Spirit Award Winners
The "Spirit of Okoboji" awards are given to those young campers that showed that they are cooperative, caring, supportive leaders and exemplify Christian attitudes in their relationships at Camp Minneboji!
Near as I can tell the first year this award was presented as the "Spirit of Okoboji" award was in 1981.
This is a very special award, congratulations to all past & current winners!
1981 Winners Sara Grieger (Sioux Falls, SD) and Bob Roslansky (Lake Park,IA)
1982 Winners Jason St.Sauver (Britton, SD) and Amy Stuenkel (Madison, SD)
1983 Winners Darcy Hueners (Winfred, SD) and Galen Mastin (Blue Earth, MN)
1984 Winners Krista Gies (Wagner, SD) and Bryan Hughes (Worthington, MN)
1985 Winners Tamara Iverson (Murdo, SD) and John Kreutzfeldt (Wolsey, SD)
1986 Winners Kurt Letcher (Mitchell, SD) and ???
1987 Winners Cally Christensen (Sioux Falls, SD), Bob DeWald (Mitchell, SD), Angela Fransen (Rapid City, SD), and Kelly Hoops (Groton, SD)
1988 Winners ???
1989 Winners Sheila Henning (Okabena, MN), Angie Stark (Dimock, SD), Davyd Titze (Mitchell, SD), and Jonathan Urbach (Pierre, SD)
1990 Winners Mark Haas (Yankton, SD), Christopher Hahn (Sioux Falls, SD), Kari Kollmann (Pipestone, MN), and Jennifer Reimnitz (Dimock, SD)
1991 Winners Jill Beyer (Utica, MN), Josh Bialas (Parkston, SD), Rebekah Hintzman (Plankinton, SD), and Lance Staples (Windom, MN)
1992 Winners ???
1993 Winners Aaron Blunt (Hot Springs, SD), Eugene Dennis (Hitchcock, SD), Breck Miller (Sioux Falls, SD), Mandy Youngers (Sioux Falls, SD), Sara Ziegeldorf (Yale, SD), and Erin Zimmerman (Pierre, SD)
1994 Winners Holly Amen (Sioux Falls, SD), Tony Bisbee (Cresbard, SD), Kari Hammer (Milbank, SD), Matthew Johnson (Avon, SD), Sarah Kaufman (Wilmot, SD), and Mark Sattgast (Huron, SD)
1995 Winners Isaac Denke (Pierre, SD), Paul Jerke (Mitchell, SD), Tamar Letcher (Mitchell, SD), Nicole Reuer (Aberdeen, SD), Tenea Sombke (Sisseton, SD), Jennifer Spessard (Round Lake, MN), and Jeffrey Wendling (Worthington, SD)
1996 Winners Katie Amen (Sioux Falls, SD), Josie Balster (Wilmont, MN), Kelsey Bartel (Pierre, SD), Greg Beeck (Wentworth, SD), Adam Braunesreither (Yankton, SD), and Michael Lafrentz (Sioux Falls, SD)
1997 Winners ???
1998 Winners Tricia Anderson (Yankton, SD), Kyle Baier (Mitchell, SD), Mandie Bonander (Brandon, SD), Dustin Gabel (Sioux Falls, SD), Alicia Nelson (Greenfield, IA), and Matt Ruby (Emery, SD)
1999 Winners Mara Kaufman (Huron, SD), Meghan Miller (Plankinton, SD), Ryan Schmuck (Sioux Falls, SD), and Betsy Weekes (Aurora, SD)
2000 Winners Sarah Farnsworth (Pierre, SD), Michaela Jacobsen (Memphis, TN), Adam Jungemann (Wolsey, SD), Jeremy Jungemann (Wolsey, SD), Tyler Meyer (Huron, SD), and Katie Turbes (Lamberton, MN)
2001 Winners Jacqueline Alberts (Yankton, SD), Casey Barber (Hartford, SD), Nathan Boler (Luverne, MN), Amber Dennis (White, SD), Ashley Fitterer (Sioux Falls, SD), and Timothy Ott (Sioux Falls, SD)
2002 Winners Marin Baker (Rapid City, SD), Michael Haines (Sioux Falls, SD), Whitney Johnson (Deadwood, SD), Adam Klumb (Dimock, SD), Natalie Nagle (Pierre, SD), and Austin Vreugdenhil (Parkston, SD)
2003 Winners Jennifer Fuoss (Draper SD), Karl Gesch (Sioux Falls SD), Lee Kenyon (Sioux Falls SD), Sarah Peters (Sioux Falls SD), Daniel Sailer (Sioux Falls SD), and Kate Wegehaupt (Sioux Falls SD)
2004 Winners Amber Fick (Faith, Sioux Falls SD), Justin Iburg (Zion, Mitchell SD), Derrick Johnson (St.Johns, Tyndall SD), Miles Johnson (Zion, Mitchell SD), Hayley Marquardt (Zion, Mitchell SD), and Megan Preheim (Faith, Sioux Falls SD)
2005 Winners Scot Dobbs (Divine Shepherd, Black Hawk SD), Brian Gesch (Lord of Life, Sioux Falls SD), Abby Klumb (Zion, Delmont SD), Jordan Knight (Christ, Sioux Falls SD), Sam Kuchenmeister (Trinity, Slayton MN) and Emmalynn Rodriguez (Faith, Sioux Falls SD)
2006 Winners Hannah Brenden (St.Paul, Aberdeen SD), Ashlee Dikoff (Zion, Mitchell SD), Jordyn Griffith (Brandon SD), Jonathan Heckman (Faith, Sioux Falls SD), Joel McNeely (Messiah, Redfield SD) and Ryan Sturzenbecher (Divine Shepherd, Blackhawk SD)
2007 Winners Lindsay Brech (Zion, Mitchell SD), Jennifer Brunick (Zion, Sioux Falls SD), Angela Joachim (Immanuel, Dimock SD), Colin Hirsch (Faith, Sioux Falls SD), Matthew Johnson (Memorial, Sioux Falls SD) and Dylan Meyer (Zion, Mitchell SD)
2008 Winners Susanna Kinsley (St.John, Yankton SD), Christin Koosman (Christ, Sioux Falls SD), Trevor Kosel-Carr (Messiah, Redfield SD), Hans Leonhardt (Trinity, Mansfield SD), Emily Meyer (Zion, White SD) and Sean Meyer (Zion, Mitchell SD)
2009 Winners Alyssa Bump (Faith, Pierre SD), Dillon Harrington (St.John's, Wolsey SD), Justin Jungemann (St.John's, Wolsey SD), Jill Ricke (Faith, Sioux Falls SD), Nicole Scotting (St.James, Holland MN) and Marcus Werning (Faith, Parkston SD)
2010 Winners Isaac Creech (Immanuel, Estherville IA), Paul Flaten (Zion, Sioux Falls SD), Sam Heckmann (Faith, Sioux Falls SD), Cayla Hirsch (Faith, Sioux Falls SD), Tia Pawlowski (Zion, Wessington Springs SD) and McKenzie Perry (Our Redeemer, Sioux Falls SD)
2011 Winners Jackie Hokeness (Lord of Life, Sioux Falls SD), Courtney Koosman (St.Paul, Mason OH), Jesse Kuebler (Mt. Calvary, Brookings SD), Stephanie Neumeister (Our Redeemer, Sioux Falls SD), Smon Tesfaldet (Our Redeemer, Sioux Falls SD) and Amos Utecht (Rosebud Indian, Rosebud SD)
2012 Winners Tifny Connolly (Trinity, Hartford SD), Isaiah Kittelson (Memorial, Sioux Falls SD), Kain Kittelson (Memorial, Sioux Falls SD), Moyra Klawonn (Faith, Sioux Falls SD), Maleigh Noble (Faith, Sioux Falls SD) and Shawn Stemsrud (Emanuel, Milbank SD)
2013 Winners Kaleb Crownover (St. John, Tyndall SD), Holly Fitterer (Zion, Sioux Falls SD), Rebekah Henschen (St. Paul, Aberdeen SD), Chris Kinsley (St. John, Yankton SD), Carter Pfitzer (Our Savior, Sioux Falls SD) and Kira Ward (Resurrection, Sioux Falls SD)
2014 Winners Nate Bohn (Emanuel, Milbank SD), Brady Dannenbring (Memorial, Sioux Falls SD), Kalli Leonhardt (St. Paul, Aberdeen SD), Brett Mueller (Holy Trinity, Lakefield MN), Teanna Pawlawski (Zion, Wessington Springs SD) and Heather Totton (Trinity, Hartford SD)
2015 Winners Maddie Breidenbach (St.Paul, Aberdeen SD), Joshua Crownover (St.John, Tyndall SD), Madeline Fliehs (St.John, Groton SD), Tabitha Heckman (Faith, Sioux Falls SD), Austin Heimgartner (St.Matthew, Worthington MN) and Carson Wilson (Faith, Sioux Falls SD)
2016 Winners Zeke Brown (Zion, Mitchell SD), Ella Crossen (Springfield VA), Micah Henschen (St.Paul, Aberdeen SD), Connor Peters (Tyndall SD), Ellie Shane (Sioux Falls SD) and Kyra Utecht (Redfield SD)
2017 Winners Bennet Dannenbring (Memorial, Sioux Falls SD), Adam Joachim (Immanuel, Dimock SD), Thomas Liepold (Immanuel, Lakefield MN), Allyssa Locke (St John, Groton SD), Maddy Peters (Memorial, Sioux Falls SD) and Katie Van Zee (Memorial, Sioux Falls SD)
2018 Winners Daniel Ascher (Resurrection, Sioux Falls SD), Judah Bobby (St. Paul, Aberdeen SD), Kynslee Gatzke (Messiah, Redfield SD), Claire Miller (Memorial, Sioux Falls SD), Seth Peters (Memorial, Sioux Falls SD) and Isabel Van Veldhuizen (Faith, Sioux Falls SD)
2019 Winners Isaac Crownover (St.Johns,Tyndall) and Sawyer Henrich (Mt.Calvary, Huron)
2020 Winners NO CAMP DUE TO COVID.
2021 Winners Isaiah Crownover (St.Johns; Tyndall SD), Luke Kaiser (St.Paul; Aberdeen SD), Kaitlyn Mueller (St.Paul; Leola SD), Gabriel Stern (Peace; Brookings SD), and Julia Weeman (Faith; Sioux Falls SD)
2022 Winners Josiah Baumann (Resurrection; Sioux Falls SD), Natasha Foster (Zion; Mitchell SD),
Luke Guthmiller (Scotland SD), Sophie Henrickson (Zion; Mitchell SD), Isabella Larsen (Memorial; Sioux Falls SD),
and Myles Nour (Faith; Sioux Falls SD)
2023 Winners Logan Baumbach, Bennett Lee, Marlys Otten, Jacob Schaeffer, Ava Schaunaman and Lanae Waldner
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