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Davidson

Davidson School grads “Stay Golden”

Hundreds of family and friends crowded into the Davidson School gymnasium May 17 to congratulate the graduating class of 2014 on their many accomplishments and to wish them success in all that life has to offer.

Graduates Aiden McJannet, Kim Baldwin, Kirby Manz, Bryce Dean, Jon Taylor, Travis Bublish, Brad Brazeau, Matthias McCreary, Patrick Nordmarken, Vanner McDonnell, Sarah Nykiforuk, Heather Glowatski, Paige Hodgins, Casey Lloyd, Mike Kowalski, Cara McNabb, Jessica Riecken and Kari VanDeWiele each stood before the crowd at the ceremony to be both praised for their hard work and determination and playfully jabbed for the many fun and humorous moments that have marked their path in making it to this day.

Arlene Low, learning coach with the Sun West School Division and guest speaker at the graduation ceremony, said the students gathered before the crowd have helped and taught her how to be a better person during the time she has shared with them. She said the only thing she can now pass on to the students as they move onto a new path is to learn to be happy during all their pursuits.

“What matters is the person you are and what you strive to become,” said Arlene. She added this can be accomplished through being grateful and thankful everyday, exhibiting kindness and taking note of it for guidance, remaining physically active, being mindful of feelings and striving to be a connector between friends, family and the community.

“You all have the skills to keep life’s priorities in check,” she advised the graduates.

Davidson School principal Jason Low said he has mixed emotions watching these young adults close one chapter in their lives and start another. He said the six years he has shared with the class of 2014 has been “quite a ride” and on behalf of all the staff at Davidson School he wants to congratulate the students on this great accomplishment and to wish them the best in the future.

Valedictorians Kirby Manz and Jessica Riecken said the theme of Grad 2014 is “stay golden,” which represents the classmates continuing drive as they move forward to achieve everything they desire.

Jessica described her classmates as a “family” and said she hopes each one of them stays true to themselves and to what they believe in.

Kirby congratulated his classmates for making it to this day before ending the ceremony with a message to take into the next phase of their lives.

“Remember,” he said. “Stay golden.”

Sports

Raiders Kowalski and Nordmarken suit up for Senior Bowl

A couple Davidson School Grade 12 students ended their high school football careers last Monday with a new challenge on the gridiron against the top senior athletes in the province.

Raiders Mike Kowalski and Patrick Nordmarken suited up for Team North in a 7-1 loss to the South in the nine-man game at the 30th annual Ed Henick Senior Bowl held May 19 at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon.

“It was a fun experience,” said Nordmarken, who saw action on the wet and slippery field as a receiver in the game. “It kind of does suck that it was the last game of our career and we lost, but it was just not the scoring potential that we thought it would be. It was still fun to meet new people.”

The low score came as the result of a constant downpour that forced the teams to employ a run game due to the wet ball continually slipping through the receivers’ hands and hurting the quarterback’s ability to grip the pigskin. The conditions did help Kowalski, who lined up as a defensive tackle in the game despite playing most of his high school football on offence.

“That weather really enhanced our game,” said Kowalski. “All week we practised in hot weather that was nice and come game time it was rainy and it really helped our defence because a lot of people couldn’t catch the ball.”

In spite of the conditions, Nordmarken did make the top catch of the game. He hauled in a team-leading 35-yard pass in double coverage to move the offence down the field before paying the price for his efforts.

“Once I caught the ball I knew someone was grabbing me and then another guy came and swiped me underneath,” he said. “It hurt a little bit. My face got slammed into the ground, but good thing for a helmet.”

The highlight of the match for Kowalski was a big hit he laid on the Team South running back in the backfield. The first-time defender showed he’s a quick learn as the tackle also recovered a fumble at one point in the game.

“Other than that I got hit pretty hard against a 300-pound O-line,” he said.

Nordmarken said moving up to the nine-man game in the Senior Bowl from their usual play at six-man ball with the Raiders was a bit of an adjustment because there are more bodies on the field, it’s harder to move the ball and there is a lot “more thought” when making plays. However, both he and Kowalski agreed the move up was a big accomplishment for the two considering they only kicked off their careers in the game three years ago.

“During the week of practice it was really easy (adjusting to nine-man),” said Kowalski. “I was going through drills making sure I was doing everything right, but come game time I got pretty nervous because I was a little worried I wouldn’t do something right. But I think it was pretty good.”

Davidson

Ticks biting into outdoor fun

The bloodsucking tick season may have been delayed a bit by the cooler spring, but the pests should be stepping up their onslaught as the weather finally warms up.

Phil Curry, entomologist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health, said ticks have been active in the province since the snow left and the temperature warmed up to around 4ºC, but their movements have been pretty slow due to the continuing cold weather. He said they are bound to become more bothersome now as it begins to get hotter outside and people start hiking and camping in areas where the ticks are.

He noted ticks have been established in certain areas of the province for quite a while and their populations seem to go up and down. Curry said this makes it hard to tell if Saskatchewan is facing a bad tick season this year or not.

“What’s happening in the last 10 to 15 years is that our most common ticks, in the eastern part of the province it’s the American dog tick or some people call it a wood tick and in the western part of the province it’s the Rocky Mountain wood tick…they’ve expanded their range northward,” said Curry, noting ticks are becoming established as far north as Prince Albert and Melfort. “When people think ticks are increasing, they are…in certain areas. Whereas in other areas like in southeastern Saskatchewan they’ve had ticks for many many years.”

Curry said the area around Davidson is starting to experience increased tick activity particularly down near river valleys. He said the bugs are being transported into these areas by migrating birds and deer and even people visiting parks and campsites who drop off ticks.

“It takes them a few years to become established, but they do become established,” he said. “The American dog tick likes more bushy woodland areas whereas the Rocky Mountain wood tick is more down in the river valleys. It can stand a little more hot dry weather.

“We have found small numbers of the blacklegged deer tick in the province. That is the one that can carry Lyme disease. They get dropped off from migrating birds and we occasionally find them as well, so our message is avoid getting tick bites of any sort.”

There are several things people can do to prevent getting fed on by ticks such as if a person is walking along a nature trail or through tall grass they should wear light coloured clothing. Curry said this helps in noticing the “easily visible” pests so they could be removed before they strike.

He said walkers should also wear long sleeves and long pants when out enjoying the sun. Tucking pant legs into the socks is also recommended as is wearing closed toe footwear.

To read more please see the May 26 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Craik, featured

Thieves target farm residences during B&Es

Craik RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance in solving three separate break and enters that occurred in the Craik, Girvin and Holdfast areas earlier this month.

An officer with the Craik detachment of the RCMP said it is unknown right now if the thefts are linked, but at the moment it is not believed they are.

The first break and enter occurred sometime between May 5 and May 8 at a residence and two outbuildings at a farm just south of Girvin. It is unknown if anything was stolen from the farm property.

A break and enter also happened May 8 sometime between 1 and 7 p.m. at a farm residence just west of Craik. Several items were stolen including two Stealth Game cameras, two Moultrie Game cameras and a Range Finder.

Numerous pieces of jewelry were also taken from the residence including a black and white precious stone necklace, a gold ring with a small princess cut diamond and a sterling silver necklace with a black pearl pendant. An IPad and laptop were reported stolen during the break and enter as well.

The third break and enter occurred on May 13 at around 2:30 p.m. when two males travelling on ATVs were found rummaging through an old farm house they had broken into. The house is located just off Highway 2 between Holdfast and the Highway 11 junction.

The two males are described as between 30 and 40 years old, dirty with an unkempt appearance and burly in stature. When confronted the males claimed they were looking for historic items before quickly boarding their ATVs and fleeing east to Hwy. 2 and then south towards Hwy. 11.

The males had pulled some old copper wiring out of one of the out-buildings on the property, but it is unknown if they succeeded in stealing anything else.

One of the males was riding an early 1980s Honda Big Red style three-wheeler, while the other rode a red Honda four-wheeler. Both ATVs had boxes mounted on the back and neither male wore a helmet while riding the machines.

The Craik officer said people need to remember to lock up their property when they leave. He said this is a rule most people know, but not enough homeowners follow.

If anyone has any information that would assist the RCMP in the investigation they are asked to contact the Craik RCMP detachment or Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers.

Davidson

Lutheran Ladies create quilts in aid of the world’s people in need

For over 30 years a number of ladies with the Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church have been spending their winter months designing quilts and care packages destined for people in need around the globe.

Phyllis Mason, one of the ladies who helps sew and pin the quilts, said the group designed 57 60″x80″ quilts this year between January and Easter. These quilts were on display last Monday at the annual Redeemer Lutheran Church Tea, which is held to raise money for the Canadian Lutheran World Relief We Care program that ships the quilts to destinations around Canada and the world.

In addition to the quilts, the ladies showcased nine sewing kits, four children’s kits, four hygiene kits, 12 baby layettes and over 20 pneumonia prevention vests for infants and toddlers as well as a few other items that will be also be shipped to refugees and orphanages in needy countries.

“It’s a humanitarian thing to do,” said Mason, noting the ladies have no idea where their work is headed. “We in this country have so much. We don’t know how lucky we are.”

Mason said the five or six ladies who are involved in sewing and pinning the quilts try to use heavier materials such as polyesters and heavy cottons in their design. The materials used are generally donations to the group for the work.

She said the other handiwork such as blankets and the items in the various kits and bundles are also donated to the group or supplied by the members. These items include things like thread, buttons and needles for the sewing kits or soap, toothbrush, toothpaste and “something fuzzy” in the children’s kits.

The group gets together during the winter months to assemble these bundles and sew the quilts on donated sewing machines. They also spend time at home completing the work in time for the May tea.

“We believe it helps,” said Mason, who has been involved with the program since it began. “The people that receive them really need them.”

Sports

Roughrider greats give Raiders an essential football lesson

The Raiders minor football team celebrated the start to their inaugural spring season earlier this month with a few tips both on the field and off by a couple of Saskatchewan Roughrider greats.

Roughriders defensive end Luc Mullinder (2005-2010, 2011) and receiver Matt Dominguez (2003-2008) stopped by Davidson School May 10 for a detailed and energetic practice with the Raiders minor football players along with a few of their peers on a wind-swept Kinsman Field. After the practice around 70 parents and siblings of the 13- and 14-year-old players joined Mullinder and Dominguez for a successful spring minor football supper fund-raiser that featured a great meal courtesy of Anne Willner and Linda Haas followed by awe-inspiring talks by both Grey Cup champions.

“For a first time event (where) we didn’t really have any idea of what we would have for total numbers (and were) unsure about how it would go down in the community, I think it was a good first go,” said Raiders minor football coach Blair Frederickson, noting the fund-raiser received needed support from many businesses in town. “We raised about $1,000 in profit and that money is going towards buying three youth small helmets for some of our smaller players (and) about five sets of shoulder pads. Again (being) youth small and youth medium, so we can fit all the players (and they’ll) have the proper fitting equipment.”

During the two-hour practice earlier that afternoon Mullinder helped Raiders co-coach John Jamieson run a group of seven kids through the proper techniques of breaking through an offensive line complete with personal details of times he accomplished the feat during his playing days with the green and white. On another section of the field Frederickson ran a few playbook drills with his charges, while further down the line fellow Raiders co-coach Trevor Ouellette and Dominquez showed the third group of seven athletes the best way to run the football through the types of stifling defences the former Roughrider and Denver Bronco encountered. After some time with each drill the player groups rotated, so each Raider could gain a complete lesson on both offence and defence.

“The on-field portion reemphasized what the kids have been taught already that you need to learn these basics and you need to learn the essentials of football,” said Frederickson. “Even when you reach the pro level every practice still involves going over these basics and going over these essential things that every player no matter what age needs to go through.

“I had one of my players…I think it was from Luke and the kid told me ‘man I learned more in 10 minutes than I learned all last season’ and so I looked at the kid and said ‘so what are you telling me,’ but it was good to have local coaches telling them something and then having it reemphasized by guys who have played the highest level in sports.”

To read more please see the May 19 print edition of The Davidson Leader.