Falls High Ink
Weekly Newsletter
February 6 - February 10
January Students of the Month
Senior High- Keira Hesseldahl
Senior High- Noah Shikowsky
Junior High- Benson Sather & Easton Rolando
FHS January Students of the Month
Mrs. Staples says, "Easton Rolando is hardworking and always uses his time in class. He works well both on his own or with other students in class. He has a positive attitude and would be an excellent addition to any class."
Mrs. Cowman says, "Benson Sather is a kind and polite young man. Benson always comes prepared and knows what he needs to work on each day. He works hard every day to do the best he can in his classes."
-Senior High-
Mrs. Mannausau writes, "Keira Hesseldahl is an exceptional student. You won't find many others who work as hard as she does which is a big reason she is as successful as she is. Not only that but she is incredibly kind and almost always has a smile on her face!
Mrs. Rudolph writes, "Noah Shikowsky is an excellent student! He is very outgoing and his positive attitude is a breath of fresh air! He is very conscientious about his work and always helps anyone in need. He is a natural leader and a wonderful role model for our younger Broncos!"
Boys Hockey Wins Border Battle
Broncos Keep Trophy for Another Year
The Bronco Boys Hockey team played Fort Frances on Tuesday, February 7th. An early goal from Cooper Crandall gave the boys the lead, followed by two more from Braden Skifstad and Julius Maish in the second period. The fourth and final goal came from Noah Shikowsky in the third to secure the win.
Boys Swimming
Boys Swimming Update By: William Ginter and Landan Snyder
The Boys Broncos Swimming Team swam at home on Jan 27 against the Rock Ridge Wolverines and the Mesabi East Giants. Rock Ridge won with a score of 1068, International Fals in second place with 644, and Proctor in third with 530.
Highlights:
Micheal Sobkowics placed 1st in diving
William Ginter placed 5th in the 100 backstroke
Brendyn Scholler placed 2nd in the 100 freestyle
Max Youso, Trygg Hemtead, Connor Tomzack, and Brendyn Scholler placed 2nd in the 200
Freestyle Relay
Trygg Hemstead placed 3rd in the 100 breaststroke
Brendyn Scholler, Connor Tomzack, William Ginter, and Trygg Hemstead placed 2nd in the 400 freestyle relay
The Boys Broncos Swimming Team swam away at Mesabi East on Feb 3, against Proctor, Chisholm, and Mesabi East. Chisholm was 4th with a score of 223, Proctor was 3rd with 245, the Broncos were 2nd with 264, and Mesabi was 1st with 405.
Highlights:
William Ginter, Connor Tomzack, Josh Wherley, and Brendyn Scholler placed 3rd in the 200 Medley Relay
Max Youso placed 4th in the 200 Freestyle
Bredyn Scholler placed 3rd in the 200 IM
Micheal Sobkowicz placed 2nd in diving
William Ginter placed 4th in the 100 backstroke
Josh Wherley placed 2nd in the 100 Breaststroke
The Boys Bronco Swimming team swam on Tuesday, Feb 7, away against Mesabi East. The Broncos were 2nd with a score of 72, and Mesabi East won with a score of 93.
Highlights:
William Ginter, Josh Wherley, Brendyn Sholler, and Trygg Hemstad placed 1st in the 200 Medley Relay
Brendyn Scholler placed 2nd in the 200 freestyle
Josh Wherley placed 1st in the the 200 IM
Brendyn Scholler placed 2nd in the 100 butterfly
Connor Tomzack placed 2nd in the 500 freestyle
Wyatt Jantzen, Trygg Hemstad, Josh Wherley, and Brendyn Scholler placed 2nd in the 200 Freestyle Relay
Speech Write-Up By: Alaina Gates and Keira DeBernardeaux
Back Row: Left to Right- Chloe Hufnagle, Eve Hemstad, Leah Boe, Alaina Gates, Hannah McGonigle, Max Youso, Kourtney Talley, Emma Saxton, Mitchell Erickson
KAPE & Dan Baker Foundation Host Town Meeting
The community came together this past Wednesday to learn about and discuss the prevalent substance abuse issues occurring locally. “We don’t want to scare you,” said Judge Jerrod Shermoen, who has headed the Koochiching Juvenile Task Force after noticing the concerning drug use trends among our youth. The sentiment was reiterated by the other panelists, including local law enforcement, probation officers, and treatment professionals, all of whom shared information on the dangers present and resources available to struggling individuals.
The meeting was sponsored by KAPE and the Dan Baker Foundation, which is led by State Representative Dave Baker. KAPE Advisors Jenesa Balaski and Beth Slatinski were a part of the presentation and panel that evening with Baker, after they all spent the morning visiting high school classrooms. At the town hall meeting, Baker shared how he has been personally affected after losing his son in 2011 to Substance Use Disorder, which motivated him to prevent other families from suffering in the same way through his work in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
A major takeaway of the event was the dangers of fentanyl, an extremely powerful opioid that could be present in other drugs like methamphetamine without an individual ever being aware. An incredibly tiny dose, just around three mg, is enough to kill a person almost instantly. Those seeking out drugs, for whatever reason, may unintentionally die due to the unknown presence of fentanyl. A potent video, “dead on arrival”, was shown, which drove home the point that the almost unidentifiable, odorless fentanyl is taking lives.
This isn’t some far-off threat; fentanyl has been found in our community. “We’re not here to alarm anybody or scare anybody, but to get the word out,” said law enforcement, after sharing local statistics that illustrated an increased presence of cocaine, methamphetamines, and fentanyl. “You just don't know what you’re getting”
Naloxone is a life-saving drug that can be administered to an individual who overdosed on fentanyl. Narcan is the specific nasal spray form of naloxone, which returns breathing to normal in 2-3 minutes. It is not harmful to someone who isn’t overdosing on drugs and so naloxone is an incredibly important medication to have available in our community. Multiple doses may be required to revive someone.
There are also fentanyl test strips, which can be used to determine the presence of the opioid in other drugs. It may seem encouraging to give people a way to do drugs “safely”, but it could save lives. It is still recommended that no civilian handle fentanyl, as even skin contact can cause an overdose, and the safest option is always to call Law Enforcement.
“Just know substance use disorder and the disease of addiction and the dangers of fentanyl and other drugs are right, right here,” said Dave Baker. This town hall meeting is hopefully only the start of the conversation around substance abuse in our community.
Panelist Gus Christianson from Rainy River Recovery emphasized the empathy needed for those struggling. “We need to start looking at the people that are in our lives and in our community a little bit differently.” There are already resources and people ready to help in International Falls. Every member of the panel was there because they care about our community, especially our youth, and every audience member is now another, more informed, supporter.
The town hall meeting was filmed by KCCTV and is available for viewing on their Youtube channel.
Basketball & Hockey Cheerleaders Bring Spirit to FHS!
To kick off winter sports week the basketball and hockey cheerleaders cheered together at the hockey and basketball games that took place on Saturday January 21. The cheerleaders were extra loud and brought spirit to the games. The basketball and hockey cheerleading squads each performed routines that they created at the pepfest on Wednesday. Both routines were awesome and fun to watch.
Girls Hockey Season
The FHS Girls Hockey team had their final home game for their season against Pequot Lakes (Lightning). The Broncos got an opportunity to score a goal when the Lightning received a tripping penalty. The lighting recovered well and scored a short handed goal. The Broncos then responded by scoring a goal of their own to make it 1 to 1. The Lightning then scored two consecutive goals to make it 3 to 1. The Broncos fought back making the score 3 to 2 in favor of Pequot Lakes to end the first period. The Lighting came out strong in the second period and sneaked a goal past the Broncos making it 4 to 1. The Bronco’s goaltender, Mara Pelland, was able to hold off Pequot Lakes all the way to the end of the 2nd period. Lightning were then able to score four more goals during the third period making the final score 8 to 2. The Bronco scorers were Sidney Slatinksi and Taylor Burns. Mara Pelland ended the game with a total of 55 saves. The Broncos had their first play-off game against Thief River Falls and ended their season final score of 7 to 0 in favor of the panthers.
School Activities/Events
Saturday February 11:
Boys Hockey @ Crookston
Girls Hockey Section Quarter Finals
Girls Basketball @ Proctor
FHS Speech Team @ Hibbing
Tuesday February 14:
Boys Swimming & Diving @ HOME vs Chisholm
Girls Basketball @ Warroad
Boys Basketball @ HOME vs North Woods
Boys Hockey @ HOME vs North Shore
FHS Varsity Knowledge Bowl Meet
Thursday February 16:
Boys Hockey @ HOME vs Lake of the Woods
Friday February 17:
Girls Basketball @ Little Fork
Boys Basketball @ Duluth Marshal
Saturday February 18:
Boys Swimming & Diving @ HOME
FHS Speech Team @ Northeast Range
Thursday February 23:
Boys Swimming Sectionals @ Hibbing
Girls Basketball @ Deer River
FHS Varsity Knowledge Bowl Meet
Friday February 24:
Boys Basketball @ Deer River
Saturday February 25:
Boys Swimming Section Finals @ Hibbing
FHS Speech Team @ Bemidji OR Mesabi East
Tuesday February 28:
Girls Basketball Varsity Play Off Game
School Event Calendar:
February 20th - NO SCHOOL (Presidents Day)
February 21st - Regular Schoo Board Meeting @ 5:15pm
February 22nd - Quarter 3 Mid Term
February 23rd - 2024 FES Kindergarten Registration (All Day)
February 23rd - FES Parent/Teacher Conferences
Faculty Birthdays
February 11th- Mrs. Michelle Hopkins
February 12th- Mrs. Michele McDonald
February 23rd- Mrs. Heidi Thompson
Falls High Ink
Email: fallshighink@isd361.org
Website: isd361.k12.mn.us
Location: 1515 11th Street, International Falls, MN, USA
Phone: (218)-283-2571