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Floppy disks to iPads: Kathy Meyer reflects on 27 years with NRHEG
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RETIRED - Kathy Meyer reflected on many lessons learned during her 37 years of teaching. Star Eagle photo by Eli Lutgens
By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
For teachers it’s normal, and for many, rewarding to see kids grow, change, and mature as they go through school. But what about the teachers themselves, and the subjects they teach?
Kathy Meyer taught computer skills to students at NRHEG for 27 years before retiring at the end of the 2021 school year. In that time, she and the world saw the evolution of floppy disks and games like Oregon Trail, to iPads and Minecraft.
Meyer was raised in New Richland, and graduated from NRHEG High School in 1980. In tenth grade she met her future husband, Jon. The two of them raised three kids, Alyssa, Emily, and Lucas, all of whom went on to graduate from NRHEG.
Administrator Dunn: NR Care Center’s new hire brings experience to the position
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NEW TO NEW RICHLAND - Care Center Administrator Dave Dunn
Star Eagle photo by Melanie Piltingsrud
By MELANIE PILTINGSRUD
Staff Writer
As of July 19, Dave Dunn is the new administrator at the New Richland Care Center.
“It's been an absolutely wonderful change,” Dunn says. “This is a great facility, great staff. The community has been very welcoming. I think it was my second or third day on the job, I had my first board meeting with the city council. The mayor and the other city council members were very receptive. This is a good fit for me.”
Power at 400 feet in the air: Bent Tree Wind Farm, and Greg Kaelberer
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ONWARDS AND UPWARDS - Bent Tree Wind Farm Site Manager Greg Kaelberer exits one of the 121 currently operating units near Hartland. Up to another 80 units may be constructed in the relatively near future.
Star Eagle photos by Deb Bently
By DEB BENTLY
Staff Writer
Talk with site manager Greg Kaelberer at Bent Tree Wind Farm for a few minutes and you’ll see why the word “farm” is more than a figure of speech when it comes to the nearly 20,000-acre farm just south of Hartland.
The thing is, when Kaelberer speaks of his “harvest,” it occurs nearly constantly—up to 400 feet in the air, using 130 foot long blades.
Apparently, when you think of wind power, you have to learn to think on a very large scale.
From a distance, Bent Tree and its turbines have looked much the same since they were constructed back in 2010 and began operation in 2011, but from Kaelberer’s perspective, things are always changing. For one thing, he and the company’s 10 other employees have to keep the site’s 121 units operating, which means running a maintenance regimen every six months or so on each of them.
The workspace inside the turbines is, according to Kaelberer, about the size of a camper, so crews of four and their equipment can fit easily. And they don’t have to climb 200-some stairs to get there: “Most people are surprised to learn that there are elevators inside each unit. They’re big enough to hold two people and some equipment, although it can get a bit tight at times.” For backup, there are also ladders.
For anyone who’s starting to feel dizzy at the idea of working 262 feet in the air, Kaelberer emphasizes that there are strict safety protocols. In more than 10 years of operation, the site has never had a serious accident.
Trinity interim pastor Iverson
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Pastor Mary Iverson
By BARB FINSETH
Contributing writer
Trinity Lutheran Church of New Richland welcomed Pastor Mary Iverson on July 6 as their interim serving pastor while they complete the process of searching for a full-time pastor.
Pastor Mary is originally from Austin, MN, where her parents are still living, and she has two children. Her youngest, Rachel, is a graduate student studying International Affairs with a goal of working overseas for the State Department in an embassy. Her son, Sam, is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and works in Minneapolis as an engineer in the medical implantation device field.
Welcome back Kyle: Nearly ordained Pastor Smith returns to Ellendale
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JOURNEY - Pastor Kyle Smith followed his heart in 2014, pursuing ministry. He has returned as new ‘old’ pastor at First Lutheran Church of Ellendale.
Star Eagle photo by Deb Bently
By DEB BENTLY
Staff Writer
In 2014 Kyle Smith decided he should “finally listen” to the messages in his life urging him to become an ordained pastor. He knew the path would be demanding, calling on him to complete about six years of schooling in addition to the two he had already completed. But he had no way of knowing how large a role First Lutheran Church of Ellendale would play in helping him attain his goals.
As he made his plans, it became clear that, before even starting his schooling, he needed a level of stability that his part-time position as a youth director for a North Dakota church could not provide. Based on that realization, he applied and interviewed for a full-time job of the same title at First Lutheran. “I warned them from the beginning that I would only be there for a short time,” he remembers. Even with that understanding, though, the church took him on.