Clockwise starting at the left front - Jana Carr, Jen Anders, Denise
Werkmeister, and Lisa Thies work together to put together their first place
puzzle. Photo provided by Kaylee Weber. Thank you, Kaylee!

    Dana Hall filled with groups of four people who shared at least two things in common. They like (or tolerate) pizza and they like (or tolerate) puzzles. They may have all also liked or tolerated beer, but there was alternatives for those who aren't beer drinkers. The groups spent Saturday evening putting the three factors - pizza, puzzles and a drink - together. The event, hosted by the Dana Hall committee members provided an evening of intense fun for.
    The winners of the competition, the first group to eat their pizza, finish their puzzle, and down their drinks were Jana Carr, Lisa Thies, Jen Anders, and Denise Werkmeister. When asked for a bit of a reenactment from Jana, her response was so awesome, I'm just printing as she recapped.
    "Saturday night we headed to a pizza, puzzle, and beer fundraiser… and let me tell you, it was way more intense (and hilarious) than it sounds.
    "We met at 6 PM so we could grab a good spot, catch up, and explain the rules since one of our teammates was a first-timer. The goal? Finish everything as FAST as possible. Think scarfing down pizza when you'd much rather slowly enjoy it… and yes… beer chugging was absolutely part of the strategy.
    "We quickly made a game plan. One teammate focused on building the puzzle frame, we sorted pieces into color groups, and the other three of us each claimed a different section of the puzzle to tackle. There was a lot of sitting… then standing… then sitting again because, apparently, puzzling is hard on the back when you're racing the clock 😂
    "If you know us, you know we're not exactly quiet. As pieces started snapping into place, our excitement definitely grew louder. At one point, we were actually told to quiet down as we got close to finishing… because we didn't want to give away how close we were!
    "Finally, the last puzzle piece clicked into place… but we weren't DONE yet. One of our girls still had part of her drink left. Naturally, we all started chanting "CHUG, CHUG, CHUG!" She powered through, and we proudly yelled FINISHED ✅️
    "And thank goodness she did, because another team finished just a few minutes behind us!
    "Safe to say, this was the perfect combo for our crew. The strategy worked, the laughs were nonstop, and you better believe… we'll be back."
    Jana added that they finished in around 50 minutes. The second place winners were Angie and James Oberreuter and Darla and Travis Lloyd.

    The online application link for the 2026-2027 MVAO Preschool Registration is now available at www.mvaoschool.com.
    To register, your child must be 4 years old on or before September 15, 2026. There is no tuition charge for the 4-year old preschool at this time because of the statewide preschool grant. This online application must be completed before a child will be considered for preschool placement. Preschool placement will be determined by the district with parental input considerations.
    To fill out the application, please fill out the registration form. If you have any questions, please contact Mistaya Hoefling at the Mapleton Elementary @ 712-881-1319 or mhoefling@mvaoschool.org..

    Cord Memorial Library in Danbury will have their monthly Bingo game on Thursday, February 19th from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Please bring a non-perishable item for each game you want to play.

    Last week had celebrations by "old" and not so old kids in the elementary schools in the district. The MVAO Elementary Schools celebrated the 100th days of school on Wednesday, and Danbury Catholic School celebrated number 100 on Thursday. The kindergarten class at DC was full of overachievers who took it one step further, celebrating the 101st day of school.
    While each school celebrated differently, they were also the same. The elementary in Mapleton held different centers and did activities such as making 100 dots, doing 100 math problems, and eating a snack with 100 items. Danbury Catholic did similar activities with the third and fourth graders solving an an escape room based on 100. Anthon also did similar activities and included an assembly where they sang 100 Days of School and many dressed like they were 100. The DC kindergarteners' celebration of day 101 included the 101 Dalmatians.
    Combine these two pictures, and these ladies from the Anthon Center hold up 100, the magical number of the day. More pictures (not 100) can be found in this Review.