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 Ellendale Community Action Group will host a pancake supper on Feb. 22 from 5-7 p.m. at the Ellendale Community Center. They will serve Uncle Ray’s made-from-scratch pancakes, sausage, eggs, coffee, milk and juice. This is a free-will donation event. There will also be a slideshow explaining the digital sign project. The slide show will allow you to see what is being done with the money raised. Once again the ECAG thanks you for supporting the digital Sign project.

PRACTITIONER - The New Richland clinic welcomed Wendy Trihus as the new nurse practioner back in November to replace Allison Berg-Heinemann. (Star Eagle photo by Melanie Piltingsrud)

By MELANIE PILTINGSRUD
Contributing Writer

The New Richland Mayo Clinic has a new nurse practitioner. Wendy Trihus has been caring for patients there since November.

Trihus grew up in Northwood, Iowa, and now lives east of Geneva with her husband, John, who works as a custom farmer. Trihus was working at the Mayo Clinic branch in Wells when she was asked if she’d like to take the New Richland branch. “It was much closer to home,” she said.

Trihus started out studying general requirements at North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City, Iowa. Following that, she received a two-year nursing degree from Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, and finished her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Briar Cliff in Sioux City, Iowa, a university with a Catholic Franciscan basis.

“In the beginning I was a nursing home nurse,” says Trihus, “and then I did some hospital nursing and home care nursing, and then I did public health visits.”

Having worked as a nurse for a number of years, Trihus decided it was time to work independently. She enrolled at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., working as a home health nurse in Council Bluffs, and then switching to hospital nursing until she finished her degree in 2004.

Ambulance crew credited for lifesaving efforts

TOGETHER AGAIN — Front left to right: Robert “Kim” Olson and Kimberly Olson. Back: Sam Morgan, Sarah Sundve, Chad Neitzel, Dylan Arnold and Sara Jo Vulcan. (Submitted photo)

Publishers’s note: The following is an account from last Thanksgiving written by Kimberly Olson.

 

The Olson family Thanksgiving began as a typical one, with plenty of food and plenty of children.

With our table for 12 filled we took turns at saying what we were each thankful for. This has become an annual tradition. Mr. Olson always saves his speech for last. He listed the many family blessings we had received since the previous Thanksgiving — from two weddings of our children and the addition of their spouses to the family, to the graduation of several more children. He spoke of another daughter, Melanie, who had just recently moved back home after making a few changes in her life. He ended his talk by saying that he was also thankful all of his loved ones including himself were healthy and that none of us were celebrating the holiday from a hospital bed. I had no idea what things he had just prophesied and how much things would soon be changing. Later that evening, after the last of our adult children left, we decided to call it a night and head to bed.

Our sleep only lasted about an hour and a half with my husband waking to indigestion. He asked if I had any antacids. In what must have been milliseconds I uncharacteristically chose calmly to call 911, giving our names and location and stating my husband might be having a heart attack. I wasn't panicked at all as I thought the problem was probably just that last piece of pie. My husband didn't have a history of needing antacids, but it was Thanksgiving after all.

Fifth-grader finishes 2nd in annual spelling bee

By JESSICA LUTGENS
Staff Writer

Anton Domeier is not once, but twice the victor, the eighth-grader having claimed his second consecutive first-place honor at NRHEG’s annual Spelling Bee on Thursday, Jan. 24. Placing second was fifth grader Adalyn Stadheim, daughter of Darren and Linda Stadheim.

The competition began at 9:30 a.m. in the New Richland High School gymnasium where 24 fifth through eighth grade students eagerly awaited their chance to prove their spelling skills at the podium. Braving the cold to witness the event were parents, relatives, and other spectators, along with teachers and excited classmates filling the bleachers.

After announcer Mark Domeier welcomed everyone to this year’s competition and explained the rules, the first round was underway. One speller was eliminated after misspelling “wary.” Twenty-three spellers then started the second round, which ended with three more eliminated.

Round five saw the competition heat up a bit. Fourteen contestants remained when the round began, with words like “knelt,” “jerkily,” and “despair” having sent more spellers to the bench in the third and fourth rounds. By the time the fifth round finished, six more spellers were eliminated, getting tripped up on “dollop,” “leopard,” “flail,” “solely,” “banishment,” and “penalty.”

Trip to England memorable for Worrell, Westrum, Hill

UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE — From left, NRHEG cheerleaders Avery Hill, Laura Worrell and Hailey Westrum recently traveled to England. (Star Eagle photo by Melanie Piltingsrud)

By MELANIE PILTINGSRUD
Contributing Writer

Seniors Laura Worrell and Hailey Westrum, and sophomore, Avery Hill spent their holiday break from NRHEG High School in style – with a trip to London.

The girls are on a number of cheer teams at NRHEG, and last June they participated in a two-day cheer camp with the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA). At the cheer camp, they competed with a cheer routine for the opportunity to visit London, England with their cheer coach Kari Buendorf, and perform in the London New Year’s Day Parade. UCA chooses winners based on cleanness, tightness, and how well the cheerleaders learned the routine.

According to the girls, they practice every day. “We have three different teams going on right now,” said Westrum, “our Winter Sideline, Wrestling and Performance.” According to the girls, there are 14 cheerleaders on Winter Sideline, eight on Wrestling and 18 on Performance. These girls are on all the teams, so they had good reason to win the UCA competition.

The cheerleaders left for London on Dec. 26, returning Jan. 2. In the meantime, they saw just about all the important sites in London.

On Friday, the day after their arrival, they toured Windsor Castle, Hill’s favorite part of the trip. She enjoyed walking around the castle and the grounds with a recorded tour guide and headphones.