South Dakota is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota Sioux Native American tribe, which comprises a large portion of the population with nine reservations currently in the state and have historically dominated the territory. South Dakota is the seventeenth largest by area, but the 5th least populous, and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States. As the southern part of the former Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889, simultaneously with North Dakota. They are the 39th and 40th states admitted to the union; President Benjamin Harrison shuffled the statehood papers before signing them so that no one could tell which became a state first. Pierre is the state capital, and Sioux Falls, with a population of about 192,200, is South Dakota's largest city.
Dakota County is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota, located in the east central portion of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 439,882. The population of Dakota County was estimated to be 443,341 in 2022. The county seat is Hastings. Dakota County is named for the Dakota Sioux tribal bands who inhabited the area. The name is recorded as "Dahkotah" in the United States Census records until 1851. Dakota County is included in the Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States with about 3.64 million residents. The largest city in Dakota County is the city of Lakeville, the eleventh-largest city in Minnesota and sixth-largest Twin Cities suburb. The county is bordered by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers on the north, and the state of Wisconsin on the east.
Sioux Falls is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 121st-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up to the Iowa state line. As of 2022, Sioux Falls had an estimated population of 202,078. The Sioux Falls metro area accounts for more than 30% of the state's population. Chartered in 1856 on the banks of the Big Sioux River, the city is situated in the rolling hills at the junction of interstates 29 and 90.
The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship university for the state of South Dakota and the state's oldest public university. It occupies a 274 acres (1.11 km2) campus located in southeastern South Dakota, approximately 63 miles (101 km) southwest of Sioux Falls, 39 miles (63 km) northwest of Sioux City, Iowa, and north of the Missouri River.
Karl Earl Mundt was an American educator and a Republican member of the United States Congress, representing South Dakota in the United States House of Representatives (1939–48) and in the United States Senate (1948–73).
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is the body that writes the rules of competition for most high school sports and activities in the United States. NFHS's headquarters are located in White River State Park in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Bellevue West High School is a public secondary school located in Bellevue, Nebraska, United States. It had a 2013 enrollment of 1,584 students. The principal is Kevin Rohlfs. The school's athletic teams are the Thunderbirds, and their school colors are purple, gold and white. The school's cross-town rival is Bellevue East. Bellevue West is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. The school also serves as an off-campus location for the Omaha, Nebraska, Metropolitan Community College.
Nine-man football is a type of American football played by high schools that are too small to field teams for the usual 11-man game. In the United States, the Minnesota State High School League, North Dakota High School Activities Association, South Dakota High School Activities Association, and Wyoming High School Activities Association hold high-school state tournaments in nine-man football. It is the earliest attested reduced-man variant of football, being attested as early as 1889 in an Amateur Athletic Union-sanctioned college football game at the original outdoor Madison Square Garden.
Black Hills State University (BHSU) is a public university in Spearfish, South Dakota. Close to 4,000 students attend classes at its 123-acre (50 ha) campus in Spearfish, with a satellite campus in Rapid City that is shared with South Dakota State University, and through distance offerings. Enrollment comes from 64 out of 66 counties in South Dakota, 43 states, and 29 countries. BHSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents.
The North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) is the governing body for the U.S. state of North Dakota's high-school athletics and fine arts. The current executive director of the NDHSAA is Matthew Fetsch and the headquarters are located in Valley City, North Dakota.
Watertown High School (WHS) is a public high school in Watertown, South Dakota. The school was the first in the state and the second in the United States in which every student and teacher was issued a laptop computer.
Fargo South High School, more commonly known as Fargo South, South High, or South is a public high school located in Fargo, North Dakota. The campus serves about 1,000 students in grades 9-12. The school is a part of the Fargo Public Schools system. The official school colors are brown and gold and the athletic teams are known as the Bruins.
O'Gorman High School is a Catholic high school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The school was founded in 1961 and named after Thomas O'Gorman. O'Gorman is located in the Diocese of Sioux Falls.
Roncalli High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Aberdeen, South Dakota. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls.
Central High School is a high school located in Aberdeen, South Dakota with an enrollment of approximately 1,300 students. Since 2004, the school has been located at a new site located at 2200 South Roosevelt Street. The new location is on the outskirts of the southeast side of town.
Sioux Falls Christian Schools (SFC) is a private school located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The school was founded in 1958 as an elementary school named Calvin Christian. Since its inception, SFC has expanded and currently offers programs from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade and is accredited by the state of South Dakota and Christian Schools International.
The Missouri River Activities Conference is a high school athletic and activities conference whose members are located in either the Sioux City Metropolitan Area or the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area, both located along the Missouri River on the border of western Iowa.
Mitchell High School is a public high school located in Mitchell, South Dakota. It serves students in grades 9 through 12, and is the only high school in the Mitchell School District.
Logan Storley is an American professional mixed martial artist and folkstyle wrestler. He currently competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is a former interim Bellator Welterweight World Champion. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and a six-time SDHSAA state champion as a high schooler. As of May 17, 2022, he is #10 in the Bellator men's pound-for-pound rankings.
Lee Anton Schoenbeck is an American politician and attorney serving as a member of the South Dakota Senate from the 5th district. He is the President Pro Tempore of the South Dakota Senate. He is a member of the Republican Party.
