Decision expected at Thursday School Board meeting

By REED WALLER

Staff Writer

Final interviews for two candidates for NRHEG Superintendent of Schools will be held Thursday, April 25, at New Richland Media Center. A superintendent candidate will be selected at 8:30 p.m.

Last Thursday, April 18, the NRHEG School Board held a public meeting to interview semi-finalists for the position of Superintendent of Schools, to replace departing superintendent Kevin Wellen.

The board was joined by South Central Service Cooperative (SCSC) consultants Butch Hanson and Dale Brandsoy, and a group of volunteers from the NRHEG community.

“In January of this year there were 30 superintendent searches going,” Brandsoy said. “Last year there were 12.”

Ferber wonders after Wagner wins again

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

Just think what will happen when it gets warm.

That’s what NRHEG track and field coach Duey Ferber was wondering after the Panthers’ second outdoor meet of the season last Tuesday, April 16.

He was wondering how high will Carlie Wager go? The junior defending state high jump champion won the event again, clearing 5-4, just 2 inches short of her state title leap.

“She had another nice night in the high jump,” said Ferber. “It will be fun to see what she can do in warm weather.”

As a team, the Panthers finished fourth out of five squads in the USC/AC Invitational at Wells. Blue Earth Area won with 96.33, followed by Martin County West with 92, USC/AC 83, NRHEG 49.33 and St. Clair 43.33.

NRHEG junior sweeps distance races at Wells

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

It didn’t take long for T.J. Schiltz to reach midseason form.

In his first outdoor action of the season, the NRHEG junior and returning state entrant swept the distance events and competed strong in two other events as the Panthers competed in last Tuesday’s USC/AC Invitational at Wells.

Schiltz, who missed the Panthers’ outdoor opener because of a trip to Washington, D.C., won the 1600 meters in 4:42.17 and the 3200 in 10:10.5. He cleared 5-6 for third in the high jump and ran the anchor leg on the Panthers’ fifth-place 4x400 relay.

“T.J. is looking very strong right now,” said NRHEG coach Duey Ferber. “He had a nice meet in all four of his events.”

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

With longtime starting pitcher Jade Schultz sidelined for the season with knee injuries, the NRHEG softball team knew it would have to pick it up at least one notch to compete this spring.

The Panthers did it in the season opener against Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Monday, April 8, defeating the Bulldogs 9-4 in a Gopher Conference game.

“The girls played well for the first day out,” said coach Wendy Schultz. “We still have plenty of things we’ll be trying to improve upon throughout the season.”

Ninth-grader Anna Lundberg pitched a strong game for NRHEG, allowing three earned runs on six hits, with eight strikeouts and three walks.

Panthers fall to JWP in five innings

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

The NRHEG baseball team is coming off a conference championship season in which they graduated many players.

The inexperience of the new squad showed in the season opener last Monday, April 8 as the Panthers lost 12-2 in five innings to JWP at New Richland’s Legion Field.

The Panthers collected just two hits, one apiece by Brad Claycomb and Nic Mangskau. Claycomb had one RBI and a stolen base. Johnny White drove in the other run while walking once. Spencer Tollefson drew a pair of walks.

Mangskau, a senior righthander, started on the mound for the Panthers and went four innings, giving up five runs (two earned), on six hits, striking out three and walking two.

Yes, Hilda, I’ve been reading my mental “books” again, and I’d like to dedicate this week’s column to some ordinary people who do extraordinary things to make this a better place to live.

I started out thinking of them as “heroes” - and they are, but I save that term for people who risk their all to save or protect someone from tragedy, like fires, drowning and war.

Today I think of all those who serve in other ways, voluntarily or as a paid job, doing things to make life better.

One group that “comes to mind” are the quilters, who often put “rags to riches” to make covers or give warmth to the needy, the poor, the burnt out, the ill or “just because.” Hundreds, maybe even thousands of items have been made and donated.  

There is something about a quilt that gives more warmth than an ordinary blanket. Maybe it is their stitches of love and concern. But the sewing ladies don’t stop there. They also sew projects and make clothing, because they care and see a need. 

Then there are those who work so hard to feed the needy – Food Shelf people and those who deliver “Meals on Wheels,” along with those who work for many causes, running errands for friends, as well as getting people where they need to go.

There are also those who work for the Salvation Army, and the people who donate used clothes to the clothing drives, or give help at times of disaster.

Then there are those people who work and help raise funds for many different groups, organizations or events, so they can help others. Those things don’t just happen – someone has to light the torch to help spark the event. The Geneva Cancer Auction is just one event that quickly comes to mind.

And the churches. Where would our people be were there no churches, to teach love and empathy for others? They provide the comfort, the funds and moral structures that brighten our days and soften our sorrows.

 Religion is almost as old as mankind and still going. There are those who provide the music, teach the children, serve for funerals, showers and weddings and than those who spread their belief in so many, many ways - even to those who are not of the same faith. 

There are those who clean the landscape after others make our ditches a garbage disposal. When the snow is gone, the trash that has been so thoughtlessly unloaded is even more of an eyesore. I am thankful that there are those who are kind enough to help clean up the filth spread by others.

And what would we do without clean restroom facilities and rest stop areas? It’s certainly not an enjoyable job, nor one we think about often, but it makes our public areas enjoyable.

I think of those who notify, via e-mail, telephone calls or in person, and tell me about what’s going on. It always makes me happy when someone brings me information, especially happy news about accomplishments or achievements of others. Information I might not ever receive except for their kindness. 

No, I did not forget our fire department, our first responders, our servicemen and women, our Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and their leaders; Sunday school teachers, or the teachers and their aids, the janitors, the highway department workers, cleaning service people and caterers, painters, and I guess the list goes on. Yes, many are paid, but they are doing jobs we don’t want to do.

We can’t forget the secretaries and office personnel who answer phones and questions and more questions. I think of how many times someone was able to answer my questions or needs through a telephone call. 

Never to be forgotten are the members of the American Legion, the VFW, the Color Guard who not only serve their county but their organizations as well. They offer their services at the time of Memorial Services and burials,  and Walking parades even though you know their age alone makes the march tough. They continue to show their loyalty to God, their country as well as to their fellow man. 

We can’t forget the many fantastic and amazing things accomplished by our young people who breathe fresh air in to an old environment. There is also the paper boy, the carrier for the Shopper, the good neighbor who cleans your driveway or mows your lawn, drivers, hands for humanity, crews who rake and do odd jobs for the elderly or disabled. 

I could go on and on. My “book” is full, as I am sure yours would be too if you thought of all the good people who, in even some small way, make your life better, more beautiful, and more benefit filled. 

Aren’t you glad when you can say a quiet thank you for people and their services, rather than crab about the things that weren’t? 

I thank those ordinary people who do extraordinary things. 

On second thought, I do consider them heroes. They make my day.

 What is more important than people? Caring loving individuals who put the comfort of others above their own. Please remember to say Thank You! to the many great people who give and then give some more to help others!

Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented they like to read about events such as family and school reunions, birthdays and anniversaries, and birth and wedding announcements. 

In order to read about these important things, we need our faithful readers to pass along the information to us. If you have news please contact me via e-mail, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., by postal mail, P. O. Box 192, Geneva, MN 56035 or telephone, 507-256-4405.

Birthdays and Anniversaries

• Thursday, April 18th: Ellen Hanson, Marge Leak, Peggy Wallerich, Tim Stollard, Tom Kaphers, Rebecca Lyn Peterson, her 11th; Brian Olson, Danielle Zamora, Levi Michael Den Herder, his 7th.

• Friday, April 19th: Elizabeth Rose Wallace, her 6th; Cody James Reistad, his 7th; Aaron Utpadel, James Bremmer, Jaxon Branstad, his 12th; Kaden Shaw Tonlinson, his 9th.

• Saturday, April 20th: Jacob Dau, his 6th; Sara Elizabeth Hemingway, her 11th; Steve Mumm, Brenda Sorenson, Kathy Haberman, Jennie Korsbon, Paul & Jennifer Wayne, Don & Delores Glynn.

• Sunday, April 21st: Helen Pierce, Michael Foster, Veronica Graif, Adrian Kilian, Marilyn Reistad, Elmer Vanden Heuvel.

• Monday, April 22nd: Noah Lowell Swearingen, his 9th; Rollie Johnson, David Purdy, Gregory Swearingen, Stacy Thostenson Harold, James Van Riper, Marilyne Dodge, Mike & Sarah Collins, Rodger & Sue Hill.

• Tuesday, April 23rd: Dan McElfresh, Jayne Miller, Buffy Bergland, Alan Edwardson, Jackie Johnson Miller.

• Wednesday, April 24th: Keralyn & Bill Powers, Madison Kae Wagner, Marnie Ray Wagner, Dak Sorenson, Gladys Burr, Marilyn Cuden, Audrey Paulson, Lowell Wichmann, Scott Brandt, Kara Vangen.

May the year ahead bring you a world of pleasures.

Are we there yet? How much longer? These are questions a little kid might ask while on a trip. These are also questions about spring that I have found myself mumbling at times to no one in particular. 

I have found that it’s getting pretty hard to get all that excited about spring when winter seems intent on holding on as long as it can. Over the years, April has brought us an occasional snowstorm, but as much as I embrace the four seasons of Minnesota, I really feel that it’s time to move on to the next season.

My grandson, Trevor, has been hunting snow geese this “spring” with some pretty good results. It gives me a good feeling to know that he likes all facets of the outdoors experience. 

It is great to see not only Trevor but my other grandsons get involved in hunting and fishing. I am looking forward to introducing my two young granddaughters to the outdoors as well. 

When it comes to our youth as sportsmen we really need to do whatever we can to promote the sports of hunting and fishing. There are too many kids out there that haven’t been exposed to these outdoors activities.

Our youth ARE our future sportsmen. They need to get “unplugged” and get outdoors because they will be the ones to carry on the tradition of the outdoors heritage that we enjoy in our great state.

Once the weather straightens out and the ice is off of area lakes we can begin seeking out perch and panfish. There was a time when it was fashionable to fish bullheads and spring was the best time to do that. It just doesn’t seem like there are as many of those whiskered fish swimming area lakes as there once was. 

My father and mother in-law used to look forward to fishing bullheads each spring. My wife Jean and I were usually invited to tag along. 

We would go to a variety of places around the Twin Lakes and Emmons area in search of the fish that they classified as a delicacy. I had learned early-on that you never stood behind my mother-in-law when she was fishing bullheads. If the bobber went under, the fish was coming out of the water; it was set the hook and rip the fish out of the water. The bullhead would usually go flying over her head and land somewhere behind her. I had a few near-misses before I learned to pay closer attention.

Now, we Norwegians take our share of good natured ribbing for eating lutefisk, but a lot of those same Norskies along with many non-lutefisk eaters have also devoured their share of bullheads. As an adult, I usually didn’t go out of my way to fish for them unless I was with my in-laws. I have to say that catching those big old yellow-bellied bullheads back at the old mink farm when I was a kid sure was a lot of fun. In case you haven’t noticed, when it comes to fishing I still consider myself a kid and kids don’t really care what they are catching, as long as they’re catching.

This directs us back to discussion of the outdoors with our youth. It doesn’t take an expensive rig to catch fish in our area lakes or any lake for that matter. Getting a kid “hooked” on fishing is a great way to start them on a lifelong adventure. 

There are a lot of places to fish in our area and there are other lakes close by that can make the experience seem even more exciting. Both St. Olaf and Beaver Lakes have nice fishing piers and a short drive to a different lake can seem pretty special and pretty exciting to a young fisherman.

I can remember as a kid when my mom would sometimes pack a picnic lunch for a Sunday afternoon of fishing and a picnic. Even now, I still look back on these times and remember how much I enjoyed spending the day at the lake. 

If you don’t want to leave town, you can dig some worms or buy some minnows, pack a picnic lunch and visit Edgewater Park for an afternoon of fishing and enjoying the outdoors. Sometimes simple is better and it can give a child memories that will last he or she a lifetime.

If you would like to try your hand at trout fishing you don’t need a fly rod; just a spinning reel and some crawlers. The DNR released the following information regarding trout fishing near St. Peter:

Rainbow trout fishing will return to Paul’s Creek, near St. Peter, as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) begins stocking operations for the April 13 stream trout opener.

“Stocking Paul’s Creek has become a tradition for area anglers and the DNR,” said Scott Mackenthun, DNR fisheries assistant area supervisor. “We know a lot of people of all ages look forward to it.”

On the eve of Minnesota’s stream trout opener, the DNR will stock 1,500 rainbow trout yearlings into the St. Peter trout ponds, also known as Paul’s Creek.

Stream trout are defined as splake, brook, brown and rainbow trout. Anglers are limited to five fish of combined species. Only one trout may be more than 16 inches long.

All anglers 16 years of age and over must possess a Minnesota angling license and trout stamp validation. Fishing hours for stream trout on inland waters are from one hour before sunrise until 11 p.m. each day. All stream trout must have head, tail, fins and skin intact when being transported.

Until next time, let’s get out and spend a little time in the great Minnesota outdoors.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

"I watched the original 'True Grit' the other day. It was good, but John Wayne is really beginning to show his age."

"John Wayne is dead."

"Oh. Well, then he looked pretty good."

Driving by the Bruces

I have two wonderful neighbors — both named Bruce — who live across the road from each other. Whenever I pass their driveways, thoughts occur to me, such as: All my life, I've been told that there is no such thing as bad weather. There is just bad clothing. I would add that there are bad weather forecasts, too.

Armed teachers

The coach was like Marlin Perkins of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom and we were a bunch of Jim Fowlers. We ran up The Hill like Jim trying to perform a root canal on a gigantic crocodile in Australia while Marlin attempted to sell insurance from the safety of an office in Nebraska. There is much talk about arming our teachers. I hear viewpoints that are pro and con. Teachers carrying weapons is an interesting concept. I want you to think about all of the teachers and coaches you’ve had in your life. Would you have wanted all of them to be armed?

My John Hancock

My wife was off manning the Art Center. I suppose she was actually gal-ing the art gallery. I went to the cafe, where I met a fellow wearing a Minnesota toupee (a gimme cap advertising a seed corn company). The man told me that his name was Duane M. I. Olson. He was one of those fellows who had no indoor voice. After we talked a bit, I was brave enough to ask him what M. I. stood for. He told me that it stood for Middle Initials.

He asked me if I’d ever thought about going by my first initial and my middle name. I hadn’t. Have you? How does it sound if you went by your initials. I’d be A. E. Initials are an important consideration when naming a baby. It’s nearly as important as naming your dog something you are comfortable shouting out the door of your house.

I signed some official documents recently. My name on the forms included my middle initial. I was asked to add that middle initial in my signature. I did. I don’t incorporate the middle initial in my normal signature. That action messed up my messy signature for a few days. There was a bit of indecision each time I scrawled my name. The E wanted in.

Memories of mother

My mother was about 5 feet tall. She claimed to have been an inch taller, but that might have been wishful thinking. I grew taller than that because of my mother’s gift of encouragement. I stand somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 feet, 4 inches. I’d have been taller, but I was more afraid of heights than widths.

A woman looked up at me and said to my mother, "I can’t believe you have a son that big."

Mom smiled and replied, "Well, he wasn't that big when I had him."

Reading the walls

Donald and Glenda Batt of Hartland have this framed and hanging on the wall of their home, "How could I be what I’m not when I have a hard time being what I already am?"

Did you know?

An AARP study showed that the happiest people watch less than an hour of TV a day. University of Maryland researchers concluded that very happy people read the newspaper. Prevention magazine recently cited newspaper reading as one of the things you can do to be happy.

Two to four percent of the world's population has red hair.

A Cornell University researcher found that junk food with green calorie labels is more likely to be perceived as a healthier product.

Nature’s World

"Do plastic owls work in discouraging birds?" They do. Sometimes for as long as a few days. Sometimes for as long as 15 minutes. An owl effigy works to block a nesting or feeding area, but so would a stuffed monkey or a plastic shopping bag. Birds quickly figure out that it’s not a real owl. I’ve seen a crow, mourning dove, robin, grackle, etc. perched on such owls. I’ve watched a flicker hammering on a plastic owl, attempting to turn it into a resonant instrument for declaring territory. Some of the owls are nicely done, but unless you are collecting artwork, save your money.

Meeting adjourned

Karen Berg of Fountain sent one of my favorite Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes, “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”

As the scurs anticipated, April showers appeared. Warmth however did not. Will we see any improvement or will we be stuck in the fridge another week? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a good chance of a rain. Highs in the lower 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. For Thursday mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain changing to a rain/snow mix. Highs near 40 and lows in the upper 20’s. Cloudy in the morning on Friday with a chance of snow. Highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the mid-20’s. Saturday could be the best day in the forecast. Mostly sunny with highs in the mid 40’s and lows in the mid 30’s. Becoming cloudy by evening however with a modest chance of rain. On Sunday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs in the upper 40’s to low 50’s with lows in the upper 20’s. Partly cloudy on Monday with a continued chance for rain. Highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a chance of flurries. Highs in the mid 40’s and lows in the upper 20’s. The normal high for Earth Day, April 22nd is 60 and the normal low is 38. On the 18th, the sun will set after 8 p.m. The scurs are thinking last week’s snowmen will be knee high by the 4th of July.

What a crummy week of weather last week was. Starting with April 6th, measureable precipitation was recorded for 10 straight days at the ranch, totaling 3.31”. This included the moisture from 4.4” of snow. This has not happened since we began recording precipitation at the ranch back in 2008. The ground was frozen several mornings this week, and there was enough ice so one had to be careful walking while doing chores. We were fortunate, however, to be spared from the ice that toppled radio towers and downed power lines in the Worthington and Avoca areas. Some of the images evoked memories of the Halloween blizzard. Never seeing another storm like that one would be too soon.

While the weather has brought any notion of fieldwork to a halt, it has brought some precious moisture. Luckily most of it has fallen in measured amounts so the vast majority of it has soaked in. As of this writing there has been no official measurement at the SROC but we should be inching closer to the average amount of soil moisture available in the top 5’ of soil for April 15th. That amount is close to 10” for the 1977 – 2011 average. We are certainly in better shape than we were last fall at freeze up. We’ve also eclipsed the average precip amount for April at the SROC which is 3.21” making the 3rd month in a row that has happened. It doesn’t signal the drought is over, although it certainly isn’t getting worse at this point.

Changes in the landscape this spring have been subtle at best. The south facing slope in the pasture is greening up, as are road ditches with the same exposure. Robins and grackle frequent those areas in search of earthworms. When it’s warm enough, they appear to be finding some. On the days when the ground has been frozen or it’s just plain too cold, the robins have been relying on the crabapple tree for sustenance. There is still a confusing mixture of birds at the ranch. There are still large numbers of juncos among the grackles and robins. 

Redpoll numbers aren’t what they were a month ago but there are still a handful hanging around the feeders yet. A few goldfinches are returning as are their yellow colors, giving us hope that spring may eventually show its face. Around the area, small puddles and ponds have seen abundant migrating waterfowl including mallards, bluebills and northern shovelers.

Ice was still covering about 80% of St. Olaf Lake yet Tuesday morning and had melted since the prior evening. On the pond at the ranch, waterfowl has been scattered. One lone western chorus frog was heard faintly croaking Friday night as I made some repairs to the fence. Because of the cold temperatures, the sound was as if someone was running their finger over the teeth on a comb very slowly, one tooth at a time. Searching through the grass revealed the small frog, attired in a tiny scarf and mittens. 

The last lambs were born on the 11th. It was a bittersweet ending to a promising lambing season. Two ewes lambed and we wound up with only one lamb between them. That’s the way it goes sometimes. If it was always easy, everybody would be doing it. At least the health of the lamb crop in general has been good. It takes a lot of bedding, though, when it's been as wet and cold as it's been. With the slow growth of the pasture, it’s difficult to operate as we’d like without burning up more of the expensive hay that’s in short supply. 

Ruby and Fudgie went in for their annual immunization and heartworm check last Saturday on the outskirts of Little Jerusalem. This was our first trip to a vet with Fudgie. Since she’s an older dog with a propensity to be temperamental, we were a tad apprehensive. It’s always comforting that the folks in charge are totally professional and prepared for anything. Somehow having Ruby along seemed to serve as a buffer. She’s a people person, er, dog and thinks everyone likes her or should if they don’t. Both dogs’ inner Border Collie was on alert, taking note of anything that moved as we waited our turn.

What took us totally by surprise when it came time for the exam was Fudgie immediately singling Dr. Tom out and jumping up on him, not once but twice, her tail wagging playfully. Normally I’d firmly reprimand the dog, but in this case we took full advantage of her suddenly being smitten, the exam and immunizations being accomplished with minimal effort. Both dogs were well behaved and received lots of praise following their procedures as well as treats upon arriving home. As the saying goes, home is where the dog is.

See you next week…real good then. 

Students sometimes ask who my favorite class was that I’ve taught. It’s an easy answer. I had a section of seniors from the Class of 1998 that were outstanding. I never had a discipline problem and everyone always completed their work. That’s tough to beat!

I received a request from a student to write about favoritism from teachers. I wasn’t sure how to go about that at first, but after some cogitation, I’ve got a few ideas.

First, there is a big difference between having favorites and favoritism. Any teacher who tells you he or she doesn’t have favorite students is lying.

As both a teacher and a coach, my favorites are the students and players who work hard and don’t complain. My favorites are the ones who come ready to work without question. My favorites work to the best of their ability, even if they’re not A students or all-star athletes.

Personality can have a lot to do with this too. It’s always amazing to hear about a teacher having problems with a particular student, and I think that I’ve never had issues with that person. However, sometimes personalities mesh better between some students and certain teachers.

I like to laugh. I try to keep my classroom somewhat relaxed; no need for a dictatorial standard when trying to learn.

Enter into this room one Alex Blaschko. I’ve had Alex in class for two years now, and it’s been a hoot. Alex often has something funny to say, whether he means to or not. However, Alex works very hard in my class, even though English is not his strongest subject. 

He asks questions and tries to do the work correctly. Does Alex get away with saying a bit more than others? Perhaps, but if it contributes to a good classroom atmosphere, sometimes that’s okay.

A great example from my coaching days was when I coached Mariah Robran in 8th grade basketball. Mariah was not going to score 20 points a game, but she worked her tail off for me and fought her way into my starting lineup. She also knocked me on my can a number of times during practice drills! These are the players that coaches enjoy having on their teams.

Is it okay to have favorites? Sure, it’s only human to like some people more than others.

Now favoritism? That’s a whole different ballgame.

One of my first years at NRHEG, a contingent of boys from my seventh grade class went to Mr. Cyr to claim that I favored the girls. A short time after that, he received a visit from a group of girls claiming that I favored the boys. Well, which was it? If they both thought the other gender was being favored, there must not have been an issue. Case closed.

If, as a teacher, I let someone get away with egregious behavior or grade that person on an easier standard or treat someone as a much lesser being, that is not acceptable.  Let’s look at some examples.

I was accused one year by a mother of favoring a different boy on my baseball team because one of his parents was on the school board. To her, this was the reason her own son wasn’t getting as much playing time. I was quick to point out that the other boy had been suspended for a game because of bad grades, just like some others. It didn’t matter who his parents were; if he broke a rule, he would face the same consequences. If I had let that kid off because of who his parents were, that would have been favoritism.

I had a former teacher of mine admit to me once that he would only glance over my papers. He just assumed they were A work since I always tended toward that. I was furious.

Often, favorites of teachers tend to get better grades. I’ve gone the route of being pickier on the papers of students who do well consistently. I always want to push them further. If I did what my former teacher had done, that would be favoritism. I could have written a bunch of glop in the middle of a paper and still gotten an A!

Is there favoritism at our school? I hope not. Do teachers have favorites? Absolutely. Hopefully that line does not blur.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is corraded, which means scraped together from various places, as in, “The teacher was not pleased reading the clearly corraded research paper.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!