Embedded Files
October 2026 Edition
Wellness Day
Staff Member: Liam Kennedy
8th Grade
8th Graders! We went to Mount Rushmore for wellness day. The four historic faces stand 60 feet tall, and the mountain itself stands around 5,700 feet tall. Located in Keystone, SD, it took just around 50 minutes to get there. There was an ice cream shop there that we could buy from. After Mount Rushmore, we went to Sioux Park to eat lunch and to play around for the rest of the day. I asked Jacob Rast what he thought about the trip, and he said, “I think the ice cream was great, and that it was a good time.”
7th Grade
7th Graders! You guys went to Custer State Park and Sylvan Lake on September 11th. Sylvan Lake sits next to Custer, SD. You took about an hour-long drive to get there from our school, but I’m sure the scenery coming through the Black Hills kept you awake. You guys were able to shoot archery, hike, and fish!
6th Grade
6th Graders! Crazy Horse Memorial was your destination on Friday, September 11th. Crazy Horse Memorial is located near Custer, SD, and is about an hour away from our middle school. The memorial was started in 1948 and has no expected finish date yet. The Indian Museum of North America and the Crazy Horse Memorial University are there, which you guys should’ve been able to explore.
Developments in Space
Staff Member: Ashton Keeton
Recently, there have been many important things that have happened in space that you might not have heard about, such as the launch of a classified U.S. Space Force item that took only 38 minutes for the payload to reach its designated orbit! That may seem like a long time, but usually it takes about 45 minutes to an hour. Also, if you haven’t heard, humans went back to the moon for the first time in 53 years! They didn’t land, but they circled the moon and came back, and a landing is planned for early 2028!
A cool launch on the 30th is for astronauts to receive scientific equipment and…. ICE CREAM! They will be getting around 80 bars and cups. They don't get the chalky, freeze-dried stuff you get at gift shops because the crumbs would interfere with the equipment. That means they get vanilla, chocolate, and if their birthday is coming up, they get a birthday-flavored ice cream.
Another reason to get interested in October space: Japan is landing a rover on Mars’s moon Phobos. Phobos is a small moon, about 150 times smaller than ours, to be exact. Phobos has a taco-like indent on the side of it, which I think is really cool!
YFS Harvest Festival
Staff Member: Alayna Combs
As red and gold settle into the trees and school starts, you may wonder how to fill your newfound free time during the autumn months or after a draining day at work or school. I thought as much too once. Until I found the YFS Harvest Festival. It gives families an array of fun activities! You can go to the petting zoo and find little animals that are kid-friendly, a cake walk, various booths on health, plants, food, bees, and how to take care of the environment! Sometimes they’ve got smoothies or pancakes for you to eat and even food trucks. “I look forward to the festival every year because it gives me and my family a time to be together and have fun,” says a yearly visitor.
The best part: it is free! The entire family can come and learn these new things and have a fun time at no cost! The festival is held annually in September on the weekend. This would be a great festival to bring family and friends to if you have an open weekend! It’s always held at YFS Fullerton Farm, 230 S. Ellsworth Road, Box Elder and easy for anyone to access!
The Shriners Haunted House
Staff Member: Lexi Foster
If you are looking for fun for the whole family that embraces the spooky side of Halloween this year, then I encourage you to check out The Shriners Haunted House. The Shriners Haunted House, or “Shriek with the Shriners,” is a family fun event with a volunteer- built haunted house, concessions, and an important cause.
The Shriners Haunted House is located at 4091 Sturgis Road, Rapid City, and will be open from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights, October 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th, 23rd, and 24th. Concessions will also be available during this time.
This is the third year of the fundraising event, “Shriek with the Shriners”. This event is put on by the Dimensions Unit of the Naja Shriners, which is a club that holds many fundraisers throughout the year to support one of their greatest causes, the Shriners Children’s Hospital. Club members and volunteers also act as scare actors and build the Haunted House. It costs $15 for adults and $10 for kids under 10, with all proceeds going to the Shriners Children’s Hospital. Shriek with the Shriners has grown every year, and they are looking for this year to be their best yet! I hope to see you there!
Page Turners for an October Night
Staff Member: Lee Thompson
As cooler nights settle over Box Elder and porch lights begin to glow against early autumn darkness, residents across the region are reaching for books that match the season’s eerie charm.
This year, gothic staples continue to dominate checkout lists. “Dracula” and “Frankenstein” remain classic, yet essential October reads, praised for their atmospheric storytelling and iconic monsters. Haunted‑house fiction is also enjoying a surge. Shirley Jackson’s famous page-turner, “The Haunting of Hill House” continues to captivate readers with its psychological tension, while modern entries like “Home Before Dark” offer contemporary twists on ghostly lore. Horror fans looking for something new are gravitating toward “Incidents Around the House”, a recent release earning wide-spread popularity for its unnerving, slow‑burn dread.
For those who prefer atmosphere over terror, gothic mysteries such as “The Silent Companions” provide a moody, candlelit experience without the nightmares. Younger readers are finding their own Halloween favorites like “A Taste of Darkness” and “Scareground”, which deliver thrills suited for teenagers.
Whether residents want ghosts, monsters, or simply a touch of October gloom, local shelves are stocked and ready to go with stories ready to accompany the long, dark nights leading up to Halloween.
Legally Blonde Jr. is Coming to DMS!
Staff Member: Eeva Byrd
Theater is a fun opportunity to make friends and get in the spotlight. There will be a meeting on September 28 at 3:15 in the DMS theater. After the interest meeting, you can sign up for Auditions or Tech. You will need to sign up for ONE day of auditions. For your audition, you will need 1 minute of a song to sing (this is a MUSICAL). It must be a song from a musical or a Disney movie. You can sing acapella OR bring music on your phone, but you must have the song memorized and a karaoke version of said song. Good songs to sing for your audition would be:
1. “Let it Go” from Frozen.
2. ”When will my life begin” from Tangled
3. “Poor unfortunate souls” from The Little Mermaid
For Tech, only 20 people will be accepted, and it will not be an everyday commitment. Not all tech will be required for the show days. Callbacks will be announced on Thursday, October 16th, if needed. Not all students will be asked for a callback. This just means that some people will need to be seen again to make the final decision. Please note that the directors are only accepting 40 people for auditions, and not everyone who auditions will be in the play.
Legally Blonde Jr. is full of singing and dancing, so if you’re signing up, be willing to be active and enthusiastic. Remember, if you do not show up to auditions, you will not have a chance to participate in the play. Auditions are CLOSED – which means that only the student auditioning will be in the theatre to sing. For Cold Reads – Only student groups will be in the theatre.
Mrs. Scott, Mrs. Kennedy, Ms. Hoeke, and Ms. Nielsen will be in the theatre for all auditions. Mrs. Scott is the Head Director. Mrs. Kennedy is the Assistant Director and Tech Director. Ms. Hoeke is the Choreographer, and Ms. Nielsen is the Activities Director.
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