The Philip Scottie track and field team competed in the Western Great Plain Conference meet in Kadoka, Friday, May 13.

The girls' team earned the title of conference champions. The boys' team earned the runner up spot. The girls' pole vault, with Rachel Kochersberger's 7'00", was a new conference record. The boy's triple jump, with Jeff O'Connell's 44'08.75" was also a new conference record as well as a new Philip school record.

The 2011 Region 6B Golf Tournament was held at Hart Ranch Golf Course, Monday, May 16.

The Philip team finished the day in fifth place with a score of 324, not qualifying as a team to go on to the state tournament. Two Philip golfers did earn individual advancement to the Monday and Tuesday, May 23 and 24, state tournament at the Central Valley Golf Course in Hartford.

Tristen Rush finished in third place with a day's total of 46+48=94.

The Haakon School District 27-1 Board of Education began its Monday, May 16, meeting with a full presentation of the Family Career Community Leaders of America state champion chapter showcase.

Tate DeJong, Kelsie Kroetch and Sayde Slovek showed the school board their competition presentation that they will perform at the National FCCLA Leadership meeting July 10-14 in Anaheim, Calif. Their title "FCCLA is hoppin" is done to a frog theme. In the state competition, LaRae Van Tassel earned a top superior gold in career investigation and is a peer education candidate.

The auditorium was packed as Philip High School held its graduation ceremonies Sunday, May 15, 2011.

The Bacceloriate began with music played by the sixth through 11th grade band members. Pastor Frezil Westerlund gave the invocation. Graduating senior Jeff O'Connell presented the opening prayer. Special music "Benedictus" was sung by Tawnie DeJong and Trey DeJong. Included in Westerlund's message was the advice, "See the world, but come back, come back home.

Steve Clements told the Philip first, second and third graders that, while he was visiting the town of De Smet, he toured the Laura Ingalls Wilder attractions there. He discovered that one of the real-life characters in the book series "Little House on the Prairie" was a homesteader in Haakon County.

Carrie Ingalls, referred in the books as Baby Carrie, was still single when she applied for one of he remaining pieces of land still available in western South Dakota to be homesteaded. With more applicants than remaining 160-acre parcels, a lottery was held.

The immediate family, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren and many relatives and friends, were able to visit Thelma Jean and show their love before God called her home on Tuesday, May 10, 2011, at the Hans P. Peterson Memorial Hospital in Philip, at the age of 84.

Thelma Jean Fosheim was born November 24, 1926, at Pierre, S.D., the daughter of Peter and Viola (Hand) Fosheim. She grew up in the Deep Creek area and attended school at the Little Eagle School. She graduated from Midland High School in 1944 and attended Black Hills Teachers College.