Brianna Drevlow

First Runner- Up at Miss Thief River Falls!

2012-07-17T07:39:00.000-05:00

I use a Canon DSLR for most of my photos! Click on the Camera for more information!

Last Saturday night I had the opportunity to complete in the Miss Thief River Falls Pageant- my first competition in the "Miss" pageants! I was delighted to win first runner-up and would like to congratulate all the contestants on a job well done, especially Bailey Sorvig, Miss Thief River Falls 2012, and Taylor Blaine, 2nd runner-up. I would like to thank the Miss Thief River Falls pageant committee for offering such an efficient and well-run pageant! I know it is a lot of hard work to put on a pageant, so you are very much appreciated! Thank you also to Michelle Stahlecker, Miss Thief River Falls 2011! You are indeed an inspiration and friend. Thank you for your support and advice. Thank you for a wonderful year of service and dedication to Thief River Falls!

The Miss Thief River Falls pageant was a lot of fun and filled with amazing young ladies! The photo at the top shows all the contestants- Kassi Sparby, Krystina Rasmussen, Bailey Sorvig, Victoria Yoder, Brianna Drevlow, Taylor Blaine, Alexandria Alten, Hannah Waswick, Kelsey Kaml (Miss Crookston), and Jasmyne Cardinal. All 10 of us worked together to put on a great show and we all learned many new lessons- Hard work always pays off, practice makes perfect, we all can make our world a better place, and many more. Each of these girls is not only talented and beautiful, but also an inspiration. I hope to see each of you again along the pageant trail or in our busy town! I am glad to call each of you a friend!

Check out this dress (click on the dress)- Great for casual wear!

Family Weekend at Pathways Bible Camp

2012-06-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

Last weekend my family and I attended the Family Resort Weekened at Pathways Bible Camp in Menhaga, MN. Pathways has been doing outdoors ministry since 1934. As for their programming and hospitality, they seem to get better at it every year! I've been going there since I was in elementary school.

This was the first time, however, that my family decided to go for the family weekend. With 13 of us in tow, we kind of make our own crowd! We checked in at camp on Friday evening and met the other families staying at Pathways this weekend, plus the camp staff. We had some mingling activities and then a campfire worship.

On Saturday we spent the entire day doing things together as a family- canoeing, swimming, rock-wall climbing, high ropes, more canoeing, hiking, and another campfire worship.

Sunday seemed to come and go too quickly. We got up early in the morning to pack and clean our cabin, had breakfast, attended worship in the chapel and were all on our way. What a fantastic weekend!

6/21/12 Riding with "The Mayor and The Mailman!"

2012-06-22T11:53:00.000-05:00

One of the really fun things about running for Miss Thief River Falls is all the fun events our community has to offer. This even is called "The Mayor and the Mailman." It is focused around two well known individuals in our community and all they do for to help others. The Mayor is Steve Nordhagen and The Mailman is Kjell Melvie. These two have teamed up for years for various charitable causes. They even have a radio program on Pioneer 90.1 FM! Tonight they were teaming up to raise money for the Thief River Falls Heritage Community Center. Lots of fun was had by all. We all had dinner- brats- and even sang with Trinity Trio. After the event, they did what they always do- ride off on their motorcycles- except tonight, the Miss Thief River Falls contestants were able to ride with them! My escort was my neighbor, Jeff Hendrickson! Thanks for the ride, Jeff! Enjoy the pictures! More pictures can be found on Facebook here.

6/17/2012 Singing with LHS Choir in Times Square, New York City!

2012-06-18T15:08:00.001-05:00

On June 11, 2012 the Lincoln High School Choir boarded buses bound for Jazz at Lincoln Center. Along the way we performed at St. Joan of Arc in Minneapolis, several restaraunts, and even at Times Square. The performance at Times Square was on our last night in New York City, Sunday, June 17, 2012. We had just taken a yacht cruise on the Hudson River and enjoyed the New York City skyline. We saw the Freedom Towers illuminated in red, white, and blue. We saw the Statue of Liberty, and more. After the cruise, we loaded the entire choir into six stretch limos for a two hour tour of Manhattan. During the tour we stopped at Times Square for a group photo and impromptu performance. What we did not know is that my parents were watching the whole thing live on a Times Square webcam! This video is the screenshots that they recorded on my Mom's cell phone. I apologize for the poor audio quality, so turn up your volume and you will hear the LHS chor sing "Bless the Lord" live at Times Sqaure!

The scene is so picturesque it reminds me of a puzzle I had many years ago. It was a 1500 Piece Times Square Puzzle and it is so vibrant and colorful. It seems to show the Times Square scene exactly as I saw it the night of our performance. Check it out! "1500 Piece Times Square Puzzle"

Running for Miss Thief River Falls!

2012-05-29T16:29:00.000-05:00

Its official! I have decided to run for Miss Thief River Falls and again work with my friends at the Miss America Organization and Children's Miracle Network! I had so much fun my year as the 2010 Miss Red River Valley Outstanding Teen that I could not pass up this wonderful opportunity! Over the next few weeks I will be picking my new pageant attire and working on my competition pieces. Its a lot of work, but its all fun! Plus there is a lot of time spent with our pageant co-ordinators and the other contestants. I wish all of my fellow contestants the best of luck as we work to win the Crown! My good friend, Kathryn Knuttila, Miss Minnesota 2010 once said of winning pageants, "its not about picking a winner from among a group of representives, its about picking a representative from a group of winners!"

One of the fun things I get to do running for Miss Thief River Falls is to work with Children's Miracle Network. Check their link to see the good work that they do. 2 years ago when I worked with them I met countless amazing young people battling life- threatening illnesses. Their courage to fight was so inspiring and I am happy to have the opportunity to work with them again! Please take a moment to consider a small donation to Children's Miracle Network here.

HUMOROUS VIDEO "The Magic School Bus: In the Land of Dinosaurs"

2012-04-22T11:55:00.001-05:00

Buy this book here (click on the icon)

4-12-2012 Section 8AA Speech Meet in Detroit Lakes, MN

2012-04-16T10:36:00.000-05:00

On April 12, 2012, our speech team returned to Section 8AA after many years in 8A. We all knew it would take our best performance to make it to State, although that is no different than in 8A. The truth is, at this point in the season, to move on to State a speaker must be at their best. This is where all speakers either practiced... or wish they had.

Congratulations to the top three teams of Moorhead, St. Cloud Tech, and Bemidji. They sent 36 of the 39 8AA entries. Congratulations to some amazing and prepared speakers!

I was fortunate to place 2nd in Story Telling so I will be Thief River Falls' lone entry in the State Meet. We did have a few TRF Speakers cut to finals- Sam Buckley took 6th in Drama while the Duo team of Elle Jorgenson and Claire Naslund tood 4th! My brother Brock was on the bubble and missed finals by one spot! Next year, Brock, next year! Brayden also was right there and almost made finals. Brett also had a super experience. I can't wait to see them next year.

On to State! I look forward to meeting my competitors. I am working hard and will be ready. See you there!

3-24-2012 St. Cloud SpecTECHular Speech Meet

2012-04-15T18:48:00.000-05:00

On March 24, 2012, half of our team got on a bus at 3:15 AM and went to the St. Cloud Tech SpecTECHular meet. The other half of the team went to the Oklee Speech Invite. The Tech meet is large to say the least. Head Coach Karmin Schraw puts on a truly spectacular meet with some of the top teams and competitors in the State in attendance. Competition was fierce. I cut to finals in both Humor and Story Telling, placing 6th in Humor and 1st in Story Telling.

Looking forward to the Section 8AA Meet in Detroit Lakes on April 12, 2012!

3-17-2012 Detroit Lakes Speech Meet!

2012-04-15T18:06:00.001-05:00

On March 17, 2012 our team travelled to Detroit Lakes for the Laker Speech Invitational. This is always a fun meet to attend and Detroit Lakes Head Coach Jennifer Burnside always puts on a super meet. I am thankful to her for all her hard work to maintain such a quality meet!

I competed in Humorous and Story Telling and earned 2nd place in each. My brother, Brayden, took two medals and so did my friend, Ashley Borchardt. Together, we posed for our "Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil" photo! Our team had a tremendous day!

3-10-2012 Thief River Falls Prowler Speech Invitational

2012-04-15T16:45:00.001-05:00

On March 10, 2012 we were able to sleep in (sort of) instead of meeting an early bus! Well, we did have a speech meet at our school at 7 AM, but thats still a full hour and a half later than most of our early morning bus rides!

Our meet was also set opposite to the National Forensic League National Qualifier in Grand Rapids, so it was a relatively small meet. Most of the teams in Northern MN were there and the meet was a great success. Hope more teams choose to attend next year!

Brett, Brayden, and I could not attend the NFL IE national qualifier this year as we will be going on a choir trip to New York City the same week as the NFL National Meet.

We had a great day. I have been waiting for several weeks to do my "Agnes of God" cutting in Drama, where I placed 1st. I also entered my "Magic Schoolbus" piece in Humor and took first, plus competed in Story Telling and took 3rd. The TRF team took lots of medals as you can see by the photos above.

Our meet had an extra bonus- we had a professional photographer at the meet who took photos. You can see them at Prowler Photography.

Another fun event was my little sister Bralynne, was called on stage to receive an award for her Extemp Reading piece, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear." She was given an honorary award as Novice Champion, Kindergarden Division!

3-3-2012 First National Bank of Walker Speech Meet!

2012-04-15T14:17:00.001-05:00

On March 3, 2012 the Thief River Falls Speech Team got on an early bus (about 4:30 AM) and drove to Walker, MN for the annual First National Bank of Walker Speech Meet! As you can see by the pictures our team had several speakers cut to finals or next-in finals. I competed in Story Telling and Humorous Interp and came out in first and fourth places, respectively. Thank you to our friends at Walker for another superb meet- and special thanks to First National Bank of Walker for sponsoring this great meet and Walker coaches Stewart Wilson and Chuck Cravens for running the tournament with such ease, fairness, and success!

Today was quite a milestone for me, too, as today's gold medal was the 50th of my career and my 4th place medal was the 100th medal of my career! Thank you to my friends in the speech world for the fierce competition and friendship!

2-25-12 Bemidji Lumberjacks Speech Invitational!

2012-02-29T11:52:00.000-06:00

Our team competed in the Bemidji Lumberjack Speech Invitational on February 25, 2012. We were on the bus at 6 AM which, by speech team standards, is quite late! The meet went without a hitch and the team did very well, bringing home the third place team trophy! My siblings and I also had a great day. As shown above, Brock took 2nd in Great Speeches. Brayden was 3rd in Inform and Novice Champion in Extemp Reading. Brett was 4th in Original Oratory, I was first in Humor and 4th in Story Telling, and Brielle competed in Inform and Prose but did not place. Congratulations to our team for the astounding success and many thanks to the Bemidji Lumberjacks and head coach Tom Lucas for an excellent meet!

2-23-12 Judging the East Grand Forks Novice Meet

2012-02-29T11:40:00.000-06:00

Every year our Novice team travels to the East Grand Forks American Legion/ VFW Novice Meet in East Grand Forks, MN. At Novice meets, coaches and varsity team members are the judges and I was honored to be chosen as one of those varsity judges. As usual, the meet was very well organized by the East Grand Forks team and Coaches. I was so proud of our team and my younger siblings! Thief River Falls came home with the first place team trophy and pictured above, are my threee siblings on the novice team- Brock Drevlow (first in Original Oratory and first in Great Speeches), Brayden Drevlow (First in Inform and blue ribbon in Extemp. Reading), and Brielle Drevlow (first in Prose and red ribbon in Inform). Great meet! Thank you to East Grand Forks, the American Legion and the VFW!

2-18-12 Park Rapids Speech Meet!

2012-02-29T11:35:00.000-06:00

On February 18, 2012 our team got up bright and early to compete in the Park Rapids Panthers Speech Invitational in Park Rapids, MN. Our team had a great showing coming home with a team trophy and I couldn't have been more proud of my team and siblings! Brett made finals in Original Oratory and Extemp Speaking, while Brielle almost made finals in her Inform and Prose! I made finals in Humor and Story Telling. I ended the day with a first in Humor and 3rd in Story Telling, while Brett placed second in OO and 8th in Extemp Speaking. Brayden and Brock missed this meet as they were performing in the MnSOTA All-State Middle School Honors Orchestra in Minneapolis! Thanks to the Park Rapids team and head coach Mr. David Overly for another superb meet!

Video Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in Bb Minor, Op. 23, First Movement with cuts

2012-02-20T13:09:00.001-06:00

I have been playing piano since I was in Kindergarden. My parents tell me that I had an unquenchable desire to play piano and so they started my lessons with a student of Marcia M. Knuttila, Karen Christianson. I studied with her for about six months before she felt that I would flourish more under Marcia (Miss K, as I call her). One of the pinnacles in her studio is to have the ability and desire to perform a piano concerto. One of my favorites has always been Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. Of course, there is only one way to learn a piece such as this one. Practice, practice, practice.

It took 13 years of dedication to daily practice to get to this point. This concerto is difficult to say the least. Not only is the fingering extremely challenging, but it also requires the technical ability to play it at the speed as written. Another problem playing a piece like this one is to find another pianast able to play the accompaniment. I am blessed to have a willing and able brother, Brayden, to play with me. Brayden has been "slaving" away working on this piece with me all summer, fall, and winter to get it where its at. I owe such a debt of gratitude to him for helping me.

Brayden and I were in numerous competitions this winter. We even had the honor of placing in the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra Competition earlier this month!. Take a minute, well, actually ten minutes, to listen to the video, too. Just another note- the first movement is actually about 23 minutes long. I actually can play the whole movement by memory but most contests only allow a ten minute cutting so that is what we recorded.

One last note- we recorded this video at Miss K's house on her two concert grand pianos- I am playing a new Yamaha and Brayden is playing Frank Sinatra's old Bosendorfer!

Enjoy!

2-11-12 Moorhead Spuds Speech Meet!

2012-02-15T10:02:00.000-06:00

Wow! On February 11, 2012 we competed in the Moorhead Spuds Speech Invitational and it was full of stiff competition. Some very large teams were there- Moorhead- of course, Lakeville North, Eden Prairie, Marshall, St. Cloud Tech, Duluth, and more! Certainly this meet showcased talent that will be seen at both the State Class AA meet and likely NFL Nationals. I was pleased that our team did have some success! The picture above shows my first place finish in Story Telling and red ribbon in Drama. In the middle is Brock Drevlow, Top Novice in Great Speeches, and finally, Brett Drevlow, holding our team trophy for Top small school! The day was a great success and learning experience, all wrapped in one. Its always good to sharpen skills against highly skilled competition. Thanks to the Moorhead Speech Team for hosting a super meet, especially head coach Rebecca Meyer-Larson, who orchestrated the whole meet like a world class conductor! Thank you!

2/4/12 Dilworth- Glyndon- Felton Speech Meet!

2012-02-05T19:54:00.000-06:00

On 2/4/12 the Thief River Falls speech team traveled to Dilworth- Glyndon- Felton for their annual speech meet. As usual DGF and their head coach Kathy Martin were excellent hosts and put on a super meet! Thief River Falls took fourth, behind Perham, Moorhead, and the meet champions, East Grand Forks. My brothers and sister had a great day, too. Pictured left to right above are: Brielle Drevlow (5th, Prose); Brett Drevlow (2nd, Original Oratory and blue ribbon, Extemp. Speaking); Brianna Drevlow (1st Humor, 1st Story Telling, and 4th Drama); Brayden Drevlow (3rd, Informative); and Brock Drevlow (2nd Great Speeches, and 5th Poetry).

1/28/12 East Grand Forks Speech Meet!

2012-02-01T13:14:00.000-06:00

Hurray! The 2011-12 Speech season has officially begun! On 1/28/12 the Thief River Falls speech team traveled to East Grand Forks for their annual speech meet sponsored the the American Legion and VFW Post. I was so proud of our team and my siblings! Thief River Falls won the meet! Pictured left to right above are: Brock Drevlow (1st, Great Speeches and red ribbon, Poetry); Brayden Drevlow (1st, Informative and red ribbon, Prose); Brett Drevlow (1st Original Oratory and 3rd Extemp. Speaking); Brianna Drevlow (1st Humor, 1st Story Telling, 1st Drama); and Brielle Drevlow (blue ribbon, Prose).

Thank you to the East Grand Forks speech team for hosting another very well run meet!

National Service Award from National Forensics League!

2012-01-10T13:56:00.000-06:00

BRIANNA AND BRETT DREVLOW RECEIVE NATIONAL SERVICE AWARD

Thief River Falls - January 10, 2012

Brianna L. Drevlow and Brett L. Drevlow have each received a Student Service Citation from the National Forensic League (NFL) in recognition of outstanding service to speech and debate education. Brianna and Brett are members of the Drevlow Home School NFL team and the Lincoln Senior High Speech Team. NFL students receive a Student Service Citation for every 100 service points earned through service activities, such as community speaking or outreach activities. A single act of service usually garners between two and five service points. This is Brianna’s eighth Student Service Citation while Brett earned his second Student Service Citation. The Drevlows earned two of only three such awards issued through out Minnesota in 2011.

The NFL believes that service is central to speech and debate education and includes service among the tenets of its honor code. In addition to Student Service Citations, students may also earn service plaques at the discretion of their coach. Educators in the NFL are also eligible to receive service citations through activities such as leadership, publication, and outreach.

About the NFL

The National Forensic League (NFL) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit honorary society whose mission is to promote high school and middle school speech and debate activities as a means to develop a student’s essential life skills and values. More than 120,000 high school and middle school students, representing nearly 2,900 schools nationwide, are currently building their communication, leadership, cognitive, and presentational skills as members. Since 1925, more than 1.3 million students have found their voice in the NFL. For more information, visit www.NFLonline.org.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops with The Nutcracker!

2011-12-19T17:51:00.000-06:00

Polonaise, from "Christmas Eve" by Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov

I am so proud of my brothers Brett and Brayden, who play with the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra! On December 18, 2011, the GGFSO and Director Alexander Platt teamed up with the Grand Cities Children's Choir and the North Dakota Ballet Company to share the Christmas spirit with their annual Holiday Pops concert at the Chester Fritz Auditorium on the campus of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. I am happy to share this gift of music with you to spread the Christmas joy! Enjoy the videos from their concert. Merry Christmas!

The Enchanted Lake by Anatoly Lyadov

Sleigh Ride (November) from "The Seasons" by Tchaikovsky

Troika (Sleigh Ride) from "Lt. Kije" by Prokofiev

Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson

All is Well by Michael W. Smith

Christmas Carol Sing-Along arramged by Finnegan

Let There Be Peace On Earth by Sy Miller

The Nutcracker, "The Magic Castle" and "Clara and the Prince" by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky

The Nutcracker, "Chocolate (Spanish Dance)" by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky

The Nutcracker, "Coffee (Arabian Dance)" by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky

The Nutcracker, "Tea (Chinese Dance)" and "Trepak (Russian Dance)" by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky

The Nutcracker, "Dance of the Mirlitons" by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky

The Nutcracker, "Mother Gigogne and the Puppets" by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky

The Nutcracker, "Dance of the Flowers" by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky

The Nutcracker, "Dance of the Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy" by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky

The Nutcracker, "Tarantella" by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky

The Nutcracker, "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky

VIDEO: Meet a Future Member of the Speech Team!

2011-12-12T16:16:00.000-06:00

Most of my friends know that I enjoy forensics. Public Speaking. The Speech Team. I compete in Humorous Interpretation and Story Telling, and from time to time, Drama, Prose, Poetry, Original Oratory, Informative, and even Great Speeches!

This year, there will be five Drevlows competing on the Lincoln High School Speech Team- me, Brett, Brayden, Brock, and Brielle. We spend lots of time practicing our pieces together and working with our coaches and mentors. Its lots of fun.

But...what many of you don't know...is that we have a feeder program at the Drevlow house! We also work with our younger siblings to get them ready for the future! Here is a little flavor of our future team member, our sister, Bralynne, who is currently in Kindergarten and very excited about Extemp. Reading and Prose! Just to forewarn you Story Tellers out there- she has several stories, too! Enjoy!

VIDEO of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, performed with my brothers!

2011-12-08T13:15:00.005-06:00

VIDEO of Christmas Canon (Canon in D) by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

2011-12-08T13:15:00.002-06:00

VIDEO of Faith Noel and Siberian Sleighride, by Trans-Siberian Orchestra!

2011-12-08T13:14:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to Phil McKenzie!

2011-11-29T21:27:00.000-06:00

Mr. McKenzie has been a great help for me as an aspiring musician, including helping me to play with the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra at times. His advice has always been helpful and has helped me to grow musically. I found out that today was Mr. McKenzie's birthday and my brothers and I decided to arrange a special birthday musical treat! We have arranged a version of Happy Tchaikovsky Birthday! Enjoy!