Cav Chats

On today's episode of Cav Chats we welcome softball captains Ashlen Johnson, Whitney Portner, and Taylor Duncan. Learn fun facts about the team when it comes to singing and eating, and also about Coach Leach's struggle to know the difference between baseball and softball. Softball plays tonight at Washington HS. Start time is 6:00 PM. Best of luck to the team this season!

Two big games coming up for our Cavalier Basketball teams as the Girls battle Watertown tonight at 6 PM and our Boys team will also host Rapid City Stevens tomorrow at 3:00, both in the round of 16. Listen to this episode for an inside look at the Cavs as we hear from Tyler Bohannon and Daniel Jones.

Debate stars Rebekah Kane and Duer Tap talk about the upcoming Cavalier Invitational Debate Tournament. Listen to learn about Lincoln - Douglas, Public Forum, making friends, and research, research, research. Best of luck to our Debate team!

The Cavalier Classic begins tomorrow at Jefferson as we host one of the largest Show Choir competitions in the region. Choir member, Noah Kuckovic, stops by today to give us the inside scoop on preparations that go into a big competition. In addition to being a member of Show Choir, Noah is also a great student and a member of the Cavalier Wrestling team. Enjoy learning about his experience at JHS and also Parezo's Starbucks! Make plans to attend the Cavalier Classic tomorrow (Jan 12) and Saturday (Jan 13).

A special treat for you as we head into Winter Break. Oral Interp and Debate extraordinaire, Angeth Mayen, joins us on this episode of Cav Chats. Angeth is involved in a variety of activities and clubs at Jefferson and also serves in leadership capacities helping to build a positive culture here at school. Angeth recently received the very competitive Quest Bridge Scholarship and will be headed to the University of Chicago to study law. Enjoy hearing from Angeth and also your time away from school. See you in January!

Basketball season is just around the corner! Senior leader Jaidyn Dunn stops by to talk about her love for practice, games in the driveway with dad, and what you can expect when watching the team this season. Be sure to catch both teams in action tomorrow (December 9) here at Jefferson!

In this episode of Cav Chats it's all things Cavalier Volleyball. The Cavs head to Rapid City tomorrow in preparation for the State Tournament which begins on Nov. 16th. Hear from our Cavalier Volleyball stars Cora Hokenstad and Presly Pastian as they look back on the season and look forward to State!

#9 Thomas Heiberger talks Homecoming football with us today on Cav Chats. Thomas is an outstanding football player and also an outstanding student! In this episode we learn more about Jefferson football, team pre-game traditions, opening a new school, and what kind of ice cream flavor Thomas would be.

This week we catch up with English Department Chair and Head Boy's Tennis Coach, Jillian Thomas. Coach Thomas was a star tennis player at O'Gorman High School and Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, IN before entering the coaching and teaching ranks. Coach Thomas and her team have been busy this year sneaking in matches between gusts of wind and other not-so-great weather. The team keeps working hard and are in the midst of a very busy stretch. We wish Coach Thomas and the boys lots of luck as they head towards the State Tennis tournament in Rapid City May 19-20! 

Coach Hopper is our head Strength and Conditioning coach and brings a wealth of experience and energy to the job. To say he is an early riser and a hard worker is an understatement!  Coach Hopper is up early and at it doing what he does best to help our Jefferson student-athletes be the best they can be.  He has helped build our weight room literally from the ground up and sees to it that things are running smoothly for our teams and classes. Coach Hopper is also a new dad! Learn more about his philosophy and sleep schedule on this episode of Cav Chats.  

Holli Gregg joins us this week to talk about her start in teaching, her love for graphic design, and a little bit about the roles she plays at Jefferson to help build the foundation during our first year. Jefferson students and staff appreciate Ms. Gregg's endless energy!  During the school day, Ms. Gregg teaches Graphics, Advanced Graphics, and Photography. Outside of the school day you can find her at Jefferson sporting events bringing you games live on YouTube, serving as our Black Student Union staff advisor, and also hosting Comic Con and other visual arts events. Tune in to learn more about what Ms. Gregg has been up to recently with the BSU team.    

Cav Chats snow day special!  Jefferson Building Manager, Jim Jones, stops by to talk about getting Jefferson up and running this year. Jim shares his experiences with the Sioux Falls School District and how the JHS custodial crew works together to keep our building clean and ready to go every morning when students arrive despite often being short-handed. Jim is also an avid golfer who shares his love for the foot wedge, the driver, and a cart with his friends and family. If you have yet to meet Jim, be sure to seek him out in the halls or at the next school dance!  

Jefferson HS State Champion Avery Summers discusses the tennis season and her run to the title. She also shares her love for Babolat racquets while crushing Tennis Trivia. Avery talks about her approach to the game and what life has been like during Year 1 at JHS. Just a sophomore, Avery is a humble champion who will be fun to watch for years to come!   

We've got Head Girls Basketball Coach Shaunteva Pruett on this week's Cav Chats. Coach Pruett's energy is infectious and her love of all things basketball and Christmas is impressive. You will enjoy learning about her background on and off the court along with listening to her talk about her love for family. Coach Pruett also loves Augustana, but was not ready to sing the Augie school song today, maybe next time! From PB & J to driveway games, great practice drills to relationship building, Coach Pruett does it all. We look forward to cheering on all of the girls this season!  

Diedra Nissen is a leader. It shows in the enthusiasm she has for her Competitive Cheer team and also as she gushes about her fellow Jefferson math teachers. Diedra quietly and humbly helps with things from in-service staff games to homecoming and everything in between.  In this episode of Cav Chats, we hear from Coach Nissen on what the transition to Jefferson has been like for her and how the JHS Competitive Cheer has been evolving during year one.

Coach Donnelly is no stranger to building volleyball programs -- she has been at the college level leading SD Mines, Olympic College, and most recently Morningside College to success both on and off the court.  As she moves into her role as Head Volleyball coach and PE teacher at Jefferson, Coach Donnelly and her staff are most excited about everyday progress, building culture, and the spongy brains the players possess. Learn more about Coach Donnelly's playing days, her 160 pound dog, and valuable insights she has learned from the game along the way.   

Get to know Head Boys Soccer Coach Steve Hirsch as he talks about his teaching and coaching journey - from Texas A&M to the University of Sioux Falls and places in between. The boys have a solid group of leaders and are looking to build on a fantastic 5-0 start!      

In this episode we get a chance to hear from Head Boys Basketball Coach, Tim Reck. The team has been in the gym for just about a month playing together and breaking in the new rims. Coach Reck shares some of his coaching background along with highlights from the first Jefferson basketball camp. He shares his fondness for his family, the treadmill, Michael Jordan, and Coach Thomas. We also welcome a surprise guest who shares a secret that will make Coach Reck's day.   

New Tech science teacher and soon-to-be Project Based Learning Academy Department Chair, Melissa Hittner, joins us on today's Cav Chats. A 9-year New Tech vet, Melissa invites us in to hear about highlights she has experienced as a part of the New Tech family. She shares her excitement for students and the new opportunites available to them as members of the Jefferson community, and also the pieces of New Tech High culture she sees contributing to the motto of "All Means All" at Jefferson High School.  

In this episode of Cav Chats, we visit with Taylor Machacek, Jefferson Girls Soccer Coach. Get to know Taylor as she discusses her Augustana playing career, sand volleyball, Abby Wambach, Horace Mann Elementary, and her coaching career so far. A surprise guest also joins in to wish Taylor well...  

John Parezo, head Choir Director, talks about choir robes, the Spice Girls, musicals, hot air ballooning, and the feeling of excitement in the air as students perform in Show Choir competitions. We are happy to have him as a guest this week along with some future Cavs.  

Get to know Head Football Coach Vince Benedetto as he talks about his love for family, football, and the foam roller. We also discuss khakis, Michael Jordan, mustaches, and the emphasis Coach puts on developing great relationships with his student-athletes. During half-time, Coach Benedetto participates in Fun Football Trivia.

We will provide some update at the begin and then at the end of this session.  We are excited to talk with Tyler Dickes our new boys golf coach and Ed Whiting our new department chair of social studies.  It's 2021 the year we open Jefferson High School!

Today we will be updating you on our recent hires and timeline for other positions.  We will also visit with Chris Coughlin our new World Languages Department Chair, and our new band director Shane Macklin.

As we head into the Thanksgiving break, we want to introduce you to two of our new JHS members - Holly Borchers and Jason Wagoner.

This week we will be introducing Holly Borchers as our new Department Chair of Jefferson High School.  We will also get you caught up to date on the current developments of the building of JHS.

As we enter the final week of October we will give a few updates on the building process and speak with Mrs. Dolly Anderson.  Mrs. Anderson is the principal at New Tech High and she will give us an update on NTH developments.

This week we will be talking with Mr. Conrad about Project Based Learning and Blended Learning.  I will give you my background.  We will finish with the opening dates of Activity/Coaching/Department Chair positions.  Thank you for listening!

This week we will be answering more questions given to us, talking about the hiring process of staff at JHS, and our steering committee.  We will also talk with New Tech High Bio teacher Trey Erickson.  He will inform us on the Project Based Learning program that will be at JHS next fall.

Developments of JHS #1 with Dan Conrad and Chad Stadem

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