My 22nd week as Miss SD proved to be a busy one. It stated off with a trip to Pierre for their community’s Veteran’s Day program. Mr. Mick has been a teacher for 49 years and has put together the Veteran’s Day program at TF Riggs High School for several years. Every year, he generously invites Miss SD to be a part of the event. I have never seen such an elaborate or thoughtful Veteran’s Day event. The day was filled with music from the band and choir, a storied history of Veteran’s Day, and honoring men and women who have served our country.
On Wednesday, I hopped in the car and headed to Freeman to see some adorable kiddos. Last year, Freeman Academy accepted the Money $heep donation for their 1st-3rd grade classroom. Their teacher, Karla Rupp, went above and beyond with the book. She used it to catapult her student’s financial education. It was heartwarming to meet some of the students that received the books. We started the day by reading a Bearenstein Bear’s book and playing an original Money $heep board game called Mutton Bustin. The game helps kids learn about saving, budgeting, spending, and investing their money. They even choose to skip recess to finish the game. If that isn’t a testament for the game, I don’t’ know what is. After the lesson, we went to Merchant’s State Bank to tour and learn about how a bank helps us manage our money. Merchant’s State Bank was a generous sponsor of the Money $heep donation last year.
Once we got back to school, the students had prepared several questions for me. They asked me about Money $heep and how I decided to write my own book. One of the greatest things about children is their curiosity. We finished the day off with lunch. But before I left, I played my piano piece, the Final Countdown for everyone. They all gathered around the piano and listened intently. They were so excited and it was really incredible to feel their joy.
Later that afternoon I went down to USD to give a presentation to the Honors Program and Math Department students. During my time at USD, I was in the Honors Program and graduated with my degree in mathematics. It was good to be back home. I saw some of my professors and met the new Dean of Arts and Sciences.
Thursday, was another travel day. I met up with my dad and we left for Rapid City. We were bound for a father-daughter weekend. Thursday evening, I attended a Kappa Alpha Theta alumni event. It was a lot of fun to meet some of my fellow Theta sisters and spend an evening learning about their lives. In fact, one of my Miss SD sisters is also my Theta sister – Sara Frankenstein Hoyt.
Friday was particularly special. My dad and I got all dressed up to attend the Goodsell Quinn Boujlevia Wine and Cheese event. I met people from all over Rapid City with the most storied lives. Lawyers, doctors, news anchors, legislators, and more. There are so many things to do in this life, and I also enjoy learning about people’s chosen career paths. Thank you to Karen and Verne Goodsell for inviting me your event to kick off the Holiday season.