Several new teachers will educate Custer county students this year, most of them at Hermosa Elementary School.

Laura Armstrong is teaching a section of fourth grade at Hermosa. She is originally from Elkton and went to college at South Dakota State University. Her expe

Two weekends ago, Rapid City hosted a contest that pitted firefighters from all over the country in the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge. 

The challenge annually attracts hundreds of U.S. and Canadian municipal fire departments at more than 25 locations and is now expanding to countries around the world, including New Zealand, Germany, Argentina, Chile and South Africa.

Custer High School class of 2010 graduate Garrett Wong was one of more than 1,900 winners of National Merit Scholarships  financed by colleges and universities that have been announced by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMCS). These Merit Scholar designees join over 2,800 other college-sponsored  award recipients who were announced in late May.

Officials of each sponsor college selected their winners from among Finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program who will attend their institution. College-sponsored awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.

Nina Martinez of Custer will travel to Costa Rica as part of a 4-H- sponsored international youth exchange. She left this past weekend and will remain in Costa Rica until the middle of next month.

When it comes to Custer School District students using or not using alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs, one thing is clear—parents play a huge role in which path children chose to go down.

Days filled by practicing music will result in a summer filled with performing music at Disneyland for a Northern State University student.

Kelsey Pickford has been selected as one of 21 members of the Disneyland All-American Band. The band will play five shows a day from June 1 through mid-August at the California theme park and its resorts.

Custer Elementary School was recognized last Wednesday morning by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for winning the HealthierUS School Challenge Silver Award. The award recognizes the school of its efforts to create a healthier school environment through promotion of good nutrition and physical activity

Becky Lowe, the kindergarten through second grade teacher at Fairburn School, has been named the Custer School District Teacher of the�Year for 2009-10.

Lowe has taught in the Custer School District for 11 years, all of which have been spent in Fairburn.

Several Custer band students attended the Region 8 band contest in Rapid City Feb. 10 and received the following ratings in contest solo and ensemble work.

Nicholas Castro, honor band, alto saxophone; Ariel Cisneros, festival band, clarinet; Michelle Dehaven, festival band, flute; and Sean Dehaven, festival band, alto saxophone; were among the 270 high school students hosted by Chadron State College for the 38th annual High Plains Band and Choir Music Festival Feb. 1-2.

Four Custer County elders were honored last Tuesday evening, Feb. 2, during the 2010 Eldersâ?? Wisdom, Childrenâ??s Songâ?¢. It was an evening, unlike many others, for the honorees. And, quite eye opening for one.