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News
Top Ten: The
best and brightest
By: Nick Heronimus
Luverne High School's best and brightest were
announced as the Top Ten was recently released.
The Top Ten is an award given to the academic honor
students that are the top ten ranked students in
their respective grades. This is quite an
honor, because the students must maintain high marks
from freshman year through senior year.
The
list this year includes Brittany Boeve, Bethany
Brandel, Alison Brands, Thomas Christiansen, Jessa
Dahl, Alissa Johnson, Craig Oeding, Kimberly Rockman,
Steven Schneiderman, and Nichole Van Dyk. All
of these students have been a great asset to the
Luverne School District, and their hard work has now
been recognized.
These students are not only good in the classroom
but have activities ranging from music to athletics.
By not only excelling in the classroom, these
students have become extremely well-rounded and will
make many great contributions to the world after
high school.
The
list of activities and honors that these students
have accumulated throughout their high school
careers would impress all those that see them.
Each student who received their award deserved it
and should puff their chest out with pride.
Congratulations to the Top Ten of 2006 and all the
other winners at Awards Night.
Awards night 2006: Students collect awards
after great year
By: Dave Nelson
The awards ceremony for the students of Luverne High
School was held on May 16, 2006 at 8:00 pm in the
theater. The night celebrated the achievements
for students through the year, and it was a great
way to end a great year.
The
night began with the induction of members into the
National Honor Society. The new inductees were
seniors Chessa Ossefoort, Nathan Boler, Thomas
Christiansen, Dave Nelson, Steve Schneiderman, and
Brittany Sandager. This year's juniors
included Brittany Vogt, Chris Engesser, and Derek
Boeve. This year the National Honor Society
was open to sophomores for the first time, and four
were inducted. They were Zach Sanderson,
Kaitlyn Deragisch, Elizabeth Johnson, and Natalie
Willers.
"It
was a really nice honor to be chosen for NHS," said
Brittany Sandager.
The
night was full of other awards, ranging from
academic letter winners to activity pins.
There were also a variety of scholarships awarded.
The ceremony basically focused on awarding students
for academic success, as well as participation in
extra-curricular activities.
The
Dollars for Scholars awards were given, and it was a
nice way to honor the seniors. Each senior
that applied was awarded a scholarship, and they
ranged from $500 to over $3500. 67 total
scholarships were awarded from over $95,000.
Overall, the night was a great success, and it was a
great way to end the year.
Healthy kids make happy classes
School seeks to improve the health of its students
By: Jessa Dahl
Students might not have noticed it, but
changes have been taking place in the lunch room.
For example, all chocolate milk offered is skim, and
there is more variety in the fruits and vegetables
served every day.
The school is responsible for the
well-being of the students entrusted to its care,
and health is a part of that well-being. Thus,
a wellness policy has been created by a special
committee, and changes from this wellness policy
will go into effect next fall.
One of the changes the wellness
policy has recommended was implemented on May 1 in
the elementary school. Instead of having
recess after they eat, elementary school kids are
having recess before they come in to eat.
"Having recess before lunch has been
shown to make the children eat better, and they're
quiet as a result. They're also less likely to
cram all of their food into their mouths so that
they can got to recess more quickly," said Deb
Vander Kooi, the school nurse. The teachers
are also hoping that the students have more energy
to work after lunch.
The wellness committee is made up of
people from the community and school. Along
with Mrs. Vander Kooi, Superintendent Gary Fisher,
School Board Representative Colleen Deutch, parent
Karis Gust, Health/PE teachers Mike Wenniger, Kari
Lais, and Karla Osterday, curriculum director Jan
Olson, dietician Margaret Kuiper, and the food
services representative, Gretchen Davis, are all on
the committee. Other members of the committee
include Kelly Winkels, who represents the students,
Mark Lundgren, who represents both concessions and
student council, Dr. Diane Kennedy, who represents
physicians, Karen Willers representing Community
Education, Principal Stacy Gillette, Julie Tofteland
representing the community, and Jeff Nelson, an
employee who works for Coca-Cola
"The purpose of the committee is to
develop a policy that will meet the governmental
guidelines for health and fitness for public
schools," said Diane Kennedy.
Most of the changes recommended by
the wellness committee will go into effect next
fall. The committee had their last meeting on
May 2, and the plans must be approved by the school
board before any can be put to use.
Some of the purposed changes are to
make the items in the vending machine healthier.
There is also a possibility that the healthier items
would be cheaper than the unhealthy snack foods, and
the healthier foods would be arranged at eye-level
to make them more appealing. Mrs. Vogt has
gotten some samples from Coca-Cola and plans to run
some taste tests to decide what will go into the
vending machine.
A new look for an old place
By: Chessa Ossefoort
The familiar Main Street that we all know is being
updated. The project was budgeted for last May
and will be completed at the end of May 2006.
"The
old standards (poles) have a very serious rust
problem," said City Administrator John Call.
The new light poles are set closer together, and the
lights are closer to the ground to make Main Street
brighter during the night hours. The stop
light at the corner of Main and Cedar Streets have
also be replaced to match the light poles.
The
reason behind the change is a more modern look and
feel for the downtown area. Larger cities have
nicer-looking downtown areas for shopping, and
Luverne would like to draw shoppers to town with a
new look. The new poles and lights give a more
appealing, Victorian look to Luverne's downtown
area.
The
city's electric superintendent, Rick Hoftiezer, and
city finance director, Barb Berghost, were in charge
of the whole project. They looked to the
Luverne Chamber of Commerce for help and guidance as
to what needed to be changed and how they were going
to get the effect they wanted.
Not
all changes being made are above ground or by the
city government. Call also mentioned that new
conduit was put in under the streets. The
Manitou Hotel has also been restored recently.
Take a good look at the downtown area now, and
you'll be surprised how lighting can really make an
area seem a lot different.
Habitat for Humanity
Local family attains house through non-profit
organization
By: Brett Lundgren
Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 with the
idea of building houses for those in need.
Many of you may have heard of the organization
during times of crises, such as during the hurricane
season, but truth be told, Habitat for Humanity's
efforts can be felt year round.
A
great example of this is the recent construction of
a house on Warren Street for Melissa Bentley and her
four children. One family from the area is
chosen each year to have a house built for them, and
the Bentley family is very appreciative of this
gift. The family will help build the house
along with volunteers. The family will pay for
the house itself, but mortgage companies do not
collect interest on the house payments. The
companies make no profit on the house, but they feel
it is worth it to help out families in need.
Habitat for Humanity is a program that takes place
all over the country. This program is not only
being felt in Luverne but other Southwest Minnesota
communities as well. Pipestone and Worthington
have had the program in their community, and they
each built homes in their communities a few years
ago.
"This is a great program that enriches lives of
people all over the United States. We are
lucky to have such a program here in Luverne," said
Mrs. Gladis.
Features
Opposing
Viewpoints: Sprinters versus distance runners
By: Kelsey Dooyema & Jake Hendricks
As many of you know, both of us run track.
What you may not know is the discrepancy between
what we run. In track there are many events;
they range from short sprints to the two-mile run.
Kelsey runs races that require more endurance, which
makes her a distance runner. Jake runs the
shorter, quicker races, which would classify him as
a sprinter. In this debate, we will be
discussing which of us is better. On your
marks...get set...GO!
Jake: Simply put, when you think of who the
fastest people are on this earth, you think of names
such as Maurice Greene or Michael Johnson, correct?
Both are sprinters who once ran for the US Olympic
team. Outside of Steve Prefontaine, you rarely
hear of distance runners who are assumed to be the
fastest people on the face of the earth.
Everyone knows when you think of speed, you think of
sprinters, and that's what we have been categorized
forever..."The Fastest People on Earth."
Kelsey: Are you completely oblivious to names
like Billy Mills, the first American to win the
10,000 meter in the Olympics , or Roger Bannister,
the first man to break the four-minute mile?
Not considering Steve Prefontaine...outrageous!
That is like throwing out Michael Johnson. I
would say it's fair to say that these men are "The
Fastest People on Earth." Besides, most of the
US sprinters are banned from the Olympics for using
steroids. I don't remember ever hearing about
distance runners using steroids.
Jake: Erroneous! We'll settle for a tie
on this matter, so let's move on to our work ethic.
You guys may practice longer than us, but it takes
you longer to do a simple work-out. We
sprinters work hard to get things done so that we
can move on to practice. Think about the
amount of energy it takes to sprint compare to, dare
I say, jog. Our leg strength and muscle mass
nearly doubles compared to your gangly
distance-runner legs. Our effort and
dedication isn't for the praise; we do it because we
love it.
Kelsey: HA, HA, HA! I recall one day
during practice that the distance runners were
forced to run with the sprinters against our will.
We ran your "workout," if that's what you call it,
and then we had our own separate workout of going to
the weight room to lift. So, if that's what
you mean by taking us longer to do a workout, then,
yes, it does. And as for the leg comment, we
are smaller, yes, but muscle mass has nothing to do
with how fast you are. I'm not even going to
touch the dedication statement, because we all know
that that is a cover-up for your big heads.
Jake: Sure, sure, whatever. Just because
we're better, you envy us. Let's talk about
fans -- what it is the people come to watch.
In a distance race, you go round and round, and some
people could fall asleep before it's actually over.
We both know the excitement is in the dash.
It's quick, it's fast, and it is the true measure of
a man or woman's speed. You may be able to run
in circles for a long time...boring...but being fast
means being a sprinter.
Kelsey: Have you lost your mind? A
distance race is just as exciting as any sprint
race. To watch someone run a mile and each
lap, wondering if they can break that record or have
that extra ounce in them at the end to pass the one
extra person is a thrill in itself. A person's
speed can be measured by more than just quickness,
but in endurance as well. It takes a lot more
to run two miles, not jog, and then have to sprint
in at the end. It not only measures your
athletic ability, but your mental toughness as well.
This
race may not be over quiet yet, but we'll let you
decide on who won. If our arguments haven't
swayed your decision, you'll have to check out a
track and field meet for yourself. That way,
you can determine who's right and who's wrong in our
ongoing debate.
Coaches Corner:
Mr. Hiller
By: Derek Johnson
He hails from Sioux Falls, distributing wisdom to
our high school baseball athletes. The man we
all know as our tech guy, Mr. Hiller. He is
also our baseball organization's junior varsity head
coach and assistant varsity coach.
Hiller began his days in Sioux Falls and graduated
from Lincoln High School. With high school
behind him, Mr. Hiller headed to Huron University in
Huron, South Dakota. At Huron he seized a
bachelor's degree in health and physical education,
as well as a minor in computer science.
Before landing his pot at Luverne High School,
Hiller worked at several different locations around
the state of South Dakota, including Edison Middle
School, Crow Creeks, and Pierre. Luverne has
been his place of employment for the past six years
as our Technology Coordinator. Outside of his
career he holds a passion for America's favorite
pastime, baseball. Baseball is a game he's
played and coached throughout his life.
Coach Hiller has instructed the game of baseball for
years now. Two years in Pierre, a year of
seventh grade, and five years as the junior varsity
level at Luverne, not to mention two years of legion
baseball for Luverne, which will be starting in
early summer of this year.
Thank you, Mr. Hiller, for proving al of Luverne's
young athletes with baseball knowledge that they can
use for the rest of their lives.
Teacher Feature:
Ms. Geske
By: Alison Brands
For many upperclassmen, the English teacher, Ms.
Geske, may not be familiar. She is a brand new
face at LHS but has already made a big impact by
being named KTWB Teacher of the Month in November.
Ms.
Geske graduated in the first combined class from
Pipestone/Jasper in 1994, but, like many seniors,
didn't know exactly what career she wanted to
pursue.
She
decided on English Education and graduated from SDSU
with her BA degree. She then went to St.
Mary's University to get her Masters in Education.
"I
had a few fall-back careers; I was interested in
becoming a music director or going into
hotel/restaurant management, since my parents own a
restaurant," said Ms. Geske.
Ms.
Geske currently teaches 7th grade English, as well
as two high school classes: Creative Writing
and Foundations of Writing.
"My
favorite part of teaching is the fun activities that
we do. It gives the whole class a change to
get involved and put their all into something," said
Ms. Geske.
For
those of you who are lucky to have Ms. Geske as a
teacher, there seems to be a change that we could
have her as a coach as well.
"I'm
not that interested in coaching sports, but I would
be interested in coaching speech some time in the
future," said Ms. Geske. "When I was at Marshall,
coaching came before teaching, and right now I'm
enjoy just being in the classroom.
Hungry for some
Midwestern classics?
Head on down to Chit Chat's!
By: Andrea Moeller
There is a new restaurant in town. Don and
Crystal Ellefson bought Country Kitchen from Jan and
Raney Israleson and their new restaurant Chit Chat's
has been up an running since April 18.
It
has been a long goal of Don's to open a restaurant.
He saw an opportunity and took advantage of it, as
the Isralesons were ready to retire from owning the
Country Kitchen for many years.
Don
has had many years of experience serving food.
He has his BA from Southwest State and war part of
the class of 1992. He has worked for 13 years
at the Blue Mound Banquet Center and the deli at
Glen's Food Center. Along with that, he has
also worked at other places, such as the Glass House
and the Best Western in Marshall.
"We're sticking with the Midwestern cuisine," said
Ellefson. Chit Chat's has a variety of meals,
ranging from hamburger and fries to a hot beef
sandwich and steaks. They also serve soup and
salad and have breakfast, appetizers, and a desserts
selection on their menu.
Chit
Chat's is trying to appeal to everyone. The
price isn't too high, either.
"The
average person will spend $7.00," said Ellefson.
With that $7.00 comes a good-sized meal, great
services, and a satisfied appetite.
Looking Back: Back it up, back it up
Verne Drive-in is back in action
By: Jenna Leslie
Everybody's talking about the movies this month!
The Verne drive-in has been closed during the
winter, but now that it's May, they're going to have
a lot business. One of the most fun things to
do in L-town is hit the drive-in. For their
opening night the drive-in showed "Ice Age 2:
Meltdown" and "Scary Movie 4." Both of these
films were bound to start off the drive-in with a
large crowd. In 2000 the drive-in was started
back up after 13 years. Here's what they said
about the drive-in in 2000:
"Drive-In Theater lives again
By: Kjerstee Saarloos
Drive-in theaters are relatively unknown in little
towns like Luverne. Our knowledge of drive-ins
is primarily from movies such as "Grease." The
good news is that the drive-in theater in Luverne is
back in service. Verne Drive-in in Luverne is
located south of town on Highway 75. The
drive-in has been closed now for 13 years and is
being reopened by Julie and Glen Burmeister.
Vern Drive-in could be open for
business as soon as the first week of June, just in
time for summer. The cost of admission is
$5.00 per person on weekends, and kids 11 and under
get in free. The drive-in will be showing both
current released and older movies.
Through the summer the drive-in will
host other special events besides movies, such as
concerts, car shows, and dusk 'til dawn shows.
All of the details about these special events are
still unclear, so you'll have to check the paper for
upcoming details. At any rate, the drive-in
should provide some good fun for the people of
Luverne. Check it out this summer."
Looking back, we really see how the
drive-in has come around again. Many people
are looking forward to newer movies each time, so if
you feel like catching a flick or two, grab your car
or pickup and head out south of town!
Movie Review:
Is there such a thing as a perfect man?
By: Nicole Boelman
The Perfect Man is a great movie to see with friends
or family. It is a romantic comedy about a
woman's many troubles with finding herself a
perfect, so she settles for men who are far from
perfect.
"It
was a sweet story with a good plot," said Andrea
Moeller. "It is a good movie to watch with friends."
It would be the perfect movie to watch for a girls'
night with all of your girl friends.
This
movie is about teenager Holly Hamilton, who is tired
of moving every time her mother Jean's heart is
broken. They always seem to leave when Holly
and her little sister Zoe are starting to fit in.
When
Holly's family moves to Brooklyn, New York, Holly
devises a plan to stay there. She started
writing letters and sending gifts to her mom as a
"secret admirer." As Holly goes along with her
plan, she gets her new friends twisted up in the
problem, and she soon realizes that she will have to
tell her mom that the secret man isn't real.
Holly soon realizes that she didn't have to make the
secret admirer, because the perfect man for her
mother was right before Holly's eyes all along.
Watch the movie to see the plot unfold yourself!
Animals add to summer
fun
By: Abby Lange
There are many things that people can do during the
summer. With childhood obesity on the rise,
exercise is important. Last month Stephanie
gave many cool ideas for the summer. Now
everyone should add onto their summer fun with
animals!
Dogs
are cute, cuddly, and give a good excuse for outdoor
exercise. Grab a dog, or friend's dog, a
leash, and some rollerblades, and take the Blue
Mound biking/hiking trail. The trail will take
you throughout the state par and down Blue Mound
Avenue. There are many different trails to
take, and not only calories will be burned, but some
bonding time with man's best friend.
A
second mammal to befriend this summer is a horse.
Horseback riding is a good workout if it's done
correctly and also very relaxing and enjoyable.
There are trails all over the country, but just
riding a horse around the countryside is a good
pastime. Horses are widely available on farms,
and are some places out west where you can rent one.
"Riding a horse is so tranquil," said horse-owner
Brittany Sandager.
The
Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls is a great place to
go to visit animals. The outdoors exhibits are
spectacular. They even have opportunities for
volunteer work for people who would like to learn
more about the animals sheltered there.
The
last place to go for some summertime fun outside
with an animal is the Humane Society in Sioux Falls.
At the Humane Society you can play with all of the
animals there to give them exercise. It's a
great way to interact with animals, as well as get
some exercise.
Next
year, you will be able to impress everyone with your
trim body, good relationships with animals, and
gorgeous tan!
Holy SUV!
Gas prices soar across the nation
By: Lindsey Olson
With seniors going off to college and many
sophomores getting their licenses, families need to
adapt. Most families buy vehicles according to
the vehicle's gas mileage, but some families buy
vehicles according to style. And right now the
style that is in is a Sport Utility Vehicle or SUV!
When
going to purchase a vehicle, three out of five
people prefer an SUV, but with the escalating gas
prices, not many families can afford to pay their
car payments and to pay for gas. Gas prices
have increased 18 cents since last month and are
expected to increase another 25 cents by the end of
June.
How
can you save money this summer? Follow Lance
Armstrong's example and ride a bike! Another
option is to think about carpooling. For all
of the juniors that might be looking at college
visits this summer, think about riding with a
classmate and splitting the cost of gas.
Another way to save is to drive the speed limit; it
might mean leaving a little earlier, but it would be
worth it with a few more dollars in the pocket.
"I
ride my bike everywhere during the summer to save on
gas money and to exercise," said Derek Boeve.
With
only three days of school left, let's all have a
great summer and clean up our environment by not
driving our cars absolutely everywhere. It
will keep us in shape and keep money in our wallets!
Mumps
By: Craig Oeding
For nearly 20 years the United States has had little
to no cases of mumps. The streak, however, has
ended. A nine-state mumps epidemic has begun
to spread throughout the Midwest in Nebraska, Kansa,
Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin
and Minnesota.
What
exactly is mumps? It is a viral infection
passed through direct contact, coughing and
sneezing, or saliva, characterized by headache,
fever, fatigue, and swelling of the salivary glands.
These symptoms may sound rather mild for such a
feared disease, but complications from mumps can
lead to brain inflammation, hearing loss, and even
infertility.
Once
considered an inevitable childhood disease, mumps
was nearly wiped out in the past 20 years after its
vaccine was created and required among elementary
children before attending school (in the form of the
MMR shot).
So
why is it coming back now? Health officials in
Iowa believe that two airline travelers carrying a
strain of the disease unknowingly aided in the
spread of the disease. Free immunizations have
been offered in Iowa, but a low turnout rate has led
to over 1500 cases in Iowa alone, the most cases in
one state by about 1200.
Although no deaths have been attributed to mumps as
of yet, more vaccine has been promised by the
Federal Government to stifle the growing epidemic,
especially in the worst hit states of Iowa,
Nebraska, Kansas, and Wisconsin. For now,
however, be conscious of the signs and symptoms of
mumps, because it can affect any age group.
Noble cause from
noble community
Minwind Energy to lead in B-99 enterprise
By: Bethany Brandel
Minnesota is the only state in the nation to enact a
two-percent biodiesel standard, but Rock County’s
Minwind Energy has higher goals. After Minwind
Energy was granted a building permit from the Rock
County Commissioners on April 17, they planned to
begin construction on a new biodiesel generator.
The new
generator will utilize B-99 biodiesel, as opposed to
the state-required B-2. The company, which operates
seven wind turbines, will use the fuel for its
back-generators when the turbines are not in full
production.
Minwind
Energy will be the first in the nation to be testing
the B-99 biodiesel fuel for its benefits.
The B-99 will
be tested during the summer for 120 days. A
projected 160 gallons of B-99 will be used for each
hour the generator is running.
Project
partners include Excel Energy, Caterpillar, the
Agriculture Utilization Research Institute from
Southwest State University in Marshall, and the
University of Minnesota, which will analyze the data
Minwind Energy will gather from their assessments.
“The
basic goal is to look at the long-term cost
analysis, what the environmental benefits are, and
the University is going to do a long-term analysis,”
said Mark Willers.
Though Mr. Willers
clarified that there is an approximate 50-cent price
differentiation between the B-99 and B-2, this test
will be “less about cost and more about the
environment.”
Along with an attempt
to keep the environment healthy, the project is an
attempt to keep money in the nation’s agricultural
centers and concentrate less on foreign sources of
fuel
Completion day of the
generator is predicted to be June 1, and
construction is “on target right now to hit that
date, but the construction’s a little slow with all
the moisture.”
Activities
German students
'fliegen weg'
By: Abby DeWispelaere
Guten Tag! It has been a busy year for all the
German club students. They have had a lot of
their activities throughout the year already but
still have some big events coming up.
Every year the members have a scavenger hunt that
leads them to prizes. It is master-minded by
the advisor, Frau Swenson. In past years the
hunt was only in the City Park, but this year it
will be extended to the entire town. The
scavenger hunt is part of the annual picnic.
Members get to eat and play games to win German
candy.
The
biggest activity of all this year would be a trip to
Germany. There are four students making the
trip, including Logan Sawtelle, Whitney Bremer, Eva
Halfman, and Kelly Winkels.
"I
love the German Club. It is my favorite club
of all the clubs," said junior, Whitney Bremer.
She is also very excited for the trip to German this
summer. She and the other three students will
leave June 14 and return on June 28. They will
be traveling to different cities and visiting unique
museums, castles, and various attractions.
German Club is a fun activity for anyone that is
taking German as a foreign language. So, if
you are in German, think about having fun with the
other students who are bilingual like you!
Spanish Club
By: Wyatt Sprecher
Ola! The year
is almost over, but the Spanish Club still had a few
things to finish in May.
On
May 4, Mrs. Gladis took the Spanish Club to St. Paul
for the Festival of Nations. The students
received an experience of the Spanish lifestyle,
foods, and customs. It was lucky for the
students to have a festival like this so close to
Luverne.
What
kind of a year would it be if the Spanish Club
didn't have a celebration? First of all, the
entire Spanish classroom was decorated for Cinco de
Mayo. The Spanish students celebrated through
the day with Spanish food and customs. Mrs.
Gladis also hosted an end-of-the-year party at her
house in which the Spanish Club watched a video that
was projected onto the side of her house.
Overcoming life's
number one fear
Speech team has successful season
By: Alissa Johnson
The speech team is one of the largest groups here at
school, and it involves a wide variety of students.
The speech season is a long season, but some
participants work year-round preparing their
speeches. This year the team starting
competing in February and ended the season in late
April with the State competition.
The
team attended six meets this year, one of which was
hosted by the Luverne team. They also competed
at sub-section, section, and State meets. When
the speech team competes at other schools, they
usually leave the school before 7:00 a.m. on
Saturday mornings. That takes a lot of
commitment, but the hard work does not stop there.
Many of the participants start researching their
speeches long before the season starts. Many
of the students have their speeches memorized by the
end of the season.
But
not all the speeches require scripts to be
memorized. Discussion and extemporaneous
speaking are unscripted speeches. As the name
implies, discussions is the competition where
contestants argue one side or the other of a topic.
Extemporaneous speaking may be one of the toughest
areas of speech. The participants draw their
speech topic out of a hat when they arrive at the
competition. Then they have a certain time
limit to prepare the speech.
Other topics, however, are much more scripted.
They include great speeches, drama, serious poetry,
and story telling, just to name a few. Each
individual speech member is scored by judges with a
points system. They can be awarded individual
medals in each of the categories, and all of the
scores from a school are added together to achieve a
team score. The school with the highest score
wins the meet. Individuals advancing to the
section and State meets have high scores at the
sub-section meet.
"We
had a lot of success this year. Making it to
the State tournament was a huge accomplishment for
us, and we held our own there," said senior Thomas
Christiansen, who participated in the discussion
category. He was one of the four members of
the speech team that qualified for the State meet.
There was also one alternate, Anissa Hanson, from
Luverne.
Other members who participated at the State speech
tournament were Kelly Winkels, Matt Stensland-Bos,
who also participated in discussion, and Craig
Oeding, who made it to the State tournament three
years in a row.
"You
can't prepare yourself for State," said Winkels, who
participated in the extemporaneous speeches
category. "It's unorthodox to listen to other
participants' speeches in my category, so you don't
know what to expect."
The
speech team owes a lot of their success to coaches
Mrs. Swenson and Mr. Benson. This was Mrs.
Swenson's first year of coaching, but Mr. Benson has
been coaching for many years. The coaches work
with each of the team members individually to help
them prepare their speeches. They give the
members pointers on how to improve his or her speech
and speaking skills.
So
now even though the speech season is over, students
can think about joining next year. The team
this year was very young but still had a lot of
success. That just goes to show that with a
little bit of hard work, success can be achieved.
Spring Band and Choir
concerts
Sweet melodies close the year
By: Elizabeth Johnson
We are there once again. The end of the year
is imminent, and the band and choir spring concerts
and coming up. These two events are always
bittersweet. They are the two concerts that
send off the seniors, presenting them awards and
scholarships. The seniors present their
parents with roses, and many are left with tears
standing in their eyes.
On
the other hand, the spring concerts allow a time
where all the grades get to play and sing to each
other. At the band concert it is the job of
the percussion to monitor the fifth-graders who are
squirrelly with excitement. Goodness knows if
there'll be enough brave percussionists to assume
the taxing duty.
The
spring concerts are when the seniors present their
directors with a small token of gratitude.
Last year, Mr. Nelson was given one of the brand new
chairs from the band room signed by all the seniors.
Mr. Eastman received a fish, which he named Fandango
in remembrance of the time when he thought he had
invented the word "fandango." That is another
thing that makes these concerts so special:
They give a small glimpse into the inner workings of
the band and choir. Inside jokes become
apparent, and while they might not know the full
story, the audience can't help but play and laugh
along.
This
year brings new laughs and tears. But let us
not forget the highlight of the evenings: The
music. This spring, the two groups have a
large variety of music prepared. Both
ensembles are playing quite popular music.
There is a large array of styles in each program,
some sweet and poignant, while others are forceful
and aggressive. I won't give away the exact
selection, however. Anticipation builds
character, after all.
Love-Love
By: Marissa Frakes
No, it's not Valentine's Day. In fact, it's
not even close! It's tennis season, everyone,
and it's coming to a close.
The
boys' tennis team this year did a great job of
bringing in several wins with a few losses along the
way. They placed second in conference; the
other teams that they competed against in their
conference were MACCRAY, Redwood, Pipestone, and
Worthington, with Worthington taking it all.
The
boys made a lot of goals this year at the beginning
of their season, meeting a lot of them. The
seniors are ready to head out but will always miss
the good times they had on the tennis team.
"I'm
sad to have my tennis career end, and I'm gonna miss
my teammates," said senior Nick Heronimus.
However, there are a lot of sophomores on the team,
so next year should be a promising season for the
Luverne boys' tennis team. Good job, guys, and
good luck next year!
Run, Forest, run!
LHS runners light up area track meets
By: Aaron Moeller
The Luverne track season has been up and running in
big strides. The boys' and girls' track teams
are preparing for the section meet, which is on June
1st in Pipestone. The boys' team is a little
lacking in depth but has been performing quite well,
with a few school records being broken.
"Things have really seemed to start falling into
place. Now we're just trying to build up to be
top-notch as the season winds down," said senior
Jake Hendricks.
The
girls' track season has been going quite well, too.
They have improved a lot compared to last year's
team. As they get ready for sections, their
adrenaline has been pumping more and more.
Many of the athletes cannot wait for the gunshot to
send them off on their final run of the season.
"We
have been having a good season, and I'm really
hoping that we can have a strong finish as well,"
said Kelsey Dooyema, who is a senior runner for the
girls' team.
Boys' and girls' track have both had good seasons.
Both teams are sure to excel and hopefully bring
home some awards.
Sandager Soars
By: Andy Haakenson
I bet you didn't know one of your fellow students
could fly a plane. Well, now you do; it's
Aaron Sandager. Sandager's family owns a
two-person air plane. His grandfather first
bought this to transport him from his farm in Hills
to his ranch in South Dakota.
They
have a strip in the back of their grove that is used
to take off and land the airplane. The landing
strip is built only for small planes, which is just
what Sandager is piloting.
"I
decided to take the class, because I thought it
would be interesting to learn how to fly and be able
to go out to our ranch whenever I wanted," said
Sandager. He also said that he had flown
before with his dad in the plane with him. By
taking classes he can no leave whenever he wants.
"In
the late part of April when I took my flying test
with my instructor, I had to land into the Sioux
Falls airport," said Sandager. This would have
been nerve-wrecking for most, but Sandager triumphed
over his fears to land his plane. Learning to
fly wasn't an easy process; it was very
strenuous but landing was the most difficult part.
Sandager has passed his plan classes with flying
colors and will look forward to many future flights.
Whammie!!!
Baseball...Trying to keep up the Cardinal spirit
By: Jamie Wessels
The Luverne Cardinal Baseball team had a rough
start, but the boys are very optimistic about the
rest of the season. They have some games left,
so hopefully their morale will go up along with some
wins.
The
seniors are the leaders of spirit on the team and
will truly be missed next season. Senior Derek
Johnson has been one with a lot of pep and will be
sad to leave the team.
"Every team in our conference has the talent to go
to State, but I think we have more heart than them,"
said Johnson. The team started out the season
with a lot of cancelled and postponed games due to
the weather. This meant that a lot of games
got crammed into the end of the season, or
conference games were played as double-headers.
"The
team has been keeping up their spirit and have been
trying their hardest, but luck just hasn't been on
our side this year," said varsity coach Mr.
Wenniger. The varsity team played in one
tournament this year at Lac qui Parle Valley.
Softball
Swing for the fences
By: Brian Deutsch
The softball team is off to a good start this year,
playing near .500 ball. The team currently has
a record of 5-7. This record was highlighted
by a sweep of conference in rival Marshall.
The
girls have seen several changes this year. A
new rule was added, requiring batters to wear a
facemask, and their field was redone, shortening the
outfield fence by thirty feet.
Alison Brands and Jessa Dahl are the two senior
leaders of this team. Brands and Dahl both
bring experience to the varsity team. Brands
is one of the team's pitchers, and she also sees
time in the outfield. Recently, she threw a
no-hitter in a 6-0 win against Adrian. Dahl is
the team's third baseman. She is the pop in
the lineup and provides many extra base hits.
A
new coach is also bringing experience to the
program. Coach Jeremy Childress will be taking
over the B-squad team this year. Childress
went to high school at West Lyon in Iowa. He
went to college at Southwest State University in
Marshall, where he played football. Softball has
always been a hobby for the young skipper.
Coach Childress is also an assistant coach for the
football program.
Fore!
Golf teams wrap up a busy season
By: Stephanie Christensen
Thank goodness the weather hasn't been too bad for
the golf team this year, but they have had a busy
schedule. During the season the team had weeks
where they competed in four meets. Tournaments
in early May helped prepare the golfers for the
conference and subsection meets.
Senior boys Dave Nelson and Andy Haakenson help keep
the team pumped for golf.
"We're having a decent year. We're just trying
to get ready for the final matches of the season
that really count," said Nelson.
The
girls' team is lead by seniors Brittany Boeve, Nikki
Van Dyke, and Em Juhl. Much like the boys, the
girls have been doing well this year and are busy
practicing for the meets at the end of the season.
"So
far it's been kind of a bi-polar season as far as
individual performance goes," said Coach Chris
Nowatzki.
Hopefully the golfers will be able to hold it
together as the season is nearing its end.
There has been a lot of support for the golfers from
the parents this year. It would be nice to see
some more diehard Cardinal fans out cheering for the
golfers!
Editorial
From the Red Carpet
Sadly, many, many things will be coming to an end in
the upcoming weeks. Classmates will be
spending their final days together, teammates their
final games, and most importantly, people their last
days at LHS. Alissa and I are gong to dedicate
our final editorial to the things we most loved at
LHS, as well as report on some of the things that we
will not miss.
The Good Stuff
One of the best parts of high school is the sports.
It is always easy to cheer for your school when your
friends are on the court or field. The
excitement that the student section brings to games
is immeasurable. Cheering for and playing for
your classmates is an experience like no other.
This was shown during football, volleyball,
basketball, hockey, track, baseball, softball, and
tennis.
Even
though it is sad to think about losing some of your
high school friends, the memories will last forever.
You will never experience things that you did with
your friends. It is a good idea to keep in
touch with them in the coming years. However,
we are lucky with all the technology we have; we can
keep in touch very easily. Make sure to
exchange email addresses and cell phone numbers in
the upcoming days.
Teachers in high school are very helpful. We
may miss them when we are in college, and the
professors aren't as nice, available, or helpful.
We have all learned a lot from our teachers, both
academically and life-related. They really set
us up for the rest of our lives. If we are
successful later in our lives, we can thank them for
it.
The
atmosphere at LHS is unforgettable. We will
not have the homey feeling at college like we do
here. There won't be as many people looking
over us and looking out for us. We might not
think of missing it right now, but once we get to
college, we will miss the comfort zone in Luverne.
The Not-so-Good Stuff
One thing we can't wait for at college is the
food! It will be awesome to be able to go to
the student union and pick out any kind of food we
want. We will never be forced to eat anything
we don't like. Plus, we will have already paid
for the food in advance, so it will seem like the
food is free. We will never, ever have to ask
what is for supper, or if there is any food in the
fridge, because we can choose to eat what we want,
when we want.
Another thing we won't miss is the blue slips.
We will all get student identification cards that
will allow us to go about anywhere we want to.
We are 18-year-old adults and don't feel like we
need to be babysat and only allowed to go to certain
places. We will definitely love the freedom
college brings. We will be able to come and go
as we please and not worry about the hall monitor.
We
have both really enjoyed high school, but we are
also both looking forward to college. High
school was an unforgettable experience that we will
not forget anytime soon. There were good
times, and there were bad times, but, as you can
see, the good things definitely outweigh the bad.
We are glad to have shared the memories of high
school with our classmates and look forward to
meeting up with them again in the future. Good
luck, Class of 2006!
Seniors
Seniors' College Choices
Where the class of 2006 is heading...
Augustana
Andraya Gacke
Kelsey Peterson
Bemidji State University
Dave J. Nelson
Bethel
Kelsey Dooyema
College of St. Catherine
Bethany Brandel
Concordia
Nathan Boler
Concordia (Seward, NE)
Grant Oldre
Knox College
Jessa Dahl
Le Cordon Bleu
Dan Stensland-Bos
Marshall-SMSU
Stephanie Christensen
Ben Nath
Brittany Sandager
Tracy Schneekloth
Minnesota West (Pipestone)
Ashley Barber
Minnesota West (Worthington)
Tim Drost
Christine VonHoltum
MSU (Moorhead)
Brittany Boeve
Derek Johnson
Chonda Wessels
North Dakota State University
Alison Brands
Michael Kunstle
Abby Lange
Tim Miller
Teresa Pick
Tom Ward
Spencer Wynia
Northwestern
Lindsay Rust
North Hennepin Community College
Birdie Xaphakdy|
Presentation College
Maggie Kuhlman
Ridgewater Tech
Anthony Boyenga |
School of Mines
and Technology
Craig Oeding
South Dakota State University
Victoria Arends
Rachael Body
Corey Bosch
Andy Haakenson
Eva Halfman
Alissa Johnson
Aaron Moeller
Jon May
Aaron Sandager
Addie Stearns
Jamie Wessels
Southeast Tech
Marissa Frakes
Abby Dewispelaere
Chris Klay
Tony Schomacker
Tori Snyder
Kricket Sprecher
Aric Uithoven
St. Cloud State University
Chessa Ossefoort
St. Mary's (Winona)
Amber Ernst
St. Olaf
Logan Sawtelle
Stewart's
Amy Henkensiefken
University of Minnesota (Twin Cities)
Brian Deutsch
Nick Heronimus
Brett Lundgren
David R. Nelson
University of Sioux Falls
Thomas Christiansen
Christina Timmer
Work
Amanda Brands
Sawyer Petersen
Military
Michael Mortimer (Guards)
Craig Thacker (Dordt)
Kimberly Xaisongkham (Air Force)
Undecided
Jake Hendricks
Jordan Siebenahler
College in Mexico
Maria Apparicio |
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Brittany Nicole Boeve
Activities
Tennis, Gymnastics, Senior RCYF, Band,
Church
Future Plans
Go to college and get a degree
Favorite Movie
Hitch
Favorite Quote
"Never drive faster than your guardian angel can
fly!" |
Meghan Marie Orvis-McClure
Activities
--
Future Plans
Take a year off of school, have my child, then
next year go to South Eat Technical College for
child development or Ultra Sound Tech
Favorite Movie
Dazed and Confused |
Tori Snyder
Activities
Basketball, and work at Glen's Deli and
Bakery
Future Plans
Have a kid, go to Southeast Tech for Graphic
Communications, get married, and have another kid
Favorite Movie
Crash
Birth Date
April 10, 1988 |
Ryan Thomas Walker
Activities
--
Future Plans
Go racing, make money, get married to a hot gal,
have kids
Favorite Movie
Little Mermaid and Days of Thunder |
|
Souphak Bird Xaphakdy
Activities
Business Professionals of America, Choir,
Acting, Modeling, and Talent Competition (AMTC)
Future Plans
College, Major in Business, maybe part-time
music career, get married and have kids
Favorite Quote
"Dreams can only be reached if you try, so
believe in yourself!" |
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Creative Writing
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Wonderwall
By: Jenna Leslie
I'm falling apart. Apart...so fast.
Nobody to catch me
Not even the ground.
Wonderwall. Where are you?
You've yet to stay in one place.
All my insides don't feel so right.
My heart is sitting there as you stare.
You don't know what to do.
So instead you'll just let God do the work.
Working, he does wonders.
I choose to make my own fate.
You on the other hand, give up too easily.
That's when God cries.
Girls and guys alike cry too,
But God's tears are what shatters the earth as a
whole
Trying to run away from the present,
Only wishing to fast forward.
Seeing my life as it is without you.
Rewind. Play. Pause...
We can't do that.
What were you thinking?
Get your faith back; make it happen.
Take one more chance that you're given.
Live. Photograph your pictures.
Don't ever quit because you lose once or twice.
I've got it altogether now.
Make this right; don't back down.
Poem
By: Julie Fodness
Stereotype me, put me down
Make me hate you, hate this town
You don't know what's in my head
You don't know what it's like to wish you were
dead
I have love, lust and sacrifice I have pain
Why do you think I can cry in the rain
I can't show my weakness
Even though everything you say is meaningless |
Summer Time
By: Anonymous
I cannot wait until it becomes hot.
With all my friends how can we not have fun.
Getting a tan how can not
be layout outside and soaking up the sun.
Riding to the Blue Mounds to go swimming,
Making sure no sand gets in our shorts.
All we want to do is look slimming
so when school starts we are ready for sports.
Go shopping early to buy new tank tops,
bearing our eyes with fun new sunglasses
Nothing but cut, colorful little flip flops
noticing how fast the time soon passes.
Spending most of my tie with good friends,
Oh, how fast everyone's summer ends!
Graduation
By: Becca Sandager
Time's swift; racing to when we say "Goodbye."
Off to a new beginning, a new start.
I go on my way, reaching for the sky.
Yes, it will hurt, leaving behind my heart.
I waited, waited for the coming end.
Eighteen years to pass, it sounded so long.
When we leave I may face losing my friend.
Alone there's so many thing to go wrong.
So many opportunities to try.
Looking ahead "fraid of the coming day.
I will have to grow wings and learn to fly.
So hard to say "Bye" and go on my way.
Although leaving may seem too much to bear,
The end justifies the pain to get there. |
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