TIM L. WALTNER - Publisher Emeritus I really like the Phoenix as the mascot selected by students for the Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy coop football team. I liked it immediately when I first heard it was in the running. It’s unique. I like the alliteration (despite the spelling – F-Ph). And I appreciate the symbolism (excellence/rebirth/transformation) and the thought that went into bringing Phoenix to the table.

The conversations that took place Monday night between concerned patrons of the Menno School District and Superintendent Tom Rice were a textbook example of what healthy dialogue looks like, and what positive public discourse can lead to. Meeting in regular session inside the old city/school auditorium March 14, Rice and the school board heard from a number of parents about two concerns: Moving baccalaureate from the main school gymnasium into the very space they were meeting on Monday, and fifth graders being added to the 6-8 middle school structure.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”  

Assuming the South Dakota High School Activities Association Board of Directors signs off on the deal early next month — and it almost assuredly will — local football fans can expect to cheer on a brand-new team starting in fall: The Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy ___________________. Hallelujah.

I don’t know whether to chuckle or cringe at two nuggets of “wisdom” published in the Freeman Courier 100 years ago this week; both are printed in the History section on page 6A but should also be shared here. The first, from an exchange:

Freeman Academy/Marion's much anticipated rematch with Viborg-Hurley tips off between 6:15 and 6:30 p.m. Friday night, Feb. 4. The Bearcats, 10-1 on the season, memorably lost to the Cougars in overtime during last season's Region 5B tournament after leading late. Click here for the link to the game.  

And the devil danced among them The following account was published in the Freeman Courier 100 years ago — on Jan. 20, 1922

I have a lot of questions these days, and it feels exhausting. In light of the announcement that Schmeckfest as we know it is once again on hold, I wonder when the big tasting festival will return to form, and what form that might look like. Will the big meal, served buffet style in recent years, draw enough to fill the Pioneer Hall dining room like it once did? Will musical theater, a touchstone of Schmeckfest, be part of the celebration? And with an ongoing concern about the volunteer labor force — a reality before the pandemic hit — is the two-weekend festival sustainable?

One of the most overlooked and under appreciated assets of a community newspaper is also one of the most important: Public notices. Also known as legals, this is the documentation of official proceedings of city councils, school boards, county commissions, townships and/or other government entities doing the people’s business here in Freeman, the state of South Dakota and across the land.

More than three years ago, staff at Freeman Public Schools spent a full day in training learning about, and how to respond to, an active shooter situation. Led by Chad Sheehan, a retired law enforcement officer from Sioux City who developed a program called S.A.V.E. Yourself, the training included both a lecture and a lab in which staff members were placed in a real-time scenarios, with various orders on how to respond.