"A mother's tears started to flow" is how Stephanie Heide described the moment she received a phone call from her oldest son Isaac. At the moment, she was watching her youngest son Aiden and husband Scott playing games at the Corn Palace Festival in 2019. Seeing Stephanie in tears as she took the phone call immediately alerted Scott as he worriedly asked her, "What's wrong?"
Isaac had just told his mother that he had landed the leading male role in the fall musical at Mitchell High School. "He was beyond excited," said Stephanie. "It is a favorite Mitchell memory," reminisced Stephanie, "you know, the kind that brings those 'mom' tears."'
Stephanie and Scott had just uprooted their family from Spencer, Iowa, to move to Mitchell for Stephanie's work opportunity. She is the General Manager at Mitchell Radio Group. Scott works for the Mitchell School District in the Maintenance Department, operating mostly at middle and elementary schools.
For Isaac, the thought of moving to a new town in the middle of high school had not been something he was looking forward to. In fact, he was not at all happy with his parents for thinking that moving to Mitchell, South Dakota, was in any way a good idea in the middle of his high school years.
Stephanie and Scott both worried about Isaac, then 16 and their younger son Aiden, 10. They felt Mitchell a good move, but would the boys make the adjustment?
It wasn't until that hot summer afternoon phone call in front of the Corn Palace that Stephanie was able to breathe a sigh of relief with a joyful release of tears. Moving had presented many obstacles, including a house renovation for Scott to complete back in Iowa before joining the family in Mitchell. Even with the worry about the boys and the outbreak of COVID, Mitchell still proves to be right for the Heide family.
Both Aiden and Isaac have found Mitchell to be a welcoming and friendly place. They have made many new friends. Aiden enjoys soccer and attending school at Longfellow Elementary. Isaac enjoys the fine arts, so Mitchell High School has been the perfect place for him. In addition to theatre, he is a member of the Marching Band and sings tenor in the Show Choir.
As a family, they enjoy the outdoors, especially camping. Scott and the boys like to ice fish, but Stephanie says she stays at home for that particular activity.
The Heide family has noted the many trails and bike paths surrounding Lake Mitchell and look forward to enjoying them more in the future. They all agree that the future for them will be in Mitchell.
When asked if there was anything about Mitchell, they would like to see change. Aiden piped up, "Yeah, I don't like how green and stinky the lake gets."
A challenge Mitchell is sure to be up for.
