Pirouettes conclude season at section meet (UPDATES)

On Monday night, February 12, I took a little time to add speech team coverage after the school board meeting concluded...see below.


The B-B-E/Paynesville Pirouettes dance team finished their 2023-2024 season with the Section 2A competition at New London-Spicer high school. The Pirouettes placed 10th out of 12 teams in the jazz division with wins over Litchfield and Sauk Centre, who placed 11th and 12th, respectively.

St. Cloud Cathedral won the jazz section title, while Holdingford won the kick section title.

*Here's the Pirouettes performing in the season opener...which was over three months ago at Minnewaska Area high school:


B-B-E/Paynesville's dance team fielded a very young team, as they have just one senior. She was one of the best, though, and Brenna Quade will be dearly missed from the program.

Monday night updates...(February 12)...
The B-B-E speech team had a marvelous showing at the St. Michael-Albertville invitational on Saturday. This event features over 700 students! In the small schools division, B-B-E had a stellar third-place finish. Congratulations! Look for additional speech coverage in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

There's much to report on otherwise. I learned that B-B-E's athletic department is currently searching for one additional fastpitch softball coach for the spring. Also, after four seasons leading the program with one memorable and exciting state tournament berth, Alanna Hunter has resigned as head coach of the volleyball team. Her first season was the "COVID" season of 2020 that we all would like to forget (they were successful that fall with a 9-1 record). A graduate of New London-Spicer in 2011, Hunter has coached track and field and also volleyball at B-B-E, where she's a middle school math teacher. I have greatly enjoyed my time working with her in both the fall and spring seasons.

In other news...
This weekend I have finally had time to focus on and learn more about the changes that are being pushed upon public schools by Governor Walz, the state of Minnesota and the "geniuses" at the Minnesota Department of Education. Many of these changes are focused in science and social studies. I find some of what is espoused in social studies changes to be fair minded with good intent. However, there's much that I find completely, 100 percent out of line. Too much. This isn't the place for me to spout off all of my opinions, so I'll save additional commentary for my newspaper column and my newspaper website opinion section.

As for B-B-E losing our dearly beloved Carl Williams, who will leave B-B-E at the end of this school year for a science teaching position in North Dakota, here's something that should alarm everyone: he has been in contact with multiple former students, past B-B-E graduates, who are currently seeking careers as teachers. They are equally troubled by what Minnesota is pushing on teachers and schools. This isn't a one-man crusade by Mr. Williams. He's simply standing his ground and living with this crucial character trait called integrity - so let's say you disagree with him. That's your right. What about when all these changes keep many bright young people from entering the education field? How the heck does that help solve our teacher shortage in Minnesota??????

If you click on the following link, you can watch a 15-minute interview by Liz Collins with Mr. Williams: https://rumble.com/v4be243-february-4-2024.html.

You should know that I am seething with anger over what is happening to education in Minnesota and that we are losing Mr. Williams. He has coached multiple sports at B-B-E. He was head coach of the fastpitch softball team for two seasons after it was revived for the 2016 season. B-B-E previously did not field a varsity fastpitch team in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons. He has also coached junior high football and C-squad girls' basketball. More recently, he has been a dedicated helper as a volleyball line judge and also a scorer's table official at home basketball games. I am going to go out on a limb and say that he will be extremely difficult to replace. In fact, there's a chance we may not even be able to replace him in the near term. Science teacher applicants are few and far between.

Yes...SEETHING WITH ANGER over this issue!!!


Area boys' basketball scores on February 10:
Russel-Tyler-Ruthton 74, Pipestone Area 72
Worthinton 97, Hutchinson 90
Willmar 69, Little Falls 53

Area girls' basketball scores on February 10:
Providence Academy 94, Alexandria 89
Albany 68, Detroit Lakes 28

In wrestling news...
It appears now that the Section 5A wrestling tournament's Final Four will be held at Paynesville high school. I had previously heard it would be at Minneota. ("Check your sources!") The wrestling postseason begins on Thursday, February 15 with home action for our team in the quarterfinals. Teams advancing from the quarterfinals will square off at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 17 at Paynesville. The winners of those semifinals face off that afternoon in Paynesville for a berth in the Class 1A state tournament.

Coach Fester reported on Monday night that the Section 5A Final Four is in Minneota on February 17. The MSHSL website has posted incorrect and/or confusing information. As of Monday night (February 12), the MSHSL playoff bracket for Section 5A shows that the championship is set for 2:30 p.m. at Paynesville on February 17. So strange...currently, I trust our head coach!! (Which is why I asked him.)

As of Sunday night, the wrestling playoff seedings have not been posted. The Jaguars will be either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed.