🐻 #BryanBuilt Podcast | Show NotesS01 E03: 🧀 The Toastie Truth, Athletic Deep Dives & The Higher-Lower Showdown

Hosts: Chris Malanga & Superintendent Mark Rairigh

Special Guest: Nathan Keel, Athletic Director

In this episode, we celebrate being officially 100 days smarter! We discuss Kindergarten and Preschool registration, preview a busy March calendar, and welcome Athletic Director Nathan Keel for a deep dive into winter sports and a preview of spring athletics. Plus, the gloves come off in our first-ever "Higher or Lower" challenge, and we finally reveal the legendary Cheese Toastie recipe.

⏱️ Episode Chapters:

00:00 🏁 Show Intro: Celebrating 100 days and a visit from Zero the Hero. 

01:08 📢 The News Feed:

• Future Bears: Details on the upcoming Kindergarten and Preschool registration and Parent Meeting.

• March Milestones: Highlighting CEO Day, Grandparents Day, and the circus-themed Right to Read Week.

• The Arts: Upcoming music performances.

• Spring Break: A look ahead to spring break.

11:23 👟 The Deep Dive: Athletic Update with Nathan Keel. Recapping NWOAL Bowling titles, Wrestling momentum, and the "Relentless" mindset of our athletes. 

28:41 📊 The Fun Segment: Higher or Lower! Chris and Mark battle over district data, from ACT scores to the number of chocolate milks served weekly. 

47:57 🥪 Community Q&A: The legendary Cheese Toastie recipe reveal. 

53:25 🐻 Golden Bear Standout: Honoring Kam Houk, 2nd Grade teacher, for being named the CORAS Elementary Educator of the Year. 

👟 The Deep Dive: Relentless Golden Bears

Athletic Director Nathan Keel joins us to discuss the "relentless" spirit of Bryan Athletics and managing a multi-season program:

• The Winter Wrap-Up: Celebrating the Girls' Bowling team (3x NWOAL Champs!) and Wrestling and Basketball momentum entering tournament play.

• Spring Transition: What goes into the seasonal transition for Baseball, Softball, Boys Tennis, and Track.

• Fast Five: Does Keel prefer pizza or hot dog? What’s his go-to walk-up song? How would he describe Golden Bear athletes in one word?

  
  

📊 The Fun Segment: Higher or Lower?

The gloves come off as Chris challenges Mark for the title of #BryanBuilt Brainiac. In this fast-paced game, they challenge each other on everything from academic achievements to cafeteria cravings:

• ACT Excellence: How many seniors hit that elite 30+ score last year?

• The Digital Footprint: With a one-to-one Chromebook initiative, how many Google accounts are active district-wide?

• The Library Stacks: You won't believe the total volume of books housed in our school libraries.

• The Chocolate Milk Metric: We reveal the staggering number of chocolate milks served to our students every week.

💡 The Brainiac Results: Check here (http://bit.ly/4rvT4eC) for the "Cheat Sheet" to see if you beat Chris and Mark's scores!

🥪 Community Mailbag

The wait is over! The legendary Bryan City Schools Cheese Toastie recipe is finally discussed, including the bread, cheese, "secret ingredient" and oven-baked technique that creates its signature crunch and melty center.

📷️ P.S. If you make them at home, tag us in a photo!

🐻 Golden Bear Standout

A massive congratulations to Kam Houk, 2nd Grade teacher, for being named the CORAS Elementary Educator of the Year! Kam’s dedication to literacy and her students embodies what it means to be #BryanBuilt.

🗓️ Important Dates to Circle: 

• March 1: Choir & HS Band Concerts 

• March 2: 2026 Registration Opens 

• March 4: Kindergarten Parent Meeting (5:00 PM) 

• March 9–12: Right to Read Week 

• March 11: CEO Day & Grandparents Day 

• March 13–22: Spring Break

🔗 Links & Resources:

• District Calendar: bryanschools.net/calendars

• Athletics Updates: bryansports.com

• Podcast Website & Question Form: podcast.bryanschools.net

• Feedback: Email Chris Malanga at [email protected]

Podcast Theme: Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos | License code: DBBQE8ULZQOM0UUJ

Closing Thought: Remember, greatness isn't born, it’s #BryanBuilt. 🐻🏆