Welcome to the Lantern’s summary of the 2024-2025 school year. We have compiled over thirty notable events and developments that have received, to at least some extent, coverage in the newspaper.

To navigate the review, you can either scroll through the article starting from the top or use the table of contents. The table provides an outline of each item in the article, with each major section linked for easy access. Each linked section will contain a link back to the table of contents.

Enjoy the article, and see you next year.

In the latter half of October, select members of the Cannon Falls chapter of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) organization traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana, for the FFA national convention. There, they participated in various tours, expositions, and contests.

Cannon Falls FFA member Cameron Addington performed particularly well, earning third place nationally in the “Prepared Public Speaking” competition category.

The FFA season did not end with the national convention in October, however. The club continued to be active throughout the rest of the school year, with Addington eventually being elected the Minnesota FFA president of thousands of members.

Each year, the Cannon Falls theater department performs a fall musical. Performances vary in genre, but each offer a chance for students to explore their acting and technical skills, while simultaneously providing a community event through which parents and the public can support school activities.

This year’s musical performance was an adaptation of the Mean Girls movie, which proved to be a strong display of singing talent and a high level of scriptwriting.

From Thursday, November 21, to Sunday, November 24, the theater club performed the musical four times.

Middle schoolers played a significant role in the musical due to their large demographic, but all cast members contributed much to the production and worked to create a crowd-pleasing show.

After a celebratory parade around the school and with a police escort, three tennis players traveled to the Minnesota tennis state tournament. Junior Josie Sjoquist qualified for the singles category, while junior Sophia Nerison and sophomore Livia Tennessen competed in the doubles category.

Sports shifted indoors with the beginning of winter. December was an active period for winter sports, with basketball, wrestling, and others beginning their seasons in earnest.

While basketball technically began in November, its season got into full swing during December. For girls’ basketball, December was a month of improvement for the season as the team dealt with tough opponents. Team leaders committed to strengthening the team’s bond in preparation for the season’s progression.

Impressively, boys’ basketball did not suffer a single loss among all its November or December games. The team expressed hope during December that their success would continue into the rest of the season.

The dance team saw similar accomplishment during its showcase in early December, taking first in both kick and jazz. Its competitive strength permeated into the rest of the month.

Weightlifting began its winter season with an invitational, in which it saw promising results for the postseason.

Both wrestling and dance had a presence at their respective state tournaments in February. Their state runs represented a culmination of both collective and individual efforts during the regular season.

The dance team sent both their high kick and jazz teams to the state tournament from February 14 to 15. They took 10th in jazz and 6th in kick. Regardless of their placement, dancers took pride in their state appearance.

Wrestling sent four to the state tournament: Adam Parish, Griffin Peterson, Tristan Zingler, and Owen Parish. Both Adam and Owen Parish advanced to final rounds, each taking third place in their respective weight categories.

Both math league and one act are activities that are arguably overlooked in favor of more popular activities. While both of these clubs lack the attention of their athletic counterparts, they did exhibit potential during their winter seasons.

One act is a theater competition that is sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL), which is the same body that manages state basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and more. While one act did not advance to the state tournament, it boasted new members and a revitalized cast, which bodes well for coming seasons.

Math league, on the other hand, is not a MSHSL activity, and is instead governed by the Minnesota State High School Mathematics League (MSHSML). Math league finished second in their division this season, preventing them from going to their state competition. However, the team benefitted from an increase in size, promising possible future success.

In the November 2024 election, a consequential referendum was put on the ballot for Cannon Falls school district taxpayers. A proposition to increase taxes in order to increase per-pupil funding was expected to pass, but was defeated. With the expiration of state funding, a depletion of existing savings, and an increase in requirements for the school district to fill, the referendum needed to pass in order for Cannon Falls students to enjoy the same quality of schooling as recent years.

Since the measure failed, the school board had to slash over half a million dollars from the school’s operating budget. As such, students will find themselves in larger classes, have less electives and extracurriculars to choose from, and other diminishments in school offerings.

In March, Cannon Falls hosted two guests. One was the Future Forward organization that put on a southeast Minnesota college and career fair, and the other was speaker Joe Beckman who emphasized the importance of human connection.

The career fair was held in the fieldhouse on March 4 and attracted schools from across southeast Minnesota. Numerous vendors set up booths in a bid to reach out to high schoolers and inform them of educational and employment opportunities.

Two weeks later, on March 18, public speaker Joe Beckman visited the district. Since he visited the district once before in 2023, his event was familiar to those who experienced it two years ago. However, his event still served as a refresher.

The robotics team concluded its season in late March, while the band and choir clubs attended one of their last competitions on March 7 in Goodhue.

The robotics team attended two competitions in a bid to secure a spot at world championships: one in Duluth and the other in Minneapolis. Unfortunately, the Bomb-Botz fell short of the Houston championship, but the season was considered a success nonetheless.

The co-curricular activities of band and choir are unique in that they are some of the only clubs to have a dedicated class hour. Throughout the year, the two activities both put on concerts for the community and competed against other schools, and were successful in that endeavor.

The speech team began practices in December, but did not attend competitions until February. For all but two Saturdays in February and March, the team traveled to various schools to compete in invitational meets. Then, after a multi-week break, it began its postseason, sending much of the team to the subsection meet.

Most of those who attended subsections advanced to the section tournament. Of the members who went to the section tournament, ten secured a spot at the state tournament, which is an MSHSL-sanctioned competition.

Overall, the months-long speech season proved a time of growth for both the team and its members.

Satire week is an annual 7-day period for the Lantern publication that begins on April 1. Fabled for its profuse sarcasm and blatant unseriousness, the week provides an opportunity for both newspaper staff and readers to indulge in the humorous side of journalism.

During the week, the website receives a makeover, complete with completely new (and satirical) articles, videos, galleries, and more. This year’s satire week deviated little from its predecessors, and offered a whimsical diversion from regular school life.

Often a minor inconvenience to class schedules, the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) take place for certain grades during the spring. These tests serve little purpose for students, but are important for the state and school district. MCAs are used to measure college readiness for each district and obtain information of school districts’ level of compliance with educational standards and mandates

Just before the last full month of school, the Cannon Falls Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) worked in conjunction with school administration and emergency services to create a presentation of what a crash resulting from drunk driving could look like. The event took place on April 30. In it, an emergency response to a fatal automobile accident was simulated, complete with a helicopter and a hearse. The demonstration served as a potent reminder of the dangers of drunk driving, and was scheduled just a few days before prom.

Historically, prom has marked the end of a school year and the transition of students into young adults. This year, the glamorous dance was held on May 3, with a 1920s theme. After a grand march in the auditorium, prom attendees traveled to the Cannon River Winery for the dance.

Another event concluding the school year is the academic award ceremony, where students are recognized for their athletic and academic efforts. In addition, graduating seniors are presented with scholarships from local donors.

This year’s ceremony took place during the evening of May 7, less than a week after prom. In it, donors personally presented scholarships, school faculty awarded department awards and academic letters, and athletic staff recognized high-achieving athletes and extracurricular participants.

Just a few days after the academic award ceremony, during the weekend of May 9 to May 11, the theater department performed its spring play, After Happily Ever After, three times. The show provided a unique spin on traditional fantasy stories. The performance further signaled the wind-down of the school year.

Late May brought with it the postseason for spring sports. While some state tournaments occur in June, most section games happen in late May. Currently, softball has ended its season, while there exists some possibility of other sports reaching the state level.

Baseball is still in contention to attend the state tournament. Golf and track section meets are ongoing and will determine who attends state tournaments.

No matter the sport, and no matter its outcome, athletes are content with the spring 2025 season, which has shown to be a period of personal and athletic growth.