RAFFLE ALERT!!!!

       Alyssa Latcham, the 2021 Iowa Junior Miss and Olivia Latcham, Poweshiek County Teen, are raising funds to cover travel expenses to the Iowa Junior Miss Pageant later this year. If you would like to help, the girls are selling raffle tickets for a chance to win an awesome meat bundle from Dayton Meat Locker, as shown in the two photos. The package is worth more than $100 and includes some favorites!!
Tickets are $10 each or 3 for $25 and we will be drawing on Friday May 13.
Cajun Bacon-4 packages
Grange links-2 packages
Ribeye steaks-1 package
Iowa pork chops-1 package
Bratwurst with cheddar -1 package
Meat sticks-2 packages
And a pie to finish it off!
If one of these items is not your favorite we can substitute!
If you want to purchase a raffle tickets send Amanda Latcham a message or text, if you have her number.

Go To Girls, a new personal assistance service, is under the direction of, from left, Brenda Peck, Montezuma; Wendy Amatangelo and Shanel Fahlenkamp, both of Des Moines. The trio offers a number of services including running errands, picking up groceries, house sitting, welfare check, taking people to doctor appointments, gift buying and more. The business was started in late 2021. For more info, visit their website at www.g2girls.com. The photo was submitted by Marcellus D. Amatangelo, A + R Creative Studios Creative Director of Media Photography. 

J.O. Parker
 
         Not enough time in the day to get it all done?
         Need help planning a party, arranging a ride to the doctor or help simply picking up groceries?  Then you are in luck.
         A new personal assistant service, Go To Girls, is here to help.
It is owned and operated by Wendy Amatangelo, Shanel Fahlenkamp both of Des Moines, and Brenda Peck of Montezuma.
      The home-grown business offers the following services: Errand running, house sitting, vacant house checks, plant watering, taking pets to appointments and dog walking, waiting on vendors to arrive, wellness checks or taking people to doctor appointments. They also offer party and event planning, booking cars/hotels, making dinner reservations or scheduling plumbers, electricians or service providers, purchasing and wrapping gifts, picking up prescriptions and groceries, returning a purchased item and more.
       The trio is also delving into virtual administrative services. This includes: data entry, billing, collections, appointment setting or confirming, event arrangements and scheduling catering for meetings.
      Wendy, a Montezuma High School grad, said she toyed around with the idea of a personal assistant service several years ago while living in Texas.
         “It never went anywhere and I just kept it in my back pocket,” she said.
        Wendy, the officer manager at A King’s Throne Portable Restrooms and Septic Service in Des Moines, said when COVID was in full-force last year, she realized more people were staying home and working from home.
        “We just saw a need,” said Wendy of starting the personal assistant service. “There are a lot of people who have needs and I thought this might be a way to help.”
         Wendy brought up the idea of a personal assistant service with Brenda, who attended and graduated with her at Montezuma. 
          At the same time, Wendy and Shanel, who also graduated from Montezuma, were talking about the idea and thought it could work.
         “We all said let’s put it out there and see if there is any interest,” Brenda said.
         Since starting the business in late 2021, the trio has been called on to run errands, deliver groceries and meals and Shanel went Christmas shopping for a client.
          “That one was a fun outing,” said Brenda.
          They’ve also been to an estate sale and purchased several items for a client.
          “They gave me a list of what to buy,” said Shanel. “We made several purchases.”
          The trio can also deliver items from Des Moines to the Montezuma and surrounding area.
         “A lot of people in the Poweshiek County area may need things from Des Moines and we can take care of that,” said Wendy.
        Wendy has family in the Montezuma area and said she comes home often and she or Shanel, who also has family in the Montezuma area, can make deliveries in town or across the county.
         “We are back and forth all of the time,” Wendy said of making the trip from Des Moines to Montezuma.
         If Brenda, Wendy or Shanel are not available, they have several backup people if needed.
       “Because we are all still working full-time, please be patient and we will respond as quickly as we can,” noted Shanel.
        “If you don’t have time, just ask,” Wendy said. “We might be able to help. You don’t know, if you don’t ask.”
        For more information on services offered, pricing and how to contact Girls To Go, visit their website at www.g2girls.com, Facebook or Instragram. The trio can also be reached via email at info@g2girls.com.

​       Casey DeZwarte, 13, or rural Montezuma presents a check for $1,600 to Montezuma American Legion Post 169 Commander Ron Hensel on Thursday, April 14. Casey raised the money from three bake sales and generously donated the money to the Montezuma American Legion Post 169 building fund. Submitted photo.

By J.O. Parker
 
     Doing good for others, especially veterans, is something that Casey DeZwarte, 13, of rural Montezuma takes to heart.
    Casey, a seventh grader at Montezuma and the son of Chad and Rachel Thompson, recently donated $1,600 to the Montezuma American Legion Post 169 building fund.
      Casey raised the money through bake sales held last fall and earlier this month at Suzi’s Boutique, Grinnell in November; Montezuma Floral in December; and the Iowa Barbershop in Grinnell in early April.
    The bake goods included cookies, bars, brownies, cake and pie, all of which were baked by his mother, Rachel, an aunt and both of his grandmothers, along with others.
     Casey’s originally goal was to raise $1,000, but thanks to the support of local and area residents, he quickly surpassed that mark.
     “He did that pretty quickly,” said his mother, Rachel of reaching his goal. “We had a lot of people who came in and gave him money.”
      Casey presented a check for $1,600 to the Montezuma American Legion Post 169 on Thursday, April 14.
      “The Montezuma American Legion is pleased with the young man’s efforts and helping us raise money for our new legion building,” said Legion Commander Ron Hensel.
     Hensel noted that the Montezuma American Legion is a 501c3 organization, which means donations are tax deductible.
       This was not the first time that Casey has worked hard to help veterans.
      Last summer, Casey took part in a yard mowing challenge through a Huntsville, Ala. outreach by mowing 50 yards of active military personnel, veterans, firefighters and disabled people in Montezuma and area communities, all for free.
      Some people gave him money and when he finished the mowing challenge last September, Casey decided to donate $250 to the Montezuma American Legion building fund.
     “He wanted to continue what he started,” Rachel said of Casey’s recent donation to the legion building fund.
       And that’s not all.
    This past winter, Casey held a clothing drive and collected enough winter gear to fill two and one-half pickups. He donated the clothing to a homeless veterans shelter in Iowa City.
      When asked why he wants to help veterans and others out, Casey said it means a lot to him to do good for others.
     “I have family members who were in the service,” he said. “I just wanted to give back to the veterans because they have done so much for us.”

J.O. Parker
 
     Getting involved in the community and making the district stronger are two of the many goals new Montezuma Community Schools Superintendent, Rich Schulte, has on the agenda.
         Schulte, who will take the reins of the district on July 1, brings with him a strong background in teaching, leadership and building relationships. He also brings with him an extensive background in coaching.
      “I think it is important to build relationships with the people you work with,” Schulte said. ”Without building relationships, you can’t build trust. Without trust it is hard to build a team and help students succeed.”
          Schulte is a native of Pella and 1988 graduate of Pella High School. He attended Central College in Pella, where he played football and baseball for the Dutch.
          It was at Central that Schulte had a brief stint in professional baseball. In 1991, his junior year, Schulte was drafted by the Houston Astros.
          “I played in the Astro’s minor league system in New York, Florida, Burlington and for the Quad City River Bandits,” he said.
       After a year in the minor leagues, Schulte opted to leave baseball and return to Central, where he graduated in November 1993 with a degree in elementary education.
       “You dream of it as a kid and you get a chance to live it out for a while,” Schulte said of playing professional baseball.
         Following college graduation, Schulte served as a substitute teacher and also served as a volunteer coach with the Montezuma Braves football program and coach Darrell Brand during the 1993 season.
           He landed his first teaching job at Ackley-Geneva in the fall of 1994 where he taught fifth-grade and served as an assistant football coach, assistant volleyball coach and head golf coach for the district.
          After a year at Ackley-Geneva, Schulte returned to Pella where he taught fifth grade for four years through 1999.
             He then joined Vermeer in Pella as a training development specialist and at the same time returned to Drake University to work towards a master’s degree in education leadership.
          After two years at Vermeer, Schulte learned that his job was being eliminated. That led him to join Provant Media, a company that produced training videos. He spent one year at Provant as a product manager while completing his master’s program at Drake. The company has since closed.
            In 2002, Schulte interviewed and was hired as elementary principal at Clear Creek Elementary School. After two years in Amana, he received a call from a board member in Knoxville and interviewed for the elementary principal position at West Elementary.
            “I started there in 2004,” he said.
He noted that each move he has made in his career came through a network of contacts he built through his experiences and teaching positions.
         Three years later in 2007, Schulte received a call from the Pella superintendent who offered him a position as assistant principal and special education coordinator for the district at both Lincoln and Madison elementary schools.
            During his time in that position, Schulte noted that he played a part in making decisions in the special education program in the district. 
           After one year in that position, Schulte took over the principal position at Lincoln Elementary in Pella and stayed there for the next 12 years.
            “I went to Lincoln Elementary as a kid,” he said. “So, it was like coming back to where I started.”
           While at Lincoln Elementary, Schulte returned to Drake University a second time, where he earned a specialist degree for a superintendent position, graduating in 2010.
            In June 2020, during the pandemic year, Schulte left Pella and joined the staff at the Great Prairie AEA in Ottumwa. His current position is director of district services.
            “I supervise a group of regional directors that support schools in Southeast Iowa,” he said of his job.
        Schulte decided to apply for the Montezuma superintendent position, thanks in part to the current Montezuma superintendent, Nathan Wood.
           “He encouraged me to take a look at the job,” Schulte said. “The district is in great shape and it is a good community. This is basically in my backyard. I felt like the district is a great fit for me.”
            When asked what led him to enter the education field, Schulte said his dad was a recreation director in Pella for 17 years and also coached and taught recreation courses at Central College.
            “My mom was a preschool teacher in Pella, Leighton and Otley for 29 years,” he said.
            His brother was a high school math teach for more than 30 years and his sister taught preschool and first grade for 30 years.
            “I was surrounded by teachers,” said Schulte. “It was something that I enjoyed and something I felt like I could do well. I love making connections with kids and inspiring them to be better students and people.”
            Once at Montezuma, Schulte said he plans to spend time getting to know the people in the school and community as well as the school board.
          “I plan to take a look at the district goals and see if they are the goals we should be working on,” he said. “If not, we need to develop and base goals on that moving forward.”
          Schulte is married to Kara, a front office administrator assistant at Pella High School. The couple has four children, Jake, a sophomore at Central College; Drew, a freshman at Iowa State; Cam, a junior at Pella High School; and Brooke, an eighth-grader at Pella.
            Schulte said he and his family will remain in Pella and he will commute to Montezuma.
            Schulte said he is ready to get to work in Montezuma. 
          “I wish I could get in there and be a part of the community and start working with the board now,” he noted. “The hardest thing right now is waiting. I am excited about getting started and seeing how I can make the district stronger.”

​        Members of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Grinnell are shown recently after donating just short of 1,000 pounds of food items from their congregation to the Montezuma Food Pantry. The church held a food drive during Lent and donated the food on Monday, April 18. Pictured are, from left: John Grennan, Doris Hotchkin, Mike Hotchkin, Jon Hexter, Judy Binegar and Lynn Cavanagh (John Dayton was not able to stay for the tour and picture). 
       “We are so appreciative of the tremendous effort and generosity,” said Darla Wilson, Montezuma Food Pantry Director. “The numbers of clients are climbing due to inflation. Greater need equals more food to supply, which equals more cost.”
       The pantry was also blessed with financial donations that will purchase more than $500 worth of food from the Northeast Iowa Food Bank.
         “What a blessing,” added Wilson. “Thank you all.”

​      Members of the Deep River Helping Hands 4-H Club donated 14 birthday bags to the Montezuma Food Pantry. The bags were filled with cake mix, frosting, plates, party favors, etc. and were given so that families could have supplies to celebrate their child’s birthday. Pictured are, from left, front row: Jaadin Roberts, Vivian Cook, Cooper McNaul, Aidan Chidester, Breyer Chidester. Back row: Aadin Clingan, Jerica Roberts, Peyton Tindle, Sawyer Tindle and Abby Cheney. Other club members who participated in the outreach, but are not pictured are: Grace Burnett, Hayley Burnett, Olivia Burnett, Coyce McNaul and Alayna Huff. Abby and Sawyer delivered the birthday bags to the pantry on Thursday, April 7. Photo by Michelle Cheney.
 

​      Members of the New Sharon, Brooklyn and Montezuma fire departments fight the fire at Ponderosa Supply on Tuesday, April 19. The fire destroyed half of the company’s buildings, a vehicle and contents.

By J.O. Parker
 
     Owners of a long-time Montezuma business plan to rebuild their business after it suffered extensive damage from a fire that struck on Tuesday, April 19.
      Ponderosa Supply, 291 Woodland Road at Lake Ponderosa, lost half of the company’s buildings and a vehicle in the fire that was first reported at 10:30 a.m.
        After arriving on the scene, Montezuma Fire Chief Bill Bolen said it was determined that mutual aid was needed.
      Fire departments from Grinnell, Malcom, Brooklyn, Searsboro and New Sharon aided Montezuma in fighting the blaze. A total of six fire departments and sixteen fire trucks were observed at the scene fighting the blaze.
       It was stated by a member of the Ahrens family, who owns the business, that the fire was believed to have started east of the facility’s buildings and moved west. Outbuildings and lumber stored outside east of the headquarters building were destroyed but firemen prevented the fire from reaching the main building. A family member noted that it only took 15 minutes for the fire to go through the entire building on the east side. 
        Ponderosa Supply was started in 1979 by Bill and Jane Ahrens. Bill has been running the business with his family for 43 years. The company specializes in home and kitchen design and supplies and also pole buildings in the agriculture and home storage areas. The business serves customers in a 70-mile radius from Lake Ponderosa.
         “The Montezuma Fire Department and surrounding county fire departments did an amazing job showing up quickly and helping put the fire out quickly,” said Bill. “We had more than 40 firefighters, mostly volunteers, and people we know. It’s a humbling thing to see your customers and neighbors coming and helping so quickly. The Montezuma Fire Department said that they couldn’t believe how many volunteers showed up to help.”
          “That’s what people do in a small community, we help each other,” Bill said. “This is the second time fire has affected our family as we lost our home in 1988. With five children, we had many people who helped us out at that time and donated blankets and food to us. We are so thankful for our community helping us out.”
           Bill said he and his family will start clean up and rebuilding as soon as possible.
         “We plan to rebuild as we need much more space to hold materials for the homes and buildings we have sold for this spring,” said Bill.
        Bill said he and his family appreciate and send thanks to those who prayed and sent condolences following the fire.
            “We hope to rebuild better and as soon as we can to continue serving our customers locally and in the surround area,” Bill said.
            There were no injuries from the fire. The cause of the fire and value of loss have yet to be determined. Firefighters were on the scene for five hours.
            Editor’s note: Roger Allen contributed to this story.

​      Montezuma Firefighters discuss their next operation as mutual aid firemen from New Sharon extinguish the remains of a storage building at Ponderosa Supply on Tuesday, April 19. The fire destroyed half of the company’s building, a vehicle and contents. Firefighters were able to save the main headquarters office.

​       Firefighters put out hot spots during the fire that struck Ponderosa Supply on Tuesday, April 19.

​       Charred lumber is piled up as Brooklyn firemen work in an area at the Ponderosa Supply fire on Tuesday, April 19.

By J.O. Parker
 
     The Montezuma FFA Farm Business Management team finished with a sweep of the top four spots while capturing a state championship and gold rating at the 94th FFA State Leadership Conference, held April 11-12, at Iowa State University in Ames.
    Mia Boulton was the high individual overall in the career development event (CDE) competition with Maguire DeJong, Colton Benson and Madison Johannes capturing second, third and fourth places in the state. Owen Cook was an alternate on this year’s team.
    FFA teams from 100 chapters participated in this year's CDE designed to provide the student an opportunity to display their agricultural knowledge and skills in the area of Farm Management. The 367 individuals who participated in the event each completed an objective test which had three sections: economic principles, records and analysis, and risk management. All team members worked together to solve a problem related to break even analysis.
      The state championship by the Farm Business Management team was one of four captured by Montezuma FFA students at the state conference.
      Also capturing state honors and a gold rating was the Montezuma FFA Ag Communications team. Members of the first-place team included Madison Van Zee, Alivia Cline, Camryn Brennan and Makenna Johannes. 
      High individual for the web design practicum was Madison Van Zee. Alivia Cline was named the high individual for the video production practicum. The team also captured top honors in the team presentation and team practicums categories.
       FFA members from 20 chapters participated in this year's career development event. The event provided students the opportunity to display their agricultural knowledge and skills in the area of agricultural communications. The 80 individuals who participated in the event completed several activities including demonstration of skills and problem solving in web design, video production, journalistic writing, and opinion writing, as well as presenting a team media plan. 
      The Montezuma FFA Chapter brought home a state championship and gold rating in the Marketing Plan CDE. Team members include Haylie Moore, Abby Pope and Kallie Robison. 
     Participants had to develop marketing skills through the development and presentation of a plan that promotes a current or proposed product, supply or service. The Montezuma team’s project focused on FFA Advisor Rick Swenson’s show pig business, Hilltop Farms.
       Montezuma was named a top team in written plan and team presentation categories in the contest.
    The Montezuma FFA Floriculture team was also recognized as a state champion following the team’s competition in 2021 at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. Team members Makenna Johannes, Madison Van Zee, Alivia Cline and Camryn Brennen beat out more than 20 schools to capture first place and punch the team’s ticket to nationals. Makenna was top individual overall and Camryn finished fourth overall. 
    The Montezuma FFA Ag Sales team brought home third place honors and a gold rating at the state convention. Team members included Matthew Ranfeld, Korrinn Kehoe, Sawyer Tindle and Jaemi Hartman. Matthew was the second place individual and Jaemi finished in third overall.
     Montezuma was among 79 FFA chapters who participated in this year’s CDE designed to provide the student an opportunity to display their agricultural knowledge and skills in the area of Agriculture Sales. The 312 individuals who participated in the event each completed an objective test, made a sales presentation, and performed a customer relations practicum. All team members worked together to prepare a marketing plan and make an oral presentation of the plan to the judges. The team worked together to sell community tower gardens, a product for growing herbs and vegetables outdoors or in a greenhouse setting.
       The Montezuma FFA Conduct of Meetings team wrapped up the state convention with a third place finish and gold rating. Team members included Ellen Cook, Emily James, Elizabeth DeJong, Bryson Stockman, Taya Sincox, Addyson Probasco and Kylee Larmore. Taylor Wickham served as the team’s alternate.
       Teams participating in this event were composed of seven members organized to act out the duties of an officer team. Teams were required to perform opening ceremonies, demonstrate two parliamentary procedure abilities and successfully close a meeting. This event aids in the development of leadership abilities of young members for present and future chapter activities.
      The Montezuma FFA Experience the Action team earned a gold rating with their Toy Story presentation at this year’s state convention. Team members included Madison Cheney, Jordan Ranfeld, Ashlee Eilander, Sam Bos and Laila Kercheval.
Proficiency Area: Agricultural Mechanics Repair and Maintenance - Placement   
    Montezuma’s Sawyer Tindle was the winner in the area of Ag Mechanics Repair and Maintenance Placement SAE. Throughout his SAE, Sawyer worked at Glens Tractor Repair in Montezuma and Van Wall Equipment in Grinnell where he would maintain tractors, planters, combines, balers and tillage equipment. Sawyer gained skills in problem-solving with electronic control systems, equipment, and a power source system while performing preventative maintenance. Upon graduation, Sawyer plans to attend Northeast Iowa Community College to become an agricultural technician at Van Wall Equipment.
Iowa Degree recipients
        Montezuma had four students who earned their Iowa Degree. They are: Korrinn Kehoe, Haylie Moore, Matthew Ranfeld and Sawyer Tindle.
      The four state championship teams will represent Montezuma at the FFA Nationals, Oct. 26 – 29, in Indianapolis.

      The Montezuma FFA Ag Communications team was one of four teams who brought home championship honors at the 94th FFA State Leadership Conference, held April 11-12, at Iowa State University in Ames. Pictured are, from left: Alivia Cline, Madison Van Zee, FFA Advisor Hannah Garland, Makenna Johannes and Camryn Brennan.

​      The Montezuma FFA Ag Sales team finished with a third-place honor and gold rating at the 94th FFA State Leadership Conference, held April 11-12, at Iowa State University in Ames. Pictured are, from left: Matthew Ranfeld, Korrin Kehoe, Sawyer Tindle and Jaemi Hartman. The team worked together to sell community tower gardens, a product for growing herbs and vegetables outdoors or in a greenhouse setting.

​     The Montezuma FFA Conduct of Meetings team finished with a third-place honor and gold rating at the 94thFFA State Leadership Conference, held April 11-12, at Iowa State University in Ames. Pictured are, from left: Taya Sincox, Elizabeth DeJong, Ellen Cook, Bryson Stockman, Kylee Larmore, Addyson Probasco, Emily James and alternate Taylor Wickam.