 months old when her family moved to England so Paul ould pursue his career with the Royal Air Force at the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense.

Although vanderAarde frequently returns to the United States to visit the rest of her family, she wanted to spend an extended amount of time around Orange City, where her grandparents, Stan and Arlene Vander Aarde, still reside.

"My original play was to come in a couple of years and attend Northwestern, but I have no American qualifications and would have had to come as an exchange student," vanderAarde said. "It just didn't work out."

Instead, she decided to attend an extra year of high school and come to Iowa to really get to know her family. While vanderAarde is staying with Murrah and Julie Andersen in Alton, she recently got her wisdom teeth out, so she spent time staying with her grandparents.

"I found out that I'm related to about one-third of the population of Orange City," vanderAarde said.

During her time spent attending MOC-Floyd Valley High School as a junior, vanderAarde has tried to become involved with as many things as possible, such as large group speech, playing clarinet in the pit orchestra for MOC-Floyd Valley's rendition of "Oklahoma" and "Brigadoon" at Orange City's Tulip Festival and attending numerous church retreats.

VanderAarde also has enjoyed attending volleyball, basketball, cross country and soccer events with her host family and has signed on as the girls' track manager for MOC-Floyd Valley High School.

Although vanderAarde misses her parents and younger sister, Emma, she has enjoyed her time spent in N'West Iowa much more than the UK.

"I like the Christian morals and beliefs a lot more here," she said. "Although I attend a private Christian school in England, they teach us nothing about the Bible. I just knew it was a big book with a lot of information, so my friends here have been helping me to understand it. Everyone here is very welcoming and so much easier to talk to."

Upon returning to England on June 20, vanderAarde plans to finish high school and attend University. And, there's no question that she will be back to the states in the near future — all of her family lives here.

This article appeared in the April 25, 2009 edition of The N'West Iowa REVIEW.

No debate, they're good

Milford—Three Okoboji High School students are headed south — to Birmingham, AL.

Seniors Katelyn Warburton and Wes Baish and junior Kyle Hanson qualified for the National Forensic League's 2009 The Stars Fell on Alabama Nationals.

The event's opening ceremonies are June 14, with debate rounds June 15-18 and the final round of competition June 19.

Hanson is competing in the Senate portion of Student Congress, while Warburton and Baish will challenge other teams in Public Forum Debate.

But, both events are quite different. In Public Forum, Warburton and Baish will work to convince judges they are right, relying on mounds of research they will do to back up their statements. Hanson will look at and research numerous bills and legislation, just as a real-life Senate member would.

Despite their event differences, one thing remains. All three are honored to have the chance to compete at the national debate tournament.

Here are some of the thoughts of the three students — as well as Greg Stevens, who serves as the head coach for the Okoboji-Spirit Lake debate program — as the national competition nears:

Q: What are our feelings going into the nationals. Are you nervous? Excited?

Warburton: I haven't gotten nervous yet. We don't have the topic yet, so I'm still excited.

Hanson: I am very excited, but the work is going to be a lot. There will be 90 bills and I have to come up with a pro and con for both sides.

Baish: I'm excited for it, but at the same time a little bit apprehensive of the competition we'll be seeing. I don't know what it will be like.

Q: When will you know your topic?

Stevens: Topics will be selected May 1.

Q: What kind of topic will you mist likely face?

Warburton: It will be a current issue.

Stevens: It's a current affairs issue. Public forum topics change every month. We've already debated the draft, health care, nuclear power, alternative energy, social networking and analysis of growth in BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) economies.

Hanson: We have multiple topics.

Stevens: Every tournament, people from every school can turn in a topic or resolution to be debated.

Q: How are you preparing for the national tournament?

Baish: Right now, sound, mind and body are what we're working on, before we start to do some serious pencil pushing.

Stevens: In other words, we aren't really doing anything until the topic comes out.

Q: What are you looking forward to most about the tournament?

Warburton: I'm excited to see the other teams and see how they debate, because in different areas, they debate differently. Sometimes it's frustrating and sometimes it's just really neat to see something different.

Hanson: I'm also excited to see how other states do the Senate. I'm not sure if it'll be as drastic a change in Public Forum, but it's cool to see different styles and how they present themselves is different from our area. I'm really excited.

Warburton: I'm also excited for the barbecue.

Baish: Instead of barbecue, I'm looking forward to seafood, because it's a little closer to the coast than I've ever been. I'm looking forward to being surrounded by the people that have worked just that hard to get there. They all have a really intense passion for debate.

Hanson: I can't wait for the Southern accent, too. I really want to hear that.

Q: Are you going to do anything else while you're there besides debate?

Stevens: There will be some recreational activities. We're done every night by 6 p.m., so we'll have fun, and we'll probably eat a lot of barbecue.

This article appeared in the April 25, 2009 edition of The N'West Iowa REVIEW.

High school thespians present classic 'Harvey'

MILFORD—A 6-foot-6-inch rabbit would be hard not to notice.

That is, unless it's invisible.

And, it was an experience N'West Iowans received a firsthand glimpse of April 16-18 as Okoboji High School presented "Harvey," a Pulitzer Prize-winning 1994 play by American playwright Mary Chase.

The play follows Elwood P. Dowd, who was played by senior Wes Baisch, and his imaginary best friend, which happens to be a 6-foot-6-inch rabbit named Harvey.

"Of course, that causes some problems with people doubting his sanity," said director Ann Williamsen. "Other people start to see him as well, and that causes some more chaotic confusion and so on."

While the production, which was made into an Academy Award-winning movie starring James Stewart in 1950, did not call for Harvey to physically appear on stage, Williamsen made some adjustments.

"We did have Harvey come out at the very end," she said. "We didn't tell anyone and the kids kept the secret from everybody. The movie kind of ends one way and the stage version ends a different way. either really call for Harvey to come out, but we thought it would be kind of fun, so we did."

Auditions for the production, which Williamsen chose because of its classical and challenging nature, were at the end of February and students spent the last eight weeks rehearsing either after school or at night.

"The kids I work with are the best in the school," Williamsen said. "I definitely say that about the fine arts kids. When we started practice, they were still in the middle of individual speech, and they were getting ready for the Iowa Jazz Championships, small group music contest and we're having play practice. It's just amazing to me how busy they are and the sacrifices they make. They have no free time. They are really dedicated kids and are really fun to work with."

And, because of their dedication, Williamsen knew they could handle the tough production.

"I don't like to do fluff," she said. "I like to introduce them to classic theatre — something they've maybe never heard of. None of my kids, of course, had heard of 'Harvey.' My kids didn't even know who Jimmy Stewart was, so that was definitely a teachable moment."

When Williamsen came across "Harvey," she knew her students could handle it.

"I read a lot of plays and I came across this one," she said. "I knew I had some really good actors that could pull it off. It needed good, strong actors."

And, they didn't disappoint.

"It went extremely well," Williamsen said. "The kids, especially at their Saturday night performance, hit every mark that they needed to. It just really went well. We had some unusual lighting and lots of sound effects and they just really did an outstanding job getting all of that stuff in. I had a great light crew and I had great backstage help."

So good of help that come opening night, Williamsen's work was over.

"People came to the play and they saw me sitting out in the audience and they were just amazed," she said. "They were asking me, 'Aren't you supposed to be backstage?' and I was like, 'No.' I train people to do those jobs and my job is done by opening night. I sit and enjoy it with everybody else."

But, after the cast part after Saturday night's performance, Williamsen got to share one more piece of joy with her students — the "Harvey" movie.

"Now they know who Jimmy Stewart is," she said.

This article appeared in the April 25, 2009 edition of The N'West Iowa REVIEW.