NRHEG Snow week 2025 concludes

Described by secondary school principal Grant Berg as “a way to escape the mid-winter blues,” NRHEG Snow Week from Feb. 3 to 7 was filled with activities, most notably the coronation ceremony which crowned Josie Bell and Talon Smith Vulcan from among the 10 members of the snow court, who were Bell, Smith Vulcan, and Aspyn Stenzel, Jozlyn Johnson, Ava Cummins, Aryanna Howe, Carter Martens, Aidan Schlaak, Bo McCamish and Brady Koopal.

Held early Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 4, the coronation was attended by all secondary school students and many friends and family members of the court. Activity coaches and advisors gave brief summaries of their seasons. Speaking were Shawn Larson, wrestling; Dan Schmidt, boys’ basketball; Onika Peterson, girls’ basketball; Holly Pederson and Solveig Sundblad, one-act play; Krista Reeder, choir; and Seth Schaefer, band.

Dress-up days for the week included “Jersey Out,” “Winter White-Out,” “Pajama Day,” “USA,” and “Hot and Cold.”  Daily prizes were awarded; those who dressed up all five days were eligible for a “championship.” High School champion was Zoe Wilson; runner up was Wyatt Larson. The middle school champion was sixth-grader Annie Buffington; runner up was Grace Riskedahl.  Champions received a $10 Kwik Trip gift certificate, runners up a $5 certificate.

Also featured throughout the week were short-term tournaments with individual winners. At the high school level, winners were Alden Dobberstein and Carter Martens; Brock Ziemke and Carmine Raab; Sean Lassahn and Zander Hanna; Dakota Schlaak and Calvin Nissen. Eighth-grade winners were Brock Holland and Jacob Klaras; and Tyler Piepho and Wyatt Hendrickson. Seventh-grade winners were Clayton Kaplan and Axel Ladlie; and Tucker Flatness and Eli Studier. Sixth-grade winners were Abram Chance and Adler Bethke; and Trevor Gilliland and Parker Simon.

A semi-formal dance was held in the high school gym on Saturday evening.

Student council advisor Barb Roesler expressed gratitude for the cooperation and level of participation shown by the student body. Principal Berg mirrored the sentiment, saying he was gratified to see the wide variety of students who took part in the week’s many activities.

The following introduction was read aloud, introducing the 2025 Snow Court:

Aryanna Howe is the daughter of Angela and Jeff Howe. She has three siblings: Nash, Kayla and Jacob. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends. Aryanna is really good at drawing, and not very good at singing. If she were a dinosaur, she would be a T-Rex because it's the most violent. Her hero is her brother Nash, because he has always been there for her and helps her with anything. After high school, Aryanna plans to attend a 4-year university and go into pharmaceutical pulmonology.

Bo McCamish is the son of Chenille McCamish. He has 3 siblings, Whitney McCamish, Sydney McCamish, and Blake Feather. Bo likes to play video games in his spare time. He is good at playing Team Fortress 2, Minecraft, and Call of Duty. If he was a dinosaur, Bo would be a stegosaurus because he feels like a gentle giant to toddlers. His hero is his grandma, because he says, “She helped us learn and understand things that got us where we are today and we are grateful for everything she did.” After high school, Bo plans to go into the workforce.

Jozlyn Johnson is the daughter of Steph and Luke Andersen. She has one older sister, Kylie and one younger brother, Jackson. Jozlyn enjoys hanging out with Mal and Meela, working, and going to concerts. She is good at story telling, but not very good at trying new foods. If she was a dinosaur, Jozlyn would be a velociraptor, so she could experience what it would be like to be Blue from Jurassic Park. Her heroes are her parents, Steph and Luke, because they are her biggest role models. After high school, Jozlyn plans to attend college for radiology.

Talon Smith-Vulcan is the son of Tracy Smith and Jon Hansen, and Troy Vulcan. He has five siblings: Tatum, Trinity, Tanner, Taylor and Eli. His hobbies include restoration and soda dispensers. Talon is involved in Special Olympics bowling. He is good at Minecraft, but not very good at reading. If Talon was a dinosaur, he would be a T-rex because of Grimlock from Transformers. His hero is Senku Ishigami-Dr. Stone, because of his forward thinking and never giving up. After school, Talon plans to get a job restoring antiques.

Aspyn Stenzel is the daughter of Doug and Amy Stenzel. She has two siblings: older brother Clay and younger sister Ciara. Her hobbies include shopping, annoying her sister, hanging out with family and friends, and playing fetch with her dog Oakley. Aspyn is involved in softball, volleyball, trap shooting, and wrestling stats. She is good at spending money, but not very good at staying focused. If she were a dinosaur, Aspyn would be a Carnotaurus because they are the fastest large dinosaur. Her heroes are her parents, because they always support her and push her to do her best. Aspyn is undecided on her plans after high school.

Carter Martens is the son of Anthony and Kelly Martens. He has one younger brother, Corbin. His hobbies include hanging out with friends, playing sports, playing poker, and listening to music. Carter is involved in football, hockey, and baseball, as well as student council, DECA, student ambassadors and FCA. He is good at winning wrestling matches against Dakota, but not very good at staying quiet while playing PS5 when his parents are trying to sleep. If he were a dinosaur, Carter would want to be a Pterodactylus, so he could fly. His heroes are his parents because he says, “They have taught me so much. They have always been my biggest supporters whether I am playing sports or focusing on school.” After high school, Carter plans to attend MSU to major in sports management while minoring in coaching.

Ava Cummins is the daughter of Sheila Wenzel and Jason Cummins. She has one sister, Grace.  Ava enjoys keeping the elderly safe, hanging out with her boyfriend Marco and sleeping and is involved in softball. Ava is good at shopping, but not very good at saving money. If she were a dinosaur, Ava would be an Irritator because the name speaks for itself.  Her hero is her mom because she says, “I have learned more from her than I have from school and she deals with me every day, of course, by her own choice.” Ava plans to attend RCTC to continue her education in Health Administration after high school.

Aidan Schlaak is the son of Nathan and Lindsey Schlaak. He has one brother, Ryan. Aidan enjoys playing poker in his free time, and is involved in football, wrestling and baseball. He is good at playing poker, but not very good at staying healthy. If he were a dinosaur, Aidan would be a Giganotosaurus because he took a quiz that told him what dinosaur he is. His hero is his dad because he always helps him. After high school, Aidan plans to attend MSU-Mankato for mechanical engineering.

Josie Bell is the daughter of Melissa and Zechary Bell. She has 2 siblings: a sister, Hazel, and a brother, Hank. Her hobbies include going to the gym, working, and shopping. Josie is good at cooking food, but not very good at being at school on time. If she was a dinosaur, Josie would be a Pterosaurus because, “I could fly away from all my issues.”  Her hero is her mom because she always knows best. After high school, Josie plans to go to college for personal training.

Brady Koopal is the son of Jason and Lacey Koopal. He has 3 siblings, Caralee, Crissa, and Brendan. His hobbies include writing music and painting. Although he is not involved in sports, Brady plays the national anthem on guitar for basketball games. He is good at guitar, but not very good at managing his time. If he were a dinosaur, Brady would be Micropachycephalosaurus because the name is hard to read. His hero is Harbor Cromwell because he has strong moral judgment. After high school, Brady plans to go to trade school to work on power lines.