Jaguar Country is mourning

A super extended period of time that can simply be called good fortune has come to an end in Jaguar Country. What we are experiencing is so rare here, we can almost forget how to deal with it. Honestly, there is no playbook to follow. On March 4, 2017, B-B-E Class of 2019 member Austin Young died after a one-vehicle accident south of the high school on County Road 197. That was over 8 1/2 years ago.

The horror and worst nightmare in a school is back...
On Wednesday, September 24, B-B-E Class of 2027 member Levi Adrian passed away. He is the first B-B-E student to pass away before graduation since Austin died in 2017. Levi was a dual-sport athlete in Jaguar Country as a member of the boys' basketball and track and field teams in addition to being who you could call a near life-long member of the B-B-E Resistance Robotics team. This past spring, Levi was just 1 of 2 members of the Class of 2027 who were on the track and field teams.

This past winter, Levi was a sophomore member of the JV and varsity boys' basketball teams under first-year head coach Austin Rambow. Also last winter, Levi was one of 7 students in the Class of 2027 who were on the robotics team. What's remarkable about that is that this figure represented around 23 percent of the entire grade. As of the latest count, the Class of 2027 had 31 students enrolled for the 2025-2026 school year.

Levi's passing will leave a deep and lasting impact on all three extra-curricular programs at B-B-E.

Here's Levi during one of his three triple jump attempts at the Dave Sieben Invitational in Melrose on May 9, 2024:


Standing off to the far left in the video player and from the right of the triple jump approach that Levi ran on is his younger brother, Braeden, seen by the fenceline. Braeden is a 7th grader at B-B-E high school.

Levi was a freshman who competed at the varsity level during that Spring 2024 season. He was a super, incredibly nice kid. He was hard working, respectful, kind and caring. Those words do not do justice to just how remarkable of a person he was.

One of the many difficult tasks we have ahead of us is the dual roles we have to both honor and remember Levi and show love to his family while also knowing there are 600-plus students in our district who also need to be loved and cared for. This is the case 365 days of the year. We are a small school. We can and will care for our students every day of the year. It should go without saying. In terms of what would be helpful at this current time, remembering the positive impact Levi had on everyone who was in his life is what I think we should focus on right now. In addition, please pray for his family. His parents are Reed and Carrie Adrian of Crow Lake Township, rural Belgrade. Reed is a B-B-E Class of 2000 graduate. He is pictured with a large number of his Class of 2000 peers on page 14 of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice in a class reunion picture at Lucky Shots Bowling Alley.

I've tried twice to record a sports show today, and both times, I couldn't pull it off. I will try a third time tonight. I want to share with the public that our Homecoming activities are scheduled for Friday that culminate with the football game and then a senior high Homecoming dance. Also! I really, really would encourage everyone to come out and attend our Tailgating party before the football game. It starts at 5:30 p.m. at the high school ag shop. This is part of being a citizen of our community. Come and be present!