RAPID CITY - Rose DuBois paid little attention to a letter on her counter from the South Dakota High School Activities Association.

Being a gymnastics official for more than 20 years, she figured it was a receipt for her work. So she left the letter unopened and went to a retirement party for her friend Ruth Rehn, a pioneer for women's sports in South Dakota.

She did not anticipate that the message would be that she is the recipient of the highest honor given by her employer.

DuBois will receive the distinguished service award from the SDHSAA next year at the state gymnastics meet in Rapid City. DuBois, a 30-year teacher of science and physical education, is being honored for her years of officiating gymnastics in South Dakota.

She was surprised that she did not hear about the honor at Rehn's party.

"The letter was there before I left," DuBois said. "Ruth started gymnastics in South Dakota. She's one of the lifelong friends I have a lot of fun with."

DuBois was given the option of when to receive the award, and she opted for the state gymnastics meet because it will allow her family to attend. Her family is proud of her accomplishment.

"I think she deserves it," said Melissa Stanton of Rapid City, DuBois' daughter and current gymnastics official. "She's done a lot for high school gymnastics."

The SDHSAA awards began in 1976. DuBois' honor is the highest recognition by the association and it honors individuals who have made significant long-term contributions to the high school athletic and fine arts programs.

DuBois is in her 24th year of officiating gymnastics, and she has spent several years coaching the sport. She admits that the sport is addicting to competitors and spectators alike.

"Gymnastics is a sport in which you experience the thrill of overcoming fear," she said. "And it is extremely challenging."

The sport is not only challenging for the athletes, but to the officials as well. DuBois said that it is hard to keep officials at the state level because of its technicality. Scoring has become more difficult in recent years, and several judges quit after the first year.

"Judging it is tough because gymnastics is tough," Stanton said.

DuBois found a home in the sport.

She first became involved in gymnastics as a competitor at Rapid City Stevens. She continued to compete when she went to South Dakota State and first officiated at gymnastics meets in college.

After graduation, she carried her love of gymnastics to the coaching sector for 12 years. She became an official when her daughter, Melissa, began to compete and have relative success.

"The way to stay in the sport was to continue judging and still watch my daughter," she said. "Gymnastics has been Melissa and I's life."

Stanton was the first South Dakota gymnast to earn a perfect 10 on the bars, and she held several state marks until they were broken in the past few years by Brooke Cersosimo. Stanton went on the become a three-time national champion at the college level, competing two years each for Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., and Seattle Pacific University.

After college, Stanton and DuBois made some history, becoming the first mother-daughter official team in South Dakota.

"It really makes me feel good," DuBois said about her daughter's choice to stay with the sport. "She's an excellent official because she's competed at the college level."

DuBois plans to retire from teaching in 2012. After which, she will continue to be an author and help with her husband's business. DuBois is an author of a book, "Success Perfect," which discusses character education. She also has made six educational videos for Coaches Choice and Healthy Learning in Monterey, Calif.

Her husband, Richard, is a well-known artist and has a studio in the Black Hills area.