With the upcoming election on Tuesday, November 4, candidates for New Richland City Council were given questionnaires by the NRHEG Star Eagle. The following are their responses:

Name: Sarah (Peterson) Sundve

Age: 37

Family: Husband Eric, kids Trai, Diamond, Ulrich, Makenzie, and Macala

How long have you lived in the area? Most of my life

What is your occupation or profession? New Richland One Stop, and New Richland Ambulance

Have you held a City Council position in the past? No

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

You have to wonder what was said to the NRHEG football team at halftime last Friday. Whatever it was, it must have been good.

The Panthers trailed winless Medford 26-20 at the intermission, but blanked the Tigers in the second half while romping to a 56-26 triumph in New Richland.

According to Panthers coach Dan Stork, whose team improved to 2-3 in the conference and 3-4 overall, the first-half difference was obvious.

The NRHEG Clay Target team posted some lower-than-average scores in week three of the MSHSCTL Fall League, but managed to hold onto their lead in Conference 6 over the team from Hermantown.

The most notable drop was from Waseca's Sam Bartz who had a rough week posting a 38/50 targets broken after posting a nearly perfect 49/50 last week. It wasn't just Sam who struggled as about half of the top 50% of the team’s shooters posted lower-than-average scores.

The NRHEG volleyball team completed the toughest part of its schedule last week and, about the only thing you can say is, it could have been worse. But not much.

The Panthers, who fell 3-0 at Waterville the previous week, were blanked by the Gopher Conference’s other top teams, Blooming Prairie and Bethlehem Academy.

Coach Onika Peterson’s Panthers saw their record fall to 1-6 in the conference and 9-14 overall.

The NRHEG cross country teams competed in the United South Central Invitational at Freeborn’s Oak View Golf Course Tuesday, Oct. 7.

LaCrescent won the boys’ meet with 25 points, followed by USC with 65, Blooming Prairie 69 and NRHEG 93.

For the Panthers: Tyler Schlaak, ninth, 18:43; Zach Mely, 17th, 19:43; Josh Fleming, 19th, 20:00; Brenden McMann, 23rd, 20:30; Ben Lewer, 25th, 20:41; Aaron Seath, 33rd, 22:19.

New Richland City Council

By JESSICA LUTGENS

Staff Writer

The New Richland City Council held its first meeting of the month on Monday, October 13. Members Sandy Neumann and Amy Ihrke were absent; the agenda and consent agenda items were approved.

Resolution 14-24, urging Waseca County Highway Department obtain approval to reduce speed limit and post no passing zone near St. Olaf Lake, discussed at the last meeting, was approved.

The NR Police Department report was viewed and approved. It stated the NRPD responded to 116 calls for service and had 49 additional contacts in September. Two felonies were reported, related to the same incident resulting in the arrest of an adult male.

Ellendale City Council

By SCOTT GROTH

Contributing Writer

The Ellendale City Council met Thursday October 9 with all members present. Also attending the meeting were Eric Hefner, engineer with Bolten & Menk; Russ Goette, maintenance department; and LeeAnn Hojberg, city clerk.

Mayor Roger Swearingen informed the council that FEMA may be helping the city with the pumps in the main lift station. During the rain event this past June the city pumps were overworked. During the annual inspection of the lift station, the firm doing the inspection informed the city that the main pump needed to be rebuilt. The estimate to rebuild the main pump came in around $7,000. Swearingen gave the information to FEMA and they responded that they will either pay for the rebuild or might spring for a new one. FEMA will also help with the second pump in the lift as soon as the diagnosis is done on the pump.

I can almost hear my friend say it: "Nothing is so bad it isn't good for something."

True, the recent controversy over Adrian Peterson and his small child has brought considerable attention to the growing concerns of child abuse. There is nothing new about child abuse except it seems to be excruciating and escalating. And when it concerns a well known individual it brings it to the news.

In a recent article that was published, Steele County reports that between 500 and 600 cases of abuse have been reported so far this year and the numbers are still growing. That is reported cases.

It is hard to understand how anyone can abuse a child, especially their own. They are children for such a short time; it seems like we should delight in every minute.

Abusers have many excuses and falsehoods about why. "My father did it," "My mother did it," "I was frustrated," "The kid was uncooperative," "He cried," and the list goes on. Yes, the list goes on, but there really is no plausible excuse. Even the child who has physical and mental disabilities that can make them hard to deal with from time to time does not cause reason to put more hurt on their young bodies.

I don't know what the circumstances were for whipping this 4-year-old child, but wouldn't it have been more adult to contain the child in their arms, telling them you love them instead? We need to tell them there are things they shouldn't do because they are not likeable acts, but it can be administered with caring, not catastrophe.

Taking time for the child and the parent to think about the situation makes more sense than making the act worse by hurting and accepting the situation.

Kids make us laugh. They make us cry. They make us proud. They can drive us crazy at times. They surprise us too and make our lives good. Moody, stubborn, abrupt - we love them anyway. After all, they are a product of their parents!

How would you feel if someone else treated your child with abuse? You would more than likely be outraged, and you should be. Why should it be any different if the act is performed by someone close to the child, like their father or mother?

Things change in a moment. It isn't worth the chance that your child’s last memory would be how you hurt him/her and not about how caring and loving you were.

Child abuse can come in many disguises. Mental abuse may not leave visible bruises or cause breaks, but it can be like a brand — burned into the mind. It is so easy to say things you may not truly mean at the time, but time doesn't erase its effect. 

Words; they aren't just words. Remember the old adage, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me?” Not true. The brain has a way of remembering things like "stupid," "dumb," "idiot," and that's just a few. Did someone tell you, "I hate you?” Did you forget it? They were probably just angry at the time, and in fact loved you very much, but it hurt you and you may always remember it.

There is a campaign on now to try to minimize bullying. Where does it come from? Bullying occurs when someone has power over someone that he/she feels is "less" than they are. But in reality it is compounding the feeling of that person’s own reality that he/she is in fact "less" so they take it out on someone they feel superior to. If parents inadvertently exercise their power over their children, does the child resist it by "getting back," not at the person who over powers them, but on someone they may feel inferior? 

That is where love should come in, positive communication, good role models and such. Everyone has their insecurities that shouldn't be magnified, even if some aspects may be true. Instead it should be reversed, in essence, by positive communication. 

By not inferring someone is different or "less than" works at building self esteem. Why? Because if a child has true self esteem he/she doesn't feel a need to bully someone else. We need to learn to bring out the good qualities they possess.

I truly think things have changed for the better, but children with problems should not be obviously treated differently because it sets them up for bullying.

I was impressed with our local school district when they gave other children a chance to learn sign language because they were "fortunate" to have a deaf child in their classroom. The kids love it and love him. What an educational experience. He is special and shares with his friends.

I was privileged to live next door to a child with Downs Syndrome when I was growing up. She was the most positive influence on my life I could know and it didn't stop there. It flowed over to my children, and their children as well.

Then there is Anne. She is one of the most beautiful people I know whose love for her child is so strong she feels his defects are a blessing to her life.

Adrian Peterson, I am sorry your father hurt you so bad you felt you had a right to discipline your small child with hurt, not love. Times have changed and though it was not right years ago, it was done. It shouldn't have been done and definitely not now, when we should understand.

If one is in the public eye, they, above all, should be a positive role model, enriching the lives of children. No matter what may be achieved on the football field, what people will remember is how that person made them feel.

Always call a child by their true name, not something derogatory. You have power to end child abuse!

— — —

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, October 16th: Taylor Tieskotter, Kade Schember, Jenny Shaunce, Sabrina Marie Bauers, Allie Larson, Donna & Gordon Hanson, Daniel & Regina Van Kampen, Jamie & Amber Jensen, Travis & Stacy Ingnaszewski

• Friday, October 17th: Lucas Bailey, Pat Wayne, Dale Strenge, David Killian, Sherrie Dahl Shott, Dustin Wayne, Pam & Rick Cook, Sidney & David Kasper, Andy & Mary Ditlevson

• Saturday, October 18th: Gordon Jensen, Carrie Nolan Allen, Andreas Quinn Vu, Stan & Cindy Nelson, Randy & Cindy Horan, Tait & Jennifer Ingvaldson, Carol & Larry Cox

• Sunday, October 19th: Robert William Pulley, Jody Johnson, Katie Ann Carlson, Jan Klocek Louks, Roger Larson, Jeanene Reese, Kristi Nelson, Everett Thompson, Barbara Olson, Esther Rodi, Jim & Laureen Hohansee

• Monday, October 20th: Kimberly Wangsness, Matthew Beckman, Shannon Smith, Diana Beckmann, Jenny Herbst, Erick Widlund, Casey Kunkel, Nicole Larson, Doris Scripture Steele, Rick Kelly, Adam Lang, Scott & Joni Groth, Laurie & DeWayne Jensen, Jim & Nancy Bottelson, Brad & Nicole Edwards

• Tuesday, October 21st: Todd Utpadel, Brian Riley, Deb Mucha, Peter Benson, Natalie Kuehni, Steven F. Christenson, Diane & Dan Gallentine, John & Trisha Cyr

• Wednesday, October 22nd: Scott Sorenson, Jennifer Pence, Lyle Swearingen, Brian Johnson, Kelsey Wayne, Dave De Vriendt, David Polzin, Colleen Thompson, Sage Tristan Lang, Clifford Coy, Diane Gallentine Pfieffer, Kailey Ann Christensen

• Thursday, October 23rd: Jacklynn Kress, Marian Dahl, Gene Grubbish, Kimberly Kilian, Grant Ver Hey, Stewart Hatch, Rick & Lana Thompson, Dan & Tina Schmidt, Gary & Deb Nelson

• Friday, October 24th: Noelle Mae Brekke, her 4th; Jacob Keith Rigby, his 5th; Jeff Dobbertstein, Bobby Dobberstein, Joseph Bailey, Dan Willert, Eunice Hanson, Bob Wayne, Ashley Ashton, Gil & Kay Nelson, Lorna & Russell Reistad

May you find joy and pleasure all around you on your special day!

If you’ve been following this series of articles, you have probably noticed that a fair number of projects have recently been put in place to support hands-on learners, including everything from construction projects to medical training. For anyone who may be wondering what we’re going to do for other populations within the school, your patience will be rewarded here.

It comes as a surprise to many that a significant number of people who leave high school before graduating have been classified as “gifted” or “talented.” If such students are dissatisfied with the education they’re receiving, it is almost always because they don’t feel challenged: in short, they’re bored. 

For this reason, and for others which will become evident as you continue reading, members of our school administration have been looking into ways we can increase the academic rigor our students encounter.

There is already an array of academically challenging courses in the secondary school. Most departments provide course offerings which range from basic to advanced. The majority of subject areas offer at least one “College Now” class — a semester-long opportunity to earn credit simultaneously at both the college and high school levels. 

We also observe students being challenged daily at our elementary site. Teachers focus on the specific needs of individual students, placing them into groups which will provide appropriately rigorous, differentiated levels of instruction through our Response to Intervention (RtI) program. This targeted teaching happens daily during our math and reading blocks — but wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could expand the enrichment opportunities to those students who are exceeding grade level expectations? This could be accomplished by offering a gifted and talented program at the elementary. 

What we planners envision is a set of designated classrooms where identified students can go for accelerated instruction in math, science, and language arts. For example, while the majority of students in a grade are studying the usual science curriculum, some would report to the appropriate room to study an advanced set of science materials. The teacher in the auxiliary room would cover similar information, but at a pace and level of rigor more suited to the motivation and abilities of the group.

I hope you find the possibilities as exciting as I do. Both sets of students will benefit; neither will have its level of instruction altered by the presence of the other. All groups will be able to receive more precisely targeted instruction which will meet their needs and help accelerate their progress. All will be able to take more pleasure in the material they are covering and in the process of learning. It makes me smile just thinking about the difference these changes could make for our students, both in terms of their learning and in their perspectives about school.

Another change our planning team would like to see is offering pre-kindergarten classes to all four- and five-year-olds in our district. Research shows that, the earlier learning takes place, the greater its benefit and the more lasting its effects, so think of the accelerated learning which could occur if all of our pre-schoolers had the opportunity to lay important foundations before beginning full-time schooling. Right now, Pre-K teaching is already available to three-, four-, and five-year-olds for a fee; I would like to see every youngster receive at least one year without having to pay. The word “kindergarten” is German for “child’s garden,” meaning it was originally intended to be a place where the youngest students would go to play and socialize. We have learned since those early days that the learning instilled at young ages has profound lifelong impact, so a strong pre-school program is vital. 

So what will it take to implement the various elements of this plan? Right now, unfortunately, our elementary site in Ellendale is being used to its limits. There is not one extra classroom, let alone the four which would be needed: one each for accelerated English, Math, and Science, and one for two added sections of pre-kindergarten. Clearly, additional teachers would also be needed. Finally, since pre-kindergarteners attend only a half-day of school at a time, extra bussing would have to be arranged for.

Having considered what types of changes would best benefit our students, and having determined the form those changes should take, the planning committee’s next task is to find a way of implementing the improvements. For the next year or so we will be getting more information about what our parameters are: What extra sources of funding can be found? How will schedules have to be modified to make these plans possible? Where would classrooms be located and what would be their optimal configurations?

Work has already begun to find some of these answers. Please trust that you will be informed as progress continues, and accept my assurance that the financial health of the district will be an integral factor in all decisions. The planning committee continues the challenging task of looking for ways to help meet the needs of every learner in the district; after all, today’s fully actualized children are the foundation of our communities’ futures.