woman with medium-length hair wearing red jacket stands next to young girl with long braided hair standing next to tall man wearing grey button up jacket all smiling at the camera

This uplifting story out of Joe Foss will surely warm your heart and get you thinking of something other than snow for a minute!

If you spent any time in the downtown/Falls Park area within the last month, you know what a beautiful winter wonderland it gets turned into every holiday season. Have you ever paused to think about the people behind the scenes of this tradition? One Joe Foss student did – and she wanted to find a special way to say thank you to this team of hardworking professionals. Thanks to the help of Joe Foss Counselor Janell Mills, Parks and Rec Director Don Kearney, and the generosity of Falls Overlook Café, Quashanti Luby Roy’s dream became reality.

Quashanti and fellow Joe Foss students met with the Parks and Rec team on the afternoon of December 21st at the Falls Overlook Café, where they were able to say thank you in person over hot chocolate and other donated holiday treats. All the students attending and representing Joe Foss and Axtell Park are students who demonstrated good work ethic, conduct, and attendance. It was a fantastic opportunity for our Sioux Falls School District students to do something positive for their community. And as an added “cherry on top,” the Sioux Falls Challenge Coin was presented to Quashanti and Counselor Mills by the Parks and Rec admin team.

Great job to Quashanti and all the Axtell and Joe Foss students involved in this kind gesture!