NRHEG Star Eagle

137 Years Serving the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Area
Newspaper of Record for NRHEG School District
Newspaper of Record for Waseca County, MN
PO Box 248 • New Richland, MN 56072

507-463-8112
email: steagle@hickorytech.net
Published every Thursday
Yearly Subscription: Waseca, Steele, and Freeborn counties: $52
Minnesota $57 • Out of state $64

The NRHEG High School band presented its annual Indoor Marching Band Concert Friday, Oct. 27 in the New Richland gymnasium. See more photos in the Star Eagle photo by Jim Lutgens

By ELI LUTGENS

Publisher/Editor

More than 50 members of the Routh, Olson, and several other families attended a surprise birthday party for Monica Olson at the Kipp Routh Farm just west of New Richland.

Olson, a longtime girlfriend of 15 years to Kipp Routh turned 60 on August 6, but Routh and others decided the best time for a party was when all the family returned for their annual “Farm Fest” celebration.

“When Dennis showed up, he said it looked like a county fair down here,” longtime friend Melissa Bolduan said.

By DEB BENTLY

Staff Writer

“I think the takeaway is that we all have the opportunity to get creative in the opportunities we have to be kind,” says Liz Stiernagle, guidance counselor for the past five years at NRHEG secondary. “The world is a hard enough place; I believe each of us should find our own way to give to others.”

As acts of kindness go, some might view Stiernagle’s as somewhat over the top: she served as a “gestational carrier”--what some might call a “surrogate mother”--by carrying and delivering a baby for a Twin Cities couple. The baby, a girl, was born this past August.

Stiernagle, 32, has been married to husband Matt for eight years. They have two children, Kinley, 3, and Everson, 5. As a couple, they had decided they did not wish to raise any more than two children.

“I know of some couples who were unable to have children,” Stiernagle says, “and I’ve seen what heartbreak that can cause.

“One day I started to wonder whether there was anything I could do to help.”

By MARK DOMEIER

Columnist

Months long construction nearly complete

When Jeff Reese was varsity baseball coach at NRHEG, you could count on two things: a competitive baseball team and a picture-perfect ball diamond. It was not uncommon to see Reese out working on the field at any time of the year. In fact, he used to joke that his wife Carol always knew where to find him.

However, since Reese stepped down some years back, the field which is now named after him and his late wife has fallen into disrepair. Weeds encroached on the cut areas of the infield, the pitching mound was deteriorating, and the playing surface became uneven, causing strange bounces and ricochets from hit baseballs.

In addition, the backstop fence was getting to a point where safety would soon not allow play to continue. Plus, the third base dugout and the bullpens on both sides also had fencing issues, as well as stability concerns.

By DEB BENTLY

Staff Writer

“I have been nothing but welcomed,” enthuses NRHEG’s teaching and learning coordinator (TLC) Jason Toupence. “I am loving the environment I work in and the people I work with.”

Precisely what that work is, Toupence warns, is hard to nail down. “A teaching and learning coordinator wears many hats,” he begins.

For one thing, the “teaching” he coordinates is for both staff and students, as is the “learning.”

On the one hand, Toupence provides assistance to teachers who are looking for classroom materials–everything from sets of worksheets or classroom “manipulatives” to a textbook “curriculum” which guides student learning across a number of grades.

On the other hand, he works with the “staff development” program which brings in speakers and training opportunities meant to help school staff members expand their skills and keep teachers’ licenses up to date.